Ceremony of Great Vespers

Deacon: Arise. God bless.

Priest: Glory to the Holy, Consubstantial, Life-Giving, and Indivisible Trinity always, now and ever and unto ages of ages

Chorus: Amen.

Deacon and priest: Come, let us worship our God the King. Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and... Our God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Him

Opening Psalm (103rd)

Choir: Bless the Lord, my soul! Blessed ecu Lord. Bless the Lord, my soul, O Lord my God, thou art greatly magnified. Blessed be you, Lord! You have clothed yourself with confession and greatness. Blessed be you, Lord! - Angels create Your spirits and servants Your fiery flame. Wonderful are Your works, O Lord! There will be water on the mountains. Waters will pass through the mountains. Wonderful are Your works, O Lord. You have created all things with wisdom. Glory to You, Lord, who created everything. Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, glory to Thee, O God (three times).

Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord in peace.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord for peace from above and the salvation of our souls.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For the peace of the whole world, the prosperity of the Holy Churches of God and the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For this holy temple and for those who enter it with faith, reverence and fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For our Great Lord and Father, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and our Most Reverend Lord (name of the river, ruling bishop), the honorable presbytery, the diaconate in Christ, for all the clergy and people, let us pray to the Lord.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For our God-protected country, its authorities and its army, let us pray to the Lord.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For this city (or this village; if in a monastery, then for this holy monastery), every city, country and those who live in them by faith, let us pray to the Lord.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord for the goodness of the air, for the abundance of earthly fruits and times of peace.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For those who are sailing, traveling, the sick, the suffering, the captives, and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord that we may be delivered from all sorrow, anger and need.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: Intercede, save, have mercy and preserve us, O God, by Your grace.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: Having commemorated our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves, and each other, and our whole life to Christ our God.

Choir: To you, Lord.

Priest: For all glory, honor and worship is due to You, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Chorus: Amen.

The psalter kathisma prescribed for this day is read. On Sunday the 1st is read.

Choir: Blessed is the man who does not follow the counsel of the wicked. Alleluia (three times after each verse). For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, and the way of the wicked will perish. Work for the Lord with fear, and rejoice in Him with trembling. Blessed is all-hoping Nan. Rise up, Lord, save me, my God. Salvation is the Lord's, and Your blessing is upon Your people. Glory, even now. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Glory to Thee, O God (three times).

Deacon: Let us pray again and again in peace to the Lord.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: Intercede, save, have mercy and preserve us, O God, by Your grace.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: Having commemorated our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves, and each other, and our whole life to Christ our God.

Choir: To you, Lord.

Priest: For Thine is the power, and Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Chorus: Amen.

Chorus: Lord, I have called to You, hear me. Hear me, Lord. Lord, I have called to You, hear me: listen to the voice of my prayer, sometimes I will cry to You. Hear me, Lord. May my prayer be corrected as the incense before You, the lifting of my hand, the evening sacrifice. Hear me. God.

1. Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth and a door of protection over my mouth. 2. Do not turn my heart into words of wickedness, and do not bear the guilt of sins. 3. With men who practice iniquity, I will not reckon with their chosen ones. 4. The righteous will punish me with mercy and reprove me: but let not the oil of the sinner anoint my head. 5. For my prayer was also in their favor, since I was sacrificed at the stone of their judge. 6. My words will be heard, as if it were possible: as the thickness of the earth has sagged on the earth, and their bones have been scattered in hell. 7. For my eyes are toward You, O Lord, Lord; in You do I trust; do not take away my soul. 8. Keep me from the snares that I have made, and from the temptation of those who practice iniquity. 9. Sinners will fall into their depths: I am one, until I will pass away. Choir: 1. With my voice I cried to the Lord, with my voice I prayed to the Lord. 2. I will pour out my prayer before Him, I will declare my sorrow before Him. 3. My spirit never disappears from me, and You have known my paths. 4. On this path, I walked unwisely, hiding the net for me. 5. Look at the right hand and look, and do not know me. 6. Flee from me perish, and do not seek my soul. 7. I cried to You, O Lord, saying: You are my hope, You are my part in the land of the living. 8. Listen to my prayer, for you have greatly humbled yourself: deliver me from those who persecute me, for you have become stronger than me.

Most often, not all of the above verses are sung. After the verses, stichera on “Lord, I cried” and dogmatism are sung - chants in which the theological dogmatic truths of the Church are revealed. Which stichera and dogmatics exactly depend on the day of the week, the holiday, the saint whose memory is celebrated on that day.

Evening entrance

This is a variable part of the service: there may be no entry if the service is not solemn. If the service is solemn, then parimia are read at the entrance - passages from the Old Testament containing prophecies about the events of the holiday.

Deacon: Wisdom, forgive me

Choir: Quiet light of holy glory, Immortal, Heavenly Father, Holy Blessed, Jesus Christ! Having come to the west of the sun, having seen the evening light, we sing of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, God. You are worthy at all times to be the voice of the reverend, Son of God, give life, and thus the world glorifies You!

Prokeimenon

Variable part of Vespers. Which prokeimenon is sung depends on the day of the week, holiday or saint whose memory is being celebrated.

Deacon: Let's take a look.

Priest: Peace to all.

Deacon: Wisdom, let us hear, prokeimenon... The Lord reigned, clothed in beauty.

Chorus: The Lord reigns...

Deacon: The Lord has clothed Himself with strength and girded Himself.

Chorus: The Lord reigns...

Deacon: For establish the universe, which cannot move.

Chorus: The Lord reigns...

Deacon: To Thy house holiness befits, O Lord, throughout the length of days.

Chorus: The Lord reigns...

Deacon: The Lord reigns.

Chorus: Clothed in beauty.

The Great Litany

Deacon: We say everything with all our hearts, and we say everything with all our thoughts.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: Lord Almighty, God of our fathers, we pray to You, hear and have mercy.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy, we pray to You, hear and have mercy.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy (three times).

Deacon: We also pray for our Great Lord and Father, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, and for our Lord, His Eminence, Bishop (name of the rivers) and for all our brethren in Christ.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy (three times).

Deacon: We also pray for our God-protected country, its authorities and army, so that we may live a quiet and silent life in all piety and purity.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: We also pray for the blessed and ever-memorable creators of this holy temple (even in the monastery: this holy monastery), and for all the departed Orthodox fathers and brothers who lie here and everywhere.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy (three times).

Deacon: We also pray for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, visitation, forgiveness and forgiveness of sins of the servants of God, the brethren of this holy temple (even in the monastery: this holy monastery).

Chorus: Lord, have mercy (three times).

Deacon: We also pray for those who are fruitful and virtuous in this holy and all-honorable temple, those who work, sing and stand before us, expecting great and rich mercy from You.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy (three times).

Priest: For You are a merciful and Lover of mankind, and to You we send glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Chorus: Amen.

Reader: Grant, O Lord, that this evening we may remain without sin. Blessed are you, O Lord God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is your name forever, amen. May Thy mercy be upon us, O Lord, as we trust in Thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord, teach me by thy justification. Blessed art thou, O Lord, enlighten me with thy justification. Blessed art thou, Holy One, enlighten me with Thy justification, O Lord, Thy mercy forever; do not despise the work of Your hand. Praise is due to you. Singing is due to You, glory is due to You, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Deacon: Let us fulfill our evening prayer to the Lord.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: Intercede, save, have mercy and preserve us, O God, by Your grace.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: The evening is all perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless, we ask the Lord.

Choir: Grant it, Lord.

Deacon: Angela is a peaceful, faithful mentor, guardian of our souls and bodies, we ask the Lord.

Choir: Grant it, Lord.

Deacon: We ask the Lord for forgiveness and forgiveness of our sins and transgressions.

Choir: Grant it, Lord.

Deacon: We ask the Lord for kindness and benefit to our souls and peace.

Choir: Grant it, Lord.

Deacon: We ask the Lord to end the rest of our life in peace and repentance.

Choir: Grant it, Lord.

Deacon: The Christian death of our belly, painless, shameless, peaceful, and a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ, we ask.

Choir: Grant it, Lord.

Deacon: Having commemorated our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves, and each other, and our whole life to Christ our God.

Choir: To you, Lord.

Priest: For God is good and a lover of mankind, and to You we send glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Chorus: Amen.

Priest: Peace to all.

Chorus: And to your spirit.

Deacon: Let us bow our heads to the Lord.

Choir: To you, Lord.

Priest: May the power of Your Kingdom be blessed and glorified, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Chorus: Amen.

Lithium

It is not always performed, but only when the all-night vigil is served - a solemn service that combines Matins, Vespers and the first hour.

Deacon: Save, O God, Thy people and bless Thy inheritance, visit the world with Thy mercy and bounty, raise up the horn of Orthodox Christians and send down upon us Thy rich mercies: through the prayers of our All-Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary: by the power of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross: intercession of the honest Heavenly Ones Incorporeal powers: the honorable, glorious prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John: the glorious and all-praised apostle saints: likewise among the saints our father and the great ecumenical teachers and saints, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom: likewise among the saints our father Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra, wonderworker : Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Methodius and Cyril, Slovenian teachers: Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir: like our holy fathers of all Russia, wonderworkers, Michael, Peter, Alexy, Jonah, Philip and Hermogenes: holy glorious and victorious martyrs, venerable and God-bearing fathers, saints and the righteous Godfather Joachim and Anna (and the holy name of the rivers, whose is the temple and whose is the day) and all the saints: we pray to Thee, most merciful Lord, hear us sinners praying to Thee, and have mercy on us.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy (40 times).

Deacon: We also pray for our Great Lord and Father, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, and for our Lord, His Eminence Bishop (name of rivers) and for all our brotherhood in Christ, and for every soul of Christians, grieving and embittered, in need of God’s mercy and help: o the protection of this city and those living in it (or this village and those living in it; or this holy monastery and those living in it); about the world and the state of the whole world; about the welfare of the holy Churches of God: about the salvation and help with diligence and fear of God of those who work and serve, our father and brethren: about those who are left behind and those who are in departure: about the healing of those who lie in weakness: about the dormition, weakness, blessed memory and remission of sins of all those who have gone before, father and our Orthodox brethren, who lie here and everywhere; about the deliverance of the captives, and about our brothers who are present in the services, and about all those who serve and have served in this holy temple (even in the monastery: in this holy monastery) with their words.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy (50 times).

Deacon: We also pray for the preservation of this city (or this village), and this holy temple (even in the monastery: this holy monastery), and every city and country from famine, destruction, cowardice, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare: O be merciful and merciful to our good and philanthropic God, turn away all the anger that moves us, and deliver us from His due and righteous rebuke, and have mercy on us.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy (three times).

Deacon: We also pray that the Lord God may hear the voice of the prayer of us sinners and have mercy on us.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy (three times).

Priest: Hear us. God, our Savior, the Hope of all the ends of the earth and those who live in the seas far away: and be merciful, merciful, O Master, for our sins and have mercy on us. For You are a merciful and Lover of mankind, and we send glory to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Chorus: Amen.

Priest: Peace to all.

Chorus: And to your spirit.

Deacon: Let us bow our heads to the Lord.

Choir: To you, Lord.

Priest: Most merciful Master, Lord Jesus Christ our God, through the prayers of our All-Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, by the power of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross, the intercession of the honorable Heavenly Powers without flesh, the honorable glorious prophet, the Forerunner and Baptist John, the glorious and all-praised apostles, the glorious saints and good-victorious martyrs, our venerable and God-bearing fathers, like our holy fathers and the great ecumenical teachers and saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, like our holy father Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra, wonderworker: Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Methodius and Cyril, Slovenian teachers: Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir: likewise among the saints the father of our all Russia wonderworkers Michael, Peter, Alexy, Jonah, Philip and Hermogenes, the saints and righteous Godfather Joachim and Anna (and the holy name of the rivers, whose temple is and whose day is), and all saints Yours: make our prayer favorable, grant us forgiveness of our sins, cover us with the shelter of Your wing, drive away from us every enemy and adversary: ​​pacify our lives, Lord; have mercy on us and your world, and save our souls, for you are good and a lover of mankind.

Chorus: Amen.

After the litia, the so-called stichera are sung in stichera: special chants of a holiday or saint whose memory is being celebrated today.

Reader: Now do You let Your servant go, O Master, according to Your word in peace: for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people, a light for the revelation of tongues, and the glory of Your people Israel.

Reader: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times). Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake. Lord, have mercy (three times). Glory, even now. Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Priest: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Chorus: Amen.

Troparion of dismissal

Chorus: Mother of God, Virgin, rejoice, full of grace Mary, the Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the Fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls (three times).

Blessing of the Loaves

Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.

Chorus: Lord, have mercy.

Priest: Lord Jesus Christ our God, who blessed the five loaves and filled the five thousand, bless yourself this loaves, the wheat, the wine and the oil: and multiply these in this city (or in this village, or in this holy monastery) and throughout the whole world Yours: and sanctify the faithful who eat from them. For You are the One who blesses and sanctifies all things, O Christ our God, and to You we send up glory, with Your Originless Father, and Your All-Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Chorus: Amen.

Chorus: Blessed be the name of the Lord from now to eternity (three times).

Reader: I will bless the Lord at all times; I will make His praise in my mouth. My soul will glory in the Lord: let the meek hear and rejoice. Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. Seek the Lord, and hear me, and deliver me from all my sorrows. Come to Him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be ashamed. This beggar cried out, and the Lord heard, and saved Him from all his sorrows. The Angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear Him and deliver them. Taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man who trusts in Nan. Fear the Lord, all your saints, for there is no hardship for those who fear Him. With riches you become poor and hungry: but those who seek the Lord will not be deprived of any good.

Priest: The blessing of the Lord is upon you, through His grace and love for mankind, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Chorus: Amen.

Rite of Vespers

Table of contents

The priest says: Blessed is our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

And the primate, or the appointed reader, begins: Amen.

Come, let us worship the King our God.

Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God.

Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God.

[At Great Vespers, the deacon: Arise!

Lik: Lord, bless!

Priest: Glory to the Holy, and Consubstantial, and Life-Giving, and Indivisible Trinity always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

Lik: Amen.

Priests at the altar: Come, let us worship our King God.

Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ our King God.

Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God.

Come, let us bow and fall before Him.

Lik: Bless the Lord, my soul. / Blessed are you, Lord. / Lord, my God, you are greatly magnified. / Blessed are you, Lord. / You have clothed yourself with confession and commandment. / Blessed are you, Lord. / Waters will pass through the middle of the mountains. / Wonderful are Your works, Lord. / You created all things with wisdom. / Glory to Ti, Lord, who created everything.

Psalm 103:

Bless the Lord, my soul. Lord, my God, you have been greatly magnified. You have clothed yourself in confession and decree. Dress yourself in light like a robe, stretch out the sky like a skin. Cover Your high waters with Your high waters, trust the clouds for Your ascent, walk on the wing of the wind. The Angels create His own spirits and servants, His own fiery flame. Found the earth on its firmament, it will not bend forever. The deep is like a robe, its garment; the waters will rise on the mountains; they will flee from Your rebuke; they will fear from the voice of Your thunder. Mountains rise and fields descend to the place that you founded for them. You have set a limit that they will not pass, but will return to cover the earth. Send springs into the wilds, and waters will flow through the mountains. All the wild animals are soldering, the onions are waiting for their thirst. On you the birds of heaven will take root, from the environment the stones will give a voice. Solder the mountains from Your high ones; the earth will be satisfied with the fruit of Your works. Let the grass grow for cattle, and grain for the service of man, and bring bread from the ground. And wine makes a man’s heart glad; anoint the face with oil, and bread strengthens a man’s heart. The trees of Poland, the cedars of Lebanon, which you planted, will be satisfied. Birds nest there, and Erodian’s dwelling is their leader. High mountains are tree-lined, stone is a refuge for a hare. He created the moon in time, the sun knew its west. You set it in darkness, and the night came, in which all the animals of the oak forest would pass. Slay the roaring ones, take them away and seek food for yourself from God. The sun has risen and gathered and will lie down in their beds. A man will go out to his work and to his work until evening. Because Thy works have been magnified, O Lord, Thou hast done all things with wisdom, the earth is filled with Thy creation. This sea is great and spacious, there are vermin, there are no number of them, small animals with great ones, there ships sail, this serpent, whom you created, curses him. Everyone is looking to You, give them food for good times. If I give to You, they will gather them, I will open Your hand, they will be filled with all kindness, but if I turn away Your face, they will rebel, take away their spirit, and they will disappear and return to their dust. Follow Thy Spirit, and they will be created, and renew the face of the earth. Be the glory of the Lord forever, the Lord will rejoice in His deeds, look upon the earth, and make it shake, touch the mountains, and smoke. I will sing to the Lord in my belly, I will sing to my God, even though I am, that my conversation may delight Him, and I will rejoice in the Lord. Let sinners and wicked women disappear from the earth, as if they did not exist. Bless the Lord, my soul.

The sun knows its west. You put darkness, and it became night. How great are your works, O Lord, that you have done all things with wisdom.

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to you God. Three times.

Also the Great Litany. The same verse of the Psalter.

[If there is still a week, let’s verse the 1st Kathisma. If the feast of the Theotokos, or holy, has polyeleos, we sing Blessed is the man: the first antiphon:

Psalm 1:

Blessed is the man who does not follow the counsel of the wicked. Alleluia, three times. And on the path there are not a hundred sinners, and in the seats of the destroyers he does not sit, but in the law of the Lord is his will, and in his law one learns day and night. And it will be like a tree planted by the outgoing waters, which will yield its fruit in its season, and its leaf will not fall away, and everything that is created will prosper. Not like wickedness, not like that, but like dust that the wind sweeps away from the face of the earth. For this reason, wickedness will not rise to judgment, below the sinner to the council of the righteous. For the Lord preaches the way of the righteous, and the way of the wicked will perish. Alleluia, three times.

Psalm 2:

Are the nations reeling and people having learned in vain? The king of the earth appeared, and the princes gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ. Let us break their bonds and cast away their yoke from us. He who lives in Heaven will laugh at them, and the Lord will mock them. Then he will cry out to them with his wrath and will crush me with his wrath. And I am appointed King by Him over Zion, His holy mountain, proclaiming the commandment of the Lord. The Lord spoke to Me: You are My Son, I have given birth to You today. Ask from Me, and I will give You the tongues of Your inheritance, and Your possession, the ends of the earth. I have protected you with a rod of iron, as I have crushed the vessels of the wicked. And now, O king, understand, be punished, all you who judge the earth. Work for the Lord with fear and rejoice in Him with trembling. Alleluia, three times. Accept punishment, lest the Lord become angry and perish from the righteous path, when His wrath will soon flare up. Blessed are all who hope Nan. Alleluia, three times.

Psalm 3:

Lord, why have you multiplied our cold? Many people rise up against me, many people say to my soul: there is no salvation for him in his God. But you, Lord, are my Protector, my glory, and lift up my head. With my voice I cried to the Lord, and He heard me from His holy mountain. I fell asleep, and smelled, and arose, as if the Lord would intercede for me. I will not be afraid of those people around who attack me. Arise, Lord, save me, my God. Alleluia, three times. For You have struck down all those who were at enmity with me in vain: You have crushed the teeth of sinners. Salvation is the Lord, and Your blessing is upon Your people. Alleluia, three times.

From lava, and now: And liluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to you God . Three times.]

According to the verse, the litany is small.

And Abiye, Lord, I cried out in a loud voice. Psalms 140, 141, 129, 116:

Lord, I called to You, hear me. / Hear me, Lord.

First face: Lord, I have called to You, hear me: / Hear the voice of my prayer, / Sometimes I will cry to You. / Hear me, Lord.

Second face: Let my prayer be corrected, / like censer before You, / the lifting of my hand / - an evening sacrifice. / Hear me, Lord.

And according to the order of the verses: Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth, and a door of protection over my mouth. Do not turn my heart into the words of deceit, and do not accept the guilt of sins with men who practice iniquity, and I will not reckon with their chosen ones. The righteous will punish me with mercy and reprove me, but let not the oil of the sinner anoint my head, for my prayer is also in their favor. The victims were at the stone of their judge: my words will be heard, because I am able. Like the thickness of the earth has sagged on the earth, scattering their bones in hell. For my eyes are unto Thee, O Lord, O Lord: in Thee I trust, do not take away my soul. Keep me from the snare that has surrounded me, and from the temptation of those who practice iniquity. Sinners will fall into their darkness: I am one, until I will pass away.

With my voice I cried to the Lord, with my voice I prayed to the Lord. I will pour out my prayer before Him, I will declare my sorrow before Him. Sometimes my spirit disappears from me: and You have known my paths: in this way, where I walked, You hid the snare for me. I looked on my right hand and looked, and do not know me: perish the flight from me, and do not seek my soul. I cried to You, Lord, I said: You are my hope, You are my portion in the land of the living. Listen to my prayer, for you have greatly humbled yourself, deliver me from those who persecute me, for you have become stronger than me.

On 10, stichera: Bring my soul out of prison, to confess to Your name.

The righteous women are waiting for me, until then reward me.

On 8: From the depths I have cried to You, Lord, Lord, hear my voice.

Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my prayer.

On 6: If you see iniquity, Lord, Lord, who will stand? For You have purification.

For Thy name's sake I have endured Thee, O Lord, my soul has endured in Thy word; my soul trusteth in the Lord.

On 4: From the morning watch until the night, from the morning watch let Israel trust in the Lord.

For the Lord has mercy, and His deliverance is abundant, and He will deliver Israel from all its iniquities.

On 2: Praise the Lord, all nations, praise Him, all people.

For His mercy is established upon us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever.

Glory: Holy Menaion.

And now: Theotokos.

Even if there is no holy Glory, even now: Theotokos.

Creation of Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem:

Quiet light of holy glory, / Immortal, Heavenly Father, / Holy Blessed Jesus Christ. / Having come to the west of the sun, / having seen the evening light, / we sing of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, God. / You are worthy at all times / to have voices like the venerable ones, / Son of God, you give life, / therefore the world glorifies You.

During the week and on Friday evenings, Alleluia is never sung. If God is the Lord, this prokeimenon is sung:

Saturday evening, tone 6:

The Lord reigns, / is clothed in beauty.

Verse: The Lord clothed himself with strength and girded himself.

Verse: For establish the world, which cannot move.

Verse: Holiness to the Lord is fitting for your house in long days.

Week evening, tone 8:

Behold, now bless the Lord / all servants of the Lord.

Verse: Standing in the temple of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.

Monday evening, voice 4:

The Lord will hear me, / I will always cry to Him.

Verse: Always call upon me, the God of my righteousness will hear me.

Tuesday evening, voice 1:

Your mercy, O Lord, / will marry me all the days of my life.

Verse: The Lord feeds me and deprives me of nothing; in a green place, there he dwells me.

Wednesday evening, voice 5:

God, in Your name save me, / and in Your power judge me.

Verse: God, hear my prayer, inspire the words of my mouth.

On Thursday evening, tone 6:

My help comes from the Lord, / who created heaven and earth.

Verse: I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from there my help will come.

On Friday evening, tone 7:

O God, You are my Protector, / and Your mercy will precede me.

Verse: Deliver me from my enemies, O God, and deliver me from those who rise up against me.

It is appropriate to know that if Pentecost or Alleluia happens, instead of the prokeimenon of the week, we sing this.

Monday evening: Alleluia, three times, in tone 6.

Verse: Lord, do not rebuke me with Your wrath; do not punish me with Your wrath. Alleluia.

Verse: And forever and ever. We say in the highest voice: Alleluia.

Tuesday and Thursday evenings: Alleluia.

Verse: Lift up the Lord our God, and worship His footstool, for He is holy. Alleluia.

Verse: And forever and ever. Alleluia.

Wednesday evening: Alleluia.

Verse: Their message went out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. Alleluia.

Verse: And forever and ever. Alleluia.

At Great Vespers, if there are parimia, the deacon says: We recited everything with all our hearts: And at the cry of the face: Amen.

The same face: Grant, Lord, that we may be preserved without sin this evening. / Blessed are you, Lord God our father, / and praised and glorified is your name forever, amen. /

May Thy mercy be upon us, Lord, as we trust in Thee. / Blessed are you, Lord, teach me by your justification. / Blessed are You, Master, enlighten me with Your justification. / Blessed are You, O Holy One, enlighten me with Your justification. /

Lord, Your mercy endures forever, do not despise the work of Your hand. / Praise is due to you. Singing is due to you, / glory is due to you, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, / now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Priest: Let us perform our evening prayer:

And at the cry of the face: Amen.

Priest: Peace to all.

Lik: And to your spirit.

Deacon: Let us bow our heads to the Lord.

Lik: To you, Lord.

Prayer of prostration. Whenever there is a vigil, we go into the vestibule, singing the stichera of the temple or holiday, performing the litia. The priest and the deacon with the censer depart together from the northern country, and they are preceded by two lamps. Glory to the Holy One. And now, Mother of God. And so on.

The stichera are also verse. If there is no holiday in them, we say these verses:

Verse 1: My eyes are lifted up to You, who dwells in heaven. Behold, like the eyes of a servant in the hand of his masters, like the eyes of a slave in the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are toward the Lord our God, until he will spare us.

Verse 2: Lord, have mercy on us, have mercy on us, for we are filled with humiliation in many ways: especially our soul is filled with the reproaches of the gobblers, and the humiliation of the proud.

[If it’s Saturday, we say:

Verse: The Lord reigns, / is clothed in beauty.

Verse: For you have established the universe, / which cannot move.

Verse: Holiness befits Thy house / Lord, in long days.]

Glory, even now, to the Mother of God.

Prayer of Saint Simeon the God-Receiver:

Now let Thy servant go, O Master, / according to Thy word in peace: / for my eyes have seen Thy salvation, / which Thou hast prepared before the face of all men, / a light for the revelation of the nations, / and the glory of Your people Israel.

Trisagion. According to Our Father: Priest: For Yours is the Kingdom: And we: Amen.

Troparion of the coming holiday, or saint, or day. Glory, even now, Theotokos and dismissal.

[Saturday evening:

Virgin Mary, Rejoice, / Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You: / Blessed are You among women, and Blessed is the Fruit of Your womb, / For You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. Three times.

Therefore: May the Name of the Lord be blessed from now to eternity. Three times.

Also Psalm 33:

I will bless the Lord at all times; I will put His praise in my mouth. My soul shall glory in the Lord, that the meek may hear and rejoice. Magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together. Seek the Lord and hear me, and deliver me from all my sorrows. Come to Him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be ashamed. This beggar cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him from all his sorrows. The Angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear Him, and will deliver them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Nan. Fear the Lord, all you saints, for those who fear Him will have no hardship. The poor and the hungry are rich, but those who seek the Lord will not be deprived of any good.

Priest: The blessing of the Lord is upon you. By grace and love for mankind, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

We: Amen. And we begin Matins with the Six Psalms.]

If there is God the Lord, according to the Trisagion Troparion of Dismissal, and therefore the priest: Wisdom. The face: Bless. Priest: Blessed be Christ our God, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Lik: Amen. Establish, O God, / the holy Orthodox faith of Orthodox Christians / forever and ever. Priest: Most Holy Theotokos, save us. Face: The most honorable Cherub / and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, / who gave birth to God the Word without corruption, / the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee. Priest: Glory to Thee, Christ God, our hope, glory to Thee. Face: Glory, and now, Lord, have mercy, three times. Bless.

And there is a dismissal from the priest:

[Risen from the dead,] Christ, our true God, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, the holy glorious and all-praised Apostle, (and the holy one, whose temple is, and the holy one, whose day is), the holy and righteous Godfathers Joachim and Anna, and all saints , will have mercy and save us, as He is Good and Lover of Mankind.

Face (many years): of the Great Lord and Father of our [name] / His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, / and of our Most Reverend Lord [name], / metropolitan (or archbishop, or bishop of his region), / God our protected Russian country, / the abbot, the brethren, the parishioners of this holy temple, / and all Orthodox Christians, / Lord, save them for many years.

If there is a Pentecost or fasting, and Alleluia peto, say this troparion, in tone 4:

Virgin Mary, Rejoice, / Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You: / Blessed are You among women, and Blessed is the Fruit of Your womb, / For You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. One bow.

Glory: To the Baptist of Christ, remember us all, / that we may be delivered from our iniquities: / for you have been given the grace to pray for us. One bow.

And now: Pray for us, holy Apostles, all saints, / that we may be delivered from troubles and sorrows: / for you are warm representatives of the Savior as money-grubbers. One bow.

We take refuge under Your compassion, Mother of God, / do not despise our prayers in our circumstances, / but deliver us from troubles, O One Pure One, One Blessed One. No bow.

Lord have mercy, 40. Glory, and now:

The most honorable Cherub / and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, / who gave birth to God the Word without corruption, / the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee.

Bless in the name of the Lord, father.

Priest: Blessed be Christ our God, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

And we: Amen.

Be aware that among the Greeks the leader of this prayer says:

Heavenly King, establish the faith, tame the tongues, pacify the world, preserve this holy temple [this holy monastery] well: first, the departed fathers and our brethren in the villages of the righteous, teach us Receive repentance and confession, as you are Good and Lover of Mankind.

Therefore, there are three great bows, saying in each bow the prayer of St. Ephraim:

Lord and Master of my life, do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness, and idle talk. Great bow.

Grant me the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Your servant. Great bow.

Hey, Lord the King, grant me to see my sins, and not to condemn my brother, for blessed are you forever and ever, amen. Great bow.

There are also 12 small bows, saying secretly to each bow: God, cleanse me, a sinner.

And again, having finished bowing, we say the entire prayer written above: Lord and Master of my life: And one great bow.

Same, Trisagion. According to Our Father: Priest: For Yours is the Kingdom: And we: Amen. Lord have mercy, 12

The same prayer:

All-Holy Trinity, Consubstantial Power, Indivisible Kingdom, all good wines: be kind to me, a sinner, affirm, enlighten my heart and take away all my filth. Enlighten my thought, let me glorify, sing, and worship, and say: One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ for the glory of God the Father, amen.

Therefore: May the Name of the Lord be blessed from now to eternity. Three times. And three bows.

Glory, and now:

Also Psalm 33:

I will bless the Lord at all times; I will put His praise in my mouth. My soul shall glory in the Lord, that the meek may hear and rejoice. Magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together. Seek the Lord and hear me, and deliver me from all my sorrows. Come to Him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be ashamed. This beggar cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him from all his sorrows. The Angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear Him, and will deliver them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Nan. Fear the Lord, all you saints, for those who fear Him will have no hardship. The poor and the hungry are rich, but those who seek the Lord will not be deprived of any good. Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who, even if he lives, loves the days of seeing good things? Keep your tongue from evil, and keep your lips from uttering flattery. Avoid evil and do good. Seek peace and get married. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are upon their prayer. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, even to consume their remembrance from the earth. You cried out for righteousness, and the Lord heard them, and delivered them from all their sorrows. The Lord is near to those who are broken-hearted, and will save those who are humble in spirit. There will be many sorrows for the righteous, and the Lord will deliver them from all of them. The Lord protects all their bones, not one of them will be broken. The death of sinners is cruel, and those who hate the righteous will sin. The Lord will deliver the souls of His servant, and all who trust in Him will not sin.

And Psalm 144:

I will exalt You, my God, my King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever. I will bless You every day and praise Your name forever and ever. The Lord is great and greatly praised, and His greatness has no end. Generation and generation will praise Your works and proclaim Your power. They will proclaim the splendor of the glory of Your holiness and tell of Your wonders. And they will speak of Your terrible power and tell of Your greatness. They will regurgitate the memory of the abundance of Your goodness and rejoice in Your righteousness. The Lord is generous and merciful, long-suffering and abundantly merciful. The Lord is good to all, and His compassions are upon all His affairs. May all Your works be confessed to You, O Lord, and may Your worship bless You. They will proclaim the glory of Your Kingdom, and proclaim Your power; tell the sons of men Your power, and the glory of the splendor of Your Kingdom. Your kingdom, the kingdom of all ages, and your dominion in every generation and generation. The Lord is faithful in all His words and Holy in all His deeds. The Lord strengthens all those who fall down and raises up all those who are cast down. The eyes of all trust in You, and You give them food in good season. Thou openest Thy hand and fulfilleth every creature's good will. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and venerable in all His deeds. The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He will do the will of those who fear Him, and I will hear their prayer and save them. The Lord preserves all those who love Him and consumes all sinners. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless His holy name forever and ever.

And therefore the priest: Wisdom. Face: It is worthy to eat as the truly blessed Thee, the Mother of God, / the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and the Mother of our God. Priest: Most Holy Theotokos, save us. Face: The most honorable Cherub / and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, / who gave birth to the Word of God without corruption, / we magnify the present Mother of God Thee. Priest: Glory to Thee, Christ God, our hope, glory to Thee. Face: Glory, and now, Lord, have mercy, three times. Bless.

And there is a final vacation. These things happen when there is Lent.

If there is fasting, and Alleluia is sung, with bows, and the Trisagion, and with the cry: For Thine is the Kingdom: And we: Amen. Lord have mercy, 12. Glory, and now: And again, Lord, have mercy, three times. Bless. And let go.

If you wish, at the end of Vespers say this prayer of the Great Basil:

Blessed are you, the Lord Almighty, who enlightened the day with the light of the sun, and who cleared the night with fiery dawns; you have granted us the opportunity to pass even the length of the day, and to approach the beginning of the night: hear the prayer for Lord, forgive all Your people and all of us, voluntary and involuntary sins. Accept our evening prayers, and send down a multitude of Thy mercy and Thy bounty upon Thy property. Shade us with Your holy Angels, arm us with the weapon of truth, protect us with Your truth, protect us with Your power, deliver us from every situation, every slander of the contrary. Grant us this present evening, with the coming night, perfect, holy, peaceful, sinless, painless, dreamless, and all the days of our life, through the prayers of the Holy Mother of God, and all the saints from all eternity. who died, amen.

The most honorable Cherub / and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, / who gave birth to God the Word without corruption, / the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee. And there is a vacation.

What do we pray for at Vespers?

What spiritual meaning is hidden in the words and actions of the participants in the worship service? What is deeply symbolic, and what is done for a special prayerful mood? Understanding the book “All-Night Vigil”

Archpriest Mikhail Braverman.

The service of Vespers tells us about the transition from the Old Testament to the New, therefore, at the beginning of the service, psalms are sung and books of ancient Scripture are read, which end with hymns with New Testament themes. We are invited to the all-night vigil by the ringing of bells - the good news. The royal doors open in the temple, and in silence the censing of the throne and altar begins.

Every day at the beginning of Vespers

All-night vigil: Meaning, history, meaning

Archpriest Mikhail Braverman

111 RUR

The rising fragrant smoke from incense accompanies prayer directed into the spiritual sky. The deacon calls people to prayerful vigil: “Rise up,” and the choir calls the priest to serve: “Master, bless.” The cry of the primate sounds, praising the Trinity God: “Glory to the Holy, and Consubstantial, and Life-Giving, and Indivisible Trinity, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” “Amen” (“truly so”), the choir replies.

The Mystery of the Trinity was revealed to us by the Son: He spoke about the Father and showed His mercy, and the Father sent the Holy Spirit to those who believe in the Son. At the center of all church teaching is Christ God. And in the altar the clergy sing to Him: “Come, let us worship our King God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Him.”

The beginning of the all-night vigil corresponds to the beginning of the universe—creation. The open royal doors signify the open Kingdom of God, in which man was supposed to dwell. The ceremony of the entire temple and the surrounding people symbolizes God's blessing on the world and man. This is a sign that everything should serve God. The priest in the altar reads the prayers of the lamp, there are seven of them, according to the number of biblical days of creation.

The choir sings the verses of Psalm 103, glorifying the Creator: “Bless the Lord, my soul! Blessed are you, Lord." The 103rd psalm, which the reader reads during the weekday service, is called the pre-initial psalm, since it begins Vespers - the first service of the daily cycle. The figurative and poetic psalm even mentions donkeys (onagri), hares, deer, heron (erodia), a lion, and also a whale.

The world was created for man, but man violated God's will - he committed a sin that distorted the entire universe. Man has lost paradise, where he communicated with God. As a sign of this, the royal doors are closed. Man found himself an exile in the world, but God did not abandon him. Immediately after the Fall, He promised the coming of the Savior into the world - and this was fulfilled in the Nativity of Christ. And now in the Church communion with God has again opened up for us, we are on the way to the Heavenly Fatherland and turn our prayer to God.

Church prayer begins, consisting of many petitions - litany. The first litany at Vespers, Matins and Liturgy is called great, because it is larger than the small one, which is its abbreviated version, or peaceful, because it opens with the call “let us pray to the Lord in peace.”

The word “peace” carries different meanings, and in Church Slavonic it also has two different spellings. The “peace” with which we are called to offer prayer to God denotes the peace of the heart in God, as opposed to the peace that lies in evil and often denotes the entirety of sin. After the Fall of man, this world ceases to be God’s and moves away from God. But God loves His creation so much that He Himself comes into the world, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. And in the midst of a fallen world, a person can find the peace of Christ and be with God. The peace of Christ, with which we are called to pray, we ask God as a gift. This is the first petition of the litany: about the “peace from above” (peace given from above) and about what should become its fruit, about the most important thing - “about the salvation of our souls.”

The soul in the Holy Scriptures is not only an invisible principle in a person, but also the whole person in all his psychophysical completeness. The Lord is the Savior of both souls and bodies, and we “tea” (that is, we wait with hope) for the resurrection of the dead, that is, the future, at the Second Coming of Christ, the restoration of the bodies of the dead from the dust and their union with the souls that once departed to God. Salvation is the goal and meaning of human life: to unite with Christ the Savior, the Living God, over whom death has no power and in whom we find eternal life.

Having asked God for the most important thing - salvation, we pray for the world in which we are, as well as for the Church in which we live and are saved: “For the peace of the whole world, for the prosperity (staying in goodness) of the holy Churches of God and the unity of all.” The unity of all is the unity of people in God.

Uniting with the Lord in the sacraments and prayers, we find ourselves before the amazing opportunity to be in spiritual unity with all Christians, far and near, living and dead - with all who make up the One Church of Christ.

Church of Christ. Icon

The petitions of the great litany go from the most important to the more specific: having prayed for the entire Church, we pray for the church in which we gathered for the service, for our parish, for all who “with faith, reverence and fear of God” entered this church. Fear of God is a spiritual category, the highest form of reverence for the holiness of God, the fear of offending God with an inappropriate feeling or thought.

Each parish is a part of the Local Church, so further we remember the church hierarchy in prayer. We pray for the one who heads the Russian Orthodox Church - for His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'; about the bishop who governs our ecclesiastical region - the diocese; about elders, deacons and “all clergy and people” - about all church ministers and about all the people who make up our Church.

Following this, we pray for “our God-protected country, its authorities and army.” Over the two thousand years that have passed since the birth of Christ, the attitude of the authorities towards the Church has changed more than once, but the Church of Christ itself always prays both for the country in which it resides and, according to the apostolic commandment, for the authorities: both for that which supports it and and about the one who persecutes her. The Church lives in history, coexists with different forms of social and state life; they will all “pass away” - they will end, and the Church “will remain forever”, and from “this world” only that which will be churched, sanctified and brought to God will remain - it will become “the world of God.”

Man, created by God, was appointed to rule over all creation, but as a result of the fall of the first people, the whole earth was separated from God - cursed.

It rises up against man, and we pray that the Lord, who has visited the world and restored the connection between the Creator and creation, will bless us to live in harmony with nature. This is the petition “for the goodness of the air, for the abundance of earthly fruits and times of peace.”

The Church fulfills its mission amid the difficulties and temptations of earthly existence, so we pray for those who especially need God’s help: “those who are floating, traveling, the sick, the suffering, the captives.”

We also pray “for deliverance from sorrow, anger and need,” which always arise where hope in Divine help is lost.

To each petition pronounced by a deacon or priest, the choir adds: “Lord, have mercy.” This short prayer contains all the depth, all the beauty of man’s relationship with God, Who has mercy and saves us, all the fullness of earthly and heavenly blessings that God can bestow on man.

“Intercede, save, have mercy and preserve us, O God, by Your grace,” we ask in the penultimate petition of the litany. Remaining unapproachable and supramundane by His nature, God deigned to reveal Himself to man and visit people “by His grace,” the gift of His Divine love.

And since God “by His grace” can dwell and act in us only when we ourselves open our hearts to Him, then, having prayerfully asked for help from the Mother of God and all the saints, that is, those who make up the Heavenly Church, we ourselves, and each other, and our whole life (“our whole belly”) we entrust (“we surrender”) to Christ God. “For you, Lord!” - confirms the chorus. This prayer, expressing our readiness to devote our lives to God, concludes the petitions of the great litany.

After the exclamation of the priest “For all glory, honor and worship is due to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” and the final “Amen”, the hymn “Blessed is the man” begins (on major holidays it is canceled), consisting of six verses of the first three psalms and a chorus “ Hallelujah" which means "be Glory". This is the beginning of the Psalter, the book of songs: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, and the way of the wicked will perish.”

Text of the chant “Blessed is the man” with illustration

The psalmist uses figurative language: the way of the righteous is opposed to the way of the wicked, and the way of life is opposed to the way of death. The books of Holy Scripture (including the Psalms) have several levels of reading: literal, historical, moral, symbolic or allegorical (allegorical). Thus, in the words of the first psalm about a man who did not take the path of sinners and did not sit on the seat of the destroyers, we see a spiritual meaning: the path is a way of life, the wicked are not necessarily people, but also thoughts. Man’s calling is to fight sin, “not to walk” means not to strive for sin, “not to stand” means not to participate in sin, “not to sit” means not to remain in it. Evil abides in the world and in man, but when we come to the temple, we must cut it off and leave the temple renewed.

If the first two hymns of the all-night vigil were not in the strict sense a prayer, one (Psalm 103) spoke about creation, and the other (“Blessed is the man”) called for righteousness, then the next hymn: “I have cried to the Lord,” also based on the Old Testament psalms (140, 141, 129, 116) is a prayer directed towards God. Ancient psalms are replaced by chants with a New Testament theme - stichera in honor of a holiday or saint.

Then, at “Glory and now” (this is how the singing (reading) “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages” is called in practice), the royal doors open and the entrance with the censer begins.

Through the northern door to the solea come a candle bearer, a deacon with a censer and a priest, who at this time offers a prayer: “Evening, and morning, and noon, we praise, bless, thank and pray to Thee, Lord of all.”

The choir finishes singing the dogmatist - a prayer in honor of the Virgin Mary, expressing the dogmatic teaching about the Incarnation of the Son of God. Standing in front of the open royal doors, the deacon says: “Wisdom. I’m sorry,” while drawing a cross sign in the air with a censer.

The clergy enter the altar, passing by the image of the Annunciation located on the royal doors. The entrance to the Kingdom of God, the symbol of which on earth is the altar, opened for man through the Incarnation of the Son of God, announced on the day of the Annunciation, and His sacrifice on the cross. This is God’s wisdom, which we are called to heed with all our souls; this is what the words mean: “Wisdom. Sorry" (literally "straight").

“Quiet Light” begins - singing in honor of Christ the Savior, called “Light from Light” in the Creed. This is the oldest hymn that we bring when we “come to the west of the sun,” that is, at the end of the day.

Quiet light of the holy glory of the Immortal Heavenly Father, the Holy Blessed Jesus Christ! Having come to the west of the sun, having seen the evening light, we sing to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, God. You are worthy at all times to have voices like the venerable ones, O Son of God, you give life, and the world glorifies you!

Next comes the prokeimenon - a short chant consisting of one verse of a psalm with a chorus, also a verse of the psalm. There are prokeimnas for each day of the week, holidays, and saints. The Sunday prokeimenon “The Lord reigned, clothed with beauty” is accompanied by three verses. Prokeimenon means “present,” and in worship it precedes the reading of Scripture.

At Vespers, the prokeimenon is preceded by proverbs—readings from Old Testament books. The word "proverb" means "parable." On the days of remembrance of the apostles, their messages are read at vespers. There are usually three proverbs, but at the Annunciation there are five, at the Nativity of Christ eight, at the Epiphany thirteen, and the most readings at Vespers on Holy Saturday are fifteen.

Reading Proverbs

The performance of the prokeemna, which is proclaimed by the deacon at Vespers and repeated by the choir, is preceded by the same exclamations as before the reading of Scripture: “Wisdom,” “Let us listen,” that is, let us listen, and the blessing: “Peace to all.” With these words the Lord and His apostles blessed the disciples. They were of particular importance during the period of persecution, but even today Christ, Who, according to the word of the Apostle, is our peace, preserves man in the midst of the stormy sea of ​​life.

This is followed by intense and petitionary litanies, separated by the prayer chant “Grant, O Lord, that this evening we may be preserved without sin.”

The august and petitionary litanies complement each other. The prayer, which we bring “with all our souls and with all our thoughts,” lists everyone for whom the Church prays: the patriarch, the ruling bishop “and all the brethren in Christ,” our God-protected country, the authorities and armies, all who are already left the world, everyone who works in the temple sings and stands before God in prayer. The special litany corresponds to the threefold “Lord, have mercy” pronounced by the choir.

The litany of petition with the refrain “Give, Lord” names everything useful that we ask for ourselves, and even that which should be the result of our entire life - a good answer at God’s final Judgment.

On the days of major (twelfth, great and some other) holidays, a lithium is performed - fervent prayer, which opens with a solemn procession - the exit of the clergy from the altar. In ancient times, monks in monasteries left the temple, but now the clergy goes out into the vestibule. Previously, the porch was a place for repentants and catechumens preparing to receive Baptism. That is, at the lithium, the Church seems to go out into the world, and this corresponds to the ecumenical nature of the lithium prayer, at which a petition is heard “for peace and the state of the whole world” (that is, for the world and its being, existence).

Litany

The lithium stichera performed by the choir are accompanied by censing. The stichera are dedicated either to a holiday or to a temple saint.

The priest pronounces a prayer of five lengthy petitions ending with an exclamation (which makes it similar to a litany). Prayer requests are shared by the singing of the choir: “Lord, have mercy.” It sounds a symbolic number of times: forty after the first petition, fifty after the second, and twice more in threes. The priest prays to God: “Save Thy people and bless Thy inheritance, exalt the horn of Orthodox Christians” (the horn is a biblical symbol of power and glory).

In prayer we resort to the help of all the saints, starting with the Mother of God, and list our intercessors, especially revered saints and saints of the day. Another chant is stichera on a verse, songs attached to verses (“standing” on verses - hence their name) and dedicated to a day or holiday.

From the vestibule, the clergy move to the middle of the temple, where a lithium table is installed: a stand with three candles, on which five loaves of bread are arranged crosswise (this amount served for the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves performed by the Lord), wheat, wine and oil. The choir sings:

Now let Thy servant go, O Master, according to Thy word in peace, for my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all men, a light for the revelation of the nations, and wu of your people Israel.

These words marked the coming of Christ into the world. They were first uttered by the holy and righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, who received the Divine Infant in his arms in the Jerusalem Temple. Ancient tradition identified him with one of the seventy translators of the books of the Old Testament into Greek. Simeon worked on the book of the prophet Isaiah and wondered how the prophecy about the birth of Christ from the Virgin could come true. Then he received assurance that he himself would see the fulfillment of the prophecy.

The Trisagion follows. The reader says three prayers: “Holy God,” “Holy Trinity,” and “Our Father.” The choir sings a troparion of dismissal addressed to our Intercessor: “Rejoice, Virgin Mary.” Either the troparion of the twelfth feast sounds, or the Theotokos is performed twice and the troparion of the feast continues it. At the litia, the priest reads a prayer for the blessing of bread, wheat, wine and oil, pointing at them with his hand in turn, so that the sign of the cross is obtained.

Blessing of bread, wheat, wine, oil

The priest asks that the Lord not only sanctify what is intended for food, but also multiply these gifts throughout the world and through them sanctify the believers: “Lord Jesus Christ our God, who blessed the five loaves and fed the five thousand, bless these loaves Himself.” , wheat, wine and oil: and multiply this in this city (or in this village) and throughout Your whole world.” The bread is broken, that is, cut, drunk with wine and distributed to the believers at Matins. At Matins, anointing with oil is also performed as a sign of God's mercy.

The verses of the 112th psalm of thanksgiving, “Blessed be the name of the Lord from now to eternity,” are followed by a blessing exclamation from the priest, concluding Vespers of the all-night vigil.

From the book
“All-Night Vigil” by Archpriest Mikhail Braverman.

All-night vigil

The meaning and structure of the all-night vigil

An all-night vigil, or all-night vigil, is a divine service, which, as a rule, takes place in the evening on the eve of Sundays and holidays. The church day, according to biblical tradition, begins in the evening, and this evening service is directly related to the event celebrated the next day.

In ancient times, the all-night vigil began after sunset and lasted throughout the pre-holiday night. Nowadays, this service usually ends late in the evening, but its former historical name - all-night vigil - has been preserved.

The All-Night Vigil reflects the history of the salvation of the human race and consists of three parts, or sections: Great Vespers, Matins and the first hour.

Great Vespers

Initial exclamation and initial psalm. The service begins with the silent burning of the altar, which marks the beginning of the creation of the world, when the Spirit of God hovered over the primordial substance of the earth. Then the priest with the first exclamation glorifies the Creator of the world: Glory to the Holy, and Consubstantial, and Life-giving, and Indivisible Trinity, always, now and ever, and to the ages of ages - and three times calls on the believers: Come, let us worship our King God... In response, the choir solemnly sings 103- th psalm, glorifying the wisdom of God. The royal doors opened at this moment and the priest censing the entire temple symbolize paradise, that is, the state of direct communication between people and God, in which the first people lived.

Lamp prayers and great litany. Immediately after the incense burning of the temple, the royal doors are closed, which recalls the expulsion of the first people from paradise for the sin of disobedience to God.

The priest, showing the image of the repentant Adam, stands in front of the closed royal doors with his head uncovered as a sign of humility and quietly reads the seven penitential prayers of light. These prayers are called lamp prayers, since since ancient times vespers have been performed with lit lamps. Then the deacon, on behalf of all believers, pronounces the great litany - a collection of short prayer requests and appeals to the Lord about the earthly and spiritual needs of the believers. The Great Litany is often called by its first words - Let us pray to the Lord in peace - a peaceful litany.

First antiphon. After the peaceful litany, selected verses from the first three psalms of the Psalter (first antiphon) are sung and the litany is pronounced again, but this time shortened, small. Next, stichera on the Lord, I cried, are heard - spiritual hymns that alternate with verses from the Psalter. The verses before the stichera are of a penitential, prayerful nature, expressing the sadness and sorrow of humanity until the coming of Christ, and the stichera speak about the event of the holiday, about its meaning, about New Testament joy and light. The last stichera is called the Theotokos, or dogmatist, and is dedicated to the Mother of God. It reveals the church teaching about the incarnation of the Savior from the Virgin Mary. During the singing of the stichera, censing of the entire temple is performed again.

Small entrance. During the singing of the dogmatist, the royal doors are opened as a sign that paradise is reopening with the coming to earth of the Son of God Jesus Christ, and the small evening entrance takes place. The priest comes out through the side door of the iconostasis following the deacon carrying the censer, just as the Son of God appeared to people before John the Baptist, and in the same order they enter the altar through the royal doors of the iconostasis. At this time, the choir sings the Quiet Light - a song to the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who, according to the Apostle John the Theologian, is the true Light, unevening, eternal, unquenchable (see: Rev. 21: 23; 22: 5). This song contains a statement of one of the most important dogmas of Orthodoxy - the confession of Christ as the visible Person of the Most Holy Trinity.

Proverbs, litanies. After greeting all those praying with the words of the Savior: Peace to all! - follows the prokeimenon - a short saying from the Holy Scriptures, which is pronounced before reading a large passage from the Old or New Testament. The passage itself is called paremia (from the Greek παροιμία - “parable”). According to the instructions of the Church, proverbs are read on the days of great holidays and contain prophecies about an event or person remembered on that day (praise of a holiday or saint). After the prokemna and paremia, the deacon pronounces an amplified (that is, intensified) litany, then the prayer is read or sung: Grant, O Lord, that this evening we may be preserved without sin. After it, the deacon pronounces a litany of petition.

Litiya, prayer “Now you let go.” After the litany, litia is performed (from the Greek λιτή - “intense prayer”). The clergy, when singing stichera containing the glorification of the saint of a given day or holiday, leave the altar into the vestibule, which means the exit of the Church into the world for the purpose of a prayer mission, and read lithium prayers.

After the litia, the choir sings stichera on stikheron (stichera with verses from psalms), which tell about the sacred event being celebrated. After the stichera, the prayer Now You Let Go is sung, pronounced by Saint Simeon the God-Receiver, who was honored before his death to see the born Savior of the world. This song symbolizes the end of Old Testament history. Then (if the vigil is on Sunday) a hymn dedicated to the Virgin Mary sounds: Virgin Mary, Rejoice - since the New Testament era begins with the birth of the Mother of God.

At this time, a table with a vessel containing five loaves, wheat, wine and oil is placed in the middle of the temple, which are then consecrated in memory of the Savior feeding five thousand listeners of His sermon with five loaves.

During Matins, the priest anoints the worshipers with consecrated oil, and then sliced ​​consecrated bread is distributed to the believers.

At the end of Vespers, the priest gives the worshipers an ancient blessing in the name of the incarnate Jesus Christ with the words: The blessing of the Lord is upon you, through His grace and love for mankind always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages .

Matins

Six Psalms. The second part of the all-night vigil - Matins - begins with the joyful song of angels singing the birth of Christ: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men . Then the candles in the temple are extinguished, which marks the night on which Christ came to earth, and the image of the darkness in which all humanity was before the coming of the Savior. The reader in the middle of the temple begins to read the Six Psalms, which contains six psalms reflecting the sinful state of people and their hope for salvation. During the reading of the Six Psalms, the priest, first in the altar and then on the pulpit, prays to God to send God’s mercy to people.

Kathismas. After the end of the Six Psalms, the Great Litany is recited again, as at the beginning of the All-Night Vigil. Then the singing from Psalm 117 is heard: God is the Lord, and He has appeared to us, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord - and a troparion is sung - a short hymn telling about the suffering of Christ and His resurrection from the dead or dedicated to a holiday or a celebrated saint. The candles are lit again and the reading of kathismas begins. The Greek word κάθισμα means “sitting,” since according to church regulations, worshipers are allowed to sit while reading kathismas. The entire Psalter, consisting of 150 psalms, is divided into 20 kathismas, that is, groups or chapters of psalms. At the all-night vigil, two kathismas, defined by the charter, are always read.

Polyeleos. Then the polyeleos begins - the most solemn moment of the all-night vigil, dedicated to the memory of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This service received the name polyeleos (from the Greek πολυέλεος - “many mercy”) because during the polyeleos verses of praise from the psalms are sung and the words are repeated: for His mercy endures forever . On the polyeleos, the royal doors open, the entire temple is illuminated, the clergy come out of the altar, censing the temple. These sacred ceremonies depict the rise of Christ from the tomb and the appearance of His disciples. This is followed by the reading of the Gospel about the appearance of the risen Savior. On great holidays, the glorification of a holiday or saint is sung on the polyeleos and the Gospel relating to the celebrated event or the glorification of the saint is read.

Canon. After reading the Sunday passage from the Gospel, it is taken to the middle of the church, and the parishioners venerate it. On other holidays, believers kiss the holiday icon. The priest anoints them with blessed oil and distributes consecrated (at litia) bread. At this time, the canon is read (from the Greek κανών - “rule”). A canon is a collection of nine parts (songs) compiled according to a certain rule. The first verse of each song is sung, it is called irmos, and the remaining verses of each part (song) are read and called troparia. Irmos reflect Old Testament times and the history of our salvation. The troparia of the canon are dedicated to New Testament events and glorify the Lord, the Mother of God, and the saints whose memory is celebrated on this day.

Stichera on praise. In ancient times, dawn was approaching the end of the reading of the canon, and this approach of light is marked by a special chant - the luminary chant, after which the verse Let every breath praise the Lord is sung and the 148th, 149th and 150th psalms are read. These three psalms are called praise psalms because the word praise . These three psalms are associated with special stichera, which, like other stichera at the all-night vigil, praise the gospel or church event celebrated on a given day (the memory of a particular saint or saints).

Great doxology. After the singing of psalms of praise there follows a great doxology. The royal doors open and the priest proclaims: Glory to You, who showed us the light! (In ancient times, this exclamation preceded the appearance of the solar dawn.) The choir sings a great doxology, which begins with the words: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men . In this sublime and solemn song we praise, bless, worship, glorify and thank God.

Matins at the All-Night Vigil ends with intense and petitionary litanies - the same ones that were read at the beginning of the All-Night Vigil at Great Vespers. Then the final blessing of the priest is given.

First hour

Following the blessing of the priest the first hour , consisting of the reading of psalms and prayers, in which we thank God for the coming day and ask for guidance on the path pleasing to Him during the coming day. The priest leaves the altar without his festive vestments. The temple is in twilight.

The All-Night Vigil ends not with a joyful celebration, but with a humble and quiet appeal to God. The Lord accomplished our salvation, defeated death, showed the way to the Kingdom of Heaven, but we can overcome this path only by working daily in fulfilling His holy commandments, constantly asking for His help.

07.06.2021

Epiphany Church Drakes

Vespers, during the All-Night Vigil, begins with the opening of the royal doors. The priest and deacon silently incense the altar and the entire altar, and clouds of incense smoke fill the depths of the altar. This silent censing marks the beginning of the creation of the world. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth". The earth was formless and empty

.
And the Spirit of God hovered
over the primeval matter of the earth, breathing life-giving power into it. But the creative word of God had not yet been heard.

But now, the priest, standing before the throne, with the first exclamation glorifies the Creator and Creator of the world - the Most Holy Trinity: “ Glory to the Holy and Consubstantial, and Life-Giving, and Indivisible Trinity, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.”

".
Then he calls on the believers three times: “ Come, let us worship our King God.”
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Him .” For “all things came into being through Him (that is, to exist, to live), and without Him nothing began to be that was made” (John 1:3).

In response to this call, the choir solemnly sings the 103rd Psalm about the creation of the world

, glorifying the wisdom of God: “
Bless the Lord, my soul!”
Blessed are you, Lord! Lord, my God, you have been magnified in evil (i.e., greatly) ...
you have created all things with wisdom.
Wonderful are Your works, O Lord! Glory to You, Lord, who created everything! During this singing, the priest leaves the altar, walks among the people and censes the entire church and those praying, and the deacon precedes him with a lamp in his hand.

This sacred rite reminds those praying not only of the creation of the world, but also of the initial, blissful, paradise life of the first people, when God Himself walked among people in paradise. The open royal doors signify that the doors of heaven were then open to all people.

But people, seduced by the devil, violated the will of God and sinned. By his fall

people lost their blissful heavenly life. They were expelled from paradise - and the doors of heaven were closed to them. As a sign of this, after censing is performed in the temple and at the end of the singing of the psalm, the royal doors are closed.

The deacon leaves the altar and stands in front of the closed royal doors, as Adam once did before the closed gates of heaven, and proclaims the great litany

: “
Let us pray to the Lord in peace. Let us pray to the Lord for peace from above and the salvation of our souls...”
(Let us pray to the Lord, having made peace with all our neighbors, having no anger or enmity towards anyone. Let us pray that the Lord will send us “from above” - heavenly peace and save our souls...)

After the great litany and the exclamation of the priest, selected verses from the first three psalms are sung:

Blessed is the man who does not follow the counsel of the wicked. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked will perish...

(Blessed is the man who does not take counsel with the wicked. For the Lord knows the life of the righteous, and the life of the wicked will perish...)

Then the deacon proclaims the small litany

: “
Packs and packs
(again and again)
let us pray in peace to the Lord...
After the small litany, the choir cries out in verses from the psalms: Lord, I have cried to You, hear me... Let my prayer be corrected, like a censer before You... Hear me, Lord...

(Lord! I cry to You: hear me... Let my prayer be directed like incense towards You... Hear me, Lord!..)

While singing these verses, the deacon censes the church.

This moment of the Divine service, starting from the closing of the royal doors, in the petitions of the great litany and in the singing of psalms, depicts the plight to which the human race was subjected after the fall of the ancestors, when, along with sinfulness, all sorts of needs, illnesses and suffering appeared. We cry to God: “Lord, have mercy!” We ask for peace and salvation of our souls. We lament that we listened to the wicked advice of the devil. We ask God for forgiveness of sins and deliverance from troubles, and we place all our hope in the mercy of God. The deacon's censing at this time signifies those sacrifices that were offered in the Old Testament, as well as our prayers offered to God.

Stichera are added to the singing of the Old Testament verses: “The Lord cried:”

, i.e. New Testament hymns, in honor of the holiday.

The last stichera is called the Theotokos

or
dogmatist
, since this stichera is sung in honor of the Mother of God and it sets out the dogma (the main teaching of the faith) about the incarnation of the Son of God from the Virgin Mary. On the twelfth holidays, instead of the Mother of God dogmatics, a special stichera is sung in honor of the holiday.

When singing the Mother of God (dogmatics), the royal doors open and the evening entrance

: a candle bearer comes out of the altar through the northern doors, followed by a deacon with a censer, and then a priest.
The priest stands on the ambo facing the royal doors, blesses the entrance in a cross shape, and, after the deacon pronounces the words: “wisdom forgive me
!” (means: listen to the wisdom of the Lord, stand straight, stay awake), he enters, together with the deacon, through the royal doors into the altar and stands in the high place.

At this time, the choir sings a song to the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ: “ Quiet light, holy glory of the Immortal Father, Heavenly, Holy, Blessed, Jesus Christ!” Having come to the west of the sun, having seen the evening light, we sing of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, God. You are worthy at all times to be a holy voice. Son of God, give life, so the world glorifies You

.»

In this song-hymn, the Son of God is called a quiet light from the Heavenly Father, for He came to earth not in full Divine glory, but as a quiet light of this glory. This hymn says that only through the voices of the saints (and not our sinful lips) can a song worthy of Him be offered to Him and due glorification be performed.

The evening entrance reminds believers of how the Old Testament righteous, according to the promises of God, types and prophecies, expected the coming of the Savior of the world and how He appeared in the world for the salvation of the human race.

A censer with incense at the evening entrance means that our prayers, at the intercession of the Lord Savior, ascend to God like incense, and also means the presence of the Holy Spirit in the temple.

The cruciform blessing of the entrance means that through the cross of the Lord the doors of heaven are again opened to us.

After the song: “Quiet Light” the prokeimenon

, i.e. a short verse from the Holy Scriptures. At Sunday Vespers it is sung: “The Lord reigns, having clothed himself with beauty,” and on other days other verses are sung.

At the end of the singing of the prokeimna, on major holidays the paremias

. Proverbs are selected passages of Holy Scripture that contain prophecies or indicate prototypes related to celebrated events, or teach instructions that seem to come from the person of those holy saints whose memory we commemorate.

After the prokemna and paremia, the deacon pronounces a special

(i.e., an enhanced litany: “
With a reciting
(let’s say, let’s say, let’s begin to pray)
everything, with all our souls and with all our thoughts, with a reciting
”...

Then the prayer is read: “Grant, Lord, that this evening we may be preserved without sin”...

After this prayer, the deacon pronounces a petitionary litany: “ Let us fulfill

(let us bring it to its fullness, offer it in its entirety)
our evening prayer to the Lord
(Lord)…

On major holidays, after a special and petitionary litany, a lithium

and
blessing of the loaves
.

Litia, a Greek word, means communal prayer. Litiya is performed in the western part of the temple, near the western entrance doors. This prayer in the ancient church was performed in the narthex, with the purpose of giving the catechumens and penitents standing here the opportunity to take part in the general prayer on the occasion of the great holiday.

Following the litia, there is a blessing and consecration of the five loaves, wheat, wine and oil.

, also in memory of the ancient custom of distributing food to worshipers, who sometimes came from afar, so that they could refresh themselves during a long service.
The five loaves are blessed in remembrance of the Savior's feeding of the five thousand with five loaves. priest
then, during Matins, after kissing the festive icon, anoints the worshipers with the blessed oil .

After the litia, and if it is not performed, then after the litany of petition, “ stichera on the stichera”

". This is the name given to special poems written in memory of a remembered event.

Vespers ends with the reading of the prayer of St. Simeon the God-Receiver: “ Now you are releasing Your servant, O Master, according to Your word in peace: for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people, a light for the revelation of tongues, and the glory of Your people Israel.

", then by reading
the trisagion
and the Lord's Prayer: "
Our Father...
", singing the Angelic greeting to the Mother of God:
"Virgin Mother of God, rejoice..."
or the troparion of the holiday and, finally, by singing the prayer of righteous Job three times: "
Blessed be the name of the Lord from now on and forever
“, with the final blessing of the priest:
“The blessing of the Lord is upon you through His grace and love for mankind - always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”
The end of Vespers is the prayer of St. Simeon the God-Receiver and the Angel's greeting to the Mother of God indicate the fulfillment of God's promise of the Savior.

Immediately after the end of Vespers, at the All-Night Vigil, Matins

reading
the Six Psalms
.

2. MATTNS

The second part of the All-Night Vigil - Matins

reminds us of New Testament times: the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ into the world for our salvation, and His glorious Resurrection.

The beginning of Matins directly points us to the Nativity of Christ. It begins with a doxology of the angels who appeared to the Bethlehem shepherds: “ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

«.

Then the Six Psalms

, that is, six selected psalms of King David (3, 37, 62, 87, 102 and 142), which depict the sinful state of people, full of troubles and misfortunes, and fervently express the only hope people expect for God’s mercy. Worshipers listen to the Six Psalms with special concentrated reverence.

After the Six Psalms, the deacon pronounces the Great Litany

.

Then a short song with verses about the appearance of Jesus Christ in the world to people is sung loudly and joyfully: “ God is the Lord and has appeared to us, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“i.e. God is Lord, and has appeared to us, and is worthy of glorification, going to the glory of the Lord.

After this the troparion

, i.e., a song in honor of a holiday or a celebrated saint, and
kathismas
, i.e., separate parts of the Psalter, consisting of several consecutive psalms. The reading of kathismas, as well as the reading of the Six Psalms, calls us to think about our disastrous sinful state and place all hope in the mercy and help of God. Kathisma means sitting, since one can sit while reading kathisma.

At the end of the kathismas, the deacon pronounces the small litany

, and then
the polyeleos
. Polyeleos is a Greek word that means “much mercy” or “much sanctification.”

The polyeleos is the most solemn part of the all-night vigil and expresses the glorification of God’s mercy shown to us in the coming of the Son of God to earth and His accomplishment of the work of our salvation from the power of the devil and death.

Polyeleos begins with the solemn singing of verses of praise:

Praise the name of the Lord, praise the servants of the Lord. Hallelujah!

Blessed be the Lord of Zion, who dwelleth in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

Confess to the Lord that He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Hallelujah!

(i.e. glorify the Lord, because He is good, because His mercy (towards people) endures forever.)

Confess to the God of heaven, for His mercy endures forever. Hallelujah!

When these verses are chanted, all the lamps in the temple are lit, the royal doors are opened, and the priest, preceded by a deacon with a candle, leaves the altar and burns incense throughout the entire temple, as a sign of reverence for God and His saints.

After singing these verses, special Sunday troparia are sung on Sundays; that is, joyful songs in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, which tell how angels appeared to the myrrh-bearers who came to the tomb of the Savior and announced to them about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

On other great holidays, instead of Sunday troparions, the magnification

, i.e. a short verse of praise in honor of a holiday or saint.

After Sunday troparions, or after magnification, the deacon pronounces the small litany

, then
the prokeimenon
, and the priest reads
the Gospel
.

At the Sunday service, the Gospel is read about the Resurrection of Christ and about the appearances of the risen Christ to His disciples, and on other holidays the Gospel is read, relating to the celebrated event or to the glorification of the saint.

After reading the Gospel, in the Sunday service a solemn hymn is sung in honor of the risen Lord: “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus”...

The Gospel is brought to the middle of the temple, and the believers venerate it. On other holidays, believers venerate the holiday icon. The priest anoints them with blessed oil and distributes consecrated bread.

After singing: “The Resurrection of Christ: a few more short prayers are sung. Then the deacon reads the prayer: “Save, O God, Thy people”...

and after the priest’s exclamation:
“By grace and bounty”
... the singing
of the canon
.

A canon at Matins is a collection of songs compiled according to a certain rule. “Canon” is a Greek word that means “rule.”

The canon is divided into nine parts (songs). The first verse of each song that is sung is called irmos

, which means connection. These irmos seem to bind the entire composition of the canon into one whole. The remaining verses of each part (song) are mostly read and called troparia. The second hymn of the canon, as a penitential hymn, is performed only in Lent.

Particular efforts were made in composing these songs: St. John of Damascus, Cosmas of Mayum, Andrew of Crete (the great canon of repentance) and many others. At the same time, they were invariably guided by certain chants and prayers of sacred persons, namely: the prophet Moses (for 1 and 2 irmos), the prophetess Anna, the mother of Samuel (for the 3rd irmos), the prophet Habakkuk (for 4 irmos), the prophet Isaiah (for 5 Irmos), the prophet Jonah (for the 6th Irmos), the three youths (for the 7th and 8th Irmos) and the priest Zechariah, father of John the Baptist (for the 9th Irmos).

Before the ninth

Irmos, the deacon exclaims: “
Let us exalt the Mother of God and the Mother of Light in song!”
and burns incense at the temple.

At this time, the choir sings the song of the Mother of God: “ My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior...

A chorus is added to each verse:
“The most honorable cherub and the most glorious seraphim without comparison, who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee.”
At the end of the song of the Mother of God, the choir continues singing the canon (9th song).

The following can be said about the general content of the canon. Irmoses remind believers of Old Testament times and events from the history of our salvation and gradually bring our thoughts closer to the event of the Nativity of Christ. The troparia of the canon are dedicated to New Testament events and represent a series of poems or chants in honor of the Lord and the Mother of God, as well as in honor of the event being celebrated, or the saint glorified on this day.

After the canon, psalms of praise are sung - stichera on praises

— in which all God’s creations are called to glorify the Lord: “
Let every breath praise the Lord.
”...

After the singing of psalms of praise there follows a great doxology. Royal Doors

open during the singing of the last stichera (on the Resurrection of the Theotokos) and the priest proclaims: “
Glory to You, who showed us the light!”
"(In ancient times, this exclamation preceded the appearance of the solar dawn).

The choir sings a great doxology, which begins with the words: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we bow down, we glorify Thee, we thank Thee, great for the sake of Thy glory”...

In the “great doxology” we thank God for the light of day and for the gift of spiritual Light, that is, Christ the Savior, who enlightened people with His teaching - the light of truth.

The “Great Doxology” ends with the singing of the trisagion: “Holy God” and the troparion of the holiday.

a row:

and
pleading
.

Matins at the All-Night Vigil ends with dismissal

- the priest, addressing the worshipers, says: “
Christ our true God
(and in the Sunday service:
Risen from the dead, Christ our true God
...),
through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, the glorious Apostle saints... and all the saints, will have mercy and save us, for good and philanthropic
."

In conclusion, the choir sings a prayer that the Lord will preserve for many years the Orthodox Bishopric, the ruling bishop and all Orthodox Christians.

Immediately after this, the last part of the all-night vigil begins - the first hour

«.