KATHISMA THE THIRD
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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.
1 Finally, unto the Lord's servant David, even the words of the Lord spoke this song, on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Sauli, and said: 17
2I will love you, O Lord, my strength. 3 The Lord is my strength, and my refuge, and my Deliverer, my God, my Helper, and I trust in Him, my Defender, and the horn of my salvation, and my Advocate. 4 With praise I will call on the Lord and I will be saved from my enemies. 5 Mortal diseases have overcome me, and the floods of iniquity have crushed me, 6 the diseases of hell have overcome me, having preceded me to the snares of death. 7 And when I was in sorrow, I called on the Lord, and cried to my God, hearing my voice from the temple of His Holy One, and my cry before Him would come into His ears. 8 And the earth moved and trembled, and the foundations of the mountains were shaken and moved, because God was angry with it. 9 The smoke of His wrath ascends, and the fire from His presence is kindled; coals are kindled from Him. 10And bow the heavens, and those below, and the darkness under His feet. 11And we mounted the Cherubim and flew, flew on the wing of the wind. 12 And He put His darkness around His village, the dark waters in the clouds of the air. 13 From the shedding of clouds before Him came clouds, hail, and coals of fire. 14 And the Lord and the Most High will roar from Heaven and give His voice. 15 I sent down arrows and scattered them, and multiplied lightnings and troubled them. 16And the springs of water were revealed, and the foundations of the world were revealed, because of Thy rebuke, O Lord, because of the inspiration of the spirit of Thy wrath. 17 She sent down from on high, and received me; they took me from many waters. 18 He will deliver me from my mighty enemies and from those who hate me, for she has become stronger than me. 19 He anticipated me in the day of my embarrassment, and the Lord was my confirmation. 20 And he will bring me out into the wideness; he will deliver me, as he willed me. 21And the Lord will reward me according to my righteousness, and according to the purity of my hand he will reward me. 22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not committed wickedness from my God. 23 For all His destiny is before me, and His justification does not depart from me. 24And I will be blameless with Him, and I will be kept from my iniquity. 25And the Lord will reward me according to my righteousness and according to the purity of my hand before His eyes. 26 You will be like a saint, and you will be innocent with an innocent man, 27 and you will be chosen with the chosen, and you will be corrupted with the obstinate. 28For You have saved the humble people and humbled the eyes of the proud. 29For You have enlightened my lamp, O Lord my God, You have enlightened my darkness. 30 For through You I will be delivered from temptation, and through My God I will go over the wall. 31My God, His way is blameless, the words of the Lord are kindled, He is the Protector of all those who trust in Him. 32Who is God except the Lord? or who is God except our God? 33God gird me with strength, and make my way blameless. 34 Make my noses like trees, and place me on high. 35Train my hands to fight, and thou hast placed the bow of copper in my arm. 36And You have given me the protection of salvation, and Your right hand will receive me, and Your punishment will correct me in the end, and Your punishment will teach me. 37 Thou hast enlarged my feet under me, and my feet are not faint. 38 My enemies will marry, and I will suffer, and will not return until they perish. 39 I will offend them, and they will not be able to stand; they will fall under my feet. 40And thou hast girded me with strength for battle; thou hast slept all that rise up against me under me. 41And you gave me a backbone to my enemies, and you consumed those who hated me. 42You cried, and did not save: to the Lord, and did not hear them. 43 And I will crumble like dust before the wind, like the clay of the paths I will wipe out. 44Deliver me from the bickering of people, place me at the head of the nations. People who don’t know who work with us. 45 Listen to the ear of the ear to me. The sons of strangers lied to me. 46 The sons of strangers made promises and were lame from their paths. 47 As the Lord lives, and blessed is God, and may the God of my salvation be exalted. 48 God grant me vengeance and subdue the people under me. 49 My deliverer from my wrathful enemies, lift me up from those who rise up against me, deliver me from the unrighteous man. 50 For this reason we will confess to You in the midst, O Lord, and to Your name I will sing: 51 Greatest in the salvation of the king, and show mercy to Your Christ David, and to his seed forever.
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 you, God. (three times)
Lord, have mercy (three times)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Save, Lord, and have mercy on Your servants: my spiritual father (name) , my parents (their names) , relatives (names) , leaders, mentors, benefactors (names) and all Orthodox Christians (bow). Deliver them from all sorrow, anger and need (bow), from all mental and physical illness (bow). Forgive them every sin, voluntary and involuntary (bow) and do something beneficial to our souls (bow).
And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
1 Finally, Psalm to David, 18
2The heavens tell the glory of God, but the firmament declares the work of His hand. 3Day of days the verb spits forth, and night of night the understanding speaks. 4 Speech is not lower than speech, and its voice is not heard. 5 Their words went out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. Set Your village in the sun, 6 and He, like the Bridegroom who proceeds from His palace, will rejoice, like the Giant who leads the way. 7 From the end of the heaven is His coming out, and His meeting to the end of the heaven, and there is nothing that can hide His warmth. 8 The law of the Lord is blameless, converting souls, the testimony of the Lord is sure, making children wise. 9 The righteousness of the Lord is right, gladdening the heart, the commandment of the Lord is bright, enlightening the eyes. 10 The fear of the Lord is pure, abiding forever: the destinies of the Lord are true, justified in their entirety, 11 desirable more than gold and precious stones, plentiful and sweeter than honey and honeycomb. 12For Your servant keeps me; if I keep you always, your reward will be great. 13Who understands the Fall? Cleanse me from my secrets, 14 and from strangers spare your servant, if they do not possess me, then I will be blameless and cleansed from great sin. 15And the words of my mouth will be pleasing, and the teaching of my heart will be made before You, O Lord, my Helper and my Deliverer.
1 Finally, Psalm to David, 19
2The Lord will hear you in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob will protect you. 3Help will be sent from the Holy One, and help from Zion will protect you. 4All your sacrifices will be remembered, and your burnt offerings will be full. 5 The Lord will give you according to your heart and fulfill all your counsel. 6 Let us rejoice in your salvation and be magnified in the name of the Lord our God. The Lord will fulfill all your requests. 7 Now I know that the Lord has saved His Christ, He will hear him from His Holy Heaven; salvation is within the power of His right hand. 8 These on chariots, and these on horses, we will call in the name of the Lord our God. 9 We slept and fell, but we rose and recovered. 10 Lord, save the king and make us heard, so that we may call on You one day.
1 Psalm to David 20
2Lord, in Your power the king will rejoice, and he will rejoice greatly in Your salvation. 3 You gave him the desire of his heart, and took away the desire of his mouth. 4 Because you preceded him with a gracious blessing, you placed a crown of honor on his head. 5 He asked You for food, and You gave him a long life forever and ever. 6Great is his glory through Your salvation; place glory and splendor on him. 7 For give him a blessing forever and ever, making him glad with Your face. 8 For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he is not moved. 9 Let Your hand be found against all Your enemies, Let Your right hand find all those who hate You. 10 For thou hast laid them as a furnace of fire at the time of Thy face, the Lord will trample me with His wrath, and the fire will destroy them. 11You will destroy their fruit from the ground, and their seed from the sons of men. 12For I have turned evil against You, thinking of counsels which they cannot form. 13As I have laid the backbone, I have prepared their face for Your abundance. 14 Be exalted, O Lord, in Your power; let us sing and sing of Your strength.
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 you, God. (three times)
Lord, have mercy (three times)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Rest, Lord, to the souls of your departed servants: (their names) , and to all departed Orthodox Christians (bow), and as much as men have sinned in this life, You, as the Lover of Mankind, forgive them and have mercy (by clone), deliver eternal torment (bow), give to the participants of the Heavenly Kingdom (bow) and do something useful for our souls (bow).
And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
1 Finally, about the morning intercession, psalm to David, 21
2 O God, my God, take heed of me, have you forsaken me in vain? Far from my salvation are the words of my falls. 3 My God, I will call in the days, and you will not hear, and in the night, and not in my madness. 4 But you live in the Holy One, praise to Israel. 5 Our fathers trusted in You; you trusted and delivered. 6 I called to You and was saved, I trusted in You and was not ashamed. 7 But I am a worm, and not a man, a reproach to men and a disgrace to men. 8 Everyone who saw me mocked me, saying with their lips, shaking their heads: 9 I trusted in the Lord, that he might deliver him, that he might save him, as he willed him. 10 Because You plucked me from the womb, my hope came from my mother’s suckling. 11 I am committed to You from lies, from my mother’s womb You are my God. 12Do not depart from me, for sorrow is near, for there is no help for me. 13 Many bulls have taken possession of me, and fat youths have taken possession of me. 14 He opened his mouth against me, like a lion that roars and roars. 15 Like water poured out, and all my bones were scattered, my heart became like wax, melting in the midst of my belly. 16 Because my strength has become weak, and my tongue cleaves to my throat, and you have brought me into the dust of death. 17For a multitude of wicked men have overcome me, and a host of wicked ones have overcome me, and have crushed my hands and my nose. 18You have cut up all my bones, but you look on and despise me. 19 I divided my garments for myself, and cast lots for my clothing. 20 But You, Lord, do not remove Your help from me; attend to my intercession. 21 Deliver my soul from the weapon, and my only begotten dog from the hand. 22Save me from the mouth of lions and from the horn of the unicorn my humility. 23I will tell your name to my brethren; in the midst of the church I will sing praises to you. 24You who fear the Lord, praise Him, all the seed of Jacob, glorify Him, so that all the seed of Israel may fear Him. 25 For thou shalt not despise, lower than the indignant prayer of a beggar, nor turn away Thy face from me, and when I have called to Him, having heard me. 26 From You is my praise; in the church we will greatly confess to You; I will offer my prayers before those who fear Him. 27 They will eat wickedness and be satisfied, and they who seek Him will praise the Lord; their hearts will live forever and ever. 28 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the nations of the land will worship before Him. 29For the kingdom is the Lord's, and He has tongues. 30 Having eaten and worshiped all the fatness of the earth, all that go down into the earth will fall before Him, and my soul lives for it. 31And my seed shall serve Him, and shall proclaim to the Lord the generation to come. 32And they will proclaim His righteousness to the people who are born, even as the Lord has created.
Psalm to David, 22
1The Lord feeds me and deprives me of nothing. 2 In a green place, there you will settle me, on the water you will raise me in peace. 3 Convert my soul, guide me in the paths of righteousness, for your name’s sake. 4Even though I walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me, Your rod and Your club, that will comfort me. 5 Thou hast prepared a table before me against those who were cold, Thou hast anointed my head with oil, and Thy cup makes me drunken, like a mighty power. 6 And Your mercy will marry me all the days of my life, and make me dwell in the house of the Lord for many days.
Psalm to David, one from the Sabbaths, 23
1The earth is the Lord’s, and its fullness, the world, and all who live on it. 2 He founded food on the seas, and prepared food on the rivers. 3Who will ascend the mountain of the Lord? or who will stand in the place of His saints? 4 He is innocent in his hand and pure in heart, who does not take his soul in vain, and does not swear to his sincere flattery. 5 This one will receive blessings from the Lord, and alms from God his Savior. 6 This is the generation of those who seek the Lord, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. 7 Lift up the gates of your princes, and lift up the everlasting gates, and the King of glory will come in. 8Who is this King of glory? The Lord is strong and strong, the Lord is strong in battle. 9 Lift up the gates of your princes, and lift up the everlasting gates, and the King of glory will come in. 10Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.
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 you, God. (three times)
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 to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
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, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Also troparia, tone 3:
Living on earth, my soul, repent: the dust in the grave does not sing, it does not take away sins. Cry out to Christ God: Knower of the heart, I have sinned, before even condemning me, have mercy on me.
How long, my soul, do you remain in sin? How long will you accept repentance and change? Take in mind the coming judgment and cry out to the Lord: Know your heart, even if you have sinned, do not even condemn me, have mercy on me.
Glory: At the Last Judgment I am convicted without verbiage, I am condemned without witnesses, for the books of conscience are unbent, and hidden deeds are revealed. Before you test what I have done in this public disgrace, God, cleanse me and save me.
And now: The misunderstood and incomprehensible is, O Lord God-gracious, a terrible sacrament done for You: the incomprehensible thing, when You conceived, You gave birth, flesh covered with Your pure blood: Pray to Him, O Pure One, as Thy Son, to save all who sing Thee.
Lord, have mercy (40) and prayer:
Lord Almighty, Word of the Eternal Father, Self-perfect God Jesus Christ, mercy for the sake of Your unconditional mercy, never separate Your servants, but always rest in them Yay, do not forsake me, Thy servant, O All-Holy King, but give me, unworthy, the joy of Thy salvation and enlighten my mind with the light of the knowledge of Your Gospel, bind my soul with the love of Your Cross, decorate my body with Your dispassion, pacify my thoughts and keep my nose from creeping, and do not destroy me with lawlessness. take care of me, O good Lord, but tempt me, O God, and enlighten my heart mine, test me and guide me in my paths, and see if the path of iniquity is in me, and turn me away from it, and guide me on the eternal path. For You are the Way, and the Truth, and the Life, and we ascribe glory to You with Your Beginning Father and the Most Holy, and Good, and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages, amen .
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About bowing and the sign of the cross: rules for the laity
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God.
Anyone who has attended a service in an Orthodox church at least once has seen how worshipers bowed: some bent down to the waist, others fell to their knees and touched their foreheads to the floor. Such rituals seem to some to be a relic of the past, however, everything in the church service is aimed, first of all, at helping the believer to perform worthy prayer. Making bows does not in any way humiliate our personality and our dignity, but “this is necessary against our pride, which nests in the depths of our hearts. Pride does not like to bow,” as righteous John of Kronstadt preached. So what types of bows are there and how to learn to perform them correctly?
«Realizing your sinfulness and unworthiness before God
“,” writes Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskaya in “The Law of God,” “
we, as a sign of our humility, accompany our prayer with bows
.” Bowing is a symbolic external action, bowing the head and body, expressing our humility and reverence before the Lord.
Before bowing, you need to sign yourself with the sign of the cross, and then bow.
There are great bows (also called earthly), when the worshiper kneels and touches his head to the ground, and small (or waist) bows, when he bends to the waist.
The Church Charter does not require bowing to the ground on Sundays, this is indicated in the 20th canon of the 1st and 90th canons of the 6th Ecumenical Councils, the twelfth holidays, on the days from the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany, from Easter to Pentecost. Bowing stops at the evening entrance (while singing “ Quiet Light
") on the occasion of the holiday until the singing of "
Grant, O Lord...
" at Vespers on the very day of the holiday.
During Lent, bows are added to the order of service after the prayer “ To the Heavenly King.”
"
At the troparions of the hours, at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts and at each Lenten service, prostrations with the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian are relied upon. Bows during the service must be made at the appointed time and simultaneously by all those present, as the Charter says. “ We bow down, we all bow down meekly and equally, and we all stand up equally and unitedly.
He makes bows indiscriminately, but scatters each one to the ground... this is great self-indulgence and lawlessness ” (Ecclesiastical Eye, pp. 3 vol. – 4).
St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, wrote that “ if, standing in church, you bow when the church charter commands this, you try to restrain yourself from bowing when this is not required by the charter, so as not to attract the attention of those praying, or you restrain sighs ready to burst from your heart, or tears ready to shed from your eyes - in such a disposition, and among the numerous congregation, you secretly stand before your Heavenly Father, who in secret, fulfilling the commandment of the Savior
"(Matt. 6:6).
In the book of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, “Ascetic Experiences,” the following instructions are given to monks (but this instruction will also be useful to the laity): “ When performing the rules and bows, one should not rush in any way; one should perform both the rules and bows with as much leisure and attention as possible. It is better to read fewer prayers and bow less, but with attention, rather than a lot without attention.
».
«One should not be thoughtlessly zealous in prostrations
, - as Yu. P. Grabbe, the future Bishop Gregory, writes in an article, -
when the Church Charter prescribes not to commit them.
According to the explanation of St. Basil the Great, standing without bowing to the ground is a symbol of the future age, when the sons of the Church, having finally conquered sin with the help of God, will become like the angels about whom the Church sings that they remain unmoved by evil, i.e. will not succumb to any temptations, will forever remain in a righteous, blissful state, will stand motionless in the truth. Standing without bowing to the ground is a sign of the complete victory of Christ over the devil, that victory which is especially clearly shown in the Resurrection of the Lord, and will be shown even more fully after the general resurrection
».
In the temple, the following rules regarding bowing and the sign of the cross must be observed:
It is necessary to be baptized without bowing:
- At the beginning of singing or reading "I believe...
", "
Heavenly King...
", "
Only Begotten Son and Word of God...
". - On vacation "Christ, our true God...
».
- At the beginning of reading the Holy Scriptures: the Apostle and Proverbs.
Cross yourself with a bow:
- When entering the temple and when leaving it (three bows).
- When shouting: “Take it, eat it...
", "
Drink everything from her...
", "
Yours from Yours...
". - After singing "Our Father
"at Liturgy on holidays and Sundays.
- When shouting "Holy of holies
» on holidays and Sundays.
- After singing "The most honest Cherub...
».
- During the reading of the Trisagion, reading or singing three times "Hallelujah
", "
Come, let us bow...
”, after the exclamation “
Glory to Thee, Christ God...
”, before dismissal (three bows). - At the litia (after each of the first two petitions of the litanies - three bows, after the other two - one each). When reading the prayer " Lord Most Merciful...
“We sign ourselves with the sign of the cross and bow our heads.
- At the beginning of reading or singing "Grant, Lord...
"at Vespers and the Great Doxology at Matins (three bows).
- When reading the canon, on the 1st and 9th cantos, during the first prayer address (chorus) to the Savior, the Mother of God, and the saints.
- When singing "Be the name of the Lord...
"at the end of Vespers and Liturgy (three bows).
- With all the cries of "Let us bow our heads to the Lord
“We sign ourselves with the sign of the cross and bow our heads until the exclamation of the priest.
- After singing "Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee
“before and after reading the Gospel, and after the exclamation “
Let us sing
,” we make the sign of the cross and bow our heads. - At the Liturgy at the beginning of the singing "Cherubimskaya
“We make the sign of the cross and bow our heads before the Holy Gifts are taken out. After the words of the priest “May the Lord God remember you all...” three bows.
Be baptized with a bow to the ground:
- On days of fasting, at the entrance to the temple and at the exit from it (three bows).
- On days of fasting, at Matins, after each chorus to the song to the Mother of God “My soul magnifies the Lord...
”, after the words “
We magnify you...
”. - At the end of the singing "I'll eat for you...
».
- After "Worthy to eat
” or a worthy person.
- After singing "Our Father
"at Liturgy on weekdays.
- When shouting "Holy of holies
" during weekdays.
- When carrying out the Holy Gifts, with the words “With the fear of God...
”, and the second time - with the words “
Always, now and ever and unto ages of ages
.” - During Great Lent at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts during the exclamation “The light of Christ enlightens everyone
».
- During Great Lent, at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, during the singing of “May my prayer be corrected...
" and "
Now the Powers of Heaven ...
" bow to the ground. - During Great Lent, at Great Compline, while singing “Holy Lady...
"(bow on each verse);
when singing “ Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...
” and so on at Lenten Vespers (three bows). - During Lent, while reading the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian.
- In Lent, at the final singing “Remember us, Lord, when you come to Your Kingdom
"(three bows to the ground).
- At Great Vespers on the Feast of the Holy Trinity, with the cry of the deacon “Back and forth, on bended knee...
", kneel and bow their heads to the ground until the end of the prayers.
Half bow without the sign of the cross:
- At the words of the priest "Peace to all
", "
The blessing of the Lord be upon you...
", "
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ...
", "
And may the mercies of the Great God be...
". - At the end of the dismissal, if the priest pronounces it without a cross.
Prostration without the sign of the cross:
- During Great Lent, at the end of Great Compline, during prayer “Lord Most Merciful...
"Bow down to the ground until the end of the prayer.
- During Great Lent, at the end of Great Compline, after the words of the priest “Sorry, all honest fathers and brothers...
».
It is not necessary to be baptized:
- During the reading of the Six Psalms.
- While reading or singing psalms and stichera. Prostrations are only given on stichera and psalms when the words themselves call for it. let's bow
", "
we bow down
", "
we bow down
", "
let's fall down
", "
we bow down
", etc.
Sources:
1. About bows and the sign of the cross. Optina courtyard in St. Petersburg.
2. Bow.
3. About bows. Spiritual Answers Magazine (December 1999).
4. Count Yu. P. Grabbe “How an Orthodox Christian should stand in a church.”
5. “Complete prayer book for the laity according to the Charter of the Orthodox Church,” published with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'.
