THE DIVINE LITURGY

THE ORDER OF THE HOLY AND DIVINE LITURGY

The priest who desires to celebratethe Divine Liturgy must first be at peace with all men, have nothing againstany man, and insofar as is within his power, guard his heart from evilthoughts, abstain from the evening before, and be vigilant until the timeof divine service. When the time is come, he goes into the temple, in companywith the deacon, and facing the east they make three reverences togetherbefore the holy doors.

Then the deacon says: Bless,Master.

Priest:

Blessed is our God always, now and ever, and untoages of ages. Amen.

The deacon begins, saying:

O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of truth, whoart everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of good things,and Giver of life, come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every stain,and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercyon us. thrice

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the HolySpirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanseus from our sins-. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, look uponand heal our infirmities for thy name's sake.

Lord, have mercy. thrice

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the HolySpirit, 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 on earth as it is in heaven. Give usthis day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Priest: For thineis the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and of theSon, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Then they say:

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for devoidof all defense, we sinners offer unto thee as Master this prayer, havemercy on us.

Glory:

Lord, have mercy on us, for in thee have we hoped;be not very wroth with us, neither remember our transgressions, but lookdown now upon us, since thou art tender-hearted, and deliver us from ourenemies, for thou art our God, and we are thy people, we are all the worksof thy hands, and we call upon thy name.

Both now:

Open unto us the door of thy tenderheartedness, OBlessed Theotokos; in that we have hoped in thee,may we not perish, butthrough thee be delivered from adversities, for thou art the salvationof the generation of Christians.

Then they approach the iconof Christ and kiss it, saying:

Thine immaculate icon do we worship, O Good One,asking pardon of our offenses, O Christ God; thou wast pleased of thy goodwill to ascend the Cross in the flesh, to deliver those whom thou hadstfashioned from bondage to the enemy. Wherefore, in thanksgiving, we cryout to thee, with joy hast thou filled all things, O our Savior, havingcome to save the world.

Then they kiss the iconof the Theotokos, saying the troparion:

A fountain of tenderness art thou, O Theotokos; makeus worthy of compassion. Look upon the people who have sinned; show thypower as ever, for hoping in thee, we cry out to thee, Hail, as once didGabriel, Chief Captain of the Bodiless Ones.

Then bowing his head, thepriest says this prayer:

Stretch forth thy hand, O Lord, from thy holy dwelling-placeon high, and strengthen me for this, thine appointed service, that standinguncondemned before thy fearful Altar, I may fulfill the sacred, bloodlessrite. For thine is the power and the glory unto ages of ages. Amen.

Then they bow to the choiron each side and go into the sanctuary, saying:

I will enter into thine house; I will worship towardthy holy temple in thy fear. Lord, guide me in thy righteousness becauseof mine enemies; direct my way before thee. For there is no truth in theirmouth, and their heart is vanity. An open grave is their throat; with theirtongues they have used deceit. Judge them, O God. Let them fall throughtheir own counsels; according to the multitude of their impiety cast themout, for they have provoked thee, O Lord. And let all those who hope inthee be glad; they shall rejoice forever, and thou shalt abide in them.And those who love thy name shall boast of thee, for thou shalt bless therighteous man, O Lord, as with the armor of good will thou hast crownedus.

Having come into the sanctuary,they make three reverences before the holy table and kiss the holy Gospels,the holy table and the altar cross. Then each one takes his sticharionin his hands, and makes three reverences toward the east, saying withinhimself:

O God, cleanse thou me a sinner and have mercy onme.

Then the deacon comes tothe priest, holding his sticharion and his orarion in his right hand, andbowing his head before him, says:

Bless, Master, the sticharion and the orarion.

The priest says:

Blessed is our God always, now and ever, and untoages of ages.

The deacon then withdrawsto one side of the sanctuary and puts on the sticharion, praying thus:

My soul shall rejoice in the Lord; He hath clothedme with the garment of salvation, and He hathvested me with the vestureof gladness. As a bridegroom He hath set a crown upon me, and as a brideHe hath adorned me with ornament.

And kissing the orarion,he puts it on his left shoulder. Then putting on the epimanika, he saysas he puts on the right:

Thy right hand, O Lord, is glorified in might. Thyright hand, O Lord, hath shattered the enemy, and in the multitude of thyglory hast thou crushed the adversaries.

And with the left, he says:

Thy hands have made me and formed me. Give me understanding and I shalllearn thy commandments.

Then, going to the Prothesis,he prepares the holy vessels. The holy diskos he sets on the left side,and the chalice, that is, the holy cup, on the right, and the rest withthem.

The priest vests himselfthus: taking the sticharion in his left hand, and making three reverencestoward the east, as aforesaid, he signs it, saying:

Blessed is our God always, now and ever, and untoages of ages. Amen.

Then he puts it on saving:

My soul shall rejoice in the Lord; He hath clothedme with the garment of salvation, and He hath vested me with the vestureof gladness. As a bridegroom He hath set a crown upon me, and as a brideHe hath adorned me with ornament.

Then taking the epitrachelion,and having signed it, he puts it on, saying:

Blessed is God, who poureth out His grace upon Hispriests, like unto myrrh upon the head, which runneth down upon the beard,even the beard of Aaron, which runneth down to the hem of his robe.

Then taking the zone, andgirding himself, he says:

Blessed is God, who girdeth me with power, and hathmade my way blameless, who hath guided my feet like those of a hart, andhath set me on high places.

Then putting on the epimanika,he says, as he puts on the right:

Thy right hand, O Lord, is glorified in might. Thyright hand, O Lord, hath shattered the enemy, and in the multitude of thyglory hast thou crushed the adversaries.

And with the left,he says:

Thy hands have made me and formed me. Give me understandingand I shall learn thy commandments.

Then taking the epigonation,if he has that dignity, and having blessed it and kissed it, he says:

Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O Powerful One. Withthy vigor and goodness, draw thy bow, andprosper, and reign, because oftruth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall guide theewondrously always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Then taking the phelonion,and having blessed and kissed it, he says:

Thy priests shall clothe themselves with righteousness,and thy saints shall rejoice with joy always, now and ever, and unto agesof ages. Amen.

Then going to the,piscina,they wash their hands, saying:

I will wash my hands among the innocent, and I willcompass thine altar, O Lord, that I may hear the voice of thy praise, anddeclare all thy wonders. Lord, I have loved the beauty of thine house,and the place of the abode of thy glory. Destroy not my soul with the impious,nor my life with men of blood, in whose hands are transgressions and theirright hand is full of gifts. But 1, I have walked in mine innocence; redeemme, O Lord, and have mercy on me. My foot hath stood in uprightness; inthe churches will I bless thee, O Lord.

Then, having made threereverences before the prothesis, each says:

O God, cleanse thou me a sinner and have mercy onme.

And the priest:

Thou hast redeemed us from the curse of the Law bythy precious blood; nailed to the Cross, pierced with the spear, thou hastpoured forth immortality upon man, as from a fountain. O our Savior, gloryto thee.

Then the deacon says: Bless,Master.

And the priest begins:

Blessed is our God always, now and ever, and untoages of ages.

Deacon: Amen.

Then, taking one of theprosphoras in his left hand and the holy spear in his right hand, and signingit three times over the seal of the prosphora, he says:

In remembrance of our Lord and God and Savior JesusChrist. thrice

And immediately he thruststhe spear into the right side of the seal, (i.e., to his own left) andhe says as he cuts it:

As a sheep He was led to the slaughter.

And into the left side:

And as a blameless lamb before his shearers is dumb,so He opened not His mouth.

Into the upper part of the seal:

In His humility His judgment was taken away.

Into the Iower part:

And who shall declare His generation?

The deacon, gazing reverentlyat this Mystery, says at each incision,Let us pray to the Lord, holdinghis orarion in his hand. After this, he says, Takeaway, Master.

The priest, thrusting theholy spear obliquely into the right side of the prosphora, takes out theholy bread, saying:

For His life is taken away from the earth.

And when he lays it invertedon the holv diskos, the deacon says:

Sacrifice, Master.

And he cuts it crosswise,saying:

Sacrificed is the Lamb of God, who taketh away thesin of the world for the life and salvation of the world.

And he turns upward theother side, which has the cross on it.

The deacon says:

Pierce, Master.

The priest pierces the rightside with the spear, saying:

One of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear,and straightway there came forth blood and water and he that saw it bearwitness, and his witness is true.

The deacon, takingwine and water, says to the priest:

Bless, Master, the holy union.

(And blessing them,the priest says:

Blessed is the union of thy Holy Things always, nowand ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.)

And receiving the blessingupon them, he pours wine and a little water into the holy chalice together.

Then the priest, takingthe second prosphora in his hands, says: 2

In honor and memory of our most blessed, gloriousLady, the Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary, through whose intercessions dothou accept, O Lord, this sacrifice upon thy most heavenly altar.

And taking out a particle,he lays it on the right side of the holy bread, close to the center, saying:

On thy right hand stood the Queen, clothed in a garmentwrought with gold and divers colors.

Then taking the third prosphora,he says: 3

Of the honorable, glorious Prophet, Forerunner, andBaptist John.

1 And taking out the first particle, he lays it on the left side of the holybread, making the beginning of the first row. Then he says:

Of the holy, glorious Prophets Moses and Aaron, Elijahand Elisha, David and Jesse, of the three holy Children, of Daniel theProphet, and of all the holy prophets.

2 And takinga particle, he lays it in order below the f i rst.

And again he says:

Of the holy, glorious and all-laudable Apostles Peterand Paul, and all the other holy apostles.

3 And he sets a third particle belowthe second, ending the f irst row.

Then he says:

Of our Fathers among the Saints, the Hierarchs, Basilthe Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Athanasius andCyril of Alexandria, Nicholas of Myra in Lycia, [Michael of Kiev, Peter,Alexis, Jonah, Philip and Hermogenes of Moscow, Nicetas of Novgorod, Leontiusof Rostov] and all holy hierarchs.

4 And taking a fourth particle, he setsit near the first, beginning a second row.

And again he says:

Of the holy Apostle, First-Martyr and ArchdeaconStephen, the holy great Martyrs Demetrius, George, Theodore of Tyre, TheodoreStratelogos, and of all the holy martyrs, and of the holy women martyrs,Thecla, Barbara, Cyriaca, Euphemia, Praskovia, Katherine, and all the holywomen martyrs.

5 And taking a fifth particle, he setsit below the first which is at the beginning of the second row.

Then he says:

Of our venerable and God-bearing Fathers, Anthony,Euthymius, Sabba, Onuphrius, Athanasius of Athos, [Anthonyand Theodosius of the Caves, Sergius of Radonezh, Varlaam of Khutin,]and of all the venerable Fathers; and of the venerable Mothers,Pelagia, Theodosia, Anastasia, Euphraxia, Fevronia, Theodulia, Euphrosyne,Mary of Egypt, and of all holy venerable Mothers.

6 And then taking a sixth particle, hesets it below the second, ending the second row.

Then he says:

Of the holy wonderworking Unmercenary Cosmas andDamian, Cyrus and John, Panteleimon and Hermolaus, and all the holy unmercenaryphysicians.

7 And then taking a seventh particle,he sets it at the top, beginning a third row.

And again he says:

Of the holy and righteous Forebears of God, Joachimand Anne, (of the Saint of the Temple and of theday), of the Saints equal to the Apostles, Methodius and Cyril,teachers of the Slavs, [of the Saint equal to the Apostles, the great PrinceVladimir,] and of all Saints, through whose supplications do thou visitus,O God.

8 And he places an eighth particle inorder below the first in the third row.

Then he says:

Of our Father among the Saints, John Chrysostom,Archbishop of Constantinople.
If it is his Liturgy thatis sung, but if it is that of St. Basil the Great, then he is commemorated:Of our Father among the Saints, Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesareain Cappodocia.

9 And then taking a ninth particle, hesets it at the end of the third row, completing it.

Then he takes a fourth prosphoraand he says: 4

Remember, O Master, Lover of man, every Bishopricof the Orthodox, our [lord, the Most Reverend] Metropolitan N.,our [lord, the Most Reverend]Archbishop N.,(or our [lord, the Right Reverend]Bishop N.,)the honorable presbyters, the diaconate in Christ, and every order of thepriesthood, and our brethren and fellow-ministers, priests, deacons, andall our brethren whom thou hast called unto thy communion, through thytenderness, O All-good Master.

And taking a particle hesets it below the holy bread.

Then he remembers the civilauthorities (usually when the civil authorities are Orthodox):

Remember, O Lord, our (nameof the highest civil authority), all civil authorities, andthe armed forces.

Then he remembers the Iivingfor whom he has names, by name, and at each name he takes out a particle,saying:

Remember, O Lord, N.

And then he sets all theparticles he has taken out below the holy bread.

Then taking the fifth prosphora,he says: 5

In memory and for the forgiveness of sins of themost holy Orthodox Patriarchs, of Orthodox and God-fearing Kings and Queensand Rulers, and the blessed founders of this holy temple. (Ifit is a monastery: of this holy monastery.)

Then he remembers the bishopwho ordained him and others, whom he will, of those who have fallen asleep,by name. At each name he takes out a particle, saying:

Remember, O Lord, N.

And finally he says:

And of all our fathers and brethren, the Orthodox,who have fallen asleep in hope of the resurrection, of life eternal, andof communion with thee, O Lord, Lover of man.

And he takes out aparticle.

After this he says:

Remember also, O Lord, my unworthiness, and forgiveme every offense, both voluntary and involuntary.

And he takes out a particlefrom the fourth prosphora. Then he takes the sponge and gathers the particlestogether below the holy bread, so that they will be secure and that nonemay fall off.

Then the deacon, takingthe censer and putting incense into it, says to the priest:Bless, Master, the censer. And immediately says:Let us pray to the Lord.

And the priest says thePrayer of the Incense:

Incense do we offer unto thee, O Christ our God,for an odor of spiritual sweetness, which do thou accept upon thy mostheavenly altar, sending down upon us in return the grace of thy Holy Spirit.

Deacon: Let us pray to theLord.

The priest censes the starand places it over the holy bread, saying:

And the star came and stood over where the youngchild was.

Deacon: Let us pray to theLord.

The priest, having censedthe first veil, covers the diskos and the holy bread saying:

The Lord hath become King; with beauty hath He clothedHimself. The Lord hath clothed Himself with power and hath girded Himself.For He hath established the world, which shall not be moved. Thy throneis prepared of old; thou art from everlasting. The rivers have risen, OLord; the rivers have raised their voices. The rivers lift up their waves,of the voice of many waters. Wondrous are the billows of the sea. Wondrousis the Lord on high. Thy testimonies are exceeding faithful; holiness belongethto thy house, O Lord, unto length of days.

Deacon: Let us pray to theLord. Cover, Master.

The priest, having censedthe second veil, covers the holy chalice, saying:

Thy virtue hath covered the heavens, O Christ, andthe earth is full of thy praise.

Deacon: Let us pray to theLord. Cover, Master.

Then the priest, havingcensed the veil, that is, the aer, and having covered both, says:

Shelter us under the shelter of thy wings, driveaway from us every enemy and adversary, give peace to our life, O Lord,have mercy on us and on thy world and save our souls, for thou art goodand the Lover of man.

Then the priest takes thecenser and censes the offerings, saying thrice:

Blessed art thou, our God, who herein art well-pleased.Glory to thee,

The deacon says eachtime:

Always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

And both make three devoutreverences. Then the deacon says:

For the offering of the honorable gifts, let us prayto the Lord.

The priest then, takingthe censer, says the Prayer of Offering:

O God, our God, who didst send forth the heavenlyBread, the food of the whole world, our Lord and God Jesus Christ, Savior,Redeemer, and Benefactor, blessing and sanctifying us, do thou thyselfbless this offering and receive it upon thy most heavenly altar. Remember,as thou art good and the Lover of man, those who brought it and those forwhom it was brought, and keep us uncondemned in the celebration of thyDivine Mysteries.

For sanctified and glorified is thine all-honorableand magnificent name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

And after this, he givesthe dismissal, saying:

Glory to thee, O Christ God, our Hope, glory to thee.

Deacon:

Glory ... Now and ... Lord, have mercy. thriceBless.

The priest gives the dismissal:

    If it is Sunday:May He who rose from the dead, otherwise,begin:
    Christ our true God, through the intercessions ofhis all-immaculate Mother, of our Father among the Saints, John Chrysostom,Archbishop of Constantinople (or of Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesareain Cappodocia), and of all the Saints, have mercy on us and save us, forHe is good and the Lover of man.
    Deacon: Amen.

After the dismissal, the deacon censes the holyofferings. Then he goes and censes the holy table all around, in crossform, saying to himself:

In the grave bodily, but in Hell with the soul asGod; in Paradise with the Thief, and on the Throne wast thou, O Christ,with the Father and the Spirit, filling all things, thyself uncircumscribed.

Then Psalm 50

And having censed the sanctuaryand the whole temple, he again enters into the sanctuary, and having againcensed the holy table and the priest, he puts the censer in its place andapproaches the priest.

And standing together beforethe holy table, they make three reverences, each praying and sayingwithinhimself:

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,good will to men. twice

O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shalldeclare thy praise.

Then the priest kisses theGospels, and the deacon the holy table.

And after this the deacon,bowing his head to the priest and holding his orarion with three fingersof his right hand, says:

It is time to serve the Lord. Master, bless.

The priest, signinghim, says:

Blessed is our God always, now and ever, and untoages of ages.

Then the deacon:

Amen. Pray for me, holy Master.

Priest:

May the Lord direct thy steps.

And again the deacon:

Remember me, holy Master.

Priest:

May the Lord God remember thee in His kingdom always,now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

The deacon: Amen.

And having made a reverence,he goes out by the north door, [for the holy doors are not opened untilthe Entrance.] And standing in the usual place, before the holy doors,he makes three devout reverences saying within himself:

O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall declarethy praise.

And then he begins, saying:Bless, Master. And the priest begins: Blessedis the kingdom . . .

Divine Liturgy of St.John Chrysostom

Divine Liturgy of St.Basil the Great

    It must be noted that If a priest serve without a deacon, in the Proskomede and in the Liturgy before the Gospel, the words of the deacon and his responses: Bless, Master, and Pierce, Master, and Itis time to serve . . . are not said; however, he does say the litanies and the exhortations addressed to the people.
    If many priests serve together,the Office of the Proskomede is said by only one of them. No other celebrantshall say the Proskomede alone.
    If it is a hierarchicalservice, one priest begins the Proskomede as usual, and he shall take outparticles for the Theotokos and the Saints, and then cover the holy diskosand the holy cup with the aer, saying nothing. When the Cherubim Hymn isbeing sung, the hierarch himself, before the Great Entrance, shall completethe Proskomede.

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