With the revival of spirituality and faith in society, more and more questions arise for the newly converted Christian about the correct prayer, the order of worship. Visiting the temple on Sundays and holidays, the parishioner pays attention to the reading of prayers by the priest, thinks about the meaning and content. Often, being near the Temple on holidays, you can hear from newly converted parishioners talking: “Today the priest was reading some kind of lithium. Lithium - what is it?
Heritage of the Holy Land
The Holy Land where Jesus walked laid the foundation for many traditions of the Orthodox Church. Jerusalem brought to the modern Christian a sufficient number of opportunities for the salvation of the soul, since it is the place in the world where Christ was crucified, laid in the tomb … It was from this place that the tradition of believers went in procession. Initially, it was walking in Jerusalem through the very places where the events that took place more than 2000 years ago radically changed the worldview of mankind and left an imprint on new generations. Since according tosincerely believing Christians, as a rule, went to holy places, then they accompanied their procession with prayerful singing, which was later called “lithia”. There were two reasons for performing such litias: during disasters, epidemics or wars, processions of believers were made, the second reason was great religious holidays, during which holy places are visited and believers worship them.
Modern performance of the procession - lithium
In modern Orthodoxy there is also a lithium. What it is, it becomes clear to the Orthodox already from the translation of this word from ancient Greek - "intensified prayer." Litiya is always a procession, as a rule, a “departure” from the Temple. In the modern traditions of the Orthodox Church, the litiya looks like this: at the moment of its commission, the priests “come out” of the altar, moving away from it as far as possible. In the temples of Jerusalem, they generally went beyond the limits, but in the modern version this is not easy to do, and therefore they are limited to simply moving away from the altar. According to the time of the litia, it is performed only at the great vespers. The content of this prayer is fervent prayer, unchangeable texts, therefore it is pronounced by the priest.
Differences in lithia pronounced in different temples
Sometimes believers who are not parishioners of one particular temple pay attention to the fact that different words are heard in the texts of lithium. This happens because the first hymn on the lithium is the stichera of the temple itself, therefore, in the Assumption Church, the first will be the stichera taken from the Assumption service, in the Intercession Church - from the Intercession service. ATDepending on which temple the believer has visited, he will hear such a verse first. Particular attention is paid to litiya petitions, pronounced at the part of the service called “lithiya”. What this is, becomes clear to an Orthodox person by the repeated appeals uttered "Lord, have mercy." In the third stage of the lithium, the priest says the prayer of head bowing, after which the return to the temple occurs.
The place of intense prayer in the adoption of Orthodoxy
Fortified prayer - lithium, performed at the great Vespers - has extraordinary power. The all-night vigil that accompanies the Litiya rite implies a refusal to rest, an indefatigable vigil for the sake of prayer. Any renunciation of one's needs and desires in the name of the Lord brings the believer closer to God, therefore, lithic petitions have a special meaning in the content of the festive divine service. The strength of the prayer of the parishioners at this moment reaches unprecedented strength, people are united by a single idea, one spirit, for it is truly said: "Where there are two or three in My name, there I am among them …". The collective request for pardon implies a petition not so much for personal needs, but for world needs. During the Easter holiday litia, the blessing of bread is held, the usual Sunday vigil does not imply this.
Self-prayer-lithium of a layperson
Lithia an Orthodox Christian can hear not only in the temple, the Church also implies the pronunciation of the rank of lithium at home and in the cemetery. The litia is read by the believers themselves according todeceased relatives. After the departure of the soul after death, it especially needs the prayers of a Christian. The Church says that instead of remembering the deceased with alcoholic drinks, it is necessary to read prayers, including the rite of lithium. At the request of the living, it will be easier for a dead person to go through ordeals, and through the prayers of relatives, the stay of the soul in the next world will be facilitated. Litiya, performed by a layman, is read at home and in the cemetery, is a simplified, shorter version of the existing Orthodox reading in the temple during worship. It is believed that a deceased person can no longer help himself, since he is not able to do good deeds and pray, he can only desire our prayers for his salvation. Living relatives can help the soul propitiate the Lord through their prayers. The simple text of the "home" litia is readable, but this still makes such a litia an "enhanced prayer". Litiya at the cemetery, like lithium at home, is read from the breviary, and all the texts for this rank are in the Orthodox prayer book.
The powerful weapon of a believing Christian
The most effective weapon in the fight against the forces of evil for a believing Christian is prayer. The holy elders said that when an Orthodox person reads a prayer, the “evil one” runs away from him for several meters and is afraid to approach. Help for the departed ancestors is also in the power of prayer; lithium is an effective weapon for the soul. What this is for the living and the dead is clear from the importance given to lithium at festive services and prayers for deceased ancestors:"… his soul will settle in the good, and his memory will be for generations and generations." Elder Nikolai Serbsky consoled the relatives of the dead people by saying that prayer is communication with the Lord, and prayer for the dead is also communication with the dead, a request for them, which brings us closer to dear people. Therefore, the litia performed for the departed has a special meaning and not only Christian, but also psychological overtones.
