The Orthodox faith has so many nuances and special rites that it is simply impossible to know them all, and it can be extremely difficult for an ordinary person to understand them. So, proskomidia: what is it and what is this action - this is what I want to talk about in the article.
Designation
It is worth saying that the most important church service is mass, or liturgy, where the sacrament of communion is performed. For this ceremony, red grape wine is required, as well as bread, or prosphora. They must be prepared before the beginning of the liturgy in a special way. To do this, the priest, together with the deacon, dressed in elegant sacred clothes, perform special actions on the altar, the altar and read special prayers. It can be concluded that certain preparations are necessary before the liturgy, which by their very nature are very important. That is precisely what they are called proskomedia. It is worth mentioning that there is a proskomidia about repose, as well as about he alth.
About the word
Also needs to be sorted outin concepts. So, proskomedia: what is it? Translated from Greek, this word means offering. However, it is very difficult to draw any conclusions based on this. Indeed, in the first part of the mass, no mysterious offering was made to God, but special preparations were made, thanks to which bread and wine became not ordinary, but sacred. Already at the stage of proskomidia, they could not be mixed with ordinary products and consumed together.
About preparing for proskomedia
Having de alt with the concept of "proskomedia" - what it is and what language it came from - it is also worth considering the very preparation of wine and prosphora. As it has already become clear, these are the products that Jesus himself used when establishing the sacrament. It is worth talking about prosphora. In translation, its name means "bringing gift." Where did this word come from? In ancient times, for the preparation of sacred bread, people brought to church its various varieties and types, so that the best one could be chosen for church action. Part was used in the selection, the rest was consumed at a friendly meal, which always happened after the liturgy, and where all the laity present at the mass were invited. At the same time, other products were brought to the church, such as wine, oil, incense, etc. All this was combined in one word - prosphora. Today, things are a little different. It is not customary to bring all sorts of dishes to the church, therefore only bread is called prosphora, which is no longer brought by believers, but baked at churches in special rooms of prosphora (women from among the wives of priestsor honest widows).
About bread
So, proskomidia (what it is, we have already figured it out) is the most important stage of preparation for the liturgy. It is worth saying that the bread itself for this is necessarily made from wheat flour (this is what the Jews consumed during the life of Christ). Its meaning was very important: it represented the atoning death of Jesus Christ. According to beliefs, everything can be known in comparison: after all, only by dying and becoming bread, wheat can bring many benefits. However, if it simply crumbles on the field, it will not fulfill its most important purpose. The same applies to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The very preparation of prosphora is considered a sacred action: the bread must be white, not anointed at the cooking stage (milk, eggs), moderately s alty. It is served only fresh, not moldy, not hard. Another interesting fact is that the bread consists of two halves, which symbolize the human and divine likeness of Christ.
About wine
Wine must be prepared along with the bread for the sacrament of the Eucharist. It will definitely be red (representing the blood of Christ) and grape (because such wine was consumed by the Installer Himself, as stated in the Holy Scriptures).
Prosphora
It is worth mentioning that particles in honor of all saints, clergy, as well as people living and dead, are removed from four prosphora: the Theotokos, ninth, salutary and funeral. If we take into account the obligatory prosphora of the Lamb, thenworship will be performed on five units. Other prosphora may also be brought, but in total today there should not be less than five of them. Bowing three times, the clergyman picks up the first prosphora, which is usually larger than the others, and cuts out of it a quadrangular-shaped Lamb, pronouncing special words and placing it on the diskos. From the second prosphora, the priest takes out a particle of the Mother of God. The third prosphora is nine-fold, intended for the memory of nine saints: John the Baptist, prophets, apostles, martyrs, as well as saints who are revered in a given church or city. It is worth saying that during the entire liturgy, the names of the living and the dead are commemorated quite often. And for the first time this happens at the proskomedia. First comes the proskomedia about he alth, then about repose. After the commemoration of the living and the dead has ended, the priest almost always takes out a particle for himself, while reading special prayers.
Note
In church terminology, there is such a thing as a note on the proskomedia. What is it? Before the liturgy, everyone can submit a specific petition written on paper about those people for whom the priest will pray. More than once, everyone has seen that from a piece of bread that the priest gives at the sacrament of the Eucharist, as if a piece was taken away. There will be exactly as many such holes throughout the prosphora as there are names on the note. All these crumbs are collected on a diskos, during the liturgy they are next to the Lamb (large prosphora), and after that such symbolic “souls” are immersed in a bowl of wine. At the same time, the clergyman must read a special prayer. It will be important that the names of only Orthodox baptized people can be entered in the note. There are also simple and customized notes. Information about this must be clarified directly with the church itself. However, in general, according to a simple note, the name of a person will simply be taken out on a proskomedia, according to a custom one, it will also sound at a prayer service.
Types of notes
It should be said that there are two kinds of notes. First, proskomidia about he alth can be ordered. Before the start of the service, it is necessary to write down the names of people for whose he alth you need to pray on a special sheet, which will most often be located near the candle counter. According to the same document, a proskomedia for the repose is performed. When writing down the names of people, it is important to carefully read the inscriptions on top and not confuse the leaves. If you need to order a commemoration at the proskomedia, you can submit a note from the evening, simply indicating the desired number.
About the living and the dead
Commemoration at the proskomedia for the living and the dead is performed by virtue of a bloodless sacrifice prepared for the proskomedia. It is worth saying that it is of paramount importance not only for those living on earth, but also for dead people. There is a legend about a brother who, for certain sins before the church, was deprived of burial and reading prayers for 30 days after his death. At the end of this time, when everything was done according to Christian laws, the spirit appeared to the living brother and said that only now he had found peace, only aftera bloodless sacrifice has been made.
Preparations for proskomedia
The priest and the deacon must carefully prepare for such a sacred action as the proskomedia. Several important nuances must be fulfilled here.
- Prayers are obligatory before entering the altar and in front of the altar itself.
- Priests must wear special clothes.
- Mandatory procedure for washing hands with reading verses from the 25th psalm.
Proskomedia itself
There are many ways to find out how proskomidia goes: photos will help you with this. However, it is better to know in advance what will happen at this time. The main part of the proskomidia consists of a short duration of action. The priest and the deacon stand in front of the altar, where the sacred vessels are placed: chalice, diskos, spear, star, covers. Under the reading of prayers, rituals are performed with prosphora (sacred bread).
End proskomedia
After the end of the proskomedia, the clergy prepare for the more solemn part - the liturgy. However, all this must take place according to certain rules.
- The burning of the holy meal and the whole church by the deacon.
- Reciting special prayers.
- The deacon's request from the priest for permission to begin the next part of the liturgy.
