On Sundays, a special service is performed in all Orthodox churches - the Divine Liturgy. It occupies a special place among all Christian services.
The peculiarity of the Divine Liturgy is that it is during this service that the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion) is performed. This sacrament is the essence of Christianity - the restoration of the unity of man with God.
The Liturgy consists of three parts - the Proskomidia, the Divine Liturgy and the Liturgy of the Faithful.
Proskomidia
The priest and the deacon in front of the closed royal gates recite prayers, called "entrance", then enter the altar and put on the sacred vestments.
The priest performs five special breads - prosphora - actions symbolizing the sacrifice. It is at this time that Transfiguration takes place - wine and bread become the Holy Gifts, blood and flesh of Christ.
Concluding Proskomidia, the priest blesses the censer and asks God to bless the Holy Gifts - bread and wine. All this time the altar remains closed, and the reader on the choir reads the Book of Hours.
Divine Liturgy
Announced is a person undergoing an announcement - preparation for the sacrament of baptism, during which he learns the basics of the Christian faith. Currently, people are most often baptized in infancy, so the question of the announcement is not raised, but the name of the second part of the liturgy has been preserved. On this part of the liturgy everyone is allowed to attend - both baptized and unbaptized.
"Bless, master!" - the deacon declares. In response, the priest, still at the altar, utters the words glorifying the Holy Trinity, which the choir concludes with the word "Amen."
The priest prays at the altar, the deacon calls on the audience: "Let us pray to the Lord in peace." He then utters a great litany, listing various petitions to God.
The choir performs psalms and chants, after which the royal gates open, and the priest and deacon leave the altar through the northern entrance, bringing out the Holy Gospel. This is called a "small entrance."
The choir sings a few prayers, then the priest exclaims: “Let’s see!” (listen carefully), and reading of the fragment from the Acts of the Apostles begins. The priest at this time goes around the temple, making censorship. Then the choir sings: “Hallelujah!” And the central moment of the Liturgy of the Announced comes — reading a passage from the Gospel.
Reading follows a prayer for living and dead Christians.
The liturgy of the catechumens ends with the priest's call: “Called out, come forth!
