Services for the dead are performed in the church: memorial service, litia, funeral service. In memory of the departed, according to the generally accepted custom, we put a candle on the eve. Kanun (canon) is usually located in the middle part of the Temple near the north (left side).

Eve - a quadrangular table with a marble or metal board, on which there are cells for candles and a small Cross. The eve with candles marks that faith in Jesus Christ can make all the departed Orthodox Christians partakers of the Divine Light, the Light of Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, when we put a candle for the repose on the "eve", we must offer the Lord for the departed, whom we want to remember, a prayer: "Remember, Lord, the souls of your departed servants (their names), and all my relatives, and forgive them all sins of the free and involuntary, grant them the Kingdom and the communion of Your eternal blessings, and create for them an eternal memory" (thrice). Usually candles are placed and lit not when you want, but during the service, prayer. There are days when candles are not lit at all, and they are not commemorated for the rest. These are the days of Holy Week, when the hearts of believers are filled with mournful feelings of remembrance of the Passion of the Lord, and the days of Bright Week, when everything triumphs and rejoices in the Resurrected Savior, so it is not time to pray for the departed. The Orthodox Church has an ancient custom to offer prayers to God for the departed on the third, ninth and fortieth days after death. The dead are commemorated on the day of death every year. It is often asked why these days were established. With such a question, Saint Macarius of Alexandria turned to the angels who accompanied him through the wilderness. The angel replied: "God did not allow something unnecessary and useless to be done in His Church, but arranged the sacraments and commanded them to be performed."

On the third day, when prayer is offered up in the Church, the soul of the deceased receives relief from the angel guarding it in the grief that comes from separation from the body, because the doxology and offering for it in the Church has been completed, and a good hope appears. For two days the soul, together with the Angels who are with it, is allowed to walk the earth wherever it wants. The soul that loves the body wanders around the house where it was separated from the body, sometimes around the coffin. A virtuous soul walks in those places where it did good, just deeds. On the third day, in imitation of the Risen Savior, the soul ascends to worship God, and we pray that Christ, who has risen on the third day, will resurrect the soul of the deceased for a blessed life. After worshiping God, He is commanded by Him to show the soul the beauty of paradise, wondering and glorifying its Creator - God, it changes and forgets the sorrow that it had while in the body. But if the soul is guilty of sins, then at the sight of the pleasures of the saints, it begins to grieve and reproach itself, regretting that it spent most of its life in carelessness and did not serve God properly in order to be worthy of such grace.

On the ninth day, the soul is again ascended by the Angels to worship God. On the ninth day, we pray to the Lord that, through the prayers and intercession of the nine ranks of the Angels (Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Powers, Authorities, Principles, Archangels and Angels), He would forgive the sins of the deceased.

memorial service

After the second worship, the Lord of All commands to take the soul to hell and show it the torment of the wicked. The soul abides in hell for thirty days, trembling so as not to be condemned to imprisonment there.

On the fortieth day, the soul again ascends to worship God, and then the Judge determines for her, according to her deeds, her place of imprisonment at His private Judgment. And the Church prays for the deceased, so that the Lord would help the newly reposed to endure the test at the private Judgment of God, and that on the fortieth day, having ascended into heaven, he would also lift the soul of the deceased to the heavenly abodes. Therefore, the state of the souls of people who died before the general Resurrection, before the second coming of the Lord, is not the same: the souls of the righteous are in union with Christ and in the forefront of that blessedness that they will receive after the general Judgment, the souls of unrepentant sinners are in a painful state.

The souls of those who died in the faith, but did not bear fruits worthy of repentance, can be helped by the prayers of relatives and friends, their alms and good deeds. Therefore, having come to the Temple on the third, ninth, fortieth days, on the anniversary of death, on the birthday of the deceased, on the day of his Angel, you need to submit a note of repose. Until the fortieth day, the note must be written "newly deceased (name)".

Sorokoust about repose

You can order a memorial service. A panikhida is a prayer for the dead. Memorial services are performed both in the house where the body of the deceased is located, and in the Temple, and at the grave. At a memorial service, you can pray for one or more deceased Christians. To order a memorial service, one must apply for a "candle box" or a priest. You can serve lithium for the departed. Lithia (Greek - "intensified prayer"). This service is shorter than the memorial service. It is also performed by a priest at the request of relatives before taking the body out of the house, when meeting the body in the porch of the Temple, upon returning relatives to the house after burial, at the grave and in the Temple. In the Temple, lithium is celebrated during the days of Great Lent instead of a memorial service. It is customary to bring and place on a special table next to the canon a kolivo, otherwise called a kutia, both at the lithium and at the memorial service on the days of the remembrance of the dead. Kutia is boiled wheat mixed with honey. Kolivo serves as a reminder of the resurrection of the deceased. Just as a grain that, in order to bear fruit, must be in the ground and decay, so the body of the deceased is buried in the earth, in order, having decayed, in due time to rise incorruptible for the future life. Honey signifies the spiritual sweetness of the blessings of Eternal Life. Now boiled rice is used instead of wheat. It is either mixed with raisins, or they decorate the cutia from above, for example, in the form of a Cross. Kutia and other offerings after the memorial service are blessed by the priest and then, either at the grave or at home, before the memorial meal, they are distributed little by little to those who came to commemorate the deceased. Usually the dead are commemorated with something sweet: kutia, jelly, honey, pancakes, etc.

The Orthodox Church performs a special commemoration of the departed Orthodox (baptized) Christians several times during the year. Such commemorations are called Ecumenical Panikhidas or Parental (Saturday before Maslenitsa, Saturdays of the second, third and fourth weeks of Great Lent, Saturday before the day of the Holy Trinity, Saturday before the day of memory of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica (November 8, N.S.). The Beheading of St. John the Baptist (September 11, n. c.)

And another commemoration of the departed takes place on the 2nd week after Easter - on Monday or Tuesday. It is performed with the pious intention to share the great joy of the Bright Resurrection of Christ with the dead, hence the name "Radonitsa", when Orthodox Christians hasten to greet the joyful "Christ is Risen!" deceased. It is on Radonitsa (and not on the day of Holy Easter) that the graves of close relatives are visited. It is necessary to put the graves in order in advance or later, but not on the day of Christ's Resurrection (you should not clean up on Radonitsa either). This is a sin, an insult and disrespect for the feast of feasts. After all, we come to proclaim the joy that Christ has risen, to sing the troparion of the holiday, to sit, reflect on our lives, and mentally communicate with the deceased. It is not necessary to leave eggs, sweets on the grave, drink alcohol and leave them - this is not a Christian custom.

Prayer for repose

In the event of the death of an Orthodox Christian, certain rituals are performed.

When a Christian departs from this world, a special canon is read over him, which is called the "Canon of Prayer at the Separation of Souls from the Body", or "Departure". After death, the body of the deceased is washed with water, then dressed in new clothes. Clothing must be appropriate to the rank or ministry of the deceased, or simply white. If the baby has died, then they put on baptismal clothes.

Peace Candle

Then the deceased is placed in a coffin, a whisk is placed on his forehead, that is, a paper ribbon with the image of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and John the Baptist as a sign of the deceased's victory over his passions and spiritual enemies. An icon of the Savior or the Mother of God is placed on the chest as a sign that the deceased believed in Christ, gave his soul to Him for the Judgment of his soul. A pectoral cross must be put on the neck of the deceased, if there is none. The body of the deceased is covered with a church veil as a sign that the deceased is under the protection of the Church. If the coffin is at home, it is placed in the middle of the room in front of home icons, turning the face of the deceased towards the exit. Candles are lit around the coffin on four sides as a sign that the deceased has passed into the realm of light - into a better afterlife. Then, at the tomb, they begin to read the Psalter with the addition of prayers for the repose of the deceased. The Psalter is read from the moment of death to the funeral service. The following and the rule of reading the Psalter is in the prayer book. Then the coffin with the body is transferred to the Temple for the funeral, during the transfer they sing "Holy God." If desired and possible, you can leave in the Temple for the night. During the funeral, one must stand facing the altar or sideways in order to see the coffin, but not with his back, hold a candle in his left hand, and be baptized with his right. During the funeral, everyone stands with lit candles and prays not only for the deceased, but also for themselves. After the priest reads the permissive prayer, the candle in the hands of the deceased is extinguished and, with the prayer of permissiveness, is put into his right hand. Candles in the hands of relatives and friends are also extinguished as a sign that earthly life, burning like a candle, should also go out. Those who pray ask the Lord for the repose of the newly deceased, for his settlement in paradise, where the righteous are, where there is neither sickness nor sighing. Then relatives and friends come up to say goodbye to the deceased - this is the last kiss. Usually they kiss the icon on the chest of the deceased and on the forehead, where the rim is. Then they return again to the place where they stood during the funeral service. Relatives at parting and funeral should restrain their emotions. After parting, the icon is taken from the chest of the deceased, you can take it home or leave it in the Temple for up to forty days, but then take it home and pray in front of it.

Sorokoust about repose

The deceased is completely covered with a veil and the priest sprinkles him crosswise with earth, saying: "The Lord's land and its fulfillment, the universe, and all who live on it." Fresh flowers decorating the coffin are removed. If during life the sacrament of unction (unction) was performed, then the priest pours consecrated oil with wine on the body of the deceased. Then the coffin is closed with a lid and "Eternal memory" is sung. After the funeral, the coffin is transferred to the cemetery and lowered into the grave (facing east). When the coffin is already lowered into the grave, relatives throw earth on its lid, handful of earth. Money is not thrown into the grave - this is a pagan custom, not a Christian one. When the grave is buried, relatives can commemorate the deceased with kutia, sweets. The Holy Cross is placed on the grave of a Christian as a symbol of Christ's victory over death and hell.

People who commit suicide are deprived of the funeral service, church burial and prayer for them. But if there is evidence that the suicide occurred due to a loss of reason (mental disorder), then with this document one must go to the Patriarchate or the Diocesan Administration and take permission from the ruling bishop for the funeral. In other cases, the Church does not offer prayers for unrepentant sinners and suicides, because, being in a state of despair, stubbornness and bitterness, in evil, they turn out to be guilty of sins against the Holy Spirit, which, according to the teachings of Christ, will not be forgiven either in this age or in future.

Baptized infants (up to seven years old) who have died are given a special funeral service, as they are over the immaculate and sinless, and whom the Church asks to vouchsafe the Kingdom of Heaven. A funeral service is not performed for unbaptized babies (for adults, too), since they are not cleansed of ancestral sin. But they will not be punished and will not be glorified.

The funeral service can be performed in absentia. To do this, you should come to the Temple and arrange an absentee funeral. Relatives are given a permissive prayer with a whisk and earth on their hands. A whisk is placed on the forehead of the deceased, a prayer is placed in the right hand, a cross is put on the neck, if there is none, an icon is placed on the chest. After saying goodbye, the icon is taken away, the face is covered with a veil and this cover is sprinkled with earth crosswise. This land can be kept at home, there is no need to be afraid of this.

Prayer, memorial service - this is not the most important thing.

For a Christian, it is more important to submit notes of health or repose with prosphora to the Divine Liturgy and to prayerfully participate in the service, and not leave it.

The most important church prayer for the living and the dead is performed at the proskomidia, which is performed before the liturgy during the reading of the hours. Notes with names are served in a "candle box", from there they are carried to the altar along with prosphora. The priest reads the notes and takes out the "funeral" particles from the prosphora. At the end of mass, the prosphora are returned to the "candle box", from where they can be taken later. Prosphora is either eaten immediately, or divided into several days and consumed at home with Holy water on an empty stomach and so that not a single crumb falls to the floor and is not trampled under foot. Prosphora is a small round bread with the image of the Cross and the inscription "IC XC NI KA" ("Jesus Christ conquers"). Prosphora (Greek - offering) is made from wheat flour fermented with yeast. It consists of two circles, which are prepared separately and then connected, sticking one to one. The two-component prosphora means that the Divinity and humanity in Jesus Christ are inseparable and inseparable from each other, like the circles in the prosphora. Particles are taken out (cut out) from the prosphora, and the priest commemorates (gives names) those for whom they are asked to pray in notes. All the particles taken out of the prosphora are placed next to the Lamb on the paten and at the end of Mass are united in the Chalice with the Holy Gifts - the Body and Blood of Christ. Through such a union, the living and the dead receive the mitigation of sins and eternal life.

The word lithium (from the Greek lite - prayer, request) is called in the Orthodox church service:

1. Part of the All-Night Vigil at the end of the Great Vespers. It follows the litany: Let us fulfill our evening prayer to the Lord. The content of the prayers of the lithium indicates its origin: on the occasion of social disasters that befell Byzantium, fervent prayer was performed. St. Simeon of Thessalonica says: “Lithia is performed in the porch on holidays and Saturdays, and during some kind of ulcer or misfortune found, it is sung at a confluence of people or in the middle of the city, or outside it, near the walls” (New Table, Part II, Ch. .one). Therefore, the clergy go to the porch of the temple.

2. A special kind of prayer for the departed Orthodox Christians. It is performed in the temple or in another place.

Litiya literally means fervent public prayer. This is an ancient Christian custom. Back in the first centuries of Christianity, during great social disasters, for example, famine, epidemic disease, earthquakes, etc., people left the church with banners and images and in public, passing through the streets and fields, prayed to God for deliverance from the disaster that had befallen. This is how it is now with us, in Orthodox Russia.

Litiya in an abbreviated form also happens at the festive vigil. This is precisely that part of Vespers, when the clergy with the singers go out into the porch of the church. In ancient times, catechumens (preparing for holy baptism) and penitents (those who carried penance for their sins) stood in the narthex; in a feeling of deep humility, the faithful leave the temple into the narthex and here, in the place of the penitents, they offer their prayers to the Lord.

After the festive stichera (hymns), the deacon, and if there is no deacon, then the priest himself, proclaims intensified prayers to the Lord, so that the Lord God saves and blesses the whole world, grants him His mercy and bounties, so that he exalts the power of Christianity, and sends us His rich mercies - not for any of our merits, because we - sinful people - did not deserve any of God's mercies - but through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, by the power of the honest and life-giving Cross, by the intercession of the honest heavenly Powers of the incorporeal and all the saints, starting from the holy Prophet and Forerunner John of the Lord, higher than whom was not among those born, according to the word of the Savior Himself, and ending with that saint of God, whose name the temple is dedicated to.

To these petitions, proclaimed by a deacon or a priest, the singers respond with especially touching, repeated "Lord, have mercy." Listening attentively to this litany and the names of the saints of God, who are always close to the Christian soul - the first Apostles, the three Hierarchs and great ecumenical teachers, and our holy father Nicholas, Archbishop of Mirlikia wonderworker (so loved by all Orthodox Russia), finally, Saints Cyril and Methodius, our Slavic enlighteners and teachers, the first translators of Holy Scripture into our native language, our native Russian saints, whose incorruptible relics rest on all ends of Russia - we feel in our hearts that we all, the whole Christian world, is one family of God, united by love, and all together unanimously pray to the Lord - both those who live and those who have long since departed to the Lord, but whose memory, like saints, lives and will live on earth until the end of time. “Having commemorated the saints of God, we pray to the many-merciful Lord that he hears our sinful prayer and has mercy on us unworthy…

Then we pray for our most pious Sovereign, so that the Lord would give him victory over every enemy and adversary (adversary), we pray for the entire royal House, as the closest employees of the Sovereign in the great work of ruling the kingdom, we pray for our highest spiritual authority - the Holy, Governing Synod, about to his Archpastor, our spiritual fathers, about every Christian soul, grieving and embittered, and therefore most in need of God's mercy and help; we pray for our holy temple, our city or village, and for all those who live in it, that the Lord God dies and arranges the whole world, that there is peace and order everywhere, that God’s holy Christian Churches (societies) stand firmly in the Orthodox faith; we pray for salvation and help for those who work with zeal and fear of God in spreading the Christian faith and God's word; we pray for those who were sent to other places, to foreign lands, and who are now with us, in the house of God, are not, we pray for healing in the infirmities of those lying, for repose and blessed memory and the remission of the sins of all our dead fathers and brothers, our Orthodox Christians who sleep the sleep of death near our holy temple, and everywhere, all over the world - we pray for the deliverance of the captives who are in captivity (for example, in captivity by the Turks), for our brothers who are in the services, who serve and served here, in our native holy temple; We will say everything about everyone: “Lord, have mercy!” - repeats first forty times, then thirty, then fifty, and finally - twice three times.

There are also other litias in the composition of our church services, for example, litia at the end of the liturgy, in memory of the departed, performed according to the prayer behind the ambo; lithium in memory of them, after the dismissal of Vespers and Matins; litiya on a temple feast with a procession around the temple, or around the entire monastery, with the reading of the Gospel, litanies and the overshadowing of the cross by the people on all four sides of the temple or monastery; lithium for the blessing of water in a well, in a river, for the blessing of crops in a field. All of them are full of spiritual compunction and dispose the heart to fervent prayer.

The meaning of the word "lithia" in translation from the Greek language is "zealous prayer." However, not everyone knows what lithium is and when it is ordered.

In the Orthodox tradition, there are several definitions of lithium. This word can refer to a part of the All-Night Vigil (immediately following the litany), which begins with the words: "Let us fulfill our evening prayer to the Lord." In addition, lithium prayers are a kind of memorial service, which is served when the body of the deceased is taken out of the house or when the deceased is commemorated in the temple at any time.

History of occurrence

The original purpose was to pray in those places where there was any catastrophe or disaster, there was any threat. The beginning of this divine service was laid in the Jerusalem Church, where it was held after every Sunday Vespers in different holy places. It also had such significance in the statutes of the Great Constantinople and Western Churches.

To date lithium includes prayers, chants and some rituals. There are also joyful solemn litias or litanies that are served outside the city.

Essence and meaning

The main distinguishing feature of lithium- this service outside the walls of the temple. All types of this worship can vary greatly in content and rite, but leaving the temple is a prerequisite.

Exodus during the lithium service may be complete or incomplete. In both cases, the purpose of such a rank- to express prayerful zeal not only in words, but also through movement. When the place of worship changes, prayerful attention intensifies. Litiya usually have a somewhat mournful and penitential character.

Another important significance of this divine service lies in the fact that the Orthodox Church comes out in the truest sense of the word into the outside world from churches and monasteries filled with grace. This may be an exit far beyond the temple or into the vestibule - a part of the temple that comes into contact with the world and is open to the unbaptized and excluded from the bosom of the Church. In this case, lithium carries a prayer mission to the outside world. Therefore, the prayers and chants of this action are of a national character.

The main elements of Lenten Vespers are songs, prayers and rituals. The rite consists in the solemn exit of the clergy and parishioners into the vestibule. This exit is an important part of worship. If you look into the Slavic manuscripts of the Jerusalem Typicon, the word "exodus" will constantly be found there. The rank of this exit is very close to the rank of the evening entrance.

During the service, the priest, together with the deacon, exits through the northern doors. Holy doors at this time remain closed. The deacon follows the priest and holding a censer in his hands. In front of them, servants carry two lamps. The chanters follow the clergy. The exit of the entire procession is accompanied by the singing of the due stichera.

After the clergy enter the porch, the deacon censes the faces of the holy icons and the rector and stands in the proper place - to the right and in front of the priest.

Types of prayers

In the current charter of the Orthodox Church There are 4 types of lithium. According to the degree of their solemnity, they can be arranged in the following order:

Features of the mortuary lithium

A special kind of lithium can be considered a memorial service, which is performed by a layman. It was compiled specifically for saying prayers for the dead when taking the body out of the house. In addition, such prayers can be said by relatives and friends of the deceased at any time and in any place as desired. Most often, such lithiums are performed by the laity at home, during their stay at the cemetery, or upon their return after burial.

After the body of the deceased has been properly prepared, it is brought to the funeral service. The code of the deceased is taken out of the house, the funeral service should be read. Previously, our ancestors performed another seven bowing began before taking out the body. In our time, almost no one adheres to this tradition.

According to the canons of the Orthodox Church, cemeteries are considered sacred places, because the bodies of the dead awaiting the coming resurrection are buried here. An Orthodox believer, coming to a cemetery, must light a candle and say a lithic prayer. To perform the rite of intensified prayer, you can invite a clergyman to the cemetery. However, if this is not possible, a layman can conduct a short rite on his own.

Order of conduct

The procedure for conducting such a short rank should be as follows:

1. First, an akathist about the repose of the dead is read.
2. Further, it is necessary to spend some time in silence and silence, to remember all the good that was inherent in the deceased.
3. At the end, the text of the lithium for the departed is read.

Litiya performed by a layman at home and in the cemetery is held three times:

1. During the removal of the body of the deceased from the house.
2. During the burial in the cemetery.
3. Returning home from the cemetery at the end of the funeral rite.

While in the cemetery, you should not eat or drink. There is a folk custom - to leave a glass of vodka and a piece of bread on the grave of the deceased. However, it should be noted that this tradition has nothing to do with Orthodox beliefs and came to us from pagan times. In the Orthodox tradition, such an act is rather an insult to the memory of the deceased. Food should not be left on the grave - it is better to give it to the poor.

Our fervent prayers at all times have been and remain the most powerful weapon against the forces of evil. They help protect the souls of the living and the departed. Such prayers not only bring us closer to the Lord, but also have a deep spiritual meaning. According to the clergy, prayers for the departed not only allow asking for protection for their souls before the Lord, but also help to preserve the bright memory of departed loved ones.

Litiya for the dead is a very important part of the Orthodox service. If you make a translation from Greek, you get fervent prayer. Church canons prescribe to perform it exclusively outside the temple. Litiya can differ both in rank and in content.

If you delve into the essence of Orthodox worship, you can understand that the reason for the celebration of litiya for the laity, as a rule, is either the arrival of a festive Sabbath day, or the invasion of some kind of misfortune that is of a massive nature.

In these cases, in the central square of the city, the singing of an ardent prayer appeal to the Lord is performed. It is performed by a clergyman with a large crowd of people.

On the history of lithium committed by a layman

The original purpose of lithium is a prayer offered in public places when some kind of threat arises, a disaster approaches, or a defeat is suffered. However, in addition to this, there were also similar divine services, which had a joyful and solemn character. Sites outside the city were chosen for their holding.

Special conditions for the development of this type of worship were created in the Jerusalem Church. There, the rite of lithium was an integral part of all Sunday evenings held in places distinguished by holiness.

In today's realities, only an insignificant part of the fervent prayers that flourished in the old days on the territory of Jerusalem has remained. They included prayers, special rites and songs. Today, this rite mainly consists only in the solemn exit of the clergy into the narthex.

Particular attention should be paid to the lithium for the dead for the laity. The aforementioned view was established specifically for the prayer for those who have gone to another world. As a rule, it is performed at the moment the coffin is taken out of the house, but it can be performed at any other time and in any place, if relatives so desire.

The most suitable places for laymen to perform lithium are considered to be his house after returning from the burial and the cemetery where it took place.

mortuary lithium

When ready, the body of the deceased is transported to the temple. When the coffin is taken out of the house, it is necessary to read the funeral service corresponding to the rank of ordinary lithium. At the same time, "Wisdom" is proclaimed, after which the "Pureest" is sung. In the old days, before the removal of the body, our ancestors performed a seven-bow began, but today this tradition is almost no longer performed by anyone.

Lithium in the cemetery

Cemeteries, in accordance with the canons of the church, are the holiest place. They keep the bodies of the dead in their bowels until the coming Sunday. A visit to the cemetery must necessarily be accompanied by the lighting of a candle and the performance of a lithium prayer.

The rite of lithium performed by a layman at home and in the cemetery, as a rule, is short. And to conduct a full-fledged rank, it is still better to involve a clergyman.

How it is done by a layman in a cemetery:

1. An akathist is read for the repose of the dead.
2. Some time is spent in silence. At the same time, all the good deeds and character traits of the deceased are remembered.
3. The rank of lithium intended for the cemetery is read.

The text of the rank of lithium for the cemetery:

“Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

The King of Heaven, the Comforter, the Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything. Treasure of the good and life to the Giver, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Blessed, our souls.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Read three times, with the sign of the cross and a bow from the waist.)

Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Lord, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Your name's sake.

Lord have mercy. (Three times.)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Our Father, Who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth. Give us our daily bread today; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Lord have mercy. (12 times.)

Come, let us worship our King God. (Bow.)

Come, let us bow down and bow down to Christ, our King God. (Bow.)

Come, let us worship and bow down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. (Bow.)"

This litiya for the dead performed by a layman at home and in the cemetery should be held three times:

• When the body is taken out of the house.
• At the burial.
• After returning home from the cemetery.

• This time in the cemetery is not intended for eating or drinking alcoholic beverages.
• Leaving a glass of vodka covered with a piece of bread on the grave, you pay tribute to pagan customs. After all, this relic came from there. According to the Orthodox Church, such an act offends the memory of the deceased.
• Instead of leaving food on the grave, it is better to give it to beggars or animals.

Litiya for the dead is a strong weapon of Orthodox Christianity

Today, as in the old days, prayerful appeal to the Lord is assigned the role of the most effective weapon against evil forces, which is wielded by a believing Orthodox Christian. According to the holy elders, from a believing person who reads a prayer, the evil one runs headlong and does not even attempt to approach.

A fertile influence, both on the soul of a deceased person, and on those who remember him, is an intensified prayer. Church services in memory of the dead people pay special attention. The clergy say that if prayer is an appeal to God, then litiya is a request to the Almighty for the dead and communication with them. Through such a prayer, a person approaches not only the Lord, but also his neighbors.

We must remember the important meaning of the funeral litia for the dead - not only as an attribute of the Christian faith, but also from the point of view of the psychological and spiritual state.

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?

Holy Land Heritage

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, as a rule, sincerely believing Christians walked through the holy places, 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 is large ones during which holy places are visited and believers worship them.

Modern execution of the procession - lithium

Lithium is also present in modern Orthodoxy. What it is, it becomes clear to the Orthodox already from the translation of this word from ancient Greek - “strengthened prayer”. Litiya is always a procession, as a rule, an "exodus" 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, unchanging texts, therefore it is pronounced by the priest.

Differences of lithium pronounced in different temples

Sometimes believers who are not parishioners of one particular church pay attention to the fact that different words are heard in the texts of litia. 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. Depending 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 “lithia”. What this is, becomes clear to an Orthodox person by the repeated appeals uttered "Lord, have mercy." In the third stage of the Litiya, the priest pronounces the prayer of head bowing, after which the return to the temple takes place.

The Place of Intensified Prayer in the Acceptance of Orthodoxy

Intensified prayer - litiya, 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. parishioners at this moment reaches an unprecedented 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 the layman

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 litiya is read by the believers themselves for the deceased relatives. After the departure of the soul after death, it especially needs the prayers of a Christian. The Church says that instead of 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.

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 dead ancestors: "... his soul will settle in the good, and his memory will be for generation and generation." Elder Nikolai Serbsky consoled the relatives of the dead people with the fact 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.