Usual beginning
Encyclopedia
The usual beginning is the series of prayers with which most Divine Services begin in the Eastern Orthodox Church
and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite
.
by the priest
, which is usually:
However, if there is no priest, the reader says:
Then, the reader continues:
The priest concludes the Our Father by saying:
Reader:
the usual beginning is preceded by the following, known as the "Prayer of the Publican
":
After this, some add:
Then the Axion Estin
is said, followed by "Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. (Bow.) Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. (Bow.) Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy. Lord, bless (Bow.)
(the week beginning on Easter
Sunday) the services are completely different from the rest of the year, and there is no usual beginning.
The hymn, "O Heavenly King..." (above) is one of the propers
of Pentecost
, and will not be said from Pascha
(Easter) until the feast of Pentecost, fifty days later.
From Thomas Sunday until the Great Feast of the Ascension, "O Heavenly King" is replaced with the Troparion
of Pascha:
From Ascension until its leavetaking, "O Heavenly King" is omitted entirely, and replaced by nothing (symbolizing the physical "absence" of Jesus and the expectant coming of the Holy Spirit
). Instead, immediately after the priest's blessing, the reader says: "Amen. Holy God..."
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite
Byzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
.
Normal form
The usual beginning starts with a blessingBlessing
A blessing, is the infusion of something with holiness, spiritual redemption, divine will, or one's hope or approval.- Etymology and Germanic paganism :...
by the priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, which is usually:
- Blessed is our God, always now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.
However, if there is no priest, the reader says:
- Through the prayers of our holy fathersChurch FathersThe Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were early and influential theologians, eminent Christian teachers and great bishops. Their scholarly works were used as a precedent for centuries to come...
, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us.
Then, the reader continues:
- Amen. [Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!]
- [O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of good things, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every sin, and save our souls, O Good One!]
- The TrisagionTrisagionThe Trisagion , sometimes called by its opening line Agios O Theos or by the Latin Tersanctus, is a standard hymn of the Divine Liturgy in most of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches and Catholic Churches.In those Churches which use the Byzantine Rite, the Trisagion is chanted...
: Holy God, holy Mighty, holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times, everyone making a bow at the waist each time). - Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
- O All-Holy TrinityTrinityThe Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
, have mercy on us; O LordGod the FatherGod the Father is a gendered title given to God in many monotheistic religions, particularly patriarchal, Abrahamic ones. In Judaism, God is called Father because he is the creator, life-giver, law-giver, and protector...
, blot out our sins; O MasterGod the SonGod the Son is the second person of the Trinity in Christian theology. The doctrine of the Trinity identifies Jesus of Nazareth as God the Son, united in essence but distinct in person with regard to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit...
, pardon our iniquities; O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy Name's sake. - Lord, have mercy (three times).
- Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
- Our FatherLord's PrayerThe Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
, Who art in the heavens, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
The priest concludes the Our Father by saying:
- For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power and the Glory: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.
Reader:
- Amen. Lord, have mercy (twelve times)
- Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
- O come, let us worship God our King. (Bow.) O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ our King and our God. (Bow.) O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and our God. (Bow.)
Old Believers
Among the Old BelieversOld Believers
In the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers separated after 1666 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652–66...
the usual beginning is preceded by the following, known as the "Prayer of the Publican
Pharisee and the Publican
The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican , is a parable of Jesus that appears in only one of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament. According to , a Pharisee, obsessed by his own virtue, is contrasted with a tax collector who humbly asks God for mercy.This parable demonstrates the need to...
":
- God be merciful to me a sinner. (After which all make a bow.)
- Thou hast create me; Lord, have mercy on me. (Bow.)
- I have sinned immeasurably; Lord, forgive me. (Bow.)
After this, some add:
- Have mercy and forgive me a sinner. (Bow.)
Then the Axion Estin
Axion Estin
Axion estin , or It is Truly Meet, is a theotokion, i.e. a Hymn to Mary , which is chanted in the Divine Services of the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches...
is said, followed by "Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. (Bow.) Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. (Bow.) Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy. Lord, bless (Bow.)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of Thy most pure Mother, by the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, through the intercessions of my holy Guardian AngelGuardian angelA guardian angel is an angel assigned to protect and guide a particular person or group. Belief in guardian angels can be traced throughout all antiquity...
, and of all the saintSaintA saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s, have mercy on me and save me a sinner, for Thou art good and lovest mankind. (ProstrationProstrationProstration is the placement of the body in a reverentially or submissively prone position. Major world religions employ prostration either as a means of embodying reverence for a noble person, persons or doctrine, or as an act of submissiveness to a supreme being or beings...
.)
Abbreviated form
The different services of the Daily Office are often combined into aggregates, often of three services, combined together into one continuous period of worship. When this happens, the full usual beginning is only performed at the first service, at subsequent services, only "O come, let us worship..." is said. Sometimes this is preceded by a blessing from the priest.Pentecostarion
During Bright WeekBright Week
Bright Week or Renewal Week is the name used by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine Rite for the period of seven days beginning on Pascha and continuing up to the following Sunday, which is known as Thomas Sunday...
(the week beginning on Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
Sunday) the services are completely different from the rest of the year, and there is no usual beginning.
The hymn, "O Heavenly King..." (above) is one of the propers
Proper (liturgy)
The Proper is a part of the Christian liturgy that varies according to the date, either representing an observance within the Liturgical Year, or of a particular saint or significant event...
of Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
, and will not be said from Pascha
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
(Easter) until the feast of Pentecost, fifty days later.
From Thomas Sunday until the Great Feast of the Ascension, "O Heavenly King" is replaced with the Troparion
Troparion
A troparion in Byzantine music and in the religious music of Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a short hymn of one stanza, or one of a series of stanzas. The word probably derives from a diminutive of the Greek tropos...
of Pascha:
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life! (Three times)
From Ascension until its leavetaking, "O Heavenly King" is omitted entirely, and replaced by nothing (symbolizing the physical "absence" of Jesus and the expectant coming of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
). Instead, immediately after the priest's blessing, the reader says: "Amen. Holy God..."
External links
- O Heavenly King and Psalm 51 (Psalm of Repentance) - usual beginning prayers on the website of the Orthodox Church in America