Back to Basics with the Law of God Part 13: Great Lent, Presanctified Liturgy, Bells, & more…. A Straightforward Teaching of Orthodox Christianity based upon the Slobodskoy Law of God Study Book Priest Justin Patterson / Continuing into February 2019 What is the Law of God? The Law of God “For Study at Home and at School” Compiled by Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy 1912-71 Holy Trinity Press in Jordanville 1966; English 1993 Weeks 1 & 2: Introduction & Broad Topic of Prayer +Physicality in Prayer (sign, posture, standing) +3 broad categories of prayer: 1. Prayers of Praise & Thanksgiving 2. Prayers of Petition 3. Penitential Prayers +Disposition in Prayer (peace, focus, fasting, purity) +Tools for Prayers (Akathists, Prayer Books, Special Services of Need, and more) Weeks 3 & 4: The Gospel in the Old Testament +Intro to the Old Testament +Days of Creation & Making of Man +The Fall, Sin, Cain & Abel +The Flood +Vital Vignettes from the Old Testament Especially CHRIST in the OT! Weeks 5 & 6: The Gospel in the New Testament, Parts 1 & 2 Week 7: We started our current section “Christian Life & Faith” We looked in week 7 at: ● Natural Revelation & Divine Revelation ● Scripture AND Tradition as sources for belief in the Orthodox Church ● The Orthodox Canon of Scripture ● The Seven Ecumenical Councils Week 8: The Christian Faith (The Symbol of Faith/Creed) We looked at the Creed and the Sacraments of the Church. Fr. Seraphim says there are 7, though most Orthodox theologians would list more than that. Week 9: Commandments & Beatitudes Week 10: Introducing the Services of the Orthodox Church We also explored the liturgical framework of Orthodoxy (including vestments and basic service books) Week 11: the All-Night Vigil Service Week 12: the Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox Church Parts of the Liturgy What were the three main parts of the Liturgy that we identified last week? Parts of the Liturgy I. The Proskomedi (“offering” or Prothesis) Rite II. The Liturgy of the Catechumens III. The Liturgy of the Faithful This Week (Week 13--the Last Week)and more... Exploring Great Lent, the Lenten Services (especially the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts,) Orthodox bells, and much more… As we wrap up this Back to Basics Series... Chapter (9) on Great Lent (“The Lenten Spring”) Read three paragraphs from p. 596 introducing Great Lent Pre-Lenten Sundays Special Feature? Fr. Justin’s favorite??? Special Feature? “By the Waters of Babylon” (Ps. 137) is sung beginning on the week of the Publican & Pharisee until Lent begins. (Then is STOPS because we’ve LEFT Babylon and have begun our journey back to Jerusalem.) Pre-Lenten Sundays Final Sunday: Expulsion of Adam & Eve / Forgiveness Sunday First Sounds of Great Lent… Beginning at Forgiveness Vespers Great Lent: First Week of Lent (“Clean Week”) Read two paragraphs on p. 599 about Clean Week Special Features of Clean Week: ● Lenten Order ● Great Compline with Canon of St. Andrew ● Beginning of Liturgies of the Presanctified Gifts ● Super-strict fasting! Insert Parenthesis from Chapter on Presanctified Liturgy! Read about the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, pp. 579-580. NOTE: it’s a Vespers with Communion! Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts Order of Service Like Vespers: ● Hours & Typika with special Lenten Order ● Benediction (“Blessed is the Kingdom”) ● Psalm 104 + Litany (+ Vesperal Kathisma) ● Lord I Call (just as in Vespers) ● Entrance in the manner of Great Vespers ● Gladsome Light as usual ● Special lenten prokeimena and Old Testament readings ○ “The Light of Christ illumines all!” with prostration Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts After the readings, a special “recap” of the “Lord, I Call” in sung: “Let my prayer arise…” Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts: Prayer of St. Ephrem Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts After the “Let My Prayer Arise” and the Prayer of St. Ephrem, several litanies are sung (analagous to the litanies sung after the Gospel on Sunday) and then a unique Great Entrance is made. What are some of the unique qualities of this Great Entrance? Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts After the “Let My Prayer Arise” and the Prayer of St. Ephrem, several litanies are sung (analagous to the litanies sung after the Gospel on Sunday) and then a unique Great Entrance is made. What are some of the unique qualities of this Great Entrance? ● Special hymn is sung in place of Cherubic Hymn ● Gifts are Presanctified (already offered) ● Total silence after the hymn with prostration ● Priest often is veiled... Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts: “Now the Powers” Then the Litany before the Our Father & the Our Father…. & Preparation of Elements Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts: “Taste & See” Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts: Communion of the Faithful Special Presanctified Prayer of the Ambo Then we “break fast” together! Now back to regularly-scheduled programming! ;-) Sunday of Orthodoxy St. Gregory Palamas Sunday Sunday of the Cross: Midpoint of Great Lent Sunday of St. John of the Ladder Akathist Saturday & St. Mary of Egypt Sunday Lazarus Saturday & Palm Sunday Holy Week: Bridegroom Services What are some major features of Holy Week? ● Chanting of entire 4 Gospels in context of Hours! ● Presanctified Monday-Wednesday ● Bridegroom Services Sunday night through Wednesday ○ Theme: THE END! Great & Holy Thursday Great & Holy Friday Great & Holy Saturday: The Eve Holy Saturday Morning And What’s Next? THE GREAT PASCHA OF THE LORD Pictures don’t suffice… You just have to come. A brief word on Monasticism & Pilgrimage Chapter 12 is a wonderful meditation on the centrality of Monasticism in Orthodoxy, not only as a major calling for many believers, but also as inspiration for all believers. There is discussion of: ● End of persecution giving way to monasticism ● Various kinds of monastic life ● Key heroes-pioneers of monasticism ● Various ranks of monks or nuns ○ Novices ○ Rassophores ○ Lesser-schema monks (stavrophores) ○ Great-schema monks A Brief Word on Bells in the Russian Tradition What do bells do? ● Summon faithful to divine services ● Express the triumphal joy of the Church ● Announce to those not present special moments in the services ● (perhaps announce civil gatherings in Orthodox nations, as well) Note: Bells of a Western Origin! ● Tradition of St. Paulinus of Nola (+411) ● Bells only went to Byzantium in 9th century ● Russia got bells from medieval Germany (even the Russian word for “bell” bears the impact of German!) Different Peals of Russian Bells 1. Trezvon: a triple-pealing of all bells at once (we use this to conclude our peals, normally) 2. Dvuzvon: a double-pealing of all bells at once 3. Perezvon: also called “chain-ringing,” this is ringing of bells in turn, beginning with largest to smallest and then repeating the pattern (whole mini-chapter on its use!) 4. Perebor: also called “the toll,” this is the slow peal of each bell in turn, beginning with smallest to largest… (whole mini-chapter on its use!) 5. Blagovest: also called the “good news toll” is the ringing of all the bells in patterns Village Blagovest before Liturgy American Parish Church Bells Full-On Russian Church Bells! THE END OF OUR BACK TO BASICS SERIES To God be the glory! +++ Thank you for your attention! .