Reading the Four Gospels during Passion Week, which chapters are read. Reading the Gospel during Lent What chapters of the Gospel are read during Holy Week

Great Friday of Holy Week of Great Lent. Remembering the holy saving passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father! forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. OK. 23, 34 On Great Friday, holy, saving and terrible sufferings and

Great Saturday of Holy Week of Great Lent This Saturday is the most blessed, on which Christ, having fallen asleep, will rise again. The final line of the kontakion and ikos On Holy Saturday, the Orthodox Church commemorates the bodily burial of Jesus Christ and the descent

Announcement 53 (Wednesday of Holy Week) About the life-giving passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and that those appointed must humbly accept obedience My brothers and fathers. Always rejoice in the Lord, I, the prodigal, now address you with an apostolic greeting.

JOSEPH THE BEAUTIFUL Monday of Holy Week Beautiful in body and soul, blessed Joseph was the son of the Old Testament patriarch Jacob, the grandson of Isaac and the great-grandson of Abraham. He was born of Jacob's second wife, Rachel, who was barren until God heard her and

Divine services of Great Lent and Holy Week Great Lent Great Lent is the most important and oldest of the multi-day fasts. He reminds us of the Savior's forty-day fast in the desert. Lent introduces us to Holy Week and prepares us for the joy of the Holiday

890. Thoughts at the onset of Passion Week and about those at home. The mercy of God be with you! Here is the passionate one in the yard. May the Lord grant you to suffer to the Lord as much as you can. Through His suffering the Lord accomplished our salvation. We assimilate this salvation to ourselves after St. sacraments

It turns out that during Holy Week another rite of forgiveness is performed - for all the offenses that we caused each other during Lent, and the reading of the 12 Gospels used to be a procession around the city - they read at stops, sang at crossings. Explains in more detail the structure of the service of Holy Week Ilya Krasovitsky, senior lecturer at the Department of Practical Theology of PSTGU.

Another rite of forgiveness

Holy Week is an ancient Easter fast that grew out of the Fast of the Cross. In ancient times, many Christians celebrated not Sunday Easter, as we do, but the Cross; this day is now called Good Friday. One of the Holy Fathers of the third century says that we already celebrate the Resurrection every week, but Easter of the Cross, the remembrance of the Passion of Christ, only once a year. There were fierce disputes and disagreements on this issue, and only at the First Ecumenical Council, in 326, a single day for celebrating Easter was established for everyone - the Bright Resurrection of Christ. How was Easter celebrated? It was celebrated with a very strict fast, and from this fast the entire Holy Week grew.

This means that the fast of Holy Week is separated from Great Lent both in meaning and in liturgical structure. They usually say that Great Lent ends on the Friday before Lazarus Saturday, but it can also be considered differently: that Great Lent ends on Holy Wednesday, since Lenten worship continues as usual until Holy Wednesday, and in the evening on this day the rite of forgiveness is performed. Exactly the same as on Forgiveness Sunday. This is the rite of forgiveness specifically for the Holy Pentecost. In this rite of forgiveness, the words of the abbot addressed to the brethren are quoted: “Bless, holy fathers, and forgive me the sinner who has sinned throughout my entire life, and throughout the Holy Pentecostal period...”. Thus, according to the Lenten Triodion, Holy Wednesday is the last day of Great Lent. That is why we can consider that the Easter fast - Holy Week - begins only on Holy Thursday.

Gospel themes

But no matter what day we begin to count the fast of Holy Week, from Thursday or from Monday, Holy Week is something completely separate and special. It should be noted that during Holy Week the Gospel is read at almost every service of the daily cycle. Not only at large ones: Vespers, Matins, Liturgy, but also at small ones - at the hours. Why? First of all, because the last days of the Savior’s earthly life are described in much more detail than other periods of His life. According to the text of the four Evangelists, one can trace literally every step of the Savior: everything he said, did, where he went, with whom he communicated in the last days. And the service of Holy Week gives us the opportunity to spend these days, as it were, together with Him, walking in His footsteps, listening to His words. This is how the Gospel readings are distributed.

Let's try to figure out how the Lord spent His last days. From the Gospel text it is obvious that on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday He preached in the Jerusalem Temple. Then, when the sun began to set, He left the city with the disciples. The Lord left the city, walked through the fields, stopped to rest and talk with his disciples. In the morning He returned back. This went on for four days.

Holy Monday morning

The Gospel about the barren fig tree is read (Matthew 21: 18-43). The entire day of worship is dedicated to the miracle of the barren fig tree. The Lord went to Jerusalem in the morning to preach and saw this tree not far from the city wall. And not finding fruit on it, He cursed it, and in the evening of the same day, when they were returning along the same road, the disciples saw that the tree was completely dry. This reading is about the events that took place during these hours, but it is deeply symbolic.

Curse of the fig tree. Miniature of Ovsian from the Gospel, 1306. Armenia

According to the interpretation of the Lenten Triodion, the Jewish people were likened to this barren fig tree, in which the Lord did not find the fruits that he expected to find. And in a broader sense, God's people are all who believe in Him. And will the Lord find in us the fruits that He expects? This question is posed to everyone who hears these words.

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• Iconography of Holy Week- Pravoslavie.Ru
• General composition of the services of Holy Week- Priest Mikhail Zheltov
• How does Holy Week work?- Ilya Krasovitsky
• About Holy Week- Hegumen Siluan Tumanov
• Holy Week: how to combine work, services and preparation for Easter...- Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko
• How to spend Holy Week- Archpriest Igor Pchelintsev
• Holy Wednesday: Only two barriers can stand between God and us
• Holy Week: Christ and I- Olga Bogdanova
• Holy Thursday: Let's not rely on our own exploits- Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
• Maundy Thursday: The Last Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane- Tatyana Sopova
• Composition of the service of the 12 Gospels (Good Friday Matins)- Priest Mikhail Zheltov
• Why does the Church curse Judas?- Archimandrite Iannuariy Ivliev
• Easter vigil. Contents of the rites of Vespers and the Liturgy of Great Saturday and Bright Matins- Priest Mikhail Zheltov
• "Word on Holy Saturday"- Patriarch Photius of Constantinople
• Canons of Holy Saturday- Priest Mikhail Zheltov
• Fifteen steps to Easter(about the meaning of fifteen pre-Easter parimies) - Andrey Desnitsky

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Holy Monday evening

An excerpt is read about an event that took place outside the city, on the slope of the Mount of Olives - the eschatological conversation of the Lord with the disciples (Matthew 24: 3-35). As you know, the Mount of Olives is located opposite ancient Jerusalem and it offered an amazing view of the Jerusalem Temple. They sat on a slope, looked at the city, and the Lord, pointing them to the Temple, said that very soon there would not be left one stone left of this building. It was very difficult to imagine then, because the Temple had only recently been rebuilt by King Herod. The Lord had a long conversation with the disciples about the end of the world. This eschatological theme for Holy Week is extremely important. It runs through all the days of Holy Week. Why? Because before His departure, the Lord wanted the disciples to better remember what would happen when He came the second time. He repeatedly warns these days about the events of His second coming, therefore throughout Holy Week hymns are sung related to the second coming of the Lord. The troparion “Behold the Bridegroom comes at midnight” is sung on the first three days. We can say that the Gospel reading on Monday evening provides this theme for the entire Holy Week.

Holy Tuesday morning

Sermon in the Jerusalem Temple (Matthew 22: 15 – 23: 39). The Lord denounces the Pharisees and lawyers: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites...” - and so on eight times. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you close the Kingdom of Heaven to men, for you yourself do not enter and you do not allow those who want to enter.” The Lord rebukes the Pharisees. It is believed that this event took place on Tuesday. During the sermon, the Lord denounced His enemies.

Holy Tuesday evening

The Lord spoke most of the parables to His disciples in private. On Tuesday at Vespers three parables are read, which are set out in chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew. This is the parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1-13), the talents (Matt. 25:14-30) and the Last Judgment (Matt. 25:31-46). All three parables develop an eschatological theme.

Holy Wednesday morning

An excerpt is read about the events that took place on Wednesday morning in the Jerusalem temple, when some of the pagans were brought to Christ, and the Lord said: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” His glory went beyond Israel, the chosen people. The glory of the Lord becomes worldwide. And at the same moment the glory of the Lord appears from Heaven - thunder roars, and in it the Lord Himself and his disciples hear the voice of God the Father: “And I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” (John 12:17-50). But the people heard nothing; for him it was just thunder. Thus the Glory of the Lord was revealed from heaven and in the world. This is a passage about the heavenly, supramundane and at the same time universal glory of the Lord.

Holy Wednesday evening

On Wednesday evening a very significant passage is read about the anointing of the Lord with myrrh. About how the sinful wife anointed His head and His feet with ointment and wiped them with her hair. It also talks about Judas. Very briefly. But the comparison is obvious. On the one hand, there is a sinful woman who performs a feat for the sake of love for Christ, and the Lord tells her that wherever the Gospel is preached, it will be said about what she did. And on the other hand, Judas is a traitor who planned deceit, went to the Pharisees and agreed to betray Christ to them. These two characters are opposed to each other. (Matt. 26:6-16)

In the six readings of the first two days, we see that the events in the morning took place in the Jerusalem temple or on the way to it, and in the evening - in the house where the Savior spent the night or along the road - on the mountainside, where He and his disciples rested from the day's labors. But besides these readings from the Gospel, there are others. The Church has a very interesting custom of reading the Four Gospels on the clock. According to this order, almost the entire Four Gospels should be read during the services of the first three days. And this happens, this is how they read it. But this is a very long reading, so in some churches they begin to read the Four Gospels in advance. For example, from the sixth week of Great Lent or from the fourth, and sometimes from the second - a small passage every day. But the reading of the Four Gospels on the clock is symbolic specifically for the days of Holy Week, because the priest who stands in the middle of the church and reads the Gospel for a long time shows the image of Christ. This is an example of symbolism in worship. Anyone who enters the temple at this time sees a priest reading the Gospel. Likewise, any Jew who entered the Jerusalem temple in those days saw Christ preaching.

So, during Holy Week the Gospel is read very often. But, in addition, there are other topics of these days. Monday, as already mentioned, is dedicated to the barren fig tree. But, on the other hand, Monday is also dedicated to the Old Testament image of Joseph the Beautiful, whom his brothers sold into slavery. During Holy Week they read not only the Gospel - they also read the books of the Old Testament. The image of Joseph is taken from the Old Testament reading. This ordinary reading fits surprisingly into the context of the remembered events. Joseph is a direct prototype of Christ, because his brothers sold him into slavery for money, and Christ is being sold for money these days. Joseph reached the very bottom, he had to die, lay in prison and was sentenced, but after that he was elevated to the very height of the hierarchical ladder: he becomes Pharaoh's closest adviser, the first minister. What is this if not a prototype of the death and resurrection of Christ? What did Joseph do after he became a minister? Saved his family from certain death. At that time there was a seven-year famine, and his brothers came to Egypt to ask for help. And the Lord, after His Resurrection, saves all believers, His Church.

Holy Thursday, the main Liturgy of the year

This is the memory of the Last Supper. The event that took place at night from Thursday to Friday. The Last Supper is the Easter meal of Christ with his disciples. The Lord preached all day in the Jerusalem Temple, and in the evening the Easter meal took place. The Gospel readings for Holy Thursday describe the events of the Last Supper. The Evangelist John writes in more detail about the Last Supper. He records the entire long conversation of Christ with his disciples and describes the washing of feet. The Evangelist Luke also introduces elements of the conversation that are not found in the other Evangelists. And as for the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, they describe in detail the main thing that happened, namely the establishment of the Eucharist. On Holy Thursday, the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is celebrated at Vespers, so the reading of this composite Gospel actually occurs during the Liturgy. After the Last Supper ended, the Lord and his disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane, and there He prayed until he sweated blood. This is a night time event. It must be said that for Holy Week there is no clear separation of one day from another. Events flow into each other in a continuous stream.

There are many customs in the Church associated with Maundy Thursday. For example, the consecration of the world, the preparation of reserve Gifts; previously, the washing of the throne was also performed. Why are so many traditions associated with this Liturgy? Because this is the main Liturgy of the year, the remembrance of the very establishment of the Sacrament.

The rite of washing the feet

This rite is performed, as a rule, during the bishop's service. For example, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill performs it annually in Moscow. This happens after the Liturgy of Maundy Thursday. According to the rules, this Liturgy should be celebrated in the evening, but in practice it is celebrated in the first half of the day, and this is incorrect, since it is a symbolic representation of the Last Supper itself, which took place in the late evening. The rite of washing the feet occurs at the same time. According to the Studite Rule, this rite must take place before the Liturgy. According to the Jerusalem Rule, according to which our Church lives, it is performed after the Liturgy. In this action, Christ is portrayed by the bishop himself, and the apostles are portrayed by 12 priests, among whom, of course, is Judas, because the Lord also washed his feet. And the bishop washes the feet of the priests sitting in front of him. At the same time, the Gospel text from John is read: the Gospel text is read by the protodeacon, and all remarks are spoken by the bishop and priests.

Kiss of Judas. Byzantine book miniature

Good Friday, Twelve Gospels

Good Friday is dedicated to the events of the suffering and crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. All services of Holy Week are of Jerusalem origin, and this is very important for their understanding. What was worship like in ancient Jerusalem? It was a procession through holy places, along the Way of the Cross. The entire Good Friday service is a spiritual procession along the Way of the Cross with Christ. In ancient Jerusalem, this procession lasted the whole night. This type of service was called stationary worship, that is, a procession with stops. A station is a stop. Such worship was extremely typical for Jerusalem and, by the way, for Constantinople too. During the service, believers walked around the city and its environs, many sources note this.

On Good Friday, the procession began on the Mount of Olives, then moved to the suburbs of Jerusalem, then to the city itself. During the procession there were stops: at the place where Caiaphas had his trial, in the praetorium, where Pilate had his trial, then the procession gradually came to Golgotha. Golgotha ​​is the last stop, where all further chants and readings are heard. Over the centuries, the number of gospel readings increased. Now in our Church, of course, no procession is taking place. The entire service is read and sung in one church. But this ancient stationary worship was reflected directly in the structure of the Good Friday service. Later, the rite of the Twelve Passion Gospels was combined with the usual Matins, which resulted in our service, which is called “The Consequence of the Holy and Saving Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In practice, the service of the Twelve Gospels is celebrated on Thursday evening, but was intended as a night vigil. Because in Jerusalem this procession took place at night, immediately after the events of the Last Supper. And the first reading (by the way, the longest reading in the entire Orthodox service) is the farewell conversation of the Lord with the disciples. This is almost five chapters of the Gospel of John. The second reading is prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and the taking of the Lord into custody, the third is the trial of Caiaphas, the fourth is the trial of Pilate, and so on: about the crucifixion, about the words that the Lord spoke on the Cross, about how He dies and how He is buried in cave and roll a stone to the cave. This is where the follow-up ends. It leads before our eyes the entire Way of the Cross from the Last Supper to the burial of the Lord in the cave.

All chants that are sung between readings comment on the readings themselves. For example, before the seventh Gospel reading, which tells about the crucifixion, the luminaries of Holy Thursday are sung - “I divided my robe for myself and cast lots for my clothes,” and after the eighth Gospel reading, which tells about the thieves who were crucified on the right and left hand of the Lord , the well-known chant is sung - the luminaries of Good Friday, “The prudent thief in one hour of heaven hast thou vouchsafed.”

Royal watch

Good Friday is a day of strict fasting; Liturgy is not celebrated on this day. The second service of Good Friday is called the Royal Hours. It takes place on Friday morning. The tradition of this service has its roots in the readings of the Holy Scriptures at Golgotha ​​in Jerusalem. And in the Constantinople tradition, it was combined with the service of ordinary hours. It received the name “Royal Clock” in Constantinople, because the emperor was always present at this service. The clock continues the same theme that was at night during the reading of the Twelve Gospels. The same Gospels are read, only there are no longer twelve of them, but four (according to the number of hours). We return again to those events, only now they are set out according to the four Evangelists.

Shroud

The third service of Good Friday is Great Vespers with the removal of the Shroud. It takes place in practice exactly at the time when it should be - in the afternoon, after noon. Vespers on Good Friday is clearly divided into two halves. The first half is another recollection of the Passion; the composite Gospel of the Passion is read again. And the second half of the service tells about the burial of the Lord’s Body in the tomb, exactly corresponding to the text of the Gospel in time: the Lord was buried on Friday evening. But in church life there is one very annoying mistake that has firmly become a tradition. For some reason it is believed that the day of burial is Saturday. And the Matins of Holy Saturday is called burial. But there was no way any burial could take place on Saturday. Because on Saturday, according to Jewish laws, any funeral activity was strictly prohibited, and this is mentioned many times in the Gospel.

Descent from the Cross. Mosaic next to the stone of anointing. Church of the Resurrection, Jerusalem

In the service there is a sequence dedicated to burial - this is the second half of Good Friday Vespers. This event is depicted as the removal of the shroud. The Shroud is an embroidered or written horizontal icon of Christ lying in the Tomb. It is carried out at Friday Vespers. They are taken out and placed in the center of the temple for the worship of believers. The removal of the shroud is a symbolic burial. This takes place in the afternoon on Friday, i.e. exactly at the time when this happened according to the Gospel, before sunset, because after sunset the Sabbath already began for the Jews. This explains the haste with which Christ was buried: they did not even have time to perform all the rituals, they did not have time to properly anoint His body with incense. Why did the myrrh-bearing women run to the tomb with the first rays of the sun on Sunday? They had to finish what was unfinished.

Matins of Great Saturday, which, due to an unfortunate misunderstanding, is called burial, has a completely different meaning and has a different origin. In parish practice, it is served on Friday evening, although it was intended as a night service, but in some monasteries it is celebrated at night.

As we have already mentioned, worship in ancient times was of a stationary nature. That is, in ancient times, believers almost every time came to the temple from somewhere. That’s why all entrances are always so solemn: the community was returning to the temple after a long procession through the city. The ceremonial entrance at the end of Matins was characteristic of Byzantine worship, but in Russian practice it ceased to be performed over time. And on Holy Saturday it just happens. It is performed by the entire community, and the priest carries the Gospel over him, and the shroud over the Gospel. The Shroud is in origin the Eucharistic air, the cloth with which the Chalice and Paten are covered during the Eucharist. When they went to a religious procession, out of reverence they wrapped the Gospel in this cloth. Later this plate became the Shroud, which is used in the service of Good Friday and Holy Saturday. But the main object at this entrance is still not the Shroud, but the Gospel. This is the entrance with the Gospel.

Themes of Holy Saturday

This is the day between Holy Easter and Easter Sunday. In theology there is such a term - the Easter Triduum. This is Good Friday, Holy Saturday and the Bright Resurrection of Christ, so Easter in the broad sense is not one day, but three days. Godfather and Sunday Easter combined. And Holy Saturday, which is located between one Easter and another, is called the most important day of the year in Triodion.

Holy Saturday is the day of mourning for Christ. The Holy Saturday service is partly structured as a lament.

At the same time, Holy Saturday is the day of anticipation of the Resurrection of Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ spent His body in the tomb on Holy Saturday. And this provides the basis for the most interesting and deepest theological theme - the theme of Divine peace. And it is present in the texts of the Holy Saturday service. This is a parallel to the events of the creation of the world. The Lord created the world in 6 days, and He spent the 7th day - Saturday - in peace. At rest from the works of creation. He no longer performed any creative acts. The world had already been created, and God “rested from His works.” The seventh day of creation, in the theological sense, is still ongoing. God participates in the life of the world only through His Providence. Then the eighth day will come - this is the life of the next century, after the general resurrection. And Christ is called the new Adam. What Christ did was a “new creation.” And when Christ completed the work of redemption, completed it with His death on the Cross, He rested. I spent this Saturday in the Cave of the Sepulcher, in complete peace. This parallel with the creation of the world is clearly drawn in the service of Holy Saturday.

The Lord remained in the Tomb with His Body, but with His Soul He descended into hell. The Lord descended into hell and brought out the souls of the dead righteous. That is, He “broke down the doors of hell.” After all, hell is a place where there is no God. Having descended into hell, the Lord destroyed this place. The descent of Christ into hell is also the theme of the Holy Saturday service.

In addition, Holy Saturday is also Epiphany. The very thing that the catechumens had been waiting for throughout Lent. In ancient times it took place on Holy Saturday. Baptism was followed by the Baptismal Liturgy: the Liturgy of Holy Saturday. It was supposed to take place late in the evening (the latest in the year) and soon followed by the second Liturgy: Easter - early in the morning (the earliest in the year). In our practice, unfortunately, the Liturgy of Great Saturday is celebrated too early: in the first half of the day.

The fact that this Liturgy was baptismal is indicated by the reading of fifteen proverbs at Vespers on Holy Saturday. Why was such a long reading of passages from the Old Testament necessary at this service? So that the Patriarch has time to perform the baptism of the catechumens. And all the faithful at that time stood in the temple and listened to the Scriptures, awaiting the return of the newly baptized. The first chant that those being baptized heard upon returning to the temple: “Be baptized into Christ, put on Christ” - this is still sung in their honor. Dressing in white clothes on Holy Saturday also happens for the sake of those being baptized: they return to the temple in white clothes, and the whole Church, along with them, dresses in white.

Holy Saturday is filled with Sunday joy. As the service progresses, this joy dynamically increases. A whole series of Sunday hymns are sung. There are more and more of them as the service progresses, and at the end they develop into Easter itself. This is understandable. After all, in fact, no one knows at what moment Christ was resurrected. None of the Christians saw this moment. When the myrrh-bearing wives ran to the cave of the Sepulcher with the first rays of the sun, they saw that the Sepulcher was empty. The Church does not know when this happened, but it is waiting for it every minute. The moment of the beginning of Easter, when the Royal Doors in churches open and the sound of “Christ is Risen from the Dead” sounds - this is not the moment of the Resurrection, this is the moment when they saw the empty Tomb, the moment when the Church learned about the Resurrection. Easter joy grows from the depths of the Holy Saturday service, and this is perhaps the most impressive of the many themes of this day.

This year 2018, Holy Week begins on April 2 and ends on April 7 - Lazarus Saturday. Lazarus Saturday precedes the great holiday of Easter, which at this time falls on April 8.

Why is Holy Week scary?

The most mournful period in the church calendar is the days of Holy Week. A week before Easter, the Church remembers the last events of Christ's earthly life, preceding His death on the cross and burial.

Maundy Monday In the first days of Holy Week, the Church remembers the Savior’s conversations with his disciples. The Gospel of this day reads two parables told by Christ. Both symbolically depict the people of Israel who rejected the prophets and then rejected Christ. The parable of the evil vinedressers tells of workers who plotted not to give the owner the fruits of his vineyard. They beat and drove away his servants, who were sent to collect the harvest, and then killed the owner’s son, who came with admonitions.

Maundy Tuesday The Gospel parables of Tuesday are dedicated to the theme of the Second Coming. Thus, in the parable of the ten virgins, Christ reminds us that we must be prepared for a meeting with God—we must clear our soul and conscience so as not to be taken by surprise. Another parable, about talents (a monetary unit), tells about three servants who, having received coins from their master, disposed of them in different ways. Two servants invested them in the business and increased the master’s wealth, for which they were rewarded, and the third, having reproached the master, did not work and buried the coins in the ground for their safety. The master, angry, gave his coins to the most hardworking servant.

Great Wednesday The Gospel readings of this day remind us of the episode of the betrayal of the Savior by Judas. The story begins with a meal in the house of Simon the leper. A woman came to this house and anointed the head of Christ with myrrh - in those days this was a manifestation of great respect, a kind of sacrifice, for myrrh was very expensive.

Maundy Thursday It is on this day that the events of the Last Supper take place and after it the terrible night in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Lord washes the feet of the disciples, showing by His example that only a respectful, not arrogant attitude towards each other is truly pleasing to God and worthy for man.

Good Friday Good Friday is the day of the crucifixion and death of Christ. At the service of this day, the Gospel is read, which describes the trial of Pilate and the execution of Jesus, His suffering, removal from the cross and burial. Great Saturday Great Saturday is a day of mournful silence, the eve of Easter. The services of this day remember the burial of the Savior, which took place in the evening after the crucifixion. A man who did not spare his own tomb for Christ, a certain Joseph of Arimathea, secretly came to Pilate and asked permission to take the Body of Christ.

What prayers should you read during Holy Week?

If you have not yet read the entire Old and New Testaments, catch up during Lent. Try to read these books in a calm environment, and then reflect on what you read.

In addition to morning and evening prayers, you can read the psalms of King David, as well as Lenten prayers - the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete and the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian.

What prayers are read during Holy Week? The first three days you should read all four Gospels. On Maundy Thursday, at a service in the church, believers are present at the Last Supper and receive communion, and in the evening the Gospels of the Passion of the Lord are read in churches.

Prayer to the Lord Jesus crucified

“On the Cross nailed for us, Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God the Father, an inexhaustible abyss of mercy, love and generosity! We know that for the sake of my sins, out of unspeakable love for mankind, You deigned to shed Your Blood on the Cross, even though I, unworthy and ungrateful, have trampled on my bad deeds and held nothing against me. Therefore, from the depths of lawlessness and uncleanness, my mental eyes looked at You crucified on the Cross, my Redeemer, with humility and faith in the depths of the ulcers, filled with Your mercy, I cast myself down, asking for forgiveness of sins and the correction of my bad life. Be merciful to me, my Lord and Judge, do not cast me away from Your presence, but with Your omnipotent hand turn me to You and guide me on the path of true repentance, so that from now on I will lay the beginning of my salvation. By Thy divine sufferings tame my carnal passions; With Thy shed blood, cleanse my spiritual impurities; By Thy crucifixion crucify me to the world with its temptations and lusts; With Your cross, protect me from invisible enemies who are trapping my soul. With Thy hands pierced, restrain my hands from every deed that is displeasing to You. Nailed by the flesh, nail my flesh to Thy fear, so that, having turned away from evil, I may do good before Thee. Having bowed Your head on the Cross, bow my exalted pride to the ground of humility; Protect my ears with Your crown of thorns, so that I cannot hear anything except what is useful; you who taste gall with your lips, put my unclean mouth under guard; Have a heart opened with a spear, create a pure heart in me; With all Your wounds, sweetly wound me into Your love, so that I may love You, my Lord, with all my soul, with all my heart, with all my strength and with all my thoughts. Give me, strange and poor, where to bow my head; Give me the All-Good One, who delivers my soul from death; Give me Yourself, the All-Sweet One, who delights me in sorrows and misfortunes with His love, so that He whom I first hated, angered, drove out from myself and nailed to the Cross, this I will now love, rejoicing, I will accept and bear His sweet Cross until the end of my life. From now on, O my all-good Redeemer, do not allow even one of my wills to be fulfilled, since it is evil and indecent, lest I again fall into the hard work of the sin that reigned in me; but Your good will, which wants to save me, may it always be fulfilled in me, entrusting me to You, to You, my Crucified Lord, with the intelligent eye of my heart I imagine and pray from the depths of my soul, and even in my separation from my mortal body, You alone on the Cross I will see in Your hand, accepting Your protection in my hand, and keeping me from the airy spirits of malice, and instilling me with sinners who have pleased You with repentance. Amen".

Gospel of the day

Holy Week
Monday, April 5 / 18 - Matthew, 84 hours, 21, 18-43; Matthew, 98 credits, 24, 3-35

Thursday, April 8/21 - Luke, 108, 22, 1-39; Matt., 107 zach., 26, 1-20; In., 44 credits, 13, 3-17; Matthew, 108, 26, 21-39; Luke, 109, 22, 43-45; Matthew, 108 credits, 26, 40 - 27, 2

Friday, April 9 / 22 - Gospel Consequence of the Holy Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ: 1st. In., 46 credits, 13, 31 - 17, 1. 2nd.

In., 58 zach., 18, 1-28. 3rd. Matthew, 109 credits, 26, 57-75. 4th. In. 59 credits, 18, 28 - 19, 16. 5th. Matthew, 111 readings, 27, 3-32. 6th. Mk., 67 credits, 15, 16-32. 7th.

Matthew, 113, 27, 33-54. 8th. Luke, 111, 23, 32-49. 9th. In., 61 zach., 19, 25-37. 10th. Mk., 69 credits, 15, 43-47. 11th. In., 62 credits, 19, 38-42. 12th.

Matthew, 114 readings, 27, 62-66.

Saturday, April 10 / 23 - Matthew, 114 readings, 27, 62-66; Matthew, 115 credits, 28, 1-20; Luke, 4 readings, 1, 39-49, 56; Luke, 3 parts, 1, 24-38

Conspiracies for Easter and Holy Week

Conspiracies for diseases

There are wonderful prayers for various diseases, but you must have an egg left from Easter and willow branches left from Palm Sunday. When consecrating a willow, you must ensure that not a single branch falls to the ground. Otherwise you may get sick.

They touch the sore spots with willow branches and say:

“Saint Paul waved the willow,
(name) drove away the pain from me.
And how true it is that people honor Palm Sunday,
The word is also sacred that my pains will go away.
Amen. Amen. Amen."
Spells for beauty and health

For beauty and health, on Maundy Thursday they wash themselves with gold or silver. Gold or silver is placed in water. On Maundy Thursday.

For beauty and attractiveness, you need to get up very early on Maundy Thursday, throw a silver coin into the water, wash yourself with the enchanted water, and dry yourself with a new towel. Conspiracy words:

“I will wash myself with silver water,
I will cover myself with a golden robe.
How people love money
So let the whole world love and love me.”

There is also a beauty spell that must be read on Wednesday of Holy Week. Look out the window and read while looking at the sky:

"Lord, Almighty God,
Created everything from nothing!
Bless and cleanse my body,
May your work be holy and strong.
Like the heavenly body, nothing hurts,
Doesn’t whine, doesn’t tingle and doesn’t burn with fire,
So my bones wouldn’t hurt,
They didn’t whine, they didn’t ache, they didn’t burn.
The water of God comes down from heaven,
My body is being cleared of illness.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen."

About reading the Gospel on the clock during Great Lent

The Charter attaches special importance to the reading of all four Gospels at the hours on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week. This reflects the profound difference between Holy Week and the other weeks of Great Lent, when according to the Rule there are no Gospel readings on weekdays. However, due to the fact that the reading of the Gospel of all four evangelists on the clock of the first three days of Holy Week, prescribed by the Charter, greatly increases the duration of the already short services of these days, from ancient times in many churches and monasteries of the Russian Church the practice of reading the Gospel of the first three evangelists on the clock was established. hours of the 6th week. This was the case in the 16th century, for example, in the Siysky Monastery (cf.: Dmitrievsky A.A. Divine services in the Russian Church in the 16th century. Part 1. P. 205) and in the first half of the 17th century in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral (cf.: Golubtsov A.P. Officials of the Moscow Assumption Cathedral P. 108). In modern practice, there is also a custom to begin reading the Gospel during Lenten hours from the 2nd week of Great Lent, although this gives the everyday Lenten services a solemnity unusual for them according to the Rule.

Taking into account the current practice, we offer possible options for the distribution of Gospel passages for reading during Lenten hours during the 2nd–6th weeks of St. Lent and for reading during the 6th week of Great Lent.

P The order of reading the Gospel during Lenten hours on Wednesday and Friday during the 2nd–6th weeks:

2nd week: Wed. 3rd hour – Matthew, count. 1–8 (1, 1 – 4, 17). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 9–20 (4, 18 – 7, 11). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 21–34 (7, 12 – 10, 8). Fri. 3rd hour – Matthew, count. 35–46 (10, 9 – 12, 30). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 47–57 (12, 30 – 14, 13). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 58–70 (14, 14 – 17, 9). 3rd week: Wed. 3rd hour – Matthew, count. 71–80 (17, 10 – 20, 16). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 81–90 (20, 17 – 22, 22). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 91–103 (22, 23 – 24, 51). Fri. 3rd hour – Matthew, count. 104–108 (25, 1 – 26, 56). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 109–116 (26, 57 – 28, 20). 9th hour – Mark, count. 1–12 (1, 1 – 3, 19). 4th week: Wed. 3rd hour – Mark, count. 13–22 (3, 20 – 6, 7). 6th hour – Mark, count. 23–32 (6, 7 – 8, 10). 9th hour – Mark, count. 33–44 (8, 11 – 10, 16). Fri. 3rd hour – Mark, count. 45–55 (10, 17 – 12, 27). 6th hour – Mark, count. 56–64 (12, 28 – 14, 42). 9th hour – Mark, count. 65–71 (14, 43 – 16, 20). 5th week: Wed. 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 1–5 (1, 1 – 2, 20). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 6–15 (2, 20 – 4, 36). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 16–28 (4.37 – 7.1). Fri. 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 29–38 (7, 1 – 8, 39). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 39–50 (8, 40 – 10, 15). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 51–62 (10, 16 – 12, 1). 6th week: Wed. 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 63–73 (12, 2 – 13, 35). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 74–83 (14, 1 – 17, 4). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 84–95 (17, 3 – 19, 28). Fri. 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 96–107 (19, 29 – 21, 36). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 108–109 (21, 37 – 23, 1). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 110–114 (23, 2 – 24, 53).

The order of reading the Gospel during Lenten hours daily during the 2nd–6th weeks:

2nd week: Mon. 3rd hour – Matthew, count. 1–4 (1, 1 – 2, 23). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 5–8 (3, 1 – 4, 17). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 9–11 (4, 18 – 5, 19). Tue 3rd hour – Matthew, count. 12–17 (5, 20 – 6, 21). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 18–22 (6, 22 – 7, 21). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 23–28 (7, 21 – 9, 1). Wed. 3rd hour – Matthew, count. 29–34 (9, 1 – 10, 8). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 35–43 (10, 9 – 11, 30). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 44–46 (12, 1 – 12, 30). Thurs. 3rd hour – Matthew, count. 47–49 (12, 30 – 13, 3). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 50–54 (13, 4 – 13, 43). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 55–56 (13, 44 – 13, 58). Fri. 3rd hour – Matthew, count. 57–59 (14, 1 – 14, 34). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 60–64 (14, 35 – 15, 39). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 65–70 (16.1 – 17.9). 3rd week: Mon. 3rd hour – Matthew, count. 71–73 (17, 10 – 18, 4). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 74–75 (18, 1 – 18, 20). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 76–80 (18, 18 – 20, 16). Tue 3rd hour – Matthew, count. 81–82 (20, 17 – 20, 34). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 83–84 (21, 1 – 21, 22). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 85–88 (21, 23 – 21, 46). Wed. 3rd hour – Matthew, count. 89–90 (22, 1 – 22, 22). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 91–93 (22, 23 – 23, 12). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 94–96 (23, 13 – 23, 39). Thurs. 3rd hour – Matthew, count. 97–98 (24, 1 – 24, 13). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 99 (24, 13 – 24, 28). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 100–104 (24, 27 – 25, 13). Fri. 3rd hour – Matthew, count. 105–106 (25, 14 – 25, 46). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 107–109 (26, 1 – 26, 75). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 110–116 (27, 1 – 28, 20). 4th week: Mon. 3rd hour – Mark, count. 1–5 (1, 1 – 1, 35). 6th hour – Mark, count. 6–9 (1, 35 – 2, 22). 9th hour – Mark, count. 10–12 (2, 23 – 3, 19). Tue 3rd hour – Mark, count. 13–16 (3, 20 – 4, 23). 6th hour – Mark, count. 17–22 (4, 24 – 6, 7). 9th hour – Mark, count. 23–29 (6, 7 – 7, 24). Wed. 3rd hour – Mark, count. 30–32 (7, 24 – 8, 10). 6th hour – Mark, count. 33–38 (8, 11 – 9, 9). 9th hour – Mark, count. 39–44 (9, 10 – 10, 16). Thurs. 3rd hour – Mark, count. 45–48 (10, 17 – 10, 52). 6th hour – Mark, count. 49–51 (11, 1 – 11, 26). 9th hour – Mark, count. 52–55 (11, 27 – 12, 27). Fri. 3rd hour – Mark, count. 56–60 (12, 28 – 13, 23). 6th hour – Mark, count. 61–64 (13, 24 – 14, 42). 9th hour – Mark, count. 65–71 (14, 43 – 16, 20). 5th week: Mon. 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 1–5 (1, 1 – 2, 20). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 6–9 (2, 20 – 3, 18). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 10–12 (3, 19 – 4, 15). Tue 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 13–15 (4, 16 – 4, 36). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 16–20 (4, 37 – 5, 32). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 21–24 (5, 33 – 6, 23). Wed. 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 25–28 (6, 24 – 7, 1). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 29–32 (7, 1 – 7, 35). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 33–35 (7, 36 – 8, 15). Thurs. 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 36–38 (8, 16 – 8, 39). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 39–44 (8, 40 – 9, 27). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 45–48 (9, 28 – 9, 56). Fri. 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 49–50 (9, 57 – 10, 15). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 51–56 (10, 16 – 11, 13). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 57–62 (11, 14 – 12, 1). 6th week: Mon. 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 63–68 (12, 2 – 12, 48). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 69–70 (12, 48 – 13, 9). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 71–73 (13, 10 – 13, 35). Tue 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 74–77 (14, 1 – 14, 35). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 78–80 (15.1 – 16.9). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 81–83 (16, 10 – 17, 4). Wed. 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 84–86 (17, 3 – 17, 25). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 87–89 (17, 26 – 18, 14). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 90–95 (18, 15 – 19, 28). Thurs. 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 96–98 (19, 29 – 19, 48). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 99–101 (20, 1 – 20, 26). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 102–103 (20, 27 – 21, 4). Fri. 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 104–107 (21, 5 – 21, 36). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 108–109 (21, 37 – 23, 1). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 110–114 (23, 2 – 24, 53).

The order of reading the Gospel during Lenten hours only in the 6th week:

Mon. 3rd hour – Matthew, count. 1–17 (1, 1 – 6, 21). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 18–42 (6, 22 – 11, 26). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 43–66 (11, 27 – 16, 12). Tue 3rd hour – Matt., count. 67–83 (16, 13 – 21, 17). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 84–105 (21, 18 – 25, 30). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 106–116 (25, 31 – 28, 20). Wed. 3rd hour – Mark, count. 1–25 (1, 1 – 6, 45). 6th hour – Mark, count. 26–51 (6, 45 – 11, 26). 9th hour – Mark, count. 52–71 (11, 27 – 16, 20). Thurs. 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 1–16 (1, 1 – 4, 44). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 17–38 (5, 1 – 8, 39). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 39–62 (8, 40–12, 1). Fri. 3rd hour – Luke, beginning 63–82 (12, 2 – 16, 18). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 83–105 (16, 19 – 21, 11). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 106–114 (21, 12 – 24, 53).

If the feast of the Annunciation or a temple feast occurs in the 6th week, then the Gospels can be read in 4 days:

1st day: 3rd hour – Matt., count. 1–25 (1, 1 – 8, 13). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 26–52 (8, 14 – 13, 30). 9th hour – Matthew, count. 53–78 (13, 31 – 19, 15). 2nd day: 3rd hour – Matt., count. 79–101 (19, 16 – 24, 35). 6th hour – Matthew, count. 102–116 (24, 36 – 28, 20). 9th hour – Mark, count. 1–39 (1, 1 – 9, 16). 3rd day: 3rd hour – Mark, count. 40–71 (9, 17 – 16, 20). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 1–21 (1, 1 – 5, 39). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 22–49 (6, 1 – 9, 62). 4th day: 3rd hour – Luke, beginning. 50–76 (10, 1 – 14, 24). 6th hour – Luke, beginning 77–101 (14, 25 – 20, 26). 9th hour – Luke, beginning 102–114 (20, 27 – 24, 53).

According to the instructions of the Typikon, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and John are divided each into two parts, and the Gospel of Luke into three (cf.: Typikon, chapter 49, “On Holy and Great Monday at Matins”, 2nd “see” ). In accordance with this indication, they can be divided, for example, like this:

Monday At the 3rd hour - Matthew, count. 1–66 (1, 1 – 16, 12). At the 6th hour - Matt., count. 67–116 (16, 13 – 28, 20). At the 9th hour - Mark., count. 1–39 (1, 1 – 9, 16). Tuesday At the 3rd hour - Mark, count. 40–71 (9, 17 – 16, 20). At the 6th hour - Luke, beginning. 1–38 (1, 1 – 8, 39). At the 9th hour - Luke, beginning. 39–82 (8, 40 – 16, 18). Wednesday At the 3rd hour - Luke, beginning. 83–114 (16, 19 – 24, 53). At the 6th hour - In., count. 1–26 (1, 1 – 7, 36). At the 9th hour - In., count. 27–46 (7, 37 – 13, 32).

If the Gospels of the first three evangelists have been read earlier, then the Gospel of John for Holy Week should be read approximately in this order:

The Gospel readings begin at hours 3 and 9 after the Theotokos hour, and at hour 6 - after the parimia and prokemne of the 2nd. There are 9 Gospel readings in total.

When the reading of a new evangelist is due, then after the Theotokos hour there follows the exclamation “And may we be considered worthy...” When the second or third reading of the same evangelist follows, this exclamation is not pronounced, but only “Wisdom, forgive. Let us hear the Holy Gospel..."

Monday At the 3rd hour - In., count. 1–7 (1, 1 – 2, 25). At the 6th hour - In., count. 8–12 (3, 1 – 4, 46). At the 9th hour - In., count. 13–18 (4, 47 – 6, 13). Tuesday At the 3rd hour - In., count. 19–25 (6, 14 – 7, 13). At the 6th hour - In., count. 26–30 (7, 14 – 8, 30). At the 9th hour - In., count. 31–34 (8, 31 – 9, 38). Wednesday At the 3rd hour - In., count. 35–38 (9, 39 – 10, 42). At the 6th hour - In., count. 39–41 (11, 1 – 12, 18). At the 9th hour - In., count. 42–46 (12, 19 – 13, 32).