The Divine Liturgy

The Divine Liturgy is the central act of worship in Orthodox Christianity – the celebration of the Eucharist, in which bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ and are offered to the faithful in Holy Communion. The most commonly served form is the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom; the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is served ten times per year, and the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served on weekdays of Great Lent.

Tradition: Pan-Orthodox (notes on Russian practice where applicable)

Overview

The word “liturgy” (leitourgia) means “a common work” or “a public service.” In Orthodox usage it refers specifically to the Eucharistic service. Fr. Alexander Schmemann emphasized that the Liturgy is not merely a ritual performed by the clergy for the laity but the common action of the entire Church – the actualization of the Church as the Body of Christ gathered around the Eucharistic table (Schmemann, The Eucharist, ch. 1).

The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, in its current form, took shape between the 4th and 8th centuries. The attribution to St. John Chrysostom (d. 407) reflects the tradition that he gave the liturgy its definitive form, though the text has undergone subsequent development. Robert Taft traces the evolution of the Byzantine liturgical synthesis from the cathedral and monastic traditions of Constantinople, Jerusalem, and the Studite monastery (Taft, The Byzantine Rite, chs. 3-5).

I. The Proskomedia (Prothesis / Preparation of the Gifts)

The Proskomedia takes place before the public liturgy begins, behind the closed iconostasis at the Table of Oblation (zhertvennik). It is performed by the priest (and deacon, if serving).

The Prosphora

Five loaves of leavened bread (prosphora, plural prosphory) are traditionally used, each stamped with a seal:

The Lamb (Agnets): From the first prosphora, the priest cuts a cube of bread – the “Lamb” – which will become the Body of Christ. He cuts it while reciting the Suffering Servant prophecy from Isaiah 53. The Lamb is placed on the diskos (paten).
The Theotokos particle: From the second prosphora, a triangular particle is cut in honor of the Mother of God and placed to the left of the Lamb (from the priest’s perspective, i.e., to the right of the Lamb as one faces it).
The Nine Ranks: From the third prosphora, nine triangular particles are cut in honor of St. John the Baptist, the prophets, the apostles, the hierarchs, the martyrs, the monastics, the unmercenaries (healers), Joachim and Anna (and the saint of the day), and the author of the liturgy being served (St. John Chrysostom or St. Basil).
The Living: From the fourth prosphora, particles are cut for the living – the ruling bishop, the clergy, the civil authorities, and those whom the priest commemorates by name.
The Departed: From the fifth prosphora, particles are cut for the departed.

Additional prosphora submitted by the faithful with commemoration lists (pominalnye zapiski) are also used. All particles are placed on the diskos around the Lamb.

The priest pours wine and a small amount of water into the chalice, covers the diskos and chalice with veils, and censes them. He reads the prayer of offering (Schmemann, The Eucharist, ch. 6, “The Sacrament of Offering”; Hapgood, Service Book).

Theological Significance

The Proskomedia is a symbolic enactment of the entire economy of salvation: the birth of Christ (the Lamb is “born” from the prosphora), his sacrifice (the cutting with the lance), and the gathering of the whole Church – living and departed, saints and sinners – around the Lamb. The Church is visibly represented on the diskos before the Eucharistic prayer even begins.

II. The Liturgy of the Catechumens (Liturgy of the Word)

This portion of the Liturgy is so named because in the ancient Church, catechumens (those preparing for baptism) were permitted to attend this part but were dismissed before the Liturgy of the Faithful.

Opening Doxology and the Great Litany

The Liturgy begins with the exclamation: “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.” This opening is unique to the Eucharistic Liturgy (other services begin with “Blessed is our God…”) and declares from the first moment that the Liturgy is an entrance into the Kingdom of God (Schmemann, For the Life of the World, ch. 2; cf. The Eucharist, ch. 2, “The Sacrament of the Kingdom”).

The Great Litany (Velikaya Yekteniya, also called the Litany of Peace) follows: “In peace let us pray to the Lord…” The deacon (or priest, if no deacon serves) leads a series of petitions for the Church, the world, the civil authorities, travelers, the sick, and all the faithful. The choir responds “Lord, have mercy” (Gospodi, pomiluy) to each petition.

The First Antiphon

Psalm 102 (103 in the Hebrew numbering): “Bless the Lord, O my soul…” This psalm of thanksgiving is sung by the choir. On major feasts, festal antiphons with refrains replace the usual psalms.

A Small Litany follows: “Again and again, in peace let us pray to the Lord…”

The Second Antiphon

Psalm 145 (146): “Praise the Lord, O my soul…” After this psalm, the hymn “Only-Begotten Son” (Edinorodny Syne) is always sung – a Christological hymn attributed to Emperor Justinian I (6th century): “Only-begotten Son and Word of God, who art immortal, yet didst deign for our salvation to be incarnate…”

A Small Litany follows.

The Third Antiphon / The Beatitudes

The Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12) are sung, often with troparia from the Octoechos or the feast interspersed between the verses. The arrangement described here – Psalms 102 and 145 with the Beatitudes (the “typika” psalms) – is the standard Sunday usage of the Russian tradition. In Greek parish practice, the older arrangement of daily antiphons with refrains (“Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, O Saviour, save us”; “Save us, O Son of God…”) is standard, and the Beatitudes are rarely sung; on great feasts, both traditions use the festal antiphons (Taft, The Byzantine Rite).

The Small Entrance (with the Gospel)

The clergy process through the north door of the iconostasis carrying the Gospel Book, circle before the Royal Doors, and enter through them. This procession symbolizes Christ’s coming into the world to preach the Gospel. The deacon lifts the Gospel Book and exclaims: “Wisdom! Attend!” (Premudrost’! Prosty!). The entrance hymn is sung: “Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ… Save us, O Son of God… who art risen from the dead (or: wonderful in Thy saints…), we who sing unto Thee: Alleluia!”

Troparia and Kontakia

After the Small Entrance, the troparia and kontakia of the day, the temple, and the feast are sung. These short hymns capture the theological theme of the celebration. The order is prescribed by the Typikon and can be complex on days when multiple commemorations coincide.

The Trisagion

“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us” (Svyaty Bozhe, Svyaty Krepky, Svyaty Bezsmertny, pomiluy nas) – sung three times, followed by the doxology. This ancient hymn is one of the most recognizable prayers of the Orthodox liturgy. Its earliest literary attestation is in the acts of the Council of Chalcedon (451), where the fathers sang it; Church tradition assigns its revelation to a child caught up to heaven during an earthquake at Constantinople under Emperor Theodosius II and Patriarch Proclus (c. 438-439).

On certain feasts (Nativity, Theophany, Pascha, Holy Saturday, and Lazarus Saturday), the Trisagion is replaced by: “As many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia.” (Galatians 3:27). On feasts of the Cross, it is replaced by: “Before Thy Cross we bow down in worship, O Master, and Thy Holy Resurrection we glorify.”

The Prokeimenon

A psalm verse sung in a responsorial manner, serving as a thematic introduction to the Epistle reading. The prokeimenon varies according to the day of the week, the tone, and the feast.

The Epistle

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles of Paul, or the Catholic Epistles. The reader announces the reading, and the passage is chanted. In Russian practice, the reader often chants in a distinctive melodic formula (podoben).

Note: The Book of Revelation (Apocalypse) is notably absent from the Byzantine liturgical lectionary. It is never read at the Divine Liturgy or any other service in the Orthodox cycle. This is a distinctive feature of the Byzantine tradition.

Alleluia

Verses from the Psalms are chanted with the response “Alleluia” (three times), preparing for the Gospel reading. The censer is used during the Alleluia.

The Gospel

The deacon (or priest) reads from one of the four Gospels. The reading is preceded by the exclamation “Wisdom! Attend! Let us hear the Holy Gospel!” and the response “Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee!” The Gospel Book is venerated afterward.

The Homily

A sermon is customarily preached after the Gospel, though in Russian practice it is sometimes delivered after Communion or at the end of the Liturgy. The homily is not a liturgical requirement in the strict sense but has been strongly encouraged since the apostolic era. In ROCOR parishes, the homily is most often delivered after the Gospel reading.

Litanies

The Augmented Litany (Sugubaya Yekteniya, “Litany of Fervent Supplication”): “Let us all say with all our soul and with all our mind…” with the response “Lord, have mercy” repeated three times.

The Litany for the Departed (on designated days): prayers for the repose of the departed.

The Litany for the Catechumens: “Let us pray for the catechumens…” This litany retains its place in the liturgy even though the formal catechumenate largely fell into disuse; it has been revived in many parishes with active catechetical programs.

Dismissal of the Catechumens

“All catechumens, depart! Catechumens, depart! All that are catechumens, depart! Let none of the catechumens remain!” In antiquity, the unbaptized physically left the church at this point. The doors were closed. Today, no one leaves, but the exclamation remains as a reminder of the solemnity of what follows.

III. The Liturgy of the Faithful

The Cherubic Hymn (Cherubikon)

“Let us who mystically represent the Cherubim, and who sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-creating Trinity, now lay aside all earthly cares, that we may receive the King of all, who comes invisibly upborne by the angelic hosts. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.”

This hymn, introduced by Emperor Justin II in 573-574, is sung slowly and solemnly. During its singing, the priest reads the prayer of the Cherubic Hymn silently. The hymn is interrupted for the Great Entrance.

On Holy Thursday, the Cherubic Hymn is replaced by: “Of Thy Mystical Supper, O Son of God, accept me today as a communicant…” On Holy Saturday, it is replaced by: “Let all mortal flesh keep silence…”

The Great Entrance

The most visually dramatic moment of the Liturgy: the clergy carry the prepared gifts (the diskos with the Lamb and particles, and the chalice with the wine) from the Table of Oblation through the north door, around the church (in some traditions), and through the Royal Doors to the altar table. The priest commemorates the ruling bishop, the civil authorities, and all the faithful. The congregation bows. The gifts are placed on the altar table and covered with the aer (large veil).

Schmemann emphasizes that the Great Entrance is not a “funeral procession” symbolizing Christ’s burial (a common misinterpretation) but a royal procession: the King of all is entering to offer himself and be offered. The gifts represent the offering of the entire creation and the entire Church (Schmemann, The Eucharist, ch. 6, “The Sacrament of Offering”).

The Litany of Supplication

“Let us complete our prayer to the Lord…” Petitions for the gifts offered, the church, and deliverance from affliction. The response alternates between “Lord, have mercy” and “Grant this, O Lord.”

The Kiss of Peace and the Creed

The priest exclaims: “Let us love one another, that with one mind we may confess…” and the choir responds: “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity one in essence and undivided.”

In ancient practice, the faithful exchanged a kiss of peace at this point. In modern practice, only the concelebrating clergy exchange the kiss. The deacon exclaims: “The doors! The doors!” (a reminder that in antiquity the doors were guarded) and “In wisdom, let us attend!”

The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed is then sung or recited by the entire congregation: “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty…” In Russian practice, the Creed is sung congregationally; this is one of the moments where the whole church sings together (along with the Lord’s Prayer).

The Anaphora (Eucharistic Prayer)

The Anaphora is the great Eucharistic prayer – the central and most sacred part of the Liturgy. It begins with the dialogue:

Priest: “Let us stand well, let us stand with fear, let us attend, that we may offer the holy oblation in peace.”
Choir: “A mercy of peace, a sacrifice of praise.”
Priest: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
Choir: “And with thy spirit.”
Priest: “Let us lift up our hearts.”
Choir: “We lift them up unto the Lord.”
Priest: “Let us give thanks unto the Lord.”
Choir: “It is meet and right to worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity one in essence and undivided.”

The priest then prays the Anaphora, much of which is read silently in current Russian practice (though there is a movement toward audible recitation). The prayer includes:

Thanksgiving for creation and the entire economy of salvation.
The Sanctus: The choir sings “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”
The Institution Narrative: The priest recites Christ’s words at the Last Supper: “Take, eat, this is My Body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins” and “Drink of it, all of you; this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.”
The Anamnesis: The remembrance of Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, ascension, sitting at the right hand, and second coming. The priest exclaims: “Thine own of Thine own we offer unto Thee, on behalf of all and for all.” The choir responds: “We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, and we pray unto Thee, O our God.”

The Epiclesis

The priest invokes the Holy Spirit upon the gifts:

”…send down Thy Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts here offered… And make this bread the precious Body of Thy Christ… And that which is in this chalice, the precious Blood of Thy Christ… Changing them by Thy Holy Spirit.”

The choir responds: “Amen. Amen. Amen.”

Orthodox theology holds that the consecration is accomplished by the entire Anaphora – the thanksgiving, the institution narrative, and the Epiclesis together – not by any single “moment of consecration.” However, the Epiclesis is understood as the culminating and decisive element. This is a point of theological difference with Roman Catholic theology, which has traditionally located the moment of consecration at the Words of Institution (Schmemann, The Eucharist, ch. 11, “The Sacrament of the Holy Spirit”; Taft, The Byzantine Rite).

Commemorations

After the Epiclesis, the priest commemorates the saints (especially the Theotokos), the living, and the departed. The choir sings “It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos…” (Dostoyno yest’…) or, on major feasts, the appointed Megalynarion (magnification hymn). The Theotokos hymn “It is Truly Meet” is one of the best-known Orthodox hymns.

On the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, the hymn “All of creation rejoices in thee, O Full of Grace…” (O Tebe raduyetsya…) replaces “It is Truly Meet.”

The Lord’s Prayer

The congregation sings the Lord’s Prayer (Otche Nash): “Our Father, who art in heaven…” This is the immediate preparation for Communion. The prayer is introduced by the priest’s exclamation: “And make us worthy, O Master, that with boldness and without condemnation we may dare to call upon Thee, the heavenly God, as Father, and to say…”

Communion

The priest exclaims: “Holy things are for the holy!” (Svyataya svyatym!). The choir responds: “One is holy, one is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.”

The Lamb is broken into four parts. The part inscribed “IC” (Jesus) is placed into the chalice. Hot water (zeon) is added to the chalice – a practice unique to the Byzantine tradition. The rite carries several traditional layers of meaning: the deacon’s formula at the pouring is “the fervor of faith, full of the Holy Spirit,” signifying the fervor of faith and the descent of the Spirit; the warmth also signifies that the faithful receive the living, life-giving Body and Blood of the risen Christ, and the water recalls the water that flowed from Christ’s side on the Cross (John 19:34) (Taft, A History of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, vol. V, The Precommunion Rites).

The clergy commune first, in the sanctuary. Then the Royal Doors are opened, and the deacon (or priest) brings the chalice to the faithful, exclaiming: “In the fear of God, and with faith and love, draw near!” The faithful receive both the Body and Blood together on a spoon (lzhitsa), which is the standard Byzantine practice. Communicants approach with arms crossed over the chest. After receiving, they kiss the base of the chalice and proceed to receive zapivka (warm water and wine with bread) at a side table, to ensure no particles of the Eucharist remain in the mouth.

During Communion, the choir sings the Communion Hymn (Prichasten) and other appointed hymns.

Thanksgiving and Dismissal

After all have communed, the priest blesses the people: “Save, O God, Thy people and bless Thine inheritance.” The gifts are returned to the Table of Oblation. The priest exclaims: “Always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.” The choir sings: “We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit, we have found the true faith…”

The Litany of Thanksgiving follows. The priest then brings the chalice to the Royal Doors and blesses the people. He recites the Prayer Behind the Ambon (Zaambonnaya Molitva). The faithful venerate the cross, and the priest distributes the antidoron (blessed but not consecrated bread from the prosphora) to all – both those who communed and those who did not.

The Dismissal names the saint of the day and concludes: “…Christ our true God, through the prayers of His most pure Mother, of the holy, glorious, and all-laudable Apostles, of [the saints commemorated]… have mercy on us and save us, for He is good and loveth mankind.”

The Liturgy of St. Basil the Great

The Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is identical in outward structure to the Chrysostom Liturgy but has significantly longer priestly prayers, especially the Anaphora. The Anaphora of St. Basil is one of the great theological texts of the Church – a comprehensive recounting of salvation history from creation through the Incarnation.

It is served ten times per year:

The eves of Nativity and Theophany (or on the feasts themselves if they fall on Sunday or Monday)
January 1 / January 14 (Feast of St. Basil the Great)
The five Sundays of Great Lent (not Palm Sunday)
Holy Thursday
Holy Saturday

(The Lenten Triodion, trans. Mother Mary and Ware, introduction; Taft, The Byzantine Rite)

The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (Liturgiya Prezhdesvyashchennykh Darov) is not a Eucharistic liturgy in the full sense – there is no consecration of the gifts. Instead, the Body and Blood of Christ, consecrated at the previous Sunday’s Liturgy, are distributed to the faithful. In Slavic service books the service bears the name of St. Gregory the Dialogist (Pope Gregory I of Rome, d. 604). [Disputed: the attribution to Gregory is traditional and late – it becomes established only in the second millennium, and in Greek manuscripts the service circulates anonymously or under other names; liturgical scholarship regards the rite as anonymous and of Eastern (Constantinopolitan, possibly Syro-Palestinian) origin, first attested in the Paschal Chronicle for the year 615, with Gregory’s name reflecting the tradition that he knew the rite from his years as papal legate in Constantinople (Taft; Alexopoulos, The Presanctified Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite, Leuven: Peeters, 2009).]

It is served on Wednesdays and Fridays of Great Lent, and on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week. It may also be served on other weekdays of Lent when a major feast occurs (e.g., the First and Second Finding of the Head of St. John the Baptist, February 24 / March 9, or the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, March 9/22).

The structure combines elements of Vespers with the Communion rite:

The service begins as Vespers, with Psalm 103, the Litany of Peace, and “Lord, I have cried” (Psalms 140, 141, 129, 116)
The Entrance is made with the censer (not the Gospel)
The Old Testament readings (Genesis and Proverbs throughout most of Lent; Exodus and Job during Holy Week)
The hymn “Let my prayer arise…” (Psalm 140:2) is sung with prostrations
The previously consecrated gifts are transferred to the altar in a solemn but simplified Great Entrance
Communion follows, with the exclamation: “The pre-sanctified holy things for the holy!”

In Russian practice, the Presanctified Liturgy is typically served on Wednesday and Friday evenings, making it accessible to working parishioners. It is one of the most beautiful and spiritually intense services of the Lenten cycle (Schmemann, Great Lent, ch. 3).

Frequency of Communion in Russian Practice

The question of how often the faithful should receive Communion has been a matter of significant discussion. For much of the Synodal period (1700-1917), annual or at most four-times-yearly Communion was the norm for Russian laity. The 20th-century liturgical renewal – led in the Russian emigration by Fr. Alexander Schmemann and his students, with earlier advocates of frequent Communion such as St. John of Kronstadt – pressed for a return to frequent Communion, ideally at every Liturgy attended. ROCOR has generally affirmed the importance of regular Communion, with the expectation of confession before each Communion remaining the standard practice in most ROCOR parishes; this is an inherited custom of the Russian tradition rather than a single synodal statute, and confessors may adjust it for frequent communicants. (Compare the Moscow Patriarchate’s 2015 document On the Participation of the Faithful in the Eucharist, which retains the link between confession and Communion while allowing the spiritual father to bless frequent communicants to commune without confessing on each occasion; Greek practice does not typically require confession before every Communion.)

References

Schmemann, Alexander. The Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom. St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1988.
Schmemann, Alexander. Great Lent: Journey to Pascha. St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1969.
Schmemann, Alexander. For the Life of the World. St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1963; rev. ed. 1973.
Taft, Robert. The Byzantine Rite: A Short History. Liturgical Press, 1992.
Taft, Robert. A History of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. 6 vols. Orientalia Christiana Analecta. Rome: Pontifical Oriental Institute, 1975-2008.
Hapgood, Isabel Florence. Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church. Various editions.
Bulgakov, Sergei V. Handbook for Church Servers (Nastolnaya Kniga). 2nd ed., 1900.
Sokolof, Archpriest D. A Manual of the Orthodox Church’s Divine Services. Jordanville: Holy Trinity Monastery, various editions.
Alexopoulos, Stefanos. The Presanctified Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite: A Comparative Analysis of its Origins, Evolution, and Structural Components. Leuven: Peeters, 2009.
On the Participation of the Faithful in the Eucharist. Document of the Hierarchal Consultation of the Russian Orthodox Church, Moscow, February 2-3, 2015.
The Lenten Triodion. Trans. Mother Mary and Kallistos Ware. London: Faber and Faber, 1978.