Order of Forgiveness 22.02.2015 06:26

February 22 - Forgiveness Sunday. After Divine Liturgy Vespers was served, after which all the parishioners, approaching the priests in turn, mutually forgave each other's sins.

Forgiveness Sunday. Order of Forgiveness

All who wish to begin the feat of fasting and prayer,
all who wish to reap the fruits of their repentance,
hear the word of God, hear the covenant of God:
forgive your neighbors their sins against you.
Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov)

Are you fasting? Have mercy on the one you offended
never envy your brother, never hate anyone.
Saint John Chrysostom

If you, a man, do not forgive everyone
who has sinned against you, do not trouble yourself
fasting and prayer... God will not accept you.
Venerable Ephraim the Syrian

Forgiveness Sunday is the last day before Lent.

On this day, all Orthodox people ask each other for forgiveness - in order to start fasting with a good soul, to focus on spiritual life with a pure heart, to meet Easter - the day of the Resurrection of Christ.

On this day, fast food is consumed for the last time.

On this day, according to the custom established in ancient times, bowing to each other from the depths of our hearts, Orthodox mutual insults and sins are forgiven.

This is necessary for us if we want to live with the Lord both while on earth and having moved to eternal life. We all want our eternal salvation. But this is possible only if there are no offenses in our heart; there will be no mutual condemnation, hostility.

It is possible only when there is peace in our heart - this is a precious sacred good that Christ the Savior gives us.

But for this it is necessary to forgive those who have offended us, and ask for forgiveness from those whom we have voluntarily or involuntarily offended. Otherwise, all our labors in the upcoming post will be in vain. The Lord will not accept our many prostrations to the earth if resentment against a brother, evil and hostility towards neighbors continue to live in our hearts" Archim. John Krestyankin.

The Rite of Forgiveness is the Vespers service of Cheese Week. The service begins as an ordinary vespers, but in the church everything is already different: on the lecterns there are Lenten black or purple lecterns, in the middle of the service the priests change their vestments to dark ones. In a special solemn and joyful way: the fasting spring, the spiritual spring, is beginning!

The rector of the temple speaks words of instruction and asks for forgiveness from the clergy and people with the words: “Bless, holy fathers and brethren, and forgive me, a sinner, the tree (everything that) has sinned this day in deed, word, thought and all my feelings.” After that, he bows to the ground. Everyone answers him with a bow to the ground and says: "God forgive you and have mercy, holy father. Forgive and pray for us sinners too.” The priest says, “By His Grace, may God forgive and have mercy on all of us.”

Then the rector takes the altar Cross. All the clergy, in order of seniority, and then the parishioners, approach the rector, kiss the Cross, ask for forgiveness and kiss the Cross. Then it is customary to bow to each other, ask for forgiveness and, as a sign of forgiveness, answer: “God will forgive”, forgiving a person not formally, in words, but sincerely, from the bottom of his heart.

The rite of forgiveness appeared in the monastic life of the Egyptian monks. Before the onset of Great Lent, in order to intensify the feat of prayer and prepare for the bright feast of Easter, the monks dispersed one by one through the desert for all forty days of fasting. Some of them did not return back: someone was torn to pieces by wild animals, others died in the lifeless desert. Therefore, dispersing to meet only on Easter, the monks asked each other for forgiveness for all voluntary or involuntary offenses, as before death. And of course, they themselves forgave everyone from the bottom of their hearts. Everyone understood that their meeting on the eve of Great Lent could be the last. For this, the rite of forgiveness existed - to be reconciled and forgiven with everyone and - thanks to this - with God Himself.

Over time, this tradition has passed into the worship of the entire Church. In pre-revolutionary Russia, for example, there was a custom for the Tsar to seek forgiveness from his subjects. For this purpose, the Tsar traveled around the troops (from the 18th century - the location of the regiments quartered in the capital), asked for forgiveness from the soldiers, visited monasteries, where he asked for forgiveness from their brethren, came to the bishops to ask for forgiveness from them.

“We need to forgive those who have offended us, and ask for forgiveness from those whom we have voluntarily or involuntarily offended,” Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) reminded in a sermon. “Otherwise, all our labors in the upcoming fast will be in vain. The Lord will not accept our many prostrations to the earth if resentment against our brother, evil and ill will towards our neighbors continue to live in our hearts.

The Lord will not hear our tearful prayers and sighs to Him for mercy on us, if the words of the Savior do not touch our consciousness: "If you forgive people their sins, then your Heavenly Father will forgive you" (Matt. 6, 14).

Forgiveness Sunday is a day of testing our spiritual maturity, a day of our strict self-examination: are we able to follow Christ, fulfilling all His commands?

Many of us know from our own life experience that it is much easier to forgive than to ask for forgiveness from someone we have offended. Here our pride prevents us from pleading guilty.

But before we ask for forgiveness from each other, we must ask for forgiveness from the Lord for paying Him back with callous ingratitude and for His Calvary sufferings, and for His death on the cross, which He endured for the atonement of our sins. Because we have so little love for Him.

On this day, the Church remembers the terrible tragedy that happened to mankind at the dawn of its history - its expulsion, in the person of the forefather Adam, common to all of us, from the face of God, the expulsion of Adam from paradise.

The vale of weeping and sorrow - the earth received the exile, in order, according to the commandment of God, to grow thistles and thorns for the criminal, in order to carry his bread to him in the sweat of his face, in order to give birth and feed his children in pain, tears and sorrow, in order to reap all the bitter fruits of his disobedience to the Heavenly Father .

Adam wept at his exile, gray-haired "just like paradise", wept, remembering who he was, and what he had, and whom he had lost. And according to Adam the first, all mankind to this day cries and sighs about the now elusive ghost of happiness. And the whole world, torn and tired, is crying because of dissoluteness, because the soul is naked, because life is aimless and bleak. And nothing can fill our life in such a way that a person fully feels the unconditional fullness of real, and not illusory happiness, for it, this fullness, is only in God.

But we are exiles. Paradise is far away, and the farther humanity lives from the time of the fall, the more hazy the beautiful image of paradise becomes in it, the deeper the pain and suffering of mankind, and the more the image and likeness of God is erased in the human soul. And the world would have perished long ago, if not for the Second Adam - Christ, who again opened the prisoner paradise and gave a person the opportunity to return to it.

And we all now bear the burden and burden of the life of an exile. But we, those who live the life of the Church, also know the heavenly joy of the opened Royal Doors and the life-giving jubilant words: "Christ is Risen!" and in them - the original closeness of Divine love to man. But precedes this heavenly joy on earth great post, and the Church constantly teaches that what we have lost through sin can be found, regained, returned only by repentance, feat and the labors of great abstinence.

Only a few hours will pass, and all of us will notice with amazement that something will change around us and in us; something will happen that will imprint on everything the stamp of special concentration and attention. It will be holy Great Lent. And we, together with the Church, will have to move from the call to repentance to the labors of repentance themselves, to the work of repentance.”

Great Lent begins...

According to the materials of the daily online magazine Pravoslavie i mir

Photos from the Rite of Forgiveness on February 22, 2015 in the parish of the Exaltation of the Cross Cossack Cathedral

On February 22, 2015, on Forgiveness Sunday, the Dean of the Southeastern Vicariate celebrated Vespers with the rite of forgiveness.

After the singing of the great prokeimn and the closing of the Royal Doors, the clergy changed into Lenten black vestments.

After the dismissal of Vespers, Father Alexy addressed the parishioners: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Maslenitsa ends today, and at its end, as you know, Forgiveness Sunday. We are with you on the eve of the Great Forty Day. In the next 40 days, we will prepare ourselves for the meeting of Holy Easter. Today, according to tradition, we come to the temple of God to ask each other for forgiveness in free and not in free sins. Why are we doing this? In order to be reconciled with your fellow men, try to find inner peace in Lent. This is a special time when we think about our inner state. Do you always have to remember how to live your life? That priceless gift that the Lord has given us. Are we cultivating or are we swimming in a sinful current that carries us into the abyss?

The days of Great Lent are especially strict, more than the days of other fasts. But not only in food are strict. Services are not as festive and solemn as we are used to, but no less important. We put on black clothes; we empathize with those events that relate to the time of Great Lent. Having reconciled with our neighbors, with the world around us, we take the first step towards perfection.

More recently, during the days of Christmas, we heard the words of the hymn “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men…”. This is just about the inner world - between man and God. The Lord allows us to reconcile, to acquire that unity with God that was once lost. It depends on us how we will pass these days. Today they frighten us, seem to be very long, restrict food, entertainment.

There is such a hymn in the evening service “From my youth, many passions fight me ...”. Indeed, many passions struggle with people. But fasting is called upon us to bring into our lives, instead of irritability, instead of anger and those passions, to bring inner peace. To feel the love that the Lord has shown for us, because only by limiting ourselves can we fully feel the presence of God. The days of Great Lent will fly by quickly, they are not as scary as they seem to us. But only if we rely not on our own strength, but on the will of God, God's providence, and then the Lord will strengthen us.

And it is not in vain that the Church established in such a way that in the first days of Lent, the church day ends with the reading of the penitential canon of Andrew of Crete. For the first four days we will hear the words of the Great Canon, which will set us up for the passage of the following days of the Holy Forty Day.

I would like to wish you to leave behind - anger, irritability and try to forgive everyone. We ourselves expect forgiveness, but can we expect it without learning it ourselves? Therefore, try to forget all grievances, try to acquire the grace of forgiveness and love. Sacrificial love towards each other.

Why do we fast? Someone in order to lose weight, someone because now it is becoming fashionable. But we fast not for the sake of our flesh, but for the sake of our immortal soul. By doing this, we will grow with her in those virtues that the Lord has commanded us. Not everything around us needs to be corrected, as the world is teaching now, but everything inside of us needs to be corrected.

Ask God for help and strengthening, both on the holy days of Fortecost and all the days of life. Forgive me, brothers and all."

Then the rite of forgiveness was performed, during which the rector and the clergy asked for forgiveness from each other and from the people.

All who wish to begin the feat of fasting and prayer,
all who wish to reap the fruits of their repentance,
hear the word of God, hear the covenant of God:
forgive your neighbors their sins against you.
Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov)

Are you fasting? Have mercy on the one you offended
never envy your brother, never hate anyone.
Saint John Chrysostom

If you, a man, do not forgive everyone
who has sinned against you, do not trouble yourself
fasting and prayer... God will not accept you.
Venerable Ephraim the Syrian

Forgiveness Sundaynee - the last day before Lent.

On this day, all Orthodox ask each other for forgiveness - in order to start fasting with a good soul, focus on spiritual life and celebrate Easter - the day of the Resurrection of Christ with a pure heart.

Of course, on this day, we must first of all ask ourselves: whom did I hurt myself, voluntarily and involuntarily?

Who do I have non-peaceful relationships with and what can I do to change this? And first of all, ask forgiveness from our hearts from our loved ones. In the temple, all together, this is easier to do. It is easier to ask for forgiveness and forgive. This opportunity, which cannot be neglected, is given to us by the Church on Forgiveness Sunday.

On this day, fast food is consumed for the last time.

The rite of forgiveness, as a rule, is performed in churches on Sunday evening - this is the Vespers service of Cheese Week. The service begins as an ordinary vespers, but in the church everything is already different: on the lecterns there are Lenten black or purple lecterns, in the middle of the service the priests change their vestments to dark ones. In a special solemn and joyful way: the fasting spring, the spiritual spring, is beginning!

We make three great bows, and say a prayer Venerable Ephraim the Syrian:

Lord and Lord of my life, the spirit of idleness, despondency, arrogance, and idle talk, do not give me.

The spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love, grant me to Your servant.

Yes, Lord the King, grant me to see my sins, and do not condemn my brother, for you are blessed forever and ever, amen.

After that, the rector of the temple delivers a sermon, then the priests ask for forgiveness from the parishioners and each other. After that, all the clergy go to the pulpit, and the parishioners come up, kiss the whole cross or icon, and ask for forgiveness from the clergy.

BeginsGreat post.

WITH THE BEGINNING OF GREAT LENT, MY BROTHER AND SISTER!

... Icons, altar, crucifix,
Penitent cry flies.
Forgive me, sisters, brethren:
Answer: God forgives.

Neither their sins nor sorrows
The heart does not hide today.
You forgive before the Lord,
Sisters, my brethren:

strangers, acquaintances,
Those who have no relatives
You forgive iniquities
My vain soul.

Silently crying for salvation
Having overshadowed himself with the Cross.
Spring light. Resurrection.

The last day before Lent.

We came close to Ve-li-ko-mu in a stu. Christ-sto-va Church puts us before the osmys-le-ni-em of the Holy Che-you-re-de-syat-ni-tsy. From-do not-stay to this-mu, we must seriously, think about it, answer it. Fasting before-va-rya-et-sya Forgiveness resurrection, so that we forgive our neighbors all sins against us. This condition is ab-so-lyut-but necessary-ho-di-mo for stya-zha-niya clean-to-you-of-the-heart - for-da-chi, we will-ru-we will re- to move in the pe-ri-od pro-hoj-de-niya post-no-th-th-go-on-principle. It is possible, of course, to simplify the rank of forgiveness and reduce it to a pure tradition, while at the same time re-naming, let’s say, the usual tea from-tsov-pu-styn-ni-kov, someone-rye at the time of the Holy Che-you-re-de-syat-ni-tsy ear-di-li from mo-on-stay- ray to Si-nai-skuyu, Egi-pet-skuyu and other deserts. Breaking up with obi-te-lyu, they said goodbye to each other and then mutually they-but is-pra-shi-wa-whether pro-shche-nie. This, of course, is a convincing example for under-ra-zha-niya, but if we perceive it only as a custom, then let's go mi-mo ve-ro-teaching-tel-noy sign-chi-mo-sti upo-me-well-that-de-i-niya from-shel-no-kov. The essence of God-his-thought-la in the question of leaving the sins of you-ra-same-on in the words Spa-si-te-la Christ, in a hundred -viv-she-go Your forgiveness in the causal for-vi-si-bridge from our forgiveness to each other: For if you will be de- if you forgive people for their sins, then your Heavenly Father will also forgive you, and if you don’t forgive people with sins, their sins, then your Father will not forgive you your sins (). It’s you-ra-same-but Spa-si-te-lem so ka-te-go-rich-but that the apostle of love John of God’s words up-to-no-sit us the meaning of these Christ -th words in such you-ra-same-ni-yah: Whoever says: “I love God”, and the brother hates his own hatred, he liar: for not loving his brother, someone sees how he can love God, someone does not see? (). This ra-di-ka-lism was set up by Christ Spa-si-te-lem as a condition for the forgiveness of our sins, which means - our th approach to God. Obu-words-le-but this is what.

With His incarnation, Christ the Spa-si-tel put His Deity in special closeness with the re-acceptance of that person by Him -ve-che-sky pri-ro-doy. And through His human being, He united Himself with all human beings. He combined people into such a unity that he could say: And whoever accepts one such child in My name, he receives me -et(). In full correspondence with this and to the person, God's requirements are presented. God does not just expect from a person; God's blessings and re-action on them tre-pe-schu-shche-go your-re-know-lo and vet-ho-for-vet-noe-lo-ve -thing. For us, Christ forgives from the Cross His embraces and cries out: Che-lo-ve-che, even-mi-heart. And God expects from us not just a rest from sins; He expects from man-lo-ve-ka ab-so-lute holiness: Be holy, because I am holy (). That's why we now have to be in the rank of forgiveness to reconcile with our neighbors, not for the sake of tradition, - we from all hearts Let's forgive all their sins, in full we spread our hearts to everyone and everyone. By this we spread it and our own God.

Before such a du-ho-nos-noy for-yes-whose we are now standing-le-na. In this way, let's come this day, in the evening, to the holy temple with a full spread of the heart, with a readiness to hug the neighbor -no. Let's accept him as Sa-mo-God-yes, from-let-stim in full and to each-to-mu-sin against us. Then, even Christ, from-letting us co-sin-on-shi and co-de-la-et us alive, you are members of the Church - His-e- th Kingdom.

Chin of forgiveness

Dear brothers and sisters about Christ. We have gathered now in the temple in order to stand in front of the Face of God Zhi-va-go. May He overshadow us with His blessings, so that our hearts open up and become so strange to fit together in them the sky-sa-mi Nevme-sti-my God. It is He who gives us the opportunity to open our arms and express our blessings to our neighbors, is-pra-shi- wai pro-shche-tion from everyone. This, as we know, is an indispensable condition for the purification of our heart and for the change of mind. The purpose of our life is love-bo-view with Christ. But you can’t love God and at the same time hate your brother. For this and that, and give us Christ the Church the rank of forgiveness, so that we and all would be with-mi-re-us.

Let's come to the feet of Spa-si-te-la on-she-go, we ask Him to give us good-go-go-vey-noe and tre- pet-no-no-she-ne to the neighbor, so that everyone you meet, how it is pe-re-zhi-va-et-sya hri-sti-an-ski-mi in motion -no-ka-mi, appeared to us as a god after God. And we-pra-shi-va-em this gift from God, we are not according to our own services, but only according to His goodness.

Daring, rude, would we be to our neighbors, but at the same time we ourselves would like to have our neighbors from-no-si came to us with pre-du-pre-di-tel-no-stu, with chi-hundred-ser-de-chi-em, with tenderness. We also put these na-cha-la in the os-no-woo of ours from-but-she-niy to our neighbors. Chi-hundred-ser-dech-but, is-roll-but, from all the loving heart, is-pro-sim from each forgiveness, so that on the Lord poured out His blessings on us and forgave us our sins.

I also ask you, honest fathers, and you, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, to forgive me. I know how vi-nen I am in front of you. It used to be a shaft and a sharp one, about-ru-shi-val-sya with an angry word - and this is when it was necessary to cover everything with love. For all this, for Christ's sake, forgive me. Forgive me for the fact that you didn’t fully fulfill your vocation: you had to have a day and a night in a mo-lit-ven-nom vigil intervening for each of you, but due to weakness, due to le-no, I didn’t do this. It would be necessary not only for the external b-go-le-pi-em to build God's temple: above-le-zh-lo I still have half a thread, this is kim go-re-ni-em hearts, from someone-ro-go could you-burn your hearts, so that each of you co-de-lo- I would have spread my spa-se-tion with a flame-me-not-u-sche love-bo-view to each other and would have entered as a living member into the Church of God - mi-sti- che-Christo-vo-Te-lo. But here I didn't do much. In this way, you, honest fathers, and you, dear singers, and you, beloved brothers and sisters about Christ, pro- show me your blessings, forgive everything that I sinned before you - de-scrap, in a word, in a mouse-le - don't eat.

Is-pra-shi-vayu and for you, God-she-my-lo-sti, so that God blesses her with her b-go-da-tyu and man-lo-ve-ko-lu-be-em, His- to them mi-lo-ser-di-em and b-go-styu, b-go-in-le-ni-em and lu-bo-view b-go-slo-vil of each of you. May He show His mercy to each of you, may everything be poured into your hearts of heavenly light and joy! Yes, He sends down His blessed help, so that all of us in Holy Che-re-de-syat-ni-tsu so-make-sew eyes-che- the souls and bodies of the forest, so that the coming Pas-ha Christ-hundred-va meet-on-to-be-la-on-mi not like a ka-len-dar-ny holiday, but re- would live in li-ko-va-nii, ra-do-sti, like a new life in Christ.

Archpriest Vladimir Timakov

Almanac “Alpha and Omega”, No. 52, 2008

The Christian essence of the holiday of Forgiveness Sunday, the history of occurrence and meaning. How to behave on this day. Traditions of church worship in honor of the holiday. folk traditions and holiday table.

Forgiveness Sunday is a holiday of the highest Christian humility. On this day, an Orthodox person grieves for his pride and asks for forgiveness from those around him, whom he intentionally offended out of malice or simplicity of mind, or could offend by inadvertent word or deed, without even realizing this fact, succumbing to intemperance or spiritual blindness. However, it is important to sincerely forgive yourself, that is, to carry out such work on your own soul in order to be able to let go of grievances, even undeserved ones, and personally ask for forgiveness from the offended.

Why is Sunday called forgiveness?

The Church venerates Forgiveness Sunday on the eve of Great Lent, on Maslenitsa week. This day concludes the last week in which it is allowed to eat milk, curd dishes and eggs in preparation for the upcoming forty days of fasting. Reconciliation with the offended is the first step towards further work on oneself, towards the purification of the soul and preparation for deep repentance before Easter. With a relieved, reconciled soul, the believer enters the fast and strives for self-improvement, for God, in order to confess and deservedly partake of the Holy Mysteries, to acquire the gospel virtues in spiritual achievement.

What is the right way to ask for forgiveness?

For a long time there has been a tradition to sincerely and sincerely ask for forgiveness from colleagues, neighbors, relatives with the words: “Forgive me for having sinned against you!”, To which the answer follows: “God will forgive, and I forgive you, forgive me and you! » After that, a Christian kiss is performed three times on the cheek. In the event that a person cannot forgive and ask for forgiveness, the road to repentance and the Grace of God is closed to him, since pride has paralyzed his soul. Therefore, it is so important to sincerely pray for a once offended person, to see, first of all, one's own sins and personal imperfection. Even if he cannot forgive a long-standing sin, one must find the strength in oneself not to respond with anger, to consign to oblivion all that is bad, to avoid condemnation.

Advice. Start praying for your enemies and be sure to go to church for confession!

History of Forgiveness Sunday

The origins of this holiday originate from the life of the first righteous people of Egypt, who retired with prayers in the desert for 40 days to prepare for (becoming like the Lord), to overcome temptations and strengthen the soul.

In the waterless wasteland, great dangers awaited the ascetics: wild animals and poisonous insects, bodily weakness due to lack of water. Therefore, they asked each other for forgiveness, as if they were preparing for death, forgiving all sins. Gradually, this tradition was established in the rites of the Church.

In the Russian people, Forgiveness Sunday has always been revered: in families, the elders asked for forgiveness from the younger ones, the rich and noble from their servants and peasants. In the countryside, peasants went to visit their neighbors and relatives, visited the sick and remembered lonely relatives with a desire to help them as much as possible.

The king was the first to set an example of Christian humility: he asked for forgiveness from the monastic brethren and bishops, in the army from the soldiers, carried out an amnesty for the convicted and distributed alms everywhere. On this day, military operations were even suspended.

Worship in the temple

The service on Forgiveness Sunday begins with a recollection of the events of Adam's expulsion from Eden (Paradise) due to the fall. The priests serve the Liturgy in golden vestments, read the Gospel of Matthew and an excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount, in which in question about forgiveness of insults to others as an important condition for the Lord to forgive one's own sins, about the condition for acquiring heavenly treasures. An analogy is drawn between the sinfulness of mankind and the state of the soul of fallen Adam. The lines of Adam's contrition about his own sins sound piercingly.

After the Liturgy begins Vespers, before which there is a reading of 9 hours. The service opens with the singing of the prokimen “Blessed is our God”, at the same time the clergy exit with incense. Next, the prokeimnas “Quiet Light”, “Do not turn Your face away from Your servant ...” sound. The prayer "Vouchee, Lord" is being made.

Evening prayers are performed in a minor tone. The rector reads aloud the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian with a triple bow. Then he pronounces "Vladyka Many-merciful", those present kneel.

Next is the Rite of Forgiveness.

The rector bows before the images of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, kisses the cross and venerates the icons. There are stichera and prokeimenes, glorifying the Heavenly Father, the Holy Spirit, Christ and the Mother of God, calling for the spiritual feat of Lent and preparing for communion in eternal Paschal joy.

After that, the rector pronounces the text of the sermon, after which he humbly asks parishioners for forgiveness. The clergy present after him are applied to the images and to the cross. They ask each other for forgiveness. The laity also kiss the cross.

folk traditions

Forgiveness Sunday coincides with the period of mass festivities in honor of Maslenitsa, but this holiday is filled with deep spiritual meaning, it is the eve of fasting as a period of spiritual trials and struggle with passions.

In honor of the holiday, it was customary to set the table and convene close and distant relatives.

They prepared modest meals, excluding meat and poultry.

They put on the table:

- baked fish;

- fish snacks, caviar;

- plain and yeast pancakes on wheat, buckwheat, oatmeal with sour cream and stuffing;

- dumplings and cheesecakes;

- pies and pies.

This feast brought together all relatives, young and older generations: here differences were smoothed out and long-standing grievances were forgiven. The traditions of the holiday are still alive today. It is customary to give gifts and make donations to the poor, to show mercy and love for others. At the courts of rich people, they set up a treat for the poor, anyone who wished could take part in it.