Christians have a great Thursday

Christians around the world celebrate the Great Thursday April 21 - the day of the passionate week dedicated to the memory of the secret party, on which Jesus Christ established the main Christian sacrament - communion.

At Liturgy on the Grand Thursday, the whole church recalls the events of the secret party - the last Easter meal, which Jesus Christ could divide with the apostles in his earthly life, recalls the betrayal of Judah, one of the 12 disciples of Christ, and the self -abasement of the Savior. The church prescribes to all believers who do not have any obstacles for this, be sure to take communion during the service on the Great Thursday, Interfax reports.

Starting from the Great Thursday, within three days all church services will be devoted to the memory of the earthly suffering of Jesus Christ. Behind the Liturgy on the Great Thursday, the Miro is consecrated. This is due to the ancient tradition of performing the Sacrament of Baptism on Easter or on the Great Saturday, when the Great Thursday was the day of training.

Believers on Thursday day on Thursday begin to prepare for the Easter table - they bake cakes and paint eggs. In Catholics, the evening of the Great Thursday opens up Easter triple. In all temples, Mass memories of the secret party is performed and the rite of washing the legs is also performed.

Patriarch Kirill on Veliky Thursday to the priests

The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill on the Great Thursday will perform in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior the liturgy of St. Vasily the Great, as well as Matin with the reading of "the twelve gospels of the passions of the Lord."

According to RIA Novosti, a representative of the press service of the Moscow Patriarchate, the Liturgy of Vasily the Great is served only on special days, only ten times a year. After the liturgy, which began at 09.00 (Moscow time), the Patriarch, according to the prevailing tradition, will perform the legs (minimizing) the legs: in the image of Christ, who washed his legs to his disciples behind the secret evening, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church will be rejuvenated by the sitting clergymen.

In the evening, when the believers will already prepare for a passionate Friday, the Patriarch will be a worship with reading the “Twelve Gospels of the Passion of the Lord” - 12 excerpts from the New Testament, telling about the sufferings and godparents of Jesus Christ. The start of the service is at 18.00 (Moscow time).

From ancient times on the Great Thursday, three days before Easter, Christians recall the most important gospel event - the secret evening of Jesus Christ and the Apostles and the establishment of the sacrament of communion of the Body and Blood of Christ under the guise of the ease of bread and wine. This sacrament is also called the Eucharist, which in Greek means "thanksgiving".

"Jesus took bread and, blessing, healed and, distributing to the disciples, he said: accept, I will eat: this is my body. And, taking the bowl and thanking them, he gave them and said: Drink everything from it; for this is my blood of the New Testament, poured out for many sins," the gospel from Matthew 26, 26).

According to the teachings of the Church, the communion gives believers the opportunity to join the saving power of the victim of Christ, which goes to suffering and death in the atonement of human sins. Communion strengthens the spiritual forces of man, connects people with God and among themselves - into a single body of the Church. Therefore, on the great Thursday, believers are trying to take part in the liturgy, which is performed on this day in all temples of the Russian Orthodox Church, and take communion.

In the worship of this day, the betrayal of Judas is also recalled.

To the great Thursday, the consecration of the world is traditionally timed - a special mixture of 50 substances based on olive oil, fragrant herbs and incense resins. The world is cooked in a special vessel for several days only once a year - on a passionate week, the current worldwide is located in the Don Monastery of Moscow. After the consecration of the world as a shrine is transported to the dioceses and parishes, is used in the sacrament of anointing, which completes the sacrament of baptism, and in the consecration of new thrones of temples.

The anointing has been known since the Old Testament times: the world was anointed with the prophets, high priests and kings, as well as the tabernacles (huts, where worships were temporarily performed). Miro is many times mentioned in the New Testament. It was the myrrhic wives, who came to the tomb of Jesus Christ, who were the first to have the first to find out that Christ was risen from the dead.

The last three days before Easter - Great Thursday, Friday and Saturday - are considered especially important. In each of them, the services read excerpts from the gospel, telling about the suffering of Christ, special rites and prayers are performed. Temples these days are crowded with parishioners.

Great Friday is the most mournful day of the church year, because it was on Friday that Jesus was crucified and died on the cross, redeeming human sins.

On Saturday, according to the teachings of the Church, the body of Christ "was in the coffin", but the Savior went into hell with the soul and took the soul of the righteous out of it.

After the morning worship on Saturday, believers consecrate cakes, Easter and eggs. And in the evening they gather in churches for a solemn service in order to meet the resurrection of Christ, which is celebrated this year on April 24.