We publish the texts of the kneeling prayers that are read at the Vespers service of Pentecost

Icon "The Descent of the Holy Spirit". Greece, between 1790-1840

First prayer

“Most pure, undefiled, without beginning, invisible, incomprehensible, unsearchable, unfailing, invincible, innumerable, gentle, Lord, who alone has immortality, in the living unapproachable light: having created heaven and earth, and the sea, and everything created on them, first ask, make petitions to all Grant, we pray to You, and we ask You, Master Lover of Mankind, Father of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ, for us for the sake of men, and for our salvation, who came down from heaven, and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Ever-Virgin Mary, and the Most Glorious Mother of God: Who is first teaching words, following and showing deeds, having endured the saving passion, give us the signature of the humble, and sinful, and unworthy servant of Thy, to bring prayers to You, on our knees and knees, about our sins, and about human ignorance. Most merciful and loving of mankind, hear us, even more often on this fiftieth day, after the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven, and God and the Father sitting at your right hand, sent down the Holy Spirit on His holy disciples and apostles, and sat upon one of them, and was filled with all His inexhaustible grace, and spoke in other tongues Your greatness, and prophesied. Now, as we pray to You, hear us, and remember us, the humble and condemned, and return the captivity of our souls, having Your mercy prayed for us. Receive us who fall to You and cry out: we have sinned, we have been committed to You from the womb, from the womb of our mother, You are our God. But as if our days had disappeared in the vanity, we were exposed to Your help, deprived of any answer, but boldly in Your bounty, we call: do not remember the sins of our youth and ignorance, and cleanse us from our secrets, and do not reject us during old age, when our strength becomes impoverished. ours: do not leave us, before we can even return to the earth, grant us worthy to return to You, and grant us favor and grace. Measure our iniquities with Your bounties, set the abyss of Your bounties against the multitude of our sins. Look down from Thy holy height, O Lord, upon Thy people who are coming, and upon those who expect rich mercies from Thee. Visit us with Thy goodness, deliver us from the violence of the devil: establish our life with Thy holy and sacred laws. Angel, a faithful guardian, appoint Your people, gather everyone in Your Kingdom. Grant forgiveness to those who trust in You: forgive them and our sins. Purify us through the action of Your Holy Spirit: destroy the machinations of the enemy even against us.”

The first prayer is joined by this one:
“Blessed are you, Lord, Master Almighty, who enlightened the day with the light of the sun, and illuminated the night with fiery dawns, making us worthy of the length of the day, and drawing near with the firstfruits of the night: hear our prayers, and all Your people, and forgive us all our voluntary and involuntary sins. Accept our evening prayers, and send down a multitude of Thy mercy and Thy bounty upon Thy property. Shade us with Thy holy angels, arm us with the weapons of Thy truth, protect us with Thy truth, protect us with Thy power, deliver us from every situation, every opposing slander. Grant us the present evening, with the coming night, perfect, holy, peaceful, sinless, without temptation, without dreams, and all the days of our life: through the prayers of the Holy Mother of God, and all the saints from the ages who have pleased You.”

Icon "The Descent of the Holy Spirit". Greece, between 1840-1870.

Second prayer

“Lord Jesus Christ our God, Thy peace given by man, and the gift of the Most Holy Spirit, still in life and with us, forever grant as an inalienable inheritance to the faithful: this grace was most manifestly revealed by Thy disciple and apostle this day, and established these tongues with fiery lips: in the image of the entire human race, the knowledge of God has received with our tongue into the hearing of the ear, enlightened by the light of the Spirit, and the charms like darkness have changed, and the sensual and fiery tongue of dispensation, and the supernatural action, having learned faith in You, and to theologize You with the Father and the Holy Spirit, in one Let us be enlightened by divinity, and power, and authority. You are the Father’s radiance, His beings and natures, the unchangeable and immovable outline, the source of wisdom and grace: open my sinner’s mouth too, and teach me what is worthy, and to pray for their needs: For You know many of my sins, the multitude of them, but Yours compassion will overcome these immeasurable ones. Behold, with fear I stand before You, into the abyss of Your mercy the despair of my soul has been plunged: feed my belly with the word of ineffable wisdom, rule all creation with power, a quiet refuge for the overwhelmed, and tell me the way, I will go elsewhere. Give the Spirit of Thy wisdom to my thoughts, grant the Spirit of reason to my madness, grant the Spirit of Thy fear to my autumn deeds, and renew the Right Spirit in my womb, and confirm the desire of my thoughts with the Master Spirit: that I may be guided every day by Thy Good Spirit to do what is useful, that I may be worthy to do the commandments. Yours, and Yours, will always remember the glorious coming, and the tormenting things we have done. And do not despise me with the corruptible temptations of this world, but desire to strengthen the treasures of future perceptions. Thou art the Master: as if anyone asks for Thy name, he freely receives from Thy ever-present God and Father. In the same way, I am a sinner at the coming of Your Holy Spirit, I pray for Your goodness, if you have asked, reward me with salvation. To her, Lord, you are rich in every good deed, and the good giver, as you are, give abundantly to what we ask: you are compassionate and merciful, having been a sinless companion of our flesh; Grant therefore, Lord, to Thy people Thy bounty: hear us from Thy holy heaven: sanctify us with the power of Thy saving right hand: cover us with the shelter of Thy wing, so that we may not despise the work of Thy hand. We sin against You alone, but we serve You alone. We cannot bow down to a foreign god; our Lord, we cannot stretch our hands below to another god. Forgive us our sins, and accept our kneeling prayers, extend a helping hand to all of us, accept the prayer of all, like a pleasant incense acceptable before Your most good Kingdom.”

The second prayer is joined by this one:
“Lord Lord, deliver us from every arrow that flies in the days: Deliver us also from every thing that passes in darkness. Accept the evening sacrifice from our hands. Grant us the privilege to pass through the night race without blemish, untested from the evil ones: And deliver us from all confusion and fear that comes to us from the devil. Grant to our souls tenderness, and to our thoughts care, hedgehog on Your terrible and righteous trial trial. Nail our flesh with Thy fear, and kill our souls that exist on earth: And let us be enlightened by sleepy silence, by the sight of Thy destinies. Take away from us every inappropriate dream and harmful lust. Rise us up during prayer, established in the faith, and abiding in Your commandments.”

Icon "The Descent of the Holy Spirit". Russia. XVI century Novgorod.

Third prayer

“The ever-flowing, animal, and enlightening source, the co-existing power of the Father, who has wonderfully fulfilled all the responsibilities for human salvation, Christ our God, has broken the bonds of death that cannot be solved, and has broken the rivets of hell, and has trampled down many wicked spirits. He brought to Himself an immaculate slaughter for us, and gave a most pure body as a sacrifice, inviolable and impervious to all sin, and by this terrible and inscrutable sacred act He gave us eternal life: He descended into hell, and crushed the eternal faiths, and showed the sunrise to those who sit in darkness: the beginning of evil and caught the deep serpent with divinely wise flattery, and bound with chains of darkness in Tartarus and unquenchable fires, and in the outer darkness of Thy innumerable strength, strengthened with strength, the great Wisdom of the Father, the great helper who appeared to those who are guided, and enlightening those who sit in the darkness and the shadow of death. You are the ever-present glory, Lord, and the beloved Son of the Most High, ever-present Light from the ever-present Light, Sun of righteousness, hear us praying to You, and give rest to the souls of Your servants, the fathers and our brothers who have fallen before the dead, and other relatives in the flesh, and all yours in the faith, We create a memory of them now, for in You is the power of all, and in Your hand You contain all the ends of the earth. Master Almighty, Father God and Lord of mercy, the mortal and immortal race, and the Creator of all human nature, which is composed, and again resolved, life and death, every stay here, and every change there: measure the years of the living, and set the times of death : bring down to hell and raise up: bind in weakness, and release in strength: build the present needs, and manage the future usefully: cheer the wounded with the mortal sting of the resurrection with hopes. For He Himself is the Lord of all, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth, and those who are in the sea far away, Who also on this last and great saving day of Pentecost feast, showed us the mystery of the Holy and Consubstantial, and co-essential, and inseparable, and unmerged Trinity, and the influx and coming of Your Holy and Life-giving Spirit, in the form of fiery tongues poured out on Your holy apostles, and appointed those evangelists, pious of our faith, and confessors and preachers of true theology, showing: And on this all-perfect and saving holiday, purification for prayer, oh Those who are held in hell are worthy to receive, but give us great hope of weakening by the contents of the defilements that I contain, and to receive consolation from You. Hear us humble ones, and Your servants praying to You, and give rest to the souls of Your servants who have fallen before the dead, in a place of light, in a place of greenery, in a place of coolness: from there shall flee all sickness, sorrow and sighing, and make their spirits rest in the villages of the righteous, and peace and weakness vouchsafe them: for they will not praise Thee, Lord, who are dead, but those who exist in hell will dare to bring confession to Thee: but we bless Thee alive and pray, and offer purifying prayers and sacrifices to Thee for their souls.”

The third prayer is joined by this one:
“Great and eternal God, Holy, loving of mankind, who has made us worthy at this hour to stand before Thy unapproachable glory, to sing and praise Thy wonders, cleanse us Thy unworthy servants, and grant us grace to those with a contrite heart, to offer Thee the Trisagion of praise and thanksgiving. Your great gifts, which you have created for us, and always create in us. Lord, remember our weakness, and may you not destroy us through our iniquities: but do us great mercy with our humility, so that having escaped the darkness of sin, we will walk in the days of righteousness, and having been clothed with the weapons of light, we will abide unscathed from all the wiles of the evil one, and with boldness we will glorify all, to You, the only true and Lover of Mankind. Thine is a truly and great sacrament, Lord of all, and Creator, the temporary solution of Thy creatures, and the hedgehog for now, and the rest of the hedgehog forever: We confess grace to You for all, for our entrances into this world, and our departures, Our hopes of resurrection and incorruptible life are pre-engaged by Your false promise, which we will receive at Your future second coming. For You are also the Chief of our resurrection, and the unwashed and humane-loving Judge of those who have lived, and the Master and Lord of rewards, Who also shared with us in sincere flesh and blood, condescension for the sake of extremes: and our irresistible passions, sometimes by will to put into temptation, we accept generosity as mercy, and in it You yourself suffered, having been tempted, and being tempted by us, you became a self-promised helper: in the same way, You also brought us into Your dispassion. Accept therefore, Master, our prayers and supplications, and give rest to all fathers, and mothers, and children, and brethren, and only-begotten sisters, and begotten sisters, and all souls that have previously fallen asleep: in the hope of the resurrection of eternal life, make their spirits, and their names in the book animals, in the bosom of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the land of the living, in the Kingdom of Heaven, in the sweet paradise, Thy bright angels, leading all into Thy holy abodes, co-raising our bodies in the day that Thou hast determined according to Thy holy and unfaithful promise. For, Lord, there is no death for Thy servant, who comes to us from the body, and who comes to You our God, but repose from the saddest to the most useful, and the sweetest, and to peace and joy. Even if we have sinned against You, be merciful to us and to those who have not yet been clean from filth before You, even if there is only one day of his life, are You the only one who appeared on earth, our sinless Lord Jesus Christ: in whom we all trust in mercy receive, and remission of sins. For this reason, for our sake, as God is Good and Lover of Mankind, weaken, forgive, forgive our sins, voluntary and involuntary, even in knowledge and not in knowledge, presented and forgotten: even in deed, even in thought, even in word, even in all our lives and movements. And grant to those who have departed freedom and weakness, but bless us who are here, granting a good and peaceful end to us and all Your people, and open the womb of mercy and love for mankind to us, at Your terrible and terrible coming, and create for us worthy of Your Kingdom.”

The third prayer is joined by another:
“God, the Great and Most High, alone has immortality, in the living, unapproachable light, creating all creation with wisdom, dividing in the midst of light and in the midst of darkness: And having placed the sun in the region of the day, and the moon and stars in the region of the night. Vouchsafed us sinners to precede Thy face in confession on this day, and to offer Thy evening service. O Lord, Lover of Mankind, correct our prayer, as if it were incense before You, and receive into the stench of the fragrance. Grant us the true evening and the peaceful night that comes: clothe us with the weapons of light, deliver us from the fear of the night, and from every thing that passes in darkness. And grant us sleep, which you have granted for the repose of our weakness, changed from every devilish dream. To her is the Lord of all good things, the giver, as if on our beds we will remember with tenderness and in the night holy name Your. And with the teaching of Your commandments illuminated, in the joy of our souls we will rise to the praise of Your goodness, bringing prayers and supplications to Your compassion for our sins, and for all Your people: visit them with the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos in mercy.”

The rector of the Vologda Church of the Holy Righteous Lazarus of the Four-Days talks with readers about the long-awaited prostrations that strict church regulations return to worship.

- Pentecost is a huge celebration, the birthday of the Church: churches are decorated, everyone is happy, as at any birthday, even human. But today is the most important birthday: the ship of our salvation - and we can probably say: the day of our spiritual birth. Then why does the strict, reasonable, calm and logical church charter, which, as has been tested over centuries and millennia, by definition not recommend anything unnecessary or unreasonable, so persistently prescribe kneeling prayers for Christians? It is unlikely that anyone will demand from the guests whom he invited to his own birthday, not genuflection, of course, but even some kind of apology. Why does the church charter insist on kneeling prayers?

In comparing the birthday of the Church with the birthday of a person lies the main “insidiousness” of this comparison in itself. We are accustomed to treating a birthday or another holiday as an event that “should make a person feel good.” In the Church, the meaning of the holiday includes, first of all, an edifying and instructive moment. To give something for thought, food and work of the soul, distracting from the hustle and bustle of ordinary everyday affairs. Yes, of course, in our tradition, the Easter holiday is associated with folk festivities, the Nativity of Christ is associated with congratulations and gifts - this is all clear. But, nevertheless, you need to try not to miss the inner content of the holiday itself, and this is the most important thing, isn’t it? And the day of Pentecost is not just a “memory” of the birthday of the Church, but it is, first of all, a person’s awareness of his place in the Church and what he has done to follow the path to salvation.

- Is this where the mystery of the strictness of the church charter, which seems at first glance complex, lies?

A person, seeing himself on the path of salvation as infirm, weak, sinful, asks that the Holy Spirit, given by God His Church, did not leave us, strengthened us, healed us from our infirmities and spiritual passions. This is what is said in the kneeling prayers. The contradiction you are talking about would be removed if people knew the text of the prayers read during Vespers. If we open it and read carefully the text of the prayers, we will see the answer to this question and resolve many confusions. Here, look: “Most pure, undefiled, without beginning, invisible, incomprehensible, unsearchable, unfailing, invincible, innumerable, gentle, Lord... Receive us, who fall before You and cry: we have sinned, we have been committed to You from the womb, from the womb of our mother, You are God our. But as if our days had disappeared in the vanity, we were exposed to Your help, deprived of any answer, but boldly in Your bounty, we call: do not remember the sins of our youth and ignorance, and cleanse us from our secrets, and do not reject us during old age, when our strength becomes impoverished. ours: do not leave us, before we can even return to the earth, grant us worthy to return to You, and grant us favor and grace. Measure our iniquities with Your bounties, set the abyss of Your bounties against the multitude of our sins. Look down from Thy holy height, O Lord, upon Thy people who are coming, and upon those who expect rich mercies from Thee. Visit us with Thy goodness, deliver us from the violence of the devil: establish our life with Thy holy and sacred laws. Assign a faithful guardian angel to Your people, gather everyone into Your Kingdom. Grant forgiveness to those who trust in You: forgive them and our sins. Purify us through the action of Your Holy Spirit: destroy the machinations of the enemy even against us.”

Oh, if only we were more attentive during services! What a treasure of Orthodoxy we possess!

So, the main meaning of the prayers at Pentecost Vespers is a person’s awareness of his unenviable spiritual state?

Regarding Christians living on earth, yes: their main meaning is to recognize themselves as a person who has the possibility of salvation, who has been given such an opportunity and who has all the means for salvation. But due to our laziness, weakness, vanity, we neglect this and fall into such terrible traps that alienate us from God. And so, when a person sees this, honestly admits it, he asks the Lord to give him strength - and the Holy Spirit gives strength in the sacraments - to give him strength to fight sin. He gave us strength to follow the path of salvation, he gave us strength, strengthening our weak, crippled, sinful human rhythm of life, in order to remain a Christian in it always and everywhere, at all times of the day and night.

It's clear. Then a question that probably worries many parishioners, and not only parishioners, but also clergy. Don't you think that the words of these prayers, like other prayers, often do not reach those who are praying or trying to pray? The words of the prayers are too incomprehensible, they are read too quietly, or, what is even worse, there is too much fuss and twigs that “must certainly be blessed,” and this, according to many, is the main meaning of today’s holiday. Doesn’t the ritual often overshadow the content? Much more attention is paid to the external - these very notorious branches - than to the internal, which is exactly what you were talking about.

It probably makes sense to print out the texts of these prayers and give them to parishioners so that they know them.

Twigs are also necessary to show a person before his eyes the life-giving action of the Holy Spirit. A seemingly dead branch, which in autumn and winter looks completely lifeless, with the onset of spring begins to blossom, bloom, leaves come out and then fruits come out. This greenery of the trees reminds us of the life-giving effect of the Holy Spirit on the withered human soul. Although, of course, this is only an external reminder of internal work. And, of course, it can be very disappointing when the bustle in church distracts people from prayer. It is difficult to imagine if in some large cathedral, especially if there is no amplifying equipment, at the end of the temple someone would hear what a priest or bishop was reading there, kneeling in the royal doors. Therefore, it probably makes some sense to print out the texts of these prayers in Church Slavonic and give them to parishioners, especially regular parishioners who understand what spiritual life is, who sincerely follow it, experience and repent of their sins, and rejoice in the Church - so that they knew the texts of these prayers. After all, it is published, say, in a separate publication. We see that in churches many lay people kneel or stand carefully watching the priest read, thereby compensating for all our human weaknesses - voice, diction, inattention, something else. And in these publications there are certain kinds of explanations, and sometimes translations. That is, it would be good to provide such reference publications in order to better understand the meaning of prayers, and for the prayers of Holy Pentecost. This is a prayer read facing the people, out loud; there is nothing to hide from the people.

The prayers of Holy Pentecost are also prayers for the departed, for those who are no longer with us.

Moreover, there is another side to the content of the prayers of Holy Pentecost, and it is connected with prayer for the departed. Prayer for the departed and about the feeling of love and concern that the Church shows before God for those who are no longer with us, but have passed on to another world and can no longer do anything for their salvation there. Only we here on earth can help them in their posthumous fate. Now we will try to find those words that relate to the departed in the prayers of Holy Pentecost. These are very good words. Speaking about prayers, praising the mercy of God, His Providence and the path that the Lord accomplished for our salvation, the Church turns to Him with amazing words:

“...You are the ever-present glory, Lord, and the beloved Son of the Most High, ever-present Light from the ever-present Light, Sun of righteousness, hear us praying to You, and give rest to the souls of Your servants, the fathers and our brothers who have fallen before the dead, and other relatives in the flesh, and all your in faith, we create a memory of them now, for in You is the power of all, and in Your hand you contain all the ends of the earth. Master Almighty, Father God and Lord of mercy, the mortal and immortal race, and the Creator of all human nature, which is composed, and again resolved, life and death, every stay here, and every change there: measure the years of the living, and set the times of death , bring down to hell and raise up, bind in weakness, and release in strength, build the present needs, and manage the future usefully, cheering those wounded by the sting of death with the hopes of resurrection... And on this all-perfect and saving holiday, purification for prayer, for those held in hell being worthy to receive, give us great hope of weakening the contents from the defilements that I contain, and to receive consolation from You. Hear us humble ones, and Your servants praying to You, and give rest to the souls of Your servants, who have fallen before the dead, in a place of light, in a place of greenness, in a place of coolness: from there shall flee all sickness, sorrow and sighing, and rest their spirits in the villages of the righteous, and peace and vouchsafe them to be weakened: for they will not praise Thee in the dead, O Lord; those lower in hell will dare to bring confession to Thee, but we, while we live, will bless Thee and pray, and offer cleansing prayers and sacrifices to Thee for their souls.”

As we see, there are words here that can also be applied to intercession for souls in hell.

These prayers make sense when they are known, just like any other prayers that a person reads in the temple, don’t they?

Certainly. There are relevant explanatory literature for people who want to know the rich treasure Orthodox worship. After all, in fact, it is unreasonable to stand at the rich table, which belongs to you by right, which has been laid for you and where you are invited every day, but, citing being busy, the incomprehensibility of the texts, or whatever else, stubbornly eat stale and moldy crusts.

Practice shows that many parishioners are exactly the same ones you spoke about: diligent, conscious, constant, with great joy welcome the return of kneeling prayers to liturgical life.

Every bow to the ground is a reminder of both the Fall and the rebirth of man through the Resurrection of Christ.

Yes. Kneeling returns us to the usual rhythm of bowing rules accepted in church communication. However, we must remember: we are not on our knees all the time during the service. Even after Pentecost. When it comes to bowing, what does it mean? Its symbolic meaning is a reminder of man's restoration in Christ. We fall to our knees, showing our fall. Moral decline. But we get up from our knees, because Christ called us to get up from them. And this is the path of our whole life: we fall and get up, fall and get up. Therefore, bowing is included in prayer rule Orthodox man, into the daily rule, and if we look at the rule of the morning and evening prayers, : “And bow down as much as you want.” That is, as many times as you feel your unworthiness, you make these bows and just as many times you hope for God’s mercy. Bowing is not only slavish worship, but also a moment associated with rebellion. By the way, remember: after all, “rebellion” in Greek is “anastasis”, that is, resurrection: there is something to think about, and every day. Every bow to the ground is a reminder of both the Fall and the rebirth of man through the Resurrection of Christ. And the fact that we are on our knees at Pentecost is simply an understanding that we are without God - this is who we are, and the Holy Spirit, Who descends during Pentecost, leads us to the path of salvation. If only we would not disturb Him with our sins.

Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) told us what is important to know about the Feast of the Holy Trinity.

– Vladyka, please explain what is the meaning of the Trinity Day?

– In the church liturgical tradition, this holiday is most often called Pentecost or the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, since on this day the Third Hypostasis Life-Giving Trinity– The Holy Spirit descended in the form of tongues of fire on the apostles gathered in the Upper Room of Zion. The main point This holiday is that Pentecost is the day of the founding of the Church. The events of Pentecost are the completion, the last link in the chain of economic construction of human salvation. Why Pentecost? Because in the Resurrection the Lord transforms only one human nature- the one that He Himself perceived in the Incarnation. On the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, the possibility of transformation and spiritual rebirth is taught by the Holy Spirit to all members of the Church. Thus, in the Church of Christ, the Holy Spirit realizes and assimilates to us what was accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ, namely, the salvation of man. The only condition that is required of a person is to never separate from the body of the Church, because, according to the Hieromartyr Hilarion of Verei, separating from the Church is the same as dying. And spiritual death, as we know, is much more terrible than physical death.

– Why do clergy use green vestments on Trinity Sunday?

– Green color vestments are the color of life, spiritual rebirth. The Holy Spirit comes to revive us, awaken us from sinful sleep and give us the opportunity to become children of God, if only, of course, we ourselves want this. Only that soul that participates in the grace of God begins to live a genuine, spiritual life, because in this case we can say together with the holy Apostle Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). That is why, by the way, on the days of remembrance of saints and Christ, for the sake of holy fools, green vestments are also used, since these saints, by their special feat personal life worthy to inherit eternal life in the Kingdom of Christ.

– Why are kneeling prayers read on Trinity?

– The kneeling prayers read by the clergy at Vespers on the day of Pentecost, first of all, contain special petitions for the sending down of the Holy Spirit to believers in Christ, Who is the Spirit of wisdom, reason and the fear of God (see: Is. 11:2). They are read on one’s knees for the reason that a person, realizing the baseness of his sinful fall, his spiritual helplessness and weakness, like the publican from Gospel parable, does not dare to raise his gaze upward to Heaven, but in humility kneels and turns to God, so that He would have mercy on Him and send down His saving, sanctifying grace.
In general, if we talk about the meaning of prostrations, it is worth noting that they have a very deep symbolic meaning. Each bow to the ground is a kind of mechanical sequential movement “down-up”, and this movement is an image of a person’s spiritual life. By committing a sin, we in a sense fall, become “down to earth,” but at the same time we are called by the Church to rise up every time after a spiritual fall, repenting of our own sins. We perform special kneeling prayers precisely on the day of Pentecost because Who, if not the Holy Spirit, knows the depths human hearts(see Rom. 8:15–16)? Only He can guide us to the only possible path of salvation. One thing is required of us: not to interfere with Him in this matter.

Recorded by Natalya Goroshkova

Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) told us what is important to know about the Feast of the Holy Trinity.

– Vladyka, please explain what is the meaning of the Trinity Day?

– In the church liturgical tradition, this holiday is most often called Pentecost or the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, since on this day the Third Hypostasis of the Life-Giving Trinity - the Holy Spirit - descended in the form of tongues of fire on the apostles gathered in the Upper Room of Zion. The main essence of this holiday is that Pentecost is the day of the founding of the Church. The events of Pentecost are the completion, the last link in the chain of economic construction of human salvation. Why Pentecost? Because in the Resurrection the Lord transforms only one human nature - that which He Himself assumed in the Incarnation. On the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, the possibility of transformation and spiritual rebirth is taught by the Holy Spirit to all members of the Church. Thus, in the Church of Christ, the Holy Spirit realizes and assimilates to us what was accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ, namely, the salvation of man. The only condition that is required of a person is to never separate from the body of the Church, because, according to the Hieromartyr Hilarion of Verei, separating from the Church is the same as dying. And spiritual death, as we know, is much more terrible than physical death.

– Why do clergy use green vestments on Trinity Sunday?

– The green color of vestments is the color of life, spiritual rebirth. The Holy Spirit comes to revive us, awaken us from sinful sleep and give us the opportunity to become children of God, if only, of course, we ourselves want this. Only that soul that participates in the grace of God begins to live a genuine, spiritual life, because in this case we can say together with the holy Apostle Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). That is why, by the way, on the days of remembrance of saints and Christ, green vestments are also used for the sake of holy fools, since these saints, through a special feat of their personal lives, were honored to inherit eternal life in the Kingdom of Christ.

– Why are kneeling prayers read on Trinity?

– The kneeling prayers read by the clergy at Vespers on the day of Pentecost, first of all, contain special petitions for the sending down of the Holy Spirit to believers in Christ, Who is the Spirit of wisdom, reason and the fear of God (see: Is. 11:2). They are read on one’s knees for the reason that a person, realizing the baseness of his sinful fall, his spiritual helplessness and weakness, like the publican from the Gospel parable, does not dare to raise his gaze upward, to Heaven, but in humility turns to God on his knees, so that He had mercy on Him and sent down His saving, sanctifying grace.
In general, if we talk about the meaning of prostrations, it is worth noting that they have a very deep symbolic meaning. Each bow to the ground is a kind of mechanical sequential movement “down-up”, and this movement is an image of a person’s spiritual life. By committing a sin, we in a sense fall, become “down to earth,” but at the same time we are called by the Church to rise up every time after a spiritual fall, repenting of our own sins. We perform special kneeling prayers precisely on the day of Pentecost because Who, if not the Holy Spirit, knows the depths of human hearts (see Rom. 8:15–16)? Only He can guide us to the only possible path of salvation. One thing is required of us: not to interfere with Him in this matter.

Recorded by Natalya Goroshkova

Great and eternal God, holy and loving of mankind, who has deigned us even at this hour to stand before Your unapproachable glory to sing and praise Your wonders! Have mercy on us, Thy unworthy servants, and grant grace, with a contrite heart, without hesitation to offer Thee the thrice-holy praise and thanksgiving for Thy great gifts that Thou hast performed and always performs for us. Remember, Lord, our weakness and do not destroy us with our iniquities, but create Your great mercy with our humility, so that, having escaped the darkness of sin, we walk in the day of righteousness and, having put on the armor of light, remain protected from all harmful wiles of the evil one and with with boldness we glorified You for everything, the only true and man-loving God. For how truly and truly great, Lord of all and Creator, is Your mystery: both the disintegration for the time of Your creations, and after that the union and rest for ever! We give You gratitude for everything: for our entry into this world and for our departure from it, which, according to Your false promise, strengthens our hopes for resurrection and incorruptible life, which we will enjoy at Your second future coming. For You are the Forerunner of our resurrection, and the incorruptible and humane-loving Judge of those who lived, and the Lord and Lord of reward, and the One who, like us, became partaker of flesh and blood out of extreme condescension, and our innocent passions, deigning to voluntarily experience them, accepted in His deepest way mercy, and in what He Himself endured, being tempted, He became a voluntary helper for us, the tempted, and therefore brought us all together into His dispassion. Accept, O Lord, our prayers and supplications and give rest to all our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, children, other relatives and people of the same tribe, and all the souls who have previously rested in the hope of resurrection and eternal life , and place their spirits and names in the book of life, in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in the land of the living, in the Kingdom of Heaven, in the sweet paradise, introducing them all through Your bright Angels into Your holy abodes, resurrecting our bodies together on the day which You have appointed according to Your holy and unfaithful promises. This is not death for Your servants, Lord, when we move away from the body and return to You, God, but it is only a migration from something more painful to something better and more pleasant, to peace and joy. If in any way we have sinned before You, be merciful to us and to them, since no one is clean from filth before You, even if his life lasted for one day, except You alone, who appeared on earth sinless, our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we all hope to receive mercy and remission of sins. Therefore, for us and for them, as a good and humane God, relax, let go, forgive our sins, voluntary and involuntary, committed consciously and out of ignorance, obvious and hidden, in deed, in thought, in word, in our entire way of life and spiritual movements. And grant freedom and relief to those who have died, but bless us who are here, giving us a good and peaceful death, as well as all Your people, and revealing the depths of Your mercy and love for mankind to us at Your terrible and terrible coming, and make us worthy of Your Kingdom .