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Ερώτηση:
Αγαπητέ πάτερ,
Είμαι ιεροψάλτης από την Ρόδο και βρήκα τη διεύθυνσή σας από την ωραία
ιστοσελίδα σας στο διαδίκτυο. Θα ήθελα να σας υποβάλω ένα ερώτημα
λειτουργικής τάξεως.
Σε περίπτωση που κάποιος πιστός προσκομίσει εόρτια κόλλυβα στο ναό σε
μνήμη μη επισήμως εορταζομένου αγίου κατά την οποία τελείται καθημερινός
και όχι εορταστικός όρθρος σε ποιο σημείο της ακολουθίας του όρθρου θα
γίνει η ευλόγηση των κολλύβων; Μετά τη μικρά δοξολογία ή στο τέλος προ της
απολύσεως;
Δεν αναφέρω την πιθανότητα η ευλόγηση να γίνει στη θεία λειτουργία διότι
αυτή είναι πιθανόν να μην τελείται.
Ευχαριστώ πολύ.
Π. Π.
Translation of
Question:
Dear
Father,
I am a chanter
from Rhodes and found your address from your wonderful website on the
internet. I would like to put a question to you concerning a matter of
liturgical order. If, during the singing of Daily Mattins (and not the
usual Mattins for a feast), one of the faithful brings Kolyva for the
commemoration of a lesser known saint who is not officially celebrated, at
which part of the service should the Priest bless the Kolyva: after the
small doxology or just before the end before the dismissal? I don’t
mention the possibility of the blessing being done during the Divine
Liturgy because of the possibility of the Liturgy not being served.
Thank you
P.P.
Answer to Question 7:
Dear
P.
Your
question is difficult to answer because I have never been brought Kolyva
in the situation that you mention, but let’s look at it with some logic.
The only period where Mattins is sung without the Divine Liturgy is during
Great Lent where, apart from the Liturgy of the Presanctified, it is
forbidden to serve the Divine Liturgy except on Saturdays and Sundays.
During these mournful days the celebration of saint-days is not allowed
and all feasts are moved to the nearest Saturday or Sunday. On all other
days of the year (except Wednesday and Friday of Cheeseweek) the Divine
Liturgy is always served. Of course, in monasteries after Mattins, they
read the Hours and then begins the Divine Liturgy. In parishes, we do not
serve the Liturgy everyday, but only on the Great Feasts, the Feasts of
the well known saints and a few of the lesser known saints when we have
faithful who observe these feasts. The only time I can imagine that would
justify serving only Mattins, without the Liturgy, is in Churches where
the Priest is by himself without the help of a chanter. Let us therefore
hypothetically say that a reverent Priest is in the habit of singing
Mattins everyday by himself and someone brings him Kolyva to commemorate
the memory of a certain saint: when should he bless them?
I believe that your question has
been influenced by the circumstances
when some bring loaves for the Blessing of Bread (Artoklasia) in the
morning and not during Vespers and in which it is recommended that the
blessing be done after the Great Doxology and not at the end of the Divine
Liturgy. This is done as a dispensation, because the correct place for the
Blessing of Bread (if we exclude that it is anticipated only when there is
an All-night Vigil) is towards the end of Great vespers. The blessing is
also done as a dispensation after the Great Doxology of Mattins, not
because it has any bearings with the Doxology, but because it is the last
thing that the faithful hear before the onset of the Divine Liturgy. Thus,
I believe that the blessing of the Kolyva during the Daily Mattins should
be done in the same way, in other words, not after the small doxology,
because with Daily Mattins the service still has a continuance, but just
before the dismissal. By dispensation, both the blessing of bread and the
Kolyva are blessed at the end of Mattins even if the Divine Liturgy is to
follow straight after, because after the Divine Liturgy, it would be
wrong, from a theological point of view, to offer any other prayers other
than the Prayers of Thanksgiving. The Divine Liturgy is the most perfect
prayer that we can offer and which is offered to us. To offer other things
at the end only diminishes what is perfect. The Priest, with tact, must
teach his flock that the custom, which prevails in many places, of
commemorating the names of those who observe the feast at the end of the
Divine Liturgy is wrong. At first, they will react negatively, thinking
that the Priest is trying to abolish their reverent customs, but in time
they will come to
accept the new rule and even embrace
it as their established custom. During the past
few years, we in Limassol have abolished the commemoration of names and
the Blessing of Bread and Kolyva at the end of the Divine Liturgy. The
Blessing of Bread is always done during Vespers and commemoration of the
names of those who observe the feast during the Vespers petitions “Let us
all say with our whole soul, and with our whole mind, let us say” and
again during the Divine Liturgy during the petitions “Let us all say with
our whole soul, and with our whole mind, let us say” and then after this
only what belongs the Divine Liturgy proper.
Of course there are always exceptions when special needs enforce them, for
instance, in villages where they don’t have a permanent priest and
therefore don’t serve Vespers but only Mattins and the Divine Liturgy. In
general though, the people have learnt not to bring breads and Kolyva in
the morning. But if by chance someone does bring after the start of the
Divine Liturgy, then the Priest is obliged to bless them. If they bring
breads then after the “Behind the Pulpit Prayer” the chanter sings the
hymn for the saint, then Glory… and again the same hymn and then the
Priest shall say Now and forever… and the Hymn “O Virgin Mother of God…”
and then the prayer for the blessing of the Five Loaves without the
petitions “Have mercy upon us O God..” Similarly with the Kolyva, he shall
say the prayer for the Kolyva without any other petitions.
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