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 The
Great Cycle of Life
The life of an Orthodox Christian
can be seen as being composed of five cycles. There is, first of all,
the great cycle of life, which embraces the whole life of a man from birth
to death, and which consists in liturgical actions which are not repeated,
occuring only once in a person's lifetime. These are Holy Baptism, Holy
Chrismation, and the Burial Service. |
The Daily Cycle
Another major cycle which involves the entire life of an Orthodox Christian
is the daily cycle of prayers and praises offered by the Church, once
every twenty-four hours. These services express our remembrance of events
which happened at certain hours and contain petitions relevant to these
memories. In antiquity the day was considered to begin at sunset and thus
was divided according to the following order. |
The  Weekly
Cycle
Each day of the Weekly Cycle is
dedicated to certain special memorials. Sunday is dedicated to Christ's
Resurrection; Monday honors the Holy Bodiless Powers (Angels, Archangels,
etc.); Tuesday is dedicated to the prophets and especially the greatest
of the Prophets, St. John the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord; Wednesday
is consecrated to the Cross and recalls Judas' betrayal... |
The Annual Cycle of Feasts
The yearly cycle of Movable Feasts is that centered around Holy Pascha
and is called movable because, being linked with the Feast of Feasts,
it shifts from year to year as Pascha itself falls on a different date
each year. The Feasts which comprise this cycle are Palm Sunday (the Sunday
before Pascha), Holy Ascension (the fortieth day after Pascha) and Holy
Pentecost (the Descent of the Holy Spirit - the fiftieth day after Pascha).
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The Divine Liturgy
 The
Divine Liturgy has its origins in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist,
instituted by the Lord Himself: Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread
the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where will You have us prepare
for You to eat the Passover?" He said, "Go into the city to
a certain one, and say to him, 'The Teacher says. My time is at hand;
I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples." And the
disciples did as Jesus, had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.
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