Prayer at home is not much different from prayer in church. The only exception is that it is allowed to commemorate all people, without exception, regardless of their religious affiliation. In church it is customary to pray for “our own people” and only mentally, so as not to disturb others. You can pray out loud at home, provided that it does not annoy your relatives. You need to become fully dressed for prayer. It is advisable for women to have a scarf on their heads and wear a dress or skirt.
Why pray at home?A conversation with the Lord can be conducted both in your own words and in ready-made “formulas” developed long before us by many generations of believers. Classic prayers are contained in the “Prayer Book” (“Canon”). You can buy it at any religious literature store. “Prayer books” can be short (containing the minimum necessary prayers), complete (intended for priests) and... ordinary (which contain everything that is needed for a true believer).
If you want to pray for real, pay attention to the fact that your “Prayer Book” contains:
- morning and evening (for bedtime) prayers;
- daytime (before the beginning and end of any task, before and after eating food, etc.);
- canons by day of the week and “Canon of repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ”;
- Akathists (“To Our Sweetest Lord Jesus Christ”, “To the Most Holy Theotokos”, etc.);
- “Following to Holy Communion...” and prayers read after it.
In addition to the Prayer Book, you can purchase the Psalter for home prayer. In Orthodox practice, reading one hundred and fifty psalms must be done in a week. It is customary to read the Psalter twice during Lent. At “Slava...” there is a commemoration of the living and the dead. Orthodox Christian can read the Psalter at the tomb of the deceased.
Reading the Psalter is a serious and responsible thing. Before you go, you should get permission from the priest.
Prayer Rule
Each of us is at our own point on the long path to the Lord. Each of us has our own time and physical capabilities for prayer. Accordingly, there is no single prayer rule for everyone. Each person should pray as much as he can. How much exactly? This must be determined by the priest.
Ideally, each of us should definitely read morning and evening prayers. They are necessary to protect the soul during the day (morning) and night (evening) from evil forces and people. Those who start their working day very early or, conversely, finish it too late and do not have either the time or energy to read the entire morning or evening rule, can limit themselves to basic prayers: for example, in the morning read “Our Father”, “Have mercy on me” , God ..” (fiftieth psalm) and “Creed”, in the evening - the prayer of St. John Chrysostom, “May God rise ...” and “Everyday confession of sins.”
If you have free time and desire, you can read the corresponding canons every day: for example, on Monday you pray to your Guardian Angel, Archangels and Angels, on Tuesday you pray to John the Baptist, on Wednesday you pray to the Most Holy Theotokos, etc. Reading the Psalter also depends on your capabilities, desires and time.
Prayer before and after meals is mandatory.
How to pray before communion?
The answer to this question is usually contained in the Prayer Book. We will just remind you: all prayers performed before Communion are read at home, on the eve of the sacrament. On the eve of Communion, you must attend the evening service, after which you can begin to pray with a calm soul. Before Communion you must read:
- “Following to Holy Communion...”;
- three canons: penitential, Guardian Angel and the Most Holy Theotokos;
- one of the akathists;
- full evening prayers.
Home prayer is performed in front of the icons, standing, with the sign of the cross and bows from the waist. If desired, you can bow to the ground or pray on your knees.
During prayer, it is advisable not to be distracted by extraneous matters - telephone calls, a whistling kettle, flirting with pets.
If you are very tired and have a great desire to pray, you are allowed to pray while sitting. The Psalter, with the exception of the “Glory...” and the prayers closing the kathisma, is also read while sitting.
Despite the fact that prayer requires a certain concentration and attention, it is also useful to pray through strength. Our brain may not perceive what we read, but the soul will definitely hear everything and receive its portion of divine grace.
The book “The Most Necessary Prayers” should be in every home, in every family and should always be at hand. Sincere and constant prayer is not easy work, but even the most difficult path begins with the first step! Let this first step on the path to an open and reverent conversation with the Spirit who creates the Universe be reading this book.
* * *
The given introductory fragment of the book The most necessary prayers that should always be at hand (Collection, 2013) provided by our book partner - the company liters.
Prayers throughout the day
Prayer before leaving home
I deny you, Satan, your pride and service to you, and I unite with you, Christ, in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. (Protect yourself with the sign of the cross)
Prayer of the last Optina elders
Lord, let me meet with peace of mind everything that the coming day will bring me. Let me completely surrender to Your holy will. For every hour of this day, instruct and support me in everything. Whatever news I receive during the day, teach me to accept it with with a calm soul and the firm conviction that everything is Your holy will. Lord, guide my thoughts and feelings in all my words and deeds. In all unforeseen cases, do not let me forget that everything was sent down by You. Teach me to act directly and wisely with each member of my family, without confusing or upsetting anyone. Lord, give me strength to endure the fatigue of the coming day and all the events during the day. Guide my will and teach me to repent, pray, believe, hope, endure, forgive and love everyone. Amen.
Prayers for the well-being of children
Prayer to the Savior for children throughout the day
Lord Jesus Christ, awaken Your mercy on my children (names), keep them under Your roof, cover them from all evil lust, drive away from them every enemy and adversary, open their ears and the eyes of their hearts, grant tenderness and humility to their hearts. Lord, we are all Your creation, have pity on my children (names) and turn them to repentance. Save, O Lord, and have mercy on my children (names) and enlighten their minds with the light of the mind of Your Gospel, and guide them on the path of Your commandments, and teach them, O Savior, to do Your will, for You are our God.
First prayer (Kazan Ambrosievskaya stauropegial women's desert)
Sweetest Jesus, God of my heart! You gave me children according to the flesh, they are Yours according to the soul; You redeemed both my soul and theirs with Your priceless blood; For the sake of Your Divine blood, I beg You, my Sweetest Savior: with Your grace, touch the hearts of my children (names) and my godchildren (names), protect them with Your Divine fear, keep them from bad inclinations and habits, direct them to the bright path of life, truth and goodness, decorate their lives with everything good and saving, arrange their fate as You yourself want and save their souls in the image of fate. Lord God of our fathers! Give to my children (names) and my godsons (names) a right heart to keep Your commandments, Your revelations and Your statutes and to fulfill all this. God! To the Creator of all creatures, adding mercy to mercy, You have made me worthy to be the mother of a family; Your goodness has given me children, and I dare to say: they are Your children! Because You gave them existence, revived them with an immortal soul, revived them through baptism for a life in accordance with Your will, adopted them and accepted them into the bosom of Your Church. God! Keep them in a state of grace until the end of their lives; grant them to be partakers of the sacraments of Your Covenant; sanctify by Thy truth; may he be holy in them and through them holy name Yours! Grant me Your gracious help in raising them for the glory of Your name and the benefit of your neighbor! Give me methods, patience and strength for this purpose! Teach me to plant in their hearts the root of true wisdom - Thy fear! Illuminate them with the light of the ruling universe of Your Wisdom! May they love You with all their souls and all their thoughts, may they cleave to You with all their hearts and may they tremble at Your words throughout their entire lives! Grant me the wisdom to convince them that true life consists in keeping Your commandments; that work, strengthened by piety, brings serene contentment in this life and ineffable bliss in eternity. Open to them the understanding of Your law! May they act in the feeling of Your omnipresence until the end of their days! Plant in their hearts horror and disgust from all lawlessness, may they be blameless in their ways, may they always remember that You are the All-Good God, a zealot of Your law and righteousness! Keep them in chastity and reverence for Your name! Let them not discredit Your Church by their behavior, but let them live according to its instructions! Inspire them with a desire for useful teaching and make them capable of every good deed! May they acquire a true understanding of those objects whose information is necessary in their condition; may they be enlightened with knowledge beneficial to humanity. God! Manage me to impress with indelible marks on the minds and hearts of my children the fear of alliances with those who do not know Thy fear, to instill in them every possible distance from any alliance with the lawless. May they not listen to rotten conversations, may they not listen to frivolous people, may they not be led astray by bad examples from Your path, may they not be tempted by the fact that sometimes the path of the lawless is successful in this world! Heavenly Father! Grant me the grace to take every possible care to tempt my children with my actions, but, constantly bearing in mind their behavior, to distract them from errors, correct their mistakes, curb their stubbornness and obstinacy, refrain from striving for vanity and frivolity; Let them not be carried away by foolish thoughts, let them not follow their hearts, let them not become proud in their thoughts, let them not forget You and Your law. May iniquity not destroy their mind and health, may sins not weaken their mental and physical strength. Righteous Judge, who punishes children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generation, turn away such punishment from my children, do not punish them for my sins, but sprinkle them with the dew of Thy grace, that they may prosper in virtue and holiness, and may they grow in Thy favor and love. pious people. Father of generosity and all mercy! According to my parental feeling, I would wish for my children every abundance of earthly blessings, I would wish them blessings from the dew of heaven and from the fatness of the earth, but may Thy holy will be with them! Arrange their fate according to Your good pleasure, do not deprive them of their daily bread in life, send down to them everything they need in time to acquire a blissful eternity; be merciful to them when they sin before You; do not impute to them the sins of their youth and their ignorance, bring their hearts into contrition when they resist the guidance of Your goodness; Punish them and have mercy, directing them to a path pleasing to You, but do not reject them from Your presence! Accept their prayers with favor, grant them success in every good deed, do not turn Your face away from them in the days of their sorrow, so that temptations beyond their strength may not befall them, Overshadow them with Your mercy, may Your Angel walk with them and protect them from all misfortune and evil path, All-merciful God! Make me a mother who rejoices over her children, so that they will be my joy in the days of my life and my support in my old age. Honor me, with trust in Your mercy, to appear with them at Your Last Judgment and with unworthy boldness to say: “Here I am and my children whom You gave me, Lord!” Yes, together with them glorifying the ineffable goodness and eternal love Yours, I extol Your most holy name, Father, Son and Holy Soul, forever and ever.
Second prayer, for the warrior
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, hear me, unworthy of a servant (name). Lord, in Your merciful power are my children, Your servants (names). Have mercy and save them, for Thy name's sake. Lord, forgive them all the sins, voluntary and involuntary, that they committed before You. Lord, guide them true path Enlighten your commandments and your mind with the light of Christ for the salvation of the soul and the healing of the body. Lord, bless them at home, at school, on the road, and in every place of Your dominion. Lord, protect them under Your holy shelter from a flying bullet, poison, fire, from a deadly ulcer and vain death. Lord, protect them from all visible and invisible enemies, from all illness, cleanse them from all filth and ease their mental suffering. Lord, grant them the grace of Your Holy Spirit for many years of life, health, chastity. Lord, multiply and strengthen them mental abilities and the bodily strength You bestowed on them, Your blessing on the pious and, if You please, family life and shameless childbearing. Lord, grant me, Thy unworthy and sinful servant (name), a parental blessing on my children and Thy servant at this time of morning, day, night for the sake of Thy name, for Thy Kingdom is eternal, omnipotent and omnipotent.
Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You! Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.
Prayer to the Mother of God
O Most Holy Lady Virgin Theotokos, save and preserve under Your shelter my children (names), all youths, young women and infants, baptized and nameless and carried in their mother’s womb. Cover them with the robe of Your motherhood, keep them in the fear of God and in obedience to their parents, pray to my Lord and Your Son to grant them what is useful for their salvation. I entrust them to Your maternal supervision, for You are the Divine Protection of Your servants. Mother of God, lead me into the image of Your heavenly motherhood. Heal the mental and physical wounds of my children (names) caused by my sins. I entrust my child entirely to my Lord Jesus Christ and Your, Most Pure, heavenly protection. Amen.
Prayers for prosperity in business and teaching
Prayer before starting any work pleasing to God and useful to people.
Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything, Treasure of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, our souls. Amen.
Prayer to the Savior before starting a good deed
Lord Jesus Christ, our God, accept our earnest prayer and bless good intentions and begin the work of your servants (name) safely, and complete it without any obstacle to your glory. Make haste as a worker and correct the works of your hands, and hasten to complete them by the power of your Most Holy Spirit! For it is yours to have mercy and save us, our God, and we send up glory to you, with your beginningless Father, and your most holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Prayers at the end of any task
The fulfillment of all good things You are, my Christ, fill my soul with joy and gladness and save me, For I am the only One who is most merciful. Amen.
Psalm 37 (read when things go wrong)
Lord, do not reprove me with Your wrath; do not punish me with Your wrath. As Thy arrows have struck me, and Thou hast strengthened Thy hand upon me. There is no healing in my flesh from the face of Your wrath, there is no peace in my bones from the face of my sin. For my iniquities have exceeded my head, for a heavy burden is heavy upon me. My wounds have grown stale and rotten because of my madness. I suffered and sloshed to the end, walking around complaining all day. For my body is filled with reproach and there is no healing in my flesh. I would become embittered and humbled to death, roaring from the sighing of my heart. Lord, before You all my desire and my sighing are not hidden from You. My heart is confused, my strength has left me, and the light of my eyes has left me, and that one is not with me. My friends and my sincere ones have come close to me and stasha, and my neighbors are far away from me, stasha and needy, seeking my soul, and seeking evil for me, a vain verb and a flatterer, I have been learning all day long. As if I were deaf and did not hear, and because I was dumb and did not open my mouth. And as a man he would not hear, nor would he have reproach in his mouth. For in You, O Lord, I have trusted; You will hear, O Lord my God. As if he said: “Let my enemies never make me happy; and never can my feet move, but you speak against me.” As if I am ready for wounds, and my illness is before me. For I will proclaim my iniquity and take care of my sin. My enemies live and have become stronger than me, and have multiplied, hating me without truth. Those who repay me evil with a cart of good have slandered me, driving away goodness. Do not forsake me, O Lord my God, do not depart from me. Come to my help, O Lord of my salvation.
Psalm 131 (when the ruler is angry)
Remember, O Lord, David and all his meekness: as they swear to the Lord, having promised to the God of Jacob: if I go into the village of my house, or go up to my bed, if I give sleep to my eyes and slumber to my every side, and peace to my soul, until I find a place O Lord, a dwelling for the God of Jacob. Behold, I heard in Euphrath, I found in the oak fields. Let us go into His villages and worship the place where His nose stood. Rise, O Lord, into Thy rest, Thou and Thy holy ark. Your priests will be clothed with righteousness, and Your saints will rejoice. For the sake of Thy servant, David, do not turn away the face of Thy anointed one. The Lord has sworn to David in truth, and will not repudiate it: I will plant the fruit of your body on your throne. If your sons keep My covenant and these My testimonies, which I will teach, then their sons will sit on your throne forever. Because the Lord has chosen Zion, bring it into His dwelling place. This is my peace forever and ever, here I will dwell as if I please. I will bless his catch, I will satisfy his poor, I will clothe his priests with salvation, and his saints will rejoice with joy. There I will make the horn of David grow; I will prepare a lamp for my anointed one. I will clothe his enemies with cold, and on it my shrine will flourish.
Prayer for the preservation of crops and gardens
We pray to Thee, Master: hear our prayer, that by Thy mercy our crops and gardens, now justly destroyed for our sins and suffering real disaster, from birds, worms, mice, moles and other animals, will be delivered, for the glory of Thy name, and far driven from this place by Your power, let them not harm anyone, but let these fields, and waters, and gardens be left in complete peace, so that everything growing and born in them will serve Your glory and help our needs, for all the Angels glorify You and We bring glory to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Prayers before the icons of the Mother of God “Spreader of the Loaves”
O Most Holy Virgin Theotokos, Merciful Lady, Queen of Heaven and earth, every Christian home and family, Blesser of those who work, those in need of inexhaustible wealth, the orphans and widows, and the Nurse of all people! To our Nourisher, who gave birth to the Nourisher of the Universe and the Spreader of our breads: You, Lady, send Your Motherly blessing to our city, villages and fields, and to every house that has hope in You. Moreover, with reverent awe and a contrite heart, we humbly pray to Thee: be also a wise Housebuilder for us, Thy sinful and unworthy servants, who organizes our lives well. Keep every community, every home and family in piety and Orthodoxy, like-mindedness, obedience and contentment. Feed the poor and needy, support old age, educate babies, instruct everyone to sincerely cry out to the Lord: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Save, Most Pure Mother, Your people from all need, illness, famine, destruction, hail, fire, from all evil conditions and all disorder. Grant peace and great mercy to our monastery, to the homes and families and to every Christian soul and to our entire country, so that we glorify Thee, our most merciful Nourisher and Nurse, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
To the Prophet of God Elijah (during drought)
O most praiseworthy and wonderful prophet of God, Elijah, who shone upon the earth with your life equal to the angels, with your most ardent zeal for the Lord God Almighty, also with glorious signs and wonders, also, by the extreme favor of God towards you, prenaturally caught up on a chariot of fire with your flesh to Heaven, vouchsafed converse with the Savior of the world who was transfigured on Tabor, and now remain unceasingly in their heavenly villages and stand before the Throne of the Heavenly King! Hear us, sinners and indecent ones (names), at this hour standing before your holy icon and diligently resorting to your intercession. Pray for us to the Lover of Mankind, God, that He may give us a spirit of repentance and contrition for our sins and, by His omnipotent grace, help us to leave the paths of wickedness, and to succeed in every good work; may he strengthen us in the fight against our passions and lusts; may the spirit of humility and meekness, the spirit of brotherly love and kindness, the spirit of patience and chastity, the spirit of zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of our neighbors, implant into our hearts. Abolish with your prayers, prophet, the evil customs of the world, and especially the destructive and pernicious spirit of this age, infecting the Christian race with disrespect for the Divine Orthodox faith, for the charter of the Holy Church and for the commandments of the Lord, disrespect for parents and those in power, and casting people into the abyss of wickedness , corruption and destruction. Turn away from us, most wonderfully prophesied, by your intercession the righteous wrath of God and deliver all the cities and villages of our Fatherland from rainlessness and famine, from terrible storms and earthquakes, from deadly plagues and diseases, from the invasion of enemies and internecine warfare. Strengthen with your prayers, O glorious one, those who hold our power in the great and difficult task of governing the people, prosper them in all good deeds and undertakings for the establishment of peace and truth in our country. Help the Christ-loving army in battle with our enemies. Ask, prophet of God, from the Lord for our shepherds holy zeal for God, heartfelt concern for the salvation of the flock, wisdom in teaching and management, piety and strength in temptations, ask the judges for impartiality and selflessness, righteousness and compassion for the offended, for all those in authority to care for their subordinates, mercy and justice as a judge, to subordinates submission and obedience to authority and diligent fulfillment of their duties; Yes, having lived in peace and piety in this world, we will be worthy to partake of eternal blessings in the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to Him due honor and worship with His beginningless Father and the Most Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Prayers before teaching
Blessed Lord! Send down to us the grace of Your Holy Spirit, bestowing and strengthening our spiritual strength, so that by listening to the teaching taught to us, we may grow to You, our Creator, for glory, as our parent for consolation, for the benefit of the Church and the Fatherland. Amen.
Prayer after teaching
We thank You, Creator, for You have made us worthy of Your grace to listen to the teaching. Bless our leaders, parents and teachers, who lead us to the knowledge of good, and give us strength and strength to continue this teaching. Amen.
Prayer to the Savior for children who have difficulty learning
Lord Jesus Christ, our God, truly dwelling in the hearts of the twelve apostles and by the power of the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, who descended in the form of tongues of fire, and opened their mouths, so that they began to speak in other dialects! Lord Jesus Christ Himself, our God, send down Your Holy Spirit on this child (name) and plant in his heart the Holy Scripture, which Your most pure hand inscribed on the tablets of the lawgiver Moses, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Prayers for pride and vanity
"You, my Savior..."
You, my Savior, Who, out of obedience, for thirty years in Nazareth obeyed Your Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the guardian of Her virginity Joseph, and upon entering into the work of Your great service, you were obedient to the will of Your Father even to death, death on the cross, make me, following Your example, obey in everything You placed over me and fulfill everything You commanded in the law and the Gospel, so that my whole life would be continuous obedience, which would make me a worthy participant in Your grace in this life and Your glory in the life to come.
Prayer requests to the Savior St. Silouan of Athos
Lord, give me Your humble spirit, so that I may not lose Your grace and not begin to weep for it, as Adam wept for paradise and God. Lord, You are Merciful; tell me what should I do to humble my soul? Lord, grant us the gift of Your holy humility. Lord, grant us your humble Holy Spirit, just as you came to save people and take them to heaven so that they may see your glory. Most Holy Mother of the Lord, ask, O Merciful One, for us a humble spirit. All Saints, you live in heaven and see the glory of the Lord, and your spirit rejoices - pray that we too may be with you.
Prayer to the Savior St. John of Kronstadt
Lord, do not let me dream of myself as being the best of any of the people, but think of myself as the worst of all and not condemn anyone, but judge myself strictly. Amen.
Saint Righteous John of Kronstadt
O great servant of Christ, holy and righteous Father John of Kronstadt, wondrous shepherd, quick helper and merciful representative! Raising praise to the triune God, you prayerfully cried out: “Your name is Love: do not reject me who is erring. Your name is Strength: strengthen me, who is weak and falling. Your name is Light: enlighten my soul, darkened by worldly passions. Your name is Peace: pacify my restless soul. Your name is Mercy: do not cease to be merciful to me.” Now, grateful to your intercession, the all-Russian flock prays to you: Christ-named and righteous servant of God! With your love, illumine us, sinners and weaklings, grant us the ability to bear fruits worthy of repentance and to partake without condemnation of the Holy Mysteries of Christ: with your power strengthen our faith in us, support us in prayer, heal ailments and illnesses, deliver us from the misfortunes of enemies visible and invisible: with the light of your face our servants and incite the primates of the altar of Christ to the holy deeds of pastoral work, grant upbringing to an infant, instruct youth, support old age, illuminate the shrines of churches and holy monasteries: die, most wonder-working and most visionary, the peoples of our country, by the grace and gift of the Holy Spirit, deliver from internecine warfare; Collect the scattered, convert the seduced and unite the holy congregations and apostles of the Church: by your grace preserve marriage in peace and like-mindedness, grant success and blessing to the monastics in good deeds, give comfort to the faint-hearted, those suffering from unclean spirits, freedom, in the needs and circumstances of those who exist, have mercy on us all instruct the path of salvation: in Christ living, our Father John, lead us to the unevening light of eternal life, so that with you we may be worthy of eternal bliss, praising and exalting God forever and ever. Amen.
About the gift of repentance
Prayers are read in front of the icon of the Savior or in an open space, in case of irritability towards others.
Lord, grant us to see our sins, so that our mind, drawn entirely to the attention of our own sins, ceases to see the faults of our neighbors, and thus sees all our neighbors as good. Grant to our hearts to leave the destructive concern for the shortcomings of our neighbor, to unite all our concerns into one concern for the acquisition of the purity and holiness commanded and prepared for us by You. Grant to us, who have desecrated the garments of our souls, to whiten them again: they have already been washed with the waters of baptism; now, after desecration, they need to be washed with tearful waters. Grant us to see, in the light of Your grace, the various ailments living in us, destroying spiritual movements in the heart, introducing blood and carnal movements into it, hostile to the Kingdom of God. Grant us the great gift of repentance, preceded and generated by the great gift of seeing our sins. Protect us with these great gifts from the abyss of self-delusion, which opens in the soul from its unnoticed and incomprehensible sinfulness; is born from the action of unnoticed and incomprehensible voluptuousness and vanity. Protect us with these great gifts on our path to You, and grant us to reach You, who calls confessing sinners and rejects those who recognize themselves as righteous, so that we may forever praise You in eternal bliss, the One True God, the Redeemer of the captives, the Savior of the lost. Amen.
Psalm 56
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for my soul trusts in You, and I hope in the shadow of Your wing, until lawlessness will pass away. I will cry to God Most High, God who has done good to me. God sent His mercy and His truth from Heaven and saved me, and delivered my soul from the midst of the skimni. The ambassadors are confused, sons of humanity, the teeth of their weapons and arrows, and the tongue of their sword is sharp. Ascend into Heaven, O God, and Thy glory be throughout all the earth. You prepared a net for my feet and slushed my soul, digging a hole in front of my face and falling into the nude. My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready, I will sing and sing in my glory. Arise, my glory, arise, psaltery and harp, I will arise early. Let us confess to You among the people, O Lord, I will sing to You among the nations, for Your mercy has been magnified to the heavens, and even to the clouds of Your truth. Ascend into Heaven, O God, and Thy glory be throughout all the earth.
In the passion of love of money and acquisitiveness
The prayer is read in front of the icon of the Savior or in an open space, when thoughts about prosperity are overwhelming. You can pray for yourself and for your neighbor, who does not feel the sin of acquisitiveness.
Prayer to St. Ignatius Brianchaninova
Lord, You visit and accept sinners! And you raise the dead! And you command the waters of the sea, the winds of the sky! And the loaves grow miraculously in Your hands, giving a thousand-fold harvest - they are sown, reaped, baked and broken at the same time, in one instant! And You hunger to deliver us from famine! And You long for our thirst to go away! And you travel through the country of our exile, straining Yourself to return to us the calm, heavenly nature filled with sweets that we have lost! You shed Your sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane, so that we stop shedding our sweat in obtaining bread, and learn to shed it in prayers for worthy communion of the Heavenly Bread. The thorns that the cursed earth produced for us, You took upon Your head; Thou hast crowned and bruised Thy most holy head with thorns! We have lost the paradise tree of life and its fruit, which imparted immortality to those who ate. You, having prostrated yourself on the tree of the cross, became for us the fruit that bestows eternal life on your partakers. Both the fruit of life and the tree of life appeared on earth in the camp of our exile. This fruit and this tree are superior to those of paradise: they imparted immortality, and these communicated immortality and Divinity. Through Your suffering You have poured sweetness into our suffering. We reject earthly pleasures, we choose suffering as our lot, just to become partakers of Your sweetness! It is like a foretaste of eternal life, sweeter and more precious than temporary life! You fell asleep in the sleep of death, which could not keep You in eternal sleep, You - God! You rose up and gave us excitement from this dream, from the fierce sleep of death, gave us a blessed and glorious resurrection! Thou hast lifted up our renewed nature into heaven, and seated it at the right hand of the eternal, co-eternal with You, Thy Father! Our Lord! Grant us both on earth and in heaven to glorify, bless, and praise Your goodness! Grant us with a frank face to behold Your terrible, unapproachable, magnificent Glory, to behold It forever, to worship It and bliss in It. Amen.
In despair and despondency
“Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth...”
The prayer “Sovereign Lord...” in despair is read many times in front of the icon of the Savior, the Holy Trinity, or in open space.
Lord, Lord of heaven and earth, King of the ages! Deign to open the door of repentance for me, for in the pain of my heart I pray to You, the true God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Light of the world: look upon many with Your blessings and accept my prayer; do not turn him away, but forgive me, who have fallen into many sins. For I seek peace and do not find it, because my conscience does not forgive me. I am waiting for peace, but there is no peace in me because of the deep multitude of my iniquities. Hear, Lord, me, who am in despair. For I, deprived of any readiness and any thought to correct myself, fall before Your compassions: have mercy on me, cast down to the ground and condemned for my sins. Turn my cry, O Lord, into joy for me, tear apart the sackcloth and gird me with joy. And deign that I may receive peace, like Thy chosen ones, O Lord, from whom sickness, sorrow and sighing have fled, and may the door of Thy Kingdom be opened to me, so that, having entered with those who enjoy the light of Thy face, O Lord, I may receive eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord . Amen.
Prayer for deliverance from despondency, St. John of Kronstadt
The prayer is performed in front of the icon of the Savior. You can pray in an open space.
The Lord is the destruction of my despondency and the revival of my boldness. Everything is Lord for me. O truly Lord, glory to Thee! Glory to Thee, the Father Life, the Son Life, the Holy Soul Life - the Simple Being - God, who always delivers us from spiritual death, caused by passions to our souls. Glory to Thee, Trinitarian Master, for from one invocation of Thy name you enlighten the dark face of our soul and body and bestow Your peace, which surpasses all earthly and sensual good and all understanding.
Prayers before the icon of the Mother of God “Unexpected Joy”
O Most Holy Virgin, the All-Blessed Son of the All-Blessed Mother, the Patron of this city and holy temple, faithful to the Representative and Intercessor of all who are in sins, sorrows, troubles and illnesses! Accept this prayer song from us, your unworthy servants, offered up to you, and like the sinner of old, who prayed many times before your honorable icon, you did not despise him, but you granted him unexpected joy repentance and You have inclined Your Son with many and zealous petitions to Him for the forgiveness of this sinner and erring one, so even now do not despise the prayers of us, Your unworthy servants, and beseech Your Son and our God, and for all of us who bow with faith and tenderness before the Healing One in Your image, bestows unexpected joy for every need: to the church shepherd - holy zeal for the salvation of the flock; a sinner mired in the depths of evil and passions - all-effective admonition, repentance and salvation; for those who are in sorrow and sorrow - consolation; those found in troubles and bitterness - their complete excess; for the faint-hearted and unreliable - hope and patience; in the joy and contentment of those living - unceasing thanksgiving to God the Benefactor; to those in need - mercy; those who are in illness and long illness and abandoned by doctors - unexpected healing and strengthening; for those who were waiting for the mind from illness - return and renewal of the mind; those departing into eternal and endless life - memory of death, tenderness and contrition for sins, a cheerful spirit and firm hope in God's mercy. O Most Holy Lady! Have mercy on all who honor Your honorable name, and show everyone Your all-powerful protection and intercession; abide in piety, purity and honest living until their last death in goodness; create evil good things; guide misconceptions onto the right path; Make progress in every good work that is pleasing to Your Son; Destroy every evil and ungodly deed; in bewilderment and difficult and dangerous circumstances, invisible help and admonition were sent down from heaven; save from temptations, seductions and destruction; from everyone evil people protect and preserve from enemies visible and invisible; floating float; for those who travel, travel; Be the Nourisher for those in need and hunger; be the Cover and Refuge for those without shelter and shelter; Give clothes to the naked; for those who are offended and suffer from untruths - intercession; invisibly justify the slander, slander and blasphemy of those who suffer; expose slanderers and slanderers before everyone; Unexpectedly grant reconciliation to those who are bitterly at odds, and to all of us towards each other love, peace and piety and health with long life. Preserve marriages in love and like-mindedness; spouses who exist in enmity and division, die, unite to each other and establish an indestructible union of love for them; to mothers and children giving birth, grant permission quickly; educate infants, young ones to be chaste, open their minds to the perception of every useful teaching, instruct the fear of God, abstinence and hard work; Protect from domestic strife and enmity of half-bloods with peace and love. Be the Mother of motherless orphans, turn them away from every vice and filth and teach everything good and pleasing to God; those who have been seduced and fallen into sin and uncleanness, having revealed the filth of sin, bring them out of the abyss of destruction. Be the Comforter and Helper of widows, be the rod of old age. Deliver us all from sudden death without repentance, and grant us all the Christian death of our life, painless, shameless, peaceful and a good answer at the terrible judgment of Christ, having ceased in faith and repentance from this life with the angels and all the saints, create a life; To those who died a sudden death, entreat Thy Son to be merciful; for all the departed who have no relatives, who beg for the repose of your Son, be a constant and warm Prayer Book and Intercessor; Yes, everyone in heaven and on earth leads You as a firm and shameless Representative of the Christian race, glorifying You and Your Son with His Originless Father and His Consubstantial Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
End of introductory fragment.
But why in our time are the voices of the priesthood full of anxiety heard more and more often about those praying? Sincerely wanting to turn to the Lord, our intercessor and Savior in various sorrows, illnesses and needs, out of ignorance, people who are just coming to faith or who have recently come, often use prayer texts taken from magazines, collections, calendars compiled by people ignorant and indifferent to to its readers, for whom it is all the same to print - magic spells or holy prayers, as long as the publication sells out and generates income. On one page of such a publication you can see prayers, often distorted, distorted, icons are placed, Orthodox dates are consecrated, and on the other - rituals and conspiracies of white and black magic, calls of all sorts of “clairvoyants”, witches, that is, those who receive their answers from Satan, but not from God. There will also be advertisements for any courses on astrology, psychics, and so on. The publishers of this soul-destroying newspaper snatch pieces from the Orthodox Divine Service, teaching them to readers as prayers that have, as it were, “magical healing properties.” Just think what sacrilege is committed in this way!Here is what Archimandrite Georgy, the abbot of the Timashevsky Holy Spirit Monastery, writes about this in his article “Mirage of Healing?”: “I strongly advise you not to read such newspapers and especially the “prayers” that are printed in them... These prayers are combined and distorted, and often simply invented by the occultists themselves, in order to attract more inquisitive (and illiterate in Orthodoxy) readers. Illiterate Christians are carried away by such prayers because they really see in front of them a certain text in which the Name of the Lord, the Mother of God, and the saints is mentioned. , and are deceived by this."(On June 18, 2011, at about 6:00 p.m., the abbot of the Holy Spirit Monastery in Timashevsk, Schema-Archimandrite Georgy (Sava), reposed in the Lord. ed.)
In addition, such publications often contain Orthodox prayers read for various illnesses, for example, “prayers for healing hearing,” “for correcting vision,” “for skin diseases,” and so on.
Those publications that publish such prayers (supposedly for the healing of all human organs) are completely unaware that many of these prayers can only help the patient if they are read only by a clergyman, and not by the patient himself, and especially not by a “healer.” . Such newspapers take most of the prayers from the holy Breviary, which can only be used by a person who has received the sacrament of the priesthood, that is, a priest. Moreover, all those prayers taken by the “healers” from the Holy Book of Breviaries were completely distorted by them. For example, in the newspaper of Krasnodar “healers and clairvoyants” a prayer is given “for healing the brain,” but such a prayer is read only when a person has “dizzy spell,” that is, a mental illness, and not just a head illness. All these prayers are intended only for priests, and there are prayers for the laity.
In the New Testament Church, the sacrament of the priesthood was established, performed only by bishops. What is this sacrament? At the moment of its completion, the grace of the Holy Spirit descends on the one who is ordained, sanctifying and giving him spiritual power in the sacrament of repentance to forgive our sins. This power is passed down by succession from the apostles of Christ, to whom the Lord Himself gave it, sending them into the world: Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; whoever you leave it on will stay on it(John 20, 23).
There are liturgical and prayer rites compiled by the fathers of the Church of Christ. Their rites contain prayers that only priests can read. Even the deacon has no right or authority to read them. Those who do not have the priestly rank, reading such prayers, for example, to consecrate a house, to exorcise evil spirits, and others, are simply desecrated.
We commit the sin of sacrilege because we take upon ourselves a dignity that we do not have. In this regard, Archimandrite Gregory cites one very instructive case: “One young man (he lives in Timashevsk, visiting the Trinity-Sergius Lavra one day, went into a bookstore and bought a book there with the title “Servant Book” (this happened in the early 90s years). prayers that only a priest can pronounce through. short time the guy noticed that he had some kind of “warmth” in his body, a feeling of “grace”... The demon was pulling him into the trap of charm through sensual seduction. I warned this guy that if he did not stop doing this, something bad might happen to him... But this young man did not heed my instructions, insisting that through reading this book grace and the Holy Spirit would descend on him ... Soon after our conversation with him at the moment when he once again read the Priestly prayers, a demon entered into him... How much suffering and grief he brought to himself and his mother, only his mother can tell...
Here is an example of the fact that not all prayers can be read by a layman..."
What kind of recommendations and advice you won’t see in the newspapers of the so-called “traditional healers”! How to protect your home from evil and damage? It turns out that you need to walk around a house or apartment with a candle and say conspiracies (they are printed right away) that mention the name of Christ or the Virgin Mary! This will be the consecration of the house. But this is just a superstitious custom. All these councils only instill sectarian delusions among the people, bring confusion into the ranks of the newcomers, and insult the Holy Church and the clergy.
If you follow such advice, then a person should not do anything else but perform some rituals from morning to evening and read conspiracies and texts fabricated from all kinds of spiritual literature for days.
Everyone has their own responsibilities. The duties of the priest include fulfilling the requirements - prayer rites and prayers - to invoke God's help in the needs, that is, the requirements, everyday needs of Orthodox Christians - the laity.
Not a single law of Holy Scripture says that when we are sick, we turn to healers, clairvoyants, and so on for help. Only one thing is written in the Holy Scripture: “If you are sick, call the elders of the Church (that is, priests), and they say a prayer...” And only this prayer, pronounced by the priests, in combination with the great faith of the patient, can give the patient the desired healing, and “ even many forgotten sins will be forgiven him.”
Be vigilant, brothers and sisters. Now it has become fashionable to print prayers for all ailments indiscriminately in newspapers and books. Many lay people use these prayers, but this is a very big sin, since these prayers are taken from church liturgical books.
The power of prayers is proven and undeniable. However, it is important to know how to read prayers correctly so that they are effective.
What is prayer for a believer?
An integral part of any religion is prayer. Any prayer is a person’s communication with God. By using special words which come from the depths of our souls, we praise the Almighty, thank God, and ask the Lord for help and blessings for ourselves and our loved ones in earthly life.
It has been proven that prayer words can greatly influence a person’s consciousness. The clergy claim that prayer can change the life of a believer and his destiny in general. But it is not necessary to use complex prayer appeals. You can pray and in simple words. Often in this case it is possible to invest a lot of energy into prayer appeal, from which it becomes more powerful, which means it will definitely be heard by the Heavenly forces.
It has been noticed that after prayer, a believer’s soul calms down. He begins to perceive the problems that have arisen differently and quickly finds a way to solve them. True faith, which is invested in prayer, gives hope for help from above.
Sincere prayer can fill spiritual emptiness and quench spiritual thirst. A prayer appeal to the Higher Powers becomes an indispensable assistant in difficult life situations when no one can help. A believer not only receives relief, but also strives to change the situation for the better. That is, we can say that prayer awakens internal forces to cope with current circumstances.
What types of prayers are there?
Most important prayers for a believer, they are considered thanksgiving. They glorify the greatness of the almighty Lord, as well as the mercy of God and all the Saints. This type of prayer should always be read before asking the Lord for any blessings in life. Any church service begins and ends with the glorification of the Lord and the singing of his holiness. Such prayers are always mandatory during evening prayer, when gratitude is offered to God for the day.
In second place in popularity are petitionary prayers. They are a way of expressing requests for help with any mental or physical needs. The popularity of petitionary prayers is explained by human weakness. In many life situations, he is not able to cope with the problems that have arisen and he definitely needs help.
Petitionary prayers not only ensure a prosperous life, but also bring us closer to the salvation of the soul. They necessarily contain a request for forgiveness of known and unknown sins and acceptance of repentance by the Lord for unseemly actions. That is, with the help of such prayers a person cleanses the soul and fills it with sincere faith.
A sincere believer must be sure that he petitionary prayer will definitely be heard by the Lord. You need to understand that God, even without prayer, knows about the misfortunes that befell the believer and his needs. But at the same time, the Lord never takes any action, leaving the believer the right to choose. A true Christian must offer his petition by repenting of his sins. Only a prayer that includes words of repentance and a specific request for help will be heard by the Lord or other heavenly Heavenly Powers.
There are also separate prayers of repentance. Their purpose is that with their help the believer frees the soul from sins. After such prayers, spiritual relief always comes, which is due to liberation from painful experiences about committed unrighteous acts.
A prayer of repentance involves a person’s sincere repentance. It must come from the depths of the heart. In such cases, people often pray with tears in their eyes. Such a prayerful appeal to God can save the soul from the most serious sins that interfere with life. Repentance prayers, cleansing a person’s soul, allow him to move further along life path, gain peace of mind and acquire new mental strength for new achievements for good. Use this type The clergy recommend prayer requests as often as possible.
Prayers that are written in Old Church Slavonic are very difficult to read in the original. If this is done mechanically, then such appeals to God are unlikely to be effective. In order to convey a prayer to God, you need to fully understand the meaning of the prayer text. Therefore, it is hardly worth bothering yourself with reading prayers in church language. You can simply listen to them by attending a church service.
It is important to understand that any prayer will be heard only if it is conscious. If you decide to use the canonical prayer in the original, then you first need to familiarize yourself with its semantic translation into modern language or ask the priest to explain its meaning in accessible words.
If you constantly pray at home, then be sure to organize a red corner for this. There you need to install icons and put church candles, which will need to be lit during prayer. It is permissible to read prayers from a book, but it is much more effective to read them by heart. This will allow you to concentrate as much as possible and invest stronger energy in your prayer appeal. You shouldn't stress too much about this. If prayers become a rule, then it will not be difficult to remember them.
What actions accompany Orthodox prayer?
Very often, believers have a question about what additional actions strengthen prayer. If you are at a church service, then the most best advice What can be done is to carefully monitor the actions of the priest and other worshipers.
If everyone around is kneeling or crossing themselves, then you need to do the same. Indicative for repetition are all the actions of the priests, who always conduct services in accordance with church rules.
There are three types of church bows that are used when offering prayers:
- A simple bow of the head. It is never accompanied by the sign of the cross. Used in words in prayers: “we fall down”, “we worship”, “the grace of the Lord”, “the blessing of the Lord”, “peace to all”. In addition, you need to bow your head if the priest blesses not with the Cross, but with his hand or a candle. This action also takes place when a priest walks with a censer in a circle of believers. It is imperative to bow your head while reading the Holy Gospel.
- Bow from the waist. During this process, you need to bend at the waist. Ideally, such a bow should be so low that you can touch your fingers to the floor. It is important to remember that before such a bow you must make the sign of the cross. A waist bow is used in words in prayers: “Lord, have mercy”, “Lord grant”, “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”, “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us”, “Glory to Thee, Lord, Glory You". This action is mandatory before the reading of the Gospel and at the end, before the beginning of the “Creed” prayer, during the reading of akathists and canons. You need to bow from the waist when the priest blesses with the Cross, Icon or Holy Gospel.” Both in church and at home, you must first cross yourself, perform a bow from the waist, and after that read the well-known and very important prayer for all Orthodox Christians, “Our Father.”
- Bow to the ground. It involves kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground. When such an action should be performed at a church service, the clergy’s attention is necessarily focused on this. Praying at home with this action can strengthen the effect of any prayer request. It is not recommended to use prostrations in prayers during the period between Easter and Trinity, between Christmas and Epiphany, on the days of the twelve great church holidays, and on Sunday.
You should know that in Orthodoxy it is not customary to pray on your knees. This is done only in exceptional cases. Very often believers do this before miraculous icon or a particularly revered church shrine. After bowing to the ground during regular prayer, you must rise and continue the prayer.
You should make the sign of the cross after simply bowing your head before reading any independent prayer. After its completion, you should also cross yourself.
How to read morning and evening prayers
Morning and evening prayers are read in order to strengthen faith in the soul. To do this, there are morning and evening rules that must be followed. After waking up and before going to bed, it is recommended to pray using the prayers below.
This prayer was conveyed to the apostles by Jesus Christ himself with the goal that they would spread it throughout the world. It contains a strong petition for seven blessings that make the life of any believer complete, filling it with spiritual shrines. In this prayer appeal, we express respect and love for the Lord, as well as faith in our own happy future.
This prayer can be used to read in any life situation, but in the morning and before going to bed it is mandatory. You should always read the prayer with increased sincerity; this is precisely why it differs from other prayer requests.
The text of the prayer reads as follows:
Prayer for agreement at home
It is believed that the power of Orthodox prayers increases many times over if several believers pray together. This fact is confirmed from an energy point of view. The energy of people praying at the same time unites and strengthens the effect of the prayer appeal. The prayer by agreement can be read at home with your household. It is considered the most popular and effective in cases where someone close to you is sick and you need to make a joint effort for his recovery.
For such a prayer you need to use any directed text. You can use it not only to the Lord, but also to various Saints. The main thing is that the ritual participants are united by a single goal and that the thoughts of all believers are pure and sincere.
Prayer detention
Particularly worth reading is the prayer to the “Detention” icon. Its text is available in the collection of prayers of Elder Pansophius of Athos, and it must be recited in the original during prayer. It is a powerful weapon against evil spirits, so priests do not recommend using this prayer at home without the blessing of a spiritual mentor. The whole point is that the wishes and phrases that it contains are close to the Old Testament, and are far from the traditional petitions of Orthodox believers. The prayer is read nine times a day for nine days. At the same time, you cannot miss a single day. In addition, there is a requirement that this prayer must be said in secret.
This prayer allows you to:
- Put reliable protection from demonic forces and human evil;
- Protect from household damage and the evil eye;
- Protect yourself from the actions of selfish and evil people, including the meanness and cunning of your enemies.
When the prayer to Saint Cyprian is read
A bright prayer to Saint Cyprian is an effective way to ward off all sorts of troubles from a believer. It is recommended to be used in cases where damage is suspected. It is permissible to say this prayer to the water and then drink it.
The prayer text reads as follows:
“O holy saint of God, Hieromartyr Cyprian, you are the helper of all those who turn to you for help. Accept from us sinners your praise for all your earthly and heavenly deeds. Beg the Lord for strength for us in our weaknesses, healing in severe illnesses, consolation in bitter sorrows, and ask him to grant us other earthly blessings.
Offer up Saint Cyprian, revered by all believers, your powerful prayer to the Lord. May the Almighty protect me from all temptations and falls, teach me true repentance, and deliver me from the demonic influence of unkind people.
Be my true champion for all my enemies, visible and invisible, give me patience, and at the hour of my death, become my intercessor before the Lord God. And I will sing your name Holy and prays to our Almighty God. Amen".
What to address to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in prayer
Very often people turn to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with a variety of requests. This Saint is often turned to when a dark streak comes in life. The prayer request of a sincere believer will certainly be heard and fulfilled, since Saint Nicholas is considered the closest Saint to the Lord.
You can express a specific request in prayers, but there is a universal prayer for the fulfillment of a desire.
It sounds like this:
“O Most Holy Wonderworker Nicholas, help me, the Servant of God (my own name) in my mortal desires. Help me fulfill my cherished desire, and do not be angry at my impudent request. Don't leave me alone with vain affairs. My desire is only for the good and not for the harm of others, fulfill it with your mercy. And if I have planned something daring according to your understanding, then avert the attack. If I want something bad, turn away the misfortunes. Make sure that all my righteous desires come true and my life is filled with happiness. Thy will be done. Amen".
Only baptized people can recite the Jesus Prayer. This prayer appeal is considered the first step in the formation of faith in a person’s soul. Its meaning is to ask for mercy from the Lord God through His Son. This prayer is a real daily amulet for a believer and can help overcome any difficulties. Also, the Jesus Prayer is an effective remedy against the evil eye and damage.
In order for prayer to be effective, the following recommendations should be followed:
- While pronouncing words, you need to concentrate on them as much as possible;
- The prayer should not be memorized mechanically; it should be memorized by fully understanding each word;
- It is necessary to pray in a calm and quiet place;
- If faith is very strong, then it is allowed to pray while actively working;
- During prayer, all thoughts should be directed toward true faith in the Lord. The soul must contain love for God and admiration for the Almighty.
Prayer for amulet - red thread
A red thread on the wrist is considered a very common amulet. The history of this talisman is rooted in Kabbalah. In order for the red thread on the wrist to acquire protective properties, a special prayer must first be read over it.
The red thread for the talisman must be bought with money. It should be wool and quite durable. A close relative or relative should tie it on the wrist and perform the accompanying ritual. It is very good if your own mother will tie the thread. But in any case, you must be sure that the person who will perform the ceremony sincerely loves you.
For each knot tied, the following prayer is said:
“Lord Almighty, blessed is the Kingdom on Earth and in Heaven. I bow before Your Power and Greatness and glorify You. You do many good deeds, heal the sick and support those in need, you show your true love and only you have universal forgiveness. I ask you to save the Servant of God (name of the person), protect him from troubles and protect him from enemies visible and invisible. Only you can do this on Earth and in Heaven. Amen".
For God to answer prayer, it is very important to pray correctly. This does not mean Pharisaic correctness and compliance with all the small instructions: how to stand, in front of which icon, in what sequence to read prayers, how to bow correctly. One should not be too afraid of doing something wrong during prayer, much less refuse prayer because of this. God sees our heart, and an occasional mistake will not make us criminals in His eyes.
Correct prayer consists of the correct disposition of spirit and feelings.
Pray with a pure heart
So that God does not make our prayer a sin, you need to pray with a pure heart and deep faith. As they say in Orthodoxy, with boldness, but without impudence. Boldness means faith in the omnipotence of God and that He can forgive the most terrible sin. Insolence is disrespect for God, confidence in His forgiveness.
In order for prayer not to be impudent, we must be ready to accept the will of God, including when it does not coincide with our desires. This is called “cutting off your will.” As the saint wrote, “if a person is not first purified by cutting off his will, then true prayerful action will never be revealed in him.” This cannot be achieved overnight, but we must strive for it.
With what feelings do they pray to God?
According to the Holy Fathers, during prayer there is no need to seek special feelings or spiritual pleasures. Often the prayer of a sinful person, as we all are, is difficult, causing boredom and heaviness. This shouldn’t frighten or confuse you, and you shouldn’t give up prayer because of it. Much more need to be wary of emotional exaltation.
According to Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, the only feelings that are permissible during prayer are the feeling of one’s unworthiness and reverence for God, in other words, the fear of God.
What words should you use to address the Almighty?
To make it easier to pray and ask God for the right things, saints and simply pious people compiled. They are sanctified by authority, the very words of these prayers are holy.
The Holy Fathers compared the prayer composed by the saints to a tuning fork by which the human soul is tuned during prayer. That's why statutory prayer is more spiritually beneficial than prayer in your own words. However, to her You can add your own requests.
In what language should you pray in church and at home?
Most Orthodox prayers are read in Church Slavonic, with the exception of some prayers compiled in the 19th century and written in Russian. There are Orthodox prayer books in which prayers are given with Russian translation. If it is difficult to pray in Church Slavonic, you can read the translation.
Unlike home prayer, church services are always performed in Church Slavonic. To better understand worship, you can keep before your eyes the text with parallel translation into Russian.
How to pray to saints correctly
Every day during morning prayer, the believer turns to his patron saint - in whose honor the person praying was.
In others Orthodox traditions, non-Russians are not named after a saint at baptism, and the patron saint is either chosen by the person himself or is the patron saint of the entire family. On the day of celebrating the memory of “your” saint, you can read the main prayers to him - the troparion and kontakion.
Some saints are prayed to for special needs. Then the troparion and kontakion can be read to this saint at any time. If you constantly pray to a saint, it is advisable to have his icon in your house. If you want to pray to some saint in particular, you can go to pray in a temple where there is his icon or a piece of his relics.
How to start and stop praying
- Before you start praying, you need to be quiet and mentally concentrate.
- Having finished praying, you need a little be in a prayerful position and comprehend the perfect prayer.
- At the beginning and end of the prayer you need make the sign of the cross.
Home prayer, like church prayer, has a statutory beginning and ending. They are given in the prayer book.
Prayer rule in Orthodoxy
It is difficult for most people to determine for themselves: some are lazy and pray little, and some take on excessive work and strain their strength.
In order to give the believer guidance, there are prayer rules.
The main and obligatory rules are the morning and evening prayer rules.
What is a prayer rule
The prayer rule (otherwise known as the cell rule) is a clearly established sequence of prayers, intended for daily reading. Prayer rules are read to believers at home outside of worship, in the mornings and evenings. These rules include the basic Orthodox prayers, as well as special morning and evening prayers in which we ask God to forgive our sins and keep us safe throughout the day and night.
The complete prayer rule, morning and evening, is contained in the prayer books. Those who cannot read the full prayer rule can, with the blessing of the priest, read an abbreviated one, which does not include all the prayers.
Brief prayer rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov
If desired, in addition to morning and evening prayers, you can read akathists to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and the saints.
On Bright Week (the first week after Easter), morning and evening prayers are replaced by reading the text of the Hours of Holy Pascha.
How to fulfill the prayer rule
Prayer Rule is being done. It read standing or kneeling, in case of illness, you can read while sitting.
Many people, over many years in church, learn morning and evening prayers by heart, but most often they have to pray according to a prayer book.
Before reading the rules, you need to make the sign of the cross. The words of prayers must be said slowly, delving into their meaning. The prayers that make up the rule can be alternated with personal prayers, especially if such a need arose while reading the rule.
Having finished the rule, we should thank God for communication and stay in a prayerful mood for some time, comprehending your prayer.
Orthodox prayer book
The Orthodox prayer book usually contains
- main prayers used in and outside of worship
- morning and evening prayer rules
- canons (penitential, Mother of God, Guardian Angel) and following to Holy Communion, prayers for various occasions
The Psalter may also be attached to the prayer book.
How to Avoid Distractions During Prayer
Many churchgoers and even long-time churchgoers complain that during prayer their minds wander, extraneous thoughts come to mind, old grievances come to mind, blasphemy and obscene words come to mind. Or, conversely, instead of prayer, a desire arises to indulge in theological reflection.
These are all temptations that are inevitable for a person who has not yet achieved holiness. God allows this to happen in order to test a person’s faith and strengthen his resolve to resist temptation.
The only remedy against them is resist,
do not give in to them and continue to pray, even if it’s hard to pray and you want to interrupt it.