A new Christian does not always know how to begin his prayer life correctly. To help believers, a prayer rule was drawn up - morning and evening. To begin with, you can read a short morning rule, and with experience in your prayer life, you can move on to the full version.
My first prayer experience consisted of only two prayers - “Our Father” and “Virgin Mary”. Over time, my soul demanded to expand my prayer space, and I acquired a Prayer Book. Since then, I begin and end every day with a prayer. In the article I will tell you how and where to start your prayer practice.
The benefits of prayers
Find out what awaits you today - Horoscope for today for all zodiac signs
The Gospel contains the words of the apostles addressed to believers: “Pray without ceasing.” What do the words about unceasing prayer mean? This was well explained by the Monk Seraphim of Sarov, who also compiled his own prayer rule for Orthodox believers.
The reverend father taught me to read the Jesus Prayer in my head from morning until lunch, and to the Mother of God from the afternoon until the evening prayer rule. The prayer does not have to be said out loud; it can also be read in the mind.
Starting your day with a short prayer means finding success in everything. The prayerful attitude determines a person’s psychological state, his mood and behavior.
After reading the secret words, you will not want to use foul language, respond with rudeness to rudeness, or pay attention to ill-mannered people. Or rather, a prayerful attitude will help to perceive human weaknesses more leniently and tolerantly, because the Lord’s Prayer says: “Just as we forgive our debtors.”
Note! The text of the prayer is well remembered with constant reading and remains in the heart forever.
Due to numerous requests from readers, we have prepared an “Orthodox Calendar” application for smartphones. Every morning you will receive information about the current day: holidays, fasts, days of remembrance, prayers, parables. Download for free: Orthodox Calendar 2021 (available on Android)
When reading prayers, you need to realize that the Creator of life hears our every word and sees our heartfelt thoughts. By pronouncing the hidden words from the Prayer Book, we talk with our God. There is simply no other form of conversation with the Creator.
If anyone thinks that the Lord must personally answer all those who pray, then he is mistaken. The Lord spoke with the prophets, but their era ended with the beheading of John the Baptist.
Important! Daily reading of prayers protects a Christian from everyday misfortunes and the charms of the devil.
The prayer rule is a reliable protection of heavenly forces. The more a Christian prays, the stronger the protection becomes. With each prayer, your personal Guardian Angel becomes stronger and stronger. This should not be forgotten.
Evening rule of Optina Pustyn
The rule of evening prayer is especially reverent in Optina Pustyn, a monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church located in the Kaluga region (Russia).
Temple prayer rules:
- religiously read the evening prayers according to the prayer book;
- carefully delve into the meaning of each word;
- use rosary beads in church, and sometimes at home at the very beginning of hostile thoughts;
- read every day a chapter from the Gospel, the Apostolic Epistles and Acts;
- if you want a close conversation with God, read the kathisma or akathist to the Sweetest Jesus, the Mother of God.
Evening prayer rule of the Optina elders
There is also a set of rules for reading bedtime prayers for those coming from the Optina elders, which include all the weaknesses of a person’s physical and mental health:
- the prayer rule must be valid (sick people, women with small children);
- let the prayer be short, but be sure to be read daily;
- Moderation is better than excess;
- do not perceive prayer as a duty;
- It is better to discuss the prayer rule with your spiritual father or priest;
- reasoning and advice are the main path in prayer to the Lord.
The best article for you, go to: Prayer against the evil eye and envy of evil people
You can read the evening rule in Russian - this is not just a whim, it is a long-standing Orthodox tradition that helps a person to know himself and, in communion with God, find eternal grace.
Prayers for the future
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
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.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)
Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Tropari
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us; Perplexed by any answer, we offer this prayer to You as the Master of sin: have mercy on us.
Glory: Lord, have mercy on us, for we trust in You; Do not be angry with us, do not remember our iniquities, but look upon us now as if you are gracious, and deliver us from our enemies; For Thou art our God, and we are Thy people; all works are done by Thy hand, and we call upon Thy name.
And now: Open the doors of mercy to us, blessed Mother of God, who trust in You, so that we may not perish, but may be delivered from troubles by You: for You are the salvation of the Christian race.
Lord have mercy. (12 times)
Prayer 1, St. Macarius the Great, to God the Father
Eternal God and King of every creature, who has vouchsafed me even at this hour to come, forgive me the sins I have committed this day in deed, word and thought, and cleanse, O Lord, my humble soul from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. And grant me, Lord, to pass through this dream in peace at night, so that, rising from my humble bed, I will please Your most holy name all the days of my life, and will trample the fleshly and incorporeal enemies that fight me. And deliver me, Lord, from vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil lusts. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Good Mother of the King, Most Pure and Blessed Mother of God Mary, pour out the mercy of Thy Son and our God on my passionate soul and with Thy prayers instruct me in good deeds, so that I may pass through the rest of my life without blemish and through Thee I will find paradise, O Virgin Mother of God, the only Pure One and Blessed One.
Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angel
Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and protector of my soul and body, forgive me all who have sinned this day, and deliver me from every wickedness of the enemy who opposes me, so that in no sin I will anger my God; but pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant, that you may show me worthy of the goodness and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity and the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ and all the saints. Amen.
Kontakion to the Mother of God
To the chosen Voivode, victorious, as having been delivered from the evil ones, let us write thanks to Thy servants, the Mother of God, but as having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Ti; Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.
Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ God, bring our prayer to Your Son and our God, may You save our souls.
I place all my trust in You, Mother of God, keep me under Your roof.
Virgin Mary, do not despise me, a sinner, who requires Your help and Your intercession, for my soul trusts in You, and have mercy on me.
Prayer of Saint Ioannikios
My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit: Holy Trinity, glory to Thee.
It is worthy to eat as you truly bless Thee, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and the Mother of our God. We magnify You, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
The Lord is always with you!
The best article for you, go to: Prayers for the coming sleep - short
Watch another video in which you will hear the evening prayer rule:
Analysis of prayers
The morning prayer rule for beginners consists of the most important and main Orthodox texts, which over time need to be learned by heart. It is not necessary to make an effort for this: the words themselves will be remembered and will remain in memory forever.
Our Father
This prayer was given to all believers by the Lord Jesus Christ himself, its words are recorded in the Gospel.
“Our Father” should be read before all prayers, as it helps to tune in to the right wave. You can read it both in Old Church Slavonic and in translation into modern Russian. However, it sounds better in Old Church Slavonic.
Guardian angel
The following prayer is intended for your Guardian Angel, who was received by every believer during the Sacrament of Baptism. After washing in the font, a spiritual man is born who will inherit the Kingdom of God.
The guardian angel is always next to us, but he does not have the authority to act at his own discretion: the believer must ask his guardian for help.
Daily appeal to the Guardian Angel makes him strong and powerful. If a believer does not remember his Angel, then the latter’s power melts away before his eyes.
A short prayer to your Guardian Angel:
A short prayer to the Guardian Angel of your child:
Mother of God
The patronage of the Mother of God is of great importance for the believer. The Mother of God is the intercessor of all Christians before her Son; she intercedes for every sufferer. But the help of the Mother of God can only be received in the case of sincere faith and a repentant heart. God opposes the proud, but bestows His goodness on the humble.
A prayer can be expressed in simple words coming from the heart. However, the words “Virgin Mother of God, Rejoice” unites us with all Orthodox Christians together, which is also important. Therefore, try to memorize the words by heart.
Panteleimon the healer
There is no person on earth who has not been struck down by illness at least once. A holy physician, Panteleimon the Healer, was given to help believers. This righteous man was a staff physician at the emperor's court in Nicodemus. But after being baptized, he found disgrace in the eyes of the pagan ruler and was executed.
But believers in Christ do not die, they continue to live and worship the Lord at his throne. So Saint Panteleimon, after his earthly death, continues to help the suffering and heal them from various ailments. It can be either a simple sore throat or a deadly cancerous tumor.
After the listed prayer requests, you need to pray to your patron saint, whose name was given at baptism.
Each Christian has his own personal saint, with whom he establishes close contact through prayer. You need to read the short life of the saint, find out why he was canonized. This is not necessary, but it is advisable.
After a prayer appeal, you can ask the patron for help in your own words. The closer the contact is established, the faster the patron responds to the call for help and support.
After mastering these prayers, you can proceed to reading the Prayer Book, which contains the morning prayer rule in a short and full version. You can start right away with the Prayer Book, but practice shows that at first it is quite difficult.
Prayer rule for an Orthodox layperson
“A short rule” (obligatory daily reading of prayers) for any layman:
- in the morning: - “Heavenly King”, - “Trisagion”, - “Our Father”, - “Rising from sleep”, - “Have mercy on me, O God”, - “Creed”, - “God, cleanse”, - “To To you, Master,” — “Holy Angel,” — “Most Holy Lady,” — invocation of the saints, — prayer for the living and the dead;
- in the evening: - “Heavenly King”, - “Trisagion”, - “Our Father”, - “Have mercy on us, Lord”, - “Eternal God”, - “Goodness of the King”, - “Angel of Christ”, - from the “Chosen Voivode” ” to “ Worthy to eat.”
In the morning we pray to thank God for preserving us last night, to ask for His Fatherly blessing and help for the day that has begun.
In the evening, before going to bed, we thank the Lord for the day and ask him to keep us during the night.
In order for a job to be done successfully, we must first of all ask God for blessings and help for the upcoming work, and upon completion, thank God. To express our feelings towards God and His saints, the Church has given various prayers.
Initial prayer
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
It is said before all prayers. In it we ask God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, that is, the Most Holy Trinity, to invisibly bless us for the upcoming work in His name.
God bless!
We say this prayer at the beginning of every task.
Lord have mercy!
This prayer is the oldest and common among all Christians. Even a child can easily remember it. We say it when we remember our sins. For the glory of the Holy Trinity, we must say it three times. And also 12 times, asking God for a blessing for every hour of the day and night. And 40 times - for the sanctification of our entire life.
Prayer of praise to the Lord God
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
In this prayer we do not ask God for anything, but only glorify Him. It can be said in short: “Glory to God.” It is pronounced at the end of the task as a sign of our gratitude to God for His mercies to us.
Publican's Prayer
God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
This is the prayer of a publican (tax collector) who repented of his sins and received forgiveness. It is taken from a parable that the Savior once told people for their understanding. This is the parable. Two people entered the temple to pray. One of them was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood in front of everyone and prayed to God like this: I thank you, God, that I am not such a sinner as that tax collector. I give a tenth of my property to the poor, and I fast twice a week. And the publican, recognizing himself as a sinner, stood at the entrance to the temple and did not dare to raise his eyes to heaven. He hit himself on the chest and said: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” The prayer of the humble publican was more pleasant and pleasing to God than the prayer of the proud Pharisee.
Prayer to the Lord Jesus
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God - the second Person of the Holy Trinity. As the Son of God, He is our true God, as are God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. We call Him Jesus, that is, Savior , because He saved us from sins and eternal death. For this, He, being the Son of God, dwelt in the most immaculate Virgin Mary and, with the influx of the Holy Spirit, became incarnate and became man from Her , that is, He took on the body and soul of a man - was born from the Blessed Virgin Mary, became the same person as we are , but only he was sinless - he became a God-man . And, instead of us suffering and tormenting for our sins, He, out of love for us sinners, suffered for us, died on the cross and rose again on the third day - conquered sin and death and gave us eternal life. Realizing our sinfulness and not relying on the power of our prayers, in this prayer we ask you to pray for us sinners, before the Savior, all the saints and the Mother of God, who has the special grace to save us sinners through Her intercession before Her Son. The Savior is called the Anointed One (Christ) because He fully had those gifts of the Holy Spirit, which in the Old Testament kings, prophets and high priests received through anointing.
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
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.
Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of truth, present everywhere and filling everything, source of all good and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all sin, and save, O Good One, our souls.
In this prayer we pray to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Holy Trinity. In it we call the Holy Spirit the King of Heaven because He, as the true God, equal to God the Father and God the Son, invisibly reigns over us, owns us and the whole world. We call Him the Comforter because He consoles us in our sorrows and misfortunes, just as He consoled the apostles on the 10th day after the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven. We call Him the Spirit of truth (as the Savior Himself called Him) because He, as the Holy Spirit, teaches everyone the same truth and serves our salvation. He is God, and He is everywhere and fills everything with Himself: Who is everywhere and fulfills everything . He, as the ruler of the whole world, sees everything and, where needed, gives. He is the treasure of good things , that is, the Guardian of all good deeds, the Source of all the good things that we need to have. We call the Holy Spirit the Giver of life because everything in the world lives and moves by the Holy Spirit, that is, everything receives life from Him, and especially people receive from Him spiritual, holy and eternal life beyond the grave, being cleansed through Him from their sins. If the Holy Spirit has such wondrous properties: it is everywhere, fills everything with His grace and gives life to everyone, then we turn to Him with the following requests: Come and dwell in us , that is, constantly abide in us, as in your temple; cleanse us from all defilement , that is, from sin, make us saints worthy of Your presence in us, and save, O Good One, our souls from sins and those punishments that come for sins, and through this grant us the Kingdom of Heaven.
Angelic Hymn to the Most Holy Trinity or “Trisagion”
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.
This prayer must be read three times in honor of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity. an angelic song because the holy angels sing it, surrounding the throne of God in heaven. Believers in Christ began to use it 400 years after the birth of Christ. There was a strong earthquake in Constantinople, from which houses and villages were destroyed. Frightened, Tsar Theodosius II and the people turned to God in prayer. During this general prayer, one pious youth (boy), in full view of everyone, was raised to heaven by an invisible force, and then lowered to earth unharmed. He said that he heard in heaven the holy angels singing: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal.” The touched people, repeating this prayer, added: “Have mercy on us,” and the earthquake stopped. In this prayer, God the first Person of the Holy Trinity - God the Father; Strong - God the Son, because He is as omnipotent as God the Father, although according to humanity He suffered and died; Immortal - the Holy Spirit, because He is not only eternal, like the Father and the Son, but also gives life to all creatures and immortal life to people. Since in this prayer the word “ holy ” is repeated three times, it is called “ Trisagion ”.
Doxology to the Most Holy Trinity
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
In this prayer we do not ask God for anything, but only glorify Him, who appeared to people in three Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, to whom now and forever belongs the same honor of glorification.
Prayer to the Holy Trinity
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.
This prayer is one of petition. In it we turn first to all three Persons together, and then to each Person of the Trinity separately: to God the Father, so that He may cleanse our sins; to God the Son, so that He may forgive our iniquities; to God the Holy Spirit, so that He may visit and heal our infirmities. And the words: for Thy name's sake refer again to all three Persons of the Holy Trinity together, and since God is One, He has one name, and therefore we say “Thy name,” and not “Thy names.”
Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven! 1. Hallowed be thy name. 2. Thy kingdom come. 3. Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. 4. Give us this day our daily bread. 5. And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors. 6. And do not lead us into temptation. 7. But deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
This prayer is called the Lord's Prayer because the Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave it to His disciples when they asked Him to teach them how to pray. Therefore, this prayer is the most important prayer of all. In this prayer we turn to God the Father, the first Person of the Holy Trinity. It is divided into: invocation , seven petitions, or 7 requests, and doxology . Summoning:
Our Father, who art in heaven!
With these words we turn to God and, calling Him Heavenly Father, we urge him to listen to our requests or petitions. When we say that He is in heaven, we must mean the spiritual, invisible sky, and not that visible blue vault that we call “heaven.” Request 1st:
Hallowed be Thy Name,
that is, help us to live righteously, holyly and glorify Your name with our holy deeds. 2nd:
May your kingdom come
that is, honor us here on earth with Your heavenly kingdom, which is truth, love and peace; reign in us and rule us. 3rd:
Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth
, that is, let everything not be as we want, but as You please, and help us to obey this Your will and fulfill it on earth as unquestioningly, without grumbling, as it is fulfilled, with love and joy, by the holy angels in heaven . Because only You know what is useful and necessary for us, and You wish us good more than we ourselves. 4th:
Give us our daily bread today
, that is, give us for this day, for today, our daily bread. By bread here we mean everything necessary for our life on earth: food, clothing, housing, but most importantly - the most pure Body and the honorable Blood in the sacrament of holy communion, without which there is no salvation, no eternal life. The Lord commanded us to ask for ourselves not wealth, not luxury, but only the bare necessities, and to rely on God in everything, remembering that He, as a Father, always takes care of us. 5?e:
And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors.
, that is, forgive us our sins just as we ourselves forgive those who have offended or offended us. In this petition, our sins are called “our debts,” because the Lord gave us strength, abilities and everything else in order to do good deeds, and we often turn all this into sin and evil and become “debtors” before God. And so, if we ourselves do not sincerely forgive our “debtors,” that is, people who have sins against us, then God will not forgive us. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself told us about this. 6th:
And do not lead us into temptation
. Temptation is a state when something or someone draws us to sin, tempts us to do something lawless and bad. So we ask: do not allow us to fall into temptation, which we do not know how to endure; help us overcome temptations when they happen. 7th:
But deliver us from evil
, that is, deliver us from all evil in this world and from the culprit (chief) of evil - from the devil (evil spirit), who is always ready to destroy us. Deliver us from this cunning, crafty power and its deceptions, which is nothing before You. Doxology:
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
For to You, our God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, belongs the kingdom and the power and the eternal glory. All this is true, truly so.
Angelic greeting to the Mother of God
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.
This prayer is to the Most Holy Theotokos, whom we call grace-filled, that is, filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and blessed of all women, because our Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was pleased, or desired, to be born from Her. This prayer is also called an angelic greeting, since it contains the words of an angel (Archangel Gabriel): Hail, full of grace Mary, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women , which he said to the Virgin Mary when he appeared to Her in the city of Nazareth to announce She has great joy that the Savior of the world will be born from Her. Also, blessed are You among women and blessed is the Fruit of Your womb , said the Virgin Mary, when meeting Her, righteous Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist. the Mother of God because Jesus Christ, born of Her, is our true God. a Virgin because before the birth of Christ She was a Virgin and at Christmas and after Christmas she remained the same, since she made a vow (promise) to God not to marry, and remaining a Virgin forever, she gave birth to Her Son from the Holy Spirit in a miraculous way.
Song of praise to the Mother of God
It is worthy to eat as truly to bless Thee, Theotokos, ever-blessed and most immaculate and Mother of our God. We magnify You, the most honorable cherub and the most glorious seraphim without comparison, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption.
It is truly worthy to glorify You, Mother of God, always blessed and completely blameless and the Mother of our God. You are worthy of veneration more than the cherubim and in Your glory incomparably higher than the seraphim, You gave birth to God the Word (Son of God) without illness, and as the true Mother of God we glorify You.
In this prayer we praise the Mother of God as the Mother of our God, always blessed and completely immaculate, and we magnify Her, saying that She, with Her honor (most honorable) and glory (most glorious), surpasses the highest angels: the cherubim and seraphim, that is, the Mother of God in her own way. perfection stands above everyone - not only people, but also holy angels. Without illness, she miraculously gave birth to Jesus Christ from the Holy Spirit, who, having become man from Her, is at the same time the Son of God who came down from heaven, and therefore She is the true Mother of God.
The shortest prayer to the Mother of God
Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
In this prayer, we ask the Mother of God to save us sinners with Her holy prayers before Her Son and our God.
Prayer to the Life-Giving Cross
Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thy inheritance; giving victory to the Orthodox Christian against the resistance, and preserving Your residence by Your Cross.
Save, Lord, Your people and bless everything that belongs to You. Grant victory to Orthodox Christians against their enemies and preserve through the power of Your Cross those among whom You dwell.
In this prayer we ask God to save us, His people, and bless the Orthodox country - our fatherland - with great mercies; gave victories to Orthodox Christians over their enemies and, in general, preserved us by the power of His Cross.
Prayer to the Guardian Angel
To the Angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me by God from heaven, I diligently pray to you: enlighten me today, save me from all evil, guide me to good deeds and direct me on the path of salvation. Amen.
Angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me from heaven by God for my protection, I earnestly pray to you: enlighten me now, and save me from all evil, guide me to good deeds and direct me on the path of salvation. Amen.
At baptism, God gives every Christian a Guardian Angel, who invisibly protects a person from all evil. Therefore, we must ask the angel every day to preserve and have mercy on us.
Prayer to the saint
Pray to God for me, holy [holy] (name), as I diligently resort to you, a quick helper and prayer book [quick helper and prayer book] for my soul.
In addition to praying to the Guardian Angel, we must also pray to that saint by whose name we are called, because he also always prays to God for us. Every Christian, as soon as he is born into the light of God, at holy baptism, is given a saint as a helper and patron by the Holy Church. He takes care of the newborn like the most loving mother, and protects him from all the troubles and misfortunes that a person encounters on earth. You need to know the day of remembrance in the year of your saint (your name day), know the life (description of life) of this saint. On his name day we must glorify him with prayer in church and receive St. communion, and if for some reason we cannot be in church on this day, then we must pray fervently at home.
Prayer for the living
We must think not only about ourselves, but also about other people, love them and pray to God for them, because we are all children of one Heavenly Father. Such prayers are useful not only for those for whom we pray, but also for ourselves, since we thereby show love for them. And the Lord told us that without love no one can be children of God. “Do not renounce prayer for others under the pretext of fear that you cannot pray for yourself; fear that you will not beg for yourself if you do not pray for others” (St. Philaret the Merciful). Home prayer for family and friends is distinguished by special energy, since we see before our inner gaze that person dear to us, for the salvation of the soul and for whose physical health we pray. Father Men said in one of his sermons: “Daily prayer for each other should not be a simple listing of names. This is us (clergy. –
Ed.
) in church we list your names, we don’t know who you are praying for here. And when you yourself pray for your loved ones, friends, relatives, for those who are in need - pray truly, with persistence... Pray for them, so that their path will be blessed, so that the Lord will support and meet them - and then we all , as if holding hands with this prayer and love, we will rise higher and higher to the Lord. This is the main thing, this is the most essential thing in our life.” We must pray for our Fatherland - Russia, for the country in which we live, for our spiritual father, parents, relatives, benefactors, Orthodox Christians and all people, both for the living and for the dead, because with God everyone is alive (Lk. 20, 38).
Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual father (his name), my parents (their names), relatives, mentors and benefactors and all Orthodox Christians.
Prayer for the dead
Rest, O Lord, the souls of your departed servants (names) and all my departed relatives and benefactors, and forgive them all their sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the kingdom of heaven.
This is what we call the dead because people are not destroyed after death, but their souls are separated from the body and move from this life to another, heavenly one. There they remain until the time of the general resurrection, which will occur at the second coming of the Son of God, when, according to His word, the souls of the dead will again unite with the body - people will come to life and be resurrected. And then everyone will receive what they deserve: the righteous will receive the Kingdom of Heaven, blessed, eternal life, and sinners will receive eternal punishment.
Prayer before teaching
Most gracious Lord, bestow upon us the grace of Your Holy Spirit, bestowing meaning and strengthening our spiritual strength, so that, by heeding 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.
This prayer is to God the Father, Whom we call the Creator, that is, the Creator. In it we ask Him to send the Holy Spirit so that He, through His grace, will strengthen our spiritual strength (mind, heart and will), and so that we, listening with attention to the teaching taught, will grow up as devoted sons of the Church and faithful servants of our fatherland and as a consolation to our parents. Instead of this prayer, before teaching, you can read the prayer to the Holy Spirit “Heavenly King.”
Prayer after teaching
We thank You, Creator, for You have made us worthy of Your grace by paying attention 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.
This prayer is to God the Father. In it, we first thank God that He sent help to understand the teaching being taught. Then we ask Him to send mercy to our parents and teachers, who give us the opportunity to learn everything good and useful; and in conclusion, we ask you to give us health and the desire to continue our studies with success. Instead of this prayer, after the teaching, you can read the prayer of the Mother of God “It is worthy to eat.”
Prayer before eating food
The eyes of all trust in You, Lord, and You give them food in good season: You open Your generous hand and fulfill every animal good will.
(Psalm 144, 15 and 16 v.).
The eyes of everyone, Lord, look at You with hope, since You give food to everyone in due time, opening Your generous hand to bestow mercies on all living.
In this prayer we express confidence that God will send us food in due time, since He provides not only people, but also all living creatures with everything they need for life. Instead of this prayer, you can read “Our Father.”
Prayer after eating food
We thank Thee, Christ our God, for Thou hast filled us with Thy earthly blessings; do not deprive us of Your Heavenly Kingdom.
In this prayer, we thank God for feeding us with food, and we ask Him not to deprive us of eternal bliss after our death, which we should always remember when receiving earthly blessings.
Morning prayer
To You, Master who loves mankind, having risen from sleep, I come running, and I strive for Your works with Your mercy, and I pray to You: help me at all times in every thing, and deliver me from all worldly evil things and the devil’s haste, and save me, and bring us into Your eternal kingdom. For You are my Creator and the Provider and Giver of every good thing, in You are all my hopes, and I send up glory to You, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
To You, Lord Lover of Mankind, having risen from sleep, I come running and, by Your mercy, I hasten to Your deeds. I pray to You: help me at all times in every matter, and deliver me from every worldly evil deed and devilish temptation, and save me, and bring me into Your eternal kingdom. For You are my Creator and Provider, and the Giver of all good. All my hope is in You. And I give glory to You, now and always, and to the ages of eternity. Amen.
Evening prayer
Lord our God, who have sinned in these days in word, deed and thought, as he is good and a lover of mankind, forgive me; grant me peaceful sleep and serenity; Send Thy guardian angel to cover and keep me from all evil; for You are the guardian of our souls and bodies, and to You we send glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Lord our God! Everything in which I have sinned this day in word, deed and thought, You, as the Merciful and Humane One, forgive me. Give me a peaceful and restful sleep. Send me Your Guardian Angel, who would cover and protect me from all evil. For You are the guardian of our souls and bodies, and we give glory to You, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Material created: 06/01/2015
Demographic problems of Russia
When they read the publican's prayer
How to behave correctly when addressing God and the saints
When communicating with your Lord and saints, it is customary to stand; in Orthodox churches there are no benches, like in Catholic ones. However, this rule does not apply to elderly and sick parishioners.
Reading while standing is caused by another necessity: after some words, believers make the sign of the cross and bow to the ground or bow to the ground: this cannot be done while sitting. Therefore, standing on your feet is accepted in Orthodoxy for a reason, but for a specific purpose.
Kneeling prayers are read only once a year on the feast of the Holy Trinity during the Great Supper.
There are believers who read the rule on their knees. This is due to their personal aspirations; for others, kneeling is not necessary. The internal need to kneel may arise when realizing one’s own sinful nature or during repentance.
But it should be remembered that kneeling is an exceptional measure, and not a requirement of church canons.
You need to learn how to be baptized correctly. To do this, place your fingers in a pinch, as if you need to add salt to a dish. At this time, the little finger and ring fingers are pressed tightly to the palm. Old Believers and Catholics cross themselves with two fingers. Apply the sign of the cross on yourself with your right hand, and you need to touch sequentially:
- forehead;
- stomach;
- right shoulder;
- left shoulder;
- make a bow from the waist.
Before reading sacred texts, you need to get rid of earthly thoughts about vain things, tune in to reverent veneration of the Lord and his holy saints. It will be difficult to do this at first, but with practice you will succeed.
How long should you remain in a state of prayer? This depends on the spiritual development of the believer: some remain in a state of grace for hours, for others it is difficult to hold out for 30 minutes.
For beginners, it is permissible to pray for 15 minutes in the morning and evening. Subsequently, the time of grace will gradually increase in accordance with the spiritual development of a person.
And don’t forget about the most important thing: forgiving your offenders before starting your prayer appeal. If you cannot do this, seek help from the priest who leads the liturgy in the church.
Is it possible to shorten the morning and evening prayer rules?
Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) in his “Teaching on the Prayer Rule” wrote: “Rule! What an accurate name, borrowed from the very effect produced on a person by prayers called the rule! The prayer rule guides the soul correctly and holy, teaches it to worship God in Spirit and Truth (John 4:23), while the soul, left to itself, could not follow the correct path of prayer. Due to her damage and darkening by sin, she would constantly be seduced to the sides, often into the abyss, now into absent-mindedness, now into daydreaming, now into various empty and deceptive ghosts of high prayerful states, created by her vanity and voluptuousness.
Prayer rules keep the person praying in a saving disposition, humility and repentance, teaching him constant self-condemnation, feeding him with tenderness, strengthening him with hope in the All-Good and All-Merciful God, delighting him with the peace of Christ, love for God and for his neighbors.”
From these words of the saint it is clear that it is very saving to read the morning and evening prayer rules. It spiritually takes a person out of the confusion of night dreams or daytime worries and puts him before God. And the human soul enters into communication with its Creator. The grace of the Holy Spirit descends on a person, brings him into the necessary repentant mood, gives him inner peace and harmony, drives away demons from him (“This generation is driven out only by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21), sends down God’s blessing and strength to him live. Moreover, the prayers were written by holy people: Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, Saint Macarius the Great and others. That is, the very structure of the rule is very useful for the human soul.
Therefore, of course, reading the morning and evening prayer rules every day, so to speak, is the necessary minimum for an Orthodox Christian. Moreover, it does not take much time. For someone who has gotten into the habit of reading, it takes about twenty minutes in the morning and the same in the evening.
If you don’t have time to read the morning rule all at once, then break it into several parts. “Little Cap” from the beginning to “Lord have mercy” (12 times), inclusive, can, for example, be read at home; The following prayers are during pauses in work or during your daily activities. This, of course, needs to be confessed, but it’s better than not reading it at all. We are all human, and it is clear that we are very sinful and busy. You also regulate the end of your morning prayers yourself. This concerns the commemoration. You can read the extended commemoration or the shortened one. At your discretion, depending on the time available.
A fairly common mistake of new Orthodox Christians is reading the evening prayer rule immediately before going to bed. You sway, stagger, mutter words of prayer, and you yourself think about how to lie down in bed under a warm blanket and fall asleep. So it turns out – not prayer, but torment. Mandatory hard labor before bed.
In fact, the evening prayer rule is read somewhat differently. Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev) wrote that after evening prayers you can leave time to talk and drink tea.
That is, in fact, you can read the evening prayer rule from the beginning to the prayer of St. John of Damascus “O Lord, Lover of Mankind...” If you, dear brothers and sisters, have noticed, then before this prayer there is a prayer of dismissal: “Lord Jesus Christ, the Son God... have mercy on us. Amen". It really is a vacation. You can read the evening prayers up to and including it long before bedtime: at six, seven, eight o’clock in the evening. Then go about your daily evening routine. You can still eat and drink tea, as Father Nikon said, and communicate with loved ones.
And starting with the prayer “Lord, Lover of Mankind...” and until the end, the rule is read immediately before going to bed. During the prayer “May God rise again,” you need to cross yourself and you can cross your bed and house to the four cardinal directions (starting, according to the Orthodox tradition, from the east), protecting yourself, your loved ones and your home with the sign of the cross from all evil.
After reading the second half of the evening prayers, nothing is eaten or drunk. In the prayer “In Thy hands, O Lord...” you ask God for a blessing for a good sleep and surrender your soul to Him. After this you should go to bed.
I would also like to draw your attention, dear brothers and sisters, to the rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov. Many understand it as reading three times a day (morning, lunch, evening) certain prayers “Our Father” (three times), “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...” (three times) and the Creed (once). But it is not so. In addition to reading the rule three times, the Monk Seraphim said that in the first half of the day a person should read the Jesus Prayer almost all the time, or, if people are around, in his mind “Lord, have mercy,” and after lunch, instead of the Jesus Prayer, “Most Holy Theotokos, save me, a sinner."
That is, Saint Seraphim offers a person spiritual exercise in continuous prayer, and not just a relief from the evening and morning prayer rules. You can, of course, read the prayer according to the rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov, but only then you need to follow all the instructions of the great elder.
Therefore, I repeat once again, the morning and evening prayer rule is the necessary minimum for an Orthodox Christian.
The main thing to remember is that prayer is a journey within oneself to God. Therefore, you should begin both the morning and evening rules like this: stand up, cross yourself, say “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen". Then do not rush to read further prayers, but stand a little calmly and serenely, freeing yourself from the bustle of the world. As printed in italics at the beginning of the morning rule: “Then wait a little until all your feelings come into silence and your thoughts leave everything earthly, and then say the following prayers, without haste and with the attention of your heart.”
I would also like to draw your attention, dear brothers and sisters, to a fairly common mistake that we often make.
Saint Ignatius warns us about it in the above-mentioned work: “When performing the rule and bows, one must not rush; It is necessary to perform both the rules and bows with as much leisure and attention as possible. It is better to say fewer prayers and bow down less, but with attention, than a lot and without attention.
Choose for yourself a rule that corresponds to your strengths. What the Lord said about the Sabbath, that it is for man, and not man for it (Mark 2:27), can and should be applied to all pious deeds, as well as to the prayer rule. A prayer rule is for a person, and not a person for a rule: it should contribute to a person’s achievement of spiritual success, and not serve as an inconvenient burden (onerous duty), crushing bodily strength and confusing the soul. Moreover, it should not serve as a reason for proud and harmful conceit, for harmful condemnation of loved ones and humiliation of others.”
The Monk Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain wrote in his book “Invisible Warfare”: “...There are many clergy who deprive themselves of the saving fruit of the world from their spiritual works by procrastinating on them, believing that they will suffer damage if they do not complete them, in false confidence , of course, that this is what spiritual perfection consists of. Following their will in this way, they work hard and torment themselves, but do not receive true peace and inner peace, in which God truly finds and rests.”
That is, we need to count our strength in prayer. You should sit down and think about the time that everyone has. If you, for example, are a freight forwarder in a trading company and are on the road from morning to night, or you are married, work and still need to devote time to your husband, children, and organize family life, then perhaps the morning and evening prayer rule is enough for you and reading two chapters of "The Apostle", a chapter of the Gospel per day. Because if you also take upon yourself to read various akathists, several kathismas, then you will have no time left to live. And if you are a pensioner or work somewhere as a security guard or at another job, with free time, then why not read akathists and kathismas.
Explore yourself, your time, your capabilities, your strengths. Balance your prayer rule with your life so that it is not a burden, but a joy. Because it is better to read fewer prayers, but with heartfelt attention, than to read a lot, but thoughtlessly, mechanically. Prayer has power when you listen and read it with your whole being. Then a life-giving spring of communication with God will flow into our hearts.
