The main prayers that everyone should know: 12 Orthodox texts

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Always be happy. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus 1 Thess. 5:16-18

Follow-ups and prayers according to the statutes of the Orthodox Church

We welcome you to the pages of the website orthodox-prayerbook.rf . Here you will find the texts of prayers, canons, akathists to the Lord, the Mother of God, the holy saints of God, the Holy Scriptures and the texts of divine services. We have collected sequences and prayers that are part of the liturgical cycles of the Orthodox Church, many of which are adapted for home reading by the laity. Special mention should be made of the Psalter, Gospel and Apostle; they can also be read on our website.

In 2021, a new special section of the website “Church services for home performance” was created. It contains the main services of holidays, Sundays and Lent, adapted according to the model developed by the Holy Synod for home use by the laity due to epidemiological restrictions.

The bulk of the texts are presented in a “civilian” font with accents for ease of reading. Some texts on the site are displayed in Church Slavonic fonts.

The library of texts on the website orthodox-prayerbook.rf is constantly replenished and updated. At the moment, the main sections of the site contain about 600 akathists and more than 1200 canons to the Lord, the Mother of God and the saints.

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Prayers for every day

"Our Father"

One of the oldest prayer texts is the “Our Father.” The main Christian prayer, given by Jesus Christ to his disciples, is considered universal. It helps with many problems.

According to this prayer text, a true Christian:

believes in eternal life in Heaven;
ready to submit to God's will;
turns to the Lord with a request to grant everything necessary for life;
assures the Almighty that he forgives those guilty before him and asks God for forgiveness of his sins.

Any Orthodox believer needs to know these sacred words by heart and read the prayer daily.

Text of the main prayer of Christians:

“Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, as it is on earth, so it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever and ever. Amen".

History of the concept

According to formal characteristics, the very first prayer book is the Psalter - a collection of prayers (petition, repentance, thanksgiving, praise) to God.

The first Christian collections of prayers had public liturgical use. Prayers in different collections were combined according to various criteria: the sequence of prayers of the daily circle (Book of Hours), prayers to the saints on the days of their memory (Mineaion), liturgical sequences of the church year (Octoechus), prayer hymns (Irmologium), psalms (Followed Psalter), etc. In some cases, the same prayers could be included in different collections.

Gradually, texts that were initially used mainly in public worship began to be used more widely for individual use (in cell prayer). First of all, this applies to the texts of the daily cycle of worship contained in the Book of Hours or its partial analogues (the Followed Psalter, the Canon). In particular, already in the 14th century in Rus', the rite of mephimon (compline) was contained in the form of a cell service and was used as a familiar rule for us “Prayers for the future” from the modern prayer book. We also find evidence of this in Domostroi, where the cell rule was reduced to the fulfillment of the liturgical prayers of the daily and weekly cycle:

“On all days, in the evening, the husband and wife, and with the children, and with the household, and whoever knows how to read and write, will sing the vespers, and the evening service, and the midnight office with silence and with meekness, with standing, and with prayer, and with bows; - sing clearly and unanimously. And after the rule, there was no drinking, no eating, no talk at all times, but all that was science; and when going to bed, every Christian should make three bows to the ground before God; and at midnight you always rise up secretly to pray for your sin, to the best of your ability; and in the morning, when you get up, do the same to everyone against your strength and at will, and not to bow down to the waist to idle wives.”

Thanks to book printing in the early modern period, prayer collections began to spread that differed from the usual liturgical books used privately. One of the first such books was the “Small Travel Book” (1522), published by the printing house of Francysk Skaryna. Strictly speaking, the “Little Travel Book” was the Followed Psalter, equipped with a number of additional texts: the Psalter, the Book of Hours, akathists to the saints and the Most Holy Theotokos, canons, troparia, kontakions, the Sixth Day, and two akathists composed by Skaryna himself with personalized acrostics. The 16th century was also characterized by the opposite trend - adding popular or important prayers to the Book of Hours (sometimes by hand, after purchasing a printed text), that is, “enriching” the printed text with other prayers on an individual basis (within the framework of the printer’s own cell rule or desire) .

It is the “Small Travel Book” that becomes the prototype of the printed “Akathists” of the 17th–18th centuries, the texts of which, in turn, had a decisive influence on the formation of the modern prayer rule.

Gradually, other prayers were added to the prayer books, characteristic of a particular area, or simply widespread among the people. The reading of liturgical sequences as morning and evening prayers was known at least until the middle of the 16th century. The 17th century became a turning point for the history of the prayer book, when, first in the southern Russian printing houses of Kiev, and then in Moscow printing houses, collections of prayers with a close to modern sequence of morning and evening prayers began to be printed. After the reforms of Patr. Nikon, these prayers become commonly used and a modern prayer book for private reading begins to take shape.

A researcher from the MDA, Hieromonk Dalmat (Yudin), in his article “Morning and evening prayers as part of printed collections of private prayer use: the emergence and path to Moscow book literature,” identified three stages in the formation of the first printed collections of morning and evening prayers, which became the supporting pillars of all future Orthodox Christians prayer books:

The initial stage from 1596 to 1622;
The second stage (traditions of the cell rule of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery) from 1625 to 1643;
The third stage (when morning and evening prayers appear in Moscow printed publications) from 1658 to 1701.

At the first stage, with the help of the Vilna Orthodox Brotherhood (Holy Spiritual Brotherhood), which had its own printing house, in the conditions of persecution of Orthodox Christians in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, it was possible to publish the first cell prayer book - “Everyday Prayers” (the cell charter of the Holy Spirit was taken as a basis brotherhood). A distinctive feature of this collection was a certain kind of break with the previous tradition of collecting prayers, which were based on the Book of Hours and divine services of the daily cycle. In parallel with the works of the Vilna brothers, at the printing house of Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky in 1598, under the leadership of editor Vasily Surazhsky, the “Psalter with Resurrection” was published, which was also used as a cell prayer book. However, this “Psalter” did not fully repeat the prayer collections of previous eras; it contained the so-called. “Prayer book”, which contained prayers “for the night” (evening) and “rising from sleep” (morning). Editor Vasily Surazhsky took the prayer rules of the Vilna community as a basis and transformed them into two sequences of thirteen prayers each. Strictly speaking, the entire further tradition of morning and evening prayers in prayer books is the adoption and adjustment of the standard set by Vasily Surazhsky. The name “for bedtime” in relation to evening prayers was adopted from the Vilna collection “Everyday Prayers” in the editions of 1596, 1601, 1609 and 1615. The collection “Everyday Prayers” was also revised, supplemented and published in 1611 in a new version called Anthologion (from the Greek ̓Ανθολόγιον < ἀνθολογία - anthology, lit. - collection of flowers, flower garden). Throughout the 17th–18th centuries, this name was used synonymously, along with the concept of prayer book.

In 1625, the Kiev Pechersk Lavra published a Prayer Book called Akathist. The name of this collection comes from its core structure - three akathists (the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary and “The Sweetest Jesus” - the last akathist will eventually end up in all modern prayer books, and the set of akathists itself will change). In the same collection, the expression “for the coming sleep” appears for the first time in relation to evening prayers (and not “for the coming sleep”, as in the prayer books of Vasily Surazhsky and the Vilna brethren, although the collections of these two traditions become the basis, which is finalized by the editors of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra).

The Time of Troubles became a period of prolonged stagnation for the Moscow book tradition. Only in 1625, thanks to the efforts of the monk Arseny Glukhy, the Moscow version of the “Psalter with Recitation” was published. The composition of this collection was based on the cell rule of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Evening prayers are designated in it as “sleeping prayers.” Hieromon. Dalmat comes to the conclusion that the original printed Moscow collections did not inherit the features of the Vilna or Kyiv ones, however, they took them as an example in the organization of the text.

It was Nikon’s right of liturgical and cell collections, which ended under Patr. Joachim, and which was de facto led by the monk of the Chudov Monastery, Euthymius, a student of Hierom. Epiphany (Slavinetsky) united the Moscow and Kyiv tradition of prayer books, with the priority of Kyiv samples (the so-called “Lithuanian books”). In particular, it was in the Cannon of 1679 that morning prayers were placed instead of the rite of “ever rising from sleep,” and instead of the “sleeping” prayers of the Moscow tradition, “prayers for the coming sleep” were indicated. In his letter to the monk Job, Elder Euthymius at the end of the 17th century also points to those works that he borrows from the Kyiv tradition and which are still used in modern prayer books (akathist to the Sweetest Jesus, canon to the Guardian Angel, etc.).

The status and image of the prayer book in the 19th century is given in the article “Prayer Book” in the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedia for 1896, where private and public worship are distinguished. Within the framework of private worship, the main book is the Prayer Book (followed in order of importance by the Ruler - a collection containing rules for Holy Communion and other prayers for preparation for the Sacraments or thanksgiving for them, the Akathistnik - a collection of akathists, the Kanonnik - a collection of liturgical canons and the Saints - a collection , constructed in chronological order with mention of dates of memory of saints and prayers, usually kontakion and troparion, named after). The Prayer Book, according to this article, combines the most important parts of all these four books, as well as part of the liturgical texts of the Book of Hours.

The practice of the morning and evening rules, as well as the very image of the modern Orthodox prayer book (structure of text and content, set of prayers, accompanying texts) finally took shape in Soviet times, when the publishing house of the Moscow Patriarchate began to publish standard prayer books for the laity in limited quantities.

"Psalm 90"

This sacred text, written by David, has a second title - “Alive in Help.” The essence of “Psalm 91” is that the Lord gives strength to a sincere believer to overcome any difficulties.

When reading sacred lines, a person’s soul is purified and united with God. Psalm 90 helps:

recover from serious illnesses;
get rid of sinful thoughts;
overcome any adversity;
gain peace of mind;
protect yourself from enemy intrigues.

Prayer words are read three times every day. Before praying, you need to properly tune in to focus on every word. Since the text is quite complex, it is not always possible to quickly learn it by heart. Therefore, at first the psalm can be read from a sheet of paper.

“Live in Help” sounds like this:

“He who lives in the help of the Most High will dwell in the shelter of the Heavenly God. Says the Lord: Thou art my intercessor and my refuge, my God, and I trust in Him. For He will deliver you from the snare of the trap, and from rebellious words, His splash will overshadow you, and under His wing you hope: His truth will surround you with weapons. Do not be afraid from the fear of the night, from the arrow that flies during the day, from the thing passing in the darkness, from the cloak, and from the demon at midday. Thousands will fall from your country, and darkness will be at your right hand, but it will not come close to you: behold your eyes, and you will see the reward of sinners. For You, O Lord, are my hope, You have made the Most High your refuge. Evil will not come to you, and wound will not approach your body: as His Angel commanded you, keep you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their arms, and one day you will dash your foot against a stone: you will step on an asp and a basilisk, and you will cross a lion and a serpent. For I have trusted in Me, and I will deliver, and I will cover, and because I have known My name. He will call to Me, and I will hear him: I am with him in sorrow, I will destroy him, and I will glorify him, I will fill him with long days, and I will show him My salvation.”

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".

"Symbol of faith"

The main tenets of Orthodoxy are briefly outlined in the text of one of the main prayers - the “Creed”. The main difference between this prayer and others is the absence of a direct appeal to the Lord, the Mother of God or the saints. By reading this sacred text, a believer confirms his faith in one God the Father and his Son - Jesus Christ.

The “Creed” is read by the godparents during the baptism of the baby. Therefore, before the sacrament of Baptism, future godparents must learn the prayer text by heart.

Sacred words of the Creed:

“I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of everything visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages: Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not created, one being with the Father, by Him all things were created. For the sake of us people and for the sake of our salvation, he came down from heaven and took flesh from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became a man. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; His Kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son, who spoke through the prophets. Into one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I recognize one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I look forward to the resurrection of the dead. And the life of the next century. Amen".

Morning and evening prayers

In the morning, getting up from sleep, still in bed, cross yourself with prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Getting out of bed and washing your face, and in the evening, going to bed, stand with reverence before the holy icons and, looking at them, directing your thoughts to the invisible God and his saints, earnestly, slowly, protecting yourself with the sign of the cross and bowing, say with tenderness the prayer of the publican:

God, be merciful to me, a sinner (bow)

.
Create me, O Lord, and have mercy on me (bow)
.
Without number of sinners, Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner (bow)
.

It is worthy to eat, for truly you are blessed, the Mother of God, ever blessed and immaculate, and the Mother of our God. The most honorable cherub and the most glorious truly seraphim, who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee (bow always to the ground)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (bow)

.
And now and ever and unto ages of ages, Amen (bow)
.

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord bless (bow)

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother, by the power of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross, and my holy Guardian Angel, and all for the sake of the saints, have mercy and save me, a sinner, for I am Good and Lover of Mankind. Amen. (bow to the ground, without the sign of the cross)

These prayers are called “beginning” or “coming and starting bows” because they are performed at the beginning and after any prayer rule.

After this, repeat the publican’s prayer with bows:

God, be merciful to me, a sinner (bow)

.
Create me, O Lord, and have mercy on me (bow)
.
Without number of sinners, Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner (bow)
.

And begin your morning prayers with reverence.

For the prayers of the saints, our father, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. Amen (always bow from the waist). Cross yourself and say three times:

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee for everyone's sake.

Further:

God, cleanse me, a sinner, for I have done no good before You
(bow)
, but deliver me from the evil one, and Thy will be done in me
(bow)
, so that I may open my unworthy lips without condemnation and praise Your holy name: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Amen (bow)
.

Circled prayers are not read in the evening.

Next, cross yourself and read:

Heavenly King, Comforter, True Soul, 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 Blessed One, our soul.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (thrice with bows)

.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen. Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse our sins. Master, forgive our iniquities. Saints, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy Name's sake. Lord have mercy (three times)
.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen. 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 our daily bread this day. 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. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. Amen. Lord have mercy (12 times)
.

If it’s morning, it reads:

Having risen from sleep, I thank Thee, All-Holy Trinity, for for the sake of many, for the sake of kindness and long-suffering, Thou didst not become angry with me, Thy sinful and lazy servant, and Thou didst not destroy me with my iniquities, but love of mankind. And lying in despair, raise me up to practice and glorify Your invincible power. And now, Master, Most Holy God, enlighten the eyes of my heart and open my lips to learn Your words, and understand Your commandments, and do Your will, and sing to You in confession of the heart. Sing and glorify Your most honorable and magnificent name: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

If evening:

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And now, and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.

Further, both in the morning and in the evening, read:

Come, let us worship our God the King (bow)

.
Come, let us worship Christ, the King and our God (bow)
.
Come, let us bow and fall before the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the King and our God (bow)
.

PSALM 50 (repentance)/>

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy. And according to the multitude of Your mercies, cleanse my iniquity. Above all, wash me from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my iniquity and bear away my sin before me. I have sinned against You alone and have done evil before You. For you may be justified in Your words and overcome without ever being judged. Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sins. Behold, you have loved the truth; You have revealed to me the unknown and secret wisdom of Yours. Sprinkle me with hyssop and I will be cleansed. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Give joy and gladness to my hearing: humble bones will rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and cleanse all my iniquities. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb. Do not turn me away from Your Face, and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me. Reward me with the joy of Your salvation and strengthen me with the Lord’s spirit. I will teach the wicked your way, and they will turn to you in wickedness. Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation; My tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise. As if he had wanted a sacrifice, he would have given it; You do not favor burnt offerings. A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit: God will not despise a contrite and humble heart. Bless Zion, O Lord, with Your favor; and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offering. Then they will place the calf on Your altar.

Protecting ourselves reverently with the sign of the cross, we pronounce the SYMBOL OF FAITH - the words of the holy fathers of the First and Second Ecumenical Councils (sign of the cross without bowing):

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten, Who was born of the Father before all ages. Light from Light, true God from true God, born, not created, consubstantial with the Father, by Him all things were. For our sake, man, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary became human. Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffering and buried. And he rose again on the third day according to the scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, but His kingdom has no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the true and life-giving Lord, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets. And into one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the remission of sins. I hope for the resurrection of the dead. And the life of the next century. Amen.

Further:

Virgin Mother of God, rejoice, joyful Mary, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, for you gave birth to Christ the Savior, the Redeemer of our souls (with bows three times)

ABOUT! All-sung Mother, who gave birth to all the saints, the most holy Word, having accepted the present offering, deliver everyone from every misfortune, and from the coming torment, crying out to Ty: Alleluia (three times, with bows to the ground)

Invincible and divine power of the honorable and life-giving Cross of the Lord, do not forsake me, a sinner who trusts in Thee (bow)

.
My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, have mercy on me, and save me, and help me now, in this life, and at the end of my soul, and in the future (bow)
.
All heavenly powers, holy angels and archangels, cherubs and seraphim, have mercy on me, and pray for me, a sinner, to the Lord God, and help me now, in this life, and at the end of my soul, and in the future (bow)
.
Angel of Christ, my holy guardian, have mercy on me and pray for me, a sinner, to the Lord God, and help me now, in this life, and at the end of my soul, and in the future (bow)
.
Great Saints John, Prophet and Forerunner of the Lord, have mercy on me, and pray for me, a sinner, to the Lord God, and help me now, in this life, and at the end of my soul, and in the future (bow)
.
Glorious holy apostles, prophets and martyrs, saints, venerable and righteous ones and all saints, have mercy on me, and pray for me, a sinner, to the Lord God, and help me now, in this life, and at the end of my soul, and in the future (bow )
.

After this, pray the following prayers three times with bows.

Most Holy Trinity our God, glory to Thee. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Glory, Lord, to Your Honest Cross. Most Holy Lady Theotokos, save me, Thy sinful servant. Angel of Christ, my holy guardian, save me, Thy sinful servant. Holy archangels and angels, pray to God for me, a sinner. Great Saints John, Prophet and Forerunner, Baptist of the Lord, pray to God for me, a sinner. Saints and glorious prophet Elijah, pray to God for me, a sinner. Holy forefathers, pray to God for me, a sinner. Holy prophets, pray to God for me, a sinner. Holy apostles, pray to God for me, a sinner. Holy Glorious Apostles and Evangelists: Matthew, Marco, Luke and John the Theologian, pray to God for me, a sinner. Holy Glorious Supreme Apostles Peter and Paul, pray to God for me, a sinner. Holy three great saints: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, pray to God for me, a sinner. Saint Nicholas of Christ, pray to God for me, a sinner. Reverend Father Sergius, pray to God for me, a sinner. Our reverend and God-bearing fathers, shepherds and teachers of the universe, pray to God for me, a sinner. All saints, pray to God for me, a sinner.

After this, pray to the saint whose name you bear, and to the saint celebrated on this date, and also to other saints whom you wish. Don’t forget to pray and do penance, whatever bows you receive from your spiritual father.

Then pray for the health of the ruling bishop, spiritual father, parents, relatives and loved ones, saying with bows three times about health and salvation:

Merciful Lord, save and have mercy on Your servants (bow) (name the names for whom you pray)

.
Deliver them from all sorrow, anger and need (bow)
.
From all illnesses of soul and body (bow)
.
And forgive them every sin, voluntary and involuntary (bow)
.
And do something useful for our souls (bow)
.

Then pray for the repose of your spiritual fathers, parents and loved ones, and for whom you have zeal, saying three times with bows:

Rest, O Lord, the soul of your departed servants (bow) (name the names for whom you pray)

.
And as much as men have sinned in this life, You, as the Lover of Mankind, forgive them and have mercy (bow)
.
Deliver us from eternal torment (bow)
.
The participants in the kingdom of heaven make (bow)
.
And do something useful for our souls (bow)
.

When finishing your prayers, say:

Lord, whether in word, or in deed, or in thought, I have sinned throughout my life, have mercy on me and forgive me, for the sake of Thy mercy (bow to the ground)

.
I place all my hope in You, Mother of God, keep me in Your blood (bow to the ground)
.
My hope is God, and my refuge is Christ, and my patron is the Holy Spirit (bow to the ground)
.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (bow)

.
And now and ever and unto ages of ages, Amen (bow)
.
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord bless (bow)
.

And release:/>

Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother and our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all saints, have mercy and save me, a sinner, for I am Good and Lover of Mankind. Amen.

And, bending down to the ground, without making the sign of the cross, read forgiveness:

Weaken, forsake, let go, O God, of my sins, voluntary and involuntary, both in word and in deed, both in knowledge and in ignorance, in mind and in thought, in days and in nights, forgive me all, as Good and Lover of Humanity. Amen.

Having risen, read this prayer with bows:

Forgive those who hate and offend us, Lord Lover of Mankind. Do good to those who do good, to the brethren and to all our relatives, even those who are alone, grant them everything, including petitions for salvation and eternal life (bow)

.
In the present illnesses, visit and heal, in the prisons of the present freedom, on the floating waters, awaken the Ruler and those who are on their way, correct and hasten (bow)
.
Remember, Lord, our captive brethren, fellow believers of the Orthodox faith, and deliver them from every evil situation (bow)
.
Have mercy, Lord, on those who gave us alms and commanded us, unworthy, to pray for them, forgive them and have mercy (bow)
.
Have mercy, O Lord, on those who labor and serve us, who have mercy and nourish us, and grant them all petitions and eternal life (bow)
.
Remember, Lord, our fathers and brethren who departed before, and bring them home, where the light of Thy face shines (bow)
.
Remember, Lord, our thinness and wretchedness, and enlighten our minds with the light of reason of Thy Holy Gospel, and guide us on the path of Thy commandments, through the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and all Thy saints, amen (bow)
.

These prayers end with the usual seven bows (see “incoming and outgoing bows” at the beginning).

At the end of your prayers, both in the morning and in the evening, protecting yourself with your pectoral cross, say:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, bless and sanctify and preserve me by the power of Your Life-Giving Cross.

After that, kiss the cross.

And read the prayer to the Cross, crossing yourself:

May God rise again, and may His enemies be scattered, and may those who hate Him flee from His face, like smoke disappearing, may they disappear. As wax melts in the presence of fire, so let demons perish from the presence of those who love God and who are marked with the sign of the cross, and let us rejoice with joyful words: Rejoice, O Cross of the Lord, driving away demons by the power of You, our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and trampled upon the power of the devil. , and who gave us His Honest Cross to drive away every adversary.

ABOUT! Most honorable and life-giving Cross of the Lord, help me, with the Most Holy Lady Theotokos, and with all the holy heavenly powers, always and now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary

During the reading of morning prayers, they turn not only to the Lord God, but also to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

It is customary to address the Most Holy Theotokos with a prayer glorifying the Queen of Heaven and her Son. The clergy recommend reading these prayer words several times throughout the day, so they must be memorized.

A hymn of praise to the Mother of God is read:

in gratitude for the help;
going on the road;
starting a meal;
during times of sorrow and sorrow.

Brief prayer text “Rejoice, Mother of God”:

“Virgin Mother of God, 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.”

Origin story

The history of the breviary begins in apostolic times, when for the conduct of divine services certain records of prayers were created, which were read on special occasions. The first books of this nature did not reach modern times and were lost or lost until the formation of the Christian Church.

The earliest example is a collection of prayers recorded by Bishop Euchologion of Tmuite. His notes are part of the collection "Apostolic Constitutions" and are found in the eighth volume. Historians suggest that this document was compiled in the 4th century in Egypt, where the bishop lived.

As the Church grew and its services and sacraments expanded, the number of prayers performed on special occasions increased until the 9th century. For convenience, they were written down and unique collections of prayers were obtained, which were read in certain situations.

All the rites described in the breviary appeared in apostolic times

In Greece, at the same time as the missal, the Prayer Book or Euchologion was compiled and written down. Manuscripts from the 8th–9th centuries, which were compiled and recorded in Barberini and the Sinai monastery, have survived to this day.

On the territory of the CIS, the missal appeared in the 9th century after it was translated by Cyril and Methodius into the Old Church Slavonic language. This version of the compiled prayer books was preserved and used during services until the reign of John Kalita.

Already under this Grand Duke, Metropolitan Theognost of Kiev gave the order to compile a new translation, which the Metropolitan personally brought to Kievan Rus in 1328. Subsequently, this particular version of the book was used everywhere in Russia, Ukraine and other Slavic states in Orthodox churches.

Over the following centuries, especially with the development of printing, missals were rewritten, supplemented and corrected. Each new patriarch made his own adjustments to the collection:

Filaret (1619−1633).
Joasaph (1634−1640). Under this patriarch, the collection began to include an appendix of the Council Resolutions.
Joseph (1642 - 1652). After all the adjustments and additions, the released copy began to be called Large.
Nikon (1652 - 1666).
Joasaph II (1667 - 1672). This husband released an abbreviation that later became known as Small.
Joachim (1674 - 1690) included the Nomocanon in the collection.

The last correction was made in 1863 under Metropolitan Arseny and with his blessing, it was published in printed form and was called the Additional Trebnik. Additions and adjustments to the first editions have led to the fact that today the most complete and high-quality collection of all prayers is used in worship.

"Jesus Prayer"

Appeals to Jesus Christ are constantly heard from the lips of believers. It is enough to say a few short words, and peace of mind is restored, melancholy goes away, pain is relieved. The second part of the prayer is especially important, where a person admits himself to be a sinner. The “Jesus Prayer” is said before people are going to pray or ask something from the Lord.

This short sacred phrase of just a few words is very powerful. It sounds like this:

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all the saints, have mercy and save us, as you are Good and Lover of Mankind. Amen".

"Trisagion"

Any Christian who has attended a church service at least once has heard the text of the Trisagion Prayer. This is a powerful amulet that protects a person from various troubles.

It is customary to read it daily, along with other prayers. With these prayer words, believers turn to the Most Holy Trinity, therefore the prayer is considered miraculous. It is advisable to read it in front of the icon of the Holy Trinity, having first thrown out of your head all thoughts about worldly concerns. After pronouncing each verse, you should make the sign of the cross and bow.

The prayer is short and not difficult to remember:

“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Read three times, with the sign of the cross and a bow from the waist). Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen".

Holy spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity. He was sent by the Lord to do His will. The Holy Spirit is the Divine who lives inside every Christian and helps to overcome the devil's temptation. The Holy Spirit contributed to the emergence of the Universe and the writing of the Bible. Thanks to the Divine, people were able to comprehend the essence of Christianity.

Prayerful words addressed to the Holy Spirit help:

heal from various diseases;
cope with difficulties;
strengthen faith;
cleanse yourself from sin.

God's Spirit is invoked before the main prayers to prepare oneself spiritually.

Text of the message to the Holy Spirit:

“Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, You are everywhere and fulfill 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 Trinity

One of the most powerful prayers is an appeal to the Holy Trinity. It first sounds like an appeal to all three Hypostases simultaneously, and then to each Divine Face separately. The Holy Trinity helps guide a person on the true path and cleanse him from sins. She helps those praying during life’s difficulties, instilling hope in overcoming difficult trials. People approach the Holy Trinity by kneeling before an image or iconostasis.

Words of the prayer text:

“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. Lord have mercy. (Three times). Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen".

What is prayer for a believer?

An integral part of any religion is prayer. Any prayer is a person’s communication with God. With the help of special words that come from the depths of our souls, we praise the Almighty, thank God, and ask the Lord for help and blessings in earthly life for ourselves and our loved ones.

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 also pray in simple words. Often in this case, it is possible to invest great energy in a prayer appeal, which makes it 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 prayerful 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 strength to confront current circumstances.

Guardian Angel

Each person, having accepted the sacrament of Baptism, receives a guardian angel who protects him until death. The Guardian Angel is asked:

protect from troubles and enemies;
intercede before the Lord for forgiveness of sins;
help you make the right decision;
improve your health.

When turning to the invisible Divine being, it is advisable to retire, completely concentrating on prayer words that sound like this:

“Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and patron of my soul and body, forgive me everything if I have sinned on this day, and deliver me from all the wickedness of the enemy who opposes me, so that I may not anger my God in any sin; 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".

Types and contents

The Breviary was rewritten and supplemented many times, so today there are several versions of this collection. Each of them is used at the discretion of the clergy.

Great Breviary - it consists of 2 parts, which generally contain all the requirements existing in the Russian Orthodox Church. The first part contains prayers for the main church Sacraments (baptism, anointing with chrism, wedding, blessing of oil and repentance), which should occur in a person’s life.

The Great Breviary contains the sequence of all Church Sacraments

These are the most important sacraments that have great spiritual significance in the life of a Christian. The second part covers all other prayer needs that do not have a deep impact on a person’s soul, but are also important to him. In this part you can find prayers:

for the consecration of land, apartments and other property;
for the consecration of food and harvest;
when starting work;
blessing of Easter treats;
about expelling evil spirits, etc.

In addition to these texts, in the Great Trebnik you can find instructions for public worship (the ritual of washing the feet on Maundy Thursday, the ritual of acceptance into the Bosom of the Church, the consecration of the temple, etc.). After these parts, the collection contains a collection of canonical rules (Nomocanon) and months with an index of saints.

The Small Trebnik is a shortened version of the Large Book, therefore it contains only slightly shortened Sacraments, sequences for sacred rites and months.

Important! These prayers are most often read by parish priests. The Nomocanon is also included in the collection, but in its most abbreviated version, containing only the main rules.

Additional Breviary - in this collection you can only find the rites of consecration. They are read when blessing the temple cross, vessels for ministry, priest's vestments, icons and other church paraphernalia. In addition to these, there are prayers for the consecration of household items that Christians use at home.

The Breviary of Metropolitan Peter Mohyla was published in 1646. The purpose of publishing this collection was the need to give the Ukrainian people guidance on traditional Orthodox church rituals. The Metropolitan believed that Catholicism had a significant influence on the church, so he created, as he believed, a book of prayers cleared of errors and errors.

Breviary of Metropolitan Peter Mohyla

There are also many different editions of missals, which were published with minor changes and adjustments by the current patriarchs. But they are all extremely similar and contain prayers for the main and minor rites of the church.

"Psalm 50"

Every person is a sinner, but salvation and healing of the soul is impossible without repentance. For such cases, there is “Psalm 50,” written by King David.

The prayer of repentance reads:

when the soul is heavy because of a sin committed;
before taking communion;
to ask the Lord for mercy.

The sacred text is read twice a day: morning and evening. At church services, the prayer text is read in Church Slavonic. But at home the song of praise can be sung in Russian.

Old Slavonic version of the prayer:

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your compassions, cleanse my iniquity. Above all, wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin; For I know my iniquity, and I will take away my sin before me. You alone have I sinned and done evil before You; for you may be justified in Your words, and you will always triumph over Your judgment. Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sins. Behold, you have loved the truth; You have shown me Your unknown and secret wisdom. Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean; Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. There is joy and gladness in my ears; the bones of the humble will rejoice. Turn away Your face from my sins and cleanse all my iniquities. Create a pure heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb. Do not turn me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me. Give me the joy of Your salvation and strengthen me with the Lord’s Spirit. I will teach the wicked your way, and wickedness will turn to you. Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation; my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise. As if you had desired sacrifices, you would have given them: you do not favor burnt offerings. The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God will not despise a contrite and humble heart. Bless Zion, O Lord, with Your favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then take pleasure in the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offering; Then they will place the bullock on Your altar.”

Text of “Psalm 50” in Russian:

“Have mercy on me. God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your compassions, blot out my iniquities.
Wash me often from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, for I am aware of my iniquities, and my sin is always before me.
You, You alone, have I sinned and done evil in Your sight, so that You are righteous in Your judgment and pure in Your judgment.
Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sin.
Behold, You have loved the truth in your heart and have shown me (Your) wisdom within me.
Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean; Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness, and the bones will rejoice. Broken by you.
Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and strengthen me with the Sovereign Spirit.
I will teach the wicked Your ways, and the wicked will turn to You.
Deliver me from bloodshed. O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will praise Your righteousness.
Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise:
for You do not desire sacrifice, I would give it; You do not favor burnt offerings.
A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; You will not despise a contrite and humble heart, O God.
Bless Zion, O Lord, according to Your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem:
then the sacrifices of righteousness, the wave offerings, and the burnt offerings will be acceptable to You; Then they will place bullocks on Your altar.”

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 chant your Holy name and pray to our Almighty God. Amen".

Thank you note

Many people are accustomed to turning to the Lord only when they find themselves in a difficult situation. And very often they forget to thank the Almighty, or they thank only after receiving help.

But a prayer of thanksgiving to Jesus Christ should be offered daily. After all, the Lord is constantly nearby, giving life, natural treasures, family, health, children, friends, and relatives.

You need to thank God for everything that a person has at the moment. Having learned to appreciate every little thing, a person begins to understand that everything that happens in the world is subject to the Will of the Almighty.

Text of the thanksgiving prayer:

“We thank Thee, Lord our God, for all Thy good deeds, even from the first age to the present, in us, Thy unworthy servants (names), who were, known and unknown, about those revealed and unmanifested, even those who were in deed and in word: who loved us Just as you deigned to give Your Only Begotten Son for us, make us worthy of Your love. Grant with Your word wisdom and with Your fear inhale strength from Your power, and whether we have sinned, whether willingly or unwillingly, forgive and not impute, and keep our soul holy, and present it to Thy Throne, having a clear conscience, and the end is worthy of Thy love for mankind; and remember, O Lord, all who call upon Thy name in truth, remember all who desire good or evil against us: for all are men, and every man is in vain; We also pray to You, Lord, grant us Your great mercy.”