Night for sleep
There are lines in one of the letters of St. Ambrose of Optina that laymen do not need to devote the night to prayer: “You ask how to accustom your pet to serious activities... First suggest that they make day out of day and night out of night; and when you succeed in this, then you can think about something else.”
The body of a working person, tired during the day, needs to restore strength through continuous sleep, and night prayers certainly break it into segments of imaginary wakefulness and possible relaxation.
Blessed Theodoret of Cyrus Fr.
When leading an active lifestyle, a person must have a correct sleep schedule, and constant awakenings for night prayers can unbalance his psyche and cause irreparable harm.
What is a prayer rule and what is it like?
An Orthodox believer differs from worldly people in that in everyday life he keeps the commandments of God and remains in prayer. The prayer rule for beginners is to read certain appeals to the Almighty and the saints in order to acquire a closer knowledge of the Creator.
Why are rules needed?
Experienced Christians know them by heart, but every Orthodox person should have a “Prayer Book” filled with texts of proclamations not only for morning and evening, but for all occasions.
A prayer rule is a list of prayers. There is a general order of sacred reading for morning and evening. In each individual case, the spiritual mentor adjusts the prayer law, taking into account the degree of employment of the person, his place of residence and spiritual age.
Prayer Rule
Often, new believers rebel against reading texts written by saints in a language that is difficult to read. The prayer book was written on the basis of appeals to the Lord of people who accomplished the feat of faith, lived in purity and worship of Jesus Christ and were led by the Holy Spirit.
The first example, which became an integral part of the prayer rule for morning and evening prayers, was given to His followers by the Savior Himself. “Our Father” is the main proclamation with which Orthodox believers begin and end the day. Daily reading of the prayer book becomes a habit that fills the soul with God's wisdom.
About important church prayers:
The Church offers a prayer rule for beginners, so that the infant soul in Christianity grows in actions pleasing to the Creator.
A daily conversation with the Creator is a living communication, not an empty phrase. The boldness of communication with the almighty God involves speaking in the right words, in which there is no emptiness.
Important! By turning to the Almighty, the Orthodox are then filled with God's knowledge and His protection, when they leave vanity and are completely immersed in prayer.
How to behave correctly during prayer communication
Prayerful communication of all Orthodox Christians is performed standing; only elderly and sick people can sit. While reading the prayer book, in recognition of their sinfulness and imperfection, showing humility, people bow, some to the waist, while others bow to the ground.
Prayerful communication with God
Some Orthodox believers perform prayer communion while kneeling. The holy apostles opposed such worship, explaining that only slaves kneel; children do not need to do this. (Gal. 4:7) However, having committed some sin, it is not forbidden to kneel in submission, begging for forgiveness.
About prayer rules:
Beginning believers sometimes do not know how to correctly make the sign of the cross. The fingers of the right hand should be folded as follows:
- press the little finger and ring finger to the palm, they mean that Jesus was God and man at the same time;
- put the thumb, index and middle fingers together, three-fingered, as a symbol of the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
How to be baptized correctly
Drawing a cross in the air, touch the middle of the forehead with folded fingers, then lower the hand just below the navel, move to the right and then the left shoulder, only after this they bow.
A careless attitude to the sign of the cross, according to John Chrysostom, causes joy only among demons . The sign of the cross, performed with faith and reverence, is filled with God's grace and is a terrifying force for demonic attacks.
Before reading spiritual texts, you should try to free yourself from vain thoughts; this is sometimes difficult, so try to imagine the great sacrifice of Christ and your presence before Him in this world.
Never perform your prayers “for show”; in the spiritual world they will be an empty phrase. Delve into every word of the appeal to the Savior, filling yourself with His grace and love.
Prayer Rule - Law or Grace
Many novice Orthodox Christians are interested in the question: if prayer is a free appeal to the Creator, then why make it conform to the law.
In response to such an appeal, the Saratov abbot Pachomius clarifies that freedom and permissiveness should not be confused. The freedom of believers consists in the boldness of being before the throne of the Most High, which sinners and the unbaptized cannot afford. Permissiveness returns the believer to his former life, and it is then much more difficult to return to the grace of appeals to the Savior.
In the spiritual world there is no consensus regarding the duration and order of prayer before the Almighty. Some people remain in reverent worship for hours, while others cannot stand even half an hour.
Regular, constant spending time reading prayers will help you develop the habit of daily communication with the Creator, even if it’s 15 minutes in the evening.
Prayer Rule
First, you should purchase a “Prayer Book” and read it. Sometimes an Orthodox person understands that reading out of obligation turns into an empty habit; if this happens, then one can move on, as St. Theophan the Recluse did, to reading psalms and scriptures from the Bible.
The main thing is to be filled with worship of the Creator every day, to enter His presence, to feel His protection throughout the day. Evangelist Matthew wrote that to conquer the Kingdom of God you need to use force. (Matt. 11:12)
To help the beginning prayer book
There are three prayer lists for Orthodox believers.
- The complete prayer rule is designed for spiritually persistent believers, which include monks and clergy.
- The prayer rule for all laity consists of a list of prayers read in the morning and evening; a list of them can be found in the “Prayer Book”:
- in the morning: “Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Virgin Mother of God”, “Rising from sleep”, “Have mercy on me, O God”, “I Believe”, “God, cleanse”, “To You, Master”, “ Holy Angel”, “Most Holy Lady”, invocation of saints, prayer for the living and the dead;
- in the evening: “Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Have mercy on us, Lord”, “Eternal God”, “Good King”, “Angel of Christ”, from “The Chosen Governor” to “It is worthy to eat”.
Seraphim of Sarov proposed another short prayer rule for those laity who, for some reason, are limited in time or are in unpredictable circumstances.
Icon of Seraphim of Sarov
It consists of reading each prayer three times:
- "Our Father";
- “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice”;
- "I believe."
Particular attention should be paid to reading spiritual appeals to the Almighty Creator and Savior during the period of fasting, before receiving the Sacrament of Communion and in the hour of difficult life trials.
Advice! God's mercy accompanies those who began communicating with God in the morning, before breakfast, and ended by reading spiritual texts before dinner.
Moral preparation for worship
For a beginning Orthodox believer, it is advisable to purchase a “Prayer Book” in modern Russian, so that while reading what is written, delve into every word, filling it with strength and grace, and receive instruction and support.
This is the advice of Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, which points out the importance of understanding every word of the text being read. Over time, many texts are stored in memory and read by heart.
Before reading the Prayer Book, you should ask the Holy Spirit to show whether there are any remnants of resentment, bitterness or irritation in your heart. Mentally forgive all offenders and ask for forgiveness from those who were treated unfairly, this is how the Orthodox pray.
According to Tikhon of Zadonsk, all negativism should be abandoned, for, as Gregory of Nyssa wrote, the Creator is Kind, Righteous, Patient, Lover of Humanity, Kind-hearted, Merciful, the goal of the prayer rule is to be transformed into the image of the Creator, to acquire all the qualities for philanthropy.
Reading prayers at home
Jesus Christ taught to communicate with Him to go into your prayer room, closing the doors from the outside world. Every Orthodox family has a corner with icons, although it is increasingly rare to see an icon lamp there.
Red corner in the house
Before starting to worship God, you should light a candle; it is advisable to purchase it in the temple. In a family, and this is a prototype of the church, there are rules for who prays in solitude, and some prefer to do it together, because the intense prayer of a righteous person can do a lot. (James 5:16)
Theophan the Recluse, who spent a lot of time worshiping God, writes that there is no need to rush when starting to pray. Having made the sign of the cross and bowed, you should be silent for a moment, entering a state of worship and reverence before God. Every word of prayer must come from the heart; it must not only be understood, but also felt.
Reading "Our Father";
- give praise to the Creator who is in Heaven;
- submit your life to His will;
- truly forgive the debts and misdeeds of other people, for these are prerequisites for God to forgive each of the Orthodox;
- ask Him for mercy in solving all material problems with the words “give us this day our daily bread”;
- Declare the power of God in your life and His covering over you and your family.
If, while reading the “Prayer Book,” a desire appears in your heart to ask God for some need, do not put it off until later, but immediately bring it before the prayer throne of the Almighty.
The Lord teaches His children to be constant and persistent in prayer through the example of a poor widow (Luke 18:2-6); no petition will remain unanswered by Him. It is very important when communicating with the Savior to put aside all haste; only through a meaningful appeal can one reach God.
According to the advice of Bishop Anthony, in order not to be distracted by time limits, you should wind the clock so that the bell rings at the right moment. It doesn’t matter how long the prayer rule lasts or how many prayers are read, the main thing is that they are completely dedicated to God.
Saint Ignatius calls regular prayers hard work for sinners, while the righteous experience pleasure from communion with the saints and the Trinity.
If thoughts “run away”, there is no need to rush, you should return to where you began the absent-minded reading of the spiritual proclamation and start all over again. It will help to concentrate on the text being read by saying all the appeals out loud. It is not without reason that they say that prayers read silently are heard by God, and prayers spoken out loud are heard by demons.
Silouan of Athos noted that God does not hear words spoken in empty thoughts and worldly affairs.
Silouan of Athos
The spirit of prayer is strengthened by regularity, just as the body of an athlete is strengthened by training. Having finished your prayer, do not immediately “pounce” on worldly vain affairs, give yourself a few more minutes of being in God’s grace.
Is it necessary to read a prayer book during the day?
Once having dedicated their lives to the Lord, Orthodox people are under His protection all their lives.
Throughout your busy day, you should not forget to invoke the Father’s mercy with the words “Bless, God!” Having passed through a test, receiving a reward or blessing, having done a successful job, do not forget to give all the glory to the Creator with the words “Glory to you, my God!” When you get into trouble, when you are sick or in danger, cry out: “Save me, God!” and He will hear. We must not forget about thanking the Lord for everything that has been sent down from above.
Before eating, one should not forget to thank the Creator for the given food and ask for His blessing to accept it.
By constantly being in prayer, having acquired the habit of crying out at any second, thanking, asking, repenting before God with all your heart, and not with empty words, an Orthodox person becomes God-thinking. God-thinking helps to understand the goodness of the Creator, the existence of the Heavenly Kingdom and brings Orthodox Christians closer to God.
about fulfilling the prayer rule
Source: https://molitva-info.ru/duhovnaya-zhizn/molitvennoe-pravilo.html
