What is sin
The word “sin”, in Greek “ἁμαρτία” (“amartia”), translated means “missing the target.” The goal of a Christian's life is to inherit the Kingdom of God. And sin is what takes you away from the chosen trajectory of movement towards eternal life. That which does not allow you to achieve your desired goal makes you miss it. Sin, like dirt, stains the purity of the soul, distancing it from God. But a Christian has a reliable “cleansing agent” - sincere prayer for the forgiveness of sins.
Prayer for forgiveness of sins
“The mother of all virtues is prayer: it can not only cleanse and nourish, but also enlighten and is able to make those who sincerely pray like the sun” (Reverend Neil of Sinai).
Prayer for forgiveness of sins
In the words of St. John Climacus: “Prayer is communication and unity of a person with God.” At every moment of his life, a Christian can fall to the Heavenly Father with a prayer for mercy.
One of the simplest and at the same time profound prayers for forgiveness is the Jesus Prayer:
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!”
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov wrote:
“In the name of the Lord Jesus revival is given to the soul deadened by sin.”
Hieromonk Anatoly of Kiev (1957-2002) adds:
“Without the Jesus Prayer there will be no salvation, because the passions in the heart cannot be killed by anything other than it. The entire Orthodox faith and all piety rest on the name of Jesus Christ. Anyone who wants to truly learn to love the Lord must necessarily practice the Jesus Prayer.”
The heartfelt prayer of a sinner sounds in the Gospel from the mouth of a publican: “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13). Deep humility and repentance of this prayer request should adorn the life of every Christian.
From the lips of the Holy Fathers, who were aware of the countless number of their sins, prayers were tirelessly raised to God for forgiveness of sins and help. These prayers were included in the morning and evening rules. An Orthodox Christian has the invaluable opportunity every day in morning and evening prayers to combine his prayerful lamentation for sins with the appeals of great saints.
However, no matter what prayers a person reads, the words alone will be a simple shock of air. If at the same time you do not imbue prayer with awareness of your weakness, true humility and deep repentance for the sins you have committed. Then “reading” the rule will be a futile exercise.
Why you need to pray for offenders and haters
The Gospel of Matthew quotes the words of Jesus, which contain the essence of Christian doctrine. The basis of the lifestyle of believers in Christ should be love. Jesus Christ taught to be merciful to your enemies: to forgive yourself and to pray to God to forgive those who hate and offend. Without this, it is impossible to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and enter the Kingdom of Heaven after death.
All holy ascetics adhered to this rule. In biographies that have survived to this day, it is said that spiritual shepherds never held a grudge against their offenders and persecutors. Christian saints argued that anger and malice are not natural qualities of a person, but a temptation to sin from the Evil One.
Prayer requests will be heard by the Lord if the soul and thoughts of an Orthodox believer are freed from indignation and resentment at the unfair words and actions of other people. Reciprocal hatred corrodes the soul like rusting iron, putting a barrier to spiritual communication with Heavenly patrons.
Prayers help to overcome hostility towards those who offend and hate us:
- to the Lord;
- Mother of God;
- To the Holy Saints.
During her lifetime, the Mother of God was benevolent, patient with people, and prayed for sinners before Her Son. Appealing to the Heavenly Queen gives peace to the soul and softens the attitude towards people. Orthodox believers should not take lies, slander, and deception to heart. After praying to holy images, you must try to let go of the offense.
Having forgiven the offending or hating person in your soul, it is advisable to find a way to establish contact with him and reconcile. If this does not work out because of a negative reaction to the approach of a person who does not like you, then you should forget about him. Forgetting is the best way to get rid of hatred towards someone.
Forgiving offenders is an example of generosity that raises and maintains the moral state of a Christian.
A person who prays for those who hate him will have a more positive outlook on the world:
- will stop remembering words and actions that humiliate his pride;
- learn to be more tolerant of other people's shortcomings;
- will think more about good things.
Prayers for those who offend and hate us are read privately, in church. At home, before going to bed, the Lord is asked: “Forgive those who hate and offend us, Lord, Lover of Mankind.”
The ritual is explained by the fact that human life is in the hands of the Lord. No one knows when the soul will leave the mortal body. The prayer is said so that in the event of death during sleep, one does not leave the earthly world with grievances in the heart. The Lord will forgive our sins if we forgive them to others.
The path to forgiveness is repentance
The first words that Jesus Christ said when he went out to preach were: “Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). And this is no coincidence. God wants and is ready to forgive all our sins. But the Creator endowed man with free will and the ability to be creative. For a spiritual connection to take place, our willingness to accept this boundless forgiveness from the Lord is necessary. It is not enough to simply acknowledge your sin. A firm determination is required to forever renounce committing a sinful act. After all, the word “repentance” means, translated from Greek, “change of mind,” “change of thoughts.”
“To repent means to feel in your heart the lies, madness, and guilt of your sins. It means to realize that they have insulted their Creator, Lord, Father and Benefactor, who is infinitely holy and infinitely abhors sin. It means with all my soul to desire correction and atonement for them” (Righteous Saint John of Kronstadt).
Sin inflicts deep wounds on the human soul. Repentance can be compared to hydrogen peroxide, which helps to disinfect a sinful wound and speed up its healing. For complete recovery, the injury must be covered with a bandage. Such a healing patch is the Sacrament of Confession.
Sacrament of Confession
The sacrament of confession is God's greatest gift to man. Having brought deep repentance in his heart for the sinful acts he has committed, the Christian reveals them to the priest.
“Open your conscience before God, show Him your wounds and ask Him for healing, show Him who does not reproach, but heals, He sees everything, even if you are silent. Tell me, so that you can benefit, tell me that, having laid aside all your sins here, you can go there clean and sinless and get rid of the future unbearable discovery of them” (St. John Chrysostom).
According to the word of Christ, the clergy took over from the apostles the power to bind and loose human sins (Matt. 18:18). After sincere confession of sins, the repentant priest reads a prayer to God for forgiveness - the so-called prayer of permission. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, at the moment of the Sacrament of Confession, forgives the sins of a repentant person.
Having thrown off the heavy burden of sins, a person receives Divine grace. He gains joy and peace of mind, strength to fight his passions and disgust for his sinful inclinations. Such an inner mood is evidence of true repentance and forgiveness from God.
“The surest sign by which every repentant sinner can find out whether his sins are truly forgiven by God is when we feel such hatred and disgust from all sins that we would rather agree to die than to arbitrarily sin before the Lord” (St. Basil the Great ).
How to pray correctly if you have been offended
Praying for an ill-wisher whom we consider malicious and unworthy of God’s mercy is hard work. You will have to make an effort on yourself to overcome the resentment. To make this difficult task easier, you need to remember your sins. Jesus Christ taught: “Judge not, lest ye be judged...”.
Only the Savior can judge sinful thoughts and deeds. His prayer to the Father on the cross for those crucifying Him is a request to have mercy on sinners who do not understand the meaning of their actions. By saying “Our Father,” Orthodox believers turn to the Lord with a request to forgive sins (debts), just as they forgave them to their “debtors.”
When reading a prayer for those who hate and offend us, we must first forgive them in our souls. Then the Heavenly Father will forgive the sins of the Christian who turns to him. Resentment will make sins worse.
Medicine of Immortality - Communion
The main place in the life of the Church and every Christian is occupied by the Sacrament of Communion. This is the greatest miracle given by God to man, incomprehensible even to the Heavenly Angels. By uniting in Communion with Christ Himself, a person is sanctified by Divine grace. He receives reinforcement of his strength to fight passions, and is washed from sinful impurity.
“Christians have this Heavenly Fire as food for themselves; he is peace for them, he cleanses and washes and sanctifies their heart, he leads them to growth, he is air and life for them” (Reverend Maximus of Egypt).
The Sacrament of Communion was established by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, where, according to Old Testament custom, the Easter meal was eaten. Going to free suffering for the sins of all mankind, Christ fills the Old Testament Easter with new meaning. Having taught the disciples wine and bread, which became His Precious Blood and Most Pure Body, Jesus Christ commanded to continually perform this Sacrament:
“...do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). Pointing to the healing and saving power of Communion, the Lord said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:53-54).
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt:
“The Holy Gifts contain great power, for they are the Body and Blood of the Lord God, the Word of the Almighty Jesus Christ, imparted at the Liturgy of bread and wine by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they themselves correct, heal, sanctify everyone who approaches the great sacrament.”
A person becomes a true Christian precisely in the Sacrament of Communion, opening his body, soul and heart to Christ.
Texts of strong prayers for those who hate and offend us in Russian
They pray to the Mother of God in front of her icons for a merciful attitude towards ill-wishers. Saints Ephraim the Syrian, Tikhon of Zadonsk, Silouan of Zadonsk composed prayers to the Lord, in which there is a direct appeal to the Heavenly King to forgive those who hate and offend us.
Mother of God
O who will not please You, O Blessed Virgin, who will not sing of Your mercy to the human race. We pray to you, we ask you, do not leave us perishing in evil, dissolve our hearts with love and send your arrow to our enemies, may our hearts be wounded by peace against those who persecute us. If the world hates us - You extend Your love to us, if the world persecutes us - You accept us, give us the grace-filled strength of patience - to endure the trials that happen in this world without grumbling. Oh, Lady! Soften the hearts of evil people who rise up against us, so that their hearts do not perish in evil - but pray, O Blessed One, Thy Son and our God, may he pacify their hearts with peace, but let the devil - the father of evil - be put to shame! We, singing Thy mercy towards us, the evil, the indecent, will sing to Thee, O Most Wonderful Lady of the Blessed Virgin, hear us at this hour, those who have contrite hearts, protect us with peace and love for each other and for our enemies, eradicate from us all malice and enmity, let us sing to You and Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: Alleluia! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Ephraim the Syrian
Have mercy, Lord, on those who hate me and envy me! Have mercy, Lord, on those who slander me and cause me offense! Do not do anything evil to them for Your unworthy servant; but according to Their ineffable mercy and according to Their immeasurable goodness, neither in this life nor in the next century, may they not tolerate evil for me, a sinner! Sanctify them with Your mercy and autumn with Your grace, O All-Good One, because before all, blessed are You forever and ever. Amen.
Before the icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness”
Accept, O all-good and mighty most pure Lady, Lady of God, Mother of God, these precious gifts, which alone are due to You, from us, Your unworthy servants, chosen from all generations, who appeared to be the highest of all creations of heaven and earth! Indeed, thanks to You, the Lord of Powers is now with us, and through You we have come to know the Son of God and have been rewarded with His holy Body and His most pure Blood. Therefore, blessed are You in the generations of generations, having acquired bliss in God, brightest of the Cherubim, and highest in honor of the Seraphim. And now, all-praiseworthy Most Holy Theotokos, do not cease to pray for us, Thy unworthy servants, so that we may be delivered from every evil advice and from every misfortune, and remain unharmed from every poisonous attack of the devil. But even to the end, through Your prayers, without condemnation, preserve us, so that, saved by Your intercession and help, we, for all glory, praise, thanksgiving and worship, send up in the Trinity the one God and the Creator of all, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk
Lord of love, who prayed for those who crucified You, and commanded Your disciples to pray for their enemies! Forgive those who hate and offend us, and turn from all evil and deceit to a brotherly and virtuous life, we humbly offer a prayer to You: that in unanimity we may glorify You, the only Lover of Mankind.
Silouan of Athos
Lord, grant Your peace to Your people. Lord, grant to Your servants Your Holy Spirit, so that He will warm their hearts with Your love and guide them into all truth and goodness. Lord, grant them Your grace, so that in peace and love they may know You, and love You, and say, like the apostles on Tabor: “It is good for us, Lord, to be with You.” Warm the sad hearts of people; let them glorify You in joy, forgetting the sorrows of the earth. O good Comforter, I tearfully ask You, comfort the sorrowful souls of Your people. Let all Your people understand Your love and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit, may people forget the sorrows of the earth, and may they leave all bad things and cling to You with love, and may they live in peace, doing Your will for Your glory.
Akathist to Grand Duchess Olga
Troparion, tone 1
Having fixed your mind with the wings of God's understanding, you flew above visible creatures, seeking God and the Creator of all things, and, having found Him, you received rebirth through Baptism, enjoying the animal tree, remaining incorruptible forever, Olgo, ever-glorious.
Kontakion, tone 4
Let us sing today to God, the Benefactor of all, who glorified the God-wise Olga in our land, and through her prayers he will grant remission of sins to our souls.
Kontakion 1
First-chosen of our entire family, more glorious and equal to the apostles, let us praise the saint of God, Olga, as at the dawn, in the darkness of idolatry, the light of faith arose and showed the way to Christ to her people. You, who have boldness towards the Lord who has glorified you, protect us from all troubles with your prayers, so we call you: Rejoice, holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, God-wise.
Ikos 1
Creator of angels and men, who has placed times and seasons in His power and governed the destinies of kingdoms and peoples according to His will, when you desire to enlighten our race with Holy Baptism, then, seeing the good will of your heart, calling you first into the knowledge of Himself, so that you may be an image for your people and a teacher in the Christian faith. For this reason, we praise you:
Rejoice, morning star, foretold from the First-Called Apostle on the mountains of Kyiv.
Rejoice, wonderful growth of trees, not the great tree of orthodoxy on the earth of our age.
Rejoice, our first teacher and enlightener.
Rejoice, for through your knowledge we worship the Creator in the Trinity.
Rejoice, for for your sake the most holy name of the Lord is glorified by everyone.
Rejoice, for your glorious name, together with Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir, is praised throughout the world.
Rejoice, our country is a spiritual treasure.
Rejoice, glorious adornment to the whole Church of Christ.
Rejoice, great kindness from the cities of Kyiv and Pskov.
Rejoice, good helper to our people against their enemies.
Rejoice, holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, God-wise.
Kontakion 2
Seeing you, Saint Olgo, like a weed of thorns: you were born into paganism, and you have always had the law of God written in your heart, and you have thy chastity like the apple of your eye, we sing with gratitude to God, wondrous in His saints: Alleluia .
Ikos 2
With your mind you know all good things, O God-wise Olgo, that idols created by human hands are not gods; Moreover, having rejected you, you tried to know the true God. For this reason, praising your prudence, we cry out to you:
Rejoice, good woman, who first of all knew the error of your people and understood the futility of idolatry.
Rejoice, you who diligently sought the true knowledge of God and the right faith.
Rejoice, having lived righteously before understanding the law of God according to the law of conscience.
Rejoice, having done deeds befitting a Christian before accepting the Christian faith.
Rejoice, thou who bravely defended thy power from the invasion of the adversary.
Rejoice, you who created righteous judgments in the people subordinate to you.
Rejoice, honored with royal glory on earth and in heaven.
Rejoice, for you, Equal to the Apostles, glorified by God.
Rejoice, holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, God-wise.
Kontakion 3
Moved by the power of God's grace, you, God-wise Olgo, strived to reach Constantinople, where you beheld the beauty of the church's splendor and listened to the teachings of the Divine words, and you were inflamed with all your heart in the love of Christ, crying out to Him in gratitude: Alleluia.
Ikos 3
Having a heart like a good land, you have conveniently accepted, Olgo, the seed of the holy faith, having come to know Christ the True God. In the same way, you also received Holy Baptism from the hand of the Patriarch of Constantinople, who also predicted that from now on your people would have blessings for you. If we want to fulfill this prophecy, we cry out to you:
Rejoice, you who escaped endless destruction by faith.
Rejoice, you who have acquired eternal life in Christ.
Rejoice, spiritually born by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Rejoice, intelligent turtledove, who flew away from the claws of the soul-destroying corvid.
Rejoice, you who flew under the wing of the Heavenly Eagle.
Rejoice, you who brought with you many souls to Christ through Baptism.
Rejoice, with undoubted faith illuminating the light that comes from your venerable relics.
Rejoice, you who give to the souls and bodies of those who benefit.
Rejoice, holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, God-wise.
Kontakion 4
Why do we not marvel at your prudence, Olgo, blessed, for you wisely rejected the proposal of the king of the Hellenes to marry him, resolving to him: “I did not come for the sake of marriage, and not for the sake of reigning with you, but let me be dismayed by Baptism to the Immortal Bridegroom Christ God, Whom above all My soul loves everything, and from now on I will never stop singing to Him: Alleluia.”
Ikos 4
Having heard from the Patriarch who baptized you a parting word about purity, fasting, prayer and all the virtues befitting a Christian, you put this in your heart to fulfill all the deeds you promised. Therefore, out of duty, we sing to you:
Rejoice, having cleared the field of your heart from the thorns of soul-harming passions.
Rejoice, you who have watered me with tears of repentance.
Rejoice, for the seed of the word of God has taken root in your heart, for it has taken root in the good earth.
Rejoice, having immaculately preserved your widowhood purity.
Rejoice, having pleased God through abstinence and prayer.
Rejoice, having propitiated the Creator with alms.
Rejoice, you who provided the needs of the poor and needy.
Rejoice, you who foresaw the enlightenment of your land with the light of Christ’s teaching.
Rejoice, holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, God-wise.
Kontakion 5
Having clothed yourself with the richly woven garment of Holy Baptism and the incorruptible food of the Most Pure Body and Blood of Christ, having been spiritually strengthened, O blessed One, you were not afraid of the desire of your unfaithful compatriots, our ancestor, to preach to them the One True God, to whom now our whole earth, as one mouth, sings: Alleluia .
Ikos 5
Seeing, Saint Olgo, all the people of your land immersed in the darkness of idolatry, you zealously tried to enlighten you with the light of Christ’s faith and create sons of the day and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven. Remembering your great care for them, we gratefully call to you:
Rejoice, wise ruler of your people.
Rejoice, the first of Christians to imitate Queen Helena in Divine zeal.
Rejoice, and you who received your name in Holy Baptism.
Rejoice, you who brought the Honorable Cross of Christ and holy icons from Constantinople to the city of Kyiv.
Rejoice, you who brought priests and clergy with you.
Rejoice, who taught people with your wise words to leave the darkness of pagan wickedness and accept the light of Christian piety.
Rejoice, you who have enlightened many Russian people with the light of the faith of Christ.
Rejoice, first from our land to be counted among the saints.
Rejoice, holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, God-wise.
Kontakion 6
Imitating the spirit-bearing Apostle as a preacher, God-wise Olga, you went around the cities and towns of your empire, leading, very powerfully, people to the faith of Christ and teaching them to sing to the One glorified God in the Trinity: Alleluia.
Ikos 6
Confirming in your state the beginnings of the Christian faith, you created temples of God in the city of Kyiv and in the country of your birth, at the Velitsa River near the city of Pskov. And so the Russian people began to glorify Christ our God everywhere, and to you, their enlightener, sing laudably:
Rejoice, for you received pure teaching from the pure source of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Rejoice, destroyer of idolatry and idols.
Rejoice, as did the First-Called Apostle, who went around her land preaching the Gospel.
Rejoice, in the place of your preaching you erected the Honest Crosses and from them many signs and wonders, assurances for the sake of the unbelievers, by the power of God.
Rejoice, for through you the All-Good Lord has revealed His knowledge to your people.
Rejoice, for through them you enlightened many other nations with the light of faith.
Rejoice, for from the root of your honor the Lord of the holy Ravpoapostolnogo Prince Vladimir showed us to eat.
Rejoice, for by the way of your life the holy Prince Vladimir was moved to accept the Christian faith.
Rejoice, holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, God-wise.
Kontakion 7
Wanting to save your son Svyatoslav from eternal destruction, you diligently exhorted him to abandon the veneration of idols and believe in the True God. But she did not heed your mother’s punishment and did not want to change her wickedness to piety. Moreover, as an infidel, I am alienated from eternal life and am not worthy to sing with you in the Heavenly Kingdom: Alleluia.
Ikos 7
The Lord showed you a new sign of His favor, when, in the image of the Most Holy Trinity, three bright rays from heaven fell on the place of the oak forest, which not only you saw, but all the people there saw, and together with you you glorified the Triune God. We, leading the fulfillment of your prophecy about the creation in this place of the temple of the Life-Giving Trinity and the city, please you:
Rejoice, great servant of God, honored with the gift of prophecy.
Rejoice, spectator of the Trisienna of Heavenly Light.
Rejoice, the all-good will of God for the enlightenment of our people, according to the Apostle Andrew, the first executor.
Rejoice, original founder of the city of Pskov.
Rejoice, intercessor and patroness of our country.
Rejoice, for by the will of God your people have been confirmed in the Orthodox faith.
Rejoice, for in your churches the Bloodless Sacrifice for people is offered to God and the praise of the Holy Trinity is sung.
Rejoice, for the inhabitants of the city of Kyiv and Pskov exalt and please you.
Rejoice, holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, God-wise.
Kontakion 8
Ending your earthly journey, you prayed to the warmth of the Lord, O blessed Olgo, that He may not leave your power after your repose in the darkness of ignorance, but may He place it on the hearts of your people to turn to God, so that they may sing to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 8
Having been completely embraced by the grace of God, praiseworthy Olgo, you saw with your thoughts the enlightenment of all your people and prophetically predicted that many great saints of God, like bright stars, will shine in your land, which will come true by the will and grace of Almighty God. For this reason, out of duty, we sing to you:
Rejoice, our spiritual mother, who asked God for enlightenment by our forefathers.
Rejoice, for the All-Good Lord, the kindness of your soul was in vain, for your sake all your people loved you.
Rejoice, for you have found Christ a worthy vessel, through whom He began to pour out His grace to our land.
Rejoice, for thou shrewdly foresaw the greatness and glory of thy power.
Rejoice, for according to your prophecy, many holy things have arisen from our generation.
Rejoice, organizer of the house of the Life-Giving Trinity.
Rejoice, you who intercede for us in sorrows and misfortunes with your prayers.
Rejoice, you who preserve our Fatherland in evil circumstances and deliver us from enemies.
Rejoice, holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, God-wise.
Kontakion 9
Having been filled with all sorts of virtues, blessed Olgo, with prayer in her mouth, you gave up your spirit in the hand of God, who placed you in the heavenly abodes and was the first of our people to be numbered with the face of His equal-to-the-apostles saints. In the same way, ask the Lord for us to have a peaceful Christian death, so that we may surrender our souls into the hands of Christ our God, singing a song of praise to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 9
Vegetations of multi-proclamation cannot adequately praise you, Olgo the God-wise: how you, taught and admonished by no one from man, knew the vanity of idolatry, but you sought the right faith and, like Equal-to-the-Apostles Helen, you found the priceless beads - Christ, who is now enjoying the sight of Him in heaven , do not forget us, darkened by the charms of this world and forgetting about the eternal blessings, yes, we are guided by you on the right path, we cry to you joyfully:
Rejoice, having prepared for yourself a dwelling place of Divine grace through your good deeds and right will of mind and heart.
Rejoice, for the Holy Spirit Himself was your teacher, leading you to know Christ the Son of God.
Rejoice, you who saw no signs or wonders and believed in Christ.
Rejoice, you who have shown perfect submission to the will of God and who have appeared obedient to the voice of grace that called you.
Rejoice, having labored since the eleventh hour in the city of the Lord and received wages with the first.
Rejoice, for the Lord has made you wise to combine royal honor, wealth and glory with Christian humility.
Rejoice, for in this way you have clearly shown us that earthly blessings are not an obstacle to God-loving souls achieving heavenly blessings.
Rejoice, having received the gift from God through the strength of faith and the purity of life of your prophecy.
Rejoice, holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, God-wise.
Kontakion 10
Arranging the path of salvation for your people and fulfilling your dying request, the All-Good Lord will grow in your grandson Vladimir the seed of faith you planted and through him enlighten our entire land with holy Baptism. Therefore, we glorify you, blessed Olgo, as the first culprit of our enlightenment with the light of the holy faith, and we tenderly sing to Christ our Savior: Alleluia.
Ikos 10
Having received Holy Baptism, your grandson Vladimir tried to remove from the earth your incorruptible relics, filled with a wonderful fragrance, and with Saint Leontius and all the multitude of people, I placed them in the Church of the Most Pure Mother of God, and from there began to exude from them the healing of every ailment that comes with faith. For this reason, we praise you:
Rejoice, for the grace of the Holy Spirit has entered into you, create in your relics a source of healing for every ailment.
Rejoice, I did not allow those who came to see them with little faith.
Rejoice, you who have rejoiced the Church of Christ with the appearance of your relics.
Rejoice, you have greatly pleased your grandson Vladimir with their glorification.
Rejoice, for even to this day the pious people of our land delight in your glorious memory.
Rejoice, for through your faithful intercession to God people have been granted many blessings from the Lord.
Rejoice, having begged God with your prayers for the enlightenment of our land.
Rejoice, you who prophesied will soon appear in our country to many great saints.
Rejoice, holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, God-wise.
Kontakion 11
We offer a song of tenderness to you, the saint of God, and we humbly pray to you: pray for us, the only God who loves mankind, that He may not turn His face away from us, unworthy, continually sinning and grieving His goodness, but may He punish us here, as the Father who loves His children may, in in the future, may he save and have mercy, as the Righteous Judge and Rewarder, so that, having been delivered from eternal torment, we will be honored with you in the heavenly abodes to sing to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 11
Illuminated by a tri-radiant light, you now stand with all the saints in heaven at the Throne of the King of Reigns, Olgo the All-Blessed, and from there, like a luminous luminary, you enlighten our entire country, dispelling the darkness of delusion and showing the path to true enlightenment and heavenly bliss. For this reason, glorifying you, we say:
Rejoice, guide, showing us the right path to eternal salvation.
Rejoice, powerful helper and strengthener of the preachers of the Orthodox faith.
Rejoice, patroness of good teachers who work well for the common good.
Rejoice, sedition and strife consumer.
Rejoice, intercessor of all those offended and unjustly persecuted.
Rejoice, quick comforter to the sorrowing.
Rejoice, merciful healer of the sick.
Rejoice, for God has given help to our people through your prayers.
Rejoice, representative and intercessor of our country.
Rejoice, holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, God-wise.
Kontakion 12
Ask for the grace of the Most Holy Spirit for us, our mentor, from the All-Generous God and our Savior, admonishing and strengthening us in the work of salvation, so that the seed of the holy faith planted in us by you will not be fruitless, but may it vegetate and create fruit, which would enable us to nourish our souls in the future eternal life, where all the saints sing to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 12
Singing your many and glorious good deeds, revealed to our country in enlightening it with the light of the faith of Christ, we offer thanksgiving to you, calling with love:
Rejoice, indestructible fence of our land, protection and protection.
Rejoice, virgins in the image of a chaste life.
Rejoice, mother, teacher of lawful cohabitation and good upbringing of children.
Rejoice, rule of salvation for widows.
Rejoice, partaker in heaven of the lot of preachers of the faith of Christ.
Rejoice, zealous intercessor for our salvation.
Rejoice, at the hour of our death you prayed for us to God.
Rejoice, you who provide help and consolation to this body after our departure from this mortal body.
Rejoice, holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, God-wise.
Kontakion 13
O holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olgo! Graciously accept from us this laudatory thanksgiving for everyone, which the Lord has rewarded us with you, our father and forefather and our entire power, and pray to the All-Good God to increase His mercy on us and on the generations of our generations, confirm us in orthodoxy and piety, and keep us from of all misfortunes, misfortunes and evils, may we be worthy with you, like children of matter, to sing to God forever: Alleluia.
(This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1 and kontakion 1).
Troparion about those who hate and offend us
You prayed for those who crucified You, O loving Lord, and at this time command Your servants to pray, forgive those who hate and offend us, and instruct us to live in a brotherly and virtuous manner from all evil and deceit. We sincerely offer a prayer to You, and in unanimity we glorify You, the One Lover of Mankind .
How to ask God for forgiveness for sins
One should not think that simply reading prayers, even repeatedly and regularly, will automatically bring forgiveness of sins. Prayer is not a magical conspiracy, but living communication with the Lord. Therefore, it is important to realize your weakness and, with humility and tears of repentance, ask God for help in the fight against sinful passions. Prayer must be supported by deeds of mercy and goodness.
According to St. Macarius the Great:
“If humility, love, simplicity and grace are not associated with prayer and are not generated by it, then this is not prayer, but a guise of prayer.”
In the Lord's Prayer, which Jesus Christ gave in response to the request of the disciples to teach them to pray, there are the words: “and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). This means that one of the main conditions for God’s forgiveness of sins is the reconciliation of a person with his offenders.
Righteous John of Kronstadt:
“...if you want and love God to forgive your sins, consider it commonplace to forgive the sins of people who sin against you, knowing that love is long-suffering and merciful.”
Orthodox prayer for forgiveness
Difficult relationships with loved ones, many grievances have accumulated; sometimes you carry on dialogues in your soul and relive your troubles again and again. I just want to be free from this. What prayers to read so that your loved one forgives?
Strong prayers to forgive us and forgive ourselves
I think there are no sinless people. Even a hermit monk living somewhere in a secluded Scythia finds his sins and prays for redemption, and what can we say about ordinary people.
... We all have something to repent of, asking in Orthodox prayers that our sins be forgiven. However, few people know that there are also Christian prayers to forgive yourself.
This is very important - to forgive and stop biting yourself for some offense, to finally find peace of mind, to stop torturing yourself and suffering.
Prayer for forgiveness of serious sins
God's mercy is limitless. However, there are sins that cause very deep wounds to the soul. Their treatment requires a large amount of time and a special prayer for repentance of sins and forgiveness. For example, it is the sin of murder.
Life and death are the greatest Divine secrets, into which no one has the right to interfere. Only God knows the best moment for a person to leave this temporary earthly life. Therefore, murder is an attack on the power of the Lord Himself.
Abortion is also considered this terrible crime. The fetus in the womb is very small, but human. And termination of pregnancy is no more and no less - the deliberate murder of a child.
As Archpriest Andrei Tkachev says:
“Abortion does not annul a pregnancy, but makes a woman the mother of a murdered child.”
With deep contrition and hot tears of repentance, one must pray for the forgiveness of these sins.
