The Christian Church honors the memory of its saints, who became famous for their exploits of virtuous living. Many holy saints of God received special grace from God, and He deigned them to be intercessors before Him for deliverance from our sorrows and bodily ailments, in which they themselves were tempted. The holy saints in their earthly life turned to God for help in healing their ailments, sorrows and deliverance from temptations, asking God that even after death He would honor them with the gift of helping people in various cases of life. The saints invisibly participate in our conversation with God. Just as before, they were petitioners for God’s mercy, and to this day they stand before God, hear the prayer of people living on Earth, and strengthen it many times over. We must remember: in order for a prayer to be heard, one should pray to the holy saints of God with faith in the power of their intercession before God, in words coming from the heart. In our prayers we turn to the Lord God, to His Most Pure Mother - our Intercessor and Helper, to the holy Angels and holy people - the saints of God, because for their sake the Lord God is more likely to hear us sinners, our prayers. We pray to the Mother of God because She is closest to God and at the same time is also close to us. For the sake of Her maternal love and Her prayers, God forgives us a lot and helps us in many ways. The Mother of God is the Great and Merciful Intercessor for all of us, for the entire Christian race. Angels are disembodied and immortal spirits, gifted with intelligence, will and power. They are sinless and always do the will of God. When God sends them to people, then they appear in a visible image, taking on a bodily form. The word "angel" means "messenger". There are nine angelic ranks - Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Powers, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, Angels. God gives every Christian at baptism a Guardian Angel, who invisibly protects a person throughout his entire earthly life from troubles and misfortunes, warns against sins, protects him in the terrible hour of death, and does not leave him after death. We call holy people saints of God, because while living on earth they pleased God with their righteous lives and now, being in heaven with God, they pray to God for us, helping us living on earth. Saints have different names: prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, saints, unmercenaries, blessed, righteous, confessors. Prophets are saints who, at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, predicted the future, mainly about the Savior. They lived before the Savior came to earth. Apostles are the closest disciples of Jesus Christ. After the descent of the Holy Spirit on them, they preached the Christian faith throughout all countries. There were first twelve of them, and then seventy more. Two of the apostles - Peter and Paul - are called the First Supreme, since they worked more than others in preaching the faith of Christ. The four apostles - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the Theologian, who wrote the Gospel - are called Evangelists. Saints who, like the apostles, spread the faith of Christ in different places are called equal to the apostles. For example: the blessed kings Constantine and Helen; Righteous Prince of Russia Vladimir; Saint Nina, enlightener of Georgia; Mary Magdalene; First Martyr Thekla and others. Martyrs, that is, Christians who accepted cruel torment and even death for their faith in Jesus Christ. If, after the torment they endured, they later died peacefully, then they are called confessors. Confessors whose torturers wrote blasphemous words on their faces are called inscribed. The first to suffer for the faith of Christ were: Archdeacon Stephen and Saint Thekla, and therefore they are called the first martyrs. Those who died for the holy faith after especially severe (great) suffering, to which not all martyrs were subjected, are called great martyrs, for example: the holy great martyr George (the Victorious), the holy great martyrs Barbara, Catherine and others. Saints are bishops or bishops who pleased God with their righteous lives, such as Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Saint Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, and others. Saints who suffered torment for Christ are called holy martyrs. Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom are called Ecumenical Teachers, that is, teachers of the entire Christian Church. Reverends are righteous people who moved away from worldly life in society and pleased God by remaining in virginity (i.e., not marrying), fasting and prayer, living in deserts and monasteries. For example: Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov, Venerable Anastasia and others. Saints who suffered torment for Christ are called venerable martyrs. The righteous led a righteous life pleasing to God, lived, like us, in the world, being family people. For example: holy righteous Joachim and Anna and others. The first righteous people on earth, the ancestors (patriarchs) of the human race, are called forefathers. For example: Adam, Noah, Abraham and others. The unmercenaries healed for free, that is, without any payment, without demanding remuneration for their labors, they healed diseases, both physical and mental. For example: Cosmas and Damian, Cyrus and John, the great martyr and healer Panteleimon and others. A fool for Christ's sake is a person who, for the sake of Christ, appears to the world to be strange in his outward actions, but in fact is filled with true wisdom. Such people are also called blessed. _____________________________________________ We must remember: when you pray to some saint in your special need, turning to him for help, the saint’s prayer for us will be, and through his prayer we receive help from God.
Part three. Prayer
Now it is necessary to give an explanation of some of the most common prayers so that beginners can pray with understanding and meaningfully.
All our deeds begin for the glory of the Holy Trinity, and therefore we say: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".
The work that we begin will be sealed in the name of the Holy Trinity and will be accomplished to the glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. “Amen” - translated from Hebrew means “truly so,” “so be it.” This word, so often used by the Lord, is also one of the Divine names (Rev. 3:14), because Christ Himself will say “Amen” to every creation at the end of time.
With this prayer we ask the triune God to bless us in the upcoming work. Fulfilling the apostle's commandment (1 Cor. 10:31) to do everything for the glory of God, we add before each of our deeds: “Lord, bless.”
Before starting any prayer, we repeat the repentant prayer of the publican from Christ’s parable of the publican and the Pharisee (Luke 18:9-14): “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Or, in Russian: “God! Be merciful to me, a sinner."
Let's remember this parable. Two people entered the temple to pray. One of them was a Pharisee (an expert in the Law of God who considered himself righteous), and the other was a publican (“tax inspector”, tax collector who worked for the Romans; publicans were rightly considered great sinners - traitors and extortionists). The Pharisee stood in front and prayed like this: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people, robbers, offenders, adulterers, or this tax collector.” And the publican, standing behind, did not dare to raise his head to heaven, but only struck himself on the chest and said: “God! Be merciful to me, a sinner." And the Lord said that the publican went to his house more righteously than the Pharisee, whose prayer was disgusting to God because of his pride.
“Through the prayers of our saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen".
Before beginning the prayers, the layman asks for help in this from the Lord Jesus. Realizing that our prayers are weak, scattered and lacking courage, he needs the support of the saints so that their strong voice will support our weak one. Hoping for their intercession, we beg Christ to take pity and heal us. After all, for us the word “have mercy” does not mean, first of all, exemption from legal responsibility for actions, but God’s paternal pity for people. When Equal-to-the-Apostles Nicholas translated this word into Japanese, he rejected the term “amnesty” and introduced a word that literally means “have pity on a mother.” And in Greek, the word “have mercy” (eleison) sounds almost the same as “olive oil” (eleon), which is used to soften irritations and wounds. So, the words “Lord, have mercy” mean “Lord, have pity, heal and have mercy.”
“Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.”
We precede every task by glorifying the Creator, we send and send glory to the Creator. So in Heaven, blessed beings begin their song with praise to God.
Before starting any work, we must ask for help from the Source of holiness, the Holy Spirit, so that everything we do will serve for the glory of God. This prayer is read many times in the Church, but especially often it is sung on the day of Pentecost, when the third Person of the Holy Trinity appeared to people in the form of tongues of fire resting on the apostles of Christ. The prayer to the Holy Spirit is:
“Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything, Treasure of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, our souls.”
The Third Hypostasis of the Trinity is called here the King of Heaven, because the Father, through the Son from Heaven, sent Him into the world, so that, just as among the heavenly Angels the Spirit is the Eternal King, so on earth people would submit to His heavenly power.
He is called the Comforter or Defender (in Greek - “paraclete”) in accordance with the words of the Savior (John 14:16), for He protects the faithful from sin, curse and death, comforts them in sorrow, revives the souls of those who have died in despondency , drives away the attack of the devil and remains with us forever.
He is the Spirit of truth (John 14:17), because He testifies to the Truth - about Christ (John 14:6; 15, 26) - in the hearts of people, frees everyone from lies and untruths, gives people a solid foundation in a wavering world . He convicts the world of sin and unrighteousness and announces to it the judgment of God (John 16:8-11).
God the Holy Spirit is omnipresent and filling everything. Scripture says: “The Spirit of the Lord fills the world and, being all-inclusive, knows every word. Therefore, no one who speaks a lie will hide himself, and the judgment that condemns him will not pass away” (Wisdom 1: 7-8). There is nowhere to hide from the Holy Spirit, and He protects the edges of the universe, and therefore whoever calls upon Him will receive protection everywhere.
The Holy Spirit is a treasure of good things, for in Him are the roots of all virtues and from Him are all gifts, both physical and spiritual. His fruits: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Communication with the Spirit is a source of pleasure in Eternal life.
The life-giving Spirit in the Greek text of the prayer is also called the Manager, the Regent of the choir of life (literally from Greek χορηγός - “leader of the choir”; translated into Slavic as “Giver of life”). As the Creator and Ruler of the world, He puts life in all living things, and in His hands are the springs of all types of lives (vegetative, animal, angelic, human, and, most importantly, Divine), which He skillfully manages, making up of all creatures a single choir to the Heavenly Father.
Therefore, we ask the Great God the Holy Spirit to come to us and dwell within us. Just as during the wandering of the Jews in the desert, God the Holy Spirit led them in the form of a pillar of fire and cloud standing over the tabernacle (camp temple, tent), so He will dwell in us and lead us through the desert of the mortal world into the incorruptible Kingdom of God.
We ask Him to cleanse us from all filthiness, knowing that it was Him who Christ gave to the apostles for the forgiveness of our sins (John 20:22-23), for He is called the Holy One primarily - as the source of holiness and all radiant purity - for people and for the Angels.
And our last, most important request is a prayer to the Good Spirit (Ps. 142:10) for the salvation of our souls, because we cannot ask anything more important than this from a merciful God.
Initial Prayers
Next we will look at the prayers that Christians call the initial prayers (sometimes they are also abbreviated as “The Trisagion, according to the Lord’s Prayer”).
Trisagion: “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).
According to church tradition, in 438, under the holy Patriarch Proclus of Constantinople, a terrible earthquake occurred in the capital of Byzantium. Buildings collapsed and monstrous fissures formed in the ground. Frightened residents ran out into the street and began to ask God for forgiveness of sins. Suddenly one boy was caught up into Heaven by an invisible force. Returning to earth, he said that the angelic choirs alternately exclaim to each other a song: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal” (Isa. 6:2-3; Rev. 4:8). The people, hearing this, took up the angelic hymn, adding to it the words “have mercy on us,” and immediately the earthquake stopped. This prayer acquired church-wide significance when it was sung by the Fathers of the IV Ecumenical Council.
This prayer is addressed to the three Persons of the Holy Trinity. The word “holy,” applied to the three Persons, means their incomparability with anything that exists and “freedom from all defilement and perfect, unsullied purity in all respects.”
The Father is called here by the name “God,” for He is the beginning of the Divinity, the mysterious Root from which the Son and the Spirit come. The Mighty (or Mighty) is the Only Begotten Son, by Whom the world was created, Who holds it within Himself, and to Whom all will come at the end of time. Immortal - the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giving Lord. He is not subject to death by nature; on the contrary, all life has its beginning in Him. All three Persons are equally holy. And as evidence that the Trinity is one God, we add “have mercy on us” (singular).
“Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen".
This doxology permeates all the prayers and services of the Church. The pinnacle of knowledge of God is knowledge of the Sacrament of the Holy Trinity, and therefore every prayer is sealed by invoking the three sacred Names. The glory due to God is not just the delight and rejoicing that embraces creation in the face of the Source of Being, but the natural radiance of God. The Holy Scripture calls the appearance of the Lord glory as the radiance of the non-evening Light. The Glory of God is that uncreated power, the eternal Kingdom, which surrounds the incomprehensible Essence before the beginning of time. When we glorify God, we ourselves desire to become participants in this eternal dawn, as God said: “I will glorify those who glorify Me, but those who dishonor Me will be put to shame” (1 Sam. 2:30).
This glory belongs to God today, and always, and when time ends. The centuries of centuries are those happy times that await the saved after the end of times spoiled by death, when Christ will gather Christians to Himself and introduce them into the glory of the Trinity. With these words we also confess that the power and glory of God extends to all worlds and times, no matter how many there are, because He is the Creator and Absolute Ruler of everything that exists.
Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity. “Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name’s sake.”
Lord's Prayer.
This prayer is the most important in Christianity, because the Savior Himself gave it as a model for all prayers (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). And “when we pray, let the Father know the words of his Son. He who dwells within us, in the heart, may also be in speech. Since He is the intercessor with the Father for our sins, then, praying for our sins, we, sinners, will also use the words of our Intercessor” (St. Cyprian of Carthage. Book on the Lord’s Prayer).
“Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
The Lord's Prayer was interpreted by many holy men, illuminated by the light of the Spirit of God, therefore, in interpreting it, we will rely on their explanations.
When we begin our petitions, we boldly address the Great God, the original Creator and Ruler of the universe, as our Father. This is indeed something incredible, but the Savior Himself gave us such a right, because, united with Him by Baptism, Christians become sons and daughters of God.
So, we turn to Him with the words: “Our Father who art in Heaven!” He is the Father, but not just mine personally, but the entire Church united with Christ, and therefore we say not “mine”, but “our”. “This Father’s sons are the rich and the poor, this Father’s sons are the master and the slave, this Father’s sons are the general and the common warrior—and they are all brothers. On earth, all Christian believers have different fathers, some are noble, others are not, but they call on one Father, who is in Heaven. If our Father is in Heaven, then our inheritance is prepared for us in Heaven. For our Father is such that he gives us a joint possession with Him.”
But if we call God our Father, then we must all become like Him, otherwise we will turn out to be not real children, but foundlings.
He is called “being in Heaven” not because Heaven limits His nature or is His residence, but because the Angels of Heaven are completely submissive to His will and in them the eternal glory is manifested in its entirety. “Heaven can also be those who bear within themselves the image of the Heavenly (1 Cor. 15:49), to whom God promised: I will dwell in you and resemble you (2 Cor. 6: 16).”
Hallowed be Thy name. The first petition does not mean that the Name of God was sanctified, because it is holy by nature. Moreover, according to the interpretation of St. Maximus the Confessor, the name of the Father is Christ Himself. But we ask that in us this most holy name, this natural icon of the Divine, reveals its holiness and makes us saints. “We ask and pray that, sanctified in Baptism, we may remain as we began to be. And we pray about this daily, because we need to cleanse daily sins through constant sanctification.”
Let Your Kingdom come. We ask that “our kingdom come, promised to us by God, purchased by the blood and suffering of Christ; We ask that those who have served in this age may reign later with the Lord - Christ... We ask that He will soon reveal His coming to us.” According to Chrysostom, such prayer comes from a good conscience and a soul free from everything earthly. He who has such love can neither become proud among the blessings of this life, nor despair among the sorrows; but, as one living in Heaven, he is free from both extremes. The natural Kingdom of the Father, according to Maximus the Confessor, is the Holy Spirit, revealing to us Christ and His Father.
Thy will be done both in Heaven and on earth.
“As Thy will is done in the Angels, Lord,” exclaims Cyril of Jerusalem, “so may it be done in me on earth.”
“Let our minds rush to the search for God, and let the power of desire become an attraction to Him, just as let the fierce inclination enter into the struggle to preserve Him.” Let our body, taken from the earth, also serve the Creator, and not be at enmity with the spirit.
But, according to the explanation of Cyprian of Carthage, this petition concerns not only Christians, but also unbelievers. “May it be the will of God that they too, earthly by first birth, having been reborn by water and the Spirit, begin to be heavenly.”
Give us our daily bread today. This Bread is not simple food, but Holy Communion, the Bread of God coming from Heaven, the Flesh of Christ, which He gave for the life of the world (John 6, 33, 51). This is true Food, just as His Blood is true Drink (John 6:55). According to St. Cyril of Jerusalem, “ordinary bread is not daily bread, but this holy Bread is daily bread, that is, having an effect on the essence of the soul. This Bread does not fit into the belly and does not come out into the cloaca (Matthew 15:17), but is communicated to your entire composition, for the benefit of body and soul.” “We ask daily that this Bread be given to us,” adds Hieromartyr Cyprian of Carthage, “so that we, who abid in Christ and daily receive the Eucharist as food of salvation, being excommunicated due to some grave sin and deprived of heavenly Bread, are not separated from Body of Christ."
But besides Holy Communion, “the daily proclaimed Word of God is also bread. For, not being bread for the stomach, is it not bread for the soul?” notes St. Augustine.
And finally, there is such a meaning in this petition: give us, we ask God the Father, not wealth, not pleasure, not expensive clothes, but only bread, and everyday bread. And, we add, give us today so that we do not overwhelm ourselves with worries about the coming day. This understanding is connected with previous interpretations in that our meal itself is a continuation of the Eucharist.
And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors.
“By asking for food, remission of sins is asked (and our debts against God are sins), so that a person, fed by God, will live in God.”
But the Creator forgives them on condition of our mercy. If we do not forgive the sins directed against us, then God the Father will make us answer for all our evil deeds. Those who hold grudges and do not forgive offenses do not have the right to pray the Lord’s words and consider God their Father.
And do not lead us into temptation. We ask that God does not bring us into a situation where it will be easy for us to do evil. After all, “he who sympathizes with the tempter falls into temptation.” Blessed But we must remember that “the enemy has no power over us unless there is God’s permission. That is why all our fear, all reverence and attention should be directed to God; since the evil one cannot tempt us unless power is given to him from above.”
But deliver us from the evil one - the last petition of the Lord’s Prayer speaks of our main enemy, the devil, from whose impudent attack we ask to save us. “Having received such protection, we are already safe and protected from all the snares of the devil and the world,” notes Saint Cyprian. And St. John Chrysostom says that with these words the Lord teaches us never to be irritated with our neighbors for their insults, but to turn all enmity against the devil, as the culprit of all evils.
So, Christ’s First Prayer brings together everything that we need for the salvation of our souls. As Augustine said, “The Lord’s Prayer encourages us not only to learn to ask for what we want from God the Father who is in Heaven, but also to learn to desire what we should.”
If this prayer is proclaimed in church, then the priest ends it with the exclamation: “For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, always, now and constantly, and unto the ages of ages. Amen". According to Chrysostom, “if His is the Kingdom, then one should not fear anyone, since no one resists Him, and no one shares power with Him. And even the enemy is subordinate to God, although, apparently, he resists, by God’s permission. His strength too. So, even if you were very weak, you must nevertheless dare, having such a King, who through you can easily accomplish all glorious deeds. This King not only frees you from threatening evils, but can also make you glorious and famous; Just as His power is great, so His glory is inexpressible - in a word, everything with Him is boundless and infinite.”
When a Christian prays alone, he does not end the prayer with this exclamation, realizing that without the Church our prayer is incomplete.
Bee and honey in the Bible
How is the bee theme presented in the main book of an Orthodox Christian? According to researchers, the words “bee” and “wax” are used 6 times in sacred texts, “swarm” – 1 time and “honeycomb” – 10 times. But honey appears most often in the Bible - more than 60 times, which is a lot when compared with other food names in the Holy Scriptures. All this speaks of how highly the ancient Israelis valued this natural delicacy, as well as the significant role of beekeeping in the economic activities of the Jews of the described era. Archaeological excavations in the Jordan Valley have confirmed that professional beekeeping flourished here in biblical times. Thus, an apiary of 30 cylindrical clay hives was discovered by archaeologists in the Tel Rekhov mound, where the city was located in the 9th–12th centuries BC. e., that is, at the time when the Israeli throne was occupied by the kings David and Solomon, known from the Bible. In addition, bees lived in abundance in the rocks, and wild honey flowed down the hot stones under the influence of the heat. That is why Palestine is called in the Holy Scriptures a land where “milk and honey flow.”
However, bees and honey in the Bible are not just an insect and a type of food; they are often used in a figurative, symbolic sense, as concepts of a spiritual and moral category. Divine acts and words in sacred texts are repeatedly likened to honey. “The judgments of the Lord” turn out to be “sweeter than honey and drops of the honeycomb”; “Better than honey to the mouth” are His words. “Mellifluous words” in the Gospel do not mean “flattery” at all (as a modern person can understand this expression), but eloquence aimed at achieving spiritual goals. The sweetness of honey is an ancient metaphor that means the transfer of earthly, tasteful pleasure to a sphere insensibly incomprehensible, to the realm of the divine.
Saints Zosima and Savvatiy - patron saints of beekeepers
The patron saints of beekeepers and honey insects themselves in Orthodoxy are Saints Zosima and Savvaty.
There are many folk legends and beliefs floating around these names, in which fiction is densely mixed with historical accuracy. In fact, these were Solovetsky monks who lived in the 15th century and were distinguished by the righteousness of their monastic life and asceticism in the development of the harsh White Sea region by the church, for which they were canonized in 1547. It should be noted that beekeeping was not practiced in those days in the Solovetsky Desert. They were chosen later as patrons of this craft due to the need of beekeepers (beekeepers) to have protection in the person of the Orthodox religion and its saints. This probably happened already in the 17th century, during the period of the appearance of apiaries that replaced beekeeping lands. Be that as it may, Zosima and Savvaty were received by Orthodox beekeepers with love and respect. Many icons appeared, where they are represented precisely as beekeepers with the corresponding attributes: ladders, hives, ropes, dishes for honey... An icon with these saints was present at every apiary, and the beekeepers themselves did not start working in the wax kingdom without praying to the benefactors. There are highly specialized prayers said on specific occasions: a prayer for the multiplication of bees, prayers read before planting a new swarm in a hive and after cutting fresh honey from the hive. On the days of memory of Zosima (April 17/30) and Savvatiy (September 27/October 10), beekeepers serve prayers and bless the honeycombs brought to the church with honey, they are approached with requests for a good harvest next season. In addition, on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on Palm Sunday and on Easter, these saints light a candle and incense under the icon right in the apiary, at the same time fumigating the hives.
Among the people, in connection with the images of these saints, original legends were born. For example, about how Zosima and Savvaty brought bees in a staff to Rus' (where they were supposedly absent before), according to different versions - from paradise or a foreign/idol country, from a mountain or a cave. And it was they who taught the Russians proper beekeeping. Some local rituals of worshiping the Orthodox patrons of bees are relics of pagan superstitions. For example, the custom of dipping honeycombs with honey into water on the days of remembrance of saints is a response to the ancient belief that the patron of beekeeping is the waterman. However, prejudices gave way to an awareness of the most important covenant of Orthodoxy: high morality and purity of thoughts are the main guarantee of success in breeding insects called “pure”, “God’s”, “saints”.
When to turn to the righteous woman?
By calling on Anna the Prophetess, people get rid of grief, despair, despondency, melancholy and anxiety. The saint heals mental and physical ailments, allows you to cope with negative emotions and the loss of a loved one, overcome apathy and depression. Also, her amber icon will strengthen the souls of those who dream of living righteously, but constantly succumb to temptations and temptations, and will show an example of piety, compassion and moral purity.
The wise old woman especially protects nuns, widows, and unmarried women, keeping them from all troubles and misfortunes. She also takes care of babies and their mothers, preventing illness, injury and missteps. The ascetic also patronizes spouses who cannot conceive a child.
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