Morning and evening prayers
In the text about prayer, we wrote: prayer is not just a text that needs to be read - otherwise, for holiness it would be enough to read a lot. Prayer is the movement of the soul, its contact with Eternity - That which is invisibly present inside and around a person.
A man woke up in the morning, and his first thought was: thank you, Lord, I’m alive. This is a movement of the soul and also a prayer. She is a prototype of the morning prayer rule.
Communication with God is such a broad and comprehensive concept that the text is just a shell and, indeed, not always mandatory. For example, some monks pray outside of services with only one prayer - “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” It contains the whole essence, the whole root of human life, and everything else in a person’s life - his requests and needs - are just “life layers”, completely unimportant for a monk. For them, life itself is prayer.
But we are not monks (and not all monks know how to live like that). And the Church, over two thousand years, has collected texts of prayers and entire prayer rules - as an aid to us. For example, morning prayers and bedtime prayers for the future, which we see in every prayer book. It is believed that they most fully correspond to those impulses of the soul and spiritual “tasks” that face a person who spends the day outside the monastery, at mundane hectic work and in everyday worries.
What is the morning prayer rule?
Every true believer knows that you need to pray every day. Prayer for him is a unique way of meditation, reflection on his actions, a chance to thank the Lord and talk about his fears.
IMPORTANT: Certain prayers deserve reading in the morning after sleep. You can read such a prayer before the end of the first “third” of the whole day. This is no more than 4 hours after the sun rose.
The morning prayer rule is a series of prayers that should be read in the first part of the day. As a rule, this prayer is the same for all clergy of Orthodox churches. This prayer is intimate and has the most beautiful words praising God.
The morning rule contains everything that a person can and should say to the Lord:
- Gratitude for life and the night you lived
- For health and strength in the morning
- For deceased relatives
- For living loved ones
The morning prayer is written in Russian quite simply and intelligibly, so that it can reach anyone’s heart.
Rules for reading morning prayer
Is it necessary to pray in the morning or evening?
The word “required” is not entirely accurate. The saints taught that at a certain stage of the spiritual path and at a certain stage of self-knowledge, prayer and communication with God become a necessity for the soul - its “shelter,” support and inspiration, which it finds in contact with the Holy Spirit.
A person has not completed the morning rule - and there is no support in it.
The person did not read the prayer for the future to sleep - and there was even less support.
Perhaps it is correct to say that praying is not “obligatory”, but “necessary”. As an athlete who does exercises every day and leads a healthy lifestyle, he needs this. Or a writer who tries to write at least a few pages every day - and he also “needs” it.
A person who bases his life on the values of Love, Eternity, responsibility before God and joy in being with Christ also needs to pray. And at some point on the spiritual path this becomes so necessary that he cannot say anything else except that it is, of course, mandatory to pray in the evening.
But how can one come to understand that evening and morning prayers are not a duty, but “life”? How to achieve such a measure of understanding of things?
Saints and priests say again: everything comes with time and differently for everyone. Someone first forces himself through force and it is through perseverance that he makes his way to a living life of prayer: prayer at some point comes to him on its own and becomes a habit for him in a good sense. Someone prays every day because at some point in his life it was prayer that supported him. The memory of this helps him maintain this rule, and the rule itself is no longer a rule for him, but a way of life. Someone is inspired by the examples nearby...
Not only the laity, but all monks without exception go through a period when the body and mind are deaf to prayer. One of the most revered saints of the 20th century, Silouan of Athos, experienced such abandonment by God for more than ten years, and only then grace came to him - and with such a power that many are not honored to receive in their lifetime. We wrote about this saint. Read it. His story is very inspiring!
Texts of strong Orthodox prayers in Russian
There are several prayer texts that are addressed to the Almighty. The Holy Trinity is asked to cure illness, protect from enemies, relieve melancholy, give hope, and provide assistance in solving various problems.
On the Feast of the Holy Trinity
One of the most significant holidays in Orthodoxy is the celebration of the Holy Trinity, called Pentecost. On this day, in honor of the Holy Trinity, special chants and prayers are heard in all churches. Believers say words of gratitude to the Lord for the help provided and for everything that a person has at the moment.
The prayer of thanksgiving, the text of which is given below, is read on Pentecost:
“In the name of the Father God, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we pray for forgiveness and mercy on this bright and festive day. Three times our only heavenly Father, we offer words of joy on this holiday, we are in Your house and bow to the images in the hope of instruction and deliverance from illnesses and sins that burden our souls. We proclaim the true faith and convey from mouth to mouth words of gratitude for our lives in Thy goodness and mercy. We pray for everyone living on earth, living under Your gaze. Bless, Lord, a righteous life in mercy and goodness. Grant us, God, to live it in reverence for You and in raising children according to Your indisputable and only righteous covenants. Amen".
To fulfill your cherished desire
When turning to the Almighty, you can ask for the fulfillment of desires. But you cannot pray for material well-being.
The Most Holy Trinity is asked to fulfill spiritual needs. Girls can pray to meet their betrothed and become pregnant. They also ask for help for a loved one, for the fulfillment of spiritual needs.
The text of the prayer for the fulfillment of a wish is as follows:
“To the Most Holy Trinity, the Consubstantial Power, all the good Wines that we will repay You for everything that You have rewarded us sinners and unworthy before, before you came into the world, for everything that You have rewarded us every day, and what You have prepared for us all forever coming! It is fitting, then, for so much good deeds and generosity, to thank Thee not just in words, but more than in deeds, for keeping and fulfilling Thy commandments: but we, being aware of our passions and evil customs, have cast ourselves into countless sins and iniquities from our youth. For this reason, as unclean and defiled, do not just appear before Your Trisholy face without coldness, but below Your Most Holy Name, speak to us, even if You Yourself had deigned, for our joy, to proclaim that the pure and righteous are loving, and sinners who repent are merciful and kindly accept. Look down, O Divine Trinity, from the height of Your Holy Glory upon us, many sinners, and accept our good will, instead of good deeds; and give us the spirit of true repentance, so that, having hated every sin, in purity and truth, we may live until the end of our days, doing Your most holy will and glorifying Your sweetest and most magnificent name with pure thoughts and good deeds. Amen".
About healing and recovery
Most often, Orthodox Christians turn to the Holy Trinity with a request for healing and the gift of health. The miraculous prayer can be read by the patient himself or his loved ones.
Prayer for health and healing:
“O most merciful God, Father, Son and Holy Soul, worshiped and glorified in the indivisible Trinity, look kindly upon Thy servant (name), who is sickly possessed; forgive him all his sins; give him healing from his illness; restore his health and bodily strength; Give him a long and prosperous life, Your peaceful and exemplary blessings, so that together with us he brings grateful prayers to You, the All-Bountiful God and my Creator.
Most Holy Theotokos, through Your omnipotent intercession, help me to beg Your Son, my God, for the healing of God’s servant (name). All saints and angels of the Lord, pray to God for His sick servant (name). Amen".
To quit smoking
Many people, wanting to get rid of bad habits, cannot do it on their own. Appealing to the Trinity with a request for salvation and pardon for a sinner gives strength to overcome addiction to bad habits.
Prayer text to help you quit smoking:
“O most merciful God, Father, Son and Holy Soul, worshiped and glorified in the Undivided Trinity, look kindly upon Thy servant (name), who is overcome by illness; forgive him all his sins; give him healing from his illness; restore his health and bodily strength; Give him a long and prosperous life, Your peaceful and premium blessings, so that together with us he brings grateful prayers to You, our All-Bountiful God and Creator. Amen".
About any help
You can turn to the Most Holy Trinity using universal prayer. Read it if you need any help and are unable to cope with the problem on your own.
The words of the sacred text about all help:
“Most Holy Trinity of Heaven throughout the ages, have mercy on us sinners. Lord, cleanse our souls from sins and foul language, forgive us the iniquities we commit, and guide us with the light of God on the righteous and sinless path. We pray for Your forgiveness and mercy, Thrice One Ruler and Ruler of our souls. Amen".
From Monk Mark
Monk Mark the Ascetic, a disciple of John Chrysostom, wrote many theological works. One of the spiritual writings of the Saint is the prayer to the Most Holy Trinity, which helps believers get rid of sinful thoughts and come closer to knowing the Lord.
Text of the prayer compiled by monk Mark:
“The Almighty and Life-Giving Holy Trinity and the Beginning of Light, all creation, that which is in this world and above the world, by one goodness brought forth from non-existence and provides for it, and preserves it, and, in addition to Your other ineffable benefits to the earthly race, repentance until who gave us death for the sake of the weakness of the flesh! Do not leave us, unfortunate ones, to die in our evil deeds, and let us not be a laughing stock to the leader of evil, and the envious, and the destroyer; for You see, O Merciful One, how strong are his intrigues and enmity against us, and what is our passion, and weakness, and negligence. But perform Your unfailing good deeds on us, we pray, who anger You every day and hour by violating Your sacred and life-giving commandments. So, let go and forgive all our sins, in our entire past life and up to the present hour in deeds, or words, or thoughts. Make us worthy to finish the rest of our lives in repentance, contrition, and observance of Your holy commandments. If we, seduced by pleasures, have sinned in many ways, or spent time tempted by vile desires, useless and harmful; if, driven by anger and unreasonable rage, they insulted any of our brothers, or because of our tongue they were entangled in inevitable, wrong and strong nets; if any of our feelings, or all of them, voluntarily or involuntarily, in knowledge or ignorance, in infatuation or deliberately stumbled madly; if the conscience has been defiled by evil and vain thoughts; or if we have sinned in any other way, forced by an inclination and habit of evil, forgive us and forgive us everything, O All-Bounteous, Most-Good and Much-Merciful, and grant us for the future courage and strength to do Your will, good, and pleasing, and perfect, so that we, the unworthy, may appear purified from the nightly and gloomy evil with light-like repentance and, as we act well during the day, appear purified to Your love for mankind, praising You and magnifying You forever. Amen".
Have mercy on us
A block of prayer texts read daily, morning and evening, includes the initial prayer “Have mercy on us, Holy Immortal One.” It is advisable to learn it by heart. In it, believers first turn to the entire Holy Trinity at the same time, and then to each individually - the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.
Text of the prayer:
“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Lord, cleanse our sins;
Master, forgive our iniquities;
Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Lord have mercy".
When were morning and evening prayers composed?
The prayers themselves were written hundreds and hundreds of years ago by various saints. For example, the morning and evening rules include the texts of the prayers of John Chrysostom and Macarius the Great. Christ commanded us the “Our Father” prayer during one of his sermons. The prayer rules also include the “Creed,” which was compiled in the first centuries of Christianity, as well as a psalm from the Old Testament.
But the very composition and order of the morning and evening rules, which we see in the prayer book, developed recently - perhaps only in the 18th century. And it became widely used and “mandatory” at the end of the 19th and then in the 20th centuries - first due to the very fact of the spread of printed books in Rus', and then thanks to the same type of standard prayer books, which the Patriarchate printed as best it could in Soviet times.
Prayer book in Church Slavonic. Pre-revolutionary edition. Page with the beginning of morning prayers.
That is, these prayer sequences are relatively “young.” And before that, ordinary lay people read the Midnight Office and Little Compline - short services that are performed (or, more correctly, read) daily in monasteries. They are a relative prototype of the morning and evening prayers in the prayer book.
Why, then, were morning and evening prayers compiled? Apparently, the primates of the Church considered that monastic services, if they are taken out of the general daily circle of services and generally from the monastic “context,” do not reflect all the needs of the soul that a layman has.
Most likely, this is the case.
see also: History of the prayer book
Is it possible to read Lesser Compline instead of evening prayers?
The priests give their blessing to read Little Compline during periods when prayers for those coming to bed from the prayer book do not leave any response in the soul. After all, the texts of prayers are not a rule for the sake of a rule, but an assistant and support for a person. Perhaps the same can be done with the Midnight Office.
But in any case, it is better to do this with the blessing of the confessor, because no rules or foundations in the Church arose just like that. A person does not have to be a monk or a saint to renounce some traditions, but it is important to at least have the appropriate internal structure. Most often, a person cannot evaluate it on his own. But a priest (or better yet, a priest-confessor) is fine.
The meaning of the Holy Trinity in Orthodoxy
The Holy Trinity is a theological Orthodox term. According to Christian teaching, God is one, indivisible and presented in three forms:
- God the Father is without beginning and end;
- God the Son is born of the Lord;
- The Holy Spirit proceeding from the Most High.
All three represent one God. Therefore, during prayer you cannot address the Almighty as “you,” as this indicates polytheism.
The omnipotent and life-giving Trinity is a certain image of the Lord, symbolizing the fulfillment of the Divine plan.
The term “Trinity” itself is not found in the Bible. It was first introduced into the Christian lexicon by Saint Theophilus of Antioch. But in the New Testament there is a direct indication of the trinity of the Lord: “go and teach in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
The Feast of the Holy Trinity is celebrated on the 50th day after Easter, because it was on this day that the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. Jesus warned his disciples about this even before the crucifixion. On this day, Christian believers ask the Lord for forgiveness and peace.
Is it possible to pray morning and evening in your own words?
Saints and priests welcome prayers in their own words - because this shows that spiritual life in a person is alive, and not just “bookish”. However, they speak very unequivocally about morning and evening prayers - replacing them completely with “your own words” is wrong. The maximum is to supplement.
For two interrelated reasons.
The first is the importance of having a rule. The presence of established rules is one of the most important aspects that are present in a person’s spiritual life. A rule “rules” and corrects a person.
Secondly, the duration of prayer. Practice shows that when they talk about “prayer in your own words,” it most often comes down to short one-and-a-half, two-minute appeals to God. No one says that you need to pray for an hour a day, but two or even five minutes cannot be called a “rule”...
And then: all the prayers that are collected in prayer books are not just dry texts, but living prayers that the saints themselves once said “in their own words.” And their words are very often much deeper and “correct” for the soul than our most sincere words.
