Rules for reading prayers to the Mother of God
Like every lofty word, prayer must come from sincere motives. The text must not be used for personal gain, revenge or other sin. The Mother of God pays attention to how a person behaves during prayer and what he sincerely desires.
The rules for pronouncing sacred words to the Mother of God include simple requirements:
- sincerity, humility, reading through the voice from the heart;
- a burning desire to be heard;
- conscious purification of thoughts;
- expressing gratitude along with a request.
Prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos are read at a clearly defined time every day. Before you begin, you should ask the priest for advice so that he can suggest the most suitable icon of the holy face. The image is installed at home next to a lamp or candle. It is allowed to go to prayers in a church or monastery.
Cases of using appeals to the Blessed Virgin
For every situation in a person’s life there is a suitable prayer. Sacred words addressed to the Most Holy Theotokos have an impact in all areas of life related to spiritual happiness and material well-being. They call to give strong faith in trials, to deliver from the Fall, to reward the righteous according to their needs, to protect them from evil and injustice.
For a happy family life and childbirth
The Most Pure Virgin, who gave life to the Son of God, patronizes family people. She also protects mothers and children, family ties. If a woman is unable to get pregnant and give birth to a child, then she can turn her request to the Most Pure Virgin at the “Quick to Hear” icon:
“Blessed Mother of God! You called yourself Infallible in Your image, and ordered me to come to You with all kinds of prayers and petitions. In You, Lord, I trust and place my humble hopes. I bow under Your Protection, and entrust my life to You until the end of time. I sing praises and thank our Lord, who has given me the lot of a happy marriage. I pray to You, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, may you deign to have mercy on me and my husband and give us a child. Let my belly taste the fruit of his contempt. Take away the sorrow in my soul, and grant me the happiness of being a mother. I praise You every day of my life! Amen".
When there are problems in marital life or frequent conflicts, you need to pray especially sincerely. The support of the Mother of God will help save the family, revive fading feelings, and find mutual understanding. Prayer awakens awareness of the value of family and loved one:
“Most Blessed Lady, take my family under Your protection. Instill in the hearts of my husband and our children peace, love and non-questioning of all that is good; Do not allow anyone from my family to experience separation and difficult parting, to premature and sudden death without repentance. And save our house and all of us living in it from fiery ignition, thieves' attacks, every evil of the situation, various types of insurance and devilish obsession. Yes, we too, collectively and separately, openly and secretly, will glorify Your Holy Name always, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen. Most Holy Theotokos, save us!”
There are separate texts intended to be read by girls who want to get married or find a worthy spouse. They express the desire that everyone in need receive what they value most. For the bride, this is love and wedding, which she asks for from the Mother of God.
Prayers for health and prosperity
Healing from illnesses often becomes the most desired event in the life of every person. If someone turns to the Mother of God in prayer asking for good health, then his condition will soon improve. The prayer books also contain texts that help fight serious diagnoses - cancer, injuries, addictions.
The prayer for general health is also read for children and relatives:
“O Most Holy Lady Lady Theotokos! Guided by fear, love and repentance, we fall prostrate before Your holy icon, we beg You: do not turn away from those who ask You, ask, Most Merciful of Mothers, Your Son and our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, may He preserve our power, may weary Christian firmness in the Russian state, The Holy Church will preserve its integrity, faith and inviolability. We have no other help, we have no other hope, only Yours, All Most Pure Virgin: You alone are the Only Intercessor and Helper of the human race. Throw away from everyone who asks You with prayer, from the Fall, from the evil slander of enemies, from all kinds of sorrow, misfortune and vain death; give us a spirit of contrition, and a heart of humility, thoughts of purification, correction of sinful acts and a righteous life according to the commandments of the Lord, we pray that all who praise Your greatness will enter the Kingdom of Heaven and there with all the saints we will sing glorifying songs for the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".
There are also words about the granting of general well-being. They pray for decent work, protection of the house from a fire or other natural disaster, protection from the machinations of enemies and aggressive others. They ask for peace and joy in the family with these words:
“Blessed Lady, take my family under your protection. Instill in the hearts of my husband and our children peace, love and non-questioning of all that is good. Do not allow anyone from my family to experience separation and difficult parting, to premature and sudden death without repentance. And save our house and all of us living in it from fiery ignition, thieves' attacks, any evil situation, various types of insurance and devilish obsession. Yes, and we, collectively and separately, openly and secretly, will glorify your holy name always, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen".
Conversions to strengthen faith and forgive sins
Faith in the Lord God is always a guide to a pious and righteous life, and after death - to an eternal stay in the rays of his greatness. The Mother of God is the closest to both the human world and the Almighty. She acts as a defender of the weak and sinners, and therefore people turn to her to strengthen faith:
“Oh, Most Holy and Most Blessed Virgin, Lady Theotokos! Look at us with your wise eye, standing before your face on the sacred icon and raising words of prayer to you, raise us from sinful declines, surround us with enlightenment, darkened by passions, and heal physical and mental ulcers. We have no other help, we receive no other hopes, only from You, O All-Mistress, You command our weaknesses and illnesses, we turn to You in fervent prayers: do not leave us without Your heavenly help, but show Your high mercy and save us in Your generosity, dying. Grant us correction of sinful life and deliver us from horrors, troubles and illnesses, from unintentional death, hell and eternal torment. For You, Queen and Lady, help and heal everyone who turns to You, and You become a refuge for all those who repent of their sins. Grant us, Most Blessed and Immaculate Virgin, the true end of the life of a righteous Christian, peaceful and not shameless, and have mercy on us in intercession for eternal life in Heaven, because a joyful voice sounds glorifying the Most Holy Trinity, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now , and ever and ever. Amen".
The request for forgiveness of sins is also reflected in the prayer to the Virgin Mary. The words express both gratitude for intercession and hope for a better fate. They pronounce it with sincere repentance and awareness:
“My Most Blessed Queen, My Most Holy Hope, Helper of Sinners! I, a sinful child, stand before You! Abandoned by everyone, do not leave me in the future, do not remember me, forgotten by everyone, fill me with Your joy. It’s hard for me with my troubles and regrettable thoughts! Oh, how great are my sins! My life is like the darkness of the night. Not a single son of man will help me in my wanderings. You are my only Hope. You are my only Cover, Refuge and Affirmation. With the highest faith, I stretch out my hands to you in prayer: send down Your mercy, All-Good One, give me mercy in the name of Your Son, who shed blood for the entire human race, give me strength to overcome the illnesses of my body and mind, protect me from the sinful rages and anger of enemies mine, restore my strength, restore the admiration of youth, like an eaglet, do not allow the Lord’s commandments to weaken in my life. Enlighten me with the power of the heavenly flame and fill me with faith, mercy and love for the ignorant, with hopes for the best. I will sing Thy name throughout the ages, Most Pure, Most Blessed Thou of the world, Intercessor, Helper and Protector of us sinners, and I adore Thy Son and Savior our Lord Jesus Christ, with His Beginning Father and the Life-Giving Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen".
Prayers of this kind push a person to live his destiny more consciously and be diligent in fulfilling his life mission. And with the assistance of the Most Holy Theotokos, the soul turns to the light - sincere faith.
The strongest prayer for the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary
On the holiday, October 14, special sacred words are read. They are dedicated to the love, mercy and kindness of the Mother of God. The prayer is said at the morning service in the church in front of the largest icon, after lighting a candle for the health of relatives:
“Oh, Most Holy Virgin, Mother of the Lord of the highest powers, eternal and earthly Lady, Intercessor of our countries and cities! Let us praise Your name in this song of Your sinful servants, and offer our prayers to the Throne of Jesus the Son of the Lord, may He have mercy on us, may He pour upon us the grace of His Word on those who praise and bow before Your face, O Incomparable Mary. Are we really not worthy to accept His pardon, but to propitiate Him before us, O Lady, in Him is your essence and the hypostasis of man. For this reason, we proclaim our speeches to you: hear us, we pray tirelessly, place your radiant cover on us, and ask God Your Son: zealous preservation of our souls, humility and wisdom for our rulers, judges of truth and justice, mentors of reason and worldly wisdom and God, to the married of love and harmony, to the children of obedience, to those offended by patience, to those who are offended by the horror of the Lord’s punishing hand, to those in sorrow, consolation, joyful in moderation, and to all of us the joy of humility, meek fate and mercy, righteousness and spiritual purity. Lady of the Most Holy Protection, have mercy on Your sinful and unworthy children; let the scattered gather, help those who are lost find the way, support old age, educate the young, educate the infants, and give us insight through your love, lift us from the depths of sin and enlighten our eyes with faith, be merciful to us here and there, on the sinful earth and before the throne of the Lord at His Last Judgment; Grant to those who passed away in death our fathers and brothers into eternal existence with the Angels and with all the saints with eternal life. For you are the Lady who glorifies Heaven and protects the earth, our Intercessor and Companion before the face of the Lord, who believes in You and trusts in You. We turn our prayers to You, and to You, as the only Protector, in a single impulse we commit everything to each other into Your hands, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen".
On the Intercession, women can beg for the birth of a child, healing from an illness, or a meeting with a worthy husband. With the help of this prayer, the most favorable changes are made in a woman’s destiny. And sincere gratitude will fulfill the request as soon as possible.
Repentant prayers
Since not every person in this world can live without voluntary or involuntary sin, they turn to the Most Holy Theotokos with the words of prayers of repentance. Christian prayers for repentance of sins should resound in the soul of a believer throughout his entire earthly journey. We should also not forget about confession as a sacrament of remission of conscious sins.
During her earthly life, our Heavenly Intercessor did not leave the children of Christ without help, and the day of her righteous Assumption is celebrated on a par with the date of the Ascension of the Lord into heaven. To the Most Holy Lady, who protected the Orthodox during her earthly existence, they offer repentant prayers, lamenting their own sinfulness:
The departure of the Virgin Mary is not death in the usual sense for us. This is the transfer of the soul of the Mother of God into the hands of her son Jesus Christ to the sounds of angelic singing. Having thanked the Lord, the Mother of God asked him for blessing and protection for all who honor her memory.
