Akathist to the Guardian Angel: full text and how to read it correctly, what it helps with

Rules for reading the akathist to saints

What is an akathist? This is a song of praise, thanksgiving dedicated to God, His Mother, saints, angels, archangels.

Akathist is a song of praise, thanksgiving dedicated to God, His Mother, saints, angels, archangels

The song of praise includes 25 songs, divided into two groups:

Kontakia - 13 works, embodying in their lines a brief summary of the holiday or an ode of praise to the saint; its reading always ends with the praise of “Hallelujah”;
Ikosy - 12 works that explain the essence of the festive event, always ending with the exclamation “Rejoice”.

Not every Christian understands how to read the akathist correctly.

Attention! Relaxation is made only for pregnant women and infirm people - they are allowed to read it while sitting, or, in extreme cases, lying down.

Translated from ancient Greek it means “unsaddled singing.” Therefore, the solemn anthem is always performed in a standing position.
With the blessing of the priest, it can be read both within the walls of the temple and at home.
Before pronouncing it, pre-initial prayers are read; they are said before the main prayers begin.
After reading them, an akathist and a prayer are read.

Important! Solemn hymns are allowed to be offered on any day except Lenten days.

Why do they read?

The Akathist to the Queen of Heaven consists of 25 stanzas arranged in a certain order. It is sung only once - on Saturday of the fifth week of Lent.

Usually the Mother of God is asked:

about the granting of healing in serious illnesses;
about getting rid of drug addiction and alcoholism;
about assistance in raising children;
about obstetrics;
about victory over enemies and other important moments of earthly life.

The Akathist to the Queen of Heaven is sung only once - on Saturday of the fifth week of Great Lent.
The hymn of praise to God's saints is read:

for all kinds of sorrows and needs;
when moving to a new home;
about deliverance from sinful scourge;
in difficult financial situations;
in other difficult life circumstances.

Some Orthodox akathists:

Important! Before reading the akathist for the first time on your own, it is recommended to listen to it in church or on audio recording. This will make it clear: with what intonation the hymn is pronounced, where to put the emphasis correctly, what volume and sound the chant should have.

The power of the akathist

an ode of praise is sung at those moments when the soul of the prayer book is very heavy, thereby the sacred song fills it with joy, happiness and harmony;
with independent regular reading, the prayer book fully understands the whole essence of existence and what the faith of the Lord consists of;
if the reader doubts something and he does not have the opportunity to consult with the cleric, then after performing a song of praise, the doubts will disappear by themselves and the person will become a Christian confident in himself and his abilities;
An akathist can heal both physical and spiritual ailments - the main thing is to have a strong faith in help from Heaven.

Water-blessing prayer with akathist

A prayer service is a special service in which one begs Heaven to send mercy to the prayer book and gives thanks for the requested benefits received.

Water Blessing Prayer Attention! Those prayers that include the rite of blessing water are called water-blessings. At the end of it, an akathist is read to the Heavenly Father, the Mother of God, saints, archangels, and angels.

Water is blessed with a special rite:

For the blessing of water, a bowl filled with water, a Crucifix and the Gospel are placed on the table in the middle of the temple, and candles are lit.
The cleric begins reading psalms and troparia, baptism and censing of water are performed.
At the end of the prayer service, those parishioners who ordered his service receive holy water to drink with faith and prayer, at the same time asking God for forgiveness of sins and deliverance from illnesses for themselves and their loved ones.

Blessed water is identical in composition and origin to ordinary water (tap, well, river), but during the process of water blessing and after prayer reading, it miraculously acquires beneficial and healing properties.

It is saving for a believer.

Advice! According to tradition, it is customary to drink blessed water on an empty stomach.

How to submit notes for a prayer service

In order for the priest to pray together with the prayer book himself at the prayer service, it is necessary to submit a note to the church shop with the names of those for whom the prayer will be offered.
Each name should be entered in the genitive case (to answer the question of whom? - John, Nina, baby Sergius, the young woman Catherine).
The names should be indicated as those given to a person in the Sacrament of Baptism, their spelling should be church (for example, Dmitry - Dimitri, Ivan - John, Tatiana - Tatiana).
Last name, relationship, citizenship - you don’t need to write, you can only indicate the need - a sick person, a warrior, a traveler.
No more than 10 names should be indicated on one form, but if there is a desire to pray for more people, then several notes should be submitted.

Read articles about Orthodoxy:

An Akathist is a prayer of praise compiled with special care that develops in an Orthodox Christian the skills of daily prayer.

Advice! Before starting to read the hymn of praise, it is important to concentrate on prayer, to be sincere, attentive, prayerful, and to lift up the words of the akathist with heartfelt repentance.

The akathist will help a person get used to prayer as the main part of the divine service, which is why the akathist is read in Orthodox churches as a cathedral prayer.

Is it possible to read akathists while sitting?

Jan 17, 2021 13:47 Administrator

Akathist

Turning to the Lord through prayer and a solemn song of praise is an ancient Orthodox tradition. An akathist is one of many different types of church hymns. The word “Ο Ακάθιστος Ύμνος” that came to us from Greece comes from the local word “akathistos“, where a is a negation and kathizo means to sit. It is also called the “non-saddle anthem” because it is customary to perform it while standing.

Akathist to Saint Spyridon of Trimythous
Akathist to Nicholas the Wonderworker
Akathist to Archangel Michael

History of Akathist: origin, history of development

In Greek literature of the Middle Ages we can often find references to the akathist.
This genre has been known since early Byzantine times. Later, from Greece, the tradition of singing this prayer passed to the countries of Eastern Europe. This was reflected in literature and historical works. The very first hymn that has reached modern times was the great akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos; it was written after the miraculous liberation of Constantinople from enemy attack. This great akathist supposedly dates back to the year 626 (during the reign of Emperor Heraclius). Many hymnographers also name earlier dates. It is believed that several hymnographers worked on the prayer at once. In those days, Patriarch Sergius carried the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in his arms along the city walls, and begged God for protection from the troops of the Persians and Scythians who were besieging Constantinople. People asked the Lord for intercession in churches, begging them to save their homes and hometown. The Emperor considered the Mother of God the Patroness and Intercessor of the capital after the miraculous salvation of the city. At first, the feast of the Akathist was celebrated in Constantinople in precisely the temple (Blachernae Temple) where the shrines were kept: the miraculous icon of the Mother of God and Her robe, as well as the belt. Later, the holiday began to be celebrated by the entire Eastern Church.

Christian poets have composed imitations of this akathist, and in the Russian tradition of Orthodoxy it is customary to write such hymns to every saint whom the Church begins to glorify. In the story by A.P. Chekhov's “Holy Night” you can find an artistic story about how people composed an akathist to the Virgin Mary. Such prayers continued the tradition of the genre.

The Great Akathist to the Mother of God became an example of a song of praise. Usually a song of praise is written by an akathistographer - an Orthodox Christian poet. Nowadays there are not only classical akathists that we could meet in ancient times, so the akathist has become a separate special genre of a song of praise to Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, a saint, and sometimes a church holiday.

In Russia, the akathist, a special type of prayer, appeared around 916. The first Russian anthem was dedicated to St. Sergius of Radonezh.

During the times of persecution of the Church, the genre of solemn prayer was in its heyday. It was at this time that many new akathists were written, because the church choir did not participate in the singing of the akathist; it was read privately, without a priest.

Believers could pray at home. New akathists are still being written. There are about 1,800 songs of praise in different languages of the world. The authors of the Akathist music often remain unknown, since many chants were born among the people.

Akathist to the Blessed Virgin Mary

The song of praise to the Most Holy Theotokos, which is called the “great akathist” and is considered an example of a song of praise, consists of 25 stanzas. These are 13 kontakia and 12 ikos. It is customary to start Ikos with Greek letters.

This akathist is sung during the liturgical service of Matins. The text of the akathist is contained in several books, but it is believed that it originally appeared in the Lenten Triodion. It is sung only once a year.

This is why Saturday of the fifth week of Great Lent is called “Praise to the Mother of God” or “Saturday of the Akathist.”

There are about 30 different editions of the Akathist. In our country, it is not the Athonite version of the Akathist of the early 14th century (an elder named John), but the Kiev version of 1627 that is widely known.

This version of the prayer was compiled by Archimandrite Pletenetsky (Elisha), the author of the translation of “The Lenten Triodion.” The book “Canon” by Kirill Belozersky, which was published in 1407, says that Greek hymns were already known to Russian monks of the 15th century.

Akathist to the Guardian Angel: text, why they read it

Each day of the week in the Orthodox Church is dedicated to a specific event related to the earthly life of Jesus Christ. Sunday is celebrated as Little Easter, Wednesday and Friday are days of remembrance of the sufferings of the Lord.

On Monday, according to established church tradition, the Heavenly Powers are venerated. At the beginning of the week, many Orthodox Christians read an akathist to the guardian angel, and monastics observe strict fasting.

Our angels and demons

Having started to sin, we drive away our guardian angels, our invisible protectors, and again fall under the power of demons (fallen angels). Each person must show perseverance and his own will on the path to salvation.

By fighting our passions, we help the bright angels to protect and guide us to the truth, to serve as guides on the path to the Kingdom of Heaven.

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The Bible and patristic heritage testify that a guardian angel accompanies a person throughout his life, but his mission does not end there.

The angel does not leave us even after our departure to another world, remaining nearby and helping us overcome the airy ordeals during which the soul is tested for sins committed during life.

Just as God assigns a guardian angel to every believer, the prince of darkness sends one of the fallen spirits to monitor all his evil deeds and record them. And when, having crossed the threshold of death, the soul seeks its Creator, air publicans (demons) block its path and remind it of all its sins.

And if the good deeds in the life of the deceased person were not enough to cover all the evil he committed, the fallen angels gain power over him and take him to hell, where there is not a drop of divine light and mercy.

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It is rare that a soul goes through ordeals freely and unhindered. There are very few people who truly pacify their bodily and mental passions.

The holy angels enter into an argument with the air tax collectors and, as proof of their rightness, cite deeds of love and mercy performed by the deceased person. So, step by step, they win the soul from the demons, overcoming with it all posthumous trials in order to finally bring it to the Kingdom of Heaven.

The meaning of prayer

It is best to show your reverence, gratitude for help and attention, and also ask the angel for intercession in prayer. A Christian should turn to his guardian as often as possible.

It is important! Why do they read a very strong prayer to Archangel Michael.

This should be done in the morning after waking up, and also in the evening before going to bed. You can and should pray to your guardian angel throughout the day, then he will help.

On Mondays, a church-wide glorification of the Heavenly Powers takes place. On this day, during the service, prayers are said in which believers ask the angels for help in saving the Christian soul.

In addition, Orthodox Christians read the akathist to the guardian angel in the privacy of their homes (privately) . This helps to strengthen the connection of the soul with the invisible angelic world, with the entire church, which especially glorifies the Heavenly Powers on this day.

Attention! To pray, the angel needs to retire, protecting himself from noise and vain affairs, light a candle or lamp, placing it in front of the icon of the guardian angel, cross himself and make a bow (to the ground or from the waist).

The role of an Angel in people's lives

A Guardian Angel is given to everyone at baptism and protects their soul and body for the rest of their lives. If only a person prayerfully turns to his intercessor, he will always listen, help and guide him on the right path.

Angels cannot be seen or heard , but their role in the life of humanity is enormous. Without their protectors, people would be mired in sins and tormented by devilish temptations. Even the intuition known to everyone is nothing more than a hint of the right decision by the Angel. In addition, they do the following for people:

They are trying with all their might to guide them on the right path and make them happy;
relentlessly follow a person, accompany him, teach him goodness and convey prayers to God;
prevent dangerous situations;
ask the Lord for forgiveness for the sins of people;
protect from earthly enemies and demons;
accompanied at the time of death.

Akathist and canon to the Guardian Angel read the text and listen online

Troparion, Tone 6
Angel of God, my holy guardian, keep my life in the fear of Christ God, confirm my mind in the true path, and wound my soul to the love of heaven, so that by you we guide, I will receive from Christ God's great mercy.
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and now, and ever, and unto ages of ages, amen. Theotokos
Holy Lady, Christ our God Mother, who perplexedly gave birth to the Creator of all, we always pray to His goodness, with my guardian angel, to save my soul, possessed by passions, and abandonment is a sin to give to me.
Canon, voice 8th
Song 1
Let us praise the Lord, who led His people through the Red Sea, for He alone was gloriously glorified.
To Jesus: Lord Jesus Christ my God, have mercy on me.
Sing a song and praise, O Savior, Your servant is worthy of the likeness of the disembodied Angel, my mentor and guardian.
Chorus: Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.
I am alone in foolishness and laziness now, my mentor and guardian, do not leave me, I am perishing.

Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Direct my mind with your prayer, do God’s commandments, so that I may receive remission of sins from God, and teach me to hate the evil ones, I pray to you.

And now, and forever, and forever and ever, amen. Pray, O Maiden, for me, Thy servant, to the Benefactor, with my guardian Angel, and instruct me to do the commandments of Thy Son and my Creator.

Song 3
You are the affirmation of those who flow to You, Lord, You are the light of the darkened, and my spirit sings to You.
I place all my thoughts and my soul on you, my guardian; Deliver me from every misfortune of the enemy.
The enemy tramples me, and embitters me, and teaches me to always do my own desires; but you, my mentor, do not leave me perishing.

How to read prayer and akathist correctly

Prayers addressed to the intercessor are said every day. But it is recommended to read the akathist at least once a week. Reading takes 30 to 40 minutes. During this period of time, you need to fully concentrate on the text. The literal translation of the name is “unsaddled,” which means that the anthem is sung while standing. After the main text, a special prayer is said dedicated to the intercessor.