Orthodox and church holidays and fasts
Today is an Orthodox church holiday: * Great Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised (memory of the miracle by which Orthodoxy was established, 451). * Equal to the Apostles Grand Duchess Olga of Russia, in holy baptism Helena (969) and other saints whose names we remember on this day... Tomorrow:
* Martyrs Proclus and Hilary (c. 98-117).
* St. Michael Malein (962) and other saints whose names we remember on this day... Holidays are expected: 07/26/2021
- * Cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel.
* St. Stephen Savvait (794) and other saints whose names we remember on this day... 07.27.2021
- * Apostle Aquila of the 70 (I) and other saints whose names we remember on this day...
07.28.2021
- * Martyrs of Kirik and Julitta, his mother (c. 305). *** Equal to the Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, in holy baptism Vasily, Baptist of Rus' (1015) and other saints whose names we remember on this day...
All Orthodox and church holidays and fasts...
Orthodox Saints of God
The holy saints of God show special love and mercy to those who honor their holy memory.
It seems to many that the saints are far from us. But they are far from those who have withdrawn themselves, and very close to those who keep the commandments of Christ and have the grace of the Holy Spirit.
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 have reached the Heavenly Kingdom and there they see the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ; but by the Holy Spirit they also see the suffering of people on earth. 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 saints rejoice at our repentance and mourn when people leave God and become like foolish cattle. They feel sorry that people live on earth, not knowing that if they loved each other, then there would be freedom from sin on earth: and where there is no sin, there is joy and gladness from the Holy Spirit, so that, wherever you look, everything sweet, and the soul wonders why it feels so good, and praises God. The saints hear our prayers and have the power from God to help us. The entire Christian race knows about this. 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. The Saints have different names: prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, saints, unmercenaries, blessed, righteous, confessors. more>>
The Lord says: “When you light a candle, you do not put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to everyone in the house. So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:15-16). Saints are bright stars that show us the way to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let us treasure the closeness of the holy saints of God to God and turn to them for help, remembering that they love us and care about our salvation. It is good to pray to the holy saints of God on those days when the Church celebrates their memory.
«Holy Saints of God, pray to God for us!»
Saints: life, memory, suffering...
The history of the appearance of the akathist to the Holy Trinity
On the 50th day of Easter, the Orthodox Church celebrates one of the twelve main Christian holidays: Pentecost or colloquially Trinity/Spirits Day. Almost 2000 years ago, a significant event occurred that served as the basis for religious veneration.
On the tenth day of the Ascension, the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, about which Jesus Christ warned them. The uneducated, simple Galileans began to speak the languages of other nations. From that time on, they became true preachers of the Word of God, who could not be intimidated by torture and death. Hundreds and thousands of people received their heartfelt and convincing speeches, accepting the Christian faith.
In the Old Testament, the prophets spoke about the One God who created the foundation of the Old Testament Church. The Son of God created the Church of the New Testament. The Holy Spirit filled it with content and constantly abides in the Church of Christ. During baptism, the Holy Spirit unites believers into one Body.
Without this trinity the existence of the Christian Church is impossible. On the week of Pentecost, churches glorify the Holy Trinity, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the founding of a new church.
The relationship between God the Father, God's Son and the Holy Spirit was fiercely debated for several centuries due to the Arian heresy, which denied the Trinity. The final dogma was formulated in the 4th century and enshrined in the Creed. The first churches in honor of the Holy Trinity appeared in Western Europe in the 12th century.
In Rus', the first founder of the Trinity Church was Sergius of Radonezh. In 1335, he erected a small wooden church in the name of the Trinity in Radonezh Bor. Subsequently, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra was founded in its place, becoming the spiritual center of Russia.
In the middle of the 19th century, Archbishop Innocent of Kherson (Borisov), an outstanding Russian theologian and preacher, compiled an akathist dedicated to the Most Holy and Life-Giving Trinity. As a basis, he took the text and content of the Pochaev (Western Russian) Akathist, which he creatively reworked: he cleared and shortened the lengths, and improved the style of presentation.
Orthodox prayers and icons of the Mother of God and saints
The word “icon” comes from the Greek language and means “image”, “image”. The image of the icon is consecrated with holy water and special prayers, through this consecration the grace of the Holy Spirit is imparted to the icon, and the icon is already revered by us as holy. According to the Orthodox dogma of icon veneration, approved by the VII Ecumenical Council, “the honor given to an icon relates to its prototype, and the one who worships the icon worships the hypostasis of the person depicted on it.” The Council especially emphasizes that we give veneration to icons, and not the worship that is due to God alone. “The icon mysteriously contains within itself the presence of the one whom it depicts, and this presence is the closer, more grace-filled and stronger, the more the icon corresponds to the church canon.”
All Icons of the Mother of God and Saints
Reading rules
The first akathist was compiled in memory of the Mother of God 16 centuries ago, during the period of persecution of Christians. Christians prayed at home, hiding their religion from the Romans. Subsequently, the reading of akathists became an integral part of church services. Prayer occurs only while standing. The exception is for people who are infirm and sick.
Reading the Akathist to the Holy Trinity is hard work, as it contains difficult text. If prayer occurs after the morning or evening rule, then the hymn is said before the prayer “It is worthy to eat...”. The rest of the time, the reading of the initial prayers is required, then the akathist and, in conclusion, “It is worthy to eat.”
Prayer in the Christian life. What is prayer? About prayer
Prayer is the most important part of the spiritual life of every believer. Through prayer, a person turns to God, asks him and asks for forgiveness from him. In other words, prayer is nothing more than a person’s way of talking with God. About prayer...
The basis of the life of an Orthodox Christian is fasting and prayer. Prayer, said Saint Philaret of Moscow, “is a conversation between the soul and God.” And just as in a conversation it is impossible to listen to one side all the time, so in prayer it is useful to sometimes stop and listen to the Lord’s answer to our prayer.
Prayer does not require a specific time, place, circumstance or form. It can be verbose - long, and laconic - short. The prayer can be said at any time of the day or night, and anywhere. A person can pray under all circumstances of his life: when he is sick or healthy, when he is happy or sad, when he succeeds or fails, when he is in the company of his enemies or in the circle of his friends, when he is abandoned by everyone, or when he in the midst of your beloved family. But God’s temple serves as a special place of prayer. On Sundays, as well as on weekdays, if time permits, we should go to church to pray, where our brothers and sisters in Christ - Christians - gather to pray together, all together. This kind of prayer is called church prayer.
Every Orthodox Christian must pray daily, morning and evening, before and after eating food, before starting and at the end of any task (for example: before teaching and after teaching, etc.).
In the morning we pray to thank God for preserving us last night, to ask for His Fatherly blessing and help for the day that has begun.
In the evening, before going to bed, we also thank the Lord for a successful day and ask him to keep us during the night.
Before and after meals we pray to thank God for His gifts and ask Him to bless and sanctify the food.
In order for the work to be done successfully and safely, we must also, first of all, ask God for blessings and help for the upcoming work, and upon completion, thank God.
Unfortunately, many people forget about the necessity and importance of prayer, and resort to it only in cases of feeling hopeless. However, even in these cases, as practice shows, God does not forget about the person and gives him his love and support. But not a single prayer will bring anything good to a person if he simply reads it without thinking about what is said. Therefore, it is extremely important, when turning to the Creator in prayer, to truly feel every word.
God is the best of interlocutors; he will always hear a person and help him. You should not be embarrassed to talk to God even about the most secret things that are in your soul. The main thing is to do it with true faith in God.
“True prayer does not consist in words and saying them, but true prayer consists “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). When we pray to God, we must stand before Him not only in body, but also in spirit; and say prayer not only with your lips, but also with your mind and heart; and not only bow our heads and knees, but also our hearts before Him; and raise our intelligent eyes to Him with humility. For all prayer must come from the heart; and what the tongue says, the mind and heart must say.” Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk.
And no matter what happens during the day, everything happens according to the will of God; all, without exception, are circumstances in which the Lord wished to place you, so that you could be His presence, His love, His compassion. His creative mind, His courage... And, besides, whenever you encounter this or that situation, you are the one whom God put there to carry out the ministry of a Christian, to be a part of the Body of Christ and the action of God. If you do this, you will easily see that sometimes you will have to turn to God and say: “Lord, enlighten my mind, strengthen and direct my will, give me a fiery heart, help me!” At other times you will be able to say, “Oh my God, thank you!”
In the Christian catechism, that is, in the instruction on the Christian faith, it is said about prayer this way: “Prayer is the offering of the mind and heart to God and is a person’s reverent word to God.” Prayer has extraordinary power. “Prayer not only defeats the laws of nature, not only is it an insurmountable shield against visible and invisible enemies, but it even holds back the hand of the Almighty God Himself, raised to defeat sinners,” writes Saint Demetrius of Rostov.
In the New Testament, prayer is a living connection between the children of God and their infinitely good Father, with His Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is “the unity of the entire Holy Trinity with the entire spirit.” Thus, prayer life is a constant and natural presence in the presence of the Trisagion of God and in communion with Him. Such vital communion is always possible because through baptism our being has become one with Christ. Prayer is Christian because it is communion with Christ and grows in the Church, which is His Body. Its dimensions are the dimensions of Christ's love.
“Prayer is not telling God our needs. Prayer is the condition under which Divine power can contact our spirit and act in us. God is omniscient and knows us better than we know ourselves.” Archimandrite Rafail (Karelin) (XX century).
Concept
The theological term itself denotes the doctrine of the three persons of one Lord. This term was first used by Theophilus of Antioch, this happened in the second century.
One of the main places in worship is occupied by the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Based on this, it is worth noting that God the Father is not born, does not come from anyone, God the Son is eternally born from God the Father. And lastly, God the Holy Spirit also comes from God the Father. The Three Persons of the Trinity are one. Together they create the world and illuminate it. They are all in mutual love.
In the Orthodox Church, only a symbolic image of the Trinity can be used. The image painted by the famous Russian icon painter Andrei Rublev is considered generally accepted. He depicted the Saints seated at one table. In the central part is the father, it is he who blesses the cup. On the right side you can see an angel, he is the embodiment of the savior. On the left is the Holy Spirit.
All three angels have scepters, symbolizing their power. The icon painter depicted the conversation without words. The main meaning is redemption, awareness of future sins, and the need for communion. The views of the Saints are directed into the distant unknown. They are depicted in deep thought.
Christianity states that the Trinity is incomprehensible to the average person. The same applies to the higher angels. Such mystery indicates that the faith was not invented by man. You can turn to the three Persons only with the help of the Lord.
The Church, during the first few centuries, established a certain dogma, the doctrine of three Persons.
Holy Fathers on Prayer
“Prayer is a great weapon, an unfailing treasure, wealth that never runs out, a serene haven, a foundation of peace; prayer is the root, source and mother of countless blessings and is more powerful than royal power.” St. John Chrysostom.
“Prayer in its rank is higher than alms.” St. Isaac the Syrian.
“Prayer is the emergence in our hearts of one after another reverent feelings towards God.” St. Feofan, the Recluse of Vyshensky.
“During prayer, let our speech and supplication be combined with decorum, calmness and modesty. Let us think about the fact that we stand before the face of God and that we must please the eyes of God both by the position of the body and the sound of the voice.” Sschmch. Cyprian of Carthage.
“You must abstain from marital affairs in order to engage in prayer; to abstain from worries about wealth, from the desire for earthly glory, from the enjoyment of pleasures, from envy and every evil deed against our neighbor, so that when our soul is in silence and not disturbed by any passion, in it, as in a mirror, God’s purity and uncloudedness will be insight." St. Basil the Great.
“When starting a prayer, leave yourself, your wife, your children, part with the earth, pass through heaven, leave every creature visible and invisible, and begin by praising Him who created everything, and when you praise Him, do not wander your mind here and there, do not talk about fabulous things. pagan, but choose words from the Holy Scriptures.” St. Basil the Great.
“Every place and every time is convenient for us to pray.” St. John Chrysostom.
Orthodox prayers to the holy saints. Holy saints of God.
Orthodox prayers for those in need for various needs and infirmities.
Full text of the akathist to the Holy Trinity in Russian
Troparion, tone 8
Blessed art thou, O Christ our God, Who art wise as fishers of things, having sent down unto them the Holy Spirit, and with them caught the universe, Lover of mankind, glory to Thee.
Troparion, tone 8
Blessed art thou, Trisagion, Lord our God, Who by Thy wisdom created all creation and did not forsake the fallen race of man by Thy mercy, but promised to grant eternal life to repentant sinners, Lover of mankind, glory to Thee.
Kontakion, tone 8
When the tongues of fire descended, dividing the tongues of the Most High, and when the fiery tongues were distributed, we all called into unity, and accordingly we glorified the All-Holy Spirit.
Kontakion 1
Eternal King of the ages and Lord, of all creation, visible and invisible, Creator, Himself, in the Trinity of Holy Glorified God, every tribe bows to the heavenly, earthly and underworld; In the same way, we also, since we were baptized in Thy Trisagion, even though we are unworthy, we dare to sing this praise to You; But You, as our Creator, Provider and Judge, listen to the voice of Your servant and do not leave Your mercy from us, so that from the depths of our souls we cry to You: Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou, Lord our God, have mercy on us, Thy fallen creation, in the name for Thy holy sake.
Ikos 1
The Archangels and Angels, Principalities and Powers, Thrones and Dominions, standing before the very Throne of Thy Glory, are not sufficient to utter the greatness of Thy perfections: the many-eyed Cherubim and the six-crested Seraphim, covering their faces, cry out to each other with awe and love: “Holy, Holy "Holy is the Lord of hosts!" For we, who are the dust and ashes of Esma, if it is more convenient to love silence; but let us not be so much in the generosity poured out on us in creation and redemption, we will appear unmemorably and ungratefully, imitating the heavenly praise, with faith and love we cry:
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord our God, the inscrutable heights of perfection and the unsearchable mysteries of the Puchino.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, who art everywhere and fill all things, One and the same yesterday, today and forever.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, all mighty, calling things that do not exist as things that exist, bringing them down even to hell and raising them up again.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, test the hearts and wombs of men, count the stars and give names to them all.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, Whose all paths are true and all destinies are justified and desired.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, passing on the sins of the fathers to the children, and being merciful and rewarding throughout all generations.
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord our God, have mercy on us, Thy fallen creation, for the sake of Thy holy one.
Kontakion 2
Seeing Thee on the Throne, high and exalted, Isaiah said: “O accursed one, like a man with unclean lips, I have seen the Lord of Hosts before my eyes.” Whenever a burning coal is carried from an Angel, I will touch it with my mouth, purely praising You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the One God. For, O Most Holy Trinity, the fire of Thy Divinity has fallen upon thorns and our many iniquities, so that with a pure heart we cry out to Thee: Alleluia.
Ikos 2
The great prophet Moses sought to understand the unreasonable mind, saying: “Show me Thy face, that I may see Thee with understanding.” You say to him: “You will see My behind, but My face will not appear to you; for a man will not see My face and live.” But You have deigned to appear to us, even though we are unworthy, in the person of Your Only Begotten Son; We also cry out with gratitude:
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord our God, Seraphim's fiery burning Love and Cherubim's shining Wisdom.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, exalted to the King of Heavenly Thrones and all-true Lord of all worldly Dominions.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, the invincible Fortress of the highest Powers and the almighty Ruler of the heavenly Powers.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, the all-joyful gospel of the Archangels and the unceasing sermon of the Angels.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, of the rational Principles, the Supreme All-Start, and of all other Heavenly ranks, sovereign to the Sovereign.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, the only one who has immortality and lives in the Unapproachable Light, and converses with Thy chosen ones, as with friends, face to face.
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord our God, have mercy on us, Thy fallen creation, for the sake of Thy holy one.
Kontakion 3
By the power of Your ineffable power You contain everything, With the Word of Your unsearchable Wisdom You build everything, By the Spirit of Your mouth You live and delight everything, O Trisun Almighty! Thou hast measured the heavens with a hand and the earth with a span, carrying and feeding all creation, calling upon everything by name, and there is no one who can hide from Thy sovereign right hand and gaze; For this reason, with all the forces above and below, with deep emotion, we call Ti: Alleluia.
Ikos 3
Have every creation work according to Your command, everywhere you show traces of Your Providence and innumerable perfections; Likewise, Your invisible and ever-present power and Divinity, imagined by creatures, seeing, with surprise and joy we call:
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord our God, sovereign Creator of the visible and invisible, and loving Builder of the present and the future.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, who composed creation from the four elements and crowned the circle of summer with four seasons.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, who commanded the sun to shine during the days, and the moon and stars to illuminate the night.
Holy are you, O Lord our God, driving away the winds from treasures, covering the sky with clouds and sending rain and dew to cool the heat.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, girding the hills with joy and the valleys with gladness, decorating the villages and crowning the fields with clasps.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, send food to the chick of the corvids, water all the wild animals, and place Thy bounty upon all Thy deeds.
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord our God, have mercy on us, Thy fallen creation, for the sake of Thy holy one.
Kontakion 4
Having a storm inside of soul-destroying heresies, the second Judas, the insane Arius, rejected You, the Son of God, the only One of the Divine Trinity to be; We, though we also speak of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are One Divinity, with equal power, co-essential majesty with our hearts and lips, we confess and, like three-sunlight in the baptismal font of illumination, we confess the Father and the Son , and we worship the Holy Spirit, the One God, calling: Alleluia.
Ikos 4
Hearing the shepherd and teacher of the Holy Church, Arius, like a fierce beast, invading the verbal flock of Christ and rapt the sheep from the true confession of the Orthodox faith, convening in Nicaea at the Council, God, and not a creature, confessed Christ and was equal to the Father with respect to the Son and the Holy Spirit, shouting loudly:
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord our God, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Soul, the One True God, and not three gods.
Holy art thou, Lord our God, uncreated Father, uncreated Son, uncreated Holy Soul, One together uncreated, and not three individuals uncreated.
Holy art thou, Lord our God, the Father, who gives birth eternally to the Son, the Son, who is born without flight from the Father, the Holy Spirit, who came from the Ungod from all eternity, but without being born.
Holy are you, Lord our God, Father, who called us from nothingness, Son, who redeemed us who fell with His Cross, Holy Spirit, sanctifying and life-giving us all with His grace.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, in our soul, soul and body, thou art well pleased to establish a three-part tabernacle for Thy habitation, and never allow it to be destroyed in us by sin.
Holy art Thou, O Lord our God, placing the sign of Thy Trinitarian Creature on all the works of Thy hands in the visible and invisible world.
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord our God, have mercy on us, Thy fallen creation, for the sake of Thy holy one.
Kontakion 5
The Pre-Eternal and Omnipotent Trinity, having created us in Your image and likeness, commanded You to do what is pleasing before You, but we, the wretched ones, have loved our evil will, rejected the vows of Baptism, and darkened Your image; Now we again come running to You and pray: Grant us Your grace, snatch us from the hand of the enemy, visible and invisible, and save us in the image of our destinies, so that forever and ever we call to You: Alleluia.
Ikos 5
Seeing the mind that surpasses Your perfections and the ineffable good deeds to the poor sons of Adamlim (in You, the Triune God, he truly believes, the dead in spirit are quickened, the defiled by conscience are cleansed, the lost are saved), with a grateful mind, a grateful heart, grateful lips, created from You, bending the knee , verb:
Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou, O Lord our God, Who in Thy Trinitarian Council decided to create man and breathed into his body, taken from the dust, the breath of life from Thy lips.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, in thy image and likeness in the person of Adam honor us all and make us heirs of the sweetness of paradise.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, who by reason above all that is visible has exalted us and subjugated all creation under our nose.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, who has given us the tree of life for food and enriched us with the gift of immortality.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, who disobeyed the commandment of our forefathers and did not abandon them after the fall, but who infused Eden directly with the hope of salvation.
Holy are you, O Lord our God, who brought us from our mother’s womb and sanctified us by the grace of the Gospel at birth.
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord our God, have mercy on us, Thy fallen creation, for the sake of Thy holy one.
Kontakion 6
The preacher of righteousness and zealot of Thy holy name, the venerable Elijah, was called from the Angel in Mount Horeb; Become a strong spirit, overthrow mountains, be a great coward and a scorching fire, but not in this form of You, and after the fire the voice of cold is thin, and there is the Lord; having covered your face with mantle, you cried out with joy and fear: Alleluia.
Ikos 6
Thou hast shone forth to enlighten the whole world with the radiance of Thy Tri-bright Divinity, Thou hast driven away all idolatrous delusions, Trinitarian God and Lord, and Thou hast led the entire human race from the long darkness of paganism into the wonderful light of the Gospel, and through this illumination, we glorify Thy all-powerful Providence for us, calling:
Holy, holy, holy art thou, Lord our God, who completely consumed the creation corrupted by sin with the flood waters and, in the person of Noah, renewed the entire human race.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, who excommunicated the father of believers Abraham from confusion of tongue and founded the true Church in his descendants.
Holy are you, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt, fed them with manna in the desert and led them into a land boiling with honey and milk.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, who raised up David, filling the prophets with His Spirit, and preserving among Israel the faith in the Promised Redeemer.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, who punished the people who sinned in the captivity of Babylon, and at the end of it, Jerusalem again commanded to be rewarded.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, who showed the Maccabees unshaken in the faith and tradition of their fathers until death, and who kept the Church under the law, like a bride, intact until the coming of the beloved Bridegroom.
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord our God, have mercy on us, Thy fallen creation, for the sake of Thy holy one.
Kontakion 7
Although to show the greatness of Thy love and mercy to the fallen human race, when the end of summer came, Thou didst send Thy Only Begotten Son, born of a Woman who is under the law, so that He might redeem those under the law, Who, having lived on earth as a man and having redeemed us with His Cross, ascended to Heaven, fulfilling the promise, sent down His Most Holy Spirit to us, so that we all call: Alleluia.
Ikos 7
Thou didst show a truly wondrous and new miracle, marvelous in the highest, O Lord, when, after the sending of the Most Holy Spirit upon the chosen disciples and apostles, Thou didst bring them forth to preach to the whole world, that they might proclaim the great name of the Most Holy Trinity and captivate all tongues into the obedience of faith. At the same time, marveling at the power and effect of their God-inspired words, we joyfully call:
Holy, holy, holy art thou, O Lord our God, who hath chosen the weak, the weak, and the violent of the world, that the mighty, the glorious, and the wise may be put to shame.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, who has inspired countless hosts of martyrs, so that the truth of the Gospel and the power of the grace of Christ may be sealed through the darkness of torment and death.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, who bowed the heart of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine with the sign of the Cross and thus put an end to the fierce persecution of Christians.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, father of the seventh Ecumenical Councils of the God-bearing Father, like the seventh pillar, protecting the Church and making it impregnable by heretical unrest.
Holy art Thou, O Lord our God, a God-wise teacher and a great ascetic of piety, like the bright stars in the firmament of the Church, granting to shine.
Holy are you, Lord our God, and the ruler of the Russian land, Vladimir, to the light of the true faith, and thereby freed our entire country from the delusion of polytheism.
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord our God, have mercy on us, Thy fallen creation, for the sake of Thy holy one.
Kontakion 8
It is strange and wonderful when Abraham saw Thee at the oak of Mamre in the form of Three Men, talking to one, saying: “Lord, if I have found grace before You, do not diminish Your servant.” Three, therefore, in the Three Persons who appeared to him, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the One God in being, bow down to the ground, calling: Alleluia.
Ikos 8
Thou art all everywhere and always, not just by the might of Thy innumerable strength, but also by the richness of Thy all-powerful providence for all Thy creation; for us, as Thy Son said, all the chief powers have been deciphered from Thee, so that not one of them may fall without Thy will. Moreover, trusting in Your Providence, we call with boldness and love:
Holy, holy, holy art thou, O Lord our God, who hast pleased the whole human race to be divided into tribes and languages, and to whom has indicated their place and time of residence.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, through whom kings reign and the mighty write the truth, keeping thy chosen ones as the apple of the eye.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, from unworthiness comes all wisdom and understanding, all strength and strength, all health and beauty.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, instigating and taking away battles, crowning the right weapon with victory, and predetermining the wrong in the midst of victories to destruction.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, give signs in heaven and on earth, send fire, plague and famine upon people, so that they may not completely stray from Thy ways.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, lifting up the humble from the earth, so that He may make His people rulers, and casting down the proud, for there is no place for them.
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord our God, have mercy on us, Thy fallen creation, for the sake of Thy holy one.
Kontakion 9
Every nature, high and low, unceasingly glorifies Thee, the Eternal Creator and God: in Heaven alone “Holy, Holy, Holy” cry day and night, and friends lay their crowns at the footstool of Thy feet; on earth, with all creation, we, as if adorned with the image of Your ever-present glory, pray to You and from You, with great and rich mercy, tea, calling: Alleluia.
Ikos 9
Even though they labor a lot in thought and testing about the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, they cannot understand how by nature God is One, and in Three Perfect Persons; We believe and confess exactly this, as we do not test, and we call upon the innumerable good deeds of each of the Three Divine Persons to us, with faith and gratitude:
Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou, Lord our God, by Thy righteous judgment we are all brought into the land from which we were taken, to return and again on the day of resurrection to rise from it.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, the sun, the moon and the stars have no time to darken, the earth and everything on it must be transformed by fire, so that instead of them a new sky and a new earth will appear, in them truth lives.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, who has decreed the day when all nations and nations will appear in judgment, that each one may receive according to his deeds.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, having said on the day of reward to the righteous: “Come, blessed of my Father, and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, from the unworthiness of unrepentant sinners they will then hear with fear: “Get away from Me, O curse, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angel.”
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, who has promised to preserve His Church unshakably until the end of the world, in order to keep it from being overcome and from the gates of hell.
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord our God, have mercy on us, Thy fallen creation, for the sake of Thy holy one.
Kontakion 10
To save the world, you appeared on the Jordan River, the Most Holy and Divine Trinity: the Father in a voice from Heaven, testifying to the beloved Son, the Son in the form of humanity, receiving Baptism from a slave, the Holy Spirit, descending on the Baptized One in the form of a dove. Moreover, in the name of the One God, in Three Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we have learned to enlighten with Baptism every person coming into the world, calling: Alleluia.
Ikos 10
Eternal King, shine your sun on the good and the evil, love the righteous and have mercy on the sinners, wash away our spiritual and physical filth, make your abode in us, even your unworthy servants, create good will, consume our unclean thoughts, blot out dissimilar deeds, direct the tongue Let us speak pleasingly before You, so that with a pure heart and lips we cry with tenderness:
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord our God, about Him the apostolic countenance speaks in reality, to the Unman the prophetic council looks outward.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, Whose martyr regiment most gloriously confesses, and His holy army glorifies the holy name.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, for Whom are the hermits sighing everlastingly, For Whom are the fastings the deeds are crowned.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, to whom saints and shepherds offer songs of thanksgiving, to whom teachers of the universe philosophize for our salvation.
Thou art holy, Lord our God, accept the prayer for us and the intercession of all the saints, especially the Most Pure Virgin who extends Her hand to You for us.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, protect us with Thy holy Angels and drive away from us the spirits of evil in heaven.
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord our God, have mercy on us, Thy fallen creation, for the sake of Thy holy one.
Kontakion 11
All singing is exhausted, trying to bring due thanks to You for everyone and for everything, to the glorified God in the Trinity: for there is not found any reason that can spread the thought to the multitude of Your bounties on us, not a word that is worthy of uttering; Moreover, for everything that is visible to us and given to us, be to You, Most Holy Trinity, thanksgiving from us, honor and glory, for which You Yourself are worthy of Your Majesty and are pleasing to You: we, who worship You, with humility and love call: Alleluia.
Ikos 11
For You are a light-giver in Your promises as a lamp, appearing to us in the darkness of ignorance about our future lot, confessing with gratitude, and until we desire to receive one of the beatitudes proclaimed by Your Only Begotten Son, we cry out with all-merciful faith:
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord our God, Who has prepared blessings for His chosen ones, whom no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no one has sighed in the heart of man.
Holy art Thou, O Lord our God, Whom all who are pure in heart will see as He is, and know Him as they themselves know from Him.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, in Nemzhe all who hunger and thirst for righteousness will find the saturation that is becoming less and less abundant.
Holy art Thou, O Lord our God, from the Unworthy the peacemakers, as imitators of Thy Only Begotten Son who pacified all, will be called beloved sons.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, from the worthless the meek will inherit the earth, and the poor in spirit will receive the never-ending Kingdom.
Holy art thou, O Lord our God, who has promised eternal mercy to those who have mercy and endless joy to those who mourn.
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord our God, have mercy on us, Thy fallen creation, for the sake of Thy holy one.
Kontakion 12
Grant Thy all-powerful grace to us, Most Holy Trinity, accept the confession of our sins before the majesty of Thy glory, look upon our sighs, send down upon us the spirit of tenderness and generosity, so that, with purification of soul and heart, we will be worthy to call to You without condemnation on earth, as the Angels cry in Heaven : Alleluia.
Ikos 12
Singing Your all-human vision, we all glorify You, Pre-Eternal Trinity, we believe in One God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, other than You, the Lord, we do not know, we fall to You and we pray to You, crying out:
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord our God, be for our salvation, that we may not fear any evil, and for the defense of our life, that we may not be afraid of any enemy.
Holy art thou, Lord our God, who save repentant sinners, save us too, many sinners.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, multiply Thy mercy to all, multiply it also on us and have mercy on us, for we are weak.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, continue our life of repentance and do not condemn us to be cut with the barren fig tree.
Thou art holy, O Lord our God, deliver us from the temptations found in the world, the flesh and the devil, and strengthen us in faith and love for Thee.
Holy art Thou, O Lord our God, grant us to see Thee face to face and bring us into Thy bright chamber for the marriage of the Lamb.
Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord our God, have mercy on us, Thy fallen creation, for the sake of Thy holy one.
Kontakion 13
O Most Holy, Life-Giving, Indivisible and All-Effective Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Soul, One True God and our Creator! Having received our present thanksgiving, send us grace and strength from the height of Your holy Throne, so that, trampling all carnal lusts, we may live in all piety and purity until the end of our days, praising Your most holy name and calling: Alleluia.
(This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1 and kontakion 1).
Prayer to the Holy Trinity
To the Most Holy Trinity, Consubstantial Power, all the good Wines that we will reward You for everything that You have rewarded us, sinners and unworthy, before you came into the world, for everything that You have rewarded us every day and everything that You have prepared for all of us in the world to come ? It is fitting, then, for so much good deeds and generosity, to thank Thee not just in words, but more than in deeds, in keeping and fulfilling Thy commandments; We, heedless of our passion and evil custom, cast ourselves into countless sins and iniquities from our youth. For this reason, as if we were unclean and defiled, we should not just appear before Thy Three-Bright Face without coldness, but below Thy Most Holy Name, utter what is sufficient for us, if You Yourself had not deigned to proclaim for our joy that the pure and righteous are loving, and sinners who repent are merciful and graciously accepted. . Look then, 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, we will live in purity and truth until the end of our days, creatively Thy most holy will and Thy sweetest and most magnificent name, glorifying with pure thoughts and good deeds. Amen.
What a Christian Should Remember
There are words of Holy Scripture and prayers that it is advisable to know by heart.
1. The Lord's Prayer “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). 2. The main commandments of the Old Testament (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18). 3. The main gospel commandments (Matt. 5, 3-12; Matt. 5, 21-48; Matt. 6, 1; Matt. 6, 3; Matt. 6, 6; Matt. 6, 14-21; Matt. 6, 24-25; Matthew 7, 1-5; Matthew 23, 8-12; John 13, 34). 4.Symbol of Faith. 5. Morning prayers and evening prayers according to a short prayer book. 6. The number and meaning of the sacraments.
The sacraments must not be mixed with rituals. A ritual is any outward sign of reverence that expresses our faith. A sacrament is a sacred act during which the Church calls on the Holy Spirit, and His grace descends on the believers. There are seven such sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Communion (Eucharist), Repentance (Confession), Marriage (Wedding), Blessing of Anointing (Unction), Priesthood (Ordination) ...
