"Save me, God!".
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People who have just begun to study religion more deeply are faced with many new things: new information, new people who have or had an influence on people with their spirituality. The prayer of the Optina elders every day helps to form a positive attitude towards the implementation of all planned activities.
History of appearance
The elders are the monks of the Optina Monastery, located in the Kaluga region. They differed in that:
- had the gift of God;
- served the people;
- deeply believed in God;
- performed repentance for all those who suffered.
In addition, the elders were excellent predictors of future events and could easily retell the events of past decades. The monks had the gift of healing, so many pilgrims came to this temple in search of recovery for their body and soul.
The most famous were three monks:
- Lev Danilovich. This old man had the gift of healing people with the help of oil from a lamp that burned constantly.
- Seraphim Reverend. This man was famous for his righteous behavior. Believers from all over the country tried to come to his sermon.
- Makar, a student of Lev Danilovich, could predict future events.
The elders of the Optina monastery are clergy who are characterized by high spirituality, faith, holiness and purity of soul.
The best article for you, go to: Prayers to Seraphim of Sarov for healing, for trade, for marriage for every day
Who are the Optina Elders?
In 1821, Metropolitan Philaret gave instructions to found the skete of John the Baptist in the Optina Desert, inviting Christian hermits. Among the first five monks were Moses and Anthony, whose teacher was Saint Paisius.
Unlike monasticism, the basis of Optina was the eldership, distinguished by special qualities:
- caring for orphans, widows and the poor;
- warm welcome to pilgrims;
- organizing schools and hospitals for the poor.
The eldership was based on service to the poor and continued until 1966. The history of the Optina Monastery includes its famous hieroschemamonks Lev, Macarius, Moses, Ambrose, Joseph and others.
Icon of the Optina Elders
The honor of becoming the first elder of Optina, by the great mercy of God, fell to Hieroschemamonk Leonid, better known as Leo, who organized the publication of spiritual literature at the monastery. Leo had a special gift of healing pilgrims with the help of oil from a lamp that was constantly burning.
Makar, a student of Leonidas, became famous for his prophetic gift; the Creator blessed him to see future events.
The Optina elders were engaged in translations of the holy fathers, and messages came out from their printing houses:
- John Chrysostom;
- Peter of Damascus;
- John Climacus and many others.
Father Ambrose was especially revered at the end of the 19th century, as he guided many people on the true path.
Read about Ambrose of Optina:
- Relics of St. Ambrose of Optina
- Icon of St. Ambrose of Optina
- Prayers to St. Ambrose of Optina
Prayers of the Elders
The prayer of the Optina elders at the beginning of the day should be said as soon as a person wakes up in the morning. For the sacrament to happen correctly, you need to pray with understanding. You need to pronounce the holy text, realizing and tuning yourself to turn to the Lord, and not for the sake of marking that it was done. Prayer should not become boring, for this would be a great sin.
The morning prayer of the Optina elders is read along with other prayers, for example, “Our Father.” This helps add variety to your morning routine. You should pray every day with a fresh head and a clear mind. You are allowed to use your own words if the text is difficult to remember.
Text of the prayer of the Optina elders:
Lord, let me meet with peace of mind everything that the coming day will bring me. Lord, let me completely surrender to Your holy will. Lord, at every hour of this day, instruct and support me in everything. Lord, no matter what news I receive during this day, teach me to accept it with a calm soul and with the firm conviction that everything is Your holy will. Lord, reveal to me Your holy will for me and those around me. Lord, guide my thoughts and feelings in all my words and thoughts. Lord, in all unforeseen cases, do not let me forget that everything was sent down by You.
Lord, teach me to correctly, simply, rationally treat everyone at home and those around me, elders, equals and juniors, so that I do not upset anyone, but contribute to the good of everyone. Lord, give me strength to endure the fatigue of the coming day and all the events during the day. Lord, You yourself guide my will and teach me to pray, hope, believe, love, endure and forgive. Lord, do not leave me to the mercy of my enemies, but for the sake of Your holy name, lead and rule me. Lord, enlighten my mind and my heart to understand Your eternal and unchangeable laws that govern the world, so that I, Your sinful servant, can correctly serve You and my neighbors. Lord, I thank You for everything that will happen to me, for I firmly believe that all things work together for good to those who love You. Lord, bless all my exits and entries, deeds, words and thoughts, deign me to always joyfully glorify, sing and bless You, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen
This sacred text helps to heal the soul, achieve wisdom and inner harmony. You should read it at the beginning of the day in order to get ready for good work. It is best to use the full version of the prayer, but you can also read a short version.
A short version of the prayer goes like this:
Lord, let me meet with peace of mind everything that the coming day will bring me. Let me completely surrender to Your holy will. For every hour of this day, instruct and support me in everything. Whatever news I receive during the day, teach me to accept it with a calm soul and the firm conviction that everything is Your holy will. In all my words and deeds, guide my thoughts and feelings. In all unforeseen cases, do not let me forget that everything was sent down by You. Teach me to act directly and wisely with each member of my family, without confusing or upsetting anyone. Lord, give me strength to endure the fatigue of the coming day and all the events during the day. Guide my will and teach me to pray, believe, hope, endure, forgive and love. Amen.
Whatever prayer is used, the main thing is to say it with faith and love for the Lord God.
The best article for you, go to: Venerable Kuksha of Odessa: prayer, icons, life
The Lord is always with you!
How to read correctly
You need to contact the Optina elders:
- standing;
- facing the icon of the saint;
- You can face east if there is no icon.
The prayer book will only reach its goal if the words come from the heart.
At the end they say Amen! It doesn’t matter where a person is at this time, but the words of prayer must be felt.
Akathists and troparia are read in honor of a holiday or day dedicated to a specific saint. They resort to praises and akathists when necessary:
- conceive a child;
- recover after a serious illness;
- husband drinks heavily;
- there is a war going on.
You can read prayers at home yourself or order them in church.
What to do if someone offended you
Even a mature person can be very susceptible, because it’s not for nothing that they say that a word can hit as painfully as a weapon. It happens that ill-wishers at work try to damage your reputation, put a spoke in your wheels, and sometimes even try to get you fired. What to do?
Among people close to the church, it is customary to immediately take up the Prayer for the Detention of the Athonite Elder. You just need to take into account that it is read exclusively with the blessing of the confessor. If you don’t have one, it’s time to look for it, and not on occult forums, but in a temple.
A Christian must follow the Gospel, and if he acts on it, then such a person must first be convicted one on one. Calmly, without personal attacks, explain what confuses you and prevents you from working and building a normal relationship with him. If this does not help, then talk in the presence of superior people. “Reading” the situation is not the most adult way out, which is not only unlikely to be effective, but can also damage the soul. Is spiritual health worth the risk?
There is a prayer of the Athonite elder, which should be read for those who insult or otherwise harm. It's very short. Why? The Lord cannot allow someone to forcibly get into the soul of another - even if a person does evil, this is a choice for which he will be responsible at the Last Judgment. All this is described in the Holy Scriptures. Therefore, people should not judge each other or take revenge for insults.
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Besides, it is unknown what will happen to your enemy tomorrow. Maybe he will repent, but the anger will remain. So it’s easy to turn from a victim into a villain. We must follow the example of the Savior and pray for our enemies. Yes, it is difficult, but it must be done.
Holy Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage
The Holy Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage is a monastery, a famous monastery for people who dedicated their lives to serving God. The hermitage was founded at the beginning of the 14th century by a repentant criminal named Optia near the city of Kozelsk, Kaluga region. By the 19th-20th centuries, the monastery became one of the spiritual centers of Russia: it received pilgrims, educated new novices, and published theological books.
The main shrine of Optina Pustyn was its righteous elders, whose lives remain a moral guideline for many Christians to this day. It was noted in many sources that the Optina elders were distinguished by their special insight and wisdom in life, as well as the gift of prudence. Many pilgrims sought to attend a conversation with the elder of the Optina Monastery, as in our time it happens that they try to get to the famous psychologist.
The prayer of the Optina Elders is one of the most revered and famous prayers in Orthodoxy, which helps in various matters and is a parting guide for the whole day.
Optina Pustyn prayers
Kontakion, tone 6
Audio:
Quick to intercede and mighty to help, / present yourself to the grace of Your power today / and bless, strengthen, / and bring about the good deeds of Your servants: / whatever you want shi, // like the Mighty God, you can create.
Translation: Quick to protect and strong to help, now show the grace of Your power and, having blessed, strengthen Your servants and help them in accomplishing their intended good deed, for You, as the Almighty God, can do everything according to Your will.
The path to old age
The future saint was born in 1812 in the Tambov province. His father was the village sexton Mikhail Grenkov. The parents gave their sixth child the name Alexander. The boy grew up smart, quickly learned to read and write and sang in the church choir with his father. At the age of 12 he became a student at the Theological School, and at the age of 18 he entered the Tambov Theological Seminary, where he was one of the best students.
In the last year of his studies, the seminarian became seriously ill: this circumstance prompted the young man to vow to become a monk if the Lord had mercy on him and healed him. However, after a miraculous recovery, he put off fulfilling this promise for several years and worked as a teacher at the Lipetsk Theological School.
Retiring after work, Alexander fervently prayed to the Lord and His Most Pure Mother, asking him to enlighten his mind and direct his life’s path in a godly direction.
Useful materials
At that time, the famous elder Hilarion lived in the village of Troekurovo in the same province. The future ascetic went to him for instruction. Hilarion blessed:
“Go to Optina Pustyn and you will be experienced. You could go to Sarov, but now there are no experienced elders there as before.”
In 1839, Alexander Mikhailovich firmly decided to leave the world and, secretly from everyone, retired to the Optina monastery, which was the flower of spiritual eldership. At first he lived in a hotel at the monastery, and six months later Elder Leo blessed him to put on a monastic dress.
The young man was the cell attendant of the elders Leo and Macarius, and at the same time performed obedience in the bakery. In 1842, the ascetic took monastic vows with the name Ambrose, and two years later he was ordained a hieromonk.
