Every person has his own calling. Some people are closer to the material world and work for the good of society. Others, feeling their closeness to God, go to serve in the monastery and help their brothers outside its walls with the help of prayers.
However, both of these worlds constantly intersect with each other. A secular person, feeling the need for God's grace, comes to the gates of the monastery and asks its servants to offer prayers for health or for the dead. He himself, in turn, brings donations, helping the temple develop and bring the light of Salvation.
From time immemorial, one of the options for such an “exchange” was an order for monks to read the Psalter around the clock (the Inexhaustible Psalter). For modest alms, brothers and sisters in the monastery constantly offer prayers with the remembrance of the indicated names for health or repose.
The Indestructible Psalter is a special type of prayer that is offered exclusively in monasteries, since it must be read without interruption around the clock, driving away demons from a person and invoking God’s grace. Thanks to this form, the Indestructible Psalter has incredible power to appease the Lord and crush dark forces.
How to submit a note?
To order a memorial for health or repose, you need to use the form on the website SUBMIT A NOTE.
On the form you need:
- choose the type of memorial;
- indicate the names (only of those baptized in the Orthodox Church). If necessary, enter a note for the name (archpriest, warrior, baby, etc.) in the appropriate field next to the “Name” field;
- choose a donation method;
- indicate the email address to which notifications about note statuses will be sent.
We ask you to be very careful when filling out!
Home (cell) reading of the Psalter
The Book of Psalms is also included in the prayer rule of the laity, and the Fathers of the Church consider its reading to be an activity that is beneficial to the soul and pleasing to God to the highest degree. The clergy give the following advice to those who intend to master home prayers:
- When reading at home, it is advisable to light a candle or light a lamp. If there is neither a candle nor a lamp, this will not be considered a sin, since the main thing is the correct mood for prayer. When reading prayers, it is advisable not to be distracted by household chores.
- At first, you can read the psalms in modern Russian, and later, according to your spiritual development, you can switch to the liturgical Church Slavonic language.
- It is useful to study the patristic interpretations of the psalms, which will help you understand the history and meaning of the prayers.
- It is recommended to read the Psalter daily, just like the Gospel. Following the last psalm, the reading begins again.
- The Psalter can be read in any order, but it is best to go through all the kathismas sequentially, without skipping. In this case, the names of the psalms are not read out.
- Psalms are usually read while sitting. You need to get up only during the reading of the initial and final prayers, as well as during the “Glory”.
- Each collection of psalms contains prayers with which the reading begins. If there is an interruption and the reading continues the next day, these initial prayers are not said again. When the book is completed, the prayers indicated for reading at the end of the psalms are read.
The Book of Psalms, according to St. Seraphim of Sarov and St. Ignatius, should be read not to oneself, but in a whisper or in a low voice, in order to maintain attention and better perceive prayers. In order not to distort their meaning, one must also pay special attention to correct pronunciation and stress placement. It is customary to read the psalms monotonously, a little melodiously, without showing emotion.
It must also be taken into account that before taking on a certain vow or a constant prayer rule, a lay believer must ask for a blessing for this from his spiritual shepherd. The priest may not bless the reading if he sees that the person wants to take on an unbearable burden that will become a source of problems.
During a certain period, not only the laity, but also church ministers do not read the Psalter. This time begins on Holy Week, on Maundy Thursday, and lasts until Thomas Week.
Prayers for health and peace are not read at the same time, however, within the same kathisma, prayers for health and peace can be heard on different “Slavas”. So, at the first “Glory” a prayer is said for the health of the Patriarch, bishop, confessor. On the second you can pray for the health of your family and friends, and on the third for the repose of the departed, starting with the deceased Patriarchs and ending with deceased loved ones.
What is proskomedia?
Proskomedia is the preparatory part of the Divine Liturgy. At the proskomedia, bread and wine are prepared for the future Sacrament of Communion - the transfusion of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, and living and deceased Orthodox Christians are also remembered.
For the Mother of God, the saints and us, ordinary believers, particles are taken out from the prosphora. At the end of the Liturgy, all the removed particles are immersed in a chalice with the Blood of Christ. The priest at this moment reads the prayer “Wash away, O Lord, the sins of those remembered here by Thy Blood through the honest prayers of Thy saints.”
According to the consistent teaching of the holy fathers, commemoration after proskomedia is the most effective. For example, St. Athanasius of Kovrovsky writes: “The commemoration of the living and the dead at the proskomedia, although unspoken, in its meaning, strength and effectiveness cannot be compared with any other prayerful commemorations... This is the most important, the most powerful, the most effective commemoration.” .
What does the “Unfading Psalter” mean?
The indefatigable Psalter is a special type of prayer that is performed continuously, with the exception of Sundays and holidays, on which commemoration is not allowed according to the ancient monastic tradition.
During the day, the Psalter is read at the Central Estate in the Assumption Church and at the All Saints Skete, and at night at the St. Nicholas Skete. The book of Psalms itself consists of 20 kathismas, and each kathisma is divided into 3 “Glories”. At each “Glory” the living and the dead are remembered. Readers replace each other every 1-2 hours.
Read more about commemoration while reading the Indestructible Psalter.
Which prayer is stronger
Sorokoust can be read independently at home, but it will not have such great power as in churches, and even more so as in Jerusalem. And the Incessant Psalter is read only in monasteries where there are enough clergy to read the Psalter incessantly. Monks, taking monastic vows and renouncing worldly things, take a vow to pray for peace, which also involves reading the Indestructible Psalter day and night.
On the other hand, Sorokoust is not only a prayer, it is a commemoration at the Liturgy, which includes a ritual with prosphora and wine (proskomedia). This action is more powerful than prayer alone.
The Sorokoust or the Never-Sleeping Psalter - which is better, will help determine the reason for which you are applying. If the servant of God for whom the service is ordered needs urgent help, it is better to stop at Sorokoust: since this Requirement is considered stronger, and, most likely, it will help faster. But the Indestructible Psalter is also a strong appeal to God, and if there is no urgency in the matter - for example, it is necessary to pray for the strengthening of spiritual strength or for the repose of the soul of the deceased - it is worth giving preference to it. Both of these prayers will help.
On our website you can order one of these Requirements or both at once, select the desired reading time and enter several names at once. Petitions will be read by clergy in the Temple of Jerusalem, in the Holy Land - there is no better place in the world where prayers can be heard and fulfilled. We send a photo report on the completion of the order.
Is it possible to submit notes for the unbaptized or heterodox?
For commemoration, we only accept the names of people baptized in the Orthodox Church. Catholics, Protestants and completely unbaptized people cannot be commemorated in church. This means that their names will not be included in the monastery synodics and will not be read during the performance of services and commemorations.
Please pay attention to the names you include in memorial notes. Often there are names that do not appear in the calendar of Christian saints, or have clearly non-Christian roots. If such a person is nevertheless baptized (for example, according to the rites of local Orthodox Churches), indicate in the “Note” field next to his name “Baptized/Baptized.”
What is the power of prayer? History and significance
First of all, it is noted that the Psalter contains the secrets of the Christian religion, Divine revelation. When hymns are read, they are revealed to the person praying. In addition, you can better know the truths of the Lord, and, having understood them, get closer to the Heavenly Father, who helps everyone who believes in him. This type of prayer, like the Indestructible Psalter, is used as medicine for the soul. Through it you can get closer to the Kingdom of God. Another important property of this text is that it removes the evil slander of enemies, unkind people (damage, the evil eye - any form of exposure to negative energy).
The indefatigable or vigilant Psalter is a type of prayer text that is recited within the walls of a holy monastery (monastery). It is read during Divine services, as well as to protect the soul for several days. The first mentions of this form of appeal to the Almighty Father date back to the 4th-5th centuries. The prayer acquires numerous beneficial properties when 2 conditions are met: it is read for a long time; the place of reading is a monastery. It would be correct to observe Orthodox traditions, which go back to ancient times, because... This is partly why the high effectiveness of the Psalter is ensured.
This form of prayer (indestructible) is taken as a basis, because the Bible says,
that the Angels glorify the Most High Father without interruption.
Their normal state is a state of prayer. People are not always able to continuously read the prayer text. One of the abbots of the monastery pondered this. He believed that since such a possibility was described, then God provided it for man, which means it is real. Therefore, the reading of the Undying Psalter was introduced into the monastery’s charter. But it was not mandatory due to the complexity of implementation.
The abbot did not have the opportunity to oblige the monks to read continuous prayer. He began to ask the Lord to guide him to understand whether he was doing the right thing. Only after 3 years (with the regular offering of prayers by the Abbot) the Lord gave the answer. It was said that this rule should be introduced because... it exalts the Father Most High. After this, the monastery was renamed and received the same name.
The glory of continuous prayer has spread far:
first reached Constantinople, and then passed throughout the world.
How to submit a note by bank transfer?
For submissions from overseas, if for some reason it is not possible to donate in other ways, it is possible to donate via bank transfer. To do this, you need to select the donation method “Currency bank transfer” on the SUBMIT A NOTE form, print out the generated transfer form or take a photo of it and take it with you to the bank branch.
After completing the transfer, please send us in a reply letter to [email protected] the note number (indicated on the form) and the transfer number.
Indestructible Psalter about health: reviews
Anna, 39 years old, Murmansk : “I once asked to order the Indestructible Psalter in order to remove damage from a person. I contacted a relative in the Moscow region. He did not want to help, because it was a long way to go, and it was a rainy day, and it was not possible to submit a note with a name. When the relative went for the second time, everything worked out, but there was still no result. Now I’m wondering whether the prayer didn’t help, or whether it was the relative’s strong reluctance to help. Nothing changed in my life after that.”
Veronica, 41 years old, Ryazan : “I had only one thing left to do - attend church to cope with the pain of losing a loved one (died). I believed that the prayer word would help, and therefore I ordered the Indestructible Psalter. Moreover, she went to another city to submit a note and paid 200 rubles. (to honor the fortieth prayer), it was in Optina Pustyn .
Inga, 33 years old, Rostov-on-Don : “To make life easier for myself and my loved ones (we have one relative who treats everyone badly, always spoils everything, is jealous), I ordered the Indestructible Psalter from Diveevo. I went specially, paid for a whole year, and then it was a tenth of what it cost me to do to save the whole family from the negative energy coming from a relative .
How to submit a note by postal order?
If it is not possible to donate electronically, you can use a postal order. To do this, on the SUBMIT A NOTE form, select the “Postal Transfer” donation method, print out the generated transfer form or take a photo of it and take it with you to the post office. Don't forget to take your passport!
After completing the transfer, please send us in a reply letter to [email protected] the note number (indicated on the form) and the transfer number.
In addition to the article, we also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of performing monastic services and commemorations.
