Psalter of the Mother of God by St. Demetrius of Rostov

Since those ancient times when the light of the Christian faith shone in Rus', the veneration of the Most Pure Mother of God, the Mother of our Lord God Jesus Christ, has been firmly established among Orthodox people. Many hymns of praise have been composed in Her honor; people turn to Her in prayers of repentance and ask Her for intercession in everyday troubles. A set of such prayers, called the “Psalter of the Mother of God,” will be discussed in our article.

Rostov saint - shepherd, preacher and teacher

Its author is an outstanding spiritual writer, preacher and teacher of the era of Peter I - Metropolitan of Rostov and Yaroslavl Dimitri (Tuptalo). Almost half a century after his blessed death in 1709, he was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. His being chosen by God was irrefutably evidenced by both the incorruptibility of his relics and the numerous miracles revealed through prayers at his grave.

In his earthly life, the holy saint of God became famous, in addition to his pastoral and teaching activities (he founded a Slavic-Greek school in Rostov), ​​also as an outstanding spiritual writer, who authored numerous works on the study of the patristic heritage and hymnography. One of the most famous such works is the Psalter of the Mother of God.

Successor of King David

When compiling it, the author took as a basis the well-known Psalter (note that this is a feminine word) - an Old Testament biblical book, the authorship of which is attributed to King David. It is no coincidence that the title of the book comes from the name of an ancient oriental musical instrument - the psalter. Once upon a time, to the sound of its strings, the sons of Israel sang praises to God, who led them out of the land of slavery.

The Psalter of the Mother of God of Dmitry of Rostov, as well as the creation of King David, is divided into twenty kathismas - separate parts, including both psalms and songs of praise, and prayers. The only difference is that the Hebrew psalmist addresses God in his work, and his Russian imitator addresses the Queen of Heaven.

Unlike the creation of King David, the Psalter of the Mother of God is a much less well-known work, and even the majority of believers and churchgoers do not know about its existence. The reason for this phenomenon lies, obviously, in the fact that this Psalter is not included in the prayer rule and is read only in those cases when a spiritual need arises.

Psalter, Psalter. Prayers according to the Psalter

Psalter, Psalter (the name of the musical instrument psalter) is a biblical book of the Old Testament.

The Psalter consists of 150 or 151 psalms - “songs” or “hymns”, setting forth the pious outpourings of the enthusiastic heart of the believer during various life trials.

The word “Psalter” also refers to individual editions of the Psalter intended for use in Christian worship.

Psaltirion, in Greek, is a stringed musical instrument, accompanied by which in ancient times prayer chants addressed to God were sung. The chants themselves therefore received the name psalms, and their collection began to be called the Psalter. The psalms were combined into one book in the 5th century BC.

The Psalter was translated into the Slavic language from Greek by the holy brothers Methodius and Cyril, teachers of the Slavs, in the middle of the 9th century, as the Monk Nestor the Chronicler (died ca. 1114) mentions.

The Psalter was first published in Slavic by typographical embossing from ancient manuscripts in Krakow in 1491.

In the Church of Christ, the Psalter has received especially wide use in worship. Among Christians, the liturgical use of the Psalter began already in apostolic times (1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). The Psalter served as the source for most of the evening and morning prayers. Psalms are included in almost every rite of Orthodox worship.

In Rus' the Psalter was widely distributed. It was of no small importance in the life of a Russian person: it was used both as a liturgical book and as an edifying book for home reading, and was also the main educational book.

In the Psalter of 150 psalms, part refers to the Savior - the Lord Jesus Christ; they are important in soteriological terms (soteriology is the doctrine of saving a person from sin). These psalms are called messianic (Messiah, from Hebrew, means Savior). There are messianic psalms in the literal and in the transformative sense.

The first speak only about the coming Messiah - the Lord Jesus Christ (Ps. 2, 15, 21, 44, 68, 71, 109). The latter tell about the persons and events of the Old Testament (King and Prophet David, King Solomon, etc.), prefiguring the New Testament of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church (Ps. 8, 18, 34, 39, 40, 67, 77, 96, 101 , 108, 116, 117). Psalm 151 is dedicated to the psalmist David.

This psalm is found in the Greek and Slavic Bibles.

The Psalter was initially divided into five parts in relation to the ancient liturgical order.

In the modern liturgical Rules of the Orthodox Church, it is customary to divide the Psalter, for convenience when using it during worship and in the home (cell) rule, into 20 sections - kathisma (kathisma), each of which is divided into three “Glories”, or articles. After each “Glory,” “Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God!” is read three times.

Psalms are read in church every day during every morning and evening service. The entire Psalter is read during each week (that is, the week, and during Great Lent - twice during the week).

The home prayer rule is in deep prayer connection with church services: morning cell prayer, starting a new day, precedes the service and internally prepares the believer for it, evening prayer, ending the day, as it were, ends the church service.

If a believer has not been to church for worship, he can include psalms in his home rule. The number of psalms may vary depending on the intentions and capabilities of the believer.

In any case, the fathers and devotees of the Church invite the believer to read the psalms daily, considering piety and purity of heart to be an indispensable condition for the spiritual benefits of reading and studying the psalms.

Prayers before reading the Psalter

Let it be reasonable, as befits the singing of the Psalter

If the priest says: Blessed be our God, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Or else, say tenderly: Through the prayers of the saints our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

To the Heavenly King... Trisagion. And according to Our Father:...

This troparion, voice 6: Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, perplexed by any answer, we offer this prayer to You as the Master of sin: have mercy on us. Glory: The honor of Your prophet, Lord, is a triumph, Heaven shows the Church, with people the Angels rejoice.

By your prayers, O Christ God, guide our belly in peace, so that we may sing to You: Alleluia. And now: My many and many sins, Mother of God, have come to You, O Pure One, demanding salvation: visit my weak soul and pray to Thy Son and our God to give Forsaking us, even of our cruel deeds, is the Blessed One.

Lord, have mercy 40. And bow down, so powerfully.

The same prayer to the Holy Life-Giving Trinity: All-Holy Trinity, God and Creator of the whole world, hasten and direct my heart to begin with reason and finish the good works of these God-inspired books, even the Holy Spirit will vomit the lips of David, which I now want to say, I, unworthy, knowing my ignorance , falling down, I pray to Thee, and ask You for help: Lord, guide my mind and strengthen my heart, not about the words of the lips of this cold, but about the mind of those who say, rejoice, and prepare to do good deeds, even as I learn, and I say: yes to good affairs are enlightened, at the judgment of the right hand of Thy land I will be a partaker with all Thy chosen ones. And now, Vladyka, bless, so that I sigh from my heart and sing with my tongue, saying: Come, let us worship our King God. Come, let us worship and fall down to Christ, our King God. Come, let us worship and fall down to Christ Himself, our King and God.

Just wait a little, until all your feelings calm down. Then make the beginning not quickly, without laziness, with tenderness and a contrite heart. This saying: “Blessed is the man...” quietly and reasonably, with attention, and not struggling, as the verb is understood with the mind.

Prayers after reading several kathismas or the entire Psalter

After completing several kathismas or the entire Psalter

It is worthy to eat... or Rejoices in You... Trisagion. And according to Our Father...

Troparion, tone 6: Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, perplexed by every answer, we offer this prayer to You, as the Lady, sinners: have mercy on us. Glory: The honorable of Your prophet, Lord, triumph, Heaven shows the Church, with people the Angels rejoice. By your prayers, O Christ God, guide our belly in peace, so that we may sing: Alleluia.

And now: My many and many sins, Mother of God, I have come running to You, O Pure One, demanding salvation. Visit my weak soul and pray to Thy Son and our God to grant me forgiveness for my cruel deeds, O Blessed One.

Also, Lord, have mercy (40). And bows, very powerfully, with prayer, Lord and Master of my life...

Therefore, say this prayer with attention: Most merciful and most merciful, Lord, and all good to the Giver, Lover of Mankind, and to the King of the whole universe, much-named Master and Lord! I am poor and wretched, I dare to call on Your wonderful and terrible and holy name, from which all creatures of the Heavenly powers tremble with fear.

Below on the earth, You surprised Your indescribable love for mankind, with the message of Your beloved Servant, Who from the beginningless bosom of Your Fatherly glory, You belched as an inseparable Divinity, so that He would arrange people and Angels into one composition.

Remember, O Lord, my despondency, humility, feces and dust, I call upon You, the Unspeakable Light, who is overlaid with the infirmities of the flesh, who have mercifully borne Your word, and by Your death freed our souls from the work of the enemy, so that we may all share in the yoke of Your work with faith. Having ascended, Thy glory will make them worthy, from whom the flattering Satan has fallen.

Have mercy on me, darkened by sinful thoughts, lift up my mind, crushed by the thorns of laziness and the ice of disobedience. Make my heart burn for You, send a source of tears before my eyes, and at the end of the exodus of my soul, make me an immaculate saint of Yours, instructing me to strive diligently for You.

Remember, Lord, my parents with Your mercy and all my neighbors, and brethren, and friends, and neighbors, and all Orthodox Christians, and save me with the prayers of all the saints.

And in honor of this, accept the psalms and prayers that were spoken before You for this, and let this prayer not be abominable to You with sighing, for You are merciful and Lover of mankind, and we glorify You, the First-Begotten Father, with Your Only Begotten Son and with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.

Therefore, the Most Honest Cherub... Glory, even now. Lord, have mercy (three times). God bless.

Whether a priest, he ends priestly, or a simple one, he ends with a verse: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother, by the power of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross and the holy Heavenly bodiless powers, and our reverend and God-bearing fathers, and the holy prophet David, and All saints, have mercy and save me, a sinner, for I am Good and Lover of Mankind. Amen.

How to read the Psalter of the Mother of God correctly?

Veneration of the Most Holy Theotokos is inseparable from the Orthodox faith. From time immemorial, gratitude to the Mother of the Savior of mankind from the darkness of eternal death was expressed in akathists, prayers, songs of praise and hymns. It was the reverent love of the people that once prompted Metropolitan Dimitry of Rostov and Yaroslavl to write a collection entirely dedicated to the praise of our Heavenly Intercessor, and entitled “The Psalter of the Mother of God.”

How should this set of psalms and prayers be read? There is no specific indication of this in church literature, since canonically it is not included in any divine service, but is intended exclusively for home prayer.

But even without outside help, every believer, guided only by the voice of his heart, feels that the psalms composed by the Rostov saint can become both a source of pure repentant tears and deep consolation - a guarantee of the intercession of our Heavenly Lady, the Most Holy Virgin Theotokos.

Saint Demetrius of Rostov

Psalter of the Mother of God

Christian hymns to the Most Holy Queen of Heaven, Ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of God.

Compiled in the likeness of the Psalms.

PRAYER

To the glory of the Holy, Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and in honor and praise of the heavenly Queen, the Most Pure Virgin Mary.

We take refuge under Your compassion, O Virgin Mother of God, do not despise our prayers in sorrow, but deliver us from troubles, O pure and blessed One.

O Lady, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise.

My lady, please help me. Glory to Thee, orphans Mother, make us a merciful Almighty God.

Oh, Most Holy Lady, Most Pure Virgin Mary, Mother of my Lord God Jesus Christ! I fall down and pray, like the Tsar’s Mother, commending my unworthy prayer to You, having accepted it, Fr. Mother of the King of heaven and earth, bring to the King of those who reign, all to the Lord, Thy Son and God, and ask forgiveness for all my sins, grant correction to my life and at the end of the air enemies a peaceful passage, open the divine entrance to the kingdom, intercede with me and there the heavenly food of pleasure , the mountain of this city, the most beautiful Jerusalem, the joy and indescribable beauties, the lordship of the threefold Trinity light and the sweet voice of angelic singing: make me the heir of glory and joy and a participant in all the saints, all you can, as the Mother of the Almighty King; and now, more than ever at this hour, hear me, O All-Merciful Lady, who stands before Thee; look, O Lady Queen, I offer prayers to Thee.

Worship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Come, let us worship our Queen Theotokos.

Come, let us worship the Virgin Mary, our Queen Mother of God.

Come, let us bow and fall before the Lady Virgin Mary herself, our Queen Theotokos.

We bow to You, Most Holy Theotokos, by Your Nativity revealing to us the true light, Queen of heaven and earth, hope of the unreliable, helper of the weak, intercessor to all sinners; Cover us and intercede from all troubles and needs, mental and physical, and be our intercessor, we pray, with your holy prayers.

We worship Your blessed conception and birth from your holy parents, from Joachim and Anna; We pray to Thee, our Lady, grant us a sinless life to conceive and bear the fruits of repentance.

We bow to Your introduction into the Church of the Lord, who was the third-year-old Maiden, and we pray to You, our light, to make us a church of the Holy Spirit through Your prayers.

We worship Your Annunciation, Most Pure Virgin Mother of God, when through the action of the Holy Spirit with the voice of the Archangel you conceived the Word of the Father, and we pray to You, our light, to bring salvation to us desperate ones.

We worship Your birth, when You incarnated and gave birth to Christ, the Savior of the world, and You appeared as the Mother of God, glorified and exalted from all creation, and we pray to You, our light, to show yourself the Mother of mercy now and in the age to come.

We worship Your purification, undefiled, unblasphemous, incorruptible, Most Pure, and we pray to You, our light, cleanse us from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit through Your prayers.

We worship and honor Your illnesses, which You endured during the free passion of Your Son, when Simeon’s prophecy came true: But a weapon will pierce Your very soul, and we pray to You, our light, to deliver us from mental and physical illnesses.

We bow to You, Lady, remembering the joy You had during the resurrection of Your Son, and we pray to You, our light, not to deprive us of spiritual joy.

We bow to Your honest and glorious Dormition, and we pray to You, our light, to rest our carnal passions with Your help.

Oh, Most Holy Lady Theotokos! Accept this little prayer and offer it to Your Son and our God, that He may save and enlighten You for the sake of our souls.

Looking at Your most holy image, as if we behold You as the true Mother of God, with heartfelt faith and love from the soul we fall and worship with the eternal Child held in Your hand, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Oh, Our Most Holy Lady, Heavenly Queen, glorious Lady, Virgin Mother of God, righteous consolation to all who are sad and life and resurrection to all who trust in You! Incline, O Lady, Your most pure ears to our prayer, offered to You from us, Your indecent and unworthy servants.

Oh, our merciful Mother! Show Thy mercy to us, who are always in sorrow and always in sin, and do not despise us, Thy many-sinful servants.

Oh, our beautiful Mother! Thou art the wine of all good things, the revival of mortal man and the deliverance of the lost, accept our unworthy this prayer, Thy fallen and many-sinful servants, in this hour of our bitter, lamentable, and painful petition, as we now dare to speak to You, the Most Holy Lady Queen Theotokos, This prayer and joyful invitation with the Angel is: Virgin Mother of God, rejoice, full of grace Mary, for you have conceived in the flesh the Son of God. Rejoice, for you carried Him in Your womb. Rejoice, for you gave birth to Him. Rejoice, for you nourished the breasts. Rejoice, for the wolves worshiped Him. Rejoice, for you have found Christ in the church in three days. Rejoice, for Christ has risen from the dead and ascended to heaven. Rejoice, for you yourself have been taken to heaven. Rejoice, for You are superior to the virginity of the Angels and the glory of the Saints. Rejoice, for You are creating peace on earth. Rejoice, for all the inhabitants of heaven are obedient to You. Rejoice, for you can ask what you want from your Son, Christ our God. Rejoice, for you have been honored to be near the Most Holy Trinity. Rejoice, for You are the Mother of embittered people who resort to You. Rejoice, for Your joy will never end. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

The Power of Prayer

The extent to which the Psalter of the Mother of God can have a tangible effect on a person in each specific case depends only on the person who reads its lines or listens to them. It is hardly necessary to mention the well-known truth that the power of prayer is determined primarily by the sincerity and faith with which it is pronounced.

The gospel words of Jesus Christ that everyone receives according to their faith are as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago. And it doesn’t matter to whom the prayer chants are addressed - to Himself or to His Most Pure Mother, what matters is only the depth of heartfelt feeling put into them.

Psalm 1

Psalm 1 - text with emphasis and translation Explanation and brief interpretation of Psalm 1

1 PSALM - TEXT WITH EMPHASIS AND TRANSLATION

https://azbyka.ru/audio/audio1/Svjashhennoe_pisanie/psaltir_tsl_mohov/002_kafizma_1_psalom_1.mp3
KATHISMA 1

EXPLANATION AND BRIEF INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 1

The first psalm depicts the blessed state of the righteous in contrast to the disastrous state of the wicked; blessedness is the basis and beginning of the teaching about the moral life of people, and it is communicated only to righteous people, that is, those who willingly fulfill the law of the Lord.

Ps.1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, and does not stand in the path of sinners, and does not sit in the seats of the destroyers.

Here the word “husband” must be understood as “person”, and not just a man. According to the teachings of St. Athanasius's advice to the wicked -

this is “a meeting, or gathering, of wicked people,” and according to St.
Basil the Great, the advice of the wicked
can include wicked thoughts, from which an ungodly deed begins.
Don’t go, don’t stop, don’t sit
– means: whoever didn’t go, doesn’t walk and doesn’t stop. Those. blessed is the one who does not share the thoughts and feelings of wicked people and maintains purity of thoughts; and if he is drawn into evil, he does not stand in it, does not become ossified; Blessed is he who does not participate in the meetings of the destroyers of faith and morals, who abstains from agreement and complicity with the wicked.

Ps.1:2 But his will is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he learns day and night.

The piety of a believer is based on the unwavering fulfillment of the will of God.

Ps.1:3 And it shall be like a tree planted by the rising waters, which shall yield its fruit in its season, and its leaf shall not fall off, and all that he does shall prosper.

These words are practically the same as the words of God spoken through the prophet Jeremiah (chapter 17 of Jeremiah’s prophecies), who denounced the wickedness of the Jews: “Blessed is the man who

(who)
trusts in the Lord, and will be like a tree planted by the waters, and will take root for good; he will not be afraid when the heat
(heat, drought) comes,
and the stem will be green on him, and in times of lack of rain he will not be afraid and will not cease produce fruit”
Ps.1:4 Not like wickedness, not like dust, but like dust, which the wind sweeps away from the face of the earth.

Pious people, unlike the wicked, do everything with the hope of God's help, therefore the grace of God is poured out on them, and these labors are always successful. And the works of the wicked

They are deprived of God’s gracious assistance and therefore,
like dust swept up by the wind from the face of the earth
, these deeds are destroyed and do not bear fruit.
They, through the long-suffering of God, often enjoy all the blessings of this world; and meanwhile, as it is written in the book of Job, they say to God: “Get away from us, we do not want to know Your ways!
What is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? and what is the use of resorting to Him?” Being atheists, they live in sin and indulge in all vices, all shameful passions (Rom. 1:24-32). Being themselves evil and foolish, they persecute believers (John 16:23).

Ps.1:5 For this reason the wicked will not rise again for judgment, nor the sinner for the council of the righteous.

Translated from Hebrew: The wicked will not stand in judgment

, will not stand because they are like the dust of the earth, are not confirmed by faith in Christ and are already condemned, according to the word of the Savior Himself:
“Whoever does not have faith will be condemned”
(Mark 16:16).
The wicked and sinners will be condemned
, but the righteous and pious after the resurrection will follow into the Kingdom of God, or - which is the same thing -
into eternal life
, as the Savior Himself says:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, that you hear My word and believe in Him who sent Me, eternal life, and will not come into judgment, but will pass from death to life”
(John 5:24).

Ps.1:6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, and the way of the wicked will perish.

This means that the Omniscient and Righteous Judge knows

.
He knows everything even before the trial and therefore has no need for either evidence or denunciation. By path
we do not mean the road along which we walk, but our deeds, thoughts and intentions, and therefore these words of the psalm:
the path of the wicked will perish
mean that the deeds, plans, machinations of the wicked, and with them they themselves
will perish
.

Blessed are all those who seek

Lord God with all their hearts, who delight in the law of God and meditate on it
day and night
(Ps. 11:1, 1:2), who listen to the Word of God and act on it.
Blessed are all those upon whom, on the day of judgment, the blessing of the Heavenly Father will extend, spoken through the mouth of the Son of God: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”
(Matthew 25:34). But “what sorrow will fill the heart of a sinner at that hour when the Judge Christ sits on His terrible throne, all generations will appear before Him and all the secrets of the heart will be revealed!

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Modern critics of Saint Demetrius

At the end of the conversation, it is necessary to dwell on another important aspect of the problem related to the fact that the Psalter of the Mother of God, the text of which, although compiled by a religious figure glorified as a saint, was not included in the list of materials used during church services.

The fact is that, despite the approval given by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, a number of modern clergy are skeptical about the spiritual value of this work.

Time-tested works

This position is extremely puzzling and can only be a consequence of a misunderstanding of the essence and meaning of the psalms, written by an outstanding theologian of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Both during the years of the earthly life of Saint Demetrius of Rostov, and after his blessed death, his works invariably received high praise even from the most severe critics.

With all certainty, they can be attributed to those fruits of creativity that have stood the test of time, and therefore deserve our attention. It should also be taken into account that they are not prohibited, and therefore there is no reason to exclude them from the circle of your spiritual reading. Everyone has the right to make the final decision themselves.