Daily evening Orthodox prayers

About book and real monasticism

Everywhere there are rules that must be followed. But if in the world these rules are violated or corrected, then in the monastery this is not the case. Here there is a complete cutting off of one’s will, submission to the abbot or abbess, depending on the type of monastery.

One elder was asked: what should a real monk be like? He took off his mantle, threw it on the floor, trampled it, and only after that answered: until a person is trampled, like this mantle, and comes to terms with it, he will not become a real monk.

It happens that a person decides to go to a monastery after reading books about asceticism and life in a monastery, among brothers or sisters. We hasten to reassure you that modern monasticism is not the same as it is described in old books. Back in the 90s it was completely different. But today not every priest will give his blessing to go to a monastery.

In addition to the fact that you will have to follow the rules of monastic life, attending divine services and performing obedience, this is also a huge amount of work on yourself. It’s just that not everyone is able to carry such a cross, and many break down, throwing it off halfway.

Consequences of rash entry into a monastery

The main rule of monastic life is renunciation of oneself, striving for God. A monk should not seek entertainment; for him there is nothing sweeter than prayer. Having completed his obedience, he rushes to his cell to devote himself completely to it.

Is a person who has a burning desire to enter a monastery ready to reject his own will? To love solitude, prayer and humility? If not, then he won’t last long in the monastery. The fact is that all character traits become aggravated there: both positive and negative. The latter need to be removed, you have to break yourself, and then there is pressure from your seniors. Others simply cannot stand such a life, escaping from the monastery at the first opportunity.

And it is great happiness for a person if he realized that he is unable to bear the cross of monasticism even before taking monastic vows. Although there is an opinion that by putting on novice vestments, you can return to the world. Supposedly there is nothing wrong with this; the novice has not yet made vows to God. This can be compared to dressing up the bride: imagine that the time of the wedding is approaching, the bride is already dressing up for the celebration. She puts on an undershirt under her dress, and at some point she realizes that she doesn’t want to get married. Then the girl takes it off, puts it aside and tells the groom that she has changed her mind about marrying him. It’s the same here: the novice’s clothes can be compared to an undergarment. And what would it look like if he took them off?

As for leaving the monastery after monastic or monastic tonsure, that is a separate conversation. This does not go unnoticed for such people; it affects them and their children if they dare to become parents. The book “Unholy Saints” contains a wonderful quatrain by Academician Losev. He made no vows to God, and is not guilty of anything before Him. But the academician was the son of a monk, and this is how he summed up his life:

“I am the son of a monk - the fruit of sin.

I am a vow breaker.

And God cursed me for this,

Whatever I touch is dust.”

Therefore, you should not make rash decisions and go to a monastery after reading books about spiritual exploits.

How to read evening prayers correctly?

You need to pray every day before going to bed. Daily prayers will calm your nerves, help you overcome worries, and give you peaceful sleep. It is customary to address God and the saints in front of their images; lighting a lamp or candle has a beneficial effect on prayer.

For beginners in prayer, it is sometimes difficult to read the entire rule. The following practice is recommended: choose several prayers to read, and gradually add the rest to them.

For absent-minded worshipers, it is worth setting aside a certain time period for prayer. The task is not to read the entire rule, but to put your soul into each prayer, returning back to the place where attention went. This way the person praying will read less, but it will be more useful.

About monastic life

The monastic rule of life includes complete humility and cutting off one’s own will. The inhabitants of the monastery obey the abbot or abbess, taking a blessing from them for every action. You cannot leave the monastery of your own free will, only with the permission of the abbot (with blessing).

Briefly about one day in the life of a monk:

• The morning rise is early; in various monasteries its time depends on the beginning of the Divine service. Somewhere services begin at 4:30 am, somewhere at 5:00 am, and in other monasteries at 6:00 am. A slight relaxation occurs on Sundays, when the beginning of the Liturgy is moved forward an hour if there is only one service. If there are two of them, then the monastic can come to the later one.
• After the service it is time for breakfast. The monk goes to the refectory, where he very quickly eats food. The speed depends on whether he needs to obey or not. If there is such a need, you have to eat at a pace.
• Obedience can be different, each monastic has his own. The abbot of the monastery or the dean appoints him to obedience. The latter is the “deputy chief”, if we speak in the usual worldly language. By “chief” we mean, as we understand, the abbot.
• Obedience is interrupted only to take part in the luncheon meal. After which the monk returns to his occupation.
• Sometimes after lunch or morning service there is time to rest. It’s not very long, about an hour and a half at most. Some of the brethren do not have such time due to the specifics of obedience, while others have quite a lot of it, again, for this reason.
• Those who complete their obedience for the evening service go to the temple. The rest continue to work if obedience cannot be abandoned until the next day. For example, in a church shop or in a cafe for pilgrims, which now exists at almost every monastery, or in a hotel.

• After the evening service, the monastic prayer rule begins. Lay people are prohibited from attending, so only the inhabitants of the monastery know about its texts.
• After the rule, the monk goes to his room. Idle festivities on the territory of the monastery are prohibited. The exception is taking out the garbage, because the containers are located away from the buildings with cells, and the monks can take a walk at this time while walking to them.

Rule with translation

For those joining Orthodoxy, misunderstanding of the Church Slavonic language becomes an obstacle. A person stops praying with his mind when he comes across unfamiliar words. You should use special, explanatory prayer books with translation into Russian. When the meaning of each address has become clear, they begin to read in Church Slavonic.

Before communion, in addition to the daily rule, it is customary to read special prayers - these are the canons and the procedure for Holy Communion. These are ancient creations of the holy fathers that require explanation. Their translations into Russian should also be read for easier understanding. They are read after the evening rule. The prayers are lengthy and take at least an hour.

Behavior in the cell

Having arrived at his cell, the monk can take a short rest, after which he follows the rule. The monks have their own cell monastic rule, which is mandatory for daily fulfillment. It is different for everyone, depending on the blessing of the abbot: some are given more, others less. The shortest one includes:

• morning prayers;
• chapter from the Gospel;
• kathisma from the Psalter;
• the acts and epistles of the apostles;
• five hundred;
• evening prayers;
• Akathists and prayer rules with the blessing of the confessor or abbot of the monastery.

It is not customary for monks to talk to their cell neighbor. Yes, yes, they live in twos, and the room is separated by a partition. But this does not mean that even two words cannot be said; saying hello, wishing good night or good morning is not prohibited. The main thing is that there should be no idle talk when the monastics forget about their rule, getting too carried away by them.

Lay Prayer

The Gospel says: “Watch always, pray without ceasing.” How can this commandment be fulfilled by people in the world engaged in work that requires constant concentration? People burdened with family, everyday worries and problems?

Prayer Rule

The rule of a pious layman usually includes morning and evening prayers, a chapter from the Gospel and two chapters from the Apostles.
It is good to read at least one kathisma from the Psalter a day, putting a bookmark. There is also an abbreviated rule for the sick, women with small children and other people who are very short on time. This abbreviated rule can be found in any Prayer Book. The Optina elders wrote that the prayer rule should be valid. It is better to let the rule be minimal, but executed daily, than large, but impossible. The Monk Ambrose (Grenkov) instructed:

“It is better when the source constantly flows, at least a little, rather than a lot with interruptions... It is better to have a small rule, but to constantly fulfill it, than to have a lot of complete abandonment with interruptions.”

Sometimes the enemy specifically suggests to the person praying to increase the number of prayers and bows. Several days pass, and the person becomes exhausted, and then abandons not only additional prayers and bows, but also those that he usually did.

Elder Ambrose reminded in this regard:

“You write that sometimes you add extra bows to the usual rule from zeal to fatigue, and then you don’t even follow the usual. It is more useful to constantly continue moderate work than sometimes to do unnecessary things, and sometimes to abandon what should be done due to excessive fatigue.”

The Optina elders warned about the danger of being exalted by too much prayer rule and, in general, of being exalted over those who do not pray. Because such exaltation ruins all work.

When asked to bless the reading of additional akathists, the Monk Ambrose answered:

“Do you want to read different akathists with diligence? You can read, but so as not to imagine anything about yourself and not to judge others. But when there is exaltation and condemnation of others, then do not read.”

The Monk Nikon (Belyaev) warned that if there is a desire to pray beyond the usual, then you can do it, but without adding it to your daily rule as a duty. So that later, if you cannot read the additional rule every day, you do not fall into despondency and embarrassment:

“Sometimes, if you want to pray, you can read something else, for example, several chapters of the Gospel instead of one, or an akathist to some saint or icon of the Mother of God, and so on, but without adding this to this rule every day as a rule.”

Blessing for the prayer rule

It is better to discuss the prayer rule with your spiritual father or with the priest to whom you usually confess.
This will help protect yourself from self-will, unreason and arrogance. Reasoning with advice is the royal path recommended by the holy fathers. Elder Anthony (Putilov) taught:

“Do not impose any vows or rules on yourself without the approval of your spiritual father, with whose advice one bow will bring you more benefit than a thousand self-made bows.”

The Monk Anthony also wrote:

“The Pharisee prayed and fasted more than we did, but without humility all his work was nothing, and therefore be most jealous of the publican’s humility, which is usually born from obedience and is sufficient for you.”

Elder Joseph (Litovkin) warned that following a rule with a blessing is more difficult than one taken without permission. You can perform a huge number of bows out of vanity, but when we do something with blessing, with humility, it is much more difficult. But it’s also good for the soul:

“A rule imposed is always difficult, but doing with humility is even more difficult. What is acquired through labor is useful.”

Failure to follow a rule

Various circumstances beyond our control happen in the world: business trips, protracted meetings, emergency situations at work, as well as illnesses of ourselves and loved ones. In general, it may happen that even the most pious layman will somehow be unable to fulfill the daily rule. Elder Nikon advised not to be embarrassed under any circumstances, but simply to humbly reproach yourself for your weakness:

“Try not to miss the prayer rule either in the morning or in the evening, but if for some reason you miss it, especially due to circumstances beyond your control, then do not be embarrassed, but humbly reproach yourself for your weakness, for self-reproach is an invisible ascent, and embarrassment, according to Father Ambrose, it is not listed anywhere among the virtues.”

Constant prayer memory

The elders reminded us that, in addition to the rules, we need to have a constant prayer memory, constantly remember God and throughout the day repeat more often: “Lord, have mercy!”, “Lord, bless,” “Lord, protect!” These short prayers will sanctify our daily life.

“Every task must begin by invoking the name of God for help,” taught Elder Hilarion (Ponomarev).

Reverend Nikon reminded:

“At all times, no matter what you do: whether you sit, walk, or work, read with your heart: “Lord, have mercy!”;

“When you are sorrowful and despondent and a grave temptation comes upon you, repeat only one thing: “Lord, have mercy, save and have mercy on Your servant!” And the grief will be eased."

When asked about a short prayer that can be repeated often, St. Nikon answered:

“Pray simply: “Lord, grant me Your grace!” And the Lord will carry the thunderstorm past you.”

Request for Prayer for Others

Sometimes people ask others to pray for them.
It also happens that, having ordered a memorial service or prayer service, they themselves do not attend them and do not pray. So that people do not remain careless and do not place their hope only on outside prayerful help, the Monk Ambrose instructed:

“Remember, the twelve apostles asked the Savior for their Canaanite wife, but He did not hear them; and she began to ask - she begged.”

And sometimes he repeated a popular saying:

“God, help me - and the man himself, don’t lie down.”

Prayerful attitude

The Optina elders advised leaving verbosity and idle talk when praying, as this disrupts the prayerful mood and drives away grace. Reverend Nikon wrote:

“Especially during prayer, leave all thoughts about worldly things. After prayer, at home or in church, in order to maintain a prayerful, tender mood, silence is necessary. Sometimes even a simple insignificant word can disrupt and frighten away tenderness from our soul.

Silence prepares the soul for prayer. Silence, how beneficial it is for the soul!”

We are, of course, not talking about necessary business conversations or communication with relatives, raising children - we are talking about idle talk into which we so often fall.

Elder Ambrose advised:

“Intelligent silence is the most valuable thing. If you put all the rules of prudence on one scale, and put prudent silence on the other scale, then silence alone will outweigh”;

“When you feel that you want to say something out of passion, be silent. Hold back, don't speak. After all, this is a fight, you need to win, then you’ll only fall behind.”

You need to pray even to learn how to pray correctly. Reverend Nikon wrote:

“We are on our own, without Divine help, and we are not able to pray: we cannot pray properly and we do not know how and what to pray for.”

About prayer gifts

The feat of prayer is accompanied by gifts to zealous prayer workers. The Optina elders warned that one should not arbitrarily seek these gifts, such as tears in prayer or purity and dispassion. This can be dangerous for an inexperienced prayer worker.

Elder Anatoly (Zertsalov) wrote about tears during prayer:

“Not everyone can cry, but to whom God will give tears. And God rarely gives tears to beginners. Otherwise they will become proud and worse than those who do not cry.”

He also instructed those who wanted to achieve purity and dispassion:

“Let us humble ourselves, and the Lord will cover us, and we will be holy. Until we humble ourselves and appease God, even if we break our foreheads on the floor with bows, our passions will not diminish.”

How do we know if we are praying correctly?

Prayer is a spiritual activity that brings spiritual fruits. Fruits of the Spirit: love, meekness, patience, peace of mind. Of course, it takes time for the fruits to ripen. But one should strive for them, spiritual growth must occur. A person must fight his passions, weaknesses, and bad habits.

The Reverend Moses (Putilov) taught to examine yourself every day, to examine your conscience:
“Test yourself every day... If the present day was spent poorly, so that you did not bring a decent prayer to God, did not contrite your heart even once, did not humble yourself in thought, mercy did not show or give alms to anyone, did not forgive the guilty, did not endure the insult, on the contrary, did not abstain from anger, did not abstain in words, food, drink or immersed your mind in unclean thoughts, having considered all this according to your conscience, condemn yourself and set the next day to be more attentive in good and more careful in evil.”

The Monk Macarius warned:

“But prayer rules alone cannot bring us any benefit... I advise you to try, as much as possible, to pay your attention to deeds of love for your neighbors; in relation to your mother, wife and children, take care to educate them in the Orthodox faith and good morality towards the people subordinate to you and towards all your neighbors.”

The one who strives correctly follows the middle, “royal” path. Irritability decreases and, conversely, complacency increases, thoughts of anger, condemnation, and grumbling come less often. A peaceful dispensation, a patient attitude towards the infirmities and shortcomings of others is experienced more and more often and gradually becomes permanent.

Pentecentenary

We cannot give the text of the monastic rule, because it is different for everyone, as noted above. But readers will see the text of the Five Hundred, we note that it is given for general development and familiarization, and not for passing through one’s own experience.

• The first hundred is the Jesus Prayer. It is read as follows: the first ten prayers with bows to the ground after each, the next 20 with bows from the waist, and the remaining 70 are read with heartfelt bows.
• The second and third hundred are the same as the first.
• The fourth hundred is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. They read in the image and likeness of the first hundred, with the same bows.
• The fifth hundred is divided into two parts. One of them, in the amount of 50 prayers, is dedicated to the guardian angel, the second half - to all the saints.
• The reading of the Pentecostal ends with the prayer “It is worthy to eat.”

The monastic rule of five hundred is given below.

Why is Pentecost so important for a monk?

panteriksi

Why is Pentecost so important for a monk? What is the benefit of doing it? Can a lay person perform it? Please describe the rule of five hundred in more detail, because I have come across different versions. 02/1/2007 Alexander Dear Alexander! We offer you instructions on the Jesus Prayer and the Rite of Five Hundred from the monastic rule.

ABOUT JESUS ​​PRAYER

Know that practicing the Jesus Prayer is a great mystery of God, known to few people, especially in the present time, which is poor in spiritual life. How to learn it? Work, pray, if there is a desire and jealousy, it will work out, but just find out its necessary accessories, without which it is not useful, and can be destructive through pride.

This is, first of all, humble thinking about oneself, contrition about one’s sins. A heart that is aching, crying, and longing for Christ’s consolation is necessary. Prayer must come from repentant feelings and a deep consciousness of one’s sinfulness. This is a fence for prayer, a house, a soil on which only it can grow into our salvation. Notice this firmly and hold on steadfastly throughout your life.

Don’t strive for a higher world right away - it’s out of pride, it will come on its own in due time. The Jesus Prayer constitutes the life of our soul, truly, essentially satisfying it for eternity.

Establishing her gracious presence in our hearts, she fills us with light, joy, and bliss; collects our thoughts scattered across the face of the earth into one, illuminates our feelings, infuses vigor into our desires and aspirations, and leads us on the path of Divine life.

After all, if in this life we ​​do not turn our spiritual powers to the spiritual, and do not teach them to hold on to the same feeling of striving to be before the face of God, then in the future life we ​​will not be able to be in the proper relationship with God. Meanwhile, it is impossible to be in heaven without prayer. If we do not learn it here on earth, where will it come from there in heaven? And nothing can replace it.

It is necessary and requires its own doing. Humble yourself, considering yourself inferior to everyone else, and read the Jesus Prayer constantly. In this you will find eternal life. In vain, some brothers and sisters become discouraged and mourn in vain - thereby killing themselves, and apparently losing hope of salvation, due to their stay in the city or in the village.

There is no doubt that it is difficult for you to keep your heart pure and keep your mind sober, because temptations surround you from everywhere, like water surrounding a fish living in the depths of the sea.

With all this, we have the testimony of the Holy Fathers that when we are in this world, being, for reasons of prevailing circumstances, in a situation common to all, then the hand of God covers us, so that the name of God is not blasphemed for our sake, and if you look carefully at the course of your life, then you will actually see this.

Therefore, dare, stand and take courage, being in the fire and sea of ​​circumstances and temptations rising up against you from the world, the flesh and the devil. Know that there is no one stronger than the Lord Jesus, either on earth or in heaven! He will create victory for you and no one can resist His Almighty power, just always try to call on His Most Holy Name, terrible for every creature, visible and invisible. Do not leave the Jesus Prayer, and if you leave it for a day, no more, then, when you come to your senses, start again. If someone is distracted from prayer by business, and he grieves that he forgets prayer, and tries to pray, this cannot harm him, because he carries inside, in his chest, the King of Kings, the Lord Almighty, who will easily trample and crush all the power of the enemy.

Archimandrite SERAPHIM. (Glinsk Hermitage). RULE OF PENTHUNDRED. First hundred: With prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. 10 - earthly, 20 - waist, 70 - smart-hearted.

At the end of the hundred - a bow to the earth and a prayer: My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, with Your saints and all-powerful prayers, drive away from me, Your humble and accursed servant, despondency, oblivion, unreasonableness, negligence and all the nasty, evil and blasphemous thoughts from my accursed heart and from my darkened mind; and extinguish the flame of my passions, for I am poor and damned.

And deliver me from many and cruel memories and enterprises and free me from all evil actions. For Thou art blessed from all generations, and glorified is Thy most honorable name forever and ever. Amen. The second and third hundreds are similar to the first. The fourth hundred: With prayer: My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, save me a sinner. 10 - earthly, 20 - waist, 70 - smart-hearted.

At the end of the hundred - bow to the ground and pray: My Most Holy Lady Theotokos. Fifth centenary: The 5th centenary is divided in half. Of these, 50 prayers: Holy Guardian Angel, pray to God for me, a sinner. 5 - earthly, 10 - waist, 35 - smart-hearted. And 50 prayers: All holy things, pray to God for me, a sinner. 5 - earthly, 10 - waist, 35 - smart-hearted.

On the last one - bow to the ground and prayer: My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, with bow to the ground. It is worthy to eat as one truly blesses Theotokos, Ever-Blessed and Immaculate and Mother of our God. We magnify You, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption. Bow to the ground. Glory to Thee, Christ our God, our hope, glory to Thee.

Glory, and now, Lord, have mercy (three times). Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen. Note: Complete this five hundred whenever anyone can. Also, after prayers, read 1 chapter of the Gospel, 2 chapters from the Apostle, 1 kathisma from the Psalter per day, from the first to the last inclusive.

(The rule is to read slowly, without laziness, with tenderness and contrition of heart, quietly and reasonably, with attention, without struggling, just as one understands what is being said with the mind.) On Sundays and great holidays from the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany and from Palm Week to the week of St. . Thomas, the rule is completely suspended, and on the days of the polyeleos holidays and on Saturdays it is performed without bowing to the ground.

//www.pskovo-pechersky-monastery.ru/russian/qp/prayer/!qp/3502/

panteriksi

Read online: //www.modernlib.ru/books/cveyg_stefan/neterpenie_serdca/read/Stefan Zweig: According to reviews in LiveJournal, a similar film: //tv.tochka.net/video-lyubovnaya-strast-63811“1981, Italy, FranceGenre: DramaDir.: Ettore Scola Cast: Bernard Giraudo, Valeria D'Obici, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Bernard Blier, Massimo Girotti, Gerardo Amato, Sandro Giani, Alberto Incrocci, Rosaria Scemmari, Francesco Piastra, Laura Antonelli

1862 Young and attractive Giorgio, a cavalry captain, is in love with a beautiful married woman, Clara. But he is transferred to another garrison, where the sick, outwardly ugly girl Fosca, the commandant’s cousin, begins to experience an obsessive passion for Giorgio, which cannot be gotten rid of unless one falls in love in return with a monster with an angelic soul.”

Page 3

panteriksi

//video.mail.ru/mail/vznakprotesta/3002/4021.

htmlFilm online: The Girl of My DreamsOriginal: Frau meiner Traume, DieYear of film release: 1943Online film genre: ComedyFilm duration: 1:34Film director: Georg Jacoby/The film stars: Marika Rokk/, Grethe Weiser /, Inge Drexel/, Wolfgang Lukschy/, Walter Muller/

A little about the film: The temperamental and charming variety show star Julia Kästner is tired of fans and fame. Since the theater director is ready to die, just not to let go of his prima, Yulia runs “on vacation” secretly and, as a result of a series of absurd accidents, finds herself on a train without money, a ticket and practically without clothes. After she is dropped off at a remote stop, she finds herself there completely alone, wearing a luxurious fur coat over her naked body... The girl knocks on the first house she comes across, where engineers Peter and Erwin, passionate admirers of the singer Julia’s voice, live. However, they are not fans of persistent half-naked girls knocking on their house and disturbing their peace...

Page 4

Source: //panteriksi.livejournal.com/378629.html

Guardian Angel and all saints

The Valaam monastic rule includes this prayer. And in addition to the declared five hundred, the monks also read three canons, an akathist to the Sweetest Jesus and the Most Holy Theotokos. We told this for the general development of readers, so that they do not think that only our Russian monastics have difficult rules. No, everywhere has its difficulties, as we see.

But let's return to the final part of the Pentecentenary: prayers to the Guardian Angel and all the saints.

Holy Guardian Angel, pray to God for me, a sinner.

This is what a prayer to our Angel looks like, read 50 times, as mentioned above. The same number of times the monks read the prayer to all saints:

All holy things, pray to God for me, a sinner.

About the evening rule

The existing evening rule is a collection of more than twenty prayers to the Lord, the Virgin Mary, and the Guardian Angel. This option dates back to the Synodal era and is used in Slavic churches. In Greek-speaking churches the rule is different. The Greeks read a shortened version of the Compline service and some Vespers prayers.

Prayers for the coming sleep:

• conversation between the person praying and God, glorifying Him;
• repentance for sins committed;
• gratitude for the blessings sent, pleasant emotions;
• eliminating bad thoughts;
• a request for mercy and help in all matters.

Evening prayer of Saint Macarius the Great:

We pray to the Virgin Mary:

Evening appeal to the Guardian Angel:

Vows at tonsure

And the very last thing that needs to be mentioned when talking about the monastic rule of nuns and monks is the vows that are given during tonsure.

There are three of them: non-covetousness, chastity and obedience. That is, a monk or monk should not strive to accumulate earthly goods and money, look at the opposite sex, and be sure to obey the abbot.