How to read the morning rule correctly. How to pray correctly, cross yourself, church rules and basic prayers

Prayer Rule

How to Prepare for Prayer

How to force yourself to pray

How to pray and what mistakes to avoid

To express to God our reverence for Him and our veneration for Him, we stand during prayer and do not sit: only the sick and the very old are allowed to pray while sitting.
Realizing our sinfulness and unworthiness before God, we, as a sign of our humility, accompany our prayer with bows. They are waist, when we bend down to the waist, and earthly, when, bowing and kneeling, we touch the ground with our heads *.
God's law

[*] On Sundays, as well as from St. Day. Easter until the evening of St. Trinity, as well as from the day of the Nativity of Christ to the day of Epiphany, also on the day of the Transfiguration and Exaltation (on this day it is necessary to make only three bows to the ground before the cross), St. the apostles completely forbade bending the knees and making prostrations to the ground... for Sundays and other Lord's holidays contain memories of reconciliation with God, according to the word of the apostle: “Become a servant, but a son” (Gal. 4:7); It is not appropriate for sons to perform slavish worship.

The sign of the cross, according to the teachings of the holy fathers, should be performed like this: folding the right hand into three fingers, place it on the forehead, on the belly, on the right shoulder and on the left, and then, having placed the sign of the cross on oneself, bend down. About those who signify themselves with all fives, or bow before finishing the cross, or wave in the air or across their chest, it is said in Chrysostom: “the demons rejoice at that frantic waving.” On the contrary, the sign of the cross, performed earnestly with faith and reverence, frightens demons, calms sinful passions and attracts Divine grace. Orthodox prayer book

The first three fingers folded together (thumb, index and middle) express our faith in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, as the Consubstantial and indivisible Trinity, and two fingers bent to the palm mean that the Son of God upon His descent to earth , being God, became man, that is, His two natures mean – Divine and human.
Making the sign of the cross, we place our folded fingers on our forehead - to sanctify our mind, on our womb (stomach) - to sanctify our inner feelings, then on our right and left shoulders - to sanctify our bodily strength.
You need to sign yourself with the sign of the cross, or be baptized: at the beginning of prayer, during prayer and at the end of prayer, as well as when approaching everything holy: when we enter a temple, when we venerate the cross, to icons, and in all important cases of our life : in danger, in grief, in joy, etc.
God's law

When starting to pray, you must always sober up your thoughts, distract them from earthly affairs and interests, and to do this, calmly stand, sit, or walk around the room. Then think about Whom you intend to stand before and Whom you want to turn to, so that a feeling of humility and self-abasement appears. After this, you should make several bows and begin prayers, slowly, delving into the meaning of each word and bringing them to the heart. When you read, the holy fathers teach: cleanse us from all defilement - feel your defilement; you read: forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors - forgive everyone in your soul, and in your heart ask the Lord for forgiveness, etc. The ability to pray is, first of all, necessary for cultivating a prayerful spirit in oneself, and it consists of a certain order of thoughts in prayer. This order was once revealed by an angel to a holy monk (Lev. 28:7). The beginning of prayer should consist of praise to God, thanksgiving for His countless benefits; then we must bring to God a sincere confession of our sins in contrition of heart and, in conclusion, we can express with great humility our petitions for mental and physical needs, reverently leaving the fulfillment and non-fulfillment of these petitions to His will. Each such prayer will leave a trace of prayer in the soul; daily continuation of it will instill prayer, and patience, without which nothing can be achieved in life, will undoubtedly instill a prayerful spirit. Sschmch. Metropolitan Seraphim Chichagov

Man sees on the face, but God sees on the heart (1 Sam. 16:7); but in a person the location of the heart is most consistent with the position of his face, his appearance. And therefore, when praying, give the most reverent position to the body. Stand like a condemned man, with your head bowed, not daring to look at the sky, with your hands hanging down... Let the sound of your voice be the pitiful sound of crying, the groan of someone wounded by a deadly weapon or tormented by a cruel disease. St. Ignatiy Brianchaninov

When praying, do everything wisely. When you add oil to the lamp, then imagine that the Giver of Life every day and hour, every minute of your life, supports your life with His Spirit, and, as if daily through sleep in the physical sense, and through prayer and the word of God in the spiritual sense, pours the oil of life into you , with which your soul and body burn. When you place a candle in front of an icon, remember that your life is like a burning candle: it will burn out and go out; or that others make her burn faster than she should through passions, overeating, wine and other pleasures. St. rights John of Kronstadt

Standing before the icon of the Savior, stand as if before the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, omnipresent in Divinity, and present with His icon in the place where it is located. Standing before the icon of the Mother of God, stand as if before the Most Holy Virgin Herself; but keep your mind formless: the greatest difference is to be in the presence of the Lord and stand before the Lord, or imagine the Lord.
The elders said: do not wish to see Christ or an angel sensually, lest you go completely mad by accepting a wolf instead of a shepherd and worshiping your enemies, the demons.
Only holy saints of God, renewed by the Holy Spirit, ascend to a supernatural state. A person, until he is renewed by the Holy Spirit, is incapable of communicating with holy spirits. He, as still in the realm of the fallen spirits, in captivity and slavery to them, is able to see only them, and they often, having noticed in him a high opinion of himself and self-delusion, appear to him in the form of bright angels, in the form of Christ Himself, for the destruction of his soul.
St. Ignatiy Brianchaninov

When you pray, pay attention to yourself so that your inner person prays, and not just the outer one. Although I am sinful beyond measure, still pray. Do not look at the devil’s incitement, deceit and despair, but overcome and defeat his wiles. Remember the abyss of Spasov’s philanthropy and mercy. The devil will present to you the face of the Lord as menacing and unmerciful, rejecting your prayer and your repentance, and you remember the words of the Savior, filled with all hope and boldness for us: He who comes to Me I will not cast out (John 6:37), and - come to Me you who labor and are burdened with sins and iniquities, and the wiles of the devil and slander, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). St. rights John of Kronstadt

Read the prayers slowly, listen to every word - bring the thought of every word to your heart, otherwise: understand what you read, and feel what you understand. This is the whole point of pleasing to God and fruitful reading of prayer. St. Feofan the Recluse

Ask for what is worthy of God, don’t stop asking until you receive it. Although a month, and a year, and three years, and more years will pass until you receive, do not give up, but ask in faith, constantly doing good. St. Basil the Great

Do not be reckless in your requests, so as not to anger God with your foolishness: he who asks the King of kings for something insignificant humiliates Him. The Israelites, ignoring the miracles of God performed for them in the desert, asked for the fulfillment of the desires of the womb - and the food that is in their mouths, the wrath of God arose against them (Ps. 77: 30-31). He who seeks in his prayer perishable earthly goods arouses the indignation of the Heavenly King against himself. Angels and archangels - these nobles of Him - look at you during your prayer, looking at what you ask from God. They are surprised and rejoice when they see an earthly one leaving his earth and making a petition to receive something heavenly; They grieve, on the contrary, for those who have ignored heavenly things and ask for their earth and corruption. St. Ignatiy Brianchaninov

When praying to the Lord, the Mother of God or the saints, always remember that the Lord gives according to your heart (the Lord will give you according to your heart - Ps. 19:5), as is the heart, such is the gift; if you pray with faith, sincerely, with all your heart, unfeignedly, then in accordance with your faith, the degree of fervor of your heart, you will be given a gift from the Lord. And vice versa, the colder it is your heart, the more unfaithful and hypocritical it is, the more useless your prayer is, moreover, the more it angers the Lord... Therefore, do you call on the Lord, Mother of God, angels or saints - call with all your heart; whether you pray for anyone living or dead, pray for them with all your heart, pronouncing their names with warmth of heart; whether you are praying for the granting of some spiritual good to yourself or another, or for deliverance of yourself or your neighbor from some calamity or from sins and passions, bad habits - pray about this with all your heart, wishing with all your heart for yourself or another the requested good, having a firm intention to lag behind, or wanting others to be freed from sins, passions and sinful habits, and the Lord will give you a gift according to your heart. St. rights John of Kronstadt

The beginning of prayer is to drive away incoming thoughts at their very appearance; the middle of it is that the mind should be contained in the words that we pronounce or think; and the perfection of prayer is admiration to the Lord. St. John Climacus

Why is prolonged prayer necessary? In order to warm up our cold hearts, hardened by prolonged bustle, through the duration of fervent prayer. For it is strange to think, much less to demand, that a heart matured in the vanity of life could soon be imbued with the warmth of faith and love for God during prayer. No, this requires work and work, time and time. St. rights John of Kronstadt

Staying in prayer for a long time and not seeing fruit, do not say: I have not gained anything. For the very stay in prayer is already an acquisition; and what good is greater than this, to cleave to the Lord and remain unceasingly in union with Him? St. John Climacus

At the end of your home morning and evening prayers, call on the saints: patriarchs, prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, confessors, saints, abstinents or ascetics, unmercenaries - so that, seeing in them the implementation of every virtue, you yourself become an imitator in every virtue. Learn from the patriarchs childlike faith and obedience to the Lord; among the prophets and apostles - zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of human souls; among the saints - zeal to preach the word of God and, in general, through the scriptures to contribute to the possible glorification of the name of God, to the establishment of faith, hope and love in Christians; among martyrs and confessors - firmness for faith and piety before unbelieving and wicked people; among ascetics - the schedule of the flesh with passions and lusts, prayer and contemplation of God; among those without money - non-covetousness and free help to those in need.

When we call upon saints in prayer, to say their name from the heart means to bring them closer to our very heart. Then undoubtedly ask for their prayers and intercession for yourself - they will hear you and present your prayer to the Lord soon, in the blink of an eye, as the Omnipresent and All-Knowing One. St. rights John of Kronstadt

One day the brethren asked Abba Agathon: which virtue is the most difficult? He replied: “Forgive me, I think the hardest thing is to pray to God. When a person wants to pray, his enemies try to distract him, because they know that nothing opposes them as much as prayer to God. In every feat, no matter what a person undertakes, he receives peace after intense labor, but prayer until the last minute of life requires struggle.” St. Abba Agathon

Prayer Rule

What is a prayer rule? These are prayers that a person reads regularly, daily. Everyone's prayer rules are different. For some, the morning or evening rule takes several hours, for others - a few minutes. Everything depends on a person’s spiritual make-up, the degree to which he is rooted in prayer and the time he has at his disposal.
It is very important that a person follows the prayer rule, even the shortest one, so that there is regularity and constancy in prayer. But the rule should not turn into a formality. The experience of many believers shows that when constantly reading the same prayers, their words become discolored, lose their freshness, and a person, getting used to them, stops focusing on them. This danger must be avoided at all costs.
I remember when I took monastic vows (I was twenty years old at the time), I turned to an experienced confessor for advice and asked him what prayer rule I should have. He said: “You must read your morning and evening prayers, three canons and one akathist. No matter what happens, even if you are very tired, you must read them. And even if you read them hastily and inattentively, it doesn’t matter, the main thing is that the rule is read.” I tried. It didn’t work out. Daily reading of the same prayers led to the fact that these texts quickly became boring. Moreover, every I spent many hours a day in church at services that nourished me spiritually, nourished me, inspired me. And reading the three canons and the akathist turned into some kind of unnecessary “add-on.” I began to look for other advice, more suitable for me. And I found it in the works St. Theophan the Recluse, a remarkable ascetic of the 19th century. He advised the prayer rule to be calculated not by the number of prayers, but by the time that we are ready to devote to God. For example, we can make it a rule to pray in the morning and evening for half an hour, but this half hour must be completely devoted God. And it is not so important whether during these minutes we read all the prayers or just one, or maybe we devote one evening entirely to reading the Psalms, the Gospel or prayer in our own words. The main thing is that we are focused on God, so that our attention does not escape and every word reaches our hearts. This advice worked for me. However, I do not rule out that the advice I received from my confessor would be more suitable for others. Here a lot depends on the individual person.
It seems to me that for a person living in the world, not only fifteen, but even five minutes of morning and evening prayer, if, of course, it is said with attention and feeling, is enough to be a real Christian. It is only important that the thought always corresponds to the words, the heart responds to the words of prayer, and the whole life corresponds to the prayer.
Try, following the advice of St. Theophan the Recluse, to set aside some time for prayer during the day and for daily fulfillment of the prayer rule. And you will see that it will bear fruit very soon.

What prayers should a layperson’s prayer rule consist of?

The prayer rule of a layman consists of morning and evening prayers, which are performed daily. This rhythm is necessary, because otherwise the soul easily falls out of the prayer life, as if waking up only from time to time. In prayer, as in any big and difficult matter, inspiration, mood and improvisation are not enough.

There are three basic prayer rules:
1) a complete prayer rule, designed for monks and spiritually experienced laity, which is printed in the Orthodox Prayer Book;
2) a short prayer rule designed for all believers; in the morning: “Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Virgin Mother of God”, “Rising from sleep”, “Have mercy on me, O God”, “I Believe”, “God, cleanse”, “To You, Master”, “ Saint Angele", " Holy Lady", invocation of saints, prayer for the living and the dead; in the evening: “Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Have mercy on us, Lord”, “Eternal God”, “Good King”, “Angel of Christ”, from “The Chosen Governor” to “It is worthy to eat”; these prayers are contained in any prayer book;
3) a short prayer rule St. Seraphim Sarovsky: “Our Father” three times, “Virgin Mother of God” three times and “I Believe” once - for those days and circumstances when a person is extremely tired or very limited in time.

The duration of prayers and their number are determined by spiritual fathers and priests, taking into account everyone’s lifestyle and spiritual experience.

You cannot completely omit the prayer rule. Even if the prayer rule is read without due attention, the words of the prayers, penetrating the soul, have a cleansing effect.

Saint Theophan writes to one family person: “In case of emergency, one must be able to shorten the rule. You never know how many coincidences there are in family life. When things do not allow you to complete the prayer rule in full, then perform it abbreviated.

But one should never rush... The rule is not an essential part of prayer, but is only its external side. The main thing is the prayer of the mind and heart to God, offered with praise, thanksgiving and petition... and finally with complete devotion to the Lord. When there are such movements in the heart, there is prayer there, and when not, there is no prayer, even if you stood on the rule for whole days.”

A special prayer rule is performed during preparation for the Sacraments of Confession and Communion. On these days (they are called fasting and last for at least three days), it is customary to fulfill your prayer rule more diligently: whoever usually does not read all morning and evening prayers, let him read everything in full; whoever does not read the canons, let him read at least on these days. one canon. On the eve of communion, you must be at the evening service and read at home, in addition to the usual prayers for going to bed, the canon of repentance, the canon to the Mother of God and the canon to the Guardian Angel. The canon for communion is also read and, for those who wish, an akathist to the Sweetest Jesus. In the morning, morning prayers are read and all the prayers for holy communion are read.

During fasting, prayers are especially long, in order, as the holy righteous John of Kronstadt writes, “in order to disperse our cold hearts, hardened in prolonged vanity, by the duration of fervent prayer. For it is strange to think, much less to demand, that a heart matured in the vanity of life could soon be imbued with the warmth of faith and love for God during prayer. No, this requires work and time. The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it away (Matthew 11:12). The Kingdom of God does not come to the heart soon when people run so diligently from it. The Lord God Himself expressed His will that we pray not briefly when He presents a widow as an example, for a long time who went to the judge and bothered him for a long time (for a long time) with her requests (Luke 18:2-6).”

When to make your prayer rule

In the conditions of modern life, given the workload and accelerated pace, it is not easy for the laity to set aside time for prayer. certain time. We must develop strict rules of prayer discipline and strictly adhere to our prayer rules.
Morning prayers are best read before starting any task. As a last resort, they are pronounced on the way from home. The evening prayer rule is recommended by prayer teachers to be read in free minutes before dinner or even earlier - late in the evening it is often difficult to concentrate due to fatigue.

How to Prepare for Prayer

The basic prayers that make up the morning and evening rules should be known by heart so that they penetrate deeper into the heart and so that they can be repeated in any circumstances. First of all, in your free time, it is advisable to read the prayers included in your rule, translate the text of the prayers for yourself from Church Slavonic into Russian in order to understand the meaning of each word and not pronounce a single word meaninglessly or without precise understanding. This is what the Church Fathers advise. “Take the trouble,” writes the Monk Nicodemus the Svyatogorets, “not during the hour of prayer, but at another, free time, to think and feel the prescribed prayers. Having done this, even during prayer you will not encounter any difficulty in reproducing the content of the prayer being read.”

It is very important that those who begin to pray should expel resentment, irritation, and bitterness from their hearts. Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk teaches: “Before prayers, you need not to be angry with anyone, not to be angry, but to leave behind any offense, so that God yourself will forgive your sins.”

“When approaching the Benefactor, be beneficent yourself; when approaching the Good, be good yourself; approaching the Righteous One, be righteous yourself; when approaching the Patient One, be patient yourself; when approaching the Humane, be humane; and also be everything else, approaching the Kind-hearted, the Benevolent, the Sociable in good things, the Merciful to everyone, and if anything else is seen of the Divine, being likened in all this by will, thereby acquire for yourself the boldness to pray,” writes St. Gregory of Nyssa .

How to make your own prayer rule at home

During prayer, it is recommended to retire, light a lamp or candle and stand in front of the icon. Depending on the nature of family relationships, we can recommend reading the prayer rule together, with the whole family, or for each family member separately. General prayer is recommended primarily on special days, before a festive meal and on other similar occasions. Family Prayer- this is a type of church, public (family is a kind of home church) and therefore does not replace individual prayer, but only complements it.

Before starting prayer, you should sign yourself with the sign of the cross and make several bows, either from the waist or to the ground, and try to tune in to an internal conversation with God. “Stay silently until your feelings calm down, place yourself in the presence of God to the consciousness and feeling of Him with reverent Fear and restore in your heart a living faith that God hears and sees you,” says the beginning of the prayer book. Saying prayers out loud or in a low voice helps many people focus.

“When starting to pray,” advises Saint Theophan the Recluse, “in the morning or evening, stand a little, or sit, or walk, and try at this time to sober up your thoughts, distracting it from all earthly affairs and objects. Then think about who is the One to whom you will turn in prayer, and who you are who now have to begin this prayerful appeal to Him - and arouse in your soul the corresponding mood of self-abasement and reverent fear of standing before God in your heart. This is all the preparation - to stand reverently before God - small, but not insignificant. This is where prayer begins, and a good beginning is half the battle.

Having thus established yourself internally, then stand in front of the icon and, having made several bows, begin the usual prayer: “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee,” “To the Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Soul of Truth,” and so on. Read slowly, delve into every word, and bring the thought of every word to your heart, accompanying it with bows. This is the whole point of reading a prayer that is pleasing and fruitful to God. Delve into every word and bring the thought of the word to your heart, otherwise, understand what you read and feel what is understandable. No other rules are required. These two - understand and feel - when performed properly, adorn every prayer with full dignity and impart to it all its fruitful effect. You read: “cleanse us from all filth” - feel your filthiness, desire purity and seek it with hope from the Lord. You read: “forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors” - and forgive everyone in your soul, and With a heart that has forgiven everyone, ask the Lord for forgiveness. You read: “Thy will be done” - and in your heart completely commit your fate to the Lord and express an unquestioning readiness to graciously meet everything that the Lord wants to send you.

If you act like this with every verse of your prayer, then you will have a proper prayer.”

In another of his instructions, Saint Theophan so briefly systematizes advice on reading the prayer rule:
a) never read hastily, but read as if in a chant... In ancient times, everything recited prayers taken from the psalms... But nowhere do I find the word “read”, but everywhere “sing”...
b) delve into every word and not only reproduce the thought of what you read in your mind, but also arouse the corresponding feeling...
c) in order to trigger the urge to hastily read, do not read this or that, but stand for a reading prayer for a quarter of an hour, half an hour, an hour... how long you usually stand... and then don’t worry... how many prayers you read, and when the time has come, if you don’t want to stand any longer, stop reading...
d) having put this down, however, do not look at the clock, but stand in such a way that you can stand endlessly: your thoughts will not run ahead...
e) to promote the movement of prayerful feelings in your free time, re-read and rethink all the prayers that are included in your rule - and re-feel them, so that when you begin to read them according to the rule, you know in advance what feeling should be aroused in the heart.. .
f) never read prayers without interruption, but always break them up with personal prayer, with bows, whether in the middle of prayers or at the end. As soon as something comes to your heart, immediately stop reading and bow. This last rule is the most necessary and most necessary for cultivating the spirit of prayer... If some other feeling takes up too much, you should be with it and bow down, but leave reading... so until the very end of the allotted time.

What to do when distracted during prayer

For a long time, it was recommended to read the prayer slowly, evenly, in order to “contain attention in the words.” Only when the prayer you want to offer to God is meaningful enough and means a lot to you, will you be able to “reach out” to the Lord. If you are inattentive to the words you say, if your own heart does not respond to the words of prayer, your requests will not reach God.
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh said that when his father began to pray, he hung a sign on the door: “I’m home. But don’t try to knock, I won’t open it.” Bishop Anthony himself advised his parishioners, before starting prayer, to think about how much time they have, set an alarm clock and pray quietly until it rings. “It doesn’t matter,” he wrote, “how many prayers you manage to read during this time; It is important that you read them without being distracted or thinking about time.”

Praying is very difficult. Prayer is primarily a spiritual work, therefore one should not expect immediate spiritual pleasure from it. “Do not look for pleasures in prayer,” writes Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), “they are by no means characteristic of a sinner. The desire of a sinner to feel pleasure is already self-delusion... Do not prematurely seek high spiritual states and prayerful delights.”
As a rule, it is possible to maintain attention on the words and prayer for several minutes, and then thoughts begin to wander, the eye glides over the words of the prayer - and our heart and mind are far away.
If someone prays to the Lord, but thinks about something else, then the Lord will not listen to such a prayer,” writes the Monk Silouan of Athos.
At these moments, the Fathers of the Church advise to be especially attentive. Saint Theophan the Recluse writes that we must prepare in advance for the fact that when reading prayers we are distracted, often mechanically reading the words of the prayer. “When a thought runs away during prayer, return it. If he runs away again, come back again. It's like that every time. Every time you read something while your thoughts are running away and, therefore, without attention or feeling, do not forget to re-read. And even if your thought wanders off in one place several times, read it several times until you read it with concept and feeling. Once you overcome this difficulty, another time, perhaps, it will not happen again, or it will not happen again with such force.
If, while reading the rule, a prayer breaks through in your own words, then, as St. Nicodemus says, “do not let this opportunity pass by, but dwell on it.”
We find the same thought in St. Theophan: “Another word will have such a strong effect on the soul that the soul will not want to extend further in prayer, and although the tongue reads prayers, the thought keeps running back to the place that had such an effect on her. In this case, stop, do not read further, but stand with attention and feeling in that place, nourish your soul with them, or with the thoughts that it will produce. And don’t rush to tear yourself away from this state, so if time is pressing, it’s better to leave the unfinished rule, and don’t ruin this state. It will overshadow you, perhaps all day, like a Guardian Angel! This kind of beneficial influence on the soul during prayer means that the spirit of prayer begins to take root and that, therefore, maintaining this state is the most reliable means of nurturing and strengthening the spirit of prayer in us.”

How to end your prayer rule

It is good to end the prayer with thanksgiving to God for the gift of communication and contrition for one’s inattention.
“When you finish your prayer, do not immediately move on to any of your other activities, but also, at least for a little while, wait and think that you have accomplished this and what it obliges you to, trying, if you are given something to feel during prayer, to preserve it after prayers,” writes Saint Theophan the Recluse. “Do not immediately rush into everyday affairs,” teaches St. Nicodemus, “and never think that, having completed your prayer rule, you have finished everything in relation to God.”
When getting down to business, you must first think about what you have to say, do, see during the day, and ask God for blessings and strength to follow His will.

How to learn to spend your day in prayer

Having finished our morning prayers, we should not think that everything is complete in relation to God, and only in the evening, during the evening rule, should we return to prayer again.
The good feelings that arise during morning prayers will be drowned out in the bustle and busyness of the day. Because of this, there is no desire to attend evening prayer.
We must try to make sure that the soul turns to God not only when we stand in prayer, but throughout the whole day.

Here is how Saint Theophan the Recluse advises learning this:
“First, it is necessary throughout the day to more often cry out to God from the heart in short words, judging by the need of the soul and current affairs. You start by saying, for example: “Bless, Lord!” When you finish the job, say: “Glory to you, Lord!”, and not only with your tongue, but also with the feeling of your heart. Any passion that arises, say: “Save me, Lord, I am perishing!” The darkness of disturbing thoughts finds itself, cry out: “Bring my soul out of prison!” Wrong deeds are coming and sin leads to them, pray: “Guide me, Lord, on the path” or “Do not let my feet become confused.” Sins suppress and lead to despair, cry out in the publican’s voice: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” So anyway. Or simply say often: “Lord, have mercy; Lady Mother of God, have mercy on me. Angel of God, my holy guardian, protect me,” or cry out in some other word. Just make these appeals as often as possible, trying in every possible way so that they come from the heart, as if squeezed out of it. When you do this, we will often make intelligent ascents to God from the heart, frequent appeals to God, frequent prayer, and this frequency will impart the skill of intelligent conversation with God.
But in order for the soul to begin to cry out like this, it must first be forced to turn everything into the glory of God, every one of its deeds, big and small. And this is the second way to teach the soul to turn to God more often during the day. For if we make it a law for ourselves to fulfill this apostolic commandment, to do everything for the glory of God, even whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, you do everything for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31), then in every deed we will certainly remember God, and let us remember not simply, but with caution, lest we act wrongly and offend God in some way. This will make you turn to God with fear and prayerfully ask for help and admonition. Just as we almost constantly do something, we will almost constantly turn to God in prayer, and, therefore, almost continuously go through the science of lifting up prayer in our souls to God.
But in order for the soul to perform this, that is, doing everything for the glory of God, as it should, it must be set up for this from early morning - from the very beginning of the day, before a person goes out to do his work and to do his work until the evening. This mood is produced by the thought of God. And this is the third way of training the soul to frequently turn to God. Thought on God is a reverent reflection on the Divine properties and actions and on what knowledge of them and their relationship to us obliges us, this is a reflection on the goodness of God, justice, wisdom, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, on creation and providence, on the dispensation of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, about the goodness and word of God, about the holy sacraments, about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Whichever of these subjects you don’t think about, this reflection will certainly fill your soul with a reverent feeling for God. Start thinking, for example, about the goodness of God - you will see that you are surrounded by God’s mercies both physically and spiritually, and you will only be a stone so as not to fall before God in the outpouring of humiliated feelings of gratitude. Start thinking about the omnipresence of God, and you will understand that you are everywhere before God and God is before you, and you cannot help but be filled with reverent fear. Begin to reflect on the omniscience of God - you will realize that nothing in you is hidden from the eye of God, and you will certainly decide to be strictly attentive to the movements of your heart and mind, so as not to offend the all-seeing God in any way. Begin to reason about the truth of God, and you will be convinced that not a single bad deed will go unpunished, and you will certainly intend to cleanse all your sins with heartfelt contrition and repentance before God. So, no matter what property and action of God you begin to reason about, every such reflection will fill the soul with reverent feelings and dispositions towards God. It directs the whole being of a person directly to God and is therefore the most direct means to accustom the soul to ascend to God.
The most decent, convenient time for this is the morning, when the soul is not yet burdened with many impressions and business concerns, and precisely after morning prayer. When you finish your prayer, sit down and, with your thoughts sanctified in prayer, begin to reflect today on one thing, tomorrow on another of God’s properties and actions, and create a disposition in your soul according to this. “Go,” said Saint Demetrius of Rostov, “go, holy thought of God, and let us immerse ourselves in meditation on the great deeds of God,” and his thoughts passed through either the works of creation and providence, or the miracles of the Lord the Savior, or His suffering, or something else, thereby touching the heart his own and began to pour out his soul in prayer. Anyone can do this. There is little work, all you need is desire and determination; and there is a lot of fruit.
So here are three ways, in addition to the prayer rule, to teach the soul to ascend in prayer to God, namely: to devote some time in the morning to contemplation of God, to turn every matter to the glory of God and often turn to God with short appeals.
When the thought of God is well accomplished in the morning, it will leave a deep mood for thinking about God. Thinking about God will force the soul to carefully carry out every action, both internal and external, and turn it into the glory of God. And both will put the soul in such a position that prayerful appeals to God will often be expelled from it.
These three—thought of God, all creation for the glory of God, and frequent invocations—are the most effective tools of mental and heartfelt prayer. Each of them lifts the soul to God. Whoever sets out to practice them will soon acquire in his heart the skill of ascent to God. This work is like climbing a mountain. The higher someone climbs the mountain, the freer and easier he breathes. So here, the more one gets used to the exercises shown, the higher the soul will rise, and the higher the soul rises, the more freely prayer will act in it. Our soul by nature is an inhabitant of the heavenly world of the Divine. There she should have been undiminished in both thought and heart; but the burden of earthly thoughts and passions drags and weighs her down. The methods shown tear it off the ground little by little, and then completely tear it off. When they are completely torn away, then the soul will enter its own region and grief will sweetly dwell - here heartily and mentally, and then with its very being it will be honored before the face of God to dwell in the faces of Angels and Saints. May the Lord vouchsafe all of you with His grace. Amen".

How to force yourself to pray

Sometimes prayer doesn’t come to mind at all. In this case, Saint Theophan advises doing this:
“If this is prayer at home, then you can put it off a little, for a few minutes... If it doesn’t happen after that... force yourself to fulfill the prayer rule forcibly, straining, and understand what is being said, and feel... just like when a child doesn’t want to to bend over, they take him by the forelock and bend him over... Otherwise, this is what can happen... now you don’t feel like it, tomorrow you don’t feel like it, and then the prayer is completely over. Beware of this... and force yourself to willingly pray. The work of self-compulsion overcomes everything.”

Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt, also advising to force yourself in prayer when it does not work, warns:
“Forced prayer develops hypocrisy, makes one incapable of any activity that requires reflection, and makes a person sluggish in everything, even in fulfilling his duties. This should convince everyone praying in this way to correct their prayer. One must pray willingly, with energy, from the heart. Neither out of sorrow, nor out of need (forcibly) pray to God - Each give according to the disposition of his heart, not with grief and not with compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7).”

What you need for successful prayer

“When you desire and seek success in your prayer work, adapt everything else to this, so as not to destroy with one hand what the other creates.
1. Maintain your body strictly in food, in sleep, and in rest: do not give it anything just because it wants it, as the Apostle commands: Do not turn care for the flesh into lust (Rom. 13:14). Give no rest to the flesh.
2. Reduce your external relations to the most inevitable. This is for the time of teaching yourself to pray. Afterwards, the prayer, acting in you, will indicate that without prejudice to it it can be added. Take special care of your senses, and most of all, your eyes, your ears, and your tongue. Without observing this, you will not take a step forward in the matter of prayer. Just as a candle cannot burn in the wind and rain, so prayer cannot be warmed by the influx of impressions from the outside.
3. Use all your free time after prayer for reading and meditation. For reading, choose primarily books that write about prayer and, in general, about inner spiritual life. Think exclusively about God and Divine things, about the Incarnate Economy of our salvation, and in it especially about the suffering and death of the Lord Savior. By doing this, you will plunge into the sea of Divine light. Add to this going to church as soon as you have the opportunity. One presence in the temple will overshadow you with a prayer cloud. What will you get if you spend the entire service in a truly prayerful mood!
4. Know that you cannot succeed in prayer without succeeding in general in the Christian life. It is necessary that there should not be a single sin on the soul that has not been cleansed by repentance; and if during your prayerful work you do something that troubles your conscience, hasten to be cleansed by repentance, so that you can boldly look to the Lord. Always keep humble contrition in your heart. Do not miss a single upcoming opportunity to do some good or to demonstrate any good disposition, especially humility, obedience and renunciation of your will. But it goes without saying that zeal for salvation should burn unquenchably and, filling the entire soul, in everything, from small to great, should be the main driving force, with the fear of God and unshakable hope.
5. Having thus tuned in, bother yourself in the work of prayer, praying: now with ready-made prayers, now with your own, now with short invocations to the Lord, now with the Jesus Prayer, but without missing out on anything that can help in this work, and you will receive what you are looking for. Let me remind you what Saint Macarius of Egypt says: “God will see your prayer work and that you sincerely desire success in prayer - and will give you prayer. For know that although prayer done and achieved through one’s own efforts is pleasing to God, real prayer is the one that settles in the heart and becomes persistent. She is a gift of God, a work of God's grace. Therefore, when you pray about everything, do not forget to pray about prayer” (Reverend Nicodemus the Holy Mountain).

Preface

There is a complete prayer rule, designed for monks and spiritually experienced lay people, which is printed in Orthodox prayer book.

However, for those who are just beginning to get used to prayer, it is difficult to immediately begin to read the entire rule. Typically, confessors advise starting with several prayers, and then adding one prayer to the rule every 7-10 days, so that the skill of reading the rule is developed gradually and naturally.

In addition, the laity sometimes has situations when there is little time left for prayer, and in this case it is better to read the short rule with attention and reverence than to hastily and superficially, without a prayerful attitude, mechanically read out the full rule.

Thus, by cultivating a reasonable attitude towards the prayer rule, Saint Theophan the Recluse writes to one family person:

“Bless, Lord, and continue prayer according to your rule. But never commit yourself to a rule and think that there is anything valuable in having such a rule or always following it. The whole price is in heartfelt surrender before God. The saints write that if someone does not leave prayer as a condemned man, worthy of all punishment from the Lord, then he leaves it as a Pharisee. Another said: “When you are praying, stand as if Last Judgment when God’s decisive decree about you is ready to come: go away or come.”

Formality and mechanism in prayer must be avoided in every possible way. Let this always be a matter of a deliberate, free decision, and make it with consciousness and feeling, and not somehow. In case you need to be able to shorten the rule. Are there many accidents in family life?.. You can, for example, in the morning and evening, when there is no time, read only the morning prayers and those for bedtime as a memory. You can not even read them all, but several at a time. You can not read anything at all, but make a few bows, but with true heartfelt prayer. The rule must be handled with complete freedom. Be the mistress of the rule, not the slave. She is only a servant of God, obligated to devote all the minutes of her life to pleasing Him.”

For such cases there is an established short prayer rule, designed for all believers.

In the morning it includes:

“To the Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Virgin Mother of God”, “Rising from sleep”, “Have mercy on me, O God”, “I Believe”, “God, cleanse”, “To You, Master”, “Holy Angel “,” “Holy Lady,” invocation of saints, prayer for the living and the dead.

In the evening it includes:

“To the Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Have mercy on us, Lord”, “Eternal God”, “Good King”, “Angel of Christ”, from “The Chosen Governor” to “It is worthy to eat”.

Morning prayers

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Initial prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.

Trisagion

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.
(Read three times, with the sign of the cross and bow from the waist.)

Lord's Prayer

Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos

Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity

Having risen from sleep, I thank Thee, Holy Trinity, for for the sake of Thy goodness and long-suffering, Thou hast not been angry with me, lazy and sinful, nor hast Thou destroyed me with my iniquities; but you usually loved mankind and in the despair of the one who lay down, you raised me up to practice and glorify Your power. And now enlighten my mental eyes, open my lips to learn Thy words, and to understand Thy commandments, and to do Thy will, and to sing to Thee in heartfelt confession, and to sing Thy all-holy name, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages. centuries. Amen.

Come, let us worship our King God. (Bow)
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. (Bow)
Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. (Bow)

Psalm 50

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your mercies, cleanse my iniquity. Above all, wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin; for I know my iniquity, and I will take away my sin before me. I have sinned against You alone and have done evil before You, so that You may be justified in Your words and triumph over the judgment of You. Behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and my mother gave birth to me in sins. Behold, you have loved the truth; You have revealed to me the unknown and secret wisdom of Yours. Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed; Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. My hearing brings joy and joy; humble bones will rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and cleanse all my iniquities. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me. Reward me with the joy of Your salvation and strengthen me with the Lord’s Spirit. I will teach the wicked Your way, and the wicked will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation; My tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise. As if you had desired sacrifices, you would have given them: you do not favor burnt offerings. The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God will not despise a broken and humble heart. Bless Zion, O Lord, with Your favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offering; Then they will place the bullock on Your altar.

Symbol of faith

I believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were. For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became human. She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets. Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen.

First prayer of Saint Macarius the Great

God, cleanse me, a sinner, for I have done nothing good before You; but deliver me from the evil one, and may Thy will be done in me, may I open my unworthy lips without condemnation and praise Thy holy name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages Amen.

Prayer of the same saint

To You, Lord, Lover of Mankind, having risen from sleep, I come running, and I strive for Your works with Your mercy, and I pray to You: help me at all times, in every thing, and deliver me from all worldly evil things and the devil’s haste, and save me, and bring us into Your eternal Kingdom. For You are my Creator and the Provider and Giver of every good thing, and all my hope is in You, and I send up glory to You, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer to the Guardian Angel

Holy Angel, standing before my accursed soul and my passionate life, do not leave me, a sinner, nor depart from me for my intemperance. Do not give room to the evil demon to possess me through the violence of this mortal body; strengthen my poor and thin hand and guide me on the path of salvation. To her, holy Angel of God, guardian and patron of my accursed soul and body, forgive me everything, I have offended you so greatly all the days of my life, and if I sinned this past night, cover me on this day, and save me from every opposite temptation May I not anger God in any sin, and pray for me to the Lord, that He may strengthen me in His passion, and show me worthy as a servant of His goodness. Amen.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary

My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, with Your saints and all-powerful prayers, take away from me, Your humble and accursed servant, despondency, oblivion, foolishness, 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.

Prayerful invocation of the saint whose name you bear

Pray to God for me, holy servant of God (name), as I diligently resort to you, first aid and to the prayer book for my soul.

Prayer for the living

Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual father (name), my parents (names), relatives (names), bosses, mentors, benefactors (their names) and all Orthodox Christians.

Prayer for the departed

Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants: my parents, relatives, benefactors (their names), and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.

End of prayers

It is worthy to eat as truly to bless Thee, Theotokos, Ever-Blessed and Most 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.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.

Prayers for the future

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything, Treasure of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, our souls.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Tropari

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: Lord, have mercy on us, for we trust in You; Do not be angry with us, do not remember our iniquities, but look upon us now as if you are gracious, and deliver us from our enemies; For Thou art our God, and we are Thy people; all works are done by Thy hand, and we call upon Thy name.

And now: Open the doors of mercy to us, blessed Mother of God, who trust in You, so that we may not perish, but may be delivered from troubles by You: for You are the salvation of the Christian race.
Lord have mercy. (12 times)

Prayer 1, St. Macarius the Great, to God the Father

Eternal God and King of every creature, who has vouchsafed me even at this hour to come, forgive me the sins I have committed this day in deed, word and thought, and cleanse, O Lord, my humble soul from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. And grant me, Lord, to pass through this dream in peace at night, so that, rising from my humble bed, I will please Your most holy name all the days of my life, and will trample the enemies of the flesh and the incorporeal that fight me. And deliver me, Lord, from vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil lusts. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Good Mother of the King, Most Pure and Blessed Mother of God Mary, pour out the mercy of Thy Son and our God on my passionate soul and with Thy prayers instruct me in good deeds, so that I may pass through the rest of my life without blemish and through Thee I will find paradise, O Virgin Mother of God, the only Pure One and Blessed One.

Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angel

Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and protector of my soul and body, forgive me all who have sinned this day, and deliver me from every wickedness of the enemy who opposes me, so that in no sin I will anger my God; but pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant, that you may show me worthy of the goodness and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity and the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ and all the saints. Amen.

Kontakion to the Mother of God

To the chosen Voivode, victorious, as having been delivered from the evil ones, let us write thanks to Thy servants, the Mother of God, but as having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Ti; Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.

Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ God, bring our prayer to Your Son and our God, may You save our souls.

I place all my trust in You, Mother of God, keep me under Your roof.

Virgin Mary, do not despise me, a sinner, who requires Your help and Your intercession, for my soul trusts in You, and have mercy on me.

Prayer of Saint Ioannikios

My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit: Holy Trinity, glory to Thee.

It is worthy to eat as you truly bless Thee, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and the 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.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all saints, have mercy on us. Amen.

* From Easter to Ascension, instead of this prayer, the troparion is read:

“Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs.” (Three times) From Ascension to Trinity, we begin prayers with “Holy God...”, omitting all the preceding ones. This remark also applies to future bedtime prayers.

Throughout Bright Week, instead of this rule, the hours of Holy Easter are read.

** From Easter to Ascension, instead of this prayer, the chorus and irmos of the 9th song of the Easter canon are read:

“The angel cried out with grace: Pure Virgin, rejoice! And again the river: Rejoice! Your Son is risen three days from the grave and raised up the dead; people, have fun! Shine, shine, new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord is upon you. Rejoice now and be glad, O Zion. You, Pure One, show off, O Mother of God, about the rise of Your Nativity.”

These remarks also apply to future bedtime prayers.

Compiled using materials from the book:
How to learn home prayer. Moscow, “Ark”, 2004. Trifonov Pechenga Monastery

In detail: short morning and evening prayers - from all open sources and different parts of the world on the website for our dear readers.

People often ask: how should one pray, in what words, in what language? Some even say: “I don’t pray because I don’t know how, I don’t know prayers.” No special skill is needed to pray. You can simply talk to God. At divine services in the Orthodox Church we use a special language - Church Slavonic. But in personal prayer, when we are alone with God, there is no need for any special language. We can pray to God in the language in which we speak with people, in which we think.

The prayer should be very simple. The Monk Isaac the Syrian said: “Let the whole fabric of your prayer be a little complicated. One word from a tax collector saved him, and one word from a thief on the cross made him heir to the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Let us remember the parable of the publican and the Pharisee: “Two men entered the temple to pray: one was a Pharisee, and the other was a publican. The Pharisee, standing, prayed to himself like this: “God! I thank You that I am not like other people, robbers, offenders, adulterers, or like this tax collector; I fast twice a week, I give a tenth of everything I acquire.” The publican, standing in the distance, did not even dare to raise his eyes to heaven; but, hitting himself on the chest, he said: “God! be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:10-13). And this short prayer saved him. Let us also remember the thief who was crucified with Jesus and who said to Him: “Remember me, Lord, when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). This alone was enough for him to enter heaven.

The prayer can be extremely short. If you're just starting out on your prayer journey, start with very short prayers—ones that you can focus on. God doesn't need words - He needs a person's heart. Words are secondary, but the feeling and mood with which we approach God is of primary importance. Approaching God without a sense of reverence or with absent-mindedness, when during prayer our mind wanders to the side, is much more dangerous than saying the wrong word in prayer. Scattered prayer has neither meaning nor value. A simple law applies here: if the words of prayer do not reach our hearts, they will not reach God either. As they sometimes say, such a prayer will not rise higher than the ceiling of the room in which we pray, but it must reach heaven. Therefore, it is very important that every word of prayer is deeply experienced by us. If we are unable to concentrate on long prayers, which are contained in the books of the Orthodox Church - prayer books, let us try our hand at short prayers: “Lord, have mercy,” “Lord, save,” “Lord, help me,” “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Some ascetics said that if we could, with all the strength of feeling, with all our hearts, with all our soul, say just one prayer, “Lord, have mercy,” this would be enough for salvation. But the problem is that, as a rule, we cannot say it with all our hearts, we cannot say it with our whole lives. Therefore, in order to be heard by God, we are verbose.

Let us remember that God thirsts for our heart, not our words. And if we turn to Him with all our hearts, we will certainly receive an answer.

Short morning prayers

Initial prayer

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Trisagion

Lord's Prayer

Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity

Psalm 50

Symbol of faith

First prayer of Saint Macarius the Great

Prayer of the same saint

Prayer to the Guardian Angel

Prayerful invocation of the saint whose name you bear

Prayer for the living

Prayer for the departed

End of prayers

Short evening prayers (at bedtime)

Tropari
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us; Bewildered by any answer, we offer this prayer to You as the Master of sin: have mercy on us. Glory: Lord, have mercy on us, for we trust in You; Do not be angry with us, do not remember our iniquities, but look upon us now as if you are gracious, and deliver us from our enemies; For You are our God, and we are Your people, all works are Your hand, and we call on Your name. And now: Open the doors of Mercy to us, blessed Mother of God, who trust in You, so that we may not perish, but may we be delivered from troubles by You: For You are salvation kind of Christian.
Lord have mercy. (12 times)

Prayer 1, St. Macarius the Great, to God the Father
Eternal God and King of every creature, who has vouchsafed me even at this hour to come, forgive me the sins I have committed this day in deed, word and thought, and cleanse, O Lord, my humble soul from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. And grant me, Lord, to pass through this dream in peace at night, so that, rising from my humble bed, I will please Your most holy name all the days of my life, and will trample the enemies of the flesh and the incorporeal that fight me. And deliver me, Lord, from vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil lusts. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Good Mother of the King, Most Pure and Blessed Mother of God Mary, pour out the mercy of Thy Son and our God on my passionate soul and with Thy prayers instruct me in good deeds, so that I may pass through the rest of my life without blemish and through Thee I will find paradise, O Virgin Mother of God, the only Pure One and Blessed One.

Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angel
Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and protector of my soul and body, forgive me all who have sinned this day, and deliver me from every wickedness of the enemy who opposes me, so that in no sin I will anger my God; but pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant, that you may show me worthy of the goodness and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity and the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ and all the saints. Amen.

Kontakion to the Mother of God
To the chosen Voivode, victorious, as having been delivered from the evil ones, let us write thanks to Thy servants, the Mother of God, but as having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Ti; Rejoice, Unmarried Bride. Virgin Mother of God, do not despise me, a sinner, requiring Your help and Your intercession, for my soul trusts in You, and have mercy on me.

Prayer of Saint Ioannikios
My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit: Holy Trinity, glory to Thee. It is worthy that You are truly blessed, Theotokos, Ever-Blessed and Immaculate and Mother of our God. The most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, the real Mother of God we magnify Thee. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.

Prayer book

A short prayer book

PrefaceMorning prayersPrayers for the future The prayer rule of a layman consists of morning and evening prayers, which are performed daily. This rhythm is necessary, because otherwise the soul easily falls out of the prayer life, as if waking up only from time to time. In prayer, as in any big and difficult matter, inspiration, mood and improvisation are not enough.

There is a complete prayer rule, designed for monks and spiritually experienced laity, which is printed in the Orthodox Prayer Book.

Thus, cultivating a reasonable attitude towards the rule of prayer, Saint Theophan the Recluse writes to one family member:

“Bless, Lord, and continue prayer according to your rule. But never commit yourself to a rule and think that there is anything valuable in having such a rule or always following it. The whole price is in heartfelt surrender before God. The saints write that if someone does not leave prayer as a condemned man, worthy of all punishment from the Lord, then he leaves it as a Pharisee. Another said: “while standing in prayer, stand as if at the Last Judgment, when God’s decisive decision about you is ready to come: go away or come.”

For such cases, there is an established short prayer rule designed for all believers.

In the morning it includes:

In the evening it includes:

Morning prayers

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Initial prayer Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.
(Read three times, with the sign of the cross and bow from the waist.)

Lord's Prayer

Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos

Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity

Come, let us worship our King God. (Bow)

Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. (Bow)
Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. (Bow)

First prayer of Saint Macarius the Great

Prayer to the Guardian Angel

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Prayerful invocation of the saint whose name you bear

Pray to God for me, holy servant of God (name), as I diligently resort to you, a quick helper and prayer book for my soul.

Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual father (name), my parents (names), relatives (names), bosses, mentors, benefactors (their names) and all Orthodox Christians.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.

Prayers for the future

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all saints, have mercy on us. Amen.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)

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.

And now: Open the doors of mercy to us, blessed Mother of God, who trust in You, so that we may not perish, but may be delivered from troubles by You: for You are the salvation of the Christian race.

Lord have mercy. (12 times)

Prayer 1, of Saint Macarius the Great, to God the Father, Eternal God and King of every creation, who has made me worthy even at this hour to be sung, forgive me the sins I have committed on this day in deed, word and thought, and cleanse, Lord, my humble soul from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. And grant me, Lord, to pass through this dream in peace at night, so that, rising from my humble bed, I will please Your most holy name all the days of my life, and will trample the enemies of the flesh and the incorporeal that fight me. And deliver me, Lord, from vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil lusts. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos of the Blessed King, Good Mother, Most Pure and Blessed Mother of God Mary, pour out the mercy of Thy Son and our God on my passionate soul and with Thy prayers instruct me in good deeds, so that I may pass through the rest of my life without blemish and through Thee I will find paradise, Virgin Mother of God , one Pure and Blessed.

Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angel Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and protector of my soul and body, forgive me all who have sinned this day, and deliver me from every wickedness of the enemy who opposes me, so that I may not anger my God in any sin; but pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant, that you may show me worthy of the goodness and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity and the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ and all the saints. Amen.

Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ God, bring our prayer to Your Son and our God, may You save our souls.

I place all my trust in You, Mother of God, keep me under Your roof.

Virgin Mary, do not despise me, a sinner, who requires Your help and Your intercession, for my soul trusts in You, and have mercy on me.

Prayer of Saint Ioannikios

My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit: Holy Trinity, glory to Thee.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all saints, have mercy on us. Amen.

* From Easter to Ascension, instead of this prayer, the troparion is read:

Throughout Bright Week, instead of this rule, the hours of Holy Easter are read.

** From Easter to Ascension, instead of this prayer, the chorus and irmos of the 9th song of the Easter canon are read:

These remarks also apply to future bedtime prayers.

Compiled using materials from the book:

How to learn home prayer. Moscow, “Ark”, 2004. Trifonov Pechenga Monastery

Complete collection and description: morning and evening prayer for every day for the spiritual life of a believer.

Every person sometimes experiences and suffers in his soul for loved ones or for himself. In difficult life moments, prayer to the Lord is simply necessary, because everyone who asks for help always receives it. But not all prayers are clear, some seem long, and some are difficult to read. If you find it difficult to read Church prayers, you can pray in your own words, that is, as your heart and soul tell you. You can also choose the simplest Orthodox prayers for yourself. Orthodox morning and evening prayers are short and will allow you to cleanse yourself spiritually and always feel light and good.

What is prayer and how to read it correctly

Every believer must not only delve into the words of prayer, but also reflect on them, and also do it correctly. The usual appeal to the Lord for help and with gratitude is prayer. God hears everyone, he sees everything we do and loves us. You need to pray only when there is no evil or resentment in your heart. If someone has greatly upset and offended you, first pray for his health and wish him well.

The correct reading of a prayer depends primarily on whether the person is a believer or not. The reading time depends on your closeness to the Lord. The clergy assure that the soul that was not close to God during earthly life will be doomed to hellish torment. Believers will receive eternal bliss. We must turn to the Lord in both joy and sorrow, not only in moments when we are in great need of something. If a person sincerely and with all his soul asks God for help, then the Almighty will definitely hear him and help him.

What types of prayers are there?

God gives every person what he needs: health, well-being, abilities, sorrows. For this we must thank him, and reading prayers is the only way to express gratitude.

If a person has some kind of misfortune and trouble, then he needs to ask for help to solve the problem as quickly as possible. To do this, you should read petitionary prayers.

Prayers of repentance are read at moments when a person wants to rest before the Lord for his sins.

When to read morning and evening prayer

The exact time for reading prayers is clearly stated in the prayer book. Morning prayer should be read immediately after waking up, before starting the day. Evening prayers are read at the end of the working day, and only after a person has done all the work. In the event that you are not going to sleep at night because you are leaving for work, then ask for a blessing on future dream no need. The only thing you can do is read other prayers or the Gospel.

Waking up in the morning, before doing anything else, cross yourself with reverence, mentally imagining the Almighty right in front of you, say: In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. Next, having brought your thoughts and feelings to complete agreement, having abandoned earthly worries, having found inner peace, read the following: God, be merciful to me, a sinner. (Gospel of Luke, chapter 28, verse 15) Having spoken such a short but very significant appeal to the publican, bow down as if the Lord were in front of you.

To the Lord: Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Prayer Rule

Prayer rule- daily morning and evening prayers performed by Christians. Their texts can be found in the prayer book.

The rule can be general - mandatory for everyone, or individual, selected for the believer by the confessor, taking into account his spiritual state, strength and employment.

Consists of morning and evening prayers, which are performed daily. This vital rhythm is necessary, because otherwise the soul easily falls out of the prayer life, as if waking up only from time to time. In prayer, as in any big and difficult matter, “inspiration”, “mood” and improvisation are not enough.

Reading prayers connects a person with their creators: the psalmists and ascetics. This helps to gain a spiritual mood akin to their heartfelt burning. Our example in praying in other people’s words is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. His prayerful exclamations during the suffering of the cross are lines from the psalms (Ps. 21:2; 30:6).

There are three basic prayer rules:

1) The complete prayer rule, which is published in the “Orthodox Prayer Book”;

2) A short prayer rule. The laity sometimes has situations when there is little time and energy left for prayer, and in this case it is better to read the short rule with attention and reverence than to hastily and superficially, without a prayerful attitude, read the entire prescribed rule. The Holy Fathers teach to treat your prayer rule with reason, on the one hand, not giving indulgence to your passions, laziness, self-pity, etc., which can destroy the correct spiritual structure, and on the other hand, learn to shorten or even slightly change the rule without temptation or embarrassment when there is a real need for it.

in the morning: “Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Virgin Mother of God”, “Rising from sleep”, “God have mercy on me”, “Creed”, “God, cleanse”, “To You, Master”, “Holy Angela", "Holy Lady", invocation of saints, prayer for the living and the dead;

In the evening: “Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Have mercy on us, Lord”, “Eternal God”, “Good King”, “Angel of Christ”, from “The Chosen Governor” to “It is worthy to eat”;

3) A brief prayer rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov: “Our Father” three times, “Virgin Mother of God” three times and “Creed” once - for those exceptional days and circumstances when a person is extremely tired or very limited in time.

It is not advisable to completely omit the prayer rule. Even if the prayer rule is read without due attention, the words of the prayers, penetrating the soul, have a cleansing effect.

The main prayers should be known by heart (with regular reading, they are gradually memorized by a person even with a very poor memory), so that they penetrate deeper into the heart and so that they can be repeated in any circumstances. It is advisable to study the text of the translation of prayers from Church Slavonic into Russian (see “Explanatory Prayer Book”) in order to understand the meaning of each word and not pronounce a single word meaninglessly or without precise understanding. It is very important that those who begin to pray should expel resentment, irritation, and bitterness from their hearts. Without efforts aimed at serving people, fighting sin, and establishing control over the body and spiritual sphere, prayer cannot become the inner core of life.

In the conditions of modern life, given the workload and accelerated pace, it is not easy for the laity to set aside a certain time for prayer. The enemy of morning prayer is haste, and the enemy of evening prayer is fatigue..

Morning prayers are best read before starting anything (and before breakfast). As a last resort, they are pronounced on the way from home. Late in the evening it is often difficult to concentrate due to fatigue, so we can recommend reading the evening prayer rule in the free minutes before dinner or even earlier.

During prayer, it is recommended to retire, light a lamp or candle and stand in front of the icon. Depending on the nature of family relationships, we can recommend reading the prayer rule together, with the whole family, or with each family member separately. General prayer is recommended before eating food, on special days, before a holiday meal, and in other similar cases. Family prayer is a type of church, public prayer (the family is a kind of “home Church”) and therefore does not replace individual prayer, but only complements it.

Prayer for other people (see memorial) is an integral part of prayer. Standing before God does not alienate a person from his neighbors, but binds him to them with even closer ties. We should not limit ourselves to just praying for people close and dear to us. Praying for those who have caused us grief brings peace to the soul, has an impact on these people and makes our prayer sacrificial.

It is good to end the prayer with thanksgiving to God for the gift of communication and contrition for one’s inattention. When getting down to business, you must first think about what you have to say, do, see during the day and ask God for blessings and strength to follow His will. In the midst of a busy day, you need to say a short prayer (see Jesus Prayer), which will help you find the Lord in everyday affairs.

Is it possible to shorten the prayer rule?

This question worries many modern people. However, it seems that it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to it, “yes” or “no,” regardless of the circumstances.

On the one hand, the rule exists to be followed. The importance of the prayer rule lies in the fact that it guides the Christian in the right direction.

The rules of prayer included in the composition contribute to the formation of the proper relationship of the pilgrim with God, the saints and in general with his neighbors, protecting him from the actions of evil forces and internal passions.

Many, if they did not have this saving rule, perhaps would not even know how exactly, what exactly and with what regularity they should pray to God and His saints.

On the other hand, there are various life situations when it is either extremely difficult for a believer, either due to physical or spiritual weakness, or due to other reasons (for example, in the case of especially responsible watches and duties, guard duty, active combat operations), to regularly read the prayer rule in its entirety, or almost impossible.

In such a case, it should be remembered that although the prayer rule is a rule implying the appropriateness of its fulfillment, it does not imply the absolute, unconditional necessity of its observance.

Sometimes it is better to read fewer prayers, but sincerely and with zeal (from the heart), than all (constituting a complete rule), but “formally” (carelessly, patter, jumping over lines, etc.).

There are, by the way, shortened versions of the prayer rule.

But still, if doubts arise about this, it makes sense to seek a specific recommendation from an experienced, spiritually wise shepherd or confessor.

The morning and evening rules are just necessary spiritual hygiene. We are commanded to pray unceasingly (see the Jesus Prayer). The Holy Fathers said: if you churn milk, you will get butter, and so in prayer, quantity turns into quality.

“For a rule to become not an obstacle, but a real driver of a person towards God, it is necessary that it be proportionate to his spiritual strength, correspond to his spiritual age and state of soul. Many people, not wanting to burden themselves, deliberately choose too easy prayer rules, which because of this become formal and do not bear fruit. But sometimes a big rule, chosen out of unreasonable jealousy, also becomes a shackle, driving you into despondency and preventing you from growing spiritually.

A rule is not a frozen form; throughout life it must necessarily change both qualitatively and externally.”

Saint Theophan the Recluse so briefly systematizes advice on reading the prayer rule:

“a) never read hastily, but read as if in a chant... In ancient times, all the prayers read were taken from the psalms... But nowhere do I see the word “read”, but everywhere “sing”...

b) delve into every word and not only reproduce the thought of what you read in your mind, but also arouse the corresponding feeling...

c) in order to trigger the urge to hastily read, make it a point - not to read this and that, but to stand for a reading prayer for a quarter of an hour, half an hour, an hour... how long you usually stand... and then don’t worry... how many prayers you read - and how the time has come, if not If you want to stand any further, stop reading...

d) having put this down, however, do not look at the clock, but stand in such a way that you can stand endlessly: your thoughts will not run ahead...

e) in order to promote the movement of prayerful feelings in your free time, reread and rethink all the prayers that are included in your rule - and re-feel them, so that when you begin to read them according to the rule, you know in advance what feeling should be aroused in the heart...

f) never read prayers without interruption, but always break them up with personal prayer, with bows, whether in the middle of prayers or at the end. As soon as something comes to your heart, immediately stop reading and bow. This last rule is the most necessary and most necessary for cultivating the spirit of prayer... If any other feeling is very consuming, you should be with it and bow down, but leave reading... so until the very end of the allotted time.”

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Morning prayers for every day

Every new day brings new difficulties, downs and ups. Without God's protection, we are more quickly overtaken by disappointment, despondency and troubles. It is very important to pray in the morning in order to enlist the support of the Almighty at the very beginning of the day.

This prayer is not just universal, but obligatory for any Christian believer. It is read not only before meals or during difficult moments in life, but also in the morning. After opening your eyes and waking up from sleep, take one minute to read this prayer to pay tribute to heaven, because they woke you up and gave you another day of life. The text of the prayer is familiar to everyone:

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Prayers for material well-being

Much has been said about prayers that have the power to make our lives better. But it is also important to go towards God yourself. After all, only with inner readiness and awareness of the true path does Heaven’s help come.

If you encounter money problems, you too can turn to Heaven for help. It is only important to do it correctly, not with greed in your soul, but by asking God for what is necessary. Find out about prayers for relief from poverty on the website of the Orthodox monastery.

Prayer to the Holy Trinity

First, read the text of the prayer itself:

Then you can repeat three times: “Lord, have mercy,” and end the morning prayer with the words “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen".

The Holy Trinity is the three incarnations of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each of these components is our assistant in earthly affairs. Taken together, the Trinity is God, therefore, reading this prayer, you ask our Creator to grant his mercy and forgive you all your sins - those that were committed intentionally, and those that you have not yet been able to cope with.

Publican's Prayer

“God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” is the simplest of all protective prayers. It is good to read not only in the morning, but also before any undertaking, before leaving the house and before a difficult task.

Do not underestimate these words and think that prayer is better the more difficult and longer it is. This is absolutely not true, because the most important thing is your spiritual attitude and your faith, and not your memorization abilities.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

“Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything, Treasure of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Blessed One, our souls.”

This is a simple prayer - quite rare, difficult to understand, but very effective and ancient. It can be read before meals and in the morning.

Another simple prayer known to almost every Christian:

“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. »

Remember that attitude is important. Do not read prayers when you are in a bad mood or if your thoughts are busy with something else. You need full concentration, because you are communicating with God. Even simple prayer words for help will be heard if they are spoken from a pure heart. Good luck and don't forget to press the buttons and

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Prayers of preservation.

Orthodox prayers. The power of the prayer you need. Text of the prayer.

Daily prayers of preservation. Morning prayers. Evening prayers.

Daily prayers are those prayers that the Church teaches to pray every day, i.e. morning, evening or throughout the day. Morning prayers video. Evening prayers video.

Prayer is our conversation with God. In it we can talk with Him about our affairs, share joy and experiences, we can thank Him, ask and apologize.

Prayer can be personal - when we pray on our own, or communal - when we gather with others in a temple or in a family circle.

During the day we do many things, there are many different troubles. Sometimes we forget to do something. However, we must never forget about prayer.

Prayer is our most important activity. It is very important to pray morning prayers and evening prayers.

Daily Prayers

Daily prayers are those prayers that the Church teaches to pray every day, i.e. morning, evening or throughout the day.

In the morning, waking up from sleep, we thank God for a good night and ask for blessings for the whole day. We say daily and morning prayers.

In the evening, when we go to bed, we give thanks for the day and pray for a good night's rest. We say daily and evening prayers.

Sign of the cross

We always begin and end each prayer with the sign of the cross. Making the sign of the cross

We discover our faith, therefore we must be baptized very carefully. To make the sign of the cross, we put together three fingers (thumb, index and middle) of the right hand (this symbolizes the Holy Trinity), and bend the ring finger and little finger towards the palm (this means that Jesus Christ is both God and man). Therefore, raising our right hand to our forehead, we say: “In the name of the Father,” then, placing this hand on the chest, “and the Son,” then on the right shoulder, “and the Holy Spirit,” and, placing it on the left shoulder, we finish: “ Amen".

We begin the prayer like this:

Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Text of the prayer to the Holy Spirit.

Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of truth, Who is everywhere and fills everything, Treasure of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, our souls.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (3).

Doxology

Prayer of the Holy Trinity

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.

Lord, have mercy (3).

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, both in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, have mercy (12).

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Come, let us worship our King - God.

Come, let us worship Christ, our King - God.

Come, let us bow and fall before the Lord Jesus Christ himself - our king and God.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your mercies

Text of prayer Psalm 50

cleanse my iniquity.

Above all, wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my iniquities, and I will take away my sin before me.

If you alone have sinned and done evil to you, then you are right in your words and you will win when you judge.

This is because I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sin.

This is why you loved the truth, unknown, and you showed me the secret wisdom of yours.

Bring boiling water to me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness, the broken bones will rejoice.

Turn Your face away from my sins and cleanse all my iniquities.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.

Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and strengthen me with the Spirit, Master.

I will show the wicked your ways; your wicked will turn to you.

Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation, and my tongue will glorify Your righteousness.

Lord, open my lips, and my lips will proclaim Your praise.

Therefore, if You wanted sacrifices, I would give them, and burnt offerings are not dear to You.

A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God will not despise the contrite and humble heart. Bless Zion with Your favor, O Lord, and may the walls of Jerusalem be built.

Then you will be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, the wave offering and the burnt offerings, then they will place bullocks on Your altar.

Symbol of faith

I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of everything visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, uncreated, being with the Father, through whom all things came into being.

For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and came into being as a man.

He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures. And he ascended into heaven and sat at the right hand of the Father. And suddenly he will come with glory to judge the living and the dead, but his Kingdom will have no end.

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord who creates life, who comes from the Father, who is equally worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son, spoke through the prophets.

Into one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.

I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen.

Prayer of repentance

Ease, forgive, forgive, Lord, our sins, voluntary and involuntary, in word and in deed, conscious and unconscious, in mind and in design, day and night - forgive us all, for you are Good and Lover of Mankind.

Prayers to the Mother of God

It is truly worthy to call You blessed, the Mother of God, Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate, and the Mother of our God. The most honorable Cherubim and the most glorious Seraphim, the corruption of God the Word gave birth to the real Mother of God, we magnify You.

We resort to Your mercy, Virgin Mother of God, do not despise our prayers in sorrows, but deliver us from troubles, the only pure and blessed one.

Honest Ever-Virgin Mother of God, accept our prayers and convey them to Your Son and our God, so that He may save our souls for Your sake.

Angels Prayer

All heavenly powers, holy angels and archangels, pray to God for us sinners.

All Saints' Prayer

Glorious and all-praised saints, apostles, prophets, martyrs and all saints, pray to God for us sinners.

The Majesty of the Holy Trinity

Our hope is the Father, our refuge is the Son, and our patron is the Holy Spirit. Holy Trinity, our God, glory to Thee.

Mitareva prayer

God, be merciful to me, a sinner (sinner).

God, cleanse my sins and have mercy on me.

I have sinned without number, Lord, forgive me.

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen (3).

Morning prayer

Dear child. When you wake up from sleep in the morning, first of all make the sign of St. Cross and smile at Jesus in your soul, thank Him for the night you lived and ask for a blessing for the whole day.

I thank You, God, for a good night and surrender myself to Your care for the whole day. I sacrifice to You my education, my games, all the joys and failures that I may now encounter. I always want to act in such a way that, my God, you will be pleased with me.

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen (3).

Virgin Mary, Rejoice, blessed Mary, the Lord is with you. Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You gave birth to Christ the Savior, the Redeemer of our souls.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Text of morning prayer.

My Guardian Angel,

You all stay with me,

Early in the evening, day and night,

Help me.

Prayer "My Angel"

My holy angel

My heavenly friend,

Lead me to God

Always look at me

Save everything from evil,

I want to live a holiday

Text of the prayer to the Angel.

My Guardian Angel, my kind thoughts, grant that I may always be focused on the mysteries of Jesus and not for a moment move away from Him. Amen.

Prayer of your Guardian

Prayer to Saint Nicholas

My beloved guardians,

On the day of baptism I was given

I ask you with my whole heart,

Take me under your little wing.

Teach me to live the way I should.

And lead me to heaven.

Evening prayers

Text of evening prayer

End each day, dear child, with a prayer. In your evening prayer, thank your Heavenly Father for the caresses you have received, place yourself under His care, do a short examination of your conscience, apologize for the sins you have committed during the day, and resolve to get better. Before you go to sleep, get on your knees and think that God is with you, so tell Him:

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen (3).

Our Father... Virgin Mary... I Believe...

O God, I sincerely apologize to you for all the unkind thoughts, words and deeds with which I have offended you so much and caused trouble to my relatives, teachers and neighbors.

Lay down on the bed, sprinkle yourself with holy water and say:

Lord, protect me with the power of the Honest Life-Giving Cross tonight from all evil. Amen.

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It is quite difficult for an ignorant person who is just opening the path to the Lord to immediately understand the numerous rules of the Orthodox religion. Two things serve as a very simple shortcut to the Lord - faith in the Almighty and prayers addressed to him and the saints.

But which sacred texts should you start your day with? The answer lies on the surface - from morning calls. Accordingly, in the evening the day ends.

The key morning texts are: the Trisagion, God have mercy on me, Our Father, the Creed and, we strongly recommend Appeals to the Guardian Angel, Jesus Christ, and the Mother of God. They are asked for a blessing, protection for the whole day. In addition, the prayer book contains a large number of morning texts.

Morning prayers

Below is a detailed list with brief description actions during a religious ceremony, and also a note on some of the sacred formulas.

Brief

Waking up in the morning, before doing anything else, cross yourself with reverence, mentally imagining the Almighty right in front of you, say:

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

God, be merciful to me, a sinner. (Gospel of Luke, chapter 28, verse 15)

Having spoken such a short but very significant appeal to the tax collector, bow down as if the Lord were in front of you.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

Cross yourself with a bow. This should be done when working with any sacred text.

Next up is the text: To the Holy Spirit

Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything, Treasure of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, our souls.

Note: From Easter to Ascension, instead of this prayer, the troparion is read: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs.” (Three times) From Ascension to Trinity, we begin prayers with “Holy God...”, omitting all the preceding ones.
This remark also applies to future bedtime prayers.

There is a note here. Pay attention to them - it's important.

Trisagion:

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Read three times, with the sign of the cross and bow from the waist.)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Bow from the waist - this is important.

Next text: To the Holy Trinity

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.
Lord have mercy. (Three times).
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen
Note: When it is written “Glory”, “And now”, it must be read in full: “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”, “And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen"

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Trinity Troparions:

Having risen from sleep, we fall down to Thee, the Good One, and cry out to Thee, the Mightier, the angelic song: Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O God, have mercy on us through the Mother of God.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
From bed and sleep You have raised me up, O Lord, enlighten my mind and heart, and open my lips to sing to You, Holy Trinity: Holy, Holy, Holy, O God, have mercy on us through the Mother of God.
And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Suddenly the Judge will come, and every deed will be exposed, but with fear we call at midnight: Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O God, have mercy on us by the Mother of God.
Lord have mercy. (12 times)

Long

Holy Trinity:

Having risen from sleep, I thank Thee, Holy Trinity, for for the sake of Thy goodness and long-suffering, Thou hast not been angry with me, lazy and sinful, nor hast Thou destroyed me with my iniquities; but you usually loved mankind and in the despair of the one who lay down, you raised me up to practice and glorify Your power. And now enlighten my mental eyes, open my lips to learn Thy words, and to understand Thy commandments, and to do Thy will, and to sing to Thee in heartfelt confession, and to sing Thy all-holy name, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages. centuries. Amen.
Come, let us worship our King God. (Bow)
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. (Bow)
Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. (Bow).

Psalm 50:

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your mercies, cleanse my iniquity. Above all, wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin; for I know my iniquity, and I will take away my sin before me. I have sinned against You alone and have done evil before You, so that You may be justified in Your words and triumph over the judgment of You. Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sins. Behold, you have loved the truth; You have revealed to me the unknown and secret wisdom of Yours. Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed; Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
My hearing brings joy and joy; humble bones will rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and cleanse all my iniquities. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me. Reward me with the joy of Your salvation and strengthen me with the Lord’s Spirit. I will teach the wicked Your way, and the wicked will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation; My tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise. As if you had desired sacrifices, you would have given them: you do not favor burnt offerings. The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God will not despise a broken and humble heart. Bless Zion, O Lord, with Your favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offering; Then they will place the bullock on Your altar.

Symbol of faith:

I believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were. For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became human. She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets. Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen.

God, cleanse me, a sinner, for I have done nothing good before You; but deliver me from the evil one, and may Thy will be done in me, may I open my unworthy lips without condemnation and praise Thy holy name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages Amen.

Rising from sleep, I bring the midnight hymn to Ti, Savior, and falling down crying to Ti: do not let me fall asleep in a sinful death, but be gracious to me, crucified by will, and hasten me lying in laziness, and save me in standing and in prayer, and in sleep Rise up nightly for me a sinless day, O Christ God, and save me.

To You, Lord, Lover of Mankind, having risen from sleep, I come running, and I strive for Your works with Your mercy, and I pray to You: help me at all times, in every thing, and deliver me from all worldly evil things and the devil’s haste, and save me, and bring us into Your eternal Kingdom. For You are my Creator and the Provider and Giver of every good thing, and all my hope is in You, and I send up glory to You, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, Who through Your many goodness and Your great bounty has given me, Your servant, the passing time of this night without misfortune to pass away from all evil that is contrary to me; You Yourself, Master, the Creator of all things, grant me with Your true light and an enlightened heart to do Your will, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Then they read prayers to Saint Basil:

Lord Almighty, God of hosts and all flesh, living in the highest and looking down on the humble, testing the hearts and wombs and innermost parts of men, the fore-foreseen One, the Beginningless and Ever-Everlasting Light, with Him there is no change or overshadowing; Himself, Immortal King, accept our prayers, even now, boldly for the multitude of Your bounties, from the bad lips we create towards You, and forgive us our sins, whether in deed, word, and thought, knowledge, or ignorance, we have sinned; and cleanse us from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. And grant us with a cheerful heart and a sober thought to pass through the whole night of this present life, awaiting the coming of the bright and revealed day of Your Only Begotten Son, the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ, in which the Judge of all will come with glory, to whom he will give to each according to his deeds; May we not fall and become lazy, but be watchful and raised up for the work that is to come, and prepare for the joy and Divine palace of His glory, where those who celebrate the unceasing voice and the ineffable sweetness of those who behold Your face, the ineffable kindness. For You are the true Light, you enlighten and sanctify all things, and all creation sings to You forever and ever. Amen.

We bless you, O highest God and Lord of mercy, who always does great and unexplored, glorious and terrible things to us, countless in number, giving us sleep for the repose of our weakness, and the weakening of the labors of the arduous flesh. We thank Thee, for Thou didst not destroy us with our iniquities, but Thou didst usually love mankind, and in desperation, Thou didst raise us up to glorify Thy power. In the same way, we pray for Your immeasurable goodness, enlighten our thoughts, our eyes, and raise our minds from the heavy sleep of laziness: open our lips, and fulfill Your praise, so that we can unwaveringly sing and confess to You, in all, and from all, to the glorified God, To the Beginningless Father, with Your Only Begotten Son, and Your All-Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

No. 7 to the Blessed Virgin Mary

I sing Thy grace, O Lady, I pray to Thee, my mind is filled with grace. Go right and teach me the path of Christ’s commandments. Strengthen your children to songs, driving away despondency and sleep. Bound by the captivity of the Falls, allow me through Your prayers, Bride of God. Preserve me in the night and in the day, delivering me to those who fight against the enemy. She who gave birth to God, the life-giver, was killed by my passions and revived. Who gave birth to the non-evening Light, enlighten my blind soul. O wondrous Lady of the Palace, create for me the house of the Divine Spirit. You who gave birth to a doctor, heal my soul of many years of passion. Worried by the storm of life, guide me towards the path of repentance. Deliver me from eternal fire, and from evil worms, and from tartar. Do not show me joy as a demon, who is guilty of many sins. Create me again, having promised to be insensible, Immaculate, without sin. Show me the strangeness of all kinds of torment, and implore the Lord to all. Heavenly grant me joy with all the saints. Most Holy Virgin, hear the voice of Your indecent servant. Give me a stream of tears, Most Pure One, cleansing the filth of my soul. I bring lamentations from my heart to You continually, be zealous, Lady. Accept my prayer service and bring it to the blessed God. Transcending Angel, create me above the fusion of the world. Light-bearing heavenly Seine, direct spiritual grace in me. I lift up my hand and my lips to praise, defiled by filth, O All-Immaculate One. Deliver me from the dirty tricks that are strangling me, diligently begging Christ; To Him is due honor and worship, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

No. 8 To Jesus Christ our Lord

My most merciful and all-merciful God, Lord Jesus Christ, for the sake of love you came down and became incarnate for many reasons, so that you would save everyone. And again, Savior, save me by grace, I pray to You; Even if you save me from works, there is no grace and no gift, but more than debt. Hey, abundant in generosity and ineffable in mercy! Believe in Me, you say, O my Christ, you will live and will not see death forever. Even if faith in You saves the desperate, behold, I believe, save me, for You are my God and Creator. Let faith instead of works be imputed to me, O my God, for you will not find works to justify me. But may my faith prevail instead of all, may it answer, may it justify me, may it show me to be a partaker of Your eternal glory.
Let Satan not kidnap me, and boast to the Word that he has torn me from Your hand and fence; But either I want, save me, or I don’t want, Christ my Savior, I will soon foresee, I will soon perish: For you are my God from my mother’s womb. Grant me, O Lord, now to love Thee, as sometimes I have loved that same sin; and again work for You without laziness, just as you worked before the flattering Satan. Most of all, I will serve You, my Lord and God Jesus Christ, all the days of my life, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

No. 9 Guardian Angel

Holy Angel, standing before my accursed soul and my passionate life, do not leave me, a sinner, nor depart from me for my intemperance. Do not give room to the evil demon to possess me through the violence of this mortal body; strengthen my poor and thin hand and guide me on the path of salvation. To her, holy Angel of God, guardian and patron of my accursed soul and body, forgive me everything, I have offended you so greatly all the days of my life, and if I sinned this past night, cover me on this day, and save me from every opposite temptation May I not anger God in any sin, and pray for me to the Lord, that He may strengthen me in His passion, and show me worthy as a servant of His goodness. Amen.

No. 10 Mother of God

My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, with Your saints and all-powerful prayers, take away from me, Your humble and accursed servant, despondency, oblivion, foolishness, 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.

Pray to God for me, holy servant of God (name), as I diligently resort to you, a quick helper and prayer book for my soul.

Then a song of praise is raised to the Mother of God

Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.

For the Fatherland, Troparion to the Cross

Save, O Lord, Thy people, and bless Thy inheritance, granting victories to Orthodox Christians against resistance, and preserving Thy life through Thy Cross.

Interchangeable

Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual father (name), my parents (names), relatives (names), bosses, mentors, benefactors (their names) and all Orthodox Christians.

About the Deceased

Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants: my parents, relatives, benefactors (their names), and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.

If instead of two short prayers“for the living” and “for the dead” given above, two long memorial sacred texts are read:

Funeral service: For health

Remember, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, Thy mercy and generosity from all eternity, for whose sake Thou didst become man, and Thou didst deign to endure crucifixion and death, for the sake of the salvation of those who believe in Thee; and rose from the dead, you ascended into heaven and sit at the right hand of God the Father, and look upon the humble prayers of those who call upon You with all their hearts: incline Your ear, and hear the humble prayer of me, Your indecent servant, in the stench of the spiritual fragrance, brought to You for all Your people .
And in the first place, remember Your Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, which You have provided with Your venerable Blood, and establish, and strengthen, and expand, multiply, pacify, and preserve the insurmountable gates of hell forever; Calm the tearing of the Churches, quench the pagan vacillations, and quickly destroy and eradicate the heresies of rebellion, and convert them into nothingness by the power of Your Holy Spirit. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on our God-protected country, its authorities and army, protect their power with peace, and subdue every enemy and adversary under the nose of the Orthodox, and speak peaceful and good words in their hearts about Your Holy Church, and about all Your people: let us live a quiet and silent life in orthodoxy, and in all piety and purity. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on our Great Lord and Father His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, your Eminence metropolitans, archbishops and Orthodox bishops, priests and deacons, and the entire church clergy, who You have appointed to shepherd Your verbal flock, and through their prayers have mercy and save me, a sinner. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual father (his name), and with his holy prayers forgive my sins. (Bow)
Save, O Lord, and have mercy on my parents (their names), brothers and sisters, and my relatives according to the flesh, and all the neighbors of my family, and others, and grant them Your peaceful and most peaceful goodness. (Bow)
Save, O Lord, and have mercy according to the multitude of Your bounties, all the sacred monks, monks and nuns, and all those living in virginity and reverence and fasting in monasteries, in deserts, in caves, mountains, pillars, gates, rock crevices, and sea islands, and in every place of Thy dominion those who live faithfully, and piously serve Thee, and pray to Thee: ease their burden, and comfort their sorrow, and grant them strength and strength to strive for Thee, and through their prayers grant me remission of sins. (Bow)
Save, O Lord, and have mercy on the old and the young, the poor and the orphans and the widows, and those who are in sickness and sorrow, troubles and sorrows, conditions and captivity, prisons and imprisonments, and even more so in persecution, for You for the sake of the Orthodox faith, from the tongue of the godless, from the apostate and from the heretics, Thy present servants, and remember, visit, strengthen, comfort, and soon by Thy power I will weaken, grant them freedom and deliver. (Bow)
Save, O Lord, and have mercy on those who do good to us, who are merciful and nourishing to us, who gave us alms, and who commanded us to the unworthy to pray for them, and who give us peace, and do Thy mercy to them, granting them all, even petitions for salvation, and the perception of eternal blessings . (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on those sent to the service, those traveling, our fathers and brethren, and all Orthodox Christians. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on them who I tempted with my madness, and turned away from the path of salvation, and led me to evil and inappropriate deeds; By Your Divine Providence, return again to the path of salvation. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on those who hate and offend me, and those who create misfortunes against me, and do not leave them to perish for my sake, a sinner. (Bow)
Those who have departed from the Orthodox faith and are blinded by destructive heresies, enlighten with the light of Your knowledge and bring Your Holy Apostles to the Catholic Church. (Bow).

Funeral: For the departed

Remember, Lord, the Orthodox kings and queens, the noble princes and princesses, the most holy patriarchs, the most reverend metropolitans, archbishops and bishops who departed from this life, who served You in the priesthood and in the clergy, and in the monastic rank, and in Your eternal settlements with the saints rest in peace (Bow.)
Remember, Lord, the souls of Your departed servants, my parents (their names), and all relatives in the flesh; and forgive them all their sins, voluntary and involuntary, giving them the Kingdom and the communion of Thy eternal good things and Thy endless and blissful life of pleasure. (Bow)
Remember, O Lord, and all in the hope of resurrection and eternal life, those who have fallen asleep, our fathers and brothers and sisters, and those who lie here and everywhere, Orthodox Christians, and with Thy saints, where the light of Thy face shines, and have mercy on us, for He is Good and Lover of Humanity. Amen. (Bow)
Grant, Lord, remission of sins to all who have previously departed in the faith and hope of resurrection, our fathers, brothers and sisters, and create for them eternal memory. (Thrice)

Final

It is worthy to eat as truly to bless Thee, Theotokos, Ever-Blessed and Most 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.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Lord have mercy. (Thrice)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
Note: From Easter to Ascension, instead of this prayer, the chorus and irmos of the 9th song of the Easter canon are read:
“The angel cried out with grace: Pure Virgin, rejoice! And again the river: Rejoice! Your Son is risen three days from the grave and raised up the dead; people, have fun!
Shine, shine, new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord is upon you. Rejoice now and be glad, O Zion. You, Pure One, show off, O Mother of God, about the rise of Your Nativity.”

Evening prayers

Read before bed. A person thanks the Lord for a good day, meekly asks for a blessing for the coming sleep, and turns to repentance for the expected or accidental sins he committed during the day.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It is with such an appeal that it is necessary to begin a prayer service, consisting of reading several prayers for the occasion: in ours - before going to bed.

Jesus Christ

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all others, have mercy on us. Amen.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

To the heavenly king

Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything, Treasurer of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, our souls.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (three times).
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Holy Trinity

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us: Lord, cleanse our sins: Master, forgive our iniquities: Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake.
Lord have mercy (three times).
Glory... and now...
Note:

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be thy name: thy kingdom come: thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread: and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
(For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.)

Trinity Troparion

Having risen from sleep, we fall down to Thee, the Good One, and cry out to Thee, the Mightier, in the angelic song: Holy, holy, holy art thou, O God, have mercy on us through the Mother of God.
Glory: From bed and sleep You have raised me up, O Lord: enlighten my mind and heart, and open my lips, to sing to You, Holy Trinity: holy, holy, holy, O God, have mercy on us through the Theotokos.
And now: Suddenly the Judge will come, and every deed will be laid bare, but with fear we call at midnight: Holy, holy, holy art thou, O God, have mercy on us through the Mother of God.
Lord have mercy (12 times).

To the Holy Trinity

Having risen from sleep, I thank Thee, Holy Trinity, for for the sake of Thy goodness and long-suffering, Thou didst not become angry with me, lazy and sinful, but rather destroyed me with my iniquities: but Thou didst usually love mankind, and in the hopelessness of the one who lay down, Thou didst raise me up, in the hedgehog of the morning. and glorify Your power. And now enlighten my mental eyes, open my lips, to learn Thy words and understand Thy commandments, and to do Thy will, and to sing to Thee in confession of the heart, and to sing Thy all holy name, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. . Amen.

Jesus Christ worship

Come, let us worship our King God.
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ our King God.
Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God.

(Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your compassions, cleanse my iniquity. Above all, wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and I will take away my sin before me. You I have sinned only and committed evil before You: so that you may be justified in Your words and overcome the eternal judgment of You. For I was conceived in iniquity and in sins I gave birth to my mother. For You loved the truth, You showed me Your unknown and secret wisdom. Sprinkle I will be cleansed with hyssop; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Give joy and gladness to my hearing, and humble bones will rejoice. Turn away Your face from my sins, and cleanse all my iniquities. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Give me the joy of Your salvation, and strengthen me with the Lord’s Spirit. I will teach the wicked in Your way, and wickedness will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation, my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise. As if you had desired sacrifices, you would have given them: you do not favor burnt offerings.
A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit: God will not despise a contrite and humble heart. Bless Zion, O Lord, with Your favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offering: then they will lay the bullock on Your altar.)

Jesus Christ Lord

(To You, Lord, Lover of Mankind, having risen from sleep, I come running, and I strive for Your works with Your mercy, and I pray to You: help me at all times, in every thing, and deliver me from all worldly evil things and the devil’s haste, and save me and lead me into Your eternal Kingdom. For You are my Creator and the Provider and Giver of every good thing, in You is all my hope, and I send up glory to You now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.)
Who at all times and at every hour, in heaven and on earth, is worshiped and glorified, Christ God, long-suffering, abundantly merciful, abundantly gracious, who loves the righteous and has mercy on sinners, who calls everyone to salvation, promises for the sake of future blessings: Himself, Lord, accept and ours at the hour of this prayer and correct our belly to Your commandments, sanctify our souls, cleanse our bodies, correct our thoughts, cleanse our thoughts: and deliver us from all sorrow, evil and disease: protect us with Your saints Angles, and by their militia we observe and instruct Let us reach into the union of faith and into the mind your unapproachable glory: for blessed art thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Mother of God

My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, with Your saints and all-powerful prayers, take away from me, Your humble and damned servant, despondency, oblivion, unreason, negligence, and all the nasty, evil and blasphemous thoughts from my damned heart and from my darkened mind: and extinguish the flame of passions mine, for I am a beggar and a damned one, and deliver me from many and cruel memories and undertakings, and free me from all evil actions: for you are blessed from all generations, and glorified is Your most honorable name forever and ever. Amen.

Saint Joseph (Betrothed of the Virgin Mary)

Chosen to be the guardian of the Blessed Virgin Mary, nurturer and nourisher of the God-man, righteous Joseph, glorifying your service to the ineffable mystery of the incarnation of God the Word, let us sing praises to you. Now you stand before the throne of Christ our God, and having great boldness towards Him, pray for us who cry: Rejoice, righteous Joseph, quick helper and prayer for our souls. (Kontakion 1 from Akathist).

Guardian Angel

Angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me from God from heaven for my protection! I diligently pray to you, enlighten me today and save me from all evil, guide me to good deeds and direct me on the path of salvation. Amen.

The patron saint after whom the person is named

Pray to God for me, holy servant of God (name), as I diligently resort to you, a quick helper and prayer book for my soul.

Heavenly spirits - angels, archangels

All heavenly powers, Holy Angels and Archangels, pray to God for us sinners.

About everyday sins

I confess to You, my Lord God and Creator, in the Holy Trinity, the One glorified and worshiped Father and Son and Holy Spirit, all my sins, which I have committed all the days of my life, and at every hour, and at the present time, in deed, word, thought , sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch and all my feelings, mental and physical, in the image of You, I have angered my God and Creator, and my neighbor has not been truthful. Regretting these things, I present my guilt to You, my God, and have the will to repent, so You, Lord my God, help me, with tears I humbly pray to You; But having passed over my sins, forgive me by Thy mercy, and forgive me from all these, for I am Good and Lover of Mankind.)

Repentance

Weaken, forgive, forgive, O God, our sins, voluntary and involuntary, even in word and in deed, even in knowledge and in ignorance, even in days and nights, even in mind and in thought: forgive us everything, for it is good and a lover of humanity.

About the living and the dead

Forgive those who hate and offend us, Lord and lover of mankind. Do good to those who do good. Grant to all our brethren and relatives, and those who are alone, all the petitions for salvation and eternal life. Visit and heal in existing diseases, in existing freedom in prisons, wake up the ruler of those floating on the sea, hasten those traveling. Lord, remember our captive brethren, fellow believers of the Orthodox faith, and deliver them from every evil situation. Lord, have mercy and forgive those who commanded us, unworthy, to pray for them. Have mercy, O Lord, on those who serve us and have mercy on us, and grant them all the petitions for salvation and eternal life. Remember, Lord, our fathers and brethren who died before us, and all who died in pious faith; and where the light of Thy face shines upon me. Remember, Lord, our badness and wretchedness, and enlighten our minds with the light of reason of Your holy Gospel, and guide us on the path of Your commandments; through the prayers of Thy most pure Matera and all Thy saints. Amen.

Final

(To the chosen Voivode, victorious, as having been delivered from the evil ones, let us write thanks to Thy servants, the Mother of God: but as having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Thee: Rejoice, Unmarried Bride.)
Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ God, bring our prayer to Your Son and our God, may You save our souls.
I place all my trust in You, Mother of God, keep me under Your roof.
Enlighten my eyes, O Christ God, so that not when I fall asleep into death, and not when my enemy says: “Let us be strong against him.”
Be the protector of my soul, O God, as I walk in the midst of many snares: deliver me from them and save me, O Blessed One, as a lover of mankind.
My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit: Holy Trinity, glory to Thee.
(It is worthy that You are truly blessed, the Mother of God, ever-blessed and most immaculate and the Mother of our God. We magnify You, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious seraphim without comparison, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption, the real Mother of God.)
(Glory... and now...)
(Lord, have mercy (three times).)
(Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all saints, have mercy on us. Amen.)

Before bedtime

May God rise again, and may His enemies be scattered, and may those who hate Him flee from His face. As smoke disappears, let them disappear: as wax melts in the presence of fire, so let demons perish from the face of those who love God and signify themselves with the sign of the cross and say in joy: Rejoice, most honorable and life-giving cross of the Lord, drive away the demons by force of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was crucified on you, You descended into hell and trampled upon the power of the devil and gave us to you, Your honorable cross to trample upon every adversary. O most honorable and life-giving cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Virgin Mary and with all the saints forever. Amen.
Or
Protect me, Lord, by the power of your honorable and life-giving cross, and save me from all evil.

In Your hands, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, I commend my spirit. You bless me, you have mercy on me and grant me eternal life. Amen.

We tried to simplify the task as much as possible for a person interested in this topic by dividing the above material, arranging it in a logical sequence, without disturbing the sequence of sacred formulas. We hope this helps to some extent.

When studying the article and the prayers, psalms, etc. offered for it, please pay close attention to the notes on each text: how to read, how many times, how to bow, what prayers can be replaced with what.

Of course, not every person has the time and is unable to immediately muster the patience and humility for such long daily rituals. Nevertheless, gradually, step by step, discovering divine revelations for himself, the layman accepts other, albeit strict, rules of the church. With the blessing and assistance of the confessor, canonical formulas are chosen together with the priest. In the meantime, due to the complexity of mastering Christian Science, at first a beginner can read the main sacred texts, gradually adding others to them.

The right time

A special book called a prayer book contains clear instructions on the time to work with certain sacred texts: just getting out of bed - in the morning, and in the evening shortly before going to bed, that is, after all the everyday worries of a long day. Under no circumstances should you watch TV, listen to the radio or anything else after reading, but go straight to bed.

However, there are times when for some reason a person does not have the opportunity to sleep: a flexible work shift, for example. Then asking for a blessing makes no sense, because you won’t go to rest anyway. It’s better to work with the Gospel or something else at your discretion instead of the usual rule.

Why should you read?

This is not easy, painstaking daily work that requires maximum concentration on words raised to God. Not just a time-consuming activity. And also the discovery in your soul of the inner Light of Truth. Sometimes, when pronouncing a complex formula of sacred words, you do not always understand what lies behind this or that phrase.

But suddenly, at some point, with the blessing of God, an understanding of something special comes, directed straight into the soul. And then a feeling that cannot be expressed in words - awe, joy - fills every corner of the soul with its light. Therefore, those who wish to obtain it must work diligently and selflessly.

Religious Christian literature

Having worked with the established rules, and feeling the need to expand your personal spiritual horizons, be sure to implement your plans, having previously consulted with your confessor about reading religious literature. Thank God, there is quite a lot of it and there is plenty to choose from.

Most often read:

Holy Scripture;
Bible: Old and New Testament;
Lives of the Saints;
Breviary;
God's Law;
Book of Hours;
Akathists.

The list can be continued for a long time. Reading religious works is not only useful, but it makes you think about many things. Reconsider your views on many things. Sweep away the trash, join the divine light, and finally learn to love - God, people, yourself - simply and with all your heart.

True, this is not everyday reading, but sometimes a difficult task, since what is written requires comprehension, penetration into the very essence of the material being read, but not only that. The difficulty is that many books are written in Old Church Slavonic, which poses quite serious obstacles for a modern reader who is not accustomed to this kind of language.

Therefore, you should not immediately get down to fundamental things, but it is better to consult with the priest, ask for his blessing, and ask him to explain unclear passages.

About how to write and pronounce

Accepted abbreviations in prayer books or other books about worship are often used to save space.

Of course, this method is convenient for churchgoers (readers, singers, etc.) who are well versed in the system of notes and footnotes. But what should a novice adherent of the faith do? How not to get lost if you haven’t even figured out the basics yet? The following will come to the rescue: short dictionary abbreviations, which provide the key to understanding and correctly reading the most frequently encountered religious formulations.

1.
“Glory, and now: (or: “Glory: And now:”) - Glory to the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
“Glory:” - Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
“and now:” - And now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Attention! In the Psalter, each of the kathismas - the twenty parts into which the Psalter is divided for reading - is divided into three parts, after each of which it is usually written: “Glory:” (these parts are therefore called “Glories”). In this (and only this) case, the designation “Glory:” replaces the following prayers:
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (Thrice)
Lord have mercy. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
2.
“Alleluia” (Three times) - Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God. (Thrice)
3.
“The Trisagion according to Our Father” or “The Trisagion. Holy Trinity... Our Father..." - the prayers are read sequentially:
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.
Lord have mercy. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
4. Rating of 4 voters: 4

What are morning and evening prayers and why are they so important in everyone’s life? Orthodox Christian? Many holy fathers call these daily prayers spiritual hygiene, the bare minimum for a beginning believer. With the help of these prayers and especially through their regular and conscientious reading, the laity become closer to the Lord, become spiritually cleansed, and learn humility, repentance and gratitude. It is difficult to overestimate their importance, especially in the modern world.

What prayers exist and how to read them?

In Orthodoxy there is such a term - a prayer rule. This is the name given to sets of prayer texts intended for morning and evening readings. These obligatory prayers can be found in every prayer book. Among them are “Our Father”, “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary”, “Heavenly King”, “Creed” and others. The prayer rule was formed several centuries ago, and since then has become a guideline for Orthodox believers.

The prayer rule is divided into complete, that is, common to everyone, and short, individual (it is discussed with the confessor and assigned with his blessing, in cases of, for example, illness, lack of strength, heavy workload, etc.). There is also a version of a short prayer rule from St. Seraphim of Sarov. According to it, if a believer is in an extremely weak state or is very limited in time, then only the following prayers can be read: three times “Our Father”, three times “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary” and once “Creed”.

Prayer "Our Father"

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Prayer “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice”

Virgin Mary, Hail Mary, the Lord is with You: blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.

Prayer "Creed"

I believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who was born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were.

For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human.

She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried.

And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.

And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.

And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end.

And in the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giving Lord, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets.

Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.

Tea of the resurrection of the dead.

And the life of the next century. Amen.

How to read morning and evening prayers

In the morning you are supposed to pray immediately after waking up, before meals and the start of the work day, and in the evening you can choose any time, the main thing is that all work for the current day is completed.

Prayer should be performed in a secluded place, in front of an icon, with a lit lamp or candle. First you need to cross yourself and make several bows. Then tune in, concentrate and begin to read the prayers in the order indicated in the prayer book. You can read both aloud and silently. Prayers for loved ones, appeals to the Lord, spoken in your own words - all this is also an obligatory part of prayer.

It is important to thank the Lord and ask for His blessings before the upcoming trials of life.

It is very important to understand the meaning of each word that is spoken in prayers. For this purpose, there are translations of prayers from Church Slavonic into Russian in explanatory prayer books; they are worth studying so that the reading is conscious.

It is important to pray with with a pure heart, in which there is no bitterness, evil, resentment, irritation. If a believer feels these emotions, it is necessary to get rid of them. One way is to pray for the health of the one who offended. This will cleanse the soul, calm the ardor and set one in a gracious mood.

As a rule, with some practice, reading morning and evening prayers takes an average of 20 minutes. But currently the laity is faced with a problem. In our modern world, when the pace of life is so high that the lack of time is felt at every step, it can be difficult for Orthodox believers who begin to practice daily readings to find time for prayer in their busy schedule. As a rule, people rush to work in the morning and collapse from fatigue in the evening. And there is no time left for reading prayers with a thoughtful, focused approach. And it is important to read prayers sincerely, with diligence.

Pronouncing the text in a tongue twister, formally is not necessary for anyone and is even harmful in a conversation with God.

In this case, you need to rearrange your daily schedule, find another time for prayers, some prayers can even be read at work or on the road. But all this must be discussed with your confessor or the priest with whom you regularly confess. Sometimes the priest may allow you to read not the full volume of prayers. The main thing in morning and evening prayers is the right attitude, concentration, and a message to the Lord from the heart.

The importance of prayers in the morning and evening

Why is it so important to perform morning and evening prayers daily? Priests always say that this ritual trains the will, makes the believer stronger spiritually and does not allow him to forget about God and the need to keep the commandments. And it is especially important for beginning Orthodox Christians.

The rector of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Saratov, Hegumen Pachomius (Bruskov), answers questions about the personal prayer rule of a Christian.

Prayer is the free appeal of a person’s soul to God. How to correlate this freedom with the obligation to read the rule even when you clearly don’t want to do it?

Freedom is not permissiveness. A person is designed in such a way that if he allows himself to relax, it can be very difficult to return to his previous state. In hagiographic literature there are many examples of ascetics abandoning their prayer rule for the sake of showing love to visiting brothers. Thus, they placed the commandment of love above their prayer rule. But it should be remembered that these people reached extraordinary heights of spiritual life and were constantly in prayer. When we feel that we do not want to pray, this is a banal temptation, and not a manifestation of freedom.

The rule supports a person in a spiritually developed state; it should not depend on the momentary mood. If a person abandons the prayer rule, he very quickly becomes relaxed.

In addition, it should be remembered that when a person communicates with God, the enemy of our salvation always strives to come between them. And not allowing him to do this is not a restriction of personal freedom.

At what point in time should you read the morning and evening rules?

This is clearly and clearly written in any Orthodox prayer book: “Rising from sleep, before doing any other thing, become reverently before All-seeing God and, making the sign of the cross, say...". In addition, the very meaning of the prayers tells us that morning prayers are read at the very beginning of the day, when a person’s mind is not yet occupied with any thoughts. And evening prayers should be read before bedtime, after any business. In these prayers, sleep is compared with death, bed with a deathbed. And it is strange, after talking about death, to go watch TV or communicate with relatives.

Any prayer rule is based on the experience of the Church, to which we must listen. These rules do not violate human freedom, but help to obtain maximum spiritual benefit. Of course, there may be exceptions to any rule based on some unforeseen circumstances.

What else, besides morning and evening prayers, can be included in a layman’s prayer rule?

A layman’s rule can include quite a variety of prayers and rites. This could be various canons, akathists, reading the Holy Scriptures or Psalms, bows, the Jesus Prayer. In addition, the rule should include a brief or more detailed commemoration of the health and repose of loved ones. In monastic practice, there is a custom to include the reading of patristic literature in the rule. But before you add anything to your prayer rule, you need to think carefully, consult with a priest, and evaluate your strengths. After all, the rule can be read regardless of mood, fatigue, or other cardiac movements. And if a person promised something to God, it must be fulfilled. The Holy Fathers say: let the rule be small, but constant. At the same time, you need to pray with all your heart.

Can a person himself, without a blessing, begin to read canons and akathists in addition to the prayer rule?

Of course it can. But if he not only read the prayer according to the desire of his heart, but thereby increases his constant prayer rule, it is better to ask the confessor for a blessing. The priest, looking from the outside, will assess his condition correctly: whether such an increase will benefit him. If a Christian regularly confesses and monitors his inner life, such a change in his rule will, one way or another, affect his spiritual life.

But this is possible when a person has a confessor. If there is no confessor, and he himself decided to add something to his rule, it is still better to consult at the next confession.

On days when the service lasts all night and Christians do not sleep, is it necessary to read evening and morning prayers?

We do not tie the morning and evening rule to a specific time. However, it would be wrong to read evening prayers in the morning, and morning prayers in the evening. We should not have a pharisaical attitude towards the rule and read it at all costs, ignoring the meaning of the prayers. If you are not going to sleep, why ask for God's blessing to sleep? You can replace the morning or evening rule with other prayers or reading the Gospel.

Is it possible for a woman to read the prayer rule at home with her head uncovered?

- I think that it is better for a woman to perform the prayer rule in a headscarf. This cultivates humility in her and shows her obedience to the Church. After all, from Holy Scripture we learn that a woman covers her head not for those around her, but for the Angels (1 Cor. 11:10). This is a matter of personal piety. Of course, God doesn’t care whether you stand up for prayer with or without a scarf, but it is important for you.

How are the canons and the procedure for Holy Communion read: on one day the day before, or can their reading be divided over several days?

- You cannot approach the fulfillment of the prayer rule formally. A person must build his relationship with God himself, based on prayer preparation, health, free time, and practice of communication with his confessor.

Today, in preparation for Communion, a tradition has developed to read three canons: to the Lord, the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel, an akathist to the Savior or the Mother of God, and the following to Holy Communion. I think it is better to read the entire rule on one day before Communion. But if it’s hard, you can spread it over three days.

Often friends and acquaintances ask how to prepare for Communion, how to read the Psalter? What should they answer to us, the laity?

- You need to answer what you know for sure. You can’t take responsibility for something, strictly prescribe something to someone else, or say something you’re not sure about. When answering, one must be guided by the widespread tradition of church life today. If there is no personal experience, you need to resort to the experience of the Church and the Holy Fathers. And if you are asked a question the answer to which you do not know, you should be advised to contact a priest or the patristic works.

I read the translation of some prayers into Russian. It turns out that before I put a completely different meaning into them. Should we strive for a common understanding, read translations, or can we understand prayers as our heart tells us?

Prayers should be understood as they are written. An analogy can be drawn with ordinary literature. We read the work and understand it in our own way. But it is always interesting to find out what meaning the author himself put into this work. Also the text of the prayer. The author has invested a special meaning in each of them. After all, we are not reading a conspiracy, but turning to God with a specific request or praise. You can recall the words of the Apostle Paul that it is better to say five words in an understandable language than a thousand in an incomprehensible one (1 Cor. 14:19). In addition, the authors of most Orthodox prayers are holy ascetics glorified by the Church.

How to relate to modern prayers? Is it possible to read everything that is written in prayer books, or prefer the more ancient ones?

- Personally, I am more moved by the words of the more ancient canons, the stichera. They seem deeper and more insightful to me. But many people also like modern akathists for their simplicity.

If the Church has accepted prayers, you need to treat them with reverence, respect and try to find benefit for yourself. But understand that some modern prayers are not as high quality in content as the prayers compiled by ancient ascetics.

When a person writes a prayer for public use, he must understand what responsibility he takes on. He must have experience in prayer, but at the same time be well educated. All texts offered by modern prayer creators must be edited and strictly selected.

What is more important: finishing the rules at home or being on time for work?

- Go to work. If a person is going to church, then public prayer should come first. Although the fathers compared public and home prayer to the two wings of a bird. Just as a bird cannot fly with one wing, neither can a person. If he does not pray at home, but only goes to church, then, most likely, prayer will not work for him in church either. After all, he has no experience of personal communication with God. If a person only prays at home, but does not go to church, it means that he has no understanding of what the Church is. And without the Church there is no salvation.

How can a layman, if necessary, replace the service at home?

Today, a large amount of liturgical literature and various prayer books are published. If a layman cannot attend the service, he can read both the morning and evening services and mass according to the canon.

Is it possible to read the rule while sitting?

The Apostle Paul writes: “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is profitable” (1 Cor. 6:12). If you are tired or sick, you can sit down in Church while reading the house rules. But you should understand what you are guided by: pain, which prevents you from praying, or laziness. If the alternative to reading prayer while sitting is not doing it at all, it is, of course, better to read while sitting. If a person is seriously ill, you can even lie down. But if he is just tired or is overcome by laziness, he needs to overcome himself and get up. During services, the Charter regulates when you can stand or sit. For example, we listen to the reading of the Gospel and akathists while standing, but while reading kathismas, sedals, and teachings we sit down.

When you wake up in the morning, the first thing you need to do is make the sign of the cross, saying:

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Publican's Prayer

God, be merciful to me, a sinner. (Bow)

Initial prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen. Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit, read every day

From Easter to Ascension, instead of this prayer, the troparion is read:

“Christ rose from the dead, trampled down death by death, and gave life to those who were in sin.” (Thrice)

Trisagion

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Read three times, with the sign of the cross and a bow from the waist.) Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

From Ascension to Trinity, prayers are read with “Holy God...”, letting go of all the previous ones.

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake. Lord have mercy. (Three times). Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Lord's Prayer Our Father

Troparia Trinity

Having risen from sleep, we fall down to Thee, the Good One, and cry out to Thee, the Mightier, the angelic song: Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O God, have mercy on us through the Mother of God. Glory: From bed and sleep You have raised me up, O Lord, enlighten my mind and heart, and open my lips to sing to You, Holy Trinity: Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, have mercy on us through the Mother of God.

And now: Suddenly the Judge will come, and every deed will be revealed, but with fear we call at midnight: Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O God, have mercy on us by the Mother of God. Lord have mercy. (12 times)

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity

And now enlighten my mental eyes, open my lips to learn Thy words, and to understand Thy commandments, and to do Thy will, and to sing to Thee in heartfelt confession, and to sing Thy all-holy name, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages. centuries. Amen. Come, let us worship our King God. (Bow)

Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. (Bow)

Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. (Bow)

Psalm 50

Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sins. Behold, you have loved the truth; You have revealed to me the unknown and secret wisdom of Yours. Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed; Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. My hearing brings joy and joy; humble bones will rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and cleanse all my iniquities.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me. Reward me with the joy of Your salvation and strengthen me with the Lord’s Spirit. I will teach the wicked Your way, and the wicked will turn to You.

Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation; My tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise. As if you had desired sacrifices, you would have given them: you do not favor burnt offerings. The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God will not despise a broken and humble heart.

Bless Zion, O Lord, with Your favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offering; Then they will place the bullock on Your altar.

Morning prayers Creed

For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became human. She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.

And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets.

Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen.

How to pray and what mistakes to avoid

Prayer Rule

What prayers should a layperson’s prayer rule consist of?

When to make your prayer rule

How to Prepare for Prayer

How to make your own prayer rule at home

What to do when distracted during prayer

How to end your prayer rule

How to learn to spend your day in prayer

How to force yourself to pray

What you need for successful prayer

Morning prayers

Prayers for the future

Short morning prayers

Short evening prayers (at bedtime)

Prayer book

A short prayer book

Morning prayers

Prayers for the future

What is prayer and how to read it correctly

What types of prayers are there?

When to read morning and evening prayer

Prayer Rule

Is it possible to shorten the prayer rule?

Morning prayers for every day

Prayers for material well-being

Prayer to the Holy Trinity

Publican's Prayer

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

The strongest prayer for health to Panteleimon the Healer

Strong prayer for luck to Nicholas the Wonderworker

Evening prayer for the coming sleep

Prayer for cleansing the house

Prayer to the Mother of God

Prayers of preservation.

Orthodox prayers. The power of the prayer you need. Text of the prayer.

Daily prayers of preservation. Morning prayers. Evening prayers.

Daily Prayers

Sign of the cross

We begin the prayer like this:

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Doxology

Prayer of the Holy Trinity

Lord's Prayer

Symbol of faith

Prayer of repentance

Prayers to the Mother of God

Angels Prayer

Mitareva prayer

Morning prayer

Prayer of your Guardian

Evening prayers

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Morning prayers

Brief

Long

Interchangeable

Evening prayers

The right time

Why should you read?

Religious Christian literature

About how to write and pronounce

What prayers exist and how to read them?

Prayer "Our Father"

Prayer “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice”

Prayer "Creed"

How to read morning and evening prayers

The importance of prayers in the morning and evening