Only basically we have descriptions of how monks should pray in their cells, and how exactly the desert fathers practiced and succeeded in the Jesus Prayer. This is very instructive, no doubt about it, but we are not monks.

Deacon Pavel Serzhantov

Most of us come to God in urban conditions. family life, not deserts. And we are familiar with the experience of ordinary temple prayer and even home morning prayer, and not the solitary schematic prayer rule.

Meanwhile, it seems, monastic experience mental prayer will be somewhat helpful in our attempts to explain what temple prayer is. Now I will try to think about this, I ask the reader in advance to be lenient with me, because the topic is not so easy.

Different Types of Prayer

Only occasionally does the entire temple literally pray with one mouth. When does this happen? When they sing,” the troparion and magnification of their favorite holiday. Mostly, we hear one priest saying a prayer, while everyone else stands silently, only occasionally crossing themselves.

Or another well-known picture: several choristers sing the irmos of the Matins canon, while people lined up in a dense wall for the anointing, so dense that it is almost impossible to cross themselves. Why is this line not praying at all, just listening to the singers praying?

In order to come to a precise answer, we need to talk about what types of prayer there are in general. This is where books on cell work come in handy for us: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

There are different kinds Jesus Prayer, they even form a kind of . Let us list the steps of this ladder:

1. Verbal prayer(The Jesus Prayer is said in the cell out loud, with the lips, loudly or quietly).

2. Mental prayer(it is pronounced silently, with one mind).

3. Mind-heart prayer(a particularly deep prayer, during which the mind connects with the heart, or, better to say, the mind reunites with heart).

Verbal and mental prayer

At the all-night vigil, of course, you will not hear the spoken Jesus Prayer, but there the reader says, for example, the Lord’s Prayer. Can this reader's prayer be called an oral prayer? Yes, in a broad sense.

And one of the parishioners, at the same time as the reader, mentally pronounces the same words of the Lord’s Prayer. Can this prayer of a parishioner be called mental prayer? In general, yes too.

Why do I make such reservations: “in general, yes too”?.. Because the Our Father is clearly different from the mental Jesus Prayer. What is the difference? The words are different and there are more words.

The Jesus Prayer is traditionally called the short prayer. Prayer Our Father not so terse.

What is special about the short Jesus Prayer? It is so short that it is easiest for a weak, absent-minded person to maintain attention.

But prayer without attention, like a body without a soul, is a lifeless element, a sad phenomenon. Therefore, it is easier to practice in short prayer, and it is easier to track how the prayer changes during the exercises.

So, the concept of “oral and mental prayer” is traditionally attributed to the short, repeatedly repeated Jesus Prayer, but in essence it could also be applied to the not so short, once repeated Lord’s Prayer.

So what happens in the temple?

The reader at the all-night vigil performs the oral prayer Our Father, and the parishioners perform a mental prayer. If it occurs to one of the parishioners to add his own voice to the voice of the reader, then a cacophony will inevitably arise, and he will be gently asked to pray silently.

What happens? There are 200 parishioners at the all-night vigil in the church. Only one reader says the Lord’s Prayer as an oral prayer, and 199 are called upon at this time to pronounce the same words, only as a mental prayer.

Let's compare this situation with another: at the Liturgy, the deacon and the same parishioners, 195 people, sing the Lord's Prayer - this is not quite a classic oral prayer, in ascetic terminology it is called singing prayerful. Simultaneously with this singing, in the altar the primate performs Our Father as a spoken prayer, and other clergy and altar servers perform Our Father as a mental prayer.

Let's get to the conclusions

It turns out that in the parish during the service we are all called to bring mental prayers to God, and some of us at some points in the service bring verbal prayers. What's easier?

As you know, praying verbally to the entire temple requires some special skills. The reader needs to prepare for a long time in advance in order to do this decorously, without hesitation, loudly, calmly and clearly. It seems easier at this time stand quietly among the people, not making a single sound.

However, many people find it easier to pray when they speak the words with their lips. And it’s harder to pray if the words don’t sound out loud. This difficulty arises when a person makes the transition from verbal prayer to mental prayer. Such a transition requires some skill in prayer.

A similar situation occurs not only in spiritual life, but also in ordinary study. Thus, at first the child has difficulty mastering oral reading, that is, reading aloud. And only after having acquired sufficient skill in oral reading does the child move on to reading to myself, so to speak, to “smart reading”.

Let us now return to the topic of prayer. In church, people sometimes pray verbally; this actually means that all of us, coming under the church vaults, are called to “parish mental prayer.”

This means that it would be good for all of us to have the skill of “at-home oral prayer” - not as short, of course, as the Jesus Prayer.

It’s not enough to just stand quietly among the people, listen to the singers and the prayers of the priest. You need to gradually participate in the service, pray together with the priest and choristers. Moreover, pray mostly silently, not out loud. Not an easy task? However, the task of achieving “parish mental prayer” is within everyone’s reach. To each!

To feel it better, let’s compare smart prayer with smart-hearted prayer. The difference is huge. And it is a generally accepted fact that mental-heart prayer is by no means the destiny of each of us. It represents a special gift from God and the good fruit of diligent continued spiritual feat under the guidance of an experienced mentor. “Parish mental prayer” is still a different matter, it is more accessible to everyone.

1. If you want, you can put the words “smart prayer” in quotation marks

2. However, one should not exaggerate the difference between the Lord’s Prayer and the Jesus Prayer; on the portal we have already expressed the observation that the Jesus Prayer is “composed according to the principle” of the Lord’s Prayer (see: “”).

And believers. In their prayers, people share their joys and problems with the Almighty. And many people have a question: “How to offer prayers to God so that he hears and helps?” This question is especially often asked by disappointed people who have not found support. Higher powers. Perhaps they should reconsider their views and think more about the fact that maybe they themselves did something wrong.

In the modern pace of life, it can be difficult for a person to find time to visit a temple to participate in services, but if he needs God’s support, he can do it in any other place. How to pray correctly at home?

How to offer prayers in front of an icon?

God and faith in him are in us, our souls. That is why you need to read prayers not only in a certain place - a temple, but always and everywhere. You can organize the reading of prayers with the help of special religious literature (Prayer Book, Psalter) or in your own words - often this does not matter. The main condition for good prayer is sincerity and a sense of connection with God.

• It is advisable to purchase a collection of prayers - Prayer Book. It comes in several types - full and short, in Church Slavonic and the familiar Russian language. Therefore, choose a collection of prayers that is convenient for you to use.
• Before prayer you should tune in. This means that it is necessary to drive away all bad thoughts and forget about worldly problems. You should also pay attention to appearance, wear a cross, and women tie a headscarf.
• You need to pray in front of the image of the saint to whom it will be directed. Approach the icon, take a comfortable position, concentrate, bow and cross yourself.
• Say the text of the prayer slowly, out loud or silently, thoughtfully, with reverence.
• must read daily. Must read morning prayers and prayers before bed. This will help you be closer to God.

How to read prayers in church?

But still, a real Christian must attend church, at least occasionally participate in common prayer. This type of prayer is considered the most powerful, because... when everyone is praying for the same thing, even if one person is distracted, the prayer will not become weaker.

• It is not recommended to eat before going to church. The only exceptions are the sick and infirm. Very important appearance: Dress modestly, women should cover their heads and wear a skirt below the knees.
• When you head to, start reading a special prayer- going to church, or Our Father.
• When entering the temple, make the sign of the cross with three small bows.
• Respect the feelings of other believers. Do not disturb them from performing their prayers.
• It is forbidden to kneel in church during prayer.
• Just as during private prayer, during participation in public you need to concentrate on what you are doing, forget about worldly affairs. All your thoughts should be about God.
• All services are performed by a priest. The parishioners’ task is to listen carefully to what he says and follow the progress of the prayer.. To make it easier to do this, hold their text in your hands. Parishioners say the words of prayers together with the priest during Divine Liturgy, Sunday all-night vigil and Easter service.
• If you want to pray in front of the icon, then you need to come to the temple before the start of the service, approach the icon, say a prayer to this saint, while making the sign of the cross and bowing from the waist twice, press your lips to the icon. If it is an icon of Christ, then you should venerate his hand, foot or clothing. If this is an icon, then to the hand or clothing, and Savior Not Made by Hands or the head of John the Baptist - to the hair.

How to be heard by God, how to read “Our Father”?

To be heard by God, you need to believe in what you are asking him for. You need to pronounce the words of prayers meaningfully, directing your thoughts only to God. It is unacceptable at this moment to be distracted by extraneous things for even a second.

The prayer “Our Father...” must be said several times a day, and at moments when you have any problems in your life, you need to say it especially often. History knows many cases when repeated repetition of this prayer stopped conflicts, healed illnesses, and cast out demons from people’s souls.

“Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be your name yes he will come Your kingdom, 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. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Lord have mercy. (Thrice) Bless."

Prayers

Prayer service "Detentions"

This Elder Pansofia's prayer is read exclusively with the blessing of the priest. It helps to get rid of all evil, protect yourself and your family from hatred, envy, anger, and resentment. Prayer can protect against violent actions, both physical and energetic.

Saint Matrona

Blessed Moscow helps in almost all difficult life situations:

• When needed healing from diseases.
• For reconciliation and resolving family problems.
• When help needed at work or study.
• For conception child.
• To find family happiness.
• IN various everyday affairs and etc.

Before turning to Matronushka for help, it would be nice to make a donation: take the food to the temple or distribute it to the poor on the street.

Prayers to Matrona:

“O blessed mother Matrono, hear and accept us now, sinners, praying to you, who in all your life has learned to receive and listen to all those who suffer and mourn, with faith and hope, those who resort to your intercession and help, quick help and miraculous healing giving to everyone;

May your mercy not fail now for us, unworthy, restless in this busy world

and nowhere finding consolation and compassion in spiritual sorrows and help in physical illnesses:

heal our illnesses, deliver us from the temptations and torment of the devil, who passionately fights,

help me to carry my everyday Cross, to bear all the hardships of life and not to lose the image of God in it,

preserve the Orthodox faith until the end of our days, have strong trust and hope in God and unfeigned love for our neighbors;

help us, after leaving this life, to achieve the Kingdom of Heaven with all those who please God,

glorifying the mercy and goodness of the Heavenly Father, glorified in the Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen."

A short prayer to Matrona:

“Holy righteous old woman Matrono, pray to God for us!”

Guardian Angel

Everyone has something that protects them throughout their lives. The Guardian Angel has the authority to forgive our sins, to pray to the Lord God for us, and to prevent us from making a mistake. You need to ask him about this by reading:

“Holy Angel of Christ, falling to you I pray, my holy guardian, given to me for the protection of my sinful soul and body from Holy Baptism, but with my laziness and my evil custom I angered your most pure lordship and drove you away from me with all the cold deeds: lies, slander, envy, condemnation, contempt, disobedience, brotherly hatred, and resentment, love of money, adultery, rage, stinginess, gluttony without satiety and drunkenness, verbosity, evil thoughts and crafty ones, proud custom and lustful indignation, self-lust for all carnal lust. How can you look at me, or approach me like a stinking dog? Whose eyes, Angel of Christ, look upon me, entangled in evil in vile deeds? How can I already ask for forgiveness with my bitter and evil and crafty deed, I fall into misery all day and night and at every hour? But I pray to you, falling down, my holy guardian, have mercy on me, a sinful and unworthy servant of yours (name), be me a helper and intercessor against the evil of my opponent, with your holy prayers, and make me a partaker of the Kingdom of God with all the saints, always, and now and ever and ever. Amen."

Sometimes the Angel's help looks like a series of some signs, or as if an inner voice is telling a person. If you happen to experience a miracle created by your Guardian Angel, then do not forget to thank him for this with prayer or in your own words.

Spyridon of Trimifuntsky

Prayers to the defender of Orthodoxy, Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, helped those in need countless times. Coming from a simple peasant family, during his lifetime he was a shepherd. After the death of his wife, he was invited to become a priest in one of the Cypriot churches, because... everyone knew about his righteous life, his love for God and godly actions.

It was the first type of activity that became the reason that his image on icons is not the same as that of other saints - he is depicted in a shepherd’s hat.

Spyridon Trimifuntsky - saint, created a large number of miracles during his lifetime: he resurrected people, cast out demons.

He fulfills any requests of believers. Most often they pray to the Saint:

• ABOUT health.
• About family well-being.
• About successes in business.
• To get a job.
• Get housing.
• To the cattle were not sick, reap a good harvest, etc.

There are many prayers to Trimifuntsky. If it is difficult for you to learn them by heart, then refer to the saint in your own words, for example:

“Saint Spyridon! Pray to God to forgive my sins, give me health, protect me from trouble, enemies and envious people. Beg, blessed Spyridon, from our Lord for me comfortable life. Amen."

Mother of God

The Most Holy Theotokos is the earthly mother of Christ. She patronizes expectant mothers and is the protector of children.. Prayers dedicated to her help in family matters, to conceive and give birth to a healthy child, to receive healing, to protect yourself and your family from troubles, and more.

You can turn to the Mother of God with prayer:

“Virgin Mother of God, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with Thee: blessed art Thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, for Thou hast given birth to the Savior of our souls.”

Before and after meals

Before eating, one of the family members, usually the head of the family, says the prayer “Our Father...”, the rest repeat it to themselves or in a low voice.

For the blessing of food and drink for the laity:

“Lord Jesus Christ, our God, bless us with food and drink through the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and all Thy saints, as Blessed be unto the ages of ages. Amen." (And cross food and drink)

After the meal:

“We thank Thee, Christ our God, for Thou hast filled us with Thy earthly blessings; Do not deprive us of Your Heavenly Kingdom, but because You have come among Your disciples, O Savior, give them peace, come to us and save us.”

Nicholas the Wonderworker

Nicholas the Wonderworker showed interest in church affairs from infancy. On the recommendation of a priest-relative, the parents, who, by the way, were wealthy people, sent little Nicholas to worship. Nicholas the Wonderworker devoted his entire life to this cause. He had to endure a lot for the sake of faith, because... At that time there were persecutions of Christians.

Nicholas the Wonderworker helps in many difficult life circumstances, students during exam periods, the poor, and those who go on a long journey.

The saint occupies a special place among the saints. He is considered the closest to God. Therefore, prayers to him are the most powerful and fastest-acting.

“Oh, all-holy Nicholas, exceedingly saintly servant of the Lord, our warm intercessor, and everywhere in sorrow a quick helper. Help me, a sinner and a sad person, in this present life, beg the Lord God to grant me forgiveness of all my sins, which I have sinned greatly from my youth, in all my life, in deed, word, thought and all my feelings; and at the end of my soul, help me, the accursed one, beg the Lord God, the Creator of all creation, to deliver me from airy ordeals and eternal torment, so that I always glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and your merciful intercession, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen."

On the days of remembrance

The third, ninth and fortieth days from the day of death of a person are considered especially significant in Christianity. This is due to the special state of the soul of the deceased before the Last Judgment.

Therefore, for all 40 days from the date of death of a person, they read the Psalter and Prayers for the departed (“cell rule”). These special prayers are added to the obligatory prayers, which are referred to in the prayer book as a memorial for the departed.

“God of spirits and all flesh, having trampled down death and abolished the devil, and given life to Thy world; Himself, Lord, rest the soul of Your departed servant (Your departed servant or Your departed servant), [name], in a brighter place, in a greener place, in a calm place, from where sickness, sorrow and sighing have escaped. Every sin committed by him (her or them), in word, or deed, or thought, as God is good and a lover of mankind, forgive him. For there is no man who will live and not sin. For You are the only one without sin, Your righteousness is righteousness forever, and Your word is truth.”

How do Muslims pray to Allah?

Before prayer, it is necessary to perform the ablution ritual.. Then dress appropriately - in Islam, exposure of the body is unacceptable, especially for women.

ABOUT special attention should be paid to the place where prayer is held - it must be clean. Another special condition is that a Muslim’s face must be turned in a certain direction, towards Mecca.

Before performing namaz, you need to tune in, discard all extraneous thoughts. The whole consciousness should be occupied with what you say to the Almighty.

Namaz is preceded by a call - adhan. Next, surahs from the Koran are read and special prayers duas accompanied by bows.

Many who visited the church saw the following announcement in them: “The Lord sends sorrow to those who speak in the temple.” Others have seen this strange appeal online. But few people understand what this means. And it’s true, we don’t know at all how to behave and, most importantly, how to pray correctly in church. But prayer is great work, and it’s not easy to learn.

There are not only certain rules of behavior in the church, but also basic concepts about prayers and how they are performed. First, it is worth highlighting some of their types:

• Brief.
• Prayer rules.
• Homemade.
• Fraternal or common.
• By agreement.
• Saints.
• In front of the icons.
• For the people.

The latter type can also be divided into several categories, each of which is very important:

• For your neighbors.
• For your peace.
• About health.
• About enemies.

What is prayer

First, you need to understand what prayer is and how Orthodox Christians pray. This is direct communication, a conversation with God, but not the kind of God that other religions imagine, but the Living God, whose presence we feel. God, who became a man for us, who atoned for our sins. Yes, don’t be surprised, ours, the people who lived before us and those who will live long after us.

Precisely his death on the cross Christ again opened the way to heaven for man, to which no one had access before the crucifixion of Christ. Both by death and by his life He showed us the way to salvation, resurrection and eternal life. So we, Christians, including Orthodox Christians, pray about this throughout our earthly lives.

And our God, the Living, hears us, helps and by His will in every possible way arranges our path to salvation, the instrument of which is prayer. But it should not become the background human life, but must be the content and auxiliary means for unity with the Lord.

When is the best time to pray?

Realizing that prayer is a dialogue with God, the question arises when to conduct it. The Apostle Paul told us to pray unceasingly, as soon as you have a free minute in your thoughts, immediately turn to God. The Jesus Prayer is more suitable for this, and do not believe anyone who tells you that reading it is dangerous or harmful, or that it is only needed by monks. It is not true.

It sounds like this: “ Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner)". And in abbreviated form it looks and is pronounced like this: “ Lord have mercy" In fact, many resort to these words constantly, but nothing terrible has happened, it follows that the laity can pray with these words, despite the far-fetched prohibitions. And only monks are allowed to read it while fingering their beads.

The most correct decision would be to take the priest’s blessing to say the Jesus Prayer. But it’s okay if you pray without it, the main thing is to use permitted prayers from reliable sources, for example, Orthodox prayer books bought in church.

Ideally, a Christian should spend his entire life in prayer. and be literally permeated by it. Try to think about God more often throughout the day. It is not necessary to memorize a complete prayer book, the main thing is to remember that the Lord is always with us, to think about it constantly. When you get out of bed, thank God for a new day. Thank Him during meals, for the fact that you have food and the opportunity to purchase it.

At work and on the way to it, while walking and when communicating with friends, also pray or turn your thoughts to God! If you don’t know what words to use to appeal to Him, say the Jesus Prayer, it’s not that difficult to remember.

In the evening before going to bed, also do not forget to thank God for the past day. And if you have a free minute after work, visit the temple, maybe you’ll have time to catch evening service. There you can not only praise the Lord, but also pray for your loved ones or ask for the necessary benefits for yourself.

Brief

God doesn't need words, therefore, you should not be afraid of making mistakes in reading prayers, or finding an excuse for yourself in ignorance of prayer texts and Church Slavonic language. You can pronounce them in the language in which you think, the main thing is to do it with a pure heart and good thoughts, since the Lord will see our hearts, and not our words.

You can pray briefly, like Lord have mercy or Thank God l for expressing thoughts in your own words, putting them into a form that you understand. You can read such prayers at home, in church and in other places where your thoughts will be free for the Lord.

But with frequent visits to churches, you will begin to understand the texts spoken there and learn to read them yourself, even in Church Slavonic. It's all about practice and also about prayer. Many believers think that they know how to pray and often visit churches, but in reality their words only shake the air, but do not reach God, and therefore their petitions are rarely heard.

You can learn this all your life, but you won’t understand the meaning until your death. Some saints underwent severe torment or retired into solitude so that their thoughts would be occupied exclusively with God. And not many succeeded. From the Holy Scriptures we know examples when a short but sincere prayer reached the ears of the Lord.

For example, the words of a tax collector, who tearfully prayed to God for forgiveness, sincerely and sincerely, realizing his sinfulness: “ Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner."! And such a prayer was more pleasing to God than that of the Pharisee, even in his prayer he exalted himself above everyone else. Or the words of the thief who asked for the crucified Christ " remember him in Your Kingdom" And as we know, this robber was the first to enter paradise.

Prayer Rules

To the questions of believers about how to pray, in church or at home, the holy fathers recommend the following:

Imagine, the day of judgment has come, and the Savior has taken with Him everyone who is worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven, and you remain on earth and know that fiery Gehenna is prepared for you, and you begin to pray that He will take you with Him too! These are the feelings you need to pray with every time you turn to God!

Other priests give this example:

You know that the first people, Adam and Eve, were privileged to be in paradise and to have constant communication with God in much the same way as you communicate every day with your family. Every believer dreams of such living communication, but, alas, for us it is so unattainable that we can only hope for entry into the Kingdom of Heaven after death.

And then at one moment the Creator deprives the first people of this blessed communication with him and expels them to earth, making them mortal. And Adam, realizing what happened, begins to pray so hard like I've never done this before. So we should imagine at least a little the emotions he experienced and try to put them into our prayers.

Experienced prayer books recommend that while reading or pronouncing the texts of prayers, direct your mental gaze to the area of ​​​​the heart. Then the concentration of thoughts will increase and you will tune them in the right way. But this is very difficult for an inexperienced person and may even seem completely incomprehensible. Therefore, you will have to concentrate very hard and train for a long time.

Prayer rules include a set of specific prayers and are intended for use in certain cases, for example, morning rule collected for prayer at the beginning of the day, and at the end for the coming sleep. There are also penitential canons, follow-ups, for example, communion and thanksgiving, they can also be classified as prayer rules.

They contain prayers from great ascetics, saints and theologians who compiled the texts of prayers for everyday appeal to God. Such rules greatly facilitate our communication with the Lord, because we do not have to look for different prayers in all sources of spiritual literature.

Such rules are different for each person. Some people spend more time reading them, others less. Some pray in the morning for only five minutes, while for others even half an hour is not enough. But the time of reading the prayer rule does not matter; it is much more important that your thoughts and heart correspond to the spoken words.

Home prayer

At home, as in church or in any other place, you are allowed to pray either in your own words or with existing prayers, which are easy to find in Orthodox prayer books. Permitted to read as short Jesus prayer, and long rules.

Collective

This type of prayer, where more than one person participates, is divided into two types:

1. Fraternal or common.
2. By agreement.

They are performed exclusively in churches and chapels, that is, in those places where many fellow believers gather and in common prayer turn their mental gaze to the Lord. During divine services, you are allowed to pray for yourself without participating in general prayer; this is how they differ from prayer by agreement.

When people agree to pray for someone or something on a certain day or hour, this is called prayer by agreement. The Savior himself said this: “... If two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, then whatever they ask will be done for them by My Father in heaven, for where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them" They have very great power and action, therefore it is customary to read prayers by agreement in case of any disasters or severe illnesses one specific person.

Saints and before icons

When praying in front of icons, the main thing is not to get confused and begin to believe that it is she who is helping us, and not the one whose face is depicted on it. It is also important not to start imagining these images, because what is depicted on the icons is probably not what we want to see. For example, the Holy Spirit, depicted as a dove, in essence is not such. The icons depict only available human consciousness images.

When addressing the saints, it is important to understand that the saint himself will help with his prayers at the Throne of God, and not the icon with his image. Thus, it is important that the icon does not replace the object of prayer, thereby changing the entire meaning of the prayer request. For example, when praying to the “Icon of All Saints”, which depicts a cathedral of revered Orthodox Church saints of God, you cannot imagine each of them. But even when praying to Saint Stepan, you should not imagine what he looked like. That's not important.

When you come to the temple, you will see how to pray correctly in the church in front of the icon and how Orthodox Christians pray. After observing from the outside, you will understand the individual rules and actions at the service. There are no special rules on how to properly pray at home in front of an icon. You can follow the same principles as in church.

For health and peace

Prayers for people, or, as believers say, for their neighbors, are a great necessity. Such prayers are divided into two types: for the repose, when we pray for already deceased relatives and for the Lord to accept them into his kingdom, they are said near a special table with candlesticks, square in shape, and with a crucifix above it. For health - such prayers are important for those for whom they pray and for those praying themselves. This can be done when placing a candle on round candlesticks, or simply in mental or verbal prayer.

They pray for the peace and health of their neighbors and during some prayer rules, for example, morning. Important, that Christian faith calls for prayer not only for close relatives and friends, but also for unfamiliar people and even enemies! After all, we must love our enemy, and good prayer for such people is the highest manifestation of Christian love.

All of the above types of prayers will help you figure out how best to pray at home or in church. In churches, for example, during Lent, you can see people kneeling or prostrating during services. They themselves are an integral part of prayer, like the sign of the cross. And of course, you need to pray standing, if your health allows, both at home and in church.

The main thing is not to disrupt the course of the church service, not to make noise, try to show reverence and not distract other worshipers. If you can’t get into the right mood or don’t know the words of the prayer, you can simply listen to what the priest says and the choir sings. You must treat icons and other church utensils with reverence and respect, so as not to disturb the prayerful atmosphere that surrounds you in the church.

In personal matters, as already mentioned, sincerity, purity of thoughts, an open heart and a good attitude are important. Regular confession and communion, as well as constant prayer practice, will help achieve this. Perhaps this is all you need to learn how to pray correctly in church.

Attention, TODAY only!

Only basically we have descriptions of how monks should pray in their cells, and how exactly the desert fathers practiced and succeeded in the Jesus Prayer. This is very instructive, no doubt about it, but we are not monks.

Deacon Pavel Serzhantov

Most of us come to God in urban family life, not in the desert. And we are familiar with the experience of ordinary temple prayer and even home morning prayer, and not the solitary schematic prayer rule.

Meanwhile, it seems, monastic experience mental prayer will be somewhat helpful in our attempts to explain what temple prayer is. Now I will try to think about this, I ask the reader in advance to be lenient with me, because the topic is not so easy.

Different Types of Prayer

Only occasionally does the entire temple literally pray with one mouth. When does this happen? When they sing,” the troparion and magnification of their favorite holiday. Mostly, we hear one priest saying a prayer, while everyone else stands silently, only occasionally crossing themselves.

Or another well-known picture: several choristers sing the irmos of the Matins canon, while people lined up in a dense wall for the anointing, so dense that it is almost impossible to cross themselves. Why is this line not praying at all, just listening to the singers praying?

In order to come to a precise answer, we need to talk about what types of prayer there are in general. This is where books on cell work come in handy for us: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

There are different kinds Jesus Prayer, they even form a kind of ladder. Let us list the steps of this ladder:

1. Verbal prayer(The Jesus Prayer is said in the cell out loud, with the lips, loudly or quietly).

2. Mental prayer(it is pronounced silently, with one mind).

3. Mind-heart prayer(a particularly deep prayer, during which the mind connects with the heart, or, better to say, the mind reunites with heart).

Verbal and mental prayer

At the all-night vigil, of course, you will not hear the spoken Jesus Prayer, but there the reader says, for example, the Lord’s Prayer. Can this reader's prayer be called an oral prayer? Yes, in a broad sense.

And one of the parishioners, at the same time as the reader, mentally pronounces the same words of the Lord’s Prayer. Can this prayer of a parishioner be called mental prayer? In general, yes too.

Why do I make such reservations: “in general, yes too”?.. Because the Our Father is clearly different from the mental Jesus Prayer. What is the difference? The words are different and there are more words.

The Jesus Prayer is traditionally called the short prayer. Prayer Our Father not so terse.

What is special about the short Jesus Prayer? It is so short that it is easiest for a weak, absent-minded person to maintain attention.

But prayer without attention, like a body without a soul, is a lifeless element, a sad phenomenon. Therefore, it is easier to practice in short prayer, and it is easier to track how the prayer changes during the exercises.

So, the concept of “oral and mental prayer” is traditionally attributed to the short, repeatedly repeated Jesus Prayer, but in essence it could also be applied to the not so short, once repeated Lord’s Prayer.

So what happens in the temple?

The reader at the all-night vigil performs the oral prayer Our Father, and the parishioners perform mental prayer. If it occurs to one of the parishioners to add his own voice to the voice of the reader, then a cacophony will inevitably arise, and he will be gently asked to pray silently.

What happens? There are 200 parishioners at the all-night vigil in the church. Only one reader says the Lord’s Prayer as an oral prayer, and 199 are called upon at this time to pronounce the same words, only as a mental prayer.

Let's compare this situation with another: at the Liturgy, the deacon and the same parishioners, 195 people, sing the Lord's Prayer - this is not quite a classic oral prayer, in ascetic terminology it is called singing prayerful. Simultaneously with this singing, in the altar the primate performs Our Father as a spoken prayer, and other clergy and altar servers perform Our Father as a mental prayer.

Let's get to the conclusions

It turns out that in the parish during the service we are all called to bring mental prayers to God, and some of us at some points in the service bring verbal prayers. What's easier?

As you know, praying verbally to the entire temple requires some special skills. The reader needs to prepare for a long time in advance in order to do this decorously, without hesitation, loudly, calmly and clearly. It seems easier at this time stand quietly among the people, not making a single sound.

However, many people find it easier to pray when they speak the words with their lips. And it’s harder to pray if the words don’t sound out loud. This difficulty arises when a person makes the transition from verbal prayer to mental prayer. Such a transition requires some skill in prayer.

A similar situation occurs not only in spiritual life, but also in ordinary study. Thus, at first the child has difficulty mastering oral reading, that is, reading aloud. And only after having acquired sufficient skill in oral reading does the child move on to reading to myself, so to speak, to “smart reading”.

Let us now return to the topic of prayer. In church, people sometimes pray verbally; this actually means that all of us, coming under the church vaults, are called to “parish mental prayer.”

This means that it would be good for all of us to have the skill of “at-home verbal prayer” - not as short, of course, as the Jesus Prayer.

It’s not enough to just stand quietly among the people, listen to the singers and the prayers of the priest. You need to gradually participate in the service, pray together with the priest and choristers. Moreover, pray mostly silently, not out loud. Not an easy task? However, the task of achieving “parish mental prayer” is within everyone’s reach. To each!

To feel it better, let’s compare smart prayer with smart-hearted prayer. The difference is huge. And it is a generally accepted fact that mental-heart prayer is by no means the destiny of each of us. It represents a special gift from God and the good fruit of diligent, long-term spiritual endeavor under the guidance of an experienced mentor. “Parish mental prayer” is still a different matter, it is more accessible to everyone.

1. If you want, you can put the words “smart prayer” in quotation marks

2. However, one should not exaggerate the difference between the Lord’s Prayer and the Jesus Prayer; on the portal we have already expressed the observation that the Jesus Prayer is “composed according to the principle” of the Lord’s Prayer (see: “

How to prepare yourself for visiting the temple. The temple is the house of God, heaven on earth, a place where greatest sacraments. Therefore, it is necessary to always prepare for receiving shrines, so that the Lord does not condemn us for negligence in communicating with the Great.* Eating food before visiting the temple is not recommended, it is prohibited according to the rules, this is always done on an empty stomach. Some retreats are possible due to weakness, with the obligatory reproach of oneself.
Clothes, has great importance, the Apostle Paul mentions this, commanding women to cover their heads. He notes that a woman's covered head is a positive sign for the angels, for it is a sign of modesty. It is not good to visit a temple in a short, bright skirt, in a provocatively revealing dress or in a tracksuit. Anything that forces others to pay attention to you and distracts you from service and prayer is considered bad. A woman in trousers in a temple is also an unacceptable phenomenon. In the Bible, there is also an Old Testament prohibition for women to dress in men's clothing, and for men to dress in women's clothing. Respect the feelings of believers, even if this is YOUR first visit to the temple.

In the morning, getting out of bed, thank our Lord, who has given us the opportunity to spend the night in peace and who has extended us the days of repentance. Slowly wash your face, stand in front of the icon, light a lamp (necessarily from a candle) to impart a prayerful spirit, bring your thoughts into silence and order, forgive everyone and only then begin to read the morning prayers from the prayer book. If you have time, read one chapter from the Gospel, one of the Acts of the Apostles, one kathisma from the Psalter, or one psalm. At the same time, it is necessary to remember that it is always better to read one prayer, with sincere feeling, than all prayers, with obsessive thought, complete it quickly. Before you leave, say a prayer: “I deny you, Satan, your pride and your service, and I unite with you, Christ our God, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen". Then, cross yourself and calmly walk to the temple. On the street, cross the road in front of you, with the prayer: “Lord, bless my ways and save me from all evil.” On the way to the temple, read the prayer to yourself: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

*Rules for entering the temple.
Before entering the temple, cross yourself, bow three times, looking at the image of the Savior, and say before the first bow: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” to the second bow: “God, cleanse my sins and have mercy on me.”
To the third: “I have sinned beyond number, Lord, forgive me.”
Then, having done the same, entering the doors of the temple, bow to both sides, say to yourself: “Forgive me, brothers and sisters.”
*In church, the correct way to kiss icons is as follows:
When kissing the holy icon of the Savior, one should kiss the feet,
Mother of God and the Saints' hand,
A miraculous image The Savior and the head of St. John the Baptist - in hair wool.
And remember!!! If you come to the service, then the Service must be defended from beginning to end. Service is not a duty, but a sacrifice to God.
NOTE: - if you do not have the strength to stand for the entire service, then you can sit, for as St. Philaret of Moscow said: “It is better to think about God while sitting than about your feet while standing.”
However, while reading the Gospel you must stand!!!

How to be BAPTIZED CORRECTLY.
The sign of the cross is performed as follows.
We're putting our fingers together right hand: thumb, index and middle - together (in a pinch), ring and little fingers - bent together, pressed to the palm.

Three folded fingers mean our faith in God, worshiped in the Trinity, and two fingers mean faith in Jesus Christ as the true God and true Man. Then, with the tips of three folded fingers, we touch our forehead to sanctify our thoughts; belly to sanctify our body; right and left shoulders, to sanctify the works of our hands. In this way we depict a cross on ourselves.

After this we bow. Bows can be from the waist to the ground. The waist bow consists of bending the upper body forward after making the sign of the cross. When bowing to the ground, the believer kneels, bending down, touches his forehead to the floor and then stands up.

Regarding what bows should be performed and when, there are certain extensive church rules. For example, prostrations are not performed during the period from Easter to the Holy Trinity, as well as on Sundays and on the days of great holidays.

To be baptized without bowing: 1. In the middle of the six psalms on “Alleluia” three times.
2. At the beginning “I believe.”
3. On vacation “Christ our true God.”
4. At the beginning of reading the Holy Scriptures: the Gospel, the Apostle and proverbs.

Cross yourself with a bow:
1. When entering the temple and when leaving it - three times.
2. At each petition, the litany after singing “Lord, have mercy,” “Give, Lord,” “To you, Lord.”
3. With the exclamation of the clergyman, giving glory to the Holy Trinity.
4. When shouting “Take, eat”, “Drink from it all”, “Yours from Yours”.
5. At the words “Most honorable Cherub.”
6. With each word “let us bow down,” “worship,” “let us fall down.”
7. During the words “Alleluia”, “Holy God” and “Come, let us worship” and during the exclamation “Glory to Thee, Christ God”, before dismissal - three times.
8. On the canon on the 1st and 9th cantos at the first invocation to the Lord, the Mother of God or the saints.
9. After each stichera (moreover, the choir that finishes singing is baptized).
10. At the litia, after each of the first three petitions of the litany - 3 bows, after the other two - one each.

Be baptized with a bow to the ground:
1. During fasting, when entering the temple and when leaving it - 3 times.
2. During Lent, after each chorus to the song of the Mother of God “We magnify Thee.”
3. At the beginning of singing “It is worthy and righteous to eat.”
4. After “We’ll sing for you.”
5. After “It is worthy to eat” or Zadostoynik.
6. When shouting: “And grant us, Master.”
7. When carrying out the Holy Gifts, with the words “Approach with the fear of God and faith,” and the second time - with the words “Always, now and ever.”
8. B Lent, at Great Compline, while singing “Holy Lady” - on every verse; while singing “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice” and so on. At Lenten Vespers three bows are made.
9. During fasting, during the prayer “Lord and Master of my life.”
10. During Lent, during the final singing: “Remember me, Lord, when You come in Your Kingdom.” Total 3 prostrations.

Half bow without the sign of the cross
1. At the words of the priest “Peace to all”
2. “The blessing of the Lord be upon you,”
3. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ”,
4. “And may the mercies of the Great God be” and
5. With the words of the deacon “And forever and ever” (after the priest’s exclamation “How holy art thou, our God” before the singing of the Trisagion).

You are not supposed to be baptized.
1. During the psalms.
2. In general, while singing.
3. During the litanies, to the choir who sings the litany choruses
4. You need to be baptized and bow down at the end of the singing, and not at the last words.

Prostrations to the ground are not allowed.
On Sundays, on the days from the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany, from Easter to Pentecost, on the Feast of the Transfiguration and Exaltation (on this day there are three prostrations to the Cross). Bowing stops from the evening entrance before the holiday until “Grant, O Lord,” at Vespers on the very day of the holiday.

ICONS IN THE HOUSE
Savior Not Made by Hands

Icon is a Greek word and is translated as “image.” Holy Bible says that Jesus Christ himself was the first to give people His visible image.
King Abgar, who ruled during the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Syrian city of Edessa, was seriously ill with leprosy. Having learned that in Palestine there was the great “prophet and wonderworker” Jesus, who taught about the Kingdom of God and healed people of any disease, Abgar believed in Him and sent his court painter Ananias to give Jesus a letter from Abgar, asking for healing and his repentance. In addition, he ordered the painter to draw a portrait of Jesus. But the artist was unable to make a portrait, “due to the radiant shine of His face.” The Lord himself came to his aid. He took a piece of cloth and applied it to His Divine face, which is why His divine image was imprinted on the cloth, by the power of grace. Having received this Holy Image - the first icon created by the Lord Himself, Abgar venerated it with faith and received healing for his faith.
This miraculous image was given a name - *Savior Not Made by Hands*.

Purpose of the icon
The main purpose of the icon is to help people rise above the vanity of the world and provide assistance in prayer. “An icon is an embodied prayer. It is created in prayer and for the sake of prayer, the driving force of which is love for God, the desire for Him as for perfect Beauty.”
The icon is called upon to awaken in what lies before it the spiritual need to pray, to fall before God in repentance, to seek consolation in sorrows and prayers.

What icons should be in the home of an Orthodox Christian?
You must have icons of the Savior and the Mother of God at home. From the images of the Savior, for home prayer Usually a half-length image of the Lord Almighty is chosen. Characteristic feature This iconographic type is the image of the Lord with a blessing hand and an open or closed book. Also, an icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands is often purchased for the home.
The icon of the Mother of God is most often chosen from the following iconographic types:
“Tenderness” (“Eleusa”) - Vladimirskaya, Donskaya, Pochaevskaya, Feodorovskaya, Tolgskaya, “Recovery of the Dead”, etc.;
“Guide” (“Hodegetria”) - Kazanskaya, Tikhvinskaya, “Quick to Hear”, Iverskaya, Gruzinskaya, “Three-Handed”, etc.
Usually in Rus' it is customary to place an icon of St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra in Lycia (Nicholas the Pleasant) in every home iconostasis. Of the Russian saints, images are most often found St. Sergius Radonezh and Seraphim of Sarov; Among the icons of martyrs, the icons of St. George the Victorious and the healer Panteleimon are very often placed. If space permits, it is advisable to have images of the Holy Evangelists, St. John the Baptist, and the Archangels Gabriel and Michael.
If desired, you can add icons of patrons. For example: Patrons of the family - the holy faithful Prince Peter (monastically David) and Princess Fevronia
Saints Peter and Fevronia are an example of Christian marriage. With their prayers they bring down Heavenly blessings on those entering into marriage.
- the holy martyrs and confessors Gury, Samon and Aviv - are known among Orthodox Christians as the patrons of matrimony, marriage, happy family; They are prayed to “if the husband innocently hates his wife” - they are the intercessors of a woman in a difficult marriage. PATRON OF CHILDREN. - saint baby martyr Gabriel of Bialystok.

How to pray CORRECTLY. Prayers are read according to certain RULES. A rule is the order of reading prayers established by the Church, their composition and sequence. There are: morning, afternoon and evening rule, rule for Holy Communion.
Each of the rules has almost the same beginning - opening prayers:

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

Heavenly King...
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.
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us...
Lord, have mercy... (three times).
Glory to the Father and the Son...
Our Father …"
these initial prayers are followed by the rest.

If you are limited in time, then take advantage of Prayer Rule, Seraphim of Sarov:
After sleep, having washed, first of all, you need to stand in front of the icons and, reverently crossing yourself, read three times Lord's prayer*Our Father*. Then three times *Virgin Mother of God, rejoice* and, finally, the Creed.

Is it possible to pray in your own words? It is possible, but within certain restrictions.
The Church does not prohibit praying in one’s own words. Moreover, she points to this and prescribes, say, in morning rule: “Briefly offer a prayer for the salvation of your spiritual father, your parents, relatives, superiors, benefactors, those you know who are sick or in sorrow.” Thus, we can tell the Lord in our own words about what concerns our friends or us personally, about what was not said in the prayers included in the prayer book.
However, without achieving spiritual perfection, praying with the words that come to mind, even if they come from the depths of the soul, we can only remain at our level of spirituality. By joining the prayers of the saints, trying to delve into their words, each time we become a little higher and better spiritually.
The Lord Himself gave us an example of how to pray. The prayer He left for His disciples is called the Lord's Prayer. It exists in all prayer books and is part of church services. This prayer is *Our Father*.

The Lord's Prayer (given to us by Jesus Christ) -
Our Father who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us our daily bread for this day;
and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and do not let us fall into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
**********

SYMBOL OF FAITH:
I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, everything visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten of the Father before the beginning of time; Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father, through whom all things were created.
For us, for the sake of people and for our salvation, he came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and rose again on the third day, as the Scriptures predicted. And ascended into heaven and reigns with the Father. And He will come again in glory to judge 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, equally worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son, who 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.
Symbol of faith - summary basics Orthodox faith, compiled at the I and II Ecumenical Councils in the 4th century; read in the morning as a daily prayer.

PSALM 50.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your mercies, cleanse my iniquities. Wash me from all my iniquities, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my iniquities, and my sin is always before me. I have sinned only before You, and I have done evil before You, so You are right in Your verdict and just in Your judgment. From my very birth I have been guilty before You; I am a sinner from my conception in my mother's womb. But You love the sincere in heart and reveal to them the secrets of wisdom. Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will become whiter than snow. Return joy and gladness to my soul, and my bones, broken by You, 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 me. 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 Your Sovereign Spirit. I will teach the wicked Your ways, and the wicked will turn to You. Deliver me from premature death, O God, God is my salvation, and my tongue will praise Your righteousness. God! Open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice - I would give it - and You do not favor burnt offerings. A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God will not despise a contrite and humble heart. Renew, O God, by Thy mercy Zion, erect the walls of Jerusalem. Then righteous sacrifices will be acceptable to You; then they will lay sacrifices to You on Your altar.

*Song of 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.

*Prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary:
O Most Holy Lady Lady Theotokos! Raise us, servant of God (names), from the depths of sin and deliver us from sudden death and from all evil. Grant us, O Lady, peace and health and enlighten our minds and the eyes of our hearts to salvation, and grant us, Thy sinful servants, the Kingdom of Thy Son, Christ our God: for His power is blessed with the Father and His Most Holy Spirit.

*A simpler prayer -
Most Holy Mother of God, pray to Your Son and God for the revelation of my mind and for the blessing of my undertakings, and for sending from above help in my affairs, and for the forgiveness of my sins, and for receiving eternal blessings. Amen.

PRAYERS BEFORE EATING AND AFTER EATING FOOD
Blessing of food or Prayer of thanksgiving, pronounced before the start of the meal.
The prayer can be read while sitting or standing. But, if there are people present who profess a different faith, then it is better not to say the prayer out loud!
The content of the prayer can be short or lengthy. The three options for prayers before meals given below are the most common, as they are the shortest:

1. Lord, bless us and these Thy gifts that we partake of.
Yours. In the name of Christ our Lord, amen.

2. Bless, Lord, this food, so that it will benefit us and give us
strength to serve You and help those who need it. Amen.

3. Let us thank the Lord for the meal given to us. Amen.

We present to you other options for prayers before meals:

1. Our Father... Or: The eyes of all are turned to You, Lord, and You give food to everyone at the right time,
You open Your generous hand and satisfy all living things.

2. We thank You, Christ our God, for You have filled us with Your earthly blessings. Don't deprive us of
Your Heavenly Kingdom, but as you once came to Your disciples, giving them peace, come to us and save us.

Often, believers, before and after eating, simply read three prayers: “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen". “Lord, have mercy” (three times). “Through the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and all Thy saints, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us. Amen".

And, if you want to snack on an apple or a sandwich, for example, then the clergy recommend that you simply cross yourself or cross what you are eating!

PRAYERS FOR THE COMING SLEEP:
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.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
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)
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.

*Prayer of Saint 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 Holy Spirit
Lord, Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, have mercy and have mercy on me, Thy sinful servant, and forgive me the unworthy, and forgive me all that You have sinned today as a man, and moreover, not as a man, but also worse than cattle, my free sins and involuntary, known and unknown: those who are evil from youth and science, and those who are evil from insolence and despondency. If I swear by Your name, or blaspheme in my thoughts; or whom I will reproach; or slandered someone with my anger, or saddened someone, or became angry about something; either he lied, or he slept in vain, or he came to me as a beggar and despised him; or made my brother sad, or married, or whom I condemned; or became proud, or became proud, or became angry; or standing in prayer, my mind is moved by the wickedness of this world, or I think about corruption; either overeated, or drunk, or laughing madly; either I thought evil, or saw someone else’s kindness, and my heart was wounded by it; or dissimilar verbs, or laughed at my brother’s sin, but mine are countless sins; Either I didn’t pray for the sake of it, or I didn’t remember what other evil things I did, because I did more and more of these things. Have mercy on me, my Creator Master, Thy sad and unworthy servant, and leave me, and let me go, and forgive me, for I am Good and Lover of Mankind, so that I may lie down in peace, sleep and rest, the prodigal, sinful and damned one, and I will bow and sing , and I will glorify Your most honorable name, with the Father and His Only Begotten Son, now and ever and forever. Amen.

*Prayer
Lord our God, who have sinned in these days in word, deed and thought, as He is Good and Lover of Mankind, forgive me. Grant me a peaceful and serene sleep. Send Your guardian angel, covering and keeping me from all evil, for You are the guardian of our souls and bodies, and we send glory to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

*Prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, for the sake of Your most honorable Mother, and Your disembodied Angels, Your Prophet and Forerunner and Baptist, the God-speaking Apostles, the bright and victorious martyrs, the reverend and God-bearing fathers, and all the saints through the prayers, deliver me from my present demonic situation. To her, my Lord and Creator, do not want the death of a sinner, but as if he were converted and live, grant me conversion, the accursed and unworthy; take me away from the mouth of the destructive serpent, who yawns to devour me and bring me to hell alive. To her, my Lord, is my consolation, Who for the sake of the accursed one has clothed himself in corruptible flesh, pluck me from accursedness, and grant consolation to my more accursed soul. Plant in my heart to do Thy commandments, and forsake evil deeds, and receive Thy blessedness: for in Thee, O Lord, have I trusted, save me.

*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.

Prayer to the Honest Life-Giving Cross:
May God rise again, and may His enemies be scattered, and may those who hate Him flee from His presence. As smoke disappears, let them disappear; as wax melts in the face of fire, so let demons perish in the face lovers of God and signifying sign of the cross, and in joy saying: Rejoice, Most Honest and Life-giving Cross Lord, drive away the demons by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and trampled upon the power of the devil, and gave us His Honest Cross to drive away every adversary. O Most Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Virgin Mary and with all the saints forever. Amen.
Or briefly:
Protect me, Lord, by the power of Your Honest and Life-giving Cross, and save me from all evil.

*Prayer
Weaken, forsake, forgive, O God, our sins, voluntary and involuntary, even in word and in deed, even in knowledge and in ignorance, even in days and in nights, even in mind and in thought: forgive us everything, for it is good and Lover of Humanity.
*Prayer
Forgive those who hate and offend us, Lord Lover of Mankind. Do good to those who do good. Grant to our brothers and relatives the same petitions for salvation and eternal life. Visit those who are infirm and grant healing. Manage the sea as well. For travelers, travel. Grant forgiveness of sins to those who serve and forgive us. Have mercy on those who have commanded us unworthy to pray for them according to Your great mercy. Remember, Lord, our fathers and brothers who have fallen before us, and give them rest, where the light of Your face shines. Remember, Lord, our captive brothers and deliver me from every situation. Remember, Lord, those who bear fruit and do good in Your holy churches, and give them petitions for salvation and eternal life. Remember, Lord, us, humble and sinful and unworthy Thy servants, and enlighten our minds with the light of Thy mind, and guide us on the path of Thy commandments, through the prayers of our Most Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary and all Thy saints: for blessed art thou unto the ages of ages. . Amen.

*CONFESSION OF SINS DAILY:
I confess to You, Lord my God and Creator, in Holy Trinity To 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 for every hour, and at the present time, and in days and nights that have passed, by deed, word, thought, food, drunkenness, secret eating, idle talk, despondency, laziness, bickering, disobedience, slander, condemnation, negligence, pride, avarice, theft, lack of speech, foulness, money-grubbing, jealousy, envy, anger, memory malice, hatred, covetousness and all my feelings: sight, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching and my other sins, both mental and physical, in the image of my God and Creator, who have angered You, and my untruthful neighbor: regretting these, I present my guilt to You to my God, and I have the will to repent: exactly, Lord God my, help me, with tears I humbly pray to Thee: forgive me my sins by Thy mercy, and forgive me from all these things that I have said before You, as You are Good and Lover of Mankind.

When you go to bed, be sure to say:

*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.*

The LORD save and preserve you!!!