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How to learn to understand prayers? Translation of the words of prayers from the prayer book for the laity from Church Slavonic, clarification of the meaning of prayers and petitions. Interpretations and quotes of the Holy Fathers. Icons.
Evening prayers (for bedtime)
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 the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
Heavenly King...*
Trisagion according to Our Father.*
*For an explanation of the initial prayers, see " "
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.
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 the works of Your hand, and your name we call.
Open the doors of mercy for us, Blessed Mother of God, so that those who trust in You may not perish, but may be delivered from troubles by You: for You are the salvation of the Christian race.
They are perplexed by any answer - without finding any justification for themselves (to be perplexed - not to know what to do, to be inexperienced; the word answer here is a translation of the Greek word "defense", "justification" - cf. Russian: "to call to account").
We trusted in You - because we relied on You (as in the Greek text of the prayer; hope is the form of the 1st person plural of the past tense - aorist - the verb to trust; the Church Slavonic version means: we trusted in You). Zelo - strong. Below - and not. He is kind, because You are merciful. We - us. All the works of Thy hand - we are all the creations of Thy hands (a dash would shine through this expression: following the Greek original, the Slavic translation omitted a linking verb, in full form it would sound: all are the works of Thy hand; by Thy hand - the form gives birth to the case of dualities . numbers).
By You - meaning: through You.
These troparia are the creation of St. John of Damascus.
Lord have mercy. (12 times)
Prayer 1, St. Macarius the Great, to God the Father
Eternal God and King of every creature, who has made me worthy even at this hour, forgive me the sins I have committed this day in deed, word and thought; and cleanse, Lord, my humble soul from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. And grant me, Lord, to pass through this dream in peace at night, so that, having risen from my humble bed, I may please Your most holy name all the days of my life, and will trample the fleshly and incorporeal enemies that fight me. Deliver me, Lord, from vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil lusts. For Thine 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.
Even at this hour, to reach this hour - to live up to this hour (to reach this hour - to achieve). Even I created - which I created (made). Humble - here: pathetic, worthless (take care of yourself from the terrible danger of false humility and proud recognition of yourself as humble!). To pass this dream in the night - to sleep through this night, to “go the distance” of this night’s sleep. From my humble bed (in some prayer books: from my humble bed) - from my pitiful, meager bed (humble often means: “low, base” even just in the physical sense). Popper - I will overcome, I will trample. The lusts of the evil ones are evil desires.
And deliver me, Lord, from vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil lusts. These words of the prayer are peculiarly echoed by other words from the teaching of the Monk Macarius on prayer: “The true basis of prayer is this: to be attentive to thoughts and to perform prayer in great silence and peace. A person praying must direct all his effort to thoughts and that serves as food for evil thoughts , then to cut off, but to direct one’s thoughts to God and not to fulfill one’s desires, but to collect whirling thoughts from everywhere together, distinguishing natural thoughts from evil ones. The soul under sin is likened to a large forest on a mountain or reeds on a river, or some kind of thorns and trees, therefore those who intend to pass by this place must stretch out their hands forward and with effort and difficulty move apart the branches in front of them. So the soul is surrounded by a whole forest of thoughts inspired by a resistive force, which is why great diligence and attentiveness of the mind are required in order for a person to distinguish alien thoughts inspired by a resistive force. by force."
Prayer 2, Saint Antiochus to Our Lord Jesus Christ
To the Almighty, Word of the Father, the perfect One Jesus Christ, for the sake of Thy mercy, never leave me, Your servant, but always rest in me. Jesus, good Shepherd of Your sheep, do not betray me to the sedition of the serpent, and do not leave me to the desires of Satan, for the seed of aphids is in me. Thou, O Lord God worshiped, the Holy King, Jesus Christ, preserve me as I sleep with an unflickering light, by Thy Holy Spirit, with whom Thou hast sanctified Thy disciples. Grant, O Lord, to me, Thy unworthy servant, Thy salvation on my bed; enlighten my mind with the light of reason of Your holy Gospel, my soul with the love of Your Cross, my heart with the purity of Your word, my body with Your impassive passion; Preserve my thought with Your humility, and raise me up in time like Your praise. For Thou art glorified with Thy Beginningless Father and with the Most Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
He himself is perfect - being himself perfect (he is the participle of the verb to be: appearing, existing). Sedition - excitement, turmoil, rebellion. To the desire of Satan - to the will of Satan (to the will of Satan). The seed of an aphid is the seed of destruction. Unflickering - unfading. Give it - give it. By the light of reason - here: by the light of understanding. Your passionless passion - Your suffering, alien to passion. The time is like - the appropriate time.
Prayer 3, 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 I have sinned today as a man, and moreover, not as a man, but worse than cattle, my voluntary and involuntary sins , 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; or evil thoughts, or kindness seeing someone else's, and I would be wounded in my heart, or by dissimilar verbs, or by laughing 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; May I lie down in peace, sleep and rest, the prodigal, sinful and damned one; and I will worship, and sing, and glorify Your most honorable name, with the Father and His Only Begotten Son, now and ever, and forever. Amen.
All, as many as You have sinned - everything in which I have sinned before You (all, as many as I have sinned - I have sinned). Today - today. Moreover - and moreover. Grief is worse, more bitter. Even - which. From youth - from youth, from youth(and not “because of youth”). Evil comes from science - from evil teaching. From impudence - from shamelessness, insolence. Or else - if. I swore - I swore. Blasphemed e - blasphemed him (further in the prayer there follows a number of verbs in the form of the 1st person past tense - aorist; reproach - I reproached; slander - I slandered; saddened - I saddened, etc.). It's no good - it's not the right time. Svadih - excited quarrels, quarreled someone. I stand in prayer - when I stood in prayer. Moved by the deceit of this world, he rushed towards the worldly (towards the lies of this world). Evil - evil, bad. Having seen someone else's kindness - seeing someone else's beauty (or good qualities in general: kindness means both external beauty and perfection in general). I was wounded by that in my heart - I was wounded in my heart by it. Inappropriate verbs - said something inappropriate, obscene. My essence is countless sins - while my sins are countless. But all and more of these deeds - because I did all this and more.
At the beginning of the prayer and at the end of it, despondency is mentioned among the causes of numerous sins: ... Forgive all, O great One, those who have sinned ... from despondency ... Have mercy on me, my Creator Master, Thy sad and unworthy servant ... Dejection is one of the eight main passions, and the fight against this passion is inevitable for every Christian.
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“This evil spirit reminds the one who begins to pray about the necessary things to do and uses all sorts of tricks just to distract us from the conversation with the Lord with some plausible pretext.”
Venerable John Larch
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“The soul, wounded by the arrow of this ruinous passion, actually falls asleep for any striving for virtue and observation of its spiritual feelings... The main thing that produces in us the spirit of despondency is that it makes us lazy, discourages us from business and teaches idleness. He doesn’t think about anything else but food and belly, until, having met somewhere a fellowship in some man or woman, numb in the same coldness, he gets involved in their affairs and needs... The main thing to counteract him will be: don’t give in, stay busy ".
Venerable John Cassian the Roman
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“In every task, set a measure for yourself and do not leave it before you finish; also pray wisely and intensely - and the spirit of despondency will flee from you.”
Venerable Neil of Sinai
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This prayer of repentance contains a whole list of sins that we commit daily; In order for this daily repentance to be sincere, one must delve into the essence of the sins confessed here, in their connection and difference. Some of them deserve special mention.
...If I swear by Your name... These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself: Again you have heard what was said to the ancients: do not break your oath, but fulfill your oaths before the Lord. But I say to you: do not swear at all: not by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King; Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. But let your word be: yes, yes; no no; and anything beyond this is from the evil one (Matt. 5:33-37). Undoubtedly, the words of the evening confession of sins speak not only about an immediate oath, but also about any violation of the 3rd commandment of the Law of God - about deification and taking the name of God in vain (note that violation of the same commandment includes catechism and inattention in prayer - like uttering name of God with violation of reverence and deceit).
...Or blasphemy in my thoughts... These words are used to confess blasphemous thoughts - disgusting, dirty thoughts and ideas that arise primarily during prayer and during divine services.
“Whoever is troubled by the spirit of blasphemy and who wants to get rid of it, let him know without a doubt that it is not his soul that is guilty of such thoughts, but an unclean demon... Therefore, we, despising him and imputing the thoughts he puts in for nothing, will say to him: Get away from Me , Satan: I will worship the Lord My God and serve Him alone (cf. Matt. 4:10); let your words be returned to your head!"
“Whoever has won victory over this passion has cast aside pride.” “Let us stop judging and condemning our neighbor, and we will not be afraid of blasphemous thoughts: for the cause and root of the second is the first.” The prayer-confession also draws our attention to these sins against one’s neighbor, internally connected with blasphemy:
...Or I will reproach someone; or slandered someone with my anger, or saddened... Here we are talking about direct reproach (reproaches), about passionate unjust condemnation (slander of someone with my anger); finally, even “just” and not directly expressed anger in one way or another upsets our neighbors (the saddened). The prayer of repentance turns us to the root of these sins against our neighbor: ... or what we were angry about... Anger is one of the eight most important passions.
“Nothing hinders the coming of the Holy Spirit into us so much as anger.”
Venerable John Larch
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“It is not good to be angry, either without a reason or for a good reason; for this is rightly forbidden by the Lord (see: Matt. 5:22).”
Venerable Neil of Sinai
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Anger is permissible only at demons and at yourself: “Be angry at sin, that is, at yourself and at the devil, so as not to sin against God.”
Venerable Hesychius of Jerusalem
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...Or my brother was saddened... It would seem that this sin was just discussed; but above we were talking about sadness caused by manifestations of anger, and my brother can be saddened by inattention, unreasonableness, and simply my general sinfulness.
...Or svdih... Swaditi - to quarrel, to arouse discord.
...Or whom I condemn... Let us recall the words of the apostle: Whoever curses his brother or judges his brother, he is cursed by the law and judged by the law; and if you judge the law, then you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one Lawgiver and Judge, who can save and destroy; and who are you who judges another? (James 4:11-12).
...Either he became proud, or became angry, or became angry... But it was already said above: or about what he became angry; is this a repeat? Perhaps the prefix once indicates a different quality, a different level of professed passion: a fairly strong grip of anger (being angry can also refer to a fleeting feeling).
...Or seeing the kindness of someone else, and being wounded by it in the heart... Wounded by the heart - that is, he was wounded in the very heart, received a painful heart wound (ulcer). The ambiguity of the word kindness allows us to attribute this phrase both to the temptation of someone’s external beauty (voluptuous thoughts, burning and painful), and to envy, which is always painful; apply these words to your own mental ulcer.
...Or did you laugh at my brother’s sin, but my essence is countless sins... Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not feel the beam in your eye? Or how will you say to your brother: “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” but behold, there is a beam in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye (Matthew 7:3-5).
The creator of this prayer is St. Ephraim the Syrian...
Prayer 4, Saint Macarius the Great
What will I bring to You, or what will I reward to You, O most gifted Immortal King, generous and philanthropic Lord, since you were lazy in pleasing me, and did nothing good, you brought the conversion and salvation of my soul to the end of this day? Be merciful to me, a sinner and naked of every good deed, raise up my fallen soul, defiled in immeasurable sins, and take away from me all the evil thoughts of this visible life. Forgive my sins, the only Sinless One, even those who have sinned this day, in knowledge and ignorance, in word, and deed, and thought, and with all my feelings. You Yourself, covering me, save me from every opposing situation with Your Divine power, and ineffable love for mankind, and strength. Cleanse, O God, cleanse the multitude of my sins. Deign, O Lord, to deliver me from the snare of the evil one, and save my passionate soul, and overshadow me with the light of Your face, when You come in glory, and make me sleep without condemnation now, and keep the thoughts of Your servant without dreaming, and untroubled, and all the work of Satan take me away from me, and enlighten the intelligent eyes of my heart, so that I may not sleep into death. And send me an Angel of peace, guardian and mentor of my soul and body, that he may deliver me from my enemies; Yes, rising from my bed, I will bring you prayers of gratitude. Yes, Lord, hear me, your sinful and wretched servant, with your will and conscience; Grant that I have risen to learn from Thy words, and the despondency of demons is driven away from me, to be made by Thy Angels; may I bless Your holy name, and glorify, and glorify the Most Pure Mother of God Mary, Who hast given us sinners intercession, and accept this one praying for us; We see that He imitates Your love for mankind, and never ceases to pray. By that intercession, and the sign of the Honest Cross, and for the sake of all Thy saints, keep my poor soul, Jesus Christ our God, for Thou art holy and glorified forever. Amen.
Greatly gifted - bestowing great gifts, generous. Like me being lazy to please You - like me being lazy to serve You. And having done nothing good, he has done nothing good. You brought it to the end - You brought it to the end. Past - past. Building - here: arranging. Naked of every deed is good - deprived of any good deeds (the image of grace, as well as good deeds, as clothing that clothes a person, is repeated repeatedly in the New Testament and very often in liturgical poetry and ascetic literature. Compare the words of God Almighty in the Apocalypse: Behold, I go like a thief: blessed is he who watches and keeps his clothes, lest he walk naked and lest they see his shame - Rev. 16:15).
Even those who have sinned - with whom I have sinned before You (even - who have sinned - I have sinned: the form of the 1st person singular of the past tense - aorist). From every adverse situation - from every onslaught of evil. Lukavago - here: Devil. Passionate - full of passions, subject to passions. When - when. Detel - business, activity. Drive away - drive away. To her - yes, truly. By will and conscience - In the meaning. : in the expression of my will and in my conscience (will - free will, free will - and conscience in this expression belongs to the one praying, comes from him). I will rise - I will when I rise. To learn from Your words - to learn from Your law (the same expression in the morning prayer to the Most Holy Trinity). You already gave - which You gave. We know, because I know. Yako - what. Imitates - strengthens, appeals to (literally: pushes). Toya - Her.
Deign, Lord, to deliver me from the snare of the evil one... and to drive away all the work of Satan from me. Let us supplement these words of the prayer of St. Macarius the Great with words from his teaching: " Visible world, from kings to beggars, all in confusion, in struggle, and none of them knows the reason for this... The sin that came, as a certain rational force and essence of Satan, sowed all evil: it secretly acts on the inner man and on the mind and fights with with his thoughts; people do not know that they are doing this prompted by some alien force; on the contrary, they think that it is natural and that they are doing this according to their own reasoning. But in their very minds, those who have the peace of Christ and the illumination of Christ know where all this comes from.”
Prayer 5
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, to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
What I have sinned - what I have sinned. Yako - how. Mi - to me. Because You are - because You are.
Prayer 6
Lord our God, in the worthlessness of faith, and we call upon His name above every name, grant us, who are going to sleep, a weakening of soul and body, and keep us from all dreams and dark pleasures except; calm the desire of passions, extinguish the kindling of bodily rebellion. Grant us to live chastely in deeds and words; Yes, a virtuous life is receptive, Your promised good things will not fall away, for Blessed are You forever. Amen.
More than that. When I weaken, it’s a relief. Dark sweets except - unaffected by unclean lust (sweetness - sensual pleasure, lust; except - outside). Stop it - stop it. Receptively - accepting, receiving back (note that the word itself indicates a return to an undefiled way of life!). Promised - promised. Good - good.
This evening prayer everything is directed towards chastity, towards the confrontation of lust - dark sweets. Expressions such as: the desire of passions and the incitement of bodily rebellion should not be translated into modern Russian: in Church Slavonic they are more understandable, because they indicate a whole worldview imprinted in them. Modern Christians live in a world literally gripped by fornication madness, so even for a married layman striving to live with God, the struggle to live chastely in deeds and words is in its own way no less intense than for a monk. Prayer is an indispensable weapon in this fight.
Prayer 7, St. John Chrysostom (24 prayers, according to the number of hours of the day and night)
Lord, do not deprive me of Your heavenly blessings. Lord, save me from eternal torment. Lord, whether I have sinned in mind or in thought, in word or in deed, forgive me. Lord, deliver me from all ignorance and oblivion, and cowardice, and petrified insensibility. Lord, deliver me from every temptation. Lord, enlighten my heart, darken my evil lust. Lord, as a man who has sinned, You, as a generous God, have mercy on me, seeing the weakness of my soul. Lord, send Your grace to help me May I glorify Your holy name. Lord Jesus Christ, write me Your servant in the book of animals, and grant me a good end. Lord my God, even if I have done nothing good before You, grant me, by Your grace, to make a good beginning. Lord, sprinkle the dew of Your grace in my heart. Lord of heaven and earth, remember me, Thy sinful servant, cold and unclean, in Thy Kingdom. Amen.
I have sinned - I have sinned (past tense - aorist). Ezhe darkened - which darkened (pomrachi is also an aorist, but the form of the 3rd person). Below the animals - in the book of life. Even though I have done nothing good, I have done nothing good. Studnago - vile (literally: shameful; stud - shame).
Lord, accept me in repentance. Lord, don't leave me. Lord, do not lead me into misfortune. Lord, give me a good thought. Lord, give me tears, and mortal memory, and tenderness. Lord, give me the thought of confessing my sins. Lord, give me humility, chastity and obedience. Lord, give me patience, generosity and meekness. Lord, plant in me the root of good things, Thy fear in my heart. Lord, grant me to love You with all my soul and thoughts, and to do Your will in everything. Lord, protect me from certain people, and demons, and passions, and from all other inappropriate things. Lord, consider that you do as you will, that your will be done in me, a sinner, for blessed are you forever. Amen.
The root of the good is the root (that is, the basis) of all good, all good. Vesi - You know (You know). As You do, as You will - that You do what You want.
The great teacher of prayer, St. Theophan the Recluse, attached great importance to these prayers and recommended them to many of his spiritual children as the basis of the prayer rule, as a school of unceasing contemplation of God. Here are some excerpts from his letters:
"How to read the prayers of St. Chrysostom (24 in evening prayers for bedtime)? Read them before the prayer book so that your attention is concentrated... But repeat mentally at all times. This is the best way to accustom yourself to remembering God, and this remembering is the basis of spiritual life "Bows from the waist, and sometimes to the ground." - “You can use the prayers of St. Chrysostom instead of your home rule in the morning. Memorize them and think about each one... In them, the whole spiritual life is remembered... Determine how many times each one is commemorated so that you stand in prayer for the same amount of time as you usually stand for the rule. You can also add your prayers to it - choose from the psalms: whichever verse suits your heart, write it down... Using these prayers with attention according to the rule, you will soon learn to stand in prayer without being distracted. Insert the Jesus Prayer among them. For example, saying ten times: “Lord , do not deprive me of Your heavenly blessings,” add: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” - “The purpose of short prayers is to promote the collection of thoughts and sobriety. Strength is not in words, but in feeling for God. It will soon be formed among those who work on prayer. This is mental prayer. The mind, standing in the heart, sees God and intelligently confesses to Him by calling upon Him... Feeling for God is unceasing prayer without words.”
Prayer 8, to our Lord Jesus Christ
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, for the sake of Thy Most Honest Mother, and Thy disembodied Angels, Thy 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.
The present situation of demons - the current environment of demons, the demonic siege. Not wanting - not wanting. But as if he were to turn and live, so that he would turn and live. Gaping to devour me - opening my mouth to devour me (gaping - opening my mouth). Izhe...clothed - clothed.
...I do not want the death of a sinner, but rather to turn and live to be him... The prayer quotes the words of the Lord from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel: I do not want the death of a sinner, but to turn the wicked from his way and live to be him (Ezek. 33:11). Here is this verse in the Russian translation of the Bible: Tell them: As I live, says the Lord God, I do not want the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should turn from his way and live. Turn yourselves, turn from your evil ways; Why should you die, O house of Israel?
Prayer 9, to the Most Holy Theotokos, Peter of Studium
To Thee, O Most Pure Mother of God, I fall down and pray: Behold, O Queen, for I am constantly sinning and angering Thy Son and my God, and many times when I repent, I find myself lying before God, and I repent in trembling: will not the Lord strike me down, and again every hour? I do: to these leaders, my Lady, Lady Theotokos, I pray, have mercy, strengthen me, and grant me good deeds. Believe me, my Lady Theotokos, for the Imam is by no means in hatred of my evil deeds, and with all my thoughts I love the law of my God; but we do not know, O Most Pure Lady, from where I hate, I love, but I transgress what is good. Do not allow, O Most Pure One, my will to be fulfilled, for it is not pleasing, but may the will of Thy Son and my God be done: may He save me, and enlighten me, and give me the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that I may cease from here from filthiness, and so on may I live as commanded Your Son, to Him belongs all glory, honor and power, with His Originless Father, and His Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Vesi - You know. And many times when I repent, I find myself lying before God - and although I repent many times, I turn out to be unfaithful to God (I deceive God). Every time I do something, I do the same thing again. These leaders know this. Do good things and give them to me - do good things and give them to me. As if the imam is not at all in hatred - which I absolutely hate. My evil - my evil. We don’t know - I don’t know. From where I hate, I love - why what I hate is what I love (literally: from where [those things] that I hate are the same things I love). Good - good. May I cease from now on my evil deeds - so that from now on I will stop evil deeds. Other things - in the future. If only I had lived, I would have lived.
This prayer to Holy Mother of God- the cry of a man who has learned how little his will to good can resist sin. And repentance, completely sincere, and love with all one’s thoughts for the law of God, and hatred of evil deeds in themselves are not capable of saving a person from slavery to sin. The words of this prayer are close to the words of the Apostle Paul: ... I am carnal, sold under sin. For I don’t understand what I’m doing: because I don’t do what I want, but what I hate, I do. If I do what I do not want, then... it is no longer I who do it, but the sin that lives in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; because the desire for good is in me, but I don’t find it to do it. I don’t do the good that I want, but I do the evil that I don’t want. If I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin living in me. And so I find the law that when I want to do good, evil belongs to me. Because according to to the inner man I find pleasure in the law of God; But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members (Rom. 7:14-23). Overcoming and defeating the law of sin is possible only with God’s help, by the power of God’s grace, which we cry for in our prayers.
Prayer 10, to the Most Holy Theotokos
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; Yes, I will pass through the rest of my life without blemish, and through You I will find paradise, O Virgin Mother of God, the only Pure and Blessed One.
Passionate - 1) subject to passions; 2) unhappy, suffering; both meanings are combined here. My belly is my life. By You - here: With Your help, through You. I will find it - I will find it.
Prayer 11, to the holy Guardian Angel
To the 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 all the 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.
All, as many as I have sinned - everything that I have sinned in (as many as I have sinned). Today's - current. From all deceit - from all lies, all cunning. Opposite to me - opposing, opposing me. In no sin - no sin. If you show me worthy, you will show me worthy.
Kontakion to the Blessed Virgin Mary
To the chosen Voivode, victorious, as having been delivered from the evil, let us write thanks to Thy servant, the Mother of God, but as having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Thee: Rejoice, Unmarried Bride.
Mounted Voivode - invincible Voivode (mounted - invincible in battles). Victorious - victorious (singing, that is, a victorious song). As if they got rid of the evil ones - because they got rid (literally: as if they got rid of) from evil (from troubles). Thanksgiving - thanksgiving (thanksgiving song). Let us sing to You - we sing praises (literally: we write) to You. As one who has power - (You), as one who has strength. Unbrided - not married (literal translation of the Greek word).
The Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos, which begins with this kontakion, was written in the 7th century in Constantinople. This is the first (and most beautiful) of the akathists, which became a model for all subsequent ones. All 12 ikos of the akathist end with multiple “repeats” of the Archangel’s greeting to the Blessed Virgin - “Rejoice!”, the final of which is Rejoice, Unbrided Bride! We magnify the heavenly purity of the Unworn Virgin, who inexpressibly gave birth to Christ our God, and in Her purity, the “Most Honest Cherub” Bride of the Unbride appears before us as the greatest warrior with the forces of evil - the Chosen Voivode, possessing an invincible power.
Rejoice, Unbrided Bride! If we turn to the Greek language in which the akathist was written, we will see that all these three words, literally translated into Church Slavonic and entered into our religious consciousness, should have been perceived by the Greeks somewhat differently than we perceive them.
Rejoice - the greeting of the Archangel Gabriel, brought to us by the Gospel - both before the Nativity of Christ and after it was a common greeting in Greek - the same as our “hello”. In the appearance of the Angel, in his wondrous and mysterious words the inner meaning of the greeting, forgotten in everyday life, was, of course, renewed and shone with all its strength; Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos (and every later inspiredly composed akathist), all permeated with this “Rejoice!” and sparkling with the joy of majesty, also resurrects the dormant meaning of the Greek word in everyday language. But in the Russian (and Old Russian) language they greeted each other not with the word “rejoice”, but with the word “hello” (in which we usually forget wishes for health). “Rejoice” remains for us a word always richer, more special - a conscious word of joy, a unique greeting for the Most Pure Virgin Mary and the saints of God.
Bride Unbride is a direct, literal translation of two Greek words. The Church Slavonic word “bride” corresponds to the Greek word “nymph,” which means not only a girl-bride, but also a newlywed wife and a young woman. The New Testament (and the Greek translation of the Bible) gave this word enormous mystical depth: The Bride of the Lamb in the Revelation of John the Theologian (Rev. 19:7; 21, 22, 17) is not only destined for Him, but also stands with Him in a mysterious marriage; this is the image of both the Mother of God and the Church (in her we recognize the bride of the Song of Songs and other books of Scripture). And the Greek word translated Slavic word unmarried is the negative form of the first word, meaning “not married”; this word was quite common in Greek. For Greek, but not for Slavic! Indeed, in Slavic, a bride is precisely an unknown, unknown (that is, exactly what the Greek non-bride corresponds to) girl who has not entered into marriage, although destined for it; the word itself carries the meaning of purity. Within the Slavic language, the word nevestnaya is difficult to explain. It introduces a new shade of meaning into the expression of the akathist: Pure Bride, but not bride-like, not ordinary, not comparable to any other bride.
Other Slavic epithets of the Mother of God, corresponding to the word Unmarried, are Neiskuslovochnaya, Neiskuslovnaya.
To the elected Voivode, victorious... Almost all of us are accustomed to hearing these words as a single whole, so we do not feel the structure of the phrase (quite simple): (to whom?) To the elected Voivode (we) sing (what?) a victorious thanksgiving, that is, a victorious song of gratitude, (why?) as if they got rid of the evil ones - because they got rid of troubles.
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.
By You - here: through You, by Your intercession. Under the roof - under cover.
The prayers “Glorious Ever-Virgin...” and “All my hope...” are the creations of St. John of Damascus.
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.
The creator of this prayer, Saint John the Great, repeated it after each verse of the psalms he read according to the rule, thus constantly raising the mind to the Most Holy Trinity.
End of prayers
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, the real Mother of God.
Glory, and now:
Lord have mercy. (Thrice)
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.
We see that after those prayers that in the section “Morning Prayers” are final and are marked with the words “End of prayers”, in the section “Prayers for those who are coming to bed” (in most prayer books) there are some more prayers that more directly relate to going to bed (the prayer of St. John of Damascus is supposed to be read, pointing to the bed; when reading the prayer “May God rise again,” both the bed and the four cardinal directions are overshadowed with the sign of the cross). One consequence of this is that we can adapt more flexibly general rule to your own living conditions, to your internal state. So, for some people (or in some life circumstances) it is more convenient to read the first part of the prayers for bed the next evening, quite early - perhaps before all the affairs are completely completed - and immediately before going to bed, already near your bed, read the remaining prayers. The joint reading of bedtime prayers for the future - for example, in a family - can be completed with “It is worthy to eat...” and a general blessing, and prayers starting with the prayer of St. John of Damascus can be read to everyone... at their bedside.
This practice existed in Ancient Rus'. Under Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century, there was a custom to add a few more prayers, literally going to sleep and to his bed (the composition of these prayers did not coincide with ours). /Addition by Archpriest Sergius Pravdolyubov.
Prayer of Saint John of Damascus (read it pointing to your bed)
Lord, Lover of Mankind, will this grave really be my bed, or will you still enlighten my damned soul during the day? For seven the grave lies ahead, for seven the death awaits. I fear Your judgment, Lord, and endless torment, but I do not stop doing evil; I always anger the Lord my God, and Your Most Pure Mother, and all the heavenly Powers, and my holy Guardian Angel. We know, Lord, that I am unworthy of Your love for mankind, but I am worthy of all condemnation and torment. But, Lord, whether I want it or not, save me. Even if you save a righteous man, nothing great; and even if you have mercy on a pure person, nothing is marvelous: you are worthy of the essence of Your mercy. But surprise Thy mercy on me, a sinner; about this, show Your love for mankind, so that my malice does not overcome Your unspeakable goodness and mercy; and as you wish, arrange a thing for me.
Here you go. Mi - to me. Well - so, I know. Yako - here: what. If only you save the righteous - because if you save the righteous. Nothing great - there is nothing great in it (great - great). And if you have mercy on a pure person, nothing is surprising - and if you have mercy on a pure person, there is nothing surprising in that. They are worthy, because they are worthy. About this - here: in this, by this. Unspeakable - unspeakable.
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.
Let us silently sing to the Glorious Mother of God and the Most Holy Angel with our hearts and lips, confessing this Mother of God as truly having given birth to God incarnate, and constantly praying for our souls.
I have strengthened myself - I have strengthened myself (past tense - aorist). We are, of course, talking about the invisible enemy - the devil.
Those who confess this Mother of God - confessing (openly proclaiming) that She is the Mother of God.
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.” These are the words from the psalm: Look, hear me, O Lord my God, enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep into death, lest my enemy say: I will be strong against him (Ps. 12:4-5).
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 they say: Rejoice, Most Pure and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, drive away the demons by force of our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell, and trampled upon the power of the devil, and who 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.
If they are wasted, they will be scattered. Enemies - enemies. Yako - how. From the person - meaning: in front. Verbal - speaking. Drive away - drive away. Propyatago - crucified. Honest - worthy of honor, glorious. Adversary - enemy.
May God rise again, and may His enemies be scattered... The beginning of the prayer is taken from the psalm: May God rise again, and His enemies may be scattered, and may those who hate Him flee from His face. As smoke disappears, let them disappear; as wax hides from the presence of fire, so let sinners (sinners) perish from the presence of God (Ps. 67:1-2). These same verses of the psalm are sung at the Easter service, interspersed with the troparion of Easter. The words about the Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and trampled upon the power of the devil, also remind us of the troparion (trampling death by death) and other Easter hymns. The power of the Cross of the Lord is inseparable from the Resurrection of Christ; the death and Resurrection of Christ make the Cross a “sign of victory,” which is why this prayer, pronounced with faith and love for the Honest Cross, is so powerful to drive away the forces of evil from us.
Or briefly a prayer for the Cross
Protect me, Lord, by the power of Your Honest and Life-giving Cross, and save me from all evil.
Prayer
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 Lover of Humanity.
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In this article, the editors of the portal “Orthodoxy and Peace” have collected Orthodox evening prayers for you. You can familiarize yourself with the texts and reading order.
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)
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, let him 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.
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 fleshly and incorporeal enemies 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 2, Saint Antiochus, to our Lord Jesus Christ
To the Almighty, the Word of the Father, who is perfect himself, Jesus Christ, for the sake of Thy mercy, never leave me, Thy servant, but always rest in me. Jesus, good Shepherd of Your sheep, do not betray me to the sedition of the serpent, and do not leave me to the desires of Satan, for the seed of aphids is in me. Thou, O Lord God worshiped, the Holy King, Jesus Christ, preserve me as I sleep with an unflickering light, by Thy Holy Spirit, with whom Thou hast sanctified Thy disciples. Grant, O Lord, to me, Thy unworthy servant, Thy salvation on my bed: enlighten my mind with the light of reason of Thy Holy Gospel, my soul with the love of Thy Cross, my heart with the purity of Thy word, my body with Thy passionless passion, preserve my thought with Thy humility, and uplift I am in time like Your praise. For Thou art glorified with Thy Beginningless Father and with the Most Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
Prayer 3, 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 I have sinned today like a man, and moreover, not like a man, but also worse than cattle, my free sins and involuntary, driven and unknown: those who are evil from youth and science, and those who are evil from impudence 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 4, Saint Macarius the Great
What will I bring to You, or what will I reward to You, O most gifted Immortal King, generous and philanthropic Lord, since you were lazy in pleasing me, and did nothing good, you brought the conversion and salvation of my soul to the end of this day? Be merciful to me, a sinner and naked of every good deed, raise up my fallen soul, defiled in immeasurable sins, and take away from me all the evil thoughts of this visible life. Forgive my sins, O One Sinless One, even those who have sinned this day, in knowledge and ignorance, in word, and deed, and thought, and with all my feelings. You Yourself, covering me, save me from every opposing situation with Your Divine power, and ineffable love for mankind, and strength. Cleanse, O God, cleanse the multitude of my sins. Deign, Lord, to deliver me from the snare of the evil one, and save my passionate soul, and overshadow me with the light of Your face, when You come in glory, and now make me sleep without condemnation, and keep the thoughts of Your servant without dreaming, and untroubled, and all the work of Satan take me away from me, and enlighten the intelligent eyes of my heart, so that I may not sleep into death. And send me an Angel of peace, guardian and mentor of my soul and body, that he may deliver me from my enemies; Yes, rising from my bed, I will bring you prayers of gratitude. Yes, Lord, hear me, your sinful and wretched servant, with your will and conscience; Grant that I have risen to learn from Thy words, and the despondency of demons is driven away from me, to be made by Thy Angels; may I bless Your holy name, and glorify, and glorify the Most Pure Mother of God Mary, Who hast given us sinners intercession, and accept this one praying for us; We see that He imitates Your love for mankind, and never ceases to pray. By that intercession, and the sign of the Honest Cross, and for the sake of all Thy saints, keep my poor soul, Jesus Christ our God, for Thou art holy and glorified forever. Amen.
Prayer 5
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.
Listen to evening prayers online
Prayer 6
Lord our God, in the worthlessness of faith, and we call upon His name above every name, grant us, who are going to sleep, a weakening of soul and body, and keep us from all dreams and dark pleasures except; restrain the desire of passions, extinguish the kindling of bodily rebellion. Grant us to live chastely in deeds and words; Yes, a virtuous life is receptive, Your promised good things will not fall away, for Blessed are You forever. Amen.
Prayer 7, St. John Chrysostom
(24 prayers, according to the number of hours of the day and night)
Lord, do not deprive me of Your heavenly blessings.
Lord, save me from eternal torment.
Lord, whether I have sinned in mind or in thought, in word or in deed, forgive me.
Lord, deliver me from all ignorance and oblivion, and cowardice, and petrified insensibility.
Lord, deliver me from every temptation.
Lord, enlighten my heart, darken my evil lust.
Lord, as a man who has sinned, You, as a generous God, have mercy on me, seeing the weakness of my soul.
Lord, send Your grace to help me, that I may glorify Your holy name.
Lord Jesus Christ, write me Your servant in the book of animals and grant me a good end.
Lord, my God, even if I have done nothing good before You, grant me, by Your grace, to make a good beginning.
Lord, sprinkle the dew of Your grace in my heart.
Lord of heaven and earth, remember me, Thy sinful servant, cold and unclean, in Thy Kingdom. Amen.
Lord, accept me in repentance.
Lord, don't leave me.
Lord, do not lead me into misfortune.
Lord, give me a good thought.
Lord, give me tears and mortal memory, and tenderness.
Lord, give me the thought of confessing my sins.
Lord, give me humility, chastity and obedience.
Lord, give me patience, generosity and meekness.
Lord, plant in me the root of good things, Thy fear in my heart.
Lord, grant me to love You with all my soul and thoughts and to do Your will in everything.
Lord, protect me from certain people, and demons, and passions, and from all other inappropriate things.
Lord, consider that you do as you will, that your will be done in me, a sinner, for blessed are you forever. Amen.
Prayer 8, 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 9, to the Most Holy Theotokos, Peter of Studium
To Thee, Most Pure Mother of God, I fall down and pray: Consider, O Queen, how I continually sin and anger Thy Son and my God, and many times when I repent, I find myself lying before God, and I repent in trembling: will the Lord strike me down, and hour by hour I do the same again? ; I pray to this leader, my Lady, Lady Theotokos, to have mercy, strengthen me, and grant me good works. Believe me, my Lady Theotokos, for the Imam is by no means in hatred of my evil deeds, and with all my thoughts I love the law of my God; But we do not know, Most Pure Lady, from where I hate, I love, but I transgress what is good. Do not allow, O Most Pure One, my will to be fulfilled, for it is not pleasing, but may the will of Thy Son and my God be done: may He save me, and enlighten me, and give me the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that I may cease from here from filthiness, and so on may I live as commanded Your Son, to Him belongs all glory, honor and power, with His Originless Father, and His Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Prayer 10, to the Most Holy Theotokos e
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 11, 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.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Lord have mercy. (Thrice)
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.
Prayer of Saint John of Damascus
Master, Lover of Mankind, will this coffin really be my bed, or will you still enlighten my damned soul during the day? For seven the grave lies ahead, for seven the death awaits. I fear Your judgment, O Lord, and endless torment, but I do not stop doing evil: I always anger You, the Lord my God, and Your Most Pure Mother, and all the Heavenly powers, and my holy Guardian Angel. We know, Lord, that I am unworthy of Your love for mankind, but I am worthy of all condemnation and torment. But, Lord, whether I want it or not, save me. If you save a righteous man, that is nothing great; and even if you have mercy on a pure person, nothing is marvelous: you are worthy of the essence of Your mercy. But surprise Thy mercy on me, a sinner: for this show Thy love for mankind, so that my malice may not overcome Thy unspeakable goodness and mercy: and as you wish, arrange a thing for me.
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.”
Glory: 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.
And now: Let us incessantly sing with our hearts and lips the Glorious Mother of God and the Most Holy Angel of Saints, confessing this Mother of God as having truly given birth to God incarnate, and praying unceasingly for our souls.
Mark yourself with a cross and say a prayer To the Honest 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 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 who say in joy: Rejoice, Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, drive away the demons by force on you of our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and trampled upon the power the devil, and who 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, 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 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.
Everyday confession of sins
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, 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.
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All about religion and faith - "short evening prayer in Russian" with detailed description and photographs.
Briefoh evening prayer rule
Prayers for the future
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
(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. 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 have mercy. ( 12 times)
Prayer 1, St. Macarius the Great, to God the Father
Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angel
Prayer of Saint Ioannikios
Evening prayer for the coming sleep
Every Orthodox Christian must adhere to a certain prayer rule, performed daily: morning prayers are read in the morning, and in the evening it is necessary to read prayers for the coming sleep.
Why do you need to read prayers before going to bed?
There is a certain rhythm of prayer intended for monastics and spiritually experienced lay people.
But for those who have recently come to the Church and are just beginning their prayer journey, it is quite difficult to read it in its entirety. And it happens that unforeseen situations arise for the laity when there is too little opportunity and time for prayer.
In this case it is better to read short rule rather than mindlessly and without reverence jabbering away the full text.
Often, confessors bless beginners to read several prayers, and then, after 10 days, add one prayer to the rule every day. Thus, the skill of prayer reading is formed gradually and naturally.
Important! Any prayer request will be supported by Heaven when a person directs his activities to serving God and people.
Evening prayers
IN evening time laymen read a short rule - a prayer at night before going to bed:
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.
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)
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 fleshly and incorporeal enemies 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Interpretation of individual prayers
In prayer, the Holy Spirit is called the King, because He, like God the Father and God the Son, rules the world and reigns in it. He is a comforter and still provides comfort to those who need it. He guides believers on the righteous path, which is why he is called the Spirit of Truth.
The petition is addressed to the three hypostases of the Holy Trinity. The heavenly angels sing a great song before the throne of God. God the Father is the Holy God, God the Son is the Holy Almighty. This conversion is due to the victory of the Son over the devil and the destruction of hell. Throughout the prayer, a person asks for permission from sins, healing of spiritual infirmities for the sake of glorifying the Most Holy Trinity.
This is an appeal directly to the Almighty as the Father; we stand before Him as children before their mother and father. We affirm the omnipotence of God and His power, we beg to control human spiritual forces and direct them to the true path, so that after death they will be awarded the honor of being in the Kingdom of Heaven.
He is Good Spirit for every believer, determined by God Himself. Therefore, praying to Him in the evenings is simply necessary. It is he who will warn against committing sins, help to live holy and will protect the soul and body.
The prayer especially highlights the danger of attacks from bodily enemies (people pushing to commit sin) and incorporeal (spiritual passions).
Nuances of the evening rule
Most people have a question: is it possible to listen to Orthodox chants on audio recordings?
The Epistle of the Apostle Paul says that it does not matter what a person does, the main thing is that any of his work is done for the glory of God.
Prayer should begin before going to bed. Before starting to read the rule, it is recommended to thank God for everything that He has given throughout the day. You need to turn to Him with your mind and heart, realizing the meaning of every word spoken.
Advice! If the text is read in Church Slavonic, then you need to study its Russian translation.
In modern practice, the rule is supplemented by reading prayers for:
- close and dear people
- living and deceased;
- about enemies;
- virtues and about the whole world.
In a dream, a person is especially vulnerable to the devil’s army; he is visited by sinful thoughts and bad desires. Night in the Christian understanding is considered a time of rampant demons. A person can receive information that can seduce his body and lead his soul into sin. Demons are very insidious; they can send nightmares in a dream.
This is why believers pray every day before going to bed.
Advice! Even when all life circumstances are going well, we must not forget about faith and the Heavenly Father, because human destinies are initially predetermined in Heaven. Therefore, it is necessary to turn to God before going to bed, and the next day will definitely turn out better than the previous one.
- It is useful to listen to the singing of the elders of Optina Hermitage. This men's monastic monastery is famous for its miracle workers who could and can foresee human destinies. The need to serve the Almighty is conveyed through their prayer songs and sets them on the righteous path.
- The Church has a positive attitude towards viewing Orthodox videos, but this material must be treated very carefully, and in the process of listening or watching it is recommended to put aside worldly activities.
- Church officials advise including the prayers of the Optina Elders as part of the evening rule. Their texts have evolved over centuries and each of their phrases carries greatest wisdom, able to explain the basics Orthodox faith and know their full depth.
Prayer is the breath of the soul Orthodox man. He practically cannot control his sleep, and other life processes are difficult to control. Therefore, prayer before going to bed is aimed at ensuring that the Creator participates in human life, otherwise He will not have the opportunity to help us.
Important! Offering prayer before going to bed means that an Orthodox Christian gains protection and support. In addition to their own protection, mothers beg God to protect their children and send them mercy.
Brief evening prayer in Russian
A short prayer book
Morning prayers
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
(Read three times, with the sign of the cross and bow from the waist.)
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.
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)
Prayers for the future
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord have mercy. (12 times)
“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 previous 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! Glow, glow, 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.
How to learn home prayer. Moscow, “Ark”, 2004. Trifonov Pechenga Monastery
Orthodox icons and prayers
Information site about icons, prayers, Orthodox traditions.
Evening rule - prayers for bedtime
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The evening rule - prayers for those coming to bed - is an appeal to God with a request to protect from the fears and doubts that visit a person before going to bed, for he is the link between the world of dreams and reality.
Brief evening prayer rule
By Orthodox tradition Evening prayers, like morning prayers, must be performed daily and in accordance with a special Prayer Rule. But today, in times of rapid change, believers for the most part do not have the opportunity to read a complete set of prayers. Therefore, it is allowed to read a short prayer rule.
As a rule, a person has more time for evening prayers, because having finished with the worries of the day, he can devote enough time to personal communication with the Lord.
But it is also worth recognizing that many people do not even suspect the existence of a prayer for the future. Although at certain moments in their lives they, without fully realizing it, remember her and resort to her help:
- in grief;
- in fear;
- when you dream about a bad, realistic or prophetic dream.
Over the long history of the existence of Orthodoxy, Christians could see for themselves that evening prayer helps a person calm down and look at the current life situation from the outside, thereby understanding ways to solve it. The Almighty Himself through prayer helps in realizing this.
There is no person on earth who has not at least once experienced a bad dream or nightmare, sacredly believing after that only in something bad. Dream books also come to the rescue - and as a result, the person who sees the dream begins to be afraid and is ready to do anything so that the prediction does not come true in reality.
A dream makes a person more vulnerable, because through his consciousness his fears and doubts come out, which means that all this can materialize. And it is precisely at such moments that you need:
- understand and believe that everything you see is just a dream;
- fill your life with positivity;
- feel safe and cope with anxiety through prayer.
Often it is enough to read “Our Father” - and all negative thoughts will recede, and the dream itself will become less scary and symbolic. If bad dreams- frequent guests in your home, it is advisable to read the prayer immediately before going to bed. Then its benefits will be undoubted, because the spiritual state also improves the physical one, thereby a person gains harmony, which gives peace and tranquility.
Young children can often have restless dreams. There are many reasons for this. In such cases, the child cannot yet explain everything that is happening to him, and therefore parents should come to the rescue - read the bedtime prayer to those coming for him. Here, when reading, tone of voice is a very important factor. As a rule, the mother reads the prayer to the children, since they only perceive her voice calmly.
When the child grows up, you can teach him to repeat the evening prayer after his mother, while explaining it true meaning. Next, he will say the words of prayer on his own - and this will help him be calmer and feel completely safe, and will also guarantee sound sleep.
Quite often, mothers tend to take dreams very seriously until they are convinced that any danger in reality has passed. In such cases, you need to turn to prayers that mention:
- Cyprian the Hieromartyr;
- Saint Cyprian and Saint Ustinia.
These are a kind of amulets prayers, which are a petition to God for children, help to avoid the influence of evil forces and preserve peace of mind. Children can simply listen to such prayers.
If the prophetic dream that the baby had is not very pleasantly interpreted, and the prayer for the future does not bring peace of mind, you should go to the temple and put two candles near the icon Mother of God to your health:
The third is at the icon of All Saints.
For a calm baby sleep The following evening prayers are often read:
When reading prayers you need to remember one thing important rule: for them to have a positive effect, you should not just repeat them mechanically, but concentrate, because this is personal communication with God.
Evening rule of Optina Pustyn
People in Optina Pustyn are especially sensitive to the rule of evening prayer - monastery Russian Orthodox Church, which is located in the Kaluga region (Russia).
Temple prayer rules:
- religiously read the evening prayers according to the prayer book;
- carefully delve into the meaning of each word;
- use rosary beads in church, and sometimes at home at the very beginning of hostile thoughts;
- read every day a chapter from the Gospel, the Apostolic Epistles and Acts;
- if you want a close conversation with God, read the kathisma or akathist to the Sweetest Jesus, the Mother of God.
Evening prayer rule of the Optina elders
There is also a set of rules for reading bedtime prayers for those coming from the Optina elders, which include all the weaknesses of a person’s physical and mental health:
- the prayer rule must be valid (sick people, women with small children);
- let the prayer be short, but be sure to be read daily;
- Moderation is better than excess;
- do not perceive prayer as a duty;
- It is better to discuss the prayer rule with your spiritual father or priest;
- reasoning and advice - Main way in prayer to the Lord.
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.
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.
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 fleshly and incorporeal enemies 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 ever. 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 Your Son and our God on my passionate soul and with Your prayers instruct me in good deeds, so that I may pass through the rest of my life without blemish and through You I will find paradise, Virgin Mary, One Pure 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 the Lord m of Jesus Christ and all saints. Amen.
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.
Religious reading: when a short evening prayer is read to help our readers.
Briefoh evening prayer rule
Prayers for the future
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
(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. 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 have mercy. ( 12 times)
Prayer 1, St. Macarius the Great, to God the Father
Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angel
Prayer of Saint Ioannikios
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 be thoughtful about your prayer rule, on the one hand, not giving indulgence to one’s passions, laziness, self-pity, etc., which can destroy the correct spiritual structure, and on the other hand, learning 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) Brief prayer rule St. Seraphim Sarovsky: three times “Our Father”, three times “Virgin Mother of God” and once “Creed” - 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- this is a type of church, social (the 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. The difficulty of prayer is often a sign of its true effectiveness.
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 thick of it working 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 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), it is either extremely difficult or practically impossible for a believer to regularly read the prayer rule in its entirety.
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.
Morning and evening rules– this is 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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Is it possible to shorten the morning and evening prayer rules?
Content
Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) in his “Teaching on the Prayer Rule” wrote: “Rule! What an accurate name, borrowed from the very effect produced on a person by prayers called the rule! The prayer rule guides the soul correctly and holy, teaches it to worship God in Spirit and Truth (John 4:23), while the soul, left to itself, could not follow the correct path of prayer. Due to her damage and darkening by sin, she would constantly be seduced to the sides, often into the abyss, now into absent-mindedness, now into daydreaming, now into various empty and deceptive ghosts of high prayerful states, created by her vanity and voluptuousness.
Prayer rules keep the person praying in a saving disposition, humility and repentance, teaching him constant self-condemnation, feeding him with tenderness, strengthening him with hope in the All-Good and All-Merciful God, delighting him with the peace of Christ, love for God and for his neighbors.”
From these words of the saint it is clear that it is very saving to read the morning and evening prayer rules. It spiritually takes a person out of the confusion of night dreams or daytime worries and puts him before God. And the human soul enters into communication with its Creator. The grace of the Holy Spirit descends on a person, brings him into the necessary repentant mood, gives him inner peace and harmony, drives away demons from him (“This generation is driven out only by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21), sends down God’s blessing and strength to him live. Moreover, the prayers were written by holy people: Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, Saint Macarius the Great and others. That is, the very structure of the rule is very useful for the human soul.
Therefore, of course, reading the morning and evening prayer rules every day, so to speak, is the necessary minimum for Orthodox Christian. Moreover, it does not take much time. For someone who has gotten into the habit of reading, it takes about twenty minutes in the morning and the same in the evening.
If you don't have time to read morning rule all at once, then break it into several parts. “Little Cap” from the beginning to “Lord have mercy” (12 times), inclusive, can, for example, be read at home; The following prayers are during pauses in work or during your daily activities. This, of course, needs to be confessed, but it’s better than not reading it at all. We are all human, and it is clear that we are very sinful and busy. You also regulate the end of your morning prayers yourself. This concerns the commemoration. You can read the extended commemoration or the shortened one. At your discretion, depending on the time available.
A fairly common mistake of new Orthodox Christians is reading the evening prayer rule immediately before going to bed. You sway, stagger, mutter words of prayer, and you yourself think about how to lie down in bed under a warm blanket and fall asleep. So it turns out – not prayer, but torment. Mandatory hard labor before bed.
In fact, the evening prayer rule is read somewhat differently. Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev) wrote that after evening prayers you can leave time to talk and drink tea.
That is, in fact, you can read the evening prayer rule from the beginning to the prayer of St. John of Damascus “Lord, Lover of Mankind...” If you, dear brothers and the sisters noticed that before this prayer there is a prayer of absolution: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God... have mercy on us. Amen". It really is a vacation. You can read the evening prayers up to and including it long before bedtime: at six, seven, eight o’clock in the evening. Then go about your daily evening routine. You can still eat and drink tea, as Father Nikon said, and communicate with loved ones.
And starting with the prayer “Lord, Lover of Mankind...” and until the end, the rule is read immediately before going to bed. During the prayer “May God rise again,” you need to cross yourself and you can cross your bed and house to the four cardinal directions (starting, according to the Orthodox tradition, from the east), protecting yourself, your loved ones and your home with the sign of the cross from all evil.
After reading the second half of the evening prayers, nothing is eaten or drunk. In the prayer “In Thy hands, O Lord...” you ask God for blessings on good dream and surrender your soul to Him. After this you should go to bed.
I would also like to draw your attention, dear brothers and sisters, to the rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov. Many understand it as reading three times a day (morning, lunch, evening) certain prayers “Our Father” (three times), “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...” (three times) and the Creed (once). But it is not so. In addition to reading the rule three times, the Monk Seraphim said that in the first half of the day a person should read the Jesus Prayer almost all the time, or, if people are around, in his mind “Lord, have mercy,” and after lunch, instead of the Jesus Prayer, “Most Holy Theotokos, save me, a sinner."
That is, Saint Seraphim offers a person spiritual exercise in continuous prayer, and not just a relief from the evening and morning prayer rules. You can, of course, read the prayer according to the rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov, but only then you need to follow all the instructions of the great elder.
Therefore, I repeat once again, the morning and evening prayer rule is the necessary minimum for an Orthodox Christian.
I would also like to draw your attention, dear brothers and sisters, to a fairly common mistake that we often make.
Saint Ignatius warns us about it in the above-mentioned work: “When performing the rule and bows, one must not rush; It is necessary to perform both the rules and bows with as much leisure and attention as possible. It is better to say fewer prayers and bow down less, but with attention, than a lot and without attention.
Choose for yourself a rule that corresponds to your strengths. What the Lord said about the Sabbath, that it is for man, and not man for it (Mark 2:27), can and should be applied to all pious deeds, as well as to the prayer rule. A prayer rule is for a person, and not a person for a rule: it should contribute to a person’s achievement of spiritual success, and not serve as an inconvenient burden (onerous duty), crushing bodily strength and confusing the soul. Moreover, it should not serve as a reason for proud and harmful conceit, for harmful condemnation of loved ones and humiliation of others.”
The Monk Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain wrote in his book “Invisible Warfare”: “...There are many clergy who deprive themselves of the saving fruit of the world from their spiritual works by procrastinating on them, believing that they will suffer damage if they do not complete them, in false confidence , of course, that this is what spiritual perfection consists of. Following their will in this way, they work hard and torment themselves, but do not receive true peace and inner peace, in which God truly finds and rests.”
That is, we need to count our strength in prayer. You should sit down and think about the time that everyone has. If you, for example, are a freight forwarder in a trading company and are on the road from morning to night, or you are married, work and you also need to devote time to your husband, children, organize family life, then perhaps the morning and evening prayer rules and reading two chapters of the “Apostle”, a chapter of the Gospel per day, are enough for you. Because if you also take upon yourself to read various akathists, several kathismas, then you will have no time left to live. And if you are a pensioner or work somewhere as a security guard or at another job, having free time, then why not read akathists and kathismas.
Explore yourself, your time, your capabilities, your strengths. Balance your prayer rule with your life so that it is not a burden, but a joy. Because it is better to read fewer prayers, but with heartfelt attention, than to read a lot, but thoughtlessly, mechanically. Prayer has power when you listen and read it with your whole being. Then a life-giving spring of communication with God will flow into our hearts.
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One must resort to prayers not only at the moment of grief or misfortune, but every day, thanking the Almighty for every day lived. Find out what prayer you need to read before going to bed so that your life improves and your state of mind returns to normal.
Prayer for the coming sleep
Every person desires something and keeps secret dreams in his heart. You can ask the Lord for support and protection before going to bed. The main thing is to remember that you cannot use sacred text only to achieve the goal; you need to pronounce his words with all your soul, and only a truly believing person will achieve what he wants in this way. After reading the prayer once, you are unlikely to change anything. Turning to God should happen regularly, and when praying, first of all, thank you for the day you have lived:
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 fleshly and incorporeal enemies 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.
Before reading these words, you can make a secret request in simple language, or tell the Lord a spiritual secret. If you are haunted by a crime you have committed, or often have bad and evil thoughts, tell God about it before you fall asleep, and you will feel better.
Also, the prayer for the coming sleep can be the text “Our Father” - the main Christian prayer, which is resorted to in all cases of life. This is the first prayer that Jesus Christ taught his disciples.
Even when life gets complicated the best way We must not forget about religion, because any of your victories are initially predetermined in Heaven. Before going to bed, regularly turn to God, and the next day will turn out as well as possible. We wish you good luck, and don't forget to press the buttons and
25.08.2015 01:00
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