How to read the morning and evening rule. The Great Importance of Morning and Evening Prayers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ICONS IN THE HOUSE
Savior Not Made by Hands

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

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

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

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

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

Heavenly King...
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us...
Lord, have mercy... (three times).
Glory to the Father and the Son...
Our Father …"
these initial prayers are followed by the rest.

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

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

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

SYMBOL OF FAITH:
I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, everything visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten of the Father before the beginning of time; Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father, through whom all things were created.
For us, for the sake of people and for our salvation, he came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and rose again on the third day, as the Scriptures predicted. And ascended into heaven and reigns with the Father. And He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead; His kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, equally worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son, who spoke through the prophets.
Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen.
Symbol of faith - summary foundations of the Orthodox faith, compiled on I and II Ecumenical Councils in the 4th century; read in the morning as a daily prayer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We present to you other options for prayers before meals:

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

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

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

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

PRAYERS FOR THE COMING SLEEP:
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything, Treasure of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, our souls.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.
Lord have mercy. (Thrice)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When you go to bed, be sure to say:

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

The LORD save and preserve you!!!

In this article we will talk to you about the great importance of morning and evening prayers, which are for us the same as for a warrior going to battle with the enemy, armor covering the heart and other vulnerable parts of the body. Just as it is not easy to ignite the spirit of prayer for someone who has just risen from sleep and is in a certain darkness from sleepy relaxation, so it is not at all easy for a person who has completed his day, having spent it in earthly labors, to come to life for God in spirit, for this spirit is often darkened by a string of daytime impressions.
This is why the Church selected certain gold bars for us for the small treasury of the morning and evening rules. And the one who reads this rule with attention, often by heart, and sometimes only by looking in the prayer book, really becomes attached to it with all his soul, with all his thoughts. For the Lord every time invigorates the soul, dispels languor, restores vigor, returns sharp-sightedness, as if introducing us into the world of prayer through this small rule. Of course, it’s not bad to listen to it in church or at home during a conciliar reading, but it’s best to read this rule yourself, delving into every word of the prayer, without rushing anywhere, but feeding and being saturated with the grace hidden in those repentant sighs, denunciations, glorifications and praises of God, with which these truly holy prayers, composed by the men of antiquity, are saturated.
That’s why you should never rush with this rule; if you don’t have enough time, it’s better not to try to fit the rule into seven minutes, but to read only a few prayers so that they resonate in the soul and serve to sanctify the heart. Regarding the evening rule, it is advised to read it even when the soul is not constrained by fatigue. But essentially, after three o’clock in the afternoon, when according to the ancient calculation of time the 9th hour comes into force, you can read this rule, leaving those prayers that are printed in the prayer book after the prayer “It is worthy to eat...” as sanctifying the immediate going to sleep .
Daily morning and evening prayers are necessary for the rhythm of life, since 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.
There are three basic prayer rules:
1) complete prayer rule, designed for spiritually experienced laity, which is published in the “Orthodox Prayer Book”;
2) a short prayer rule; in the morning: “Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Virgin Mother of God”, “Rising from sleep”, “God have mercy on me”, “I Believe”, “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 “ Chosen Voivode" to "It is worthy to eat";
3) a short prayer rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov: “Our Father” three times, “Virgin Mother of God” three times and “I Believe” once - for those days and circumstances when a person is extremely tired or very limited in time. 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.
It is best to read morning prayers before starting any task (and before breakfast). As a last resort, they are pronounced on the way from home. Late in the evening it is often difficult to concentrate due to fatigue, so we can recommend reading the evening prayer rule in the free minutes before dinner or even earlier.
During prayer, it is recommended to retire, light a lamp or candle and stand in front of the icon. Depending on the nature of family relationships, we can recommend reading the prayer rule together, with the whole family, or with each family member separately. General prayer is recommended before eating food, on special days, before a holiday meal and in other similar cases. Family prayer is a type of church, public prayer (the family is a kind of “home Church”) and therefore does not replace individual prayer, but only complements it.
Before starting prayer, you should sign yourself with the sign of the cross and make several bows, 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 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 that will help you find the Lord in everyday affairs.
Thus, diligent reading of morning and evening prayers gives a Christian that strength, that moral core, that stability that overcomes the variability and inconstancy of our heart. And no matter how susceptible we are to sin, no matter how the evil one laughs at us, forcing us to do what we don’t want and not to do what we should do, through careful reading of the rule we gain power over him, the evil one, and are introduced Already, God has placed us on a different path - inner, attentive, contrite prayer.

St. Feofan

abbot)

prot.

St.

Theological-liturgical dictionary

A. Andreeva

M. Verkhovskaya

priest Sergiy Begiyan

Prayer rule– 1) daily morning and evening rituals performed by Christians (recommended texts can be found in); 2) regulated reading of these prayers.

The rule can be general - mandatory for everyone, or individual, selected for a believer 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 ().

There are three basic prayer rules:
1) Complete prayer rule, which is printed in “”;

2) A short prayer rule. The laity sometimes encounters situations when there is little time and energy left for prayer, and in this case it is better to read with attention and reverence short rule rather than hastily and superficially, without a prayerful attitude - the entire established 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 and others that can destroy the correct spiritual structure, and on the other hand, learning without temptation or embarrassment to shorten or even slightly change the rule when there is a real need for it.

in the morning : “Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “”, “Virgin Mother of God”, “Rising from sleep”, “God have mercy on me”, “”, “God, cleanse”, “To You, Master”, “Holy Angel”, “ Most 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”;

The morning and evening rules are just necessary spiritual hygiene. We are commanded to pray unceasingly (see). 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.”

“A short rule” (obligatory daily reading of prayers) for any layman:

• in the morning:
  - "King of Heaven",
  - "Trisagion",
  - "Our Father",
  - "Rising from sleep"
  - “Have mercy on me, God”
  - "Symbol of faith",
  - “God, cleanse”
  - “To You, Master,”
  - “Holy Angele”,
  - "Holy Lady"
  - invocation of saints,
  - prayer for the living and the dead;
• In the evening:
  - "King of Heaven",
  - "Trisagion",
  - "Our Father",
  - “Have mercy on us, Lord”
  - “Eternal God”
  - "The Good of the King"
  - “Angel of Christ”,
  - from “Chosen Voivode” to “It is worthy to eat.”

In the morning we pray to thank God for preserving us last night, to ask for His Fatherly blessing and help for the day that has begun.

In the evening, before going to bed, we thank the Lord for the day and ask him to keep us during the night.

In order for a job to be done successfully, we must first of all ask God for blessings and help for the upcoming work, and upon completion, thank God. To express our feelings towards God and His saints, the Church has given various prayers.

Initial prayer

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

It is said before all prayers. In it we ask God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, that is, the Most Holy Trinity, to invisibly bless us for the upcoming work in His name.

God bless!

We say this prayer at the beginning of every task.

Lord have mercy!

This prayer is the oldest and common among all Christians. Even a child can easily remember it. We say it when we remember our sins. For the glory of the Holy Trinity, we must say it three times. And also 12 times, asking God for a blessing for every hour of the day and night. And 40 times - for the sanctification of our entire life.

Prayer of praise to the Lord God

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

In this prayer we do not ask God for anything, but only glorify Him. It can be said in short: “Glory to God.” It is pronounced at the end of the task as a sign of our gratitude to God for His mercies to us.

Publican's Prayer

God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

This is the prayer of a publican (tax collector) who repented of his sins and received forgiveness. It is taken from a parable that the Savior once told people for their understanding.
This is the parable. Two people entered the temple to pray. One of them was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood in front of everyone and prayed to God like this: I thank you, God, that I am not such a sinner as that tax collector. I give a tenth of my property to the poor, and I fast twice a week. And the publican, recognizing himself as a sinner, stood at the entrance to the temple and did not dare to raise his eyes to heaven. He hit himself on the chest and said: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” The prayer of the humble publican was more pleasant and pleasing to God than the prayer of the proud Pharisee.

Prayer to the Lord Jesus

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

Jesus Christ is the Son of God - the second Person of the Holy Trinity. As the Son of God, He is our true God, as are God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. We call Him Jesus, that is Savior, because He saved us from sins and eternal death. For this purpose, He, being the Son of God, dwelt in the immaculate Virgin Mary and, with the influx of the Holy Spirit, incarnated and made man by Her, that is, he accepted the body and soul of a man - was born from Holy Virgin Mary, became the same person as us, but he was sinless - became a God-man. And, instead of us suffering and tormenting for our sins, He, out of love for us sinners, suffered for us, died on the cross and rose again on the third day - conquered sin and death and gave us eternal life.
Realizing our sinfulness and not relying on the power of our prayers, in this prayer we ask you to pray for us sinners, before the Savior, all the saints and the Mother of God, who has the special grace to save us sinners through Her intercession before Her Son.
The Savior is called the Anointed One (Christ) because He fully had those gifts of the Holy Spirit, which in the Old Testament kings, prophets and high priests received through anointing.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

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

Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of truth, present everywhere and filling everything, source of all good and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all sin, and save, O Good One, our souls.

In this prayer we pray to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Holy Trinity.
We call it the Holy Spirit King of Heaven because He, as the true God, equal to God the Father and God the Son, invisibly reigns over us, owns us and the whole world. We call Him Comforter because He comforts us in our sorrows and misfortunes, just as He comforted the apostles on the 10th day after the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven.
We call Him Spirit of truth(as the Savior Himself called Him) because He, as the Holy Spirit, teaches everyone the same truth and serves our salvation.
He is God, and He is everywhere and fills everything with Himself: Like, go everywhere and do everything. He, as the ruler of the whole world, sees everything and, where needed, gives. He is treasure of the good, that is, the Guardian of all good deeds, the Source of all the good things that only we need to have.
We call the Holy Spirit Life Giver because everything in the world lives and moves by the Holy Spirit, that is, everything receives life from Him, and especially people receive spiritual, holy and eternal life beyond the grave, cleansing yourself from your sins through Him.
If the Holy Spirit has such wondrous properties: it is everywhere, fills everything with His grace and gives life to everyone, then we turn to Him with the following requests: Come and live in us, that is, constantly abide in us, as in your temple; cleanse us from all filth, that is, from sin, make us holy, worthy of Your presence in us, and save, Dear One, our souls from sins and those punishments that come for sins, and through this grant us the Kingdom of Heaven.

Angelic Hymn to the Most Holy Trinity or “Trisagion”

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

This prayer must be read three times in honor of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity.
Angel song it is called because the holy angels sing it, surrounding the throne of God in heaven.
Believers in Christ began to use it 400 years after the birth of Christ. There was a strong earthquake in Constantinople, from which houses and villages were destroyed. Frightened, Tsar Theodosius II and the people turned to God in prayer. During this general prayer, one pious youth (boy), in full view of everyone, was raised to heaven by an invisible force, and then lowered to earth unharmed. He said that he heard in heaven the holy angels singing: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal.” The touched people, repeating this prayer, added: “Have mercy on us,” and the earthquake stopped.
In this prayer God we call the first Person of the Holy Trinity - God the Father; Strong– God the Son, because He is as omnipotent as God the Father, although according to humanity He suffered and died; Immortal- The Holy Spirit, because He is not only eternal Himself, like the Father and the Son, but also gives life to all creatures and immortal life to people.
Since in this prayer the word “ saint" is repeated three times, then it is called " Trisagion».

Doxology to the Most Holy Trinity

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

In this prayer we do not ask God for anything, but only glorify Him, who appeared to people in three Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, to whom now and forever belongs the same honor of glorification.

Prayer to the Holy Trinity

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

This prayer is one of petition. In it we turn first to all three Persons together, and then to each Person of the Trinity separately: to God the Father, so that He may cleanse our sins; to God the Son, so that He may forgive our iniquities; to God the Holy Spirit, so that He may visit and heal our infirmities.
And the words: for your name's sake again refer to all three Persons of the Holy Trinity together, and since God is One, He has one name, and therefore we say “Thy name” and not “Thy names.”

Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven!
1. Hallowed be thy name.
2. Thy kingdom come.
3. Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth.
4. Give us this day our daily bread.
5. And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors.
6. And do not lead us into temptation.
7. But deliver us from evil.
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.

This prayer is called the Lord's Prayer because the Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave it to His disciples when they asked Him to teach them how to pray. Therefore this prayer is the most main prayer of all.
In this prayer we turn to God the Father, the first Person of the Holy Trinity.
It is divided into: invocation, seven petitions, or 7 requests, and doxology.
Summoning:

Our Father, who art in heaven!

With these words we turn to God and, calling Him Heavenly Father, we urge him to listen to our requests or petitions.
When we say that He is in heaven, we must mean spiritual, invisible the sky, and not that visible blue vault that we call “sky.”
Request 1st:

Hallowed be Thy Name,

that is, help us to live righteously, holyly and glorify Your name with our holy deeds.
2nd:

May your kingdom come

that is, honor us here on earth with Your heavenly kingdom, which is truth, love and peace; reign in us and rule us.
3rd:

Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth

That is, let everything not be as we want, but as You please, and help us to obey this Your will and fulfill it on earth as unquestioningly, without grumbling, as it is fulfilled, with love and joy, by the holy angels in heaven. Because only You know what is useful and necessary for us, and You wish us good more than we ourselves.
4th:

Give us our daily bread today

That is, give us for this day, for today, our daily bread. By bread here we mean everything necessary for our life on earth: food, clothing, shelter, but most importantly - most pure Body and pure Blood in the sacrament of holy communion, without which there is no salvation, no eternal life.
The Lord commanded us to ask for ourselves not wealth, not luxury, but only the bare necessities, and to rely on God in everything, remembering that He, as a Father, always takes care of us.
5?e:

And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors.

That is, forgive us our sins just as we ourselves forgive those who have offended or offended us.
In this petition, our sins are called “our debts,” because the Lord gave us strength, abilities and everything else in order to do good deeds, and we often turn all this into sin and evil and become “debtors” before God. And so, if we ourselves do not sincerely forgive our “debtors,” that is, people who have sins against us, then God will not forgive us. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself told us about this.
6th:

And do not lead us into temptation

Temptation is a state when something or someone draws us to sin, tempts us to do something lawless and bad. So we ask: do not allow us to fall into temptation, which we do not know how to endure; help us overcome temptations when they happen.
7th:

But deliver us from evil

That is, deliver us from all evil in this world and from the culprit (chief) of evil - from the devil (evil spirit), who is always ready to destroy us. Deliver us from this cunning, crafty power and its deceptions, which is nothing before You.
Doxology:

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.

For to You, our God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, belongs the kingdom and the power and the eternal glory. All this is true, truly so.

Angelic greeting to the Mother of God

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

This prayer is to the Most Holy Theotokos, whom we call grace-filled, that is, filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and blessed of all women, because our Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was pleased, or desired, to be born from Her.
This prayer is also called an angelic greeting, since it contains the words of an angel (Archangel Gabriel): Hail, full of grace Mary, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, - which he said to the Virgin Mary when he appeared to Her in the city of Nazareth to announce to Her the great joy that the Savior of the world would be born from Her. Also - Blessed are You among women and blessed is the Fruit of Your womb, said to the Virgin Mary, when meeting Her, righteous Elizabeth, mother of Saint John the Baptist.
Mother of God The Virgin Mary is called because Jesus Christ, born of Her, is our true God.
Virgo it is called because She was a Virgin before the birth of Christ, and at Christmas and after Christmas she remained the same, since she made a vow (promise) to God not to marry, and remaining forever a Virgin, she gave birth to Her Son from the Holy Spirit in a miraculous way.

Song of praise to the Mother of God

It is worthy to eat as truly to bless Thee, Theotokos, ever-blessed and most immaculate and Mother of our God. We magnify You, the most honorable cherub and the most glorious seraphim without comparison, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption.

It is truly worthy to glorify You, Mother of God, always blessed and completely blameless and the Mother of our God. You are worthy of veneration more than the cherubim and in Your glory incomparably higher than the seraphim, You gave birth to God the Word (Son of God) without illness, and as the true Mother of God we glorify You.

In this prayer we praise the Mother of God as the Mother of our God, always blessed and completely immaculate, and we magnify Her, saying that She, with Her honor (most honorable) and glory (most glorious), surpasses the highest angels: the cherubim and seraphim, that is, the Mother of God in her own way. perfection stands above everyone - not only people, but also holy angels. Without illness, she miraculously gave birth to Jesus Christ from the Holy Spirit, who, having become man from Her, is at the same time the Son of God who came down from heaven, and therefore She is the true Mother of God.

The shortest prayer to the Mother of God

Most Holy Theotokos, save us!

In this prayer, we ask the Mother of God to save us sinners with Her holy prayers before Her Son and our God.

Prayer to the Life-Giving Cross

Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thy inheritance; victory Orthodox Christian bestowing on the resistance, and preserving Your residence through Your Cross.

Save, Lord, Your people and bless everything that belongs to You. Grant victory to Orthodox Christians against their enemies and preserve through the power of Your Cross those among whom You dwell.

In this prayer we ask God to save us, His people, and bless the Orthodox country - our fatherland - with great mercies; gave victories to Orthodox Christians over their enemies and, in general, preserved us by the power of His Cross.

Prayer to the Guardian Angel

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

Angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me from heaven by God for my protection, I earnestly pray to you: enlighten me now, and save me from all evil, to good deed instruct and direct on the path of salvation. Amen.

At baptism, God gives every Christian a Guardian Angel, who invisibly protects a person from all evil. Therefore, we must ask the angel every day to preserve and have mercy on us.

Prayer to the Saint

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

In addition to praying to the Guardian Angel, we must also pray to that saint by whose name we are called, because he also always prays to God for us.
Every Christian, as soon as he is born into the light of God, at holy baptism, is given a saint as a helper and patron by the Holy Church. He takes care of the newborn like the most loving mother, and protects him from all the troubles and misfortunes that a person encounters on earth.
You need to know the day of remembrance in the year of your saint (your name day), know the life (description of life) of this saint. On his name day we must glorify him with prayer in church and receive St. communion, and if for some reason we cannot be in church on this day, then we must pray fervently at home.

Prayer for the living

We must think not only about ourselves, but also about other people, love them and pray to God for them, because we are all children of one Heavenly Father. Such prayers are useful not only for those for whom we pray, but also for ourselves, since we thereby show love for them. And the Lord told us that without love no one can be children of God.
“Do not renounce prayer for others under the pretext of fear that you cannot pray for yourself; fear that you will not beg for yourself if you do not pray for others” (St. Philaret the Merciful).
Home prayer for family and friends is distinguished by special energy, since we see before our inner gaze that person dear to us, for the salvation of the soul and for whose physical health we pray. Father Men said in one of his sermons: “Daily prayer for each other should not be a simple listing of names. This is us (clergy. –

) in church we list your names, we don’t know who you are praying for here. And when you yourself pray for your loved ones, friends, relatives, for those who are in need - pray truly, with persistence... Pray for them, so that their path will be blessed, so that the Lord will support and meet them - and then we all , as if holding hands with this prayer and love, we will rise higher and higher to the Lord. This is the main thing, this is the most essential thing in our life.”
We must pray for our Fatherland - Russia, for the country in which we live, for our spiritual father, parents, relatives, benefactors, Orthodox Christians and all people, both for the living and for the dead, because with God everyone is alive (Lk. 20, 38).

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

Prayer for the dead

Rest, O Lord, the souls of your departed servants (names) and all my departed relatives and benefactors, and forgive them all their sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the kingdom of heaven.

This is what we call the dead because people are not destroyed after death, but their souls are separated from the body and move from this life to another, heavenly one. There they remain until the time of the general resurrection, which will occur at the second coming of the Son of God, when, according to His word, the souls of the dead will again unite with the body - people will come to life and be resurrected. And then everyone will receive what they deserve: the righteous will receive the Kingdom of Heaven, blessed, eternal life, and sinners will receive eternal punishment.

Prayer before teaching

Most gracious Lord, bestow upon us the grace of Your Holy Spirit, bestowing meaning and strengthening our spiritual strength, so that, by heeding the teaching taught to us, we may grow to You, our Creator, for glory, as our parent for consolation, for the benefit of the Church and the Fatherland.

This prayer is to God the Father, Whom we call the Creator, that is, the Creator. In it we ask Him to send the Holy Spirit so that He, through His grace, will strengthen our spiritual strength (mind, heart and will), and so that we, listening with attention to the teaching taught, will grow up as devoted sons of the Church and faithful servants of our fatherland and as a consolation to our parents.
Instead of this prayer, before teaching, you can read the prayer to the Holy Spirit “Heavenly King.”

Prayer after teaching

We thank You, Creator, for You have made us worthy of Your grace in paying attention to the teaching. Bless our leaders, parents and teachers, who lead us to the knowledge of good, and give us strength and strength to continue this teaching.

This prayer is to God the Father. In it, we first thank God that He sent help to understand the teaching being taught. Then we ask Him to send mercy to our parents and teachers, who give us the opportunity to learn everything good and useful; and in conclusion, we ask you to give us health and the desire to continue our studies with success.
Instead of this prayer, after the teaching, you can read the prayer of the Mother of God “It is worthy to eat.”

Prayer before eating food

The eyes of all trust in You, Lord, and You give them food in good season: You open Your generous hand and fulfill every animal good will.

(Psalm 144, 15 and 16 v.).

The eyes of everyone, Lord, look at You with hope, since You give food to everyone in due time, opening Your generous hand to bestow mercies on all living.

In this prayer we express confidence that God will send us food in due time, since He provides not only people, but also all living creatures with everything they need for life.
Instead of this prayer, you can read “Our Father.”

Prayer after eating food

We thank Thee, Christ our God, for Thou hast filled us with Thy earthly blessings; do not deprive us of Your Heavenly Kingdom.

In this prayer, we thank God for feeding us with food, and we ask Him not to deprive us of eternal bliss after our death, which we should always remember when receiving earthly blessings.

Morning prayer

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

To You, Lord Lover of Mankind, having risen from sleep, I come running and, by Your mercy, I hasten to Your deeds. I pray to You: help me at all times in every matter, and deliver me from every worldly evil deed and devilish temptation, and save me, and bring me into Your eternal kingdom. For You are my Creator and Provider, and the Giver of all good. All my hope is in You. And I give glory to You, now and always, and to the ages of eternity. Amen.

Evening prayer

Lord our God, who have sinned in these days in word, deed and thought, as he is good and a lover of mankind, forgive me; grant me peaceful sleep and serenity; Send Thy guardian angel to cover and keep me from all evil; for You are the guardian of our souls and bodies, and to You we send glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Lord our God! Everything in which I have sinned this day in word, deed and thought, You, as the Merciful and Humane One, forgive me. Give me peace and restful sleep. Send me Your Guardian Angel, who would cover and protect me from all evil. For You are the guardian of our souls and bodies, and we give glory to You, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

This article contains: evening prayer, when to read - information taken from all over the world, the electronic network and spiritual people.

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 the short rule than to mindlessly and without reverence jabber 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 appeal will be supported by Heaven when a person directs his activities to serving God and people.

Evening prayers

In the evening, the laity reads a short rule - a prayer for the night before going to bed:

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

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

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

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

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 on 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

• Heavenly King.

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 three hypostases 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 language, then you need to study its Russian translation.

IN modern practice the rule is supplemented by reading prayers about:

• 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 originally decided 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Church officials advise including the prayers of the Optina Elders as part of the evening rule. Their texts have been developed over centuries and each of their phrases carries the greatest wisdom, capable of clarifying the foundations of the Orthodox faith and understanding 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, praying 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.

Prayer rule.

What is a prayer rule? These are prayers that a person reads regularly, daily. Everyone's prayer rules are different. For some, the morning or evening rule takes several hours, for others - a few minutes. Everything depends on a person’s spiritual make-up, the degree to which he is rooted in prayer and the time he has at his disposal.

It is very important that a person follows the prayer rule, even the shortest one, so that there is regularity and constancy in prayer. But the rule should not turn into a formality. The experience of many believers shows that when constantly reading the same prayers, their words become discolored, lose their freshness, and a person, getting used to them, stops focusing on them. This danger must be avoided at all costs.

I remember when I took monastic vows (I was twenty years old at the time), I turned to an experienced confessor for advice and asked him what prayer rule I should have. He said: “You must read morning and evening prayers, three canons and one akathist every day. No matter what happens, even if you are very tired, you must read them. And even if you read them hastily and inattentively, it doesn’t matter, the main thing is that the rule is read.” I tried. Things didn't work out. Daily reading of the same prayers led to the fact that these texts quickly became boring. In addition, every day I spent many hours in church at services that spiritually nourished me, nourished me, and inspired me. And reading the three canons and the akathist turned into some kind of unnecessary “appendage”. I started looking for other advice that was more suitable for me. And I found it in the works of St. Theophan the Recluse, a remarkable ascetic of the 19th century. He advised the prayer rule to be calculated not by the number of prayers, but by the time that we are ready to devote to God. For example, we can make it a rule to pray for half an hour in the morning and evening, but this half hour must be completely given to God. And it is not so important whether during these minutes we read all the prayers or just one, or perhaps we devote one evening entirely to reading the Psalter, the Gospel or prayer in our own words. The main thing is that we are focused on God, so that our attention does not slip away and that every word reaches our heart. This advice worked for me. However, I do not rule out that the advice I received from my confessor would be more suitable for others. Here a lot depends on the individual person.

It seems to me that for a person living in the world, not only fifteen, but even five minutes of morning and evening prayer, if, of course, it is said with attention and feeling, is enough to be a real Christian. It is only important that the thought always corresponds to the words, the heart responds to the words of prayer, and the whole life corresponds to the prayer.

Try, following the advice of St. Theophan the Recluse, to set aside some time for prayer during the day and for daily fulfillment of the prayer rule. And you will see that it will bear fruit very soon.

The basis of the life of an Orthodox Christian is fasting and prayer. Prayer “is a conversation between the soul and God.” And just as in a conversation it is impossible to listen to one side all the time, so in prayer it is useful to sometimes stop and listen to the Lord’s answer to our prayer.

The Church, praying daily “for everyone and everything,” established a personal, individual prayer rule for everyone. The composition of this rule depends on the spiritual age, living conditions, and capabilities of the person. The prayer book offers us morning and evening prayers that are accessible to everyone. They are addressed to the Lord, the Mother of God, the Guardian Angel. With the blessing of the confessor, prayers to selected saints can be included in the cell rule. If it is not possible to read the morning prayers in front of the icons in a calm environment, then it is better to read them on the way rather than skip them altogether. In any case, you should not have breakfast before the Lord’s Prayer is read.

If a person is sick or very tired, then the evening rule can be done not before bedtime, but shortly before. And before going to bed, you should only read a prayer St. John Damascus “Vladyka, O Lover of Mankind, will this coffin really be my bed?” " and those following her.

A very important component of morning prayers is the recitation of remembrance. Be sure to pray for peace and health His Holiness Patriarch, the ruling bishop, spiritual father, parents, relatives, godparents and godchildren, and all the people who are connected with us in one way or another. If someone cannot make peace with others, even if it is not his fault, he is obliged to remember the “hater” and sincerely wish him well.

The personal (“cell”) rule of many Orthodox Christians includes reading the Gospel and Psalms. Thus, the Optina monks blessed many to read one chapter from the Gospel during the day, in order, and two chapters from the Apostolic Epistles. Moreover, the last seven chapters of the Apocalypse were read one per day. Then the reading of the Gospel and the Apostle ended simultaneously, and a new round of readings began.

The prayer rule for a person establishes it spiritual father, it is up to him to change it - to reduce or increase it. Once a rule has been established, it should become the law of life, and each violation should be considered as an exceptional case, tell the confessor about it and accept admonition from him.

When and for how long should you pray? The Apostle Paul says: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Saint Gregory the Theologian writes: “You need to remember God more often than you breathe.” Ideally, the entire life of a Christian should be permeated with prayer.

Many troubles, sorrows and misfortunes occur precisely because people forget about God. After all, there are believers among criminals, but at the moment of committing a crime they do not think about God. It is difficult to imagine a person who would commit murder or theft with the thought of an all-seeing God, from whom no evil can be hidden. And every sin is committed by a person precisely when he does not remember God.

Most people are not able to pray throughout the day, so we need to find some time, no matter how short, to remember God.

In the morning you wake up thinking about what you have to do that day. Before you start working and plunge into the inevitable hustle and bustle, devote at least a few minutes to God. Stand before God and say: “Lord, You gave me this day, help me spend an era without sin, without vice, save me from all evil and misfortune.” And call on God’s blessing for the beginning of the day.

Throughout the day, try to remember God more often. If you feel bad, turn to Him with a prayer: “Lord, I feel bad, help me.” If you feel good, tell God: “Lord, glory to You, I thank You for this joy.” If you are worried about someone, tell God: “Lord, I am worried about him, I hurt for him, help him.” And so throughout the day - no matter what happens to you, turn it into prayer.

When the day comes to an end and you are getting ready for bed, remember the past day, thank God for all the good things that happened, and repent for all the unworthy acts and sins that you committed that day. Ask God for help and blessings for the coming night. If you learn to pray like this every day, you will soon notice how much more fulfilling your whole life will be.

People often justify their reluctance to pray by saying that they are too busy and overloaded with things to do. Yes, many of us live in a rhythm that ancient people did not live in. Sometimes we have to do many things during the day. But there are always some pauses in life. For example, we stand at a stop and wait for a tram - three to five minutes. We go on the subway - twenty to thirty minutes, dial a phone number and hear a beep - “busy” - a few more minutes. Let us at least use these pauses for prayer, let them not be wasted time.

How to pray when you don't have time

Many of the elder’s visitors accused him of not praying enough and not even reading the prescribed morning and evening prayers. St. Seraphim established the following easily followed rule for such people:

“Rising from sleep, every Christian, standing before the holy icons, let him read the prayer “Our Father” three times, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity. Then the hymn to the Mother of God “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice” also three times. In conclusion, the Creed “I believe in one God” - once. Having completed this rule, every Orthodox Christian goes about his business, to which he has been assigned or called. While working at home or on the way somewhere, he quietly reads “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner (or sinner),” and if others surround him, then, going about his business, let him say with his mind only “Lord, have mercy” - and so until lunch. Just before lunch, let him do it again morning rule.

After dinner, while doing his work, let every Christian read just as quietly: “ Holy Mother of God"Save me, a sinner." When going to bed, let every Christian read the morning rule again, that is, the “Our Father” three times, the “Virgin Mary” three times and the “Creed” once.

St. Seraphim explained that by adhering to that small “rule,” one can achieve a measure of Christian perfection, for these three prayers are the foundation of Christianity. The first, as a prayer given by the Lord Himself, is a model for all prayers. The second was brought from heaven by the Archangel in greeting to the Mother of God. The Symbol of Faith contains all the saving dogmas of the Christian faith.

1. The Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9–13; Luke 11:2–4).

2. Basic commandments Old Testament(Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18).

3. The main gospel commandments (Matt. 5, 3–12; Matt. 5, 21–48; Matt. 6, 1; Matt. 6, 3; Matt. 6, 6; Matt. 6, 14–21; Matt. 6:24–25; Matthew 7:1–5; Matthew 23:8–12; John 13:34).

5. Morning and evening prayers according to a short prayer book.

6. The number and meaning of the sacraments.

The fear of our time has not escaped the Orthodox. How to protect yourself and your loved ones? - believers often ask. Our main defense is the Lord Himself, without His Holy Will, as the Scripture says, not a hair will fall from our head (Luke 21:18). This does not mean that we, in our reckless trust in God, can behave defiantly towards the criminal world. We need to remember firmly the words “do not tempt the Lord your God” (Matthew 4:7).

God gave us greatest shrines for protection from visible enemies. This is, first of all, a Christian shield - pectoral cross, which must not be removed under any circumstances. Secondly, holy water and artos, eaten every morning.

We also protect Christians with prayer. Many churches sell belts on which the text of Psalm 90 is written: “He lives in the help of the Most High. "and prayer To the Honest Cross"May God rise again." It is worn on the body, under clothes.

The ninetieth psalm has great power. Spiritually experienced people recommend reading it before every time we go outside, no matter how many times we leave the house. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov gives advice when leaving the house to make the sign of the cross and read the prayer: “I renounce to you, Satan, your pride and service to you, and I unite with you, Christ, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

Orthodox parents must certainly cross their child if he goes out alone.

Finding yourself in a dangerous situation, you need to pray: “May God rise again,” or “To the chosen victorious Voivode” (the first kontakion from the akathist to the Mother of God), or simply “Lord, have mercy,” repeatedly. We must resort to prayer even when another person is being threatened before our eyes, but we lack the strength and courage to rush to his aid.

A very strong prayer to the saints of God, who became famous for their military skills during their lifetime: Saints George the Victorious, Theodore Stratelates, Demetrius Donskoy. Let us not forget about Archangel Michael, our Guardian Angel. They all have with God special power to give strength to the weak to overcome their enemies.

“Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman watches in vain” (Ps. 126:1). A Christian's home must certainly be consecrated. Grace will preserve the home from all evil. If it is not possible to invite a priest to the house, you need to sprinkle all the walls, windows and doors with holy water yourself, reading “May God rise again” or “Save, O Lord, Thy people” (troparion to the Cross). To avoid the danger of arson or fire, it is customary to pray to the Mother of God in front of Her “Burning Bush” icon.

Of course, no means will help if we lead a sinful life, for a long time do not repent. Often the Lord allows extraordinary circumstances to admonish unrepentant sinners.

You can pray in different ways, for example, in your own words. Such prayer should constantly accompany a person. Morning and evening, day and night, a person can turn to God with the simplest words coming from the depths of his heart.

But there are also prayer books that were compiled by saints in ancient times; they need to be read in order to learn prayer. These prayers are contained in the “Orthodox Prayer Book”. There you will find morning, evening, repentance, thanksgiving prayers, you will find various canons, akathists and much more. Having bought the “Orthodox Prayer Book”, do not be alarmed that there are so many prayers in it. You don't have to read them all.

If you read the morning prayers quickly, it will take about twenty minutes. But if you read them thoughtfully, carefully, responding with your heart to every word, then reading can take a whole hour. Therefore, if you do not have time, do not try to read all the morning prayers, it is better to read one or two, but so that every word of them reaches your heart.

Before the section “Morning Prayers” it says: “Before you begin to pray, stand a little until your feelings subside, and then say with attention and reverence; “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen". Wait a little longer and only then start praying.” This pause, the “minute of silence” before beginning the prayer, is very important. Prayer must grow from the silence of our heart. People who “read” morning and evening prayers every day are constantly tempted to read the “rule” as soon as possible in order to begin their daily activities. Often, such reading eludes the main thing - the content of the prayer.

The prayer book contains many petitions addressed to God, which are repeated several times. For example, you may come across a recommendation to read “Lord, have mercy” twelve or forty times. Some perceive this as some kind of formality and read this prayer on high speed. By the way, in Greek “Lord, have mercy” sounds like “Kyrie, eleison.” In the Russian language there is a verb “playing tricks”, which came precisely from the fact that the psalm-readers on the choir very quickly repeated many times: “Kyrie, eleison”, that is, they did not pray, but “played tricks”. So, in prayer there is no need to fool around. No matter how many times you read this prayer, it must be said with attention, reverence and love, with complete dedication.

There is no need to try to read out all the prayers. It’s better to devote twenty minutes to one prayer, “Our Father,” repeating it several times, thinking about every word. It is not so easy for a person who is not accustomed to praying for a long time to immediately read a large number of prayers, but there is no need to strive for this. It is important to be imbued with the spirit that breathes the prayers of the Fathers of the Church. This is the main benefit that can be derived from the prayers contained in the Orthodox Prayer Book.