How to read morning and evening prayers. Morning and evening prayers

Part 1.

Where did morning or evening prayers come from? Can something else be used instead? Is it necessary to pray twice a day? Is it possible to pray according to the rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov?

We talk about the prayer rule with Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, rector of the Church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana at Moscow State University.

– Father Maxim, where did the existing prayer rule come from – morning and evening prayers?

- In the form in which the prayer rule is now printed in our prayer books, other Local Churches do not know it, except for those Slavic Churches that at one time began to focus on the church seal of the Russian Empire and de facto borrowed our liturgical books and corresponding printed texts . In the Greek-speaking Orthodox Churches we will not see this. There, as morning and evening prayers for the laity, the following scheme is recommended: in the evening - an abbreviation of Compline and some elements of Vespers, and as morning prayers - unchanged parts borrowed from the Midnight Office and Matins.

If we look at a tradition that was recorded by historical standards relatively recently - for example, we open Domostroy by Archpriest Sylvester - then we will see an almost fantastically ideal Russian family. The task was to give a certain role model. Such a family, being literate according to Sylvester's idea, reads the sequence of Vespers and Matins at home, standing in front of the icons along with household members and servants.

If we pay attention to the monastic, priestly rule, known to the laity in preparation for the reception of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, then we will see the same three canons that are recited at Small Compline.

The collection of prayers under the numbers arose quite late. The first text known to us is Francysk Skaryna's Book of Travelers, and today liturgists do not have an unambiguous opinion when and why such a meeting was held. My assumption (it cannot be considered a final statement) is as follows: these texts first appeared in southwestern Russia, in volosts, where there was a very strong Uniate influence and contacts with the Uniates. Most likely, there is, if not a direct borrowing from the Uniates, then a certain kind of borrowing of the liturgical and ascetic logic characteristic of the Catholic Church at that time, which clearly divided its composition into two categories: the church of the teaching and the church of the students. For the laity, texts were offered that had to be different from the texts read by the clergy, taking into account the different educational level and the intra-church status of the layman.

By the way, in some prayer books of the 18th-19th centuries we still see a relapse of that consciousness (now it is not reprinted, but it can be found in pre-revolutionary books): say, prayers that a Christian can read at the liturgy during the first antiphon; prayers and feelings that a Christian must read and experience during the Little Entrance... What is this if not a kind of analogue for the layman of those secret prayers that the priest reads during the corresponding parts of the liturgy, but only referred not to the clergyman, but to the layman? I think that the fruit of that period in the history of our Church was the emergence of today's.

Well, the widespread distribution in the form in which it is now, the prayer rule received already in the synodal era in the 18th-19th centuries and gradually established itself as a generally accepted norm for the laity. It is difficult to say in what year, in what decade it happened. If we read the teaching on prayer by our authoritative teachers and fathers of the 19th century, then we will not find any analysis, reasoning about the morning-evening rule either in St. Theophan, or in St. Philaret, or in St. Ignatius.

So, on the one hand, recognizing the existing prayer rule that has been used within the Russian Church for several centuries now and, in this sense, has become partly unwritten, partly written norm of our spiritual-ascetic and spiritual-prayer life, we should not overestimate the status of today's prayer books and given they contain prayer texts as the only possible norm for arranging the prayer life.

– Is it possible to change the prayer rule? Now such an approach has been established among the laity: you can supplement, but you can not replace and reduce. What do you think about this?

- In the form in which they are, morning and evening prayers are in some inconsistency with the principle of the construction of Orthodox worship, in which, as we all know, the changeable and unchanging parts are combined. At the same time, among the variable parts there are repeatable - daily, weekly, once a year - circles of worship: daily, weekly and annual. This principle of connecting a solid, unchanging backbone, a skeleton on which everything builds up, and variable, changeable parts is very wisely arranged and corresponds to the very principle of human psychology: on the one hand, it needs a norm, a charter, and on the other, variability so that the charter does not turn into into formal proofreading, repetition of texts that no longer evoke any internal response. And just here there are problems with the prayer rule, where the same texts are in the morning and in the evening.

In preparing for Communion, the laity have three of the same canons. Even in the priestly preparation, the canons differ in weeks. If you open the missal, it says that on each day of the week their own canons are read. And among the laity, the rule is unchanged. And what, read only him all his life? It is clear that certain kinds of problems will arise.

Saint Theophan gives advice, which at one time made me very happy. I myself and others I know have found much spiritual benefit from this advice. He advises when reading a prayer rule to combat coldness and dryness several times a week, noticing the standard chronological interval that goes to reading the usual rule, try in the same fifteen to twenty minutes, half an hour not to set yourself the task of reading everything without fail, but repeatedly returning to the place from which we have been distracted or gone aside by thought, to achieve the utmost concentration on the words and meaning of prayer. If only in the same twenty minutes we read only the initial prayers, but then we would learn to do it for real. At the same time, the saint does not say that in general it is necessary to switch to such an approach. And he says that you need to connect: on some days, read the whole rule, and on some days, pray in this way.

If we take as a basis the church liturgical principle of building a prayer life, it would be reasonable to either combine or partially replace certain components of the morning and evening rule with, for example, the canons that are in the canon - there are clearly more of them than in the prayer book. There are absolutely marvelous, amazing, beautiful prayers of Octoechos, ascending in large part to the Monk John of Damascus. When preparing for Communion on Sunday, why not read that Theotokos canon or that Sunday canon for the Cross of Christ or the Resurrection, which is in Octoechos? Or take, say, the canon to the Guardian Angel of the corresponding voice from Oktoech, rather than the same one that has been offered to be read to a person for many years.

For many of us, on the day of receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ, especially for the laity, regardless of the frequency of communion, the soul, and not laziness, prompts a person to seek thanksgiving to God on that day rather than repeat again in the evening the words that “I have sinned, lawless,” and so on. . When everything in us is still full of gratitude to God for accepting the Holy Mysteries of Christ, why not, for example, take this or that akathist singing or, say, an akathist to Jesus the Sweetest, or some other prayer and not make it the center of your prayer rule for this day?

Actually, prayer, I will say such a terrible phrase, needs to be treated creatively. You can’t dry it up to the level of a formally executed scheme: on the one hand, have the burden of having to fulfill this scheme day after day, year after year, and on the other hand, some kind of periodic internal satisfaction from the fact that I’m doing my due , and what else do you want from me in heaven, I already did, not without difficulty, what is supposed to be. Prayer cannot be turned into reading and fulfilling only duties, and counting - I don’t have the gift of prayer, I’m a small person, holy fathers, ascetics, mystics prayed, but we’ll wander through the prayer book like that - and there’s no demand.

– Who should decide what kind of prayer rule should be – is it up to the person to decide, or is it still necessary to go to the confessor, to the priest?

– If a Christian has a confessor, with whom he determines the constants of his inner spiritual structure, then it would be absurd in this case to do without him, and decide for himself, only with his own head, what to do. We initially assume that a confessor is a person at least as experienced in spiritual life as the one who addresses him, and in most cases somewhat more experienced. And in general - one head is good, but two is better. From the side it is more visible that a person, even reasonable in many respects, may not notice. Therefore, it is prudent, when determining something that we are striving to make permanent, to consult with the confessor.

But you can't advise on any movement of the soul. And if today you want to open the Psalter - not in terms of regular reading, but simply open and add to your usual prayer work the psalms of King David - why not call the priest? Another thing is if you want to start reading kathismas along with the prayer rule. Then you need to consult and take a blessing for this, and the priest, based on whether you are ready, will help you with advice. Well, as for the simply natural movements of the soul - here you somehow need to decide on your own.

- I think that it is better not to omit the initial prayers unnecessarily, because they may contain the most concentrated experience of the Church - “To the King of Heaven”, “Most Holy Trinity”, who taught us the prayer “Our Father”, we already know “It is worthy to eat” or “Rejoice in the Mother of God Virgin” - there are so few of them, and they are so obviously chosen by the prayerful experience of the Church. The Charter sometimes suggests us to abstain from them. "King of Heaven" - we wait 50 days until the feast of Pentecost, on Bright Week we generally have a special prayer rule. I don't understand the logic behind this.

– Why should we pray twice a day – in the morning and in the evening? One of our readers writes: when I am working with children, cooking or cleaning, it is so easy for me to pray, but as soon as I stand in front of the icons, everything is like chopping off.

“There are several themes here. No one calls us to limit ourselves to the morning or evening rule. The Apostle Paul directly says - pray without ceasing. The task of a good dispensation of the prayer life implies that a Christian strives not to forget about God during the day, including not to forget prayerfully. There are many situations in our life when prayer can be developed in oneself in a distinct way. But the unwillingness to stand up and pray just when it is supposed to be duty must be fought, because, as we know, the enemy of the human race especially resists there when our self-will is absent. It is easy to do what is done when I want. But then it becomes a feat that I have to do, regardless of whether I want to or not. Therefore, I would advise you not to give up the effort to put yourself in the morning and evening prayers. Its size is another matter, especially for a mother with children. But it should be, as a kind of constant value of prayer dispensation.

As for prayers during the day: if you stir the porridge, young mother, well, sing a prayer to yourself, or if you can somehow concentrate more, read the Jesus Prayer to yourself.

Now for most of us there is an excellent school of prayer - this is the road. Each of us goes to school, to work in public transport, in a car in the well-known Moscow traffic jams. Pray! Don't waste your time, don't turn on the unnecessary radio. If you don't get the news, you'll survive a few days without it. Do not think that you are so tired in the subway that you want to forget yourself and fall asleep. Well, you can’t read the prayer book in the subway - read “Lord, have mercy” to yourself. And this will be a school of prayer.

- And if you drive and put on a disc with prayers?

- I once treated this very harshly, I thought - well, what are these disks, some kind of hack, and then, from the experience of various clergymen and laity, I saw that this could be a help in the prayer rule.

The only thing I would say is that you don't need to reduce your entire prayer life to disk listening. It would be absurd, having come home in the evening and becoming the evening rule, to turn on the disk instead of yourself, and some reverent Lavra choir and an experienced hierodeacon will begin to lull you to sleep with a familiar voice. Everything should be in moderation.

– How can one relate to the rule given by the great saint? As to the rule given by the great saint. I just want to remind you under what circumstances he gave it: he gave it to those nuns and novices who were on difficult obediences for 14-16 hours a day. He gave them to start and finish the day without being able to fulfill the regular monastic rules, and reminded them that this rule should be combined with inner prayerful doing during the labors that they carry out during the day.

Of course, if a person in a hot workshop or in no less tedious office work comes home so that he can eat dinner made by his beloved wife in haste and read prayers - this is all that he has strength left for, let him read the rule of the Monk Seraphim. But if you still have the strength to slowly sit at the table, make a few unnecessary phone calls, watch a movie or news on TV, read a friend's tape on the Internet, and then - oh, get up for work tomorrow and there is only a few minutes left - then here, perhaps, it would not be the most correct way to limit oneself to the Seraphim rule.

To be continued…

The person constantly delivers an internal monologue, and sometimes violently argues with an imaginary opponent. He is torn apart by conflicting feelings, oppressed by the need to make decisions. Vain thoughts, big problems and small things, the flow of daily, endless worries. And it already seems that no one can help, and life passes by, and nothing good awaits ahead. And then we suddenly remember that we also have someone to turn to, someone to hope for and from whom to expect help.

It’s better, after all, not to wait for a special mood, failure, God forbid, misfortune, but to know the prayers for every day and read them regularly.

Daily church attendance for a modern, active, working person is almost impossible, but everyone can read prayers in the morning, entrusting their fate into the hands of God. The church rite suggests that a full reading of the daily prayer for each day takes at least 40 minutes. Not everyone can afford it, and besides, there are difficulties in understanding Church Slavonic words. This makes it harder to read and remember. Parish priests, spiritual fathers allow and advise to reduce the number of prayers, leaving only those that, as they say, "fell on the soul." Orthodox prayers for every day are appeals to God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Trinity, Saints, Reverends, Archangels, Apostles, Guardian Angels. And everyone who prays can turn to the one who is closer to him. Prayer is not a request, much less a demand: to do, give, organize, cure. A deeply felt, correctly read morning prayer helps to focus, being a kind of meditative tool. Prayers for every day discipline the mind and soul, give us the opportunity to feel protected, stored. If there is no special occasion, then usually the daily Orthodox rite includes several main prayers.

We were not taught to pray, but a direct appeal to God, the main prayer for every day, is known to many. This is our Father. The Orthodox Church is a catholic church, and when many people read a prayer at the same time, its strength becomes irresistible. Therefore, those who are reprimanded during church services are so effective.

You can contact the Guardian Angel during the day, he is always there, keeps, protects, directs.

Prayer to the Guardian Angel

Angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me by the Lord, I pray you: every day keep me from all evil, instruct me in good deeds and direct me on the path of salvation. Amen.

Ugodnik is very revered in Russia. Icons with his image can be found in the cottages of wealthy people and in poor apartments. Smart and stupid, educated and ignorant, people of all ages and professions considered and still consider him theirs. The Great Saint refuses to help anyone, and this help is always timely and effective.

Prayer to Nicholas the Pleasant

O All-good Father Nicholas! Shepherd and teacher of all those praying with faith for your intercession and calling to you in a fervent prayer! Try and save the flock of Christ from the wolves that are destroying the Christian country. Protect and protect with your saints prayers from rebellion, war and internecine strife, from hunger, flood, fire, ball and vain death. And just as you had mercy on three men sitting in prison, and delivered them from the wrath of the king and the cut from the sword, so have mercy on me too, and deliver me from the wrath of the Lord and eternal torment. With your intercession and help, with your own mercy and grace, Christ God will give me a quiet life, save me from troubles and misfortunes. Amen

For a woman, there is no better prayer for every day than appeal to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It helps in illnesses, protects from despair and evil thoughts.

Lady, Holy Mother of God. With your all-powerful and holy supplications before the Lord, take away from me, your humble servant of God, bad and evil thoughts. I ask You to strengthen me in my faith! Protect my weak soul and sinful heart from despondency and despair. Our intercessor, the Most Holy Theotokos! Do not let fall into the sin of evil thoughts and deeds. May your name be blessed forever and ever. Amen.

In everything that concerns prayer and a pious life, the Lord Jesus Christ, the apostles and saints can serve as an example for us. It is written in the Gospel that Christ prayed in solitude for several hours and even during the whole night. The Apostle Paul urged to pray without ceasing, that is, all the time. Is there a limit to the length of the prayer?

You can turn to God in prayer almost everywhere:

in the temple
where they eat
at work
and even on the way

At home, they read home prayers (morning, evening, before or after eating food). With the blessing of the priest, morning prayers can be read on the way to work. In the office, you can pray before the start and at the end of the working day.

During worship services in the temple, believers together perform a public (otherwise - church) prayer.

To pray alone in the temple, you need to come outside of worship, purchase and light candles. It is not necessary to light them: the ministers will light them before the start of the service. Then you need to venerate the icon of the day or holiday - it lies on a lectern (a special inclined table) in the middle of the temple - as well as to the shrines that may be in the temple: revered icons, relics of saints. After that, you can find a place to read to yourself (in a whisper) any prayer that you know by heart, or pray in your own words.

How many times a day should the Orthodox pray?

Prayer is a time dedicated to God. This time should be every day.

in the morning,
in the evening,
before meals and after
before and after the completion of any business (for example, work or study)
in order to first ask God for blessings, and in the end to thank Him.

In addition, it is important in the temple to perform church prayer and acceptance. If necessary, in case of special needs or life circumstances, you can turn to private prayer (at home in front of the icons or in the church between services) to the saints or heavenly forces so that they intercede for the one who is praying before the Lord.

Time for reading Orthodox prayers in church and at home

In ancient monasteries, nine long services were performed per day, and between them the monks alone read psalms or recited. Night was considered a particularly fertile time for solitary prayer.

Modern lay people perform at home in the morning, in the evening, upon returning home -. If a person is weak or has little time, then instead of the morning and evening rules, he can read St. Seraphim of Sarov during the day.

It is advisable to discuss the duration of morning and evening prayers with the priest, with whom the parishioner confesses constantly.

On Saturday evening and on the eve of church holidays, you should attend the all-night vigil in the church, and on Sunday mornings and on holidays - the Liturgy.

During they go to church more often to pray: in the first four days they try not to miss evening services- they serve Great Compline with the Canon of Andrew of Crete. You should also try to attend as many services as possible during the Holy Week preceding the Easter holiday. During Holy Week Liturgy is served daily, and believers strive to visit it in order to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ not only on Sunday, but also on a weekday.

Morning prayer time

Morning prayers are read at home, immediately upon awakening. Waking up, you need to stand in front of the icons and start reading prayers by heart or according to the prayer book.

Evening Prayer Time

Evening prayers are read at home at the end of the day or before bed. The evening rule is not recommended to be postponed until later, because the later, the stronger the fatigue and the more difficult it is to concentrate.

Just before going to bed, already lying in bed, they say: “In Your hands, Lord my God, I betray my spirit, You save me, You have mercy on me and grant me eternal life.”

Prayer all day long

The Orthodox Church does not set a strict time for prayers. We must strive to pray constantly. First of all, this means constantly remembering God and from time to time, if possible, turning to Him during the day with short prayers (for example, the Jesus Prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner” or a short thanksgiving prayer “Glory To Thee, our God, glory to Thee!”).

Continuous prayer

You can read short prayers continuously throughout the day, repeating the same prayer many times in a row and counting the number of repetitions with a rosary. This is usually how the Jesus Prayer is read. However, for such a prayer it is necessary to take the blessing of the priest, and the number of repetitions is strictly regulated.

There are many restrictions on continuous prayer, it cannot be read uncontrollably.

St. Ambrose of Optina ordered his spiritual children to read the Jesus Prayer only aloud, because reading to oneself can cause strong emotional sensations and lead to delusion. Charm means self-deception, up to mental insanity.

How long should a prayer be?

Durationprayers are not governed by rules.

The most important thing is the focus on prayer, not its duration or number of prayers.
You need to pray slowly, thinking about every word.
The number of prayers should correspond to the time that we can devote to them.

The Lord said, “I want mercy, not sacrifice” (Mt. 9:13), therefore, with a lack of time or severe fatigue, it is permissible to shorten the prayer rule in order to read it with concentration.

The book "Most Needed Prayers" should be in every home, in every family and always be at hand. Sincere and constant prayer is not easy work, but even the most difficult path begins with the first step! Let this first step towards an open and reverent conversation with the Spirit creating the Universe be the reading of this book.

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The following excerpt from the book The most necessary prayers that should always be at hand (Collection, 2013) provided by our book partner - the company LitRes.

Prayers during the day

Prayer before leaving the house

I deny you, Satan, your pride and service to you, and combine with you, Christ, in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. (Shield yourself with the sign of the cross)

Prayer of the last Optina Elders

Lord, give me peace of mind to meet everything that the coming day brings me. Let me completely surrender to Your holy will. For every hour of this day, instruct and support me in everything. Whatever news I receive during the day, teach me to accept it with a calm soul and firm conviction that everything is Thy holy will. Lord, guide my thoughts and feelings in all my words and deeds. In all unforeseen cases, do not let me forget that everything is sent down by You. Teach me to act directly and reasonably with each member of my family, without embarrassing or upsetting anyone. Lord, give me the strength to endure the fatigue of the coming day and all the events during the day. Guide my will and teach me to repent, pray, believe, hope, endure, forgive and love everyone. Amen.

Prayers for the welfare of children

Prayer to the Savior for children throughout the day

Lord Jesus Christ, be Thy mercy on my children (names), keep them under Thy shelter, cover them from every crafty lust, drive away from them every enemy and adversary, open their ears and eyes of the heart, grant tenderness and humility to their hearts. Lord, we are all Your creation, have pity on my children (names) and turn them to repentance. Save, Lord, and have mercy on my children (names) and enlighten their minds with the light of the mind of Your Gospel, and guide them on the path of Your commandments, and teach them, Savior, to do Your will, as You are our God.

First Prayer (Kazan Amvrosievskaya stauropegial female desert)

Sweetest Jesus, God of my heart! You gave me children according to the flesh, they are Yours according to the soul; You have redeemed both my soul and theirs with Your priceless blood; for the sake of your divine blood, I beg you, my sweetest Savior: with your grace, touch the hearts of my children (names) and my godchildren (names), protect them with your divine fear, keep them from bad inclinations and habits, direct them to the bright path of life, truth and goodness, adorn their lives with everything good and saving, arrange their fate as if you yourself are good and save their souls in the image of fate. Lord God of our fathers! Give my children (names) and my godchildren (names) a right heart to keep Your commandments, Your revelations and Your statutes and do all this. God! To the Creator of all creatures, applying mercy to mercy, You have made me worthy to be the mother of a family; Your goodness has given me children, and I dare to say: they are Your children! Because You gave them life, revived them with an immortal soul, revived them by baptism for a life in accordance with Your will, adopted them and accepted them into the bosom of Your Church. God! Keep them in a blessed state until the end of life; make them worthy to be partakers of the mysteries of Your Covenant; sanctify with your truth; may your holy name be sanctified in them and through them! Send me Your grace-filled help in their upbringing for the glory of Your name and the good of your neighbor! Grant me methods, patience and strength for this purpose! Teach me to plant in their hearts the root of true wisdom - your fear! Illuminate them with the light of the ruling universe of Your Wisdom! May they love You with all their soul and with all their thoughts, may they cleave to You with all their heart and all their lives, may they tremble at Your words! Grant me understanding to convince them that true life consists in keeping Your commandments; that labor, strengthened by piety, delivers serene contentment in this life and inexpressible bliss in eternity. Reveal to them the understanding of Your law! Yes, until the end of their days they act in the feeling of Your omnipresence! Instill in their hearts horror and aversion from all lawlessness, may they be blameless in their ways, may they always remember that You are the All-good God, a zealot of Your law and righteousness! Keep them in chastity and reverence for Your name! Let them not discredit Your Church with their behavior, but let them live according to its precepts! Inspire them with a desire for useful teaching and make them capable of every good deed! May they acquire a true understanding of those subjects whose information is necessary in their state; May they be enlightened by knowledge beneficial to humanity. God! Wise me to imprint with indelible features in the mind and heart of my children the fear of fellowship with those who do not know Your fear, inspire them with every possible distance from any union with the lawless. May they not heed rotten conversations, may they not listen to frivolous people, may they not be led astray from Your path by bad examples, may they not be tempted by the fact that sometimes the path of the lawless is prosperous in this world! Heavenly Father! Grant me grace in every way to beware of giving my children a temptation by my actions, but, constantly keeping in mind their behavior, distract them from delusions, correct their errors, curb their stubbornness and obstinacy, refrain from striving for vanity and frivolity; let them not be carried away by foolish thoughts, let them not follow their hearts, let them not become proud in their thoughts, let them not forget you and your law. May the iniquity of their mind and health not destroy them, may the sins of their spiritual and bodily forces not relax. Righteous Judge, punishing children for the sins of their parents up to the third and fourth generation, turn away such punishment from my children, do not punish them for my sins, but sprinkle them with the dew of Thy grace, may they prosper in virtue and holiness, may they grow in Thy favor and in love pious people. Father of bounty and all mercy! As a parent, I would wish my children every abundance of earthly blessings, I would wish them blessings from the dew of heaven and from the fat of the earth, but may Thy holy will be with them! Arrange their fate according to Your good pleasure, do not deprive them of their daily bread in life, send them everything they need in time to acquire blessed eternity; be merciful to them when they sin against you; do not impute to them the sins of youth and their ignorance, bring their hearts to contrition when they resist the guidance of Thy goodness; punish and have mercy on them, directing them to the path pleasing to You, but do not reject them from Your face! Accept their prayers with favor, grant them success in every good deed, do not turn Your face away from them in the days of their sorrow, so that their temptations will not overtake them beyond their strength, Overshadow them with Your mercy, may Your Angel walk with them and save them from every misfortune and an evil path, Omnipotent God! Make me a mother rejoicing over her children, may they be my joy in the days of my life and my support in my old age. Deign me, with hope in Your mercy, to stand with them at Your Last Judgment and with unworthy boldness to say: “Here I am and my children whom You gave me, Lord!” Yes, together with them glorifying Thy inexpressible goodness and eternal love, I exalt Thy most holy name, Father, Son and Holy Soul, forever and ever.

Prayer two, for a warrior

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, hear me, unworthy servant (name). Lord, in Your gracious power, my children, Your servants (names). Have mercy and save them, for Your name's sake. Lord, forgive them all the sins, voluntary and involuntary, committed by them before You. Lord, guide them on the true path of Your commandments and enlighten their minds with the light of Christ for the salvation of the soul and the healing of the body. Lord, bless them at home, at school, on the road, and in every place of Your dominion. Lord, save them under Your holy shelter from a flying bullet, poison, fire, from a deadly ulcer and vain death. Lord, protect them from all visible and invisible enemies, from any disease, cleanse them from all filth and ease their mental suffering. Lord, grant them the grace of Your Holy Spirit for many years of life, health, chastity. Lord, increase and strengthen their mental abilities and bodily strength, which You have given them, Your blessing on a pious and, if You please, family life and shameless childbearing. Lord, grant me, unworthy and sinful of Your servant (name), a parental blessing on my children and Your servants at the present time, morning, day, night for the sake of Your name, for Your Kingdom is eternal, omnipotent and omnipotent.

Song of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Virgin Mother of God, rejoice, Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you! Blessed are You in women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, as if the Savior gave birth to our souls.

Prayer to the Mother of God

O Most Holy Lady Virgin Mother of God, save and save under Your shelter my children (names), all the youths, maidens and babies, baptized and nameless and carried in the womb of their mother. Cover them with the robe of Your motherhood, keep them in the fear of God and in obedience to your parents, implore my Lord and Your Son, may He grant them useful things for their salvation. I entrust them to Your Motherly care, as You are the Divine Protection of Your servants. Mother of God, introduce me into the image of Your heavenly motherhood. Heal the spiritual and bodily wounds of my children (names), inflicted by my sins. I entrust my child entirely to my Lord Jesus Christ and Yours, Most Pure, heavenly patronage. Amen.

Prayers for well-being in business and teaching

Prayer before starting any work that is pleasing to God and useful to people.

Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of Truth, Who is everywhere and fills everything, Treasury of the good and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Blessed, our souls. Amen.

Prayer to the Savior before starting a good deed

Lord Jesus Christ, our God, accept our fervent prayer and bless the good intention and work of your servants (name), even if you start safely, and without any obstacle to your glory, complete. Hurry up as a worker and correct the works of your hands, and in perfection, by the power of your most holy Spirit, hastily create! Yours is more than to have mercy and save us, our God, and we send glory to you, with your Father without beginning, and your most holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.

Prayers at the end of any work

Thou art the fulfillment of all good things, my Christ, fill my soul with joy and gladness and save me, as One is Many-merciful. Amen.

Psalm 37 (read when things are going badly)

Lord, do not rebuke me with Your wrath, but punish me with Your anger. Like Your arrows unzosha in me, and Thou hast established Your hand on me. There is no healing in my flesh from the face of Your wrath; there is no peace in my bones from the face of my sins. As if my iniquity exceeded my head, as if a heavy burden was burdened on me. Resurrect and bend my wounds from the face of my madness. Suffered and slushy to the end, all day complaining about walking. Like my ladviya is filled with reproach and there is no healing in my flesh. I was embittered and resigned to the ground, roaring from the sighing of my heart. Lord, before You all my desire and my sighing is not hidden from You. My heart is troubled, leave me my strength, and the light of my eyes, and that one is not with me. My friends and my sincere ones are directly approaching me and stasha, and my neighbors are far away, stashing me and needy looking for my soul, and looking for an evil verb to me, vain and flattering all day long. But I am as if deaf not hearing, and as if he did not open his mouth. And like a man, do not hear and do not have reproof in your mouth. As if in You, Lord, I hope, You will hear, Lord my God. Yako rekh: yes, not when my enemies will please me: and always move my feet, yelling at me. For I am ready for wounds, and my illness is before me. As if my iniquity, I will proclaim and take care of my sin. My enemies live and become stronger than me, and multiply those who hate me without the truth. Those who repay me the evil, the good slander me, for the persecution of goodness. Do not leave me, Lord my God, do not depart from me. Come to my help, O Lord of my salvation.

Psalm 131 (with the anger of the ruler)

Remember, Lord, David and all his meekness: as they swear by the Lord, they promise God to Jacob: if I enter into the village of my house, or I climb on the bed of my bed, if I give my eyes sleep and my slumber is always at home, and the rest of my skraniam, until I find a place O Lord, a village to the God of Jacob. Behold, I have heard in Euphrates, I have found in the fields of oak forests. Let us enter into His dwellings, let us bow down to the place where we stand at His foot. Resurrect, O Lord, into Thy rest, Thou and Thy sanctuary. Your priests will be clothed with righteousness, and Your saints will rejoice. David, for the sake of your servant, do not turn away the face of your anointed one. The Lord swears to David by the truth and will not deny it: I will plant from the fruit of your womb on your throne. If your sons keep My covenant, and this is My testimony, which I will teach, and their sons will sit on your throne forever. As the Lord has chosen Zion, bring him to your dwelling. This is my rest forever and ever, I will dwell here, like a deceiver. I will bless his catch, I will satisfy his poor with bread, the priests will clothe him with salvation, and his saints will rejoice with joy. There I will raise up the horn of David; I will prepare a lamp for my anointed one. I will clothe his enemies with frost, and my shrine will flourish on it.

Prayer for the Preservation of Crops and Gardens

To you, Lord, we pray: hear our prayer, that by Your mercy they will be delivered, for the sake of Your name, our crops and gardens, now rightly destroyed for our sins and suffering real distress, from birds, worms, mice, moles and other animals, and far expelled from this place by Your power, let them not harm anyone, but these fields, and waters, and gardens will be left in complete peace, so that everything growing and born in them serves to Your glory and helps our needs, for all the angels praise You and we bring glory to you, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Prayers before the icons of the Mother of God "The Conqueror of Bread"

O Most Holy Virgin Theotokos, Merciful Lady, Queen of Heaven and Earth, of every Christian home and family, the Builder, those who work blessing, in need of inexhaustible wealth, orphans and widows and all people, the Nurse! Our Nourisher, who gave birth to the Feeder of the Universe and the Conqueror of our bread: You, Mistress, send down Your Maternal blessing on our city, villages and cornfields and every house, on Thee has hope. Meanwhile, with reverent awe and a contrite heart, we humbly pray to Thee: be also to us, Thy sinful and unworthy servant, wise house-builder, arranging our life well. Every community, every house and family in piety and Orthodoxy, unanimity, obedience and contentment observe. Feed the poor and the poor, support old age, raise babies, enlighten everyone to sincerely cry out to the Lord: “Give us our daily bread today.” Save, Most Pure Mother, Your people from every need, illness, famine, destruction, hail, fire, from every evil situation and every disorder. Our cloisters (vesi), houses and families and every soul of Christians and our whole country, intercede for peace and great mercy, let us praise Thee, our Merciful Nurse and Nurse, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen.

Prophet of God Elijah (during drought)

O laudable and marvelous prophet of God Elijah, shining on the earth with your life equal to the angels, with the most ardent zeal for the Lord Bose the Almighty, and even more glorious signs and wonders, the same, by the extreme goodwill of God to you, supernaturally raptured on a fiery chariot with your flesh to Heaven, worthy of to talk with the Savior of the world who was transfigured on Tabor, and now in the heavenly villages abide unceasingly and stand before the Throne of the Heavenly King! Hear us, sinners and indecent (names), at this hour coming before your holy icon and diligently resorting to your intercession. Pray for us the Lover of God, may he give us the spirit of repentance and contrition for our sins, and with his all-powerful grace, may he help us to leave the path of wickedness, and prosper in every good deed; may it strengthen us in the struggle against our passions and lusts; may it plant in our hearts the spirit of humility and meekness, the spirit of brotherly love and gentleness, the spirit of patience and chastity, the spirit of zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of others. Abolish with your prayers, prophet, the evil customs of the world, moreover, the pernicious and corrupting spirit of this age, which infects the Christian race with disrespect for the Divine Orthodox faith, for the charter of the Holy Church and for the commandments of the Lord, disrespect for the parent and those holding power, and overthrowing people into the abyss of wickedness , corruption and destruction. Turn away from us, wonderful prophet, by your intercession the righteous wrath of God and deliver all the cities and villages of our Fatherland from lack of rain and famine, from terrible storms and earthquakes, from deadly ulcers and diseases, from the invasion of enemies and internecine strife. Strengthen with your prayers, most glorious, our powers that be in the great and difficult feat of government, prosper them in all good deeds and undertakings to establish peace and truth in our country. Assist the Christ-loving army in the war with our enemies. Ask, prophet of God, from the Lord our shepherd, holy zeal for God, heartfelt concern for the salvation of the flock, wisdom in teaching and management, piety and strength in temptations, ask judges for impartiality and selflessness, righteousness and compassion for the offended, for all those in command, care for subordinates, mercy and right judge, but to subordinates humility and obedience to authorities and diligent performance of their duties; yes, having lived in peace and piety in this world, let us be worthy of partaking of eternal blessings in the Kingdom of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, He deserves honor and worship with His Father without beginning and the Most Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Prayers before teaching

Blessed Lord! Send down to us the grace of Your Holy Spirit, bestowing and strengthening our spiritual strength, so that the teaching that is attentively taught to us, we grow up to You, our Creator, to the glory, our parent for consolation, the Church and the fatherland for the benefit. Amen.

Prayer after teaching

We thank Thee, the Creator, as if Thou hast vouchsafed us Thy grace, in a hedgehog heed to teaching. Bless our bosses, parents and teachers who lead us to the knowledge of the good, and give us strength and strength to continue this teaching. Amen.

Prayer to the Savior for children who find it difficult to teach

Lord Jesus Christ, our God, truly dwelling in the hearts of the twelve apostles and by the power of the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, descended in the form of fiery tongues, and opened their mouths, so that they began to speak in other dialects! Lord Jesus Christ Himself, our God, send down that Holy Spirit of Yours on this child (name) and plant in his heart the Holy Scripture, which Your pure hand inscribed on the tablets of the legislator Moses, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.

Prayers for pride and vanity

"You, my Savior..."

You, my Savior, Who, out of obedience, for thirty years in Nazareth obeyed Your Mother, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, and the guardian of Her virginity Joseph, and after entering into the work of Your great ministry, You were obedient to the will of Your Father even to death, the death of the cross, make me, according to Your example, obey You in everything to the leaders appointed over me and fulfill everything that You have led in the law and the Gospel, so that my whole life would be continuous obedience, which would make me a worthy partaker of Your grace in this life and glory to you in the life to come.

Prayer requests to the Savior St. Silouan of Athos

Lord, give me Your humble spirit, so that I do not lose Your grace and begin to weep for it, as Adam wept for Paradise and God. Lord, You are Merciful; tell me what must I do to humble my soul? Lord, vouchsafe us the gift of Your holy humility. Lord, grant us the gift of Your humble Holy Spirit, just as You came to save people and lift them up to heaven so that they may see Your glory. Most Holy Mother of the Lord, ask, Merciful, for us a humble spirit. All Saints, you live in heaven, and you see the glory of the Lord, and your spirit rejoices - pray that we also be with you.

Prayer to the Savior St. John of Kronstadt

Lord, do not let me dream of myself as if it were the best of any of the people, but think of it as the worst of all and do not condemn anyone, but judge myself strictly. Amen.

Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt

O great saint of Christ, holy righteous Father John of Kronstadt, wonderful shepherd, quick helper and merciful intercessor! Lifting up your praise to the triune God, you prayerfully cried out: “Your name is Love: do not reject me who err. Your name is Strength: strengthen me, exhausted and falling. Your name is Light: enlighten my soul, darkened by worldly passions. Your name is Peace: die my restless soul. Your name is Mercy: do not stop being merciful to me. Now, grateful for your intercession, the All-Russian flock prays to you: Christ-named and righteous servant of God! With your love, illumine us, sinners and the weak, make us worthy of fruits of repentance and partake of the holy Mysteries of Christ without condemnation: strengthen your faith in us by your strength, support us in prayer, heal illnesses and diseases, deliver us from the misfortunes of enemies visible and invisible: with the light of the face of your servants and move the primates of the altar of Christ to the holy feats of pastoral work, grant upbringing as a baby, instruct youth, support old age, shrines of temples and holy cloisters, illumine: die, miracle worker and seer of the most wonderful, the peoples of our country, by the grace and gift of the Holy Spirit deliver from internecine warfare; Gather the dispersed, the deceived, convert and gather the holy councils and apostles of the Church: by your grace, observe marriage in peace and unanimity, give monastic prosperity and blessings in good deeds, cowardly comforts, those who suffer from unclean spirits of freedom, have mercy on all of us in needs and circumstances. guide the way of salvation: in the living Christ, our Father John, lead us to the non-evening light of eternal life, may we be blessed with you with eternal bliss, praising and exalting God forever and ever. Amen.

About the gift of repentance

Prayers are read in front of the icon of the Savior or in open space, in case of irritability in relation to others.

Lord, grant us to see our sins, so that our mind, drawn entirely to the attention of our own errors, ceases to see the errors of our neighbors, and thus sees all our neighbors as good. Grant our hearts to leave pernicious care for the shortcomings of their neighbor, to unite all their cares into one care for the acquisition of the purity and holiness commanded and prepared for us by You. Grant us, who have defiled the garments of the soul, to whiten them again: they have already been washed by the waters of baptism, now, after defilement, they need to be washed with tearful waters. Grant us to see, in the light of Thy grace, the manifold ailments living in us, destroying spiritual movements in the heart, introducing into it bloody and carnal movements, hostile to the Kingdom of God. Grant us the great gift of repentance, preceded and born by the great gift of seeing our sins. Protect us with these great gifts from the abysses of self-delusion, which opens in the soul from its unnoticed and incomprehensible sinfulness; is born from the action of voluptuousness and vanity, unnoticed and incomprehensible by it. Keep us with these great gifts on our way to You, and grant us to reach You, calling confessing sinners, and rejecting those who recognize themselves as righteous, may we praise You forever in eternal bliss, the One True God, the Redeemer of the captives, the Savior of the lost. Amen.

Psalm 56

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for my soul has hoped in Thee, and I hope in the shadow of Your wings, until iniquity passes away. I will call upon the Most High God, the God who has done good to me. Sent from Heaven and save me, giving as a reproach to those who trample me, God sent His mercy and His truth, and deliver my soul from the environment of the skimms. The messenger is confused, sons of mankind, the teeth of their weapons and arrows, and the tongue of their sword is sharp. Ascend to Heaven, O God, and throughout the earth Your glory. The net has prepared my feet and slushy my soul, digging a hole before my face and falling into a nude. My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready; I will sing and sing in my glory. Arise my glory, arise the psalter and the harp, I will rise early. Let us confess to You among the people, Lord, I will sing to You in the tongues, as if Your mercy is exalted to Heaven, and even to the clouds Your truth. Ascend to Heaven, O God, and throughout the earth Your glory.

In the passion of greed and money-grubbing

Prayer is read in front of the icon of the Savior or in an open space, when thoughts of prosperity overcome excessively. You can pray for yourself and for your neighbor, who does not feel the sin of acquisitiveness.

Prayer of St. Ignatia Bryanchaninova

Lord, You visit, receive sinners! And you raise the dead! And you command the waters of the sea, the winds of the sky! And miraculously loaves grow in Your hands, give a thousandfold harvest - they are sown, reaped, baked and broken at the same time, in one instant! And you are hungry to save us from hunger! And you long for our thirst to go away! And you travel through the country of our exile with the burden of Yourself in order to return to us the calm, sweet heavenly nature that we have lost! You shed Your sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane so that we stop shedding our sweat in earning bread, learn to shed it in prayers for a worthy communion of Heavenly Bread. The thorns grown for us by the accursed earth, You have taken on Your head; Thou hast crowned Thy holy head with thorns! We have lost the Paradise tree of life and its fruit, which imparted immortality to those who eat it - You, stretched out on the tree of the Cross, have become for us a fruit that gives eternal life to Your partakers. Both the fruit of life and the tree of life appeared on earth, in the camp of our exile. This fruit and this tree are more excellent than those of Paradise: those communicated immortality, and these communicate immortality and Divinity. Through Your suffering You have poured sweetness into our suffering. We reject earthly pleasures, we choose suffering as our lot, if only to become partakers of Your sweetness! She, like a foretaste of eternal life, is sweeter and more precious than temporary life! You fell asleep as a mortal who could not keep You in eternal sleep, You - God! You rose up and gave us excitement from this dream, from the fierce sleep of death, gave us a blessed and glorious resurrection! You raised our renewed nature to heaven, planted it at the right hand of the eternal, Your co-eternal, Your Father! Our Lord! Grant us both on earth and in heaven to glorify, bless, praise Your goodness! Grant us with a frank face to see Thy terrible, impregnable, magnificent Glory, forever behold Her, worship Her and be blessed in Her. Amen.

In despair and despondency

"Lord Lord of heaven and earth..."

The prayer "Lord, Lord ..." in despair is read many times in front of the icon of the Savior, the Holy Trinity or in open space.

Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, King of the ages! Kindly open the door of repentance for me, for in the sickness of my heart I pray to You, the true God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Light of the world: look at Your many blessings and accept my prayer; do not turn him away, but forgive me, who has fallen into many sins. For I seek rest and do not find it, because my conscience does not forgive me. I wait for peace, and there is no peace in me, because of the deep multitude of my iniquities. Hear, O Lord, me who is in despair. For I, deprived of any readiness and any thought to correct myself, fall down to Your mercies: have mercy on me, cast down to the ground and condemned for my sins. Turn, O Lord, my weeping into my joy; loosen my sackcloth and gird me with gladness. And be pleased that I may receive rest, as Thy chosen ones, Lord, from whom sickness, sorrow and sighing have fled, and may the door of Thy Kingdom be opened to me, so that, having entered with those who enjoy the light of Thy face, Lord, I may receive eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord . Amen.

Prayer for deliverance from despondency, St. John of Kronstadt

Prayer is performed before the icon of the Savior. You can pray in an open space.

The Lord is the destruction of my despondency and the reviving of my boldness. Everything for me is the Lord. O Lord, indeed, glory to Thee! Glory to Thee, Life of the Father, Life of the Son, Life of the Holy Soul - a Simple Being - God, ever delivering us from spiritual death, caused by passions to our soul. Glory to Thee, Trinitarian Master, as if from one invocation of Thy name You enlighten the gloomy face of our soul and body and grant Thy peace, which surpasses all earthly and sensual goodness and all understanding.

Prayers before the icon of the Virgin "Unexpected Joy"

O Blessed Virgin, the All-Blessed Son of the All-Benevolent Mother, the Patroness of this city and holy temple, all who are in sins, sorrows, troubles and illnesses, faithful to the Intercessor and Intercessor! Receive this prayer singing from us, Thy unworthy servants, lifted up to Thee, and like a sinner of old, praying many times before Thy honest icon every day, Thou hast not despised, but Thou hast given him the unexpected joy of repentance and bowed Thy Son to many and zealous to Him intercession for the forgiveness of this sinful and erring one, so now do not despise the prayers of us, Your unworthy servants, and implore Your Son and our God, and all of us with faith and tenderness bow before Your wholesome image, grant unexpected joy for everyone: a shepherd church - holy zeal for the salvation of the flock; for a sinner mired in the depths of evils and passions - all-powerful admonition, repentance and salvation; those who are in sorrow and sorrow - consolation; those found in troubles and bitterness - their complete exodus; faint-hearted and unreliable - hope and patience; in the joy and contentment of the living - incessant thanksgiving to the Benefactor of God; for the needy - mercy; those who are in illness and long-sickness and abandoned by doctors - unintentional healing and strengthening; who depended on the illness of the mind - the mind return and renewal; departing into eternal and never-ending life - the memory of death, tenderness and contrition for sins, a cheerful spirit and firm hope in God's mercy. O Holy Lady! Have mercy on all who honor Your all-honorable name, and reveal to all Your almighty cover and intercession; keep in piety, purity and honest living until their last end in goodness; do evil good; guide the wrongs on the right path; To every good work and to Your Son, please, advance; destroy every evil and ungodly deed; in bewilderment and difficult and dangerous circumstances, those who receive invisible help and admonition from heaven are sent down; save from temptations, temptations and death; protect and save from all evil people and from enemies visible and invisible; float floating; traveling travel; Be the Nourisher for those who are in need and gladness, Be the Cover and Refuge for those who do not have shelter and shelter; give a robe to the naked; offended and suffering from falsehood - intercession; slander, reproach and blasphemy of the sufferer invisibly justify; slanderers and detractors in front of all guise; fiercely hostile, inadvertently grant reconciliation, and all of us love each other, peace and piety and health with long life. Keep marriages in love and like-mindedness; spouses, in enmity and division of being, die, unite to each other and put them an indestructible union of love; mother, children giving birth, give permission soon; Raise babies, young ones be chaste, open your mind to the perception of any useful teaching, instruct the fear of God, abstinence and industriousness; From domestic strife and enmity of consanguineous people, protect the world and love. Motherless orphans wake up Mother, from all vice and filth I turn away and teach everything good and charitable; deceived and fallen into sin and impurity, having taken away the filth of sin, bring them out of the abyss of death. Wake up the widows Comforter and Helper, wake up the wand of old age. Deliver us all from sudden death without repentance, and to all of us the Christian death of our belly, painless, shameless, peaceful and kind answer at the terrible Judgment of Christ, grant those who repent in faith and repentance from this life with the angels and make all the saints live; who died a sudden death, be merciful to be Thy Son; for all the dead, who do not have relatives, for the repose of their Son of Thy begging, Be yourself an unceasing and warm Prayer and Intercessor; Yes, all in heaven and on earth lead Thee, as a firm and shameless Representative of the Christian race, glorify Thee and Thee, Thy Son with His Beginningless Father and His Consubstantial Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.

End of introductory segment.

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

What are the prayers and features of their reading

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

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

Prayer "Our Father"

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

Prayer "Virgin Mary, rejoice"

Virgin Mother of God, rejoice, Gracious Mary, the Lord is with you: blessed are you in women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, as if you gave birth to our souls as the Savior.

Prayer "Symbol of Faith"

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

For us for the sake of man and for our sake of salvation, he descended from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and Mary the Virgin, and became human.

Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried.

And resurrected on the third day according to the Scriptures.

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

And the packs of the future with glory to judge the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end.

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

Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.

Tea of the resurrection of the dead.

And the life of the next century. Amen.

How to read morning and evening prayers

In the morning it is supposed to pray immediately after waking up, before the meal and the beginning of the working day, and in the evening you can choose any time, the main thing is that all work in the current day be completed.

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

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

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

It is important to pray with a pure heart, in which there is no bitterness, evil, resentment, irritation. If a believer feels these emotions, they need to get rid of. One way would be to pray for the health of the one who offended. This will cleanse the soul, pacify the ardor and set you in a blessed mood.

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

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

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

The Importance of Prayer in the Morning and Evening

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