The Savior's commandment is to always pray. Prayer is the breath of spiritual life. And just as physical life stops when breathing stops, so spiritual life stops when prayer stops.

Prayer is a conversation with God, with the Most Holy Theotokos, and saints. God is our Heavenly Father, to whom we can always turn with our joys or sorrows. Therefore, at any time, not only at divine services and prayer services, but in any other place, we can turn to the Most Holy Theotokos and the saints and ask them to help us, to intercede for us before the Lord.

We must learn to turn to God as the Source of Life. The first words you should say in the morning are: "Glory to Thee, Lord, Glory to Thee!" . Gradually short prayers are collected into rules- prayers that must be read.

There are different rules - morning, afternoon, evening, etc. These prayers were compiled by holy people and imbued with the spirit of their ascetic life dedicated to Christ. The most perfect prayer is “Our Father...”, left to His disciples by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

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.

It is necessary to get used to bowing - waist And earthly. Bowing makes up for our absent-mindedness in prayer. You should also pay attention to your external demeanor when praying. You must stand straight, look straight at the icons, and remember that when you pray you appear before the Face of the Heavenly Father.

Life and prayer are completely inseparable. A life without prayer is a life that lacks its most important dimension; this is life “on a plane”, without depth, life in two dimensions of space and time; this is a life that is content with the visible, content with our neighbor, but the neighbor as a phenomenon on the physical plane, a neighbor in which we do not discover all the immensity and eternity of his fate. The meaning of prayer is to reveal and affirm through life itself the fact that everything has a measure of eternity and everything has a measure of immensity. The world in which we live is not a godless world: we ourselves profane it, but in its essence it came from the hands of God, it is loved by God. His price in the eyes of God is the life and death of His Only Begotten Son, and prayer testifies that we know this - we know that every person and every thing around us is sacred in the eyes of God: loved by Him, they become dear to us. Not to pray means to leave God outside of everything that exists, and not only Him, but also everything that He means for the world He created, the world in which we live.

About the post

The Church of Christ commands its children to lead a moderate lifestyle, especially highlighting the days and periods of compulsory abstinence - posts. Fasting is days when we should think more about God, about our sins before God, pray more, repent, not get irritated, not offend anyone, but on the contrary, help everyone. To make it easier to accomplish this, you must, first of all, eat only “lenten” food, that is, plant foods: bread, vegetables, fruits, since nourishing food makes us want not to pray, but to sleep, or, conversely, to frolic . The Old Testament righteous fasted, and Christ Himself fasted.

Weekly fast days (with the exception of “solid” weeks) are Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday, fasting was established in memory of the betrayal of Christ by Judas, and on Friday - for the sake of the suffering on the cross and the death of the Savior. On these days it is forbidden to eat fast meat and dairy foods, eggs, fish (according to the Charter, from the Resurrection of St. Thomas until the Feast of the Holy Trinity, fish and vegetable oil can be eaten), and during the period from the Week of All Saints (the first Sunday after the Feast of the Trinity) until the Nativity of Christ, on Wednesdays and Fridays one should abstain from fish and vegetable oil.

There are four multi-day fasts a year. The longest and most severe - Lent, which lasts seven weeks before Easter. The strictest of them are the First and the Last, Passionate. This fast was established in memory of the Savior's forty-day fast in the desert.

Close in severity to the Great Dormition post, but it is shorter - from August 14 to 27. With this fast, the Holy Church honors the Most Holy Theotokos, Who, standing before God, invariably prays for us. During these strict fasts, fish can be eaten only three times - on the feasts of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (April 7), the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (a week before Easter) and the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 19).

Christmas post lasts 40 days, from November 28 to January 6. During this fast, you are allowed to eat fish, except on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. After the feast of St. Nicholas (December 19), fish can only be eaten on Saturdays and Sundays, and the period from January 2 to January 6 must be strictly observed.

Fourth post - Holy Apostles(Peter and Paul). It begins with the Sunday of All Saints and ends on the day of remembrance of the holy supreme apostles Peter and Paul - July 12. The regulations on nutrition during this Lent are the same as during the first period of Christmas.

The days of strict fasting are Epiphany Eve (January 18), the holidays of the Beheading of John the Baptist (September 11) and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 27).

Some relaxation in the severity of fasting is allowed for the sick, as well as those engaged in hard work, pregnant and lactating women. This is done so that fasting does not lead to a sharp loss of strength, and the Christian has the strength for the prayer rule and the necessary work.

But fasting should be not only physical, but also spiritual. “He who believes that fasting is only abstaining from food is mistaken. True fasting,” teaches St. John Chrysostom, “is removal from evil, curbing the tongue, putting aside anger, taming lusts, stopping slander, lies and perjury.”

The body of the fasting person, without being burdened with food, becomes light and strengthens to receive gifts of grace. Fasting tames the desires of the flesh, softens the temper, suppresses anger, restrains the impulses of the heart, invigorates the mind, brings peace to the soul, and eliminates intemperance.

By fasting, as St. Basil the Great says, by fasting favorably, by moving away from every sin committed by all the senses, we fulfill the pious duty of an Orthodox Christian.

Initial prayers

Rising from sleep, before any other activity, reverently presenting yourself before the Almighty God and placing the sign of the cross on yourself, say:

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

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

Therefore, slow down a little so that all your feelings come into silence and your thoughts leave everything earthly, and then say your prayers without haste, with heartfelt attention.

In this prayer we ask the Lord for blessings on the upcoming task.

Prayer of praise to the Lord God
(small doxology)

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

In this prayer we praise God without asking for anything in return. It is usually pronounced at the end of a task as a sign of gratitude to God for His mercy towards us. This prayer is said in short: God bless. In this abbreviated form, we say a prayer when we finish some good deed, for example, teaching, work; when we receive any good news, etc.

Publican's Prayer

God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.

Prayer for forgiveness of our sins. It must be said as often as we often sin. As soon as we sin, we must immediately repent of our sin before God and say this prayer.

Prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ

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

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother and all the saints, have mercy on us (show mercy to us). Amen.

We ask that God, through the prayers of the saints, have mercy on us, i.e. was merciful to us and forgave our sins. This prayer, like the prayer of the publican, should be in the mind and heart of a Christian as often as possible, because, constantly sinning before God, they must constantly turn to Him asking for mercy.

This prayer can be said shorter: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us , or even shorter: Lord have mercy! In the latest abbreviated version, it is pronounced in church, during worship, often up to 40 times continuously.

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 soul.

Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of truth, Who is everywhere and fills everything, Receptacle of all goodness and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all impurity, and save, O Merciful One, our souls.

We ask that the Holy Spirit will deliver us from eternal punishment for sins and honor us with the Kingdom of Heaven.

Trisagion
(angel song)

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

Holy God, Holy Almighty, Holy Immortal, be merciful to us.

By the words: Holy God, God the Father is meant; under the words: Holy Mighty - God the Son; under the words: Holy Immortal - God the Holy Spirit. The prayer is read three times in honor of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity. This prayer is called an angelic song because it is sung by holy angels before the throne of God.

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.

Praise be to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and to endless ages. Amen.

In this prayer we do not ask God for anything, but only glorify Him, who appeared to people in three Persons.

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity

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

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord (Father), forgive us our sins. Master (Son of God), forgive our iniquities. Holy (Spirit), visit us and heal our diseases, to glorify Your name

First, from the Holy Trinity together, and then from each Person of the Holy Trinity separately, we ask for one thing, although in different expressions: deliverance from sins.

Lord's Prayer

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

Our heavenly Father! Let Your name be glorified. Let Your Kingdom come. Let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, just as we forgive those who sin against us. And do not let us fall into temptation, but deliver us from the evil spirit. Because the Kingdom, Power and Glory belong to You - to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now, always and unto ages of ages. Amen.

This is the most important prayer; That is why it is often read in church during services. It contains an invocation, seven petitions and a doxology.

Morning prayers

Prayer to Jesus Christ

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

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

In prayer, we invite all our physical and mental strength, and we invite other believers to worship Jesus Christ, our King and God.

Psalm 50 - David's penitential psalm

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

Have mercy on me. God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your compassions, blot out my iniquities. Wash me often from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, for I am aware of my iniquities, and my sin is always before me. You, You alone, have I sinned and done evil in Your sight, so that You are righteous in Your judgment and pure in Your judgment. Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sin. Behold, You have loved the truth in your heart and have shown me (Your) wisdom within me. Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean; Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness, and the bones will rejoice. Broken by you. Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within 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 the Sovereign Spirit. I will teach the wicked Your ways, and the wicked will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodshed. O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will praise Your righteousness. Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise: for You do not desire sacrifice, I would give it; You do not favor burnt offerings. A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; You will not despise a contrite and humble heart, O God. Bless Zion, O Lord, according to Your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem: then the sacrifices of righteousness, the heave-hoist and the burnt offering will be acceptable to You; Then they will place bullocks on Your altar.

This psalm (psalm-song) was composed by the prophet King David when he repented of the great sin that he killed the pious husband Uriah the Hittite and took possession of his wife Bathsheba. The prayer expresses deep contrition for the sin committed, which is why this psalm is often read in church during worship, and we, who are guilty of certain sins, should recite it as often as possible.

Prayer 3rd of St. Macarius the Great

To You, Lord, Lover of Mankind, having risen from sleep, I come running, and I strive for Your works with Your mercy, and I pray to You: help me at all times, in every thing, and deliver me from all worldly evil things and devilish 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 hope, and I send up glory to You, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

To You, Lord Lover of Mankind, having awakened from sleep, I turn and, by Your mercy, I hasten to Your deeds, and I beg You: help me at all times, in every matter and deliver me from every worldly evil deed and devilish temptation; save me and bring me into Your eternal Kingdom. For You are my Creator, the Source and Giver of all good, all my hope is in You, and I glorify You now and always, and to endless ages. Amen.

In this prayer, we express our readiness and desire before God, upon awakening from sleep, to engage in the affairs assigned to each of us by God, and we ask Him for help in these matters; We also ask that He save us from sins and bring us into the Kingdom of Heaven. The prayer ends with praise to God.

Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos

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.

Mother of God Virgin Mary, filled with the grace of God, rejoice! The Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women, and blessed is the Fruit born of You, because You gave birth to the Savior of our souls.

Praise to the Blessed Virgin Mary

It is worthy to eat, as truly, to bless Thee, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and the Mother of our God. We magnify You, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption, the real Mother of God.

It is truly worthy to glorify You, Mother of God, eternally happy and most holy and Mother of our God. And we glorify You, the true Mother of God, more honorable than the Cherubim and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, who gave birth to the Son of God without breaking virginity.

With this prayer we glorify the Most Holy Theotokos. There is a short prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos, which we should say as often as possible. This prayer: Most Holy Theotokos, save us!

To the Angel of God, my holy Guardian, given to me by God from heaven, I diligently pray to Thee: Enlighten me today and 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 God from heaven for safekeeping! I earnestly ask you: today, enlighten me from all evil, teach me good deeds and guide me on the path of salvation. Amen.

In this prayer, we ask our Guardian Angel to deliver us from all evil temptations and pray to God for us.

Troparion to the Cross and prayer for the Fatherland

Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thy inheritance, granting victories against resistance, and preserving Thy residence through Thy Cross.

Save, Lord, Your people and bless those who belong to You, helping Orthodox Christians defeat their enemies and preserving Your holy Church by the power of Your Cross.

In this prayer, we ask that the Lord deliver us, Orthodox Christians, from troubles and misfortunes, grant us prosperity in life, give us the strength to defeat all violators of the peace and security of the state, and protect us with His Cross.

Prayer for health and salvation of the living

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

The spiritual father is the priest to whom we confess; relatives - relatives; mentors - teachers; benefactors - those who do good, help us.

In this prayer, we ask God for our parents, relatives and all our neighbors and friends for earthly and heavenly blessings, namely: health, strength and eternal salvation.

Prayer for the departed

Rest, O Lord, to the souls of your departed servants (names), forgive them their sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.

Rest, Lord, the souls of Your departed servants: my parents, relatives, benefactors (their names), and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all their sins, done of their own free will and against their will, and give them the Kingdom of Heaven.

We pray that He will place our deceased relatives, neighbors and all Orthodox Christians together with the saints in the Kingdom of Heaven, where there is no suffering, but only bliss, having forgiven them all their sins according to His unspeakable mercy.

Prayers throughout the day

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 Your glory, our Creator. It’s a consolation for our parents, a benefit for the Church and the Fatherland.

Most merciful Lord! Send us the grace of Your Holy Spirit, which would give us understanding and strengthen our spiritual strength, so that we, listening to the teaching taught to us, would grow to You, our Creator, for glory, for our parents for consolation, for the benefit of the Church and the Fatherland.

We pray that God will give us understanding and a desire to learn, so that this teaching will serve for the glory of God, for the comfort of our parents and for the benefit of our neighbors.

Before teaching, instead of this prayer, you can say the prayer: To the Heavenly King.

Prayer at the end of the lesson

We thank You, Creator, for You have made us worthy of Your grace to listen 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.

We thank You, Creator, for the fact that You have honored us with Your mercy to listen to the teaching. Bless (i.e. reward) our leaders, parents and teachers who lead us to the knowledge of good, and give us strength and health to continue this teaching.

In this prayer, we first thank God for helping us learn; then we ask that He reward with His mercy the leaders, parents and teachers who are trying to teach us good, and give us strength and health to continue our teaching.

At the end of the teaching, instead of this prayer, you can say the prayer: 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’s good will.

The eyes of all are turned to You, Lord, with hope, and You give food to everyone in due season; You open Your generous hand and satisfy all living things according to desire (Psalm 144:15-16).

In this prayer we ask that God bless us with food and drink for health.

Instead of this prayer, before lunch and dinner, you can read the Lord's Prayer: 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, but as You came among Your disciples, Savior, give them peace, come to us and save us.

We thank You, Christ our God, that You have nourished us with Your earthly blessings; do not deprive us of Your Heavenly Kingdom.

In this prayer, we thank God for filling us with food and drink and ask that He not deprive us of His Heavenly Kingdom.

Prayers for the future

Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angel

To the Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and patron of my soul and body, forgive me all who have sinned this day, and deliver me from all the wickedness of the enemy who opposes me, so that 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.

Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and patron of my soul and body! Forgive me everything that I sinned in the past day (or last night), and deliver me from all the cunning of my evil enemy, so that I do not anger my God with any sin; but pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant, so that I may be worthy of the goodness and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity and the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ and all the saints. Amen.

Each of us has a special angel with us throughout our entire lives from the time of our baptism; he protects our soul from sins, and our body from earthly misfortunes, and helps us live holy, which is why in prayer he is called the patron saint of soul and body. We ask the Guardian Angel to forgive our sins, deliver us from the tricks of the devil and pray to the Lord for us.

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

Eternal God and King of every creature, who has made me worthy even at this hour, forgive me the sins I have committed this day in deed, word and thought, and cleanse, 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, having risen from my humble bed, I will please Your most holy name all the days of my life, and will defeat the enemies of the flesh and the incorporeal that fight me. And deliver me, Lord, from vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil lusts. For 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.

Eternal God and King of all creatures, who has deigned me to live until this hour! Forgive me the sins that I have committed this day in deed, word and thought, and cleanse, Lord, my poor soul from all impurity of body and soul. And help me, Lord, to spend the coming night calmly, so that, getting up from my wretched bed, I can do what is pleasing to Your most holy name all the days of my life and defeat the bodily and incorporeal enemies who attack me. And deliver me, Lord, from empty thoughts that defile me and evil passions. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever. Amen.

In this prayer we thank God for a well-spent day, asking Him for forgiveness of sins, preservation of us from all evil and good night. This prayer ends with the glorification of the Holy Trinity.

Prayer 5, St. John Chrysostom

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.

Lord our God! As a good and philanthropic person, forgive me everything I sinned on this day: in word, deed or thought; give me a peaceful and calm sleep; send me your guardian angel so that he will cover and protect 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 always, and forever. Amen.

We ask for forgiveness of sins, peaceful sleep and a guardian angel who would protect us from everything bad. This prayer ends with the glorification of the Holy Trinity.

Prayer to the Honest Cross

May God rise again, and may His enemies be scattered, and may those who hate Him flee from His presence. As smoke disappears, let them disappear; just as wax melts in the face of fire, so let demons perish from the face of those who love God and signify themselves with the sign of the cross, and who say in joy: Rejoice, Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, drive away the demons by force on you of our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and straightened the power the devil, and who gave us His Honest Cross to drive away every adversary. O Most Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Virgin Mary and with all the saints forever. Amen.

May God rise again, and may His enemies be scattered, and may all who hate Him flee from Him. As smoke disappears, so let them disappear; and as wax melts from the fire, so let the demons perish before those who love God and are marked by the sign of the cross and exclaim in joy: Rejoice, Most Honored and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, driving away demons by the power of our crucified Lord Jesus Christ on you, Who descended into hell and destroyed the power of the devil and gave us You, Your Honest Cross, to drive away every enemy. Oh, Most Revered and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, help me with the Holy Lady the Virgin Mary and with all the saints in all ages. Amen.

In prayer we express our faith that the sign of the cross is the most powerful means of driving away demons, and we ask the Lord for spiritual help through the power of the Holy Cross.

A short prayer to the Holy Cross

Protect me, Lord, by the power of Your Honest and Life-giving Cross, and save me from all evil.

Protect me, Lord, by the power of Your Honest (Honorable) and Life-Giving (Life-Giving) Cross, and save me from all evil.

You should say a prayer just before going to bed, kissing the cross worn on your chest, and protecting yourself and your bed with the sign of the cross.

The following works were used in preparing the material:
"Conversations on Prayer", Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh,
"Explanatory Prayer Book", published by the parish in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov.
"On Prayer", Abbot Hilarion (Alfeev).
"Orthodoxy for children", O.S. Barilo.

"Orthodoxy for children", O.S. Barilo

Miraculous words: prayer during fasting by day in full description from all the sources we found.

During Lent, it is customary to read various prayers, but the most important is considered to be the repentant prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian. A chapter in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah is dedicated to this holiday. It describes in detail how to behave during fasting and other nuances. On these days, you can perform various rituals, read conspiracies and prayers. People believe that all appeals to God during this period will certainly be heard.

Prayers read during Lent

As already mentioned, the most important prayer during the days of Lent is considered to be an appeal from Holy Sirin. It lists the most important aspects of repentance, and also indicates what exactly needs to be done and what to work on. The main idea of prayer is that a person must free himself from illness, which is an obstacle to communication with God. The prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian sounds like this:

“Lord and Master of my life,

Do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk.

Grant me the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to Your servant.

grant me to see my sins,

and do not condemn my brother,

for blessed art thou unto the ages of ages, amen.

God, cleanse me, a sinner!”

To make the prayer more understandable, you need to dwell on the most important points that are described in it. First, a request is made to get rid of important sins:

Spirit of Idleness. The saint asks God to protect him from wasting his time. Everyone has certain talents and skills that need to be used correctly for the benefit of all humanity. Idleness is considered the root of all sins.
Spirit of despondency. If a person is controlled by despondency, then he does not have the opportunity to see goodness and happiness in life. He simply plunges into darkness and becomes a real pessimist. That is why, in order to move in the right direction and be closer to God, you need to get rid of this sin.
Spirit of greed. In almost every person’s life there is a desire to control people, for example, power in the family, at work, etc. The love of control can become a serious problem that prevents you from developing and communicating with God.
Spirit of pride. Man is the only creation of God who has received the ability to speak. Often words are used for insults, curses, etc. In prayer, the saint asks God to protect him from vain and evil words.

Fasting cannot take place without prayers. You can read morning, evening prayers or the Psalter. It is important to always add the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian.

Prayer during fasting by day

Prayer of Ephraim the Syrian

Lord and Master of my life!

Do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk.

Grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to me, Your servant.

To her, Lord the King, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother,

for blessed art thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Take into your prayer rule some additional texts: canons, akathists (akathists are read privately on days of fasting), psalms, etc. (And think for yourself what you can realistically raise, and don’t ask your father, who is always busy and in a hurry. He may or may not approve of your choice, but he cannot decide for you.)

a necessary element of the post. Make it a rule to read the lives of the saints of this day every day.

Or all the texts of the service scheduled for this day.

You can discipline yourself by reading one chapter of the Gospel every morning (the Apostle the next year) and reflect on what you read all day long.

Prevent your thoughts from wandering during fasting: read advertisements in the subway car, listen to the radio in the car, spend time watching TV at home. Let it be spiritual reading or listening to spiritual broadcasts.

Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann writes beautifully about this:

“We must understand that it is impossible to divide our life between Lenten light sadness and the experience of a fashionable film or play. These two experiences are incompatible, and one of them completely destroys the other. However, it is very likely that the latest fashionable film is rather overcome by a light sadness; the opposite can only happen with special efforts. Therefore, the first Lenten custom that can be proposed is a decisive cessation of listening to radio and television during Lent. In this case, we do not dare propose a perfect fast, but at least an ascetic one, which, as we have already said, first of all means a change in “diet” and abstinence. For example, there is nothing wrong with continuing to follow the transmission of information or a serious program that enriches us spiritually and intellectually. But what must be stopped by fasting is being chained to the TV, the vegetative existence of a person chained to the screen, passively absorbing everything that is shown to him.”

Observation of the soul

In general, a person should watch his soul all the time. However, this is especially true for fasting, and for this reason. Experiencing discomfort from fasting abstinence, a person becomes more irritable, picky, and finds it more difficult to keep himself within limits. This can be attributed to temptations from demons. Not without temptations, of course, but the point is, first of all, that all those unhealed moods come out of the soul that do not appear until we are full, tired, satisfied...

Therefore, pastors from ancient times to this day strongly advise a fasting person to pay attention to his behavior, attitude towards his neighbors, etc. “He who believes that fasting only means abstaining from food is mistaken. True fasting is removal from evil, bridling the tongue, putting aside anger, taming lusts, stopping slander, lies and perjury” (St. John Chrysostom).

The same saint says what real fasting should be like:

“Together with bodily fasting, there must also be mental fasting... During physical fasting, the belly fasts from food and drink; during mental fasting, the soul abstains from evil thoughts, deeds and words. A true faster abstains from anger, rage, malice, and revenge. A true faster refrains his tongue from idle talk, foul language, idle talk, slander, condemnation, flattery, lies and all slander... Do you see, Christian, what kind of spiritual fasting?”

The Holy Fathers taught quite definitely that abstinence from food must necessarily be combined with abstinence of the soul from evil. “The toil of the flesh, combined with contrition of the spirit, will constitute a pleasant sacrifice to God and a worthy abode of holiness in the hiddenness of a pure, well-adorned spirit” (Venerable John Cassian).

I will give another quote from the same holy father (his memory is celebrated once every 4 years, on February 29), a great ascetic and ascetic:

“What is the benefit of abstaining from food and being defiled by fornication? You do not eat meat, but you torment your brother’s flesh with slander. What profit is there in not enjoying wine, but reveling in wealth? What is the use of not eating bread and being drunk with anger? What is the profit in exhausting yourself with fasting and at the same time slandering your neighbor? What is the use of abstaining from food and stealing what belongs to others? What is the need to dry up the body and not feed the hungry? What is the use of wasting your limbs and not showing mercy to widows and orphans?

Are you fasting? In this case, avoid slander, avoid lies, slander, enmity, blasphemy and all vanity.

Are you fasting? Then avoid anger, jealousy, perjury and all injustice.

Are you fasting? Avoid overeating, which gives rise to all kinds of wickedness...

If you fast for God’s sake, then avoid every deed that God hates, and He will accept your repentance with favor.”

The holy fathers considered the sin of idle talk to be one of our bad habits that must be eradicated. Russian word chat very accurately, although somewhat rudely, conveys the meaning of this sin - rocking, wagging the tongue from side to side. When, if not during Lent, should we declare war on idle talk?

Saint Gregory the Theologian wrote a wonderful treatise about this, “A Word on Silence during Lent”:

“When, making a mysterious sacrifice to the human suffering of God, so that I myself might die to life, I bound my flesh for forty days, according to the laws of Christ the King, since healing is given to cleansed bodies, then, firstly, I brought my mind into steadfastness, living alone, far from everyone, surrounded by a cloud of lamentation, gathered entirely within himself and unentertained by thoughts, and then, following the rules of holy men, he put the door to his lips. The reason for this is so that, by abstaining from every word, we learn to observe moderation in words ... "

And is it not for deliverance from the sin of idle talk that we pray in the words of the Lenten prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian: “Lord and Master of my life. Spirit... don’t give me idle talk.”

Good deeds

Many Christians ask how specifically they could serve their neighbors. It is clear that we do not leave elderly parents and relatives without care; we try to create peace and love in our own family. But not only their… Love to his, caring for parents is, in general, not an achievement, it is a duty! But the Christian must go further. He should also include other people with his care.

When the Savior (in the 25th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew) speaks of judgment over the righteous and sinners, the only criterion for justification or condemnation here is specific help to one’s neighbor:

“And all nations will be gathered before Him; and will separate one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand: Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you accepted Me; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.

Then the righteous will answer Him: Lord! when did we see you hungry and feed you? or to the thirsty and gave them something to drink? when did we see you as a stranger and accept you? or naked and clothed? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You? And the King will answer them, “Truly I say to you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it to Me.”

Then He will also say to those on the left side: Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger, and they did not accept Me; I was naked, and they did not clothe Me; sick and in prison, and they did not visit Me.

Then they too will answer Him: Lord! when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not serve You? Then he will answer them, “Truly I say to you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.”

In this regard, I would like to say two words about concrete help to our neighbors.

The author believes that every Christian should help those in need. Whether with money, with our strength, with spiritual participation... But we must help. An exception can be made for teachers and doctors. Their professional service, if done honestly and with dedication, is their Christian service. But everyone else must take up and carry out the service of helping their neighbor. What might this look like?

I have dozens of examples of how my parishioners do this.

Help with money a poor family that has a sick child (cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, etc.).

Take an elderly or sick person from a nursing home or shelter to the dacha in the summer.

Participate in the life of an orphanage or shelter.

Simply help a large or needy family with money (priests always have such familiar families);

Take a group of children for a walk (circus, park) from an orphanage at least once a month...

There are a huge number of options, possibilities, you can talk to the priest of your temple, he can suggest something.

The only thing But: This must be done not only during Lent, but throughout the year, throughout our entire Christian life.

To limit our labors to the time of fasting is cruel to those whom we undertake to care for and nourish. Remember: once we have taken up the task of helping, we must always carry it out

What prayers are read at home during Lent 2018

Everyone knows that the Easter fast - from February 19 to April 7, 2018 - is the strictest and longest, and there are many food restrictions during this seven-week period.

However, many of us forget that, in addition to giving up certain foods, during fasting a person must also cleanse himself spiritually, thereby, as it were, trying to “get closer” to God.

There are special prayers for every day during Lent, which should be read by all people who are Orthodox Christians.

What prayers are read during Lent are indicated in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, where an entire section is devoted to how one should behave throughout the entire seven-week period.

The main prayer is considered to be the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, which promotes liberation from the so-called “illness” that prevents a person from communicating with God. This prayer sounds like this:

Lord and Master of my life,

spirit of idleness, despondency, greed and idle talk

The spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love,

grant to me, Thy servant.

To her, Lord the King, grant me to see my sins,

and do not condemn my brother,

for blessed art thou unto the ages of ages, amen.

God, cleanse me, a sinner!

Morning prayers during Lent remain traditional, but their reading is certainly supplemented by the above prayer of Ephraim the Syrian. It can be read not only in church, but also at home, and its purpose is to prepare a person for confession, repentance and purification.

It is important to understand that food restrictions, as well as morning, afternoon and evening prayers during Lent have one common goal - a person must learn to manage himself, control his own feelings and emotions.

The seven-week period of Easter Lent is a time of peace and repentance. Every Christian believer must consciously enter into fasting, observe it, and correctly exit this state.

As a rule, it is quite difficult for an ignorant person to do this, therefore, having decided for the first time to take such a serious step as observing Lent, it is better to enlist the support of church ministers, who will definitely help in everything and tell you how to act correctly.

Seven Commandments of Lent

How to spend Lent with benefit for yourself and others?

Great Lent has begun - a time of renewal, repentance and joy. The joy is not Easter, jubilant, but quiet and imperceptible at first glance, but at the same time somehow deep. Maybe this is because during Lent you once again want to move away from all the unnecessary, superficial vanity that envelops you every weekday, and find your true self.

Lent prepares us for the celebration of celebrations - Easter. This is a real journey. This is the spring of the spirit. And this spring path should lead to us becoming at least a little better by the end than we were at the beginning.

What can you do to truly experience Lent?

1. Eat simply. Before we say anything about the spiritual component of fasting, we need to pay attention to how we will eat. After all, it is the nutritional differences that are most noticeable during fasting. The meaning of fasting is not to avoid eating animal food (food in itself does not make us closer to God or further from Him). Still, we are creatures of flesh and blood, and the issue of our nutrition is extremely important. The general rule: you need to eat so that you feel light. You can burden yourself with lean foods. And don't get hung up on food. It’s hardly worth searching all over the Internet for delicious recipes for Lenten dishes. Spend less time and attention preparing meals. Spend less money on food during fasting. In this regard, let us think about the question of how appropriate it is to purchase during Lent, for example, delicious seafood, which is not prohibited by the charter. By the way, for some categories of people definitions of food indulgence are acceptable: for patients, those engaged in hard work, pregnant and lactating women, etc. But for this it is better to consult with your confessor. If this is not possible for some reason, then take responsibility. It is also known that “it is better to under-fast than to over-fast.” Moderation is the golden rule.

2. Give up any dependence or attachment. Lent is the time of our liberation. Liberation from what enslaves us. At this time, we can accomplish a small feat: give up destructive attachment. Everyone will have their own. During this time, some completely abstain from alcohol, some from smoking, and some from television series. You shouldn’t demand such feats from others, but it’s good to try it yourself.

3. Pray regularly. Fasting without prayer is not fasting at all. It’s convenient for us to attribute our usual “lack of prayer” to the rhythm of city life, family worries, problems, etc. But try to free up at least 10 minutes for prayer in the morning and evening during fasting. You can read the usual morning and evening prayers or something else, for example, the Psalter, but during fasting you need to add one more to these prayers - the short and succinct prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, which sets the “tone” for these weeks.

4. Read Scripture. During Lent, the Church reads three Old Testament books during daily services: Genesis, Isaiah and Proverbs. There is also a pious custom of reading all four Gospels on your own during Lent. It is difficult to be a Christian without knowing the Scriptures. If you have not yet read the entire Old and New Testaments, catch up over the next forty days. And if you have already mastered the entire Bible, do not think that this is enough: the property of our memory is such that, unfortunately, we forget a lot. Try to read Scripture regularly, preferably every day, in a quiet environment where you can concentrate. It would be great if, after reading, you took the time to reflect a little on what you read and think about how to relate Scripture to your life.

5. Attend religious services. Lent is a special time in the rhythm of church services. But you can feel this if you only come to the temple during the week. After all, on Saturdays and Sundays, practically the same services are held as always. The special mood of Lent, what Father Alexander Schmemann called “bright sadness,” can only be felt in the quiet beauty of everyday services. Try to come to church at least once or twice to read the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete. This canon, the longest existing in the Orthodox Church, born from the depths of repentance and imbued with the hope of the paternal love of God, is read in parts in the evenings from Monday to Thursday in the first week of Lent, and then repeated in its entirety on Wednesday evenings in the fifth week. You just need to come to the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at least once during the entire Lent (it’s great if you find a church where it is served in the evening) and take communion, experiencing this day as a time of anxious anticipation of meeting Christ. And it is extremely important to be in church on Holy Days, starting from the evening of Maundy Thursday. But this time is still far away, and it is better to talk about it another time.

6. Clear your mind of clutter. Whether it is worth turning off the TV completely or introducing a moratorium on visiting blogs, forums and social networks - everyone decides for themselves. But what will really be useful is to read at least one good book of spiritual content. This could be a book on the history of the Church, on the basics of doctrine, an interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, or anything else. Since the Orthodox literature market today is replete with not always “spiritually high-quality” publications, you should approach the choice of literature very carefully. You can also read something from the world classics - this will also be useful for keeping your mind away from the hustle and bustle.

7. Do what you have been planning to do for a long time. Determine for yourself something that you have been thinking about for a long time, but never did. The time of fasting is a time of positivity. All restrictive measures (in food, entertainment, etc.) are important not in themselves, but as a means to free up our time and energy for the main thing: growing in Christ. And growing in Christ means doing good. Love God, neighbor and yourself. It’s worth choosing at least one thing that will be good not only for you, but also for your neighbors. Before fasting, we heard the words of Christ: “What you did to one of these little ones, you did to me.” With a little thought, you will probably discover how much you can accomplish in those 40 days. Packing things for the orphanage, cooking dinner for your parents, doing something useful for the house, making a birdhouse, delving into how your children live, and finally, you will probably find a lot of ideas.

During Great Lent, every day - from Sunday evening to Friday - the amazing prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is read

The prayer that tradition attributes to one of the great teachers of spiritual life, St. Ephraim the Syrian can truly be called a Lenten prayer, since it especially stands out among all the chants and prayers of Lent.

Here is the text of this prayer:

Lord and Master of my life,

Do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk.

Grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to me, Your servant.

Hey, Lord, King!

Grant me to see my sins,

And don't judge my brother

For blessed art thou unto the ages of ages.

Prayer of Ephraim the Syrian

This prayer is read twice at the end of each Lenten service from Monday to Friday (it is not read on Saturdays and Sundays, since the services of these two days, as we will see later, differ from the general Lenten order). At the first reading of this prayer, a prostration is made after each petition. Then the prayer is read to oneself 12 times: “God, cleanse me, a sinner,” with bows from the waist. Then the entire prayer is read again, after which one prostration is made.

Why does this short and simple prayer occupy such an important place in the entire Lenten service? Because it lists in a special way, unique only to this prayer, all the negative and positive elements of repentance and defines, so to speak, a list of our individual exploits. The purpose of these feats, first of all, is liberation from some basic illness that guides our entire life and prevents us from embarking on the path of turning to God.

The main illness is idleness, laziness, carelessness, negligence. This is that strange laziness and passivity of our entire being that always pulls us “down” and does not lift us “up”, that constantly convinces us of the impossibility, and therefore undesirability, of changing anything. This is truly a deeply rooted cynicism in us, which responds to every spiritual call: “Why?” and thanks to which throughout our lives we waste the spiritual powers given to us. “Idleness” is the root of all sins, because it poisons spiritual energy at its very sources.

The fruit of idleness is despondency, in which all teachers of spiritual life see the greatest danger to the soul. A person in the grip of despondency is deprived of the ability to see anything good or positive; for him it all comes down to denial and pessimism. This is truly the devil's power over us, because the devil is first of all a liar. He lies to man about God and about the world; it fills life with darkness and denial. Dejection is the suicide of the soul, because if a person is in the grip of despondency, he is completely unable to see the light and strive for it.

Enthusiasm! Love of power. Strange as it may seem, it is idleness, laziness and despondency that fill our lives with lust. Laziness and despondency distort our entire attitude towards life, empty it and deprive it of all meaning. They force us to seek redress in completely wrong attitudes towards other people. If my soul is not directed towards God, does not set itself the goal of eternal values, it will inevitably become selfish, self-centered, which means that all other beings will become means for satisfying its desires and pleasure.

If God is not the Lord and Master of my life, then I myself become my lord and master, become the absolute center of my own world and consider everything from the point of view of my needs, my desires and my judgment. Lust, thus, radically distorts my attitude towards other people, trying to subjugate them to itself. It does not always encourage us to truly command and dominate other people. It can also be expressed in indifference, contempt, lack of interest, attention and respect for other people. The spirit of idleness and hopelessness in this case is directed towards others; and spiritual suicide is combined here with spiritual murder

After all this - idle talk. Only man among all the creatures created by God received the gift of speech. All the Holy Fathers see in this the “imprint” of the Image of God in man, because God Himself is revealed to us as the Word (John 1:1). But, being the highest gift, it is at the same time the greatest danger. By truly expressing the very essence of man, his self-fulfillment, it is precisely because of this that he can become a means of fall, self-destruction, deception and sin.

The word saves and kills; the word inspires and the word poisons. Truth is expressed in words, but the devil's lies also use words. Possessing the highest positive power, the word therefore has enormous negative power. It creates positive and negative. When a word deviates from its divine nature and purpose, it becomes idle. It “reinforces” the spirit of idleness, despondency and lust, and life turns into a living hell. The Word then truly becomes the power of sin.

Repentance is thus directed against these four manifestations of sin. These are obstacles that need to be removed. But only God alone can do this. Therefore, the first part of this Lenten prayer is a cry from the depths of human helplessness. Then the prayer moves on to the positive goals of repentance. There are also four of them.

Chastity! If we do not give this word, as is often done, only its sexual, secondary meaning, then it must be understood as the positive opposite of the spirit of idleness. Idleness, first of all, means dispersion, division, fracture of our opinions and concepts, our energy, the inability to see things as they are, in their whole. The opposite of idleness is precisely integrity.

If chastity is usually considered a virtue opposite to sexual depravity, this is only due to the fact that the brokenness of our existence expresses itself nowhere more than in sexual depravity, in the alienation of the life of the body from the life of the spirit, from spiritual control. Christ restored integrity in us, restored the true hierarchy of values, bringing us back to God.

The first wonderful fruit of this integrity or chastity is humility. We have already talked about it. It is, first of all, the victory of truth in ourselves, the destruction of all the lies in which we usually live. Some humble people are able to live in truth, see and accept things as they are, and thanks to this see God's greatness, kindness and love for everyone. This is why it is said that God gives grace to the humble and resists the proud.

Chastity and humility are naturally followed by patience. A “fallen” person in his natural nature is impatient, because, not seeing himself, he is quick to judge and condemn others. These concepts about everything are incomplete, broken, distorted. Therefore, he judges everything according to his tastes and from his point of view. He is indifferent to everyone except himself, so he wants life to become immediately successful for him.

Patience is truly a divine virtue. The Lord is patient not because He treats us “condescendingly,” but because He really sees the very depth of things, which we, in our blindness, do not see, and which is open to Him. The closer we come to God, the more patient we become, the more we reflect in ourselves the careful attitude characteristic of God alone, the respect for each individual being.

Finally, the crown and fruit of all virtues, all efforts and deeds is love, that love that, as we have already said, can be given by God alone. This is the gift that is the goal of all spiritual training and experience.

All this is brought together in the last petition of the Lenten prayer, in which we ask: “to see your sins, and not to condemn your brother.” Ultimately, there is one danger we face: pride. Pride is the source of evil, and evil is the source of pride. It is not enough, however, to see one’s sins, because even this apparent virtue can turn into pride.

The writings of the Holy Fathers are full of warnings against this type of false piety, which in fact, under the guise of humility and self-condemnation, can lead to devilish pride. But when we “see our sins” and “do not condemn our brother,” when, in other words, chastity, humility, patience and love are united in us into one whole, then and only then our main enemy - pride - is destroyed in us.

After each request for prayer, we bow to the ground. But not only during the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is bowed to the ground; they constitute a distinctive characteristic of the entire Lenten service. But in this prayer their meaning is revealed best. In the long and difficult feat of spiritual rebirth, the Church does not separate the soul from the body.

Man fell away from God entirely, soul and body. And the entire person must be restored in order to return to God. The fall of sin consists precisely in the victory of the flesh (animal, lust in us) over the spiritual, divine nature. But the body is beautiful, the body is holy. So holy that God Himself “became flesh.” Salvation and repentance then are not contempt for the body, not neglect of it, but the restoration of the body in its true service, as an expression of life and spirit, as a temple of the priceless human soul.

Christian asceticism is not a struggle against the body, but for it. That is why the whole person - soul and body - repents. The body participates in the prayer of the soul, just as the soul prays not outside, but in its body. Thus, bowing to the ground, a “psycho-physical” sign of repentance and humility, worship and obedience, is a distinctive feature of Lenten worship.

Religious reading: prayer during Lent to help our readers.

Great Lent is a period of abstinence and repentance. And repentance is unthinkable without reading a prayer. The most famous and revered prayer of Ephraim the Syrian during Great Lent is read in all churches and in the homes of Christian believers throughout Lent, except Saturday and Sunday. This prayer represents the quintessence of the spiritual requests of the supplicant to God. She teaches him to love, enjoy life and helps him observe the fasting regime.

Text of the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian.

Lord and Master of my life! Do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk. (Bow to the ground). Grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to Thy servant. (Bow to the ground). To her, Lord the King, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother, for blessed are you forever and ever. Amen. (Bow to the ground).

God, cleanse me, a sinner (12 times and the same number of bows).

The repentant prayer of Ephraim the Syrian consists of only three dozen words, but contains all the most important elements of repentance, indicating what the praying person should put the main efforts to. Thanks to this prayer, the believer determines for himself the path to deliverance from ailments that prevent him from getting closer to God. In addition, this prayer clearly and succinctly expresses the significance and meaning of Lent and reflects the main commandments given by the Lord, helping in an accessible form to comprehend one’s attitude towards them.

Behind the modest petitions in this prayer there is a very deep meaning hidden. It is divided into two types of petitions: in some, the supplicant asks the Lord to “not give” - that is, to free him from shortcomings and sins, and in the other series of petitions, the supplicant, on the contrary, asks the Lord to “give” him spiritual gifts. Petitions for deliverance sound like this: “Do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk.” Only through prayer is a person able to accomplish a feat and get rid of these sins.

It would seem that idleness is not such a great sin compared to envy, murder and theft. However, it is the most sinful negative state of man. The translation of this word from Church Slavonic means emptiness and passivity of the soul. It is idleness that is the cause of a person’s sad powerlessness before spiritual work on himself.

In addition, it invariably gives rise to despondency - the second terrible sin of the human soul. They say that idleness symbolizes the absence of light in a person’s soul, and despondency symbolizes the presence of darkness in it. Despair is the impregnation of the soul with lies regarding God, the world and people. The devil in the Gospel is called the father of lies, and therefore despondency is a terrible devilish obsession. In a state of despondency, a person distinguishes only the bad and evil around him; he is unable to see kindness and light in people. That is why the state of despondency is equivalent to the beginning of spiritual death and the decomposition of the human soul.

The repentant prayer of Ephraim the Syrian also mentions such a state of soul as covetousness, which means a person’s desire for power and domination over other people. This desire is born out of despondency and idleness because, while remaining in them, a person breaks off his relationships with other people. Thus, he becomes internally lonely, and those around him turn for him only into a means of achieving his goals. The thirst for power is dictated by the desire to humiliate another person, to make him dependent on himself, his freedom is denied. They say that there is nothing more terrible in the world than such power - disfigured by the emptiness of the soul and its loneliness and despondency.

The Lenten prayer of Ephraim the Syrian also mentions such a sin of the human soul as idle talk, that is, idle talk. The gift of speech was given to man by God, and therefore it can only be used with good intentions. The word used to commit evil, deceit, express hatred, impurity carries great sin. The Gospel says about this that at the Great Judgment, the soul will answer for every idle word spoken during life. Idle talk brings lies, temptation, hatred and corruption to people. The prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian helps to realize these sins and repent of them, because only by realizing that he is wrong can a person move on to other petitions - positive ones. Such petitions sound like this in prayer: “Spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love... grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother.”

The meaning of this word is broad, and it means two basic concepts - “integrity” and “wisdom”. When a person asking the Lord for chastity for himself, it means that he is asking for knowledge, experience to see good, wisdom to lead a righteous life. The integrity of these petitions represents human wisdom and allows a person to resist evil, decay and departure from wisdom. By asking for chastity, a person dreams of returning to life in peace and harmony for the mind, body and soul.

Humility and humility are not the same concepts. And if humility can be interpreted as impersonal submission, then humility is humility that has nothing to do with self-abasement and contempt. A humble person rejoices in the comprehension revealed to him by God, in the depth of life that he discovers in humility.

“All that remains is to endure” is not Christian patience. True Christian patience is manifested by the Lord, who believes each of us, trusts us and loves us. It is based on the belief that good always triumphs over evil, life conquers death in the Christian faith. It is this virtue that the supplicant asks for himself from the Lord when he speaks of patience.

In fact, all prayer comes down to a request for love. Idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk are an obstacle to love; they are the ones who do not allow it into a person’s heart. And chastity, humility and patience are a kind of roots for the germination of love.

Who is Ephraim the Syrian? It was not only the Lenten prayer of Ephraim the Syrian that made him a revered saint; this man is known as a church speaker, thinker and theologian. He was born in the 4th century in Mesopotamia, into a family of poor peasants. For a long time, Ephraim did not believe in God, but by chance he became one of the best preachers of that time. According to legend, Ephraim was accused of stealing sheep and sent to prison. While in prison, he heard the voice of God, calling him to repent and believe in the Lord, after which he was acquitted by the court and released. This event turned the young man’s life upside down, forcing him to repent and retire to life away from people. For a long time he led a hermit's life, and later became a disciple of the famous ascetic - Saint James, who lived in the surrounding mountains. Under his leadership, Ephraim preached sermons, taught children and helped at services. After the death of Saint James, the young man settled in a monastery near the city of Edessa. Ephraim persistently studied the Word of God, the works of great thinkers, holy elders, and scientists. Possessing the gift of teaching, he could convey this information to people in an accessible and convincing manner. Soon people began to come to him in need of his instructions. It is known that the pagans who attended Ephraim’s sermons converted to Christianity easily and confidently. Veneration of the saint today Today Ephraim the Syrian is called the father of the church, the teacher of repentance. All his works are imbued with the idea that repentance is the meaning and engine of the life of every Christian. Sincere repentance, combined with tears of repentance, according to the saint, completely destroys and washes away any human sin. The spiritual heritage of the saint includes thousands of works.

How did Ephraim the Syrian create this prayer? According to legend, one desert hermit saw angels holding in their hands a large scroll covered with inscriptions on both sides. The angels did not know to whom to give it, they stood in indecision, and then God’s voice came from heaven: “Only Ephraim, My chosen one.” The hermit brought Ephraim the Syrian to the angels, they gave him a scroll and ordered him to swallow it. Then a miracle happened: Ephraim spread the words from the scroll like a wondrous vine. Thus, the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian during Lent became known to every Orthodox Christian. This prayer stands out among all other Lenten hymns, it is read more often than others in church, and most often it is during this prayer that the entire church kneels before God.

In the first days of Lent, Christians are advised to pay attention to the Great Penitential Canon of Andrew of Crete. The Holy Canon is read on the evening before Lent and on the first four days.

The famous Saint Theophan the Recluse said that a person is not complete without a body, just as prayer is not complete without a prayer rule. The prayer rule, in turn, is that you should: pray with your soul, delving into every phrase. Pray slowly, slowly, as if in a chant. Pray during the time allotted exclusively for this task, so that nothing distracts the person praying during this time. Think about prayer throughout the day, noting in advance to yourself where you manage to observe it and where you fail. Read prayers with breaks, separating them with prostrations. Observe prayer times - they should be held in the morning and evening, before and after meals, on the eve of each new task, before taking prosphora and holy water. ..

Prayer during Lent

What prayers are relevant during Lent?

Prayer of Ephraim the Syrian

Lord and Master of my life!

Do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk.

Grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to me, Your servant.

To her, Lord the King, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother,

for blessed art thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

God, cleanse me, a sinner.

12 times with bows from the waist

And once again the entire prayer with one bow to the ground at the end

Orthodoxy in Ukraine

How to spend Lent with benefit for yourself and others?

What can you do to truly experience Lent?

1. Eat simply. Before we say anything about the spiritual component of fasting, we need to pay attention to how we will eat. After all, it is the nutritional differences that are most noticeable during fasting. The meaning of fasting is not not to eat animal food (the food itself.

Love the post.

Fasting means temporary abstinence from food combined with intense prayer to God. People who fast and pray have a burning desire to draw closer to God, who is beyond human understanding.

One of the most urgent and desirable human needs is food. Of course, we have many other desires, but they are not so closely related to the question of our survival.

Prayer and fasting release the power to control our desires and lusts. The enemy tries to steal, kill and destroy us through the lust of the flesh, the eyes and greed. When we control our lust and greed through sincere prayer and fasting, the enemy cannot harm us. During fasting and prayer, our hearts are washed, cleansed and filled with the Holy Spirit, we become able to overthrow the power of Satan.

Fasting brings us to humility before God. Compared to solitary prayer, prayer with fasting gives us strength that surpasses our understanding. If we don't pray with.

Search by publications (non-strict matching):

Documents that satisfy your request: 65 [5 shown]

How to prepare for confession Degree of compliance with the request: 63.38%

Fragments of the article text: . How to prepare for confession Bishop PANTELEMON of Smolensk and Vyazemsk talks about preparing for confession, what “sins” you don’t need to repent of, and how to find out whether you have received communion for condemnation. . The Nativity Fast has begun, and during the Nativity Fast it is very important to prepare for confession especially seriously, to try especially deeply to penetrate into the hidden places of evil that are rooted in our soul, to explore them and to bring due repentance to God. . If we have committed a serious sin, then we need to repent especially, especially cry about our sin, ask our confessor for penance, bow to the ground, refrain from committing any actions that could again lead to the commission of this sin, be very.

The meaning of fasting is repentance and spiritual renewal, and abstinence in food only contributes to this. And, as clergy say, fasting without prayer is not fasting. What prayers should you read during Lent 2016?

If you have not yet read the entire Old and New Testaments, catch up over the next forty days. Try to read Scripture every day, in a quiet environment, and then reflect on what you read.

Prayers to be read during Lent

Talking about how to pray correctly during Lent 2016, I must say that in addition to morning and evening prayers, you can read the psalms of King David.

As for Lenten prayers, there are two of them. Firstly, this is the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, who lived at the end of the 7th - first half of the 8th century and was one of the brightest church speakers and literary figures.

His canon can be described as a repentant cry, revealing the abyss of sin and shaking the human soul.

Very often in life you can meet people who are in the grip of sins and who do not know how to free themselves from them. These sins are familiar to everyone: unforgiveness, drunkenness, smoking, lying, fornication, obsession and much more. Only prayer and fasting can release the power that can control all lusts, unrighteous desires and human actions. Fasting and prayer are the two wings of the human soul on which it will ascend to God.

What does the Lord want to see when a person fasts? What should be the motives of the heart during prayer? What is the purpose of fasting and what should be done during this time? We will try to answer all these questions in the article.

Prayers during Lent

Always pray - this was the Savior’s commandment. Because prayers are the breath of our spiritual life. When prayer stops, spiritual life freezes in the same way as physical life stops breathing.

Prayers are all our conversations and appeals to God, to the Most Holy Theotokos, to the saints.

Food according to the Charter, which varies regarding Lent itself, Holidays and days of the week.

On-line information on the website http://days.pravoslavie.ru

Everyone will find according to his deed.

“He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters. “

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

He answered them: Because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it has not been given to them,

for whoever has, more will be given to him and he will have an increase, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him;

Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, and they do not understand;

for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it;

What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? or what ransom a man will give for a soul.

The Dormition Fast is an important time of bodily and spiritual abstinence. Orthodox believers try to cleanse themselves of sins and temptations and strengthen their faith. Find out what prayers will help you with this during Lent.

Prayers before meals

Every believer is recommended to follow the nutritional calendar during the Dormition Fast. From it you will learn on which days indulgences are allowed, and when abstinence is especially strict. In any case, every time before eating, a believer should thank the Lord for the food that is on the table and not complain about the stingy Lenten diet.

Before eating Lenten food, the prayer “Our Father” is read. Its text is well known to you:

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

Also asked

Peace be with You is not sponsored by any organization, foundation, church or mission.

It exists on personal funds and voluntary donations.

Prayer of Ephraim the Syrian during Lent. What prayers to read during Lent

Great Lent is a period of abstinence from the usual pleasures to which an Orthodox Christian is accustomed. The Orthodox Church includes not only food as pleasures, but also entertainment - spiritual and physical.

What is the point of the post?

If the meaning of this Christian tradition was only food restrictions, then fasting would be little different from a regular diet. It is believed that only in a state of restraining bodily needs does a person become especially receptive to spiritual work on himself, therefore fasting is a period of abstinence and repentance. And repentance is unthinkable without reading a prayer. What prayers should you read during Lent? The most famous Lenten prayers and prayer books are “For every request of the soul,” the penitential canon of St. Andrew of Crete. The most famous and revered prayer of Ephraim the Syrian during Lent is read in all churches and in the homes of Christian believers throughout Lent.

Prayer reading during fasting

The famous Saint Theophan the Recluse said that a person is not complete without a body, just as prayer is not complete without a prayer rule. The prayer rule, in turn, is that it follows:

Pray with your soul, delving into every phrase.
Pray slowly, slowly, as if in a chant.
Pray during the time allotted exclusively for this task, so that nothing distracts the person praying during this time.
Think about prayer throughout the day, noting in advance to yourself where you manage to observe it and where you fail.
Read prayers with breaks, separating them with prostrations.
Observe prayer times - they should be held in the morning and evening, before and after meals, on the eve of each new task, before taking prosphora and holy water.

All these rules should be strictly observed during fasting, and, in addition, the volume of prayer readings during this period should be increased and special spiritual attention should be given to them.

The significance of the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian

The repentant prayer of Ephraim the Syrian consists of only three dozen words, but contains all the most important elements of repentance and indicates what the praying person should put the main efforts to. Thanks to this prayer, the believer determines for himself the path to deliverance from ailments that prevent him from getting closer to God.

In addition, this prayer is accessible and succinctly expresses the meaning and meaning of Lent. The prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian reflects the main commandments given by the Lord and helps in an accessible form to understand one’s attitude towards them. It is read by Orthodox Christians in their homes and churches at the end of every service during the Lenten period.

Who is Ephraim the Syrian

But it was not only the Lenten prayer of Ephraim the Syrian that made him a revered saint; this man is known as a church speaker, thinker and theologian. He was born in the 4th century in Mesopotamia, into a family of poor peasants. For a long time, Ephraim did not believe in God, but by chance he became one of the best preachers of that time. According to legend, Ephraim was accused of stealing sheep and sent to prison. While in prison, he heard the voice of God, calling him to repent and believe in the Lord, after which he was acquitted by the court and released. This event turned the young man’s life upside down, forcing him to repent and retire to life away from people.

Veneration of the saint today

Today Ephraim the Syrian is called the father of the church, the teacher of repentance. All his works are imbued with the idea that repentance is the meaning and engine of the life of every Christian. Sincere repentance, combined with tears of repentance, according to the saint, completely destroys and washes away any human sin. The spiritual heritage of the saint includes thousands of works, but only a small part of them has been translated into Russian. The most famous are the prayers of Ephraim the Syrian during Lent, as well as his tearful prayers, prayers for various occasions and a conversation about human free will.

The history of prayer

How Ephraim the Syrian created this prayer, no one can reliably tell. According to legend, one desert hermit saw angels holding in their hands a large scroll covered with inscriptions on both sides. The angels did not know to whom to give it, they stood in indecision, and then God’s voice came from heaven, “Only Ephraim, My chosen one.” The hermit brought Ephraim the Syrian to the angels, they gave him a scroll and ordered him to swallow it. Then a miracle happened: Ephraim spread the words from the scroll like a wondrous vine. Thus, the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian during Lent became known to every Orthodox Christian. This prayer stands out among all other Lenten hymns, it is read more often than others in church, and most often it is during this prayer that the entire church kneels before God.

Prayer text

The prayer of Ephraim the Syrian, the text of which is presented in this article, is easy to remember and read, despite the presence of Old Church Slavonic words.

Spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness

and don’t give me idle talk.

The spirit of chastity, humility,

Grant me, Your servant, patience and love.

Yes, Lord the King, grant me my vision

sins and not condemn my brother, for blessed art thou unto the ages of ages.

This is the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian. The text of the prayer may not be understandable to all Christians due to the presence of Church Slavonic words in it, and behind the modest petitions in this prayer there is hidden a meaning so deep that not every Christian manages to comprehend it from the first reading. For complete understanding, below is the interpretation of the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian.

As can be seen from the text of the prayer, it is divided into two types of petitions: in some the petitioner asks the Lord “not to give” - that is, to free him from shortcomings and sins, and in another series of petitions the petitioner, on the contrary, asks the Lord to “give” him spiritual gifts. The interpretation of Ephraim the Syrian’s prayer has a deep spiritual meaning; let’s consider the meaning of each of them.

They say that idleness symbolizes the absence of light in a person’s soul, and despondency symbolizes the presence of darkness in it. Despair is the impregnation of the soul with lies regarding God, the world and people. The devil in the Gospel is called the father of lies, and therefore despondency is a terrible devilish obsession. In a state of despondency, a person distinguishes only the bad and evil around him; he is unable to see kindness and light in people. That is why the state of despondency is equivalent to the beginning of spiritual death and the decomposition of the human soul.

Humility and humble wisdom are not the same concepts. And if humility can be interpreted as impersonal submission, then humility is humility that has nothing to do with self-abasement and contempt. A humble person rejoices in the comprehension revealed to him by God, in the depth of life that he discovers in humility. A humble, fallen person needs constant self-exaltation and self-affirmation. A humble person does not need pride, since he has nothing to hide from other people, that is why he is humble and does not rush to prove his importance to others and himself.

When reading the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian, you should adhere to some rules:

Reading is performed on all days of Great Lent, except Saturday and Sunday.
If the prayer is read for the first time, then after each petition one should bow to the ground.
Subsequently, the church charter requires prostration three times during the reading of the prayer: before petitions for deliverance from illnesses, before petitions for gifts, and before the beginning of the third part of the prayer.
If the soul requires it, prayer can be performed outside of Lenten days.

What prayers are read during Lent?

In addition to the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian, the church recommends other prayers to believers. In the first days of Lent, Christians are advised to pay attention to the Great Penitential Canon of Andrew of Crete. The Holy Canon is read on the evening before Lent and on the first four days.

Conclusion

The prayer of Ephraim the Syrian during Lent represents the quintessence of the spiritual requests of the person praying to God. She teaches him to love, enjoy life and helps him observe the fasting regime.

- a time of renewal, repentance and joy. The joy is not Easter, jubilant, but quiet and imperceptible at first glance, but at the same time somehow deep. Maybe this is because during Lent you once again want to move away from all the unnecessary, superficial vanity that envelops you every weekday, and find your true self.

Lent prepares us for the celebration of celebrations -. This is a real journey. This is the spring of the spirit. And this spring path should lead to us becoming at least a little better by the end than we were at the beginning.

What can you do to truly experience Lent?

In addition, you can come up with your own “commandments” of fasting. They may be different, but the main thing is to try to take the fast seriously, at the deepest level of your consciousness. After all, the time of fasting is a time that requires us to make decisions and constant efforts.

About the post

Initial prayers

Prayer of praise to the Lord God (small doxology)

Publican's Prayer

Prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Trisagion (angel song)

Doxology to the Most Holy Trinity

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity

Lord's Prayer

Morning prayers

Prayer to Jesus Christ

Psalm 50 - David's penitential psalm

Prayer 3rd of St. Macarius the Great

Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos

Praise to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Troparion to the Cross and prayer for the Fatherland

Prayer for health and salvation of the living

Prayer for the departed

Prayers throughout the day

Prayer before teaching

Prayer at the end of the lesson

Prayer before eating food

Prayer after eating food

Prayers for the future

Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angel

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

Prayer 5, St. John Chrysostom

Prayer to the Honest Cross

A short prayer to the Holy Cross

Prayers read during Lent

Prayer during fasting by day

Observation of the soul

Good deeds

What prayers are read at home during Lent 2018

Seven Commandments of Lent

Here is the text of this prayer:

Prayer during Lent

What prayers are relevant during Lent?

Love the post.

Prayers to be read during Lent

Prayers during Lent

Prayers before meals

Also asked

Prayer of Ephraim the Syrian during Lent. What prayers to read during Lent

What is the point of the post?

Prayer reading during fasting

Veneration of the saint today

The history of prayer

Prayer text

What prayers are read during Lent?

Conclusion

Prayer of praise to the Lord God
(small doxology)

Trisagion
(angel song)