Complete collection and description: can the prayer of detention be read by everyone for the spiritual life of a believer.

The prayer of detention is a prayer against all evil; when to read the prayer and at what time to pray, each Christian decides independently; the prayer is strong, used by Christians as a strong talisman, and its text testifies to this.

Detention Prayer for Lately has gained unprecedented popularity, although the opinions of clergy regarding the text of the prayer are ambiguous, and sometimes cause controversy among opponents and admirers of the sacred words.

In Orthodoxy, the text of the prayer of detention appeared not so long ago - it dates back to 1848. Elder Pansophius of Athonite and prayer are inextricably linked, because it is Pansophius of Athonite that is considered the primary source of this powerful prayer against all evil; the text is aimed at stopping the devil from causing all kinds of evil to a person. They read it out of anger, envy and all kinds of human meanness.

Prayer for stopping evil by Elder Pansophius of Athos

• you need to read alone;
• try not to repeat words out loud, but pronounce them without moving your lips;
• do not confuse the words in the text; if this happens, then you need to pray again;
• Correctly, the text should be read for 9 days, every day.

Razgadmus advises. If there is the slightest doubt about the correctness of the choice of text, we advise you to meet with an experienced confessor and make a decision after a personal conversation. In Orthodoxy there are many other protective prayers, strong and reliable, directed against all evil.

The prayer of detention is a powerful tool in the fight against evil, evil spirits, serves as a talisman for a person, and saves in difficult situations, helps to overcome adversity; the sacred text gives strength and gives confidence.

I would like to hear feedback on whether it is really possible to delay all evil this way

I know first-hand from a priest that the prayer of detention is pagan and it is not advisable for us to read it.

Yana, you got some kind of incompetent priest! If prayer is in the prayer book, what else are we talking about!

All the most effective prayers are long, IMHO. In order to make any sense, you have to make an effort.

Did you come up with this yourself Lina? The length of the text has nothing to do with the effect of the prayer.

I'm more interested in what kind of evil she's holding back. that is, does it help, for example, from all sorts of ill-wishers

If I understand correctly, everything that is written here, then this is precisely the main purpose of prayer.

I’ll print out the text for myself, because of course it’s impossible to remember it from memory. I will read every day

the prayer has a strange name, in church I asked a woman selling candles and said that this was the first time she had heard about its existence

Thank you for the text of the prayer tomorrow I will print it on paper so it’s easier to read in front of the icon!

in the fight against evil, the prayer of detention will not help with my husband, only a psychiatrist can handle it :)

This is for stopping external evil, not internal. No prayer will probably save you from this.

Do you think there will be less evil? I doubt.

I don’t see anything wrong with using prayer against evil at home; priests don’t know everything about church canons.

Evil is everywhere, so why can’t you try to get rid of it yourself? What if it’s possible under the supervision of a priest?

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The Prayer of Detention has appeared recently in Orthodox prayer books. Such a prayer was first mentioned back in 1848. Experienced church ministers do not recommend reading such a prayer, especially without the blessing of a clergyman.

What if you dream of reading a prayer of detention?

This is due to the fact that the prayer of “Detention” contains wishes and phrases that are close in spirit to the cruelty of the Old Testament, which is why it differs from the usual Orthodox prayer. How to pronounce the Detention Prayer correctly? It must be read in secret. In general, any prayer should not be read for show, but the mystery here is absurd. It is believed that the power of the Detention Prayer lies in its mystery. This meaning of prayer is closer to the pagan or magical understanding.

Church workers recommend refraining from reading this prayer; as a last resort, you should consult with an experienced confessor, since there are other soul-saving prayers. Prayers “for needs” require the right attitude towards it. IN modern world people often began to treat prayers as something magical that was not accepted by confessors. The collected prayers in the Orthodox prayer book are not considered pagan spells. These prayers were composed in most cases by holy people who dedicated their entire lives to God.

The Prayer of Detention is similar to the canonical prayers. But many Orthodox authors speak critically about it because it contains petitions that contradict the Gospel and are of dubious origin.

Many texts that are superficially similar to church prayer and contain appeals to the Most Holy Theotokos and God, mentioning saints, are not prayers. The Church rejects non-canonical prayers that were popular among the people, such as the “Prayer of Cyprian.”

This also includes prayers such as: “Prayer for all illnesses”, “Dream of the Virgin Mary” and other false prayers. Such false prayers resemble superstitious conspiracies, containing indications of apocryphal beliefs and are distinguished by concepts that are not in harmony with the church law on Christianity. No matter how similar the texts are to church texts, they cannot be recognized as prayers, since their contents diverge from church teachings, including elements of folklore and superstition.

Prayer of detention Pansophia of Athos contains a combination of Church Slavonic and Russian styles. In prayer requests, either the vocative case or the nominative case is used. In such a prayer, the sentence usually ends before it ends. Other sentences seem to lose their beginning. In such prayer, the usual doxologies that are present in canonical prayers are not used. The text itself contains incomprehensible phrases. As Medvedeva noted, the sloppy content of the Detention Prayer can be compared to the sensational Internet Forums. It’s sad when illiterate texts claim sacredness. After all, for a text claiming high status, a comma can also be significant.

What does it portend?

Those who released the Prayer of Detention claim that the source of such a prayer is the collection of Elder P. Athonite, dating back to the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-eight. But where it is located, whether it was published, whether it is mentioned in church literature of the nineteenth century, and whether this collection has the approval of the clergy is not known. The specific language and style of the Detention Prayer suggest that the prayer does not date back to the nineteenth century. One can judge the prayers of this century by the prayers of the Hieroschemamonk of Kyiv Parthenius, St. Philaret.

The appearance of the Prayer of Detention is an attempt to present a careless remake of an ancient text that was consecrated by the Holy Mount Athos. There are no words of repentance in the prayer at all, there is not a single request for deliverance from sin. In Christianity, repentance has always been considered the basis of heroism and prayer. Following the sayings of St. Ignatius, only those Christians whose hearts are filled with repentance have true prayer.

The subject of prayer in this case is considered to be suffering from demonic spells and in need of protection from satanic wiles. A person who recites the Prayer of Detention considers his enemies to be the enemies of God.

Prayer is imbued with the spirit of rancor, and church prayers are filled with love for neighbors. In all church prayers there are no misanthropic wishes about bringing spiritual blindness into the eyes of the enemy. , and in this prayer they are present.

A true believer completely surrenders his life to the will of God. In the prayer of detention there is a lack of submission to God's will. This prayer is apocryphal.

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Prayer of Detention from all evil, how to read correctly

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Prayer to the icon Detention has a very great importance, and as a rule, in front of this shrine it is customary to say a special prayer service, which was written by the Athonite elder Pansophius more than 1500 years ago at God’s command.

Is it possible to recite the Prayer of Detention?

This type of prayer service appeared relatively recently in Christian prayer books, around 1848. It should be noted that spiritual mentors strongly discourage resorting to such prayer.

Especially before this, without receiving the blessing of a clergyman, since the wishes and phrases contained in it are more close in spirit to the ruthlessness of the Old Testament than to the essence of an Orthodox petition to a saint.

It is also alarming that such a prayer must be said in secret. Any of the prayers of an Orthodox believer should not be publicly displayed, but excessive secrecy in this case looks somewhat strange.

And even more wonderful is the reason for this mystery - all the power of such a prayer service lies in its “mystery.” This argument above relates more to the understanding of petition in a magical or pagan sense.

So let's see how the Detention Prayer helps:

• Protects from the influence of evil forces, both human and non-physical;
• Protects from envy and the evil eye;
• Protects from the actions of selfish and evil people;
• It also protects against meanness and cunning.

The image itself depicts 11 saints, five of which are in the lower part, and three more on the sides, and in the very center is the face of the Almighty in divine radiance with the Archangel Michael and the Queen of Heaven bowed before him.

How to recite the Detention Prayer correctly

A prayer appeal from the prayer collection of the Athonite elder is a powerful weapon against the influence of all evil spirits. That is why this kind of prayer must be used extremely carefully and very carefully.

To achieve the desired result, you must follow the recommendations below:

• Do not forget about the order of Elder Pansophius:

“The power of this prayer lies in its concealment from human sight and hearing, in its secret action.”

• When asking, you need to stand very carefully, as if immersing your being in the full meaning of each spoken word;
• The Prayer of the Detention of Elder Pansophius of Athos must be read exactly 9 times in a row. Under no circumstances should you be interrupted or distracted as soon as you start listening to or reading such words. If you interrupt, you will have to start repeating everything again;
• It is necessary to read the prayer for nine days, nine times a day, and at the same time, not miss a single day during this period. But if you miss even a day, you will have to start all over again. The main thing here is that it is necessary to adhere to the established condition, which must be fulfilled, that is, nine days nine times.

All of the above instructions are not as difficult to follow as it might seem at first glance, it is only important to maintain concentration and your intentions.

Prayer itself helps to remove and block any holes and influences caused to a person, such as slander, manifestations of envy, damage, suckers of lack of money and more. Appeal to the Heavenly Forces can contribute to the restoration of health, rejuvenation and increase in love affairs.

If the prayer was read according to the rules, then thanks to it even the most difficult complex problems. Moreover, in the most incredible way, a person who asks is able to receive even something that he does not expect at all.

Prayer of Detention from all evil

“Merciful Lord, You once through the mouth of the servant of Moses, Joshua, delayed the movement of the Sun and Moon all day long, until the people of Israel took revenge on their enemies.

With the prayer of Elisha the prophet, he once struck the Syrians, delaying them, and healed them again.

You once told the prophet Isaiah: behold, I will return back ten steps the shadow of the sun that passed along the steps of Ahaz, and the sun returned ten steps along the steps on which it descended. (1)

You once, through the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel, closed the abysses, stopped the rivers, and held back the waters. (2)

And You once stopped the mouths of the lions in the den through the fasting and prayer of Your prophet Daniel. (3)

And now delay and slow down until the right time all the plans around those standing by me about my displacement, dismissal, removal, expulsion.

So now, destroy the evil desires and demands of all those who condemn me, block the lips and hearts of all those who slander, are angry and growl at me, and all who blaspheme and humiliate me.

So now, bring spiritual blindness into the eyes of all those who rise up against me and against my enemies.

Didn't you tell the Apostle Paul: Speak and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will harm you. (4)

Soften the hearts of all those who oppose the good and dignity of the Church of Christ. Therefore, let not My mouth be silent to reprove the wicked and glorify the righteous and all Your wondrous works. And may all our good undertakings and desires be fulfilled.

To you, righteous women and prayer books of God, our daring intercessors, who once with the power of their prayers restrained the invasion of foreigners, the approach of haters, who destroyed the evil plans of people, who stopped the mouths of lions, now I turn with my prayer, with my petition.

And You, venerable great Elius of Egypt, who once fenced in the circle sign of the cross place of his disciple’s settlement, commanded him to arm himself with the name of the Lord and not to be afraid from now on of demonic temptations. (5) Protect my house, in which I live, in the circle of your prayers and save it from fiery ignition, thieves’ attacks and all evil and insurance.

And you, Reverend Father Poplie of Syria, once with your unceasing prayer for ten days you kept the demon motionless and unable to walk either day or night (6); Now, around my cell and this house (my) keep behind its fence all the opposing forces and all those who blaspheme the name of God and despise me.

And You, reverend virgin Piama, who once with the power of prayer stopped the movement of those who were going to destroy the inhabitants of the village where she lived, now stop all the plans of my enemies who want to expel me from this city and destroy me: do not allow them to approach this house, stop them with the power of prayer his: “Lord, Judge of the Universe, You, who are displeased with all unrighteousness, when this prayer comes to You, may the Holy Power stop them at the place where it overtakes them.” (7)

And You, blessed Lawrence of Kaluga, pray to God for me, as having the boldness to intercede before the Lord for those suffering from the wiles of the devil. Pray to God for me, may He protect me from the wiles of Satan.

And You, Reverend Vasily of Pechersk, perform your prayers of prohibition over those who attack me and drive away all the machinations of the devil from me. (8)

And you, all the saints of the Russian land, with the power of your prayers for me, dispel all the demonic spells, all the devil’s plans and intrigues - to annoy me and destroy me and my property.

And You, great and formidable guardian, Archangel Michael, cut off with a fiery sword all the desires of the enemy of the human race and all his minions who want to destroy me. Stand inviolably on guard over this house, all those living in it and all its property.

And You, Lady, not in vain called the “Indestructible Wall”, be for all those who are hostile against me and plotting dirty tricks on me, truly a kind of barrier and an indestructible wall, protecting me from all evil and difficult circumstances.”

God bless you!

Watch another video prayer from the collection of Elder Pansophius of Athos:

Why can’t you read the Prayer of Detention without the blessing of a clergyman?

Believers often ask clergy about how to read the Prayer of Detention, and in what cases it is necessary to turn to it. It is known that not all church ministers approve of this prayer, which is why it is so important to obtain their blessing before reading it.

In a conversation with the priest, you must definitely tell why the choice fell on the Prayer of Detention. As a rule, clergy are not so strict with believers. They simply talk about why this prayer does not seem Christian to many, but if people do not change their minds about reading it, they give a blessing.

One of the most famous modern prayers is the Prayer of Detention. It should be read in cases where a person needs the help of the Almighty in some way. life situation. In addition, such an appeal to God helps protect a person from evil people and the machinations of the devil himself. Many noted that after reading the prayer they felt much better. They felt more free and confident in their abilities. The author of the prayer is Elder Pansophius of Athos. He was of Russian origin, but lived in Athos.

There are many legends associated with the Prayer of Detention. Many people claim that reading it is a sin. Others are surprised by such statements and consider them very inappropriate. After all, the prayer is printed in the prayer book and there is nothing in its content that could contradict God’s laws. However, representatives of the Orthodox Church do not recommend reading the Prayer of Detention without the blessing of a clergyman. There is a fairly simple explanation for this. It’s all about the words with which Elder Pansofius accompanied his prayer. He ordered people to read it secretly and not tell anyone about it. This is contrary to the principles of all believers.

In Orthodoxy, it is customary to pray in church, surrounded by other people. This does not mean at all that a person cannot turn to God alone with himself. But hiding from strangers during prayer and not telling anyone about it is completely unacceptable from the point of view of Orthodox believers. There is something pagan about this. This is why many clergy associate the Prayer of Detention with pagan conspiracies and rituals. They do not recommend that parishioners say the words of this prayer without first talking with the priest. During the conversation, the priest, as a rule, invites the person to read another prayer, or gives a blessing to read the prayer of Elder Pansophius.

If a person is sure that this particular prayer will help him cope with his difficulties, then it is useless to convince him otherwise. The most important thing in prayer is faith in good things. If a person does not believe that everything will be wonderful, then no amount of prayer will help him achieve this harmony with himself and the world around him.

That is why priests, as a rule, still give their blessing to read the Prayer of Detention if a person likes it.

Another reason why reading these words is undesirable is the statements of the Athonite elder. In his works, Pansophius more than once wrote some strange expressions about inducing spiritual blindness on everyone who dared to doubt the existence of God. Such thoughts should not occur to a Christian. The Almighty himself gives a person punishment for disbelief or some obscene actions. People should not judge their neighbors and wish them harm. This should not be expressed even in such a seemingly harmless form.

It should be noted that it was precisely this “forbiddenness” of prayer that made it quite popular. People began to study printed materials about the life of Elder Pansophius of Athos, his works, as well as how he created the text of his prayer. Many people go to clergy to receive blessings specifically to satisfy their never-dying curiosity. After all, it is the priest who will be able to give the most accurate information and dispel all doubts.

You shouldn't do this just out of curiosity. Blessings should only be asked by those believers who really want to receive it. After all, some people sincerely believe that this particular prayer will help them protect themselves from the influence of evil forces. Having received the blessing, they can read it without fear of committing a sin. For believers this is actually very important.

Prayer Detention Pansophia of Athos dates back to 1848. It was from this time that people began to read it after encountering certain difficulties along the path of life. Pansophius of Athos himself read this prayer and asked God to protect him from evil people and demonic thoughts.

The Prayer of Detention has appeared in modern prayer books relatively recently. Many church ministers do not approve of its reading for a number of reasons. That is why believers are recommended to receive a blessing before reading the prayer.

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Life modern man unpredictable: at every step various kinds of dangers and troubles, enemies and bad gossip can await him. A reliable protective shield in this case can be the prayer for the detention of Elder Pansophius of Athos - a forty-strong amulet.

Protective prayers, the group of which includes the prayer for the detention of Elder Pansophius of Athos, originated in ancient times. They have enormous power, capable of reliably resisting any evil, any manifestation of negativity. A strong prayer-amulet absorbs streams of negative energy, and in return gives the praying person faith and hope in the best.

The forty-strong amulet of Pansophia of Athos is a special prayer. It combines elements of pagan magic word and Orthodox prayer. Its main purpose is to block the impact of negative energy on a person and thereby protect him from all evil.

The prayer of detention must be used with extreme caution. This is due to the fact that the amulet has the ability to radically change the life of the person who used it. When deciding to say a prayer, you need to clearly understand for yourself the purpose for which it will be read, and with what specific request it will be used.

A person saying a prayer for the detention of Elder Pansophius of Athos must certainly be baptized. The use of a forty-strong amulet is contraindicated for people who have not converted to the Orthodox faith. It is believed that unbaptized people do not have their own personal Guardian Angel, and this prayer book involves turning to the heavenly protector of your soul.

Rules for reading the forty-strong amulet

The prayer for the detention of Elder Pansophius of Athos is capable of protecting even in the most seemingly hopeless and difficult situations. The main thing is to comply with all the conditions for correct prayer.

The process of reading a forty-strong amulet includes 2 stages:

1. Preparation for prayer.
2. Saying a prayer.

When preparing to read the prayer for the detention of Pansophius of Athos, the first thing you need to do is set for yourself the exact day from which the petition will be carried out, and then begin preparation. Preparations should begin 7 days before the due date and include:

• strict fasting: exclude meat and dairy products, eat only foods of plant origin;
• giving up bad habits (drinking alcohol, smoking);
• refusal of entertainment activities;
• obligatory visit to the temple (church) - at least 4 times a week.

This kind of preparation is done to enhance the power of the prayer of detention. By observing all the conditions listed above, a person will increase his inner potential, which will be invested in prayer words while reading them. At the same time, the power of the forty-strong amulet will increase significantly.

The next stage - reading the prayer of detention - includes several mandatory requirements:

• the reading period for the amulet is 9 days in a row, without omissions or breaks;

• frequency of daily recitation: 2 times a day (morning and evening), or 1 time (at any time of the day);
• frequency of recitation: with each reading, the amulet prayer must be repeated 9 times in a row;
• the state of a person reading a detention prayer is calm, peaceful, freed from negative emotions;
• avoiding quarrels, conflicts, nervous breakdowns;
• clear and meaningful pronunciation of each word of the prayer, understanding of its content;
• keeping your actions to read the amulet a secret from the people around you.

A specific requirement is also made regarding the gender of the person praying: men must begin saying the prayer of detention on men's day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday), women - on women's day (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday). The text of the amulet prayer must be read from memory, so it should be memorized in advance. Sunday is a forbidden day: you can neither read the forty-strong amulet of Pansophius of Athos, nor learn it by heart on this day.

Text of the prayer for the detention of Elder Pansophius of Athos - from all evil for yourself and your loved ones

The prayer-amulet can be said in front of the icon of the Lord Almighty. You are also allowed to pray in front of the image of the elder Pansophius of Athos himself.

Immediately before the petition itself, you should first read the introductory prayers: “Our Father”, “I Believe”, “Prayer to the Guardian Angel”. After the introductory prayers, the worshiper must turn to the saint whose name he bears, and only then begin to read the amulet itself.

There is also one way of reading the prayer of detention, practiced by monks and monks to protect their monasteries. This is a whole prayer ritual performed using certain attributes:

• icons: “Michael the Archangel”, “Holy Trinity”, “Saints”;
• large holiday candles in the amount of 3 pieces;
• one candle for home;
• incense;
• incense spoon;
• white tablecloth for the table;
• shallow dish.

The essence of the prayer ritual:

1. Cover the table with a white tablecloth and place all 3 icons on it in the form of a triangle. Place a large candle in front of each image. Place a bowl with incense and a spoon for it in the center of the triangle of icons.
2. Light the candles in front of the images. Light a candle for the house and place it in the center of the dish with incense.
3. Read the prayer book of Pansophius of Athos according to all the rules.

See also the text of the prayer for detention and for protection from evil forces in the video:

Prohibitions and some nuances when using the prayer of detention

A person who uses the forty-strong amulet of Pansophius of Athos for his protection should also have an idea of ​​some of the nuances and prohibitions. related to this prayer. First of all, these are prohibited requests:

• You cannot, in the process of prayer, ask for cruel punishments for your enemies and ill-wishers. It is strictly forbidden to pray for their death, as this is contrary to divine laws;
• When praying, you cannot name the names of your supposed enemies, people suspected of any dark deeds towards yourself. A person can be deeply mistaken about those around him; their true attitude towards the person praying is known only to the Lord.

During the preparatory week, you must definitely go to church and ask the Almighty for merciful forgiveness for your ill-wishers. It is recommended to repeat this action a week after completing the entire ritual of reading the amulet.

The ritual, during which the prayer for the detention of Elder Pansophius of Athos is read, must be performed using attributes only of church origin: candles and incense must be purchased within the walls of the religious institution, water (if you use it) must be consecrated, also collected in the temple.

Priest's answer:

The "Prayer of Detention" is attributed to its origins in a collection of prayers compiled by Athonite elder Pansophius in 1848. She received this name from her petitions, in which the author asks God and the saints “ delay and slow down" all the evil intentions of various ill-wishers towards the reader. Although this prayer has some similarities with canonical church prayers, in essence, it is apocryphal and includes elements of a magical worldview, folk beliefs and superstitions. Her petitions conflict with the commandments of the Gospel and the ascetic experience of the Saints. To this “prayer” the Review Commission of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church refused the stamp “recommended” for publication in the “Complete Orthodox Prayer Book for Every Need”, published by the Pochaev Lavra. Therefore, the reading of the “Prayer of Detention” by Orthodox Christians cannot be considered useful. But, in order not to be unfounded, I will offer some of its elements for analysis.

The prayer cannot possibly be composed in the 19th century, since it contains a mixture of Church Slavonic and Russian language styles: “And now hold back and slow down until the time is right all the plans around those standing by me my relocation, dismissal; all our good undertakings and desires; destroy the inhabitants of that village,where did she live » . In prayer petitions the vocative case is used: “ God; Lady; Archangel Michael", then nominative: " Venerable Great Elius; Blessed Lawrence".

The text of the “Prayer of Detention” contains phrases whose meaning is obscure: delay and slow down until the right time all the plans around those standing around me about my displacement, dismissal, removal, expulsion; Now stop all the plans of my enemies, who want to drive us out of this city and destroy it. It is not clear here why the enemies’ plans for the destruction of a person or his expulsion need only be suspended and delayed until the time comes, and not completely destroy. Elsewhere it is said that the evil desires and demands of all those who condemn it just needs to be destroyed. This inconsistency may indicate that the text of the prayer was compiled hastily. The petitions themselves, such as, fear dismissal from work, expulsion from hail and concern for safety this house, all those who live in it, and all its property, cannot meet the needs of a 19th century Mount Athos monk. There is an obvious modern, careless “remake” here.

In the text of the prayer there is not a word about repentance, not a single request for deliverance from sins. On the contrary, the author is confident in his “righteousness.” As Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) pointed out, true prayer is possible only among those Christians whose hearts are filled with a feeling of repentance. Prayer must come “from a heart filled with poverty of spirit; from a contrite and humble heart." If repentance is not placed at the basis of prayer, if it has not become “the soul and goal of prayer,” then the one praying is in danger of being exposed to delusion.

The “Prayer of Detention” was composed on behalf of a person who considers himself surrounded on all sides by enemies, not only invisible, but also visible.Enemies condemn his, slander, malice, roar, blaspheme, humiliate and despise his. Standing around are hatching plans for relocation, dismissal, displacement praying Moreover, the enemies want expel his from this city and destroy. The author of the prayer expresses the following attitude towards his ill-wishers: The evil desires and demands of all those who condemn must be destroyed the mouth and hearts of all those who slander, malign, roar, blaspheme and humiliate- blocked. Enemies cannot even be allowed come closer to this house, despising need to be held behind the fence of the house. The subject of the prayer asks the Lord: bring spiritual blindness into the eyes of all those who rebel against me and my enemies. Thus, the “Prayer of Detention” contains a wish for harm to enemies. Thus, it comes into conflict with the commandment of Christ the Savior: “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). St. John Chrysostom pointed out: “When we ask for something “against enemies, then not only are we not heard, but we also insult God.” The Lord “says: “Forgive your debtors” (see: Matt. 6:12), and you call on Him Himself, who commands you to forgive, against your enemies. What could be worse than such madness?.. How can you receive forgiveness of your own sins when you ask God to punish the sins of others?

The “Prayer of Detention” is dominated by a spirit of rancor. Truly church prayers are permeated with the spirit of love. Thus, the Church has given us prayers “On the increase of love and the eradication of hatred and all malice” and “On those who hate and offend us.” And, of course, they do not contain misanthropic requests for guidance spiritual blindness to the eyes of enemies.

A Christian must strive to completely surrender his life to the will of God. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) wrote: “We must wander with Christ, suffer with Him, endure crucifixion, taste death, be buried, resurrect and ascend. I wish this for you and for myself: why I say with you this true, consoling prayer, filled with spiritual intelligence: “Lord! Do Your will over us and grant us to think, feel, and act according to Your will. We ask this one thing from You, in this one thing we conclude all our desires and prayers.” As St. Theophan the Recluse noted, in the absence of obedience to the will of God, “the prayer will have the following meaning: whether you like it or not, Lord, give it; or according to the saying “Take it out and put it down.” It is precisely the lack of submission to the will of God that is felt in the “Prayer of Detention.” The subject of prayer is alien to surrendering himself to the will of God, but he considers himself entitled to ask for the fulfillment of desires: and may all our good undertakings and desires be fulfilled. But among these desires there are some that are not at all pious ( bring spiritual blindness into the eyes of all those who rebel against me and my enemies). It is not the salvation of the soul that occupies the attention of the subject of the “Prayer of Detention”, but everyday concerns: concern for the safety of property ( commons in the terminology of the “Prayer of Detention”), the desire to defend one’s well-being and “rightful” place in life in the fight against “enemies.” The Savior said: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? or what ransom will a man give for his soul?” (Matt. 16.26).

Among the people, the “Prayer of Detention” is perceived as a “prayer against damage,” that is, as protection from harmful witchcraft. The word “damage” itself is not in the text of the “Prayer of Detention”. But, as far as one can understand, it is harmful witchcraft that is meant in prayer under demonic spells aimed at annoy subject of prayer and destroy him and property his. And you, O holy land of Russia, with the power of your prayers for me, dispel all the demonic spells, all the devil’s plans and intrigues - to annoy me and destroy my name and property. “The Church does not believe that a person can be corrupted. A person can only spoil himself. If he lives a sinful life, if he commits mortal sins, if he does not fight his bad habits, he can ruin himself and ruin the lives of the people around him,” says Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev) of Volokolamsk in this regard.

The text of the “Prayer of Detention” is usually preceded by remarks that it must be read “hidden from the hearing and sight of people,” and also “only with the blessing of the confessor.” Notes like these should give the reader the idea that this is a “strong” prayer. The division of prayers into “strong” and “weak” is nothing more than an expression of a magical worldview, which assumes that in the supersensible world there is a certain “force” that can be subdued. One of the “instruments of influence” on supernatural forces is a sacred text. Magical perception endows the sacred text with the ability of “automatic” action, similar to that expected from an amulet or any magical rite. Christianity understands prayer as an appeal to the free will of the Divine, as a petition for God’s mercy. The prayer text is “not magic words, the correct reproduction of which gives a guaranteed result. This is a request, a cry that can be heard, or maybe rejected by the One to whom it is addressed, that is, by God. Thus, a wise parent, hearing the cry of a child, does not necessarily immediately fulfill any of his requests...”, instructs one of the teachers of the Church. Therefore, the “power” of prayer lies not in words and not in “hiding from the hearing and sight of men.” Saint Theophan the Recluse wrote: “Strength is not in the words of prayer, but in the spiritual mood - the fear of God and devotion to God, and in constant attention to God, and in standing intelligently before Him.”

The purpose of the “Prayer of Detention” is to create a magical “protection”, a barrier to the actions of “enemies”. All magical texts in general pursue the same goal. It is characteristic that in the “Prayer of Detention”, the prayers of the saint should protect the house like a magic circle: “ And You, the venerable great Elius of Egypt, who once fenced the place of your disciple’s settlement in a circle with the sign of the cross, commanded him to arm himself with the name of the Lord and from now on not to be afraid of demonic temptations. Protect my house, in which I live, in the circle of your prayers and save it from fiery ignition, thieves’ attacks and all evil and insurance.”. In other words, in the “Prayer of Detention” an episode from the life of St. Elius of Egypt is rethought in the categories of mythical-magical consciousness.

The “Prayer of Detention” is related to magical texts and a focus on earthly well-being, concern for safety commons.“And you, venerable great Elius of Egypt... Protect my house, in which I live, in the circle of your prayers and save it from fiery ignition, thieves’ attacks and all evil and insurance.”

Thus, the “Prayer of Detention” comes into conflict with Orthodox dogma, in particular, with the church’s understanding of the purpose and essence of prayer. There are enough other soul-saving prayers in Orthodoxy that we can read without fear of delusion.

- Good evening. Father, please tell me when can I read a prayer for detention? Is it a blessing, or should it not be read at all? What kind of prayer is this, what does it contain?

- This is some kind of modern innovation, which fundamentally does not contain anything evil. There is no temptation or evil here. The word “detention” indicates that, as we read in the litiya: “Deliver us from all evil that is moving towards us” - something is moving towards us, and we are trying to hold, delay, ward off trouble from ourselves and those we love , about whom we worry. People, in order to pray more powerfully, agree on prayer, because one is one, and “Where two or three are gathered in My Name,” says Christ, “there I am in the midst of them.” Therefore, people agree to pray for someone or for something for someone, and at the same hour, together or separately, they try to read prayer texts dedicated to a specific request. Everything that is here is, in principle, the beginning of the Gospel. Agree to pray together for the same thing in the Name of Christ, ask the Heavenly Father - and the Heavenly Father promises to give us all this. This is a fairly recent development. Why it received such a name - “prayer of detention” - I won’t say anything here, because I don’t know. But, in general, you just need to expand this concept: “prayer by agreement” - it’s better to call it that. For example, you have a daughter of marriageable age, and your neighbor has a daughter of marriageable age, and a friend has a daughter of marriageable age, and you say: “Listen, pray for my daughter, so that God will give her a good husband, and I will pray for your daughters, so that God gives them good husbands" And so you agreed to pray for each other like this, and pray. And you see, some time passed: yours came out, theirs came out, and theirs came out. God accepts prayer and fulfills what is asked. The prayer of so-called detention is special case prayers are by agreement, and by agreement one can and should pray. Therefore, pray, if only you ask for good, so that you are not ashamed to ask, because they say: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask not for good, but for your lusts.” Now, if you ask for good, then you can hope that God, out of His kindness, will give you good.

- Good evening. Christ bless you, father! Have you heard that Hollywood actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa was recently baptized in a church on Bolshaya Ordynka and became Brother Panteleimon?

- Heard. I read on Facebook and from great joy I took this information because the actor is interesting. He described his approach to Christ, which took place thanks to filming the film. He imbued with the image of the hero he played. Father Ioann Okhlobystin spoke a lot about this, and Pyotr Mamonov, who played in this film, also mentioned this. This is one of the important modern events happening daily when the Spirit breathes where it will. And it makes no difference who to call: the director of a large, world-famous corporation, or a Hollywood actor, or Vasya, who sells pies, or Dunya, who sweeps the street, or someone else who does some modest things - with God, all people are the same. One has only to rejoice that the Lord is not lazy to move towards a person through unknown paths and complex loops, to touch him and call him to Himself. And people respond. This is very nice, wonderful. It arrived in our regiment. God grant that as many as possible, not only Hollywood, but also all other actors, and not only actors, but all other people in general, come to God in different ways. We will be glad to baptize them so that the Church will be replenished and God will add - as it is written in the book of Acts - those who are being saved to the Church. I heard and am very happy about this information. Thank you.

- Good evening, oh. Andrey. Question about the 5th chapter of the 1st Epistle of the Apostle Paul to Timothy. Widows are repeatedly mentioned there. In verse 3 he says, “Honor widows, true widows.” Further, if we look, verse 9: “A widow must be chosen no less...” The word “elected” confuses me. Verse 16: “If any faithful person has widows, they should provide for them and not burden the Church, so that it can provide for true widows.” What are “true widows” and why are they chosen? I would like to understand this.

- Judging by everything that the holy Apostle Paul said in this chapter, “true widows” are those who are absolutely defenseless, who have reached an age when they can no longer work. Ancient society did not provide women with jobs: the man worked, the woman was obedient at home. Based on this, if someone has, for example, a widowed mother-in-law, or a widowed mother-in-law, or a grandmother, or someone else, then they must feed them themselves. And a “true widow,” based on the context, is a woman who has no help at all from her neighbors. Understand the condition of women in ancient society: there are no pensions, all types of work are fishing , hunting, crafts, military service, whatever it is - it’s all male. A woman can have food daily only if she lives in her father's house when she is unmarried, or in her husband's house when she lives with her husband. And if the husband died and there are no children, and she is completely alone, then this is a “true widow” who is completely helpless. These are the kind of widows we need to “take on board”: make lists and feed them from the Church. Those. those Christian women who have nothing in their souls and need literally everything - they have God instead of a husband, and the Church, in the Person of God, must feed and support them. If any of the widows have relatives, then the relatives must support these women. Then, they are elected to serve. So that they do not eat bread for nothing, they must perform some kind of church obedience, and they can help the priest in baptizing women - perform the function of deaconesses, they can do some other work related to charity, for example, caring for the poor and sick . To do this, you need to choose them and make sure that they are of such an age when they no longer have men in their heads, because it is written: if a widow does not have a husband, but likes to hang around among guests, she drinks wine, talks too much, dreams of getting married again to go out, then this is voluptuousness. Such people died alive. And that woman who is already sixty or more, completely alone, no longer has earthly joys in her head, is a “true widow.” She can raise strangers’ grandchildren, impart spiritual knowledge to women, help the priest at baptism, and generally live only by the Church. The Church nourishes her, feeds her and supports her, and she serves the Church. An example of such a “true widow” is in the book of the Gospel of the Apostle Luke, where Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, together with Simeon the God-Receiver, met Christ in the Jerusalem Temple. She lived her whole life at the temple, serving God with prayer day and night. These are the “true widows.” And not a “true widow” is one who does not have a husband, but a young lady who would not mind getting married and organizing her life. She is not well suited for church service; she has other thoughts in her head. This is something else, this is not a “true widow.” Therefore it is said: “Honor widows, true widows.” There is a principle of monogamy - monogamy: a woman does not sin if she marries again. There is no prohibition here, because it is better to get married than to get inflamed, and in general, it is bad for a person to be alone in the world. And a widower, if he becomes a widow and marries again, he will not sin. But, of course, it is much better if a woman, having once been married and then losing her husband for various reasons, already preserves herself and says: “I was already married.” That's what many people say. I myself have heard these words from the lips of godly women. They are told: “Or maybe you should get married again? You are still quite a young woman.” - “No, I was already married. I have one husband, and I hope to meet him in heaven.” This is the “true widow.” According to the criterion of fidelity to her deceased husband, according to the criterion of reluctance to arrange her earthly life in a carnal way, according to the criterion of helplessness and defenselessness, complete devotion to the Church of God, a “true widow” is determined from that woman who simply does not have a husband.

- Hello, Father Andrey. I wish all radio listeners mental and physical health. In the four Gospels, Jesus very often speaks about the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God, and in the Gospel of Luke He specifically says with His mouth that the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptist. It turns out that John the Baptist is in the Kingdom of Heaven, perhaps at some levels, but not in the Kingdom of God. Where is the border here? It turns out that the Kingdom of the air is a toll-house, but the Kingdom of Heaven is one, as Jesus told us: “My Heavenly Father has many mansions.” This means that in the Kingdom of Heaven, our souls can be driven into better and worse places: they can allocate different abodes for us there, and different conditions. Is there a smooth transition boundary here? Can they cross over from the Kingdom of God? I understand that they can go to the Kingdom of Heaven, and to the Kingdom of the Airs, and to the earth, and from the Kingdom of Heaven, from the Kingdom of the Airs, they can go to the Kingdom of God? Tell me if you know anything about this issue.

- I'm afraid to confuse our listeners. I would be interested in speaking with you privately on this matter. I think that it is impossible to be in the Kingdom of Heaven without being in the Kingdom of God. These things cannot be contrasted. If the Kingdom of Heaven is a definition, relatively speaking, topographical, it is opposed to the Kingdom of Earth, i.e. this is not on earth, this is the Kingdom that is not of the earth, the Kingdom is not of this world, then the Kingdom of God is more a category of the internal state of a person, to the extent that he belongs to it. The Kingdom of God is within you, do not seek it with observance. This is the participation of the heart in the beatitudes of the Gospel: spiritual poverty, circumcision of the heart, sight of God, meekness of hunger, thirst for righteousness. On the one hand, there is some difference here, but this difference does not reach the point of opposition. A person who enters the Kingdom of Heaven enters into possession of the Heavenly Fatherland - he must have the Kingdom of God within himself. Without the Kingdom of God within, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. And, accordingly, everyone who inherits the Kingdom of Heaven is partakers of the Kingdom of God, which begins on earth and continues in Heaven. There is an apparent contradiction here, but in fact it is removed because these are synonymous things. While the Kingdom of God has been announced to us, we can join it here, today. It doesn't concern external position, and cardiac condition. Through repentance, through faith, through tears, through fulfilling the commandments, we can introduce our inner man into participation in the Kingdom of God, and then hope to become heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven precisely because of participation in the Kingdom of God. I think we haven't confused anyone. And a larger conversation on this topic is not very convenient for radio broadcasting, because, I’m afraid, we will confuse more than one listener by repeating the same words many times: Kingdom of Heaven, Kingdom of God, Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven. I'm afraid we'll confuse someone, and I wouldn't want to confuse anyone.

— Father Andrey, hello. I am reading the Gospel, and now I have reached the 4th chapter of Luke. How can we apply Christ’s answer in everyday life: “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God”? I had a case where I had to say this. Did I do the right thing? One Christian friend of mine, who could get home by public transport late at night, but it would take a long time to travel, went on foot through a very dark place - through an overgrown river, through the bushes, a short way. There are often accidents there, and I told her: “Do not tempt the Lord your God. You have a normal path. Why did you go?

And also - Gospel of Luke, 4:40: “When the sun went down, all who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him, and He, laying His hands on each of them, healed them.” Why at sunset? Is this some kind of ritual, or was the heat interfering?

— You were absolutely right when you told your woman friend about her reluctance to wait for transport, but to take a shortcut through dangerous places. This is very exact example, illustration, you can’t even imagine it more precisely. But there are many similar examples. For example, a person has some food at home that has been in his refrigerator or on the stove for more than two days and is already starting to spoil. And the person feels sorry to throw it away, he says: “I’ll eat it.” They tell him: “You will be poisoned.” - “I will cross and eat.” Here, too, it makes sense to say: “Do not tempt the Lord your God. Well, what are you going to eat that’s rotten?” You don’t need to think that the sign of the cross and prayer must always save you. Those. if you can choose the safe path, choose the safe one. You cannot think that you can rush headlong from the roof, cross yourself, and fall softly to your feet. Most likely, you will break because you are tempting the Lord your God. Don’t force God to perform a miracle—in other words, don’t force the Lord God to work miracles where miracles are not needed, where it’s just an ordinary everyday situation.

As for sunset, the fact is that life in the east proceeds in a different mode than here. There - in Greece, Spain, Italy, and other hot places - they have a siesta. There at lunchtime, when the sun is at its zenith, no one is working, and even the shops are closed, everyone is trying to hide from scorching sun and sleep, or hide in the shadows in houses. And when the sun is already setting, everyone scrambles out of their houses and begins to potter around the house, trade, and so on. Therefore, when the sun began to set, people came to Christ, bringing those sick with various diseases. This is due precisely to the lifestyle of people where the sun is much hotter than here. When the sun is at its zenith, we are happy because it’s warm, and where it’s really hot, we need to hide from the sun. Our northern summer is a caricature southern winters. So this is quite understandable natural conditions life of Palestinian society. Before today This is how they live: it’s hot - everyone hides in holes, the sun sets - everyone starts to act.

- Good evening, Father Andrey. You, of course, know that the situation in Novorossiya has now worsened. Under the influence of the Americans, shootings are taking place there again, etc. I read an interview with Igor Strelkov, who says that the optimistic scenario in Donbass is over. Since Putin did not listen to the Americans - he dared to do what was necessary with both Crimea and Syria, do you think he won’t go to some extent to rein in these Jewish oligarchs in Kiev who want to take over Novorossiya? ? They hate Putin, call him obscene names...

- Well, this is an area of ​​guesswork, and this is an area in which you and I know very little. We only see what is brought from the kitchen to the table, but we don’t know what’s going on in the kitchen. And we have a kitchen not only here - in Russia, Ukraine, Novorossiya, but also overseas, in the very country you named. Therefore, I am not going to guess on the tea leaves about things that I know little about. I only believe and have a certain inner feeling that allows me to say that I know that those who are intertwined with the evil one and serve him - together with the evil one will be condemned to fair and legal punishment. Those who sold their tongue to Satan in order to deceive their own people will be hanged for this tongue by the one who is condemned forever. Those who serve the overseas master on a short leash, together with the overseas master, will be doomed to a sad existence in temporary life and in eternal life. This is all I, apparently, know for sure. It will happen, it’s only a matter of time. And everything else is guesswork. We need to increase prayer. The mistress of the Russian land is Holy Mother of God, and our land is Her house. She will not renounce calling this land Her destiny, home and heritage. You just need to increase your prayer, and prayer is not a joke, but a real force operating in the world. As the prayers of pious, pious, humble, meek-hearted people - these humble sons of the earth, the power of God will not be slow to appear, punishing those who organized all this, so that the punishment falls on their heads. I believe this without a doubt. And you need to pray for the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. May Christ strengthen and preserve him, and may he drive away from him people prone to betrayal and love of money, and may he bring to him patriotic, wise, fearless and God-fearing people. This is all very important, because it is the retinue that makes the king: if there are traitors in the retinue, then it is bad for the king; if the people in his retinue are pious and honest, then it is good for the king. I can say such general things, but I can’t give specifics, because I’m not privy to the details. And if he had been dedicated, he certainly wouldn’t have said it.

- Hello. God save you! Churches have been destroyed in our country for seventy years, but now they are being restored. The state destroyed them, but the people restore them? I do not understand something.

- Not certainly in that way. Firstly, the state is involved in the restoration of temples. For example, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was built largely thanks to the help powerful of the world this and with the participation of people in power. Then, it was not only statists who destroyed churches. Activities to destroy ancient shrines covered a large number of ordinary people. Look at the black and white chronicle: there are many meters of black and white chronicle of the 18-20s, where our Russian baptized people take icons out of their houses, put them in piles and set them on fire. When they break icons out of iconostases and also take them to the trash bin or somewhere in a museum. When they use picks and crowbars to break the walls of ancient churches that their grandfathers and great-grandfathers built. So we cannot say that only the authorities are to blame. Power always relies on a certain activity of the people, on revolutionary madness, which manifested itself in the destruction of shrines, on the legitimization of its actions in the eyes of masses. The people themselves actively participated in this. Cultural figures have tried a lot, ridiculing and blaspheming everything sacred in their sharp tongue for the sake of ridicule and criticism. Even the same, for example, Durov, a member of a famous circus dynasty, dressed the seal in priestly vestments, in a kamilavka, and the seal served a prayer service in the circus, and Durov portrayed a psalm-reader. All sorts of monkeys were dressed in priestly vestments and they jumped around the stage, mocking all that was holy. If only Trotsky, only Lenin, only Sverdlov would do nasty things, then it would, of course, not be so bad: their names would be covered with dust and the people would simply be healed. And the people themselves got sick. We talked about Yesenin, for example, not so long ago. Yesenin spat out the Holy Mysteries: he deliberately took communion on a dare, took a particle of the Holy Gifts of the body of Christ by the cheek, then went out into the street and spat. And then he wrote poems about it: “The body, the body of Christ, I spit it out of my mouth...” He has this poem, this famous Ryazan genius. Then he went to Blok and boasted about this to him. Not only was he not afraid, he also boasted. Do you understand what people did, to what degree of everyday Satanism did people, supposedly talented, supposedly educated, reach? Bukharin, Lenin’s favorite, did the same nasty thing. The same Bukharchik whom Stalin “dispatched” in the fight against his opponents was one of the first: he made him an enemy of the people and shot him. The same Bukharin who was one of the party’s ideologists. He, too, in his gymnasium youth, was noted for carrying out the Holy Mysteries on his cheek for a bet and spitting them out. It is incomprehensible to the mind what our baptized people, who had gone crazy, were doing in our country. So it would be unfair to hang all the dogs on one government. Therefore, the people must restore and the state must restore, and all this must be the combined work of both the people and the state, because both the people and the state were to blame for the destruction of Russian foundations and customs, and it is unknown who is more. Who is more, who is less - only God knows. So rest assured: the period of restoration - the period of collecting stones - has legitimately begun and must continue.

- Hello. This is Antonina, who is sick. On August 3, a friend of mine was at the grave of priest Valentin Amfitheatrov, took soil from the grave and brought it to me. I placed the earth near the icon. And my neighbor says to me: “You can’t take land from the cemetery.” I don't know what to do with the land. What should I do? I love Fr. Valentina, I know his whole story...

- Let him lie there. Why not? You cannot take anything from a sinner from a cemetery, but you can take anything from a saint. Blessed Xenia's grave was grabbed by the handful for several days until a stone slab was laid. And then the slab was broken piece by piece with hammers for several months until a temple was built over the grave. Therefore, people traditionally drag some pinch of earth, something, from the cemetery, from the holy grave, and there is nothing wrong with that. If you love o. Valentina, - he is worthy of love, he is a holy soul, - especially if you know his whole history, revere him, then this is wonderful, and let this pinch of earth from his grave be a material connection between you and the grave of the righteous person whom you revere. Don't worry, there's nothing bad here.

- Good evening. You go to church, and in any case there are some difficult circumstances: sometimes your relatives, sometimes someone is sick... Is it possible at some point in the Sunday Liturgy to say from the heart, from the soul, “Lord! (and then your request)”?

- When in the choir they sing: “We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, Lord, and we pray to You, our God.” Those. at that moment when the priest, raising his hands, begs the Lord to send the Holy Spirit on the gifts that are presented - bread and wine. At this time, you can diligently and fervently express your innermost requests before God. The Eucharistic canon is a place of special fervent prayers; there is no other such moment in the Liturgy, more significant. Everything else is also very important and valuable and significant, but the peak point in the Liturgy is precisely the Eucharistic canon: “We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, Lord...”

- Father, hello, God bless you! Ksenia of Petersburg is commemorated on the sixth of February, but the sixth of June is here in the new calendar - what is this date?

- I don’t know, to be honest. I myself have encountered these two dates. I have always celebrated Ksenia in February, ever since I learned about her, and my heart responded to her name, to her life. We always served February Xenia. Or maybe there’s another Ksenia there? Also Ksenia Romank, maybe. Or something related to the acquisition of relics or glorification of her? Those. there is some kind of secondary date there. The primary date, as a rule, is the date of death - the day of remembrance, and the secondary date is the date, for example: the discovery of relics, the transfer of relics, church-wide glorification. These dates are still celebrated, but these are secondary dates, like Nicholas the Wonderworker: winter Nicholas is actually Nicholas - the date of his dormition, December 19, and summer Nicholas is the date of the transfer of his relics from Myra in Lycia to Bari. This is a holiday that has a sad note in it, because the Greeks lost their relics, and the Latins took them for themselves. Apparently, there is a similar situation with Ksenia. The February date is the memory of Ksenia, but that summer date is something else, you just need to ask what it is: glorification, or acquisition, or something else. But there was no transfer, because she remains at the burial place.

- Hello, Father Andrey. With deepest respect, Alexander from the Moscow region. At the very beginning of the program, you were asked a question about the prayer of detention. It has nothing to do with prayer by agreement. Take a look at an ordinary prayer book, there is a whole service there, called “Prayer of Detention.”

- Enlighten us in this case. What do you know about this? Is there anything wrong with this?

- There’s nothing wrong. It just seems to me that you still need to talk about the prayer of detention with your confessor, and not just read it.

— In general, it’s a good idea to talk to your confessor about any reasons that confuse you. I've never read all of this myself. Thank you for your advice. Previously, in the prayer books that were, for example, during the years of my churching, there were no prayers of detention. And then, I have been serving in the priesthood for a decade now - and I have never heard of this. Over the last, maybe two or three years, I have begun to hear this more and more often. I, as they say, “out of the blue,” came up with the idea that this was an agreement between several people about a certain common request. It turns out that this is something more serious. Well, whoever wants to read prayers of detention, go to your confessors, consult with them, take a blessing for this.

- Father, good evening, bless me. I heard that if the Lord forgave for mortal sins in confession, then we should not doubt, and if we doubt, then this is a lack of faith. But I also heard that they used to impose penance for mortal sins. Sometimes it happens that at first you have no doubt that the Lord has forgiven, and then something repeats, as if punishment is coming, but there was no penance from the confessor. I read somewhere in the literature that it happens that the Lord Himself seems to impose penance. Explain.

“The Lord really imposes penance Himself, that’s true.” Moreover, He imposes it in such a way that there is no mistake. The Lord will balance the degree of guilt with the degree of punishment without making a mistake. But the confessor, as a person, can make a mistake somewhere and impose a small penance for a large guilt or burden a person with immeasurable burden for a small guilt. All this happens in our lives, unfortunately, there is nothing surprising here. Therefore, of course, sorrows can be penance for certain sins. But you do not try to analyze your life in such a way as to understand everything, because in human life there will always be some misunderstood irrational residue. It is impossible to exhaust human life to the very bottom, to the last drop. And if you think otherwise, then you will be mistaken, because man is inexhaustible, he is very deep inside. And there is no need to burden yourself with worries - strive to understand why I suffer, why I suffer, what is happening to me, and why I endure this very thing. I think that in most cases people paint themselves into unnecessary corners and create unnecessary difficulties for themselves because of such questions. There is no need to subtly examine your life; you just have to trust the Lord God. Therefore, do not try to analyze what kind of sin you confessed for, for which you did not receive penance, and now, for example, you are having troubles at work or with your neighbors. I think that the very formulation of the question indicates the wrong path of thought. Just face patiently and courageously all the events that happen to you, without analyzing subtly and without finding out what, for what and why, otherwise you will make a mistake, but there is no need to make mistakes. We don’t need unnecessary mistakes, we don’t need to confuse ourselves. Therefore, if you repented, have no doubt: God has forgiven. And what comes to you in life may be penance, or it may not be penance. Maybe this is just hardening, just in case, so that “the service doesn’t seem like honey,” or maybe God is taking you away from something. This is all His business.

- Hello, father, R.B. Margarita. I would like to give a hint about Xenia of St. Petersburg: in one of the calendars it is written that the sixth of June is glorification in 1988.

“The issue was resolved, which means we were on the right path.” Sherlock Holmes would recognize us as good students. Her commemoration is February, and an additional holiday is glorification at the Council of 1988, when she was canonized along with Andrei Rublev, Dmitry Donskoy, Ignatius Brianchaninov, Feofan the Recluse and a whole number of other holy people who were canonized in the ranks of saints. those blissful years. Thanks for the clarification.

— Good evening, dear father, R.B. Tatyana from the Moscow region. Question on the Gospel of Mark, chapter 4. This is the parable of the sower, and then explain this parable to your disciples. If I understand correctly, the sowers are the apostles, the sowers of the word. Then, when the Lord explains it to them, He describes four categories of people who react to this word one way or another. But here there are also the following words of the Savior: “To you (the disciples and those around Him) it has been given to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God, but to those outside everything happens in parables; so they look with their own eyes and do not see; They hear with their own ears and do not understand, lest they convert, and their sins be forgiven.” Who are the “outsiders” in our day and age? At that time it was relatively understandable, but in our time? And why will their sins be forgiven?

- Yes, they just won’t be forgiven. First, he who sows the word is the Son of man. If we read the same parable from other evangelists, in particular from Luke, then Christ says that he who sows the seed is the Son of man, i.e. Christ is the Sower, these are not the apostles. The apostles are instruments of Christ, just like you and I - now we are sitting on the air and talking about gospel words— We also do some sowing. But it is not you and me who sow, but Christ who sows through an open book, through our lips and through a radio station that broadcasts to a large number of people.

In order to define the concept of “external”, it is necessary to understand that the preaching of the Gospel must be wide and nationwide. When the Gospel of Christ is preached to the whole people, and it is preached precisely in parables, then some people understand what is said and draw conclusions from it, while others simply hear a word that hits their eardrums and is somehow reflected in their heads, then quickly forgotten. And they do not draw any conclusion from this; accordingly, they do not convert, and their sins are not forgiven. Those. they will not turn to have their sins forgiven - meaning that they hear the ringing, but do not know where it is. That is: “I heard something there from Christ and about Christ, but what is there and why, I don’t really understand.” Therefore, they do not turn to God with all their hearts, they do not recognize the Savior and Redeemer of their sins in Christ, and their sins are not forgiven them; they remain with their sins. As Jesus Christ said to the Jews: “In your sins you will die.” Those. “Where I am going, you cannot come, and you will die in your sins.” Therefore, people who hear the word must understand the word. The word heard does not bring any benefit if it is not mixed with the faith of those who heard it. Those. the word heard must be dissolved and chewed by the believing heart. If this does not happen, then what happens is what is read in the parable: the birds pecked, the thorns strangled, there was no depth to the earth. These are four kinds of people: vain, over-concerned and small-hearted, plus the fourth - these are people with a deep heart, who have a plowed soul and who can deeply accept the seed and not renounce it. But this, by the way, also applies to each individual person, because each individual person is threatened by the fact that the devil steals the word - the birds peck; the fact that he has no depth in his heart grows quickly and quickly dries up; and that he is overzealous, so the thorns grow and choke the seed, because the sorrows of this age kill it. So these are not only four kinds of people, but also four states of each individual heart.

So, the Sower is the Son of man, the four kinds of people are at the same time the four states of our hearts. And parables are needed so that everyone hears the Gospel, but only those who put their hearts to it understand it. And the rest simply heard with their ears, but did not hear with their hearts. That is why it is said: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches.”

- Good evening, father. I know that you love the poetry of Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev. I also love her very much, and I treat Fyodor Ivanovich well, as a good Christian and a wonderful person. But I, like any sinful person, am confused and saddened by such facts of his biography that he brought a lot of grief and tears to all his wives whom he loved, and not even his wife, but the woman to whom he dedicated many poems - Denisyeva. How does all this coexist in us: such talent, such love, religiosity - and the fact that we bring so much grief to our loved ones?

- Well, this is a rhetorical question, it does not require any explanation from me, because you yourself understand that your question contains the answer. In essence, this is such a bitter groan: “Well, how does all this get along with us?” What is the difference between Tyutchev and non-Tyutchev? - The fact that Tyutchev left a bright mark on the history of the Fatherland, literature, that we know a lot about his biography: we know his one wife, who died in a maritime disaster, we know his second wife, we know his mistress, to whom he dedicated this tragic love on side. This love motivated him to write many, many poems. We just know it. And there, next to Tyutchev, lived some Hans Karlovich Kuchelbecker or Ivan Ivanovich Petrosyan, and we simply don’t know anything about either Petrosyan or Kuchelbecker, and they also had all sorts of “departures” and leaps to the side. Just famous people That's what makes them different from all other people is that they are famous. They have the same sins, the same weaknesses. But the question remains: “How does all this fit into us?” - So like this. As Lermontov wrote about angels and demons, that in one everything is light, and in the other everything is evil, only in a person could the great be united with the insignificant, all his illnesses arise from this. Those. a person is a border soul between the dark and light worlds, and packages fly at him from all sides: kindled arrows from the dark side, blessings from the light side. Both are smeared on it. Therefore, here you just need to cry for the person. Talented, smart, great, good - and then - a blunder - and fell. Well, “you made a mistake and you fell,” get up and move on. Because Christ died for everyone. Let's not rush to judge. They rightly said here when I took up arms against Yesenin... Yes, of course, you can’t judge, but you can evaluate. We must somehow learn to evaluate, not judge, but draw conclusions. Because for real great person- this is a man who has conquered his passions, and here we are dealing with an ordinary person, who is sinful, but talented. In talented people, sins are especially obvious. This is a sad spectacle of sin that has stuck like dirt to a talented person. No matter what book you take from the “Life of Remarkable People” series, and no matter who you find there, you will be faced with a sad sight everywhere: a clear mind, a huge talent, a warm heart, clear eyes... - but dirt, sins, ugliness. It's a pity. There is only one - we sing at the Liturgy - One is holy, One is the Lord Jesus Christ to the glory of God the Father. Christ is called the One Sinless One. Against the background of talented sinners, Christ shines as the One Sinless One, this is very important.

— O. Andrey, hello, bless. Vitaly, Yekaterinburg. It is known that not only the names of new saints are added to the calendar, but also a certain oblivion of those saints of God who were previously canonized occurs. And we no longer see them in prayer books; services for them are practically not served. Let's say my birthday is November 12, and before there was the memory of St. Vitaly, I don’t remember now who he is - a martyr, a venerable one. How possible is it to organize your name day on November 12, when at one time the memory of this saint was still celebrated?

- Of course you can. I don’t know in whose honor you are named Vitaly, I remember one amazing Vitaly - this is Vitaly of Alexandria, but I don’t know if it is he who you are celebrating. This was a man who came from the Egyptian desert to Alexandria at the age of sixty, wrote down all the harlots in Alexandria in a thick book, because there were many hundreds of them, and began to pray for them. He was already an elderly monk, he worked every day: he carried some weights, loaded coal, did something else. He received a daily wage for his work and went to one of the fornication establishments, of which there were obviously not one or two in Alexandria, but dozens or more, and there he would retire with some regular lady, give her money, and say: “Go to bed.” , and I will pray for you." And she went to bed, and he prayed for her all night. Then in the morning he said: “Please don’t tell anyone that I didn’t touch you. Let no one know." And he spent many years like this, every day going around the whorehouses of the city of Alexandria, and he begged for these women. There was a very dramatic story when he was beaten one day when young people saw him coming out. They said: “What are you, monk, doing here?” They hit him, insulted him, and there some women tried to intercede for him, to say that he had nothing to do with it, and there the demon attacked them, tormented them, because they swore an oath not to tell anyone. Only after Vitaly’s death, when it was discovered that he was a great man, did the women loosen their tongues and began to talk about him, that he had been coming to them for years, they all knew him in the city, that he paid them money and put them to rest, and he himself prayed about them. And many of them left these houses. This was Vitaly of Alexandria, an amazing person. An amazing life, an inimitable, special service. Maybe you were named after him. Maybe some other Vitaly. Of course, find, read, celebrate, remember, don’t let yourself forget what is dear and sacred to you.

- Hello. Andrey. Tell me, how do you feel about Pushkin’s judgment that genius and villainy are incompatible things?

- I treat this as a catchphrase. I remember this is a phrase from the drama “Mozart and Salieri”. This Nice words, but, unfortunately, not confirmed by history. If we look closely at history, we will see that a genius is capable of things prohibited by God and human morality: betrayal, stealing other people’s honor, glory, other people’s wives, other people’s money. There are many such great people who combined their earthly greatness with the violation of God's commandments. But, by the way, in Pushkin, this is not a categorical imperative; he writes there: “Genius and villainy are two incompatible things. Isn’t it true?” Or, they say, the crowd attributed the sin of murder to Michelangelo, and he continues his questioning speech about this? For him this is not a statement, for him it is a kind of question and guess. And he himself does not give an exact answer to this, because genius and villainy are very often combined.

Salieri had nothing to do with it: Salieri simply fell into the hands of Pushkin, and he historical science has long since been whitewashed. He was a venerable old man, much more famous than Mozart, and he did not bully anyone in his life; he studied music well from childhood to old age. This is simply a fantasy of our genius, which poses the question: how is it even possible for a gifted person to act contrary to morality? A gifted person often acts contrary to morality, unfortunately. And here we don’t notice anything special with fear.

May Christ protect you, brothers and sisters! I wish you all strong faith and God’s help in every good life deed! Guardian Angel! God bless the Holy Church! Amen.

A modern person can be surrounded by troubles, dangers, enemy intrigues, and bad gossip at every step.

The prayer of Elder Pansophius of Athos, written in ancient times, can become a reliable shield from the machinations of enemies. She has great power against ill-wishers, resists any atrocities and manifestations of negativity.

About prayer

For people who are not churchgoers, the earthly world is full of mysticism. When they come to the temple, they assume that there is both faith and magic. But the Church initially did not recognize witchcraft and sorcery - and these interventions in human souls included in the list of mortal sins.

Elder Pansophius of Athos

Some people who previously believed in God began to deny Him. It is easier for them to believe in Satan and the devil; they believe that black magic, and not the Almighty Christ, can help in any problem. Of course, prayer does not help instantly, not at the “snap of a finger.” She is not a lifeline or a ritual. Prayer is help and support from Heaven, and a person who sincerely believes in Christ can do the rest himself.

Attention! Detention prayer is considered scary and dangerous and violates some of the Bible rules. Therefore, one should resort to reading it only in the most extreme cases.

In what cases does prayer detention help?

• During a serious illness, there is no stronger prayer. You can pray both for yourself and for a sick relative or close friend.
• If it is known that a curse has been imposed on the family line, which is accompanied by frequent deaths, illnesses, scandals, and divorces.

Pansophius of Athos

• If you can’t find a soul mate and find family happiness, relationships with the opposite sex don’t work out - perhaps a woman (man) has been crowned with celibacy. This action is actively used by black magicians.
• If there are drums and other otherworldly forces in the house, incomprehensible sounds are heard - there is no equal to the request for detention, the elder will save health, nerves and life.
• In the absence of finances, even if the family has no money for bread, after prayerful work those in need soon find a good place work, get out of debt and live with dignity.
• To protect against the evil eye, cunning thoughts and meanness from others.

Features and rules of reading

Before starting prayer, you should think about: is it necessary to read this text or can you do without it? This prayer can radically change the life of a praying person.

It is important that the person reading the prayer of detention be baptized in the Orthodox faith. A prayer book who is far from Orthodoxy is prohibited from reading it. In addition, he does not have a guardian angel, which is given to everyone who is baptized during the celebration of the Sacrament. And in prayer it is meant to address him.

Preparing for prayer reading

It is necessary to set for yourself the exact date for the start of prayer, and begin preparation 7 days before:

Preparing to Read

• observe strict fasting with the exclusion of meat and dairy products from the diet, only plant foods are allowed;
• stop drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco;
• it is prohibited to attend entertainment events;
• it is recommended to attend at least 4 Liturgies in a row in an Orthodox church;

How to read a prayer correctly

You should pray in a calm and peaceful state of mind, freed from negative emotions, for 9 days, 2 times a day (morning and evening). It is necessary to avoid quarrels and conflicts, exclude nervous breakdowns. Each word of the prayer should be comprehended and the meaning of each phrase should be understood.

Advice! You should not tell anyone about your prayer work; you need to hide it from others.

Regarding the gender of the person praying, there is also a requirement: men begin reading on the men's day of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday), and women on the women's day (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday). It is advisable to memorize the text and read it from memory. On Sunday, reading the prayer of detention, as well as memorizing it, is prohibited.

Prohibitions and other nuances when using prayer

A person who uses the prayer of detention to protect himself and his loved ones should know some features:

• It is forbidden during prayer to ask for the punishment of the offender and his imminent death, this is contrary to the laws of God, only He knows what to do with a person and when to take his soul to a heavenly village or a hellish dwelling;

When praying, you must light candles in front of the icon.

• During prayer, you should not name the names of your supposed enemies, because perhaps the prayer book is deeply mistaken and considers his offender not to be the one who has bad deeds;
• during the preparatory seven days and after the cycle of prayer ritual, you should visit the temple of God and ask the Almighty for forgiveness for your sins and the sins of ill-wishers;
• when praying, it is necessary to light candles, a lamp and incense in front of the icon of detention, and these attributes must be purchased in an Orthodox church and consecrated.

Prayer for protection from evil spirits

Prayer Icon of Detention

Merciful Lord, You once, through the mouth of the servant of Moses, Joshua, delayed the movement of the Sun and Moon all day long, until the people of Israel took revenge on their enemies.

With the prayer of Elisha the prophet, he once struck the Syrians, delaying them, and healed them again.

You once told the prophet Isaiah: behold, I will return back ten steps the shadow of the sun that passed along the steps of Ahaz, and the sun returned ten steps along the steps on which it descended. (1)

You once, through the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel, closed the abysses, stopped the rivers, and held back the waters. (2)

And You once stopped the mouths of the lions in the den through the fasting and prayer of Your prophet Daniel. (3)

And now delay and slow down until the right time all the plans around those standing by me about my displacement, dismissal, removal, expulsion.

So now, destroy the evil desires and demands of all those who condemn me, block the lips and hearts of all those who slander, are angry and growl at me, and all who blaspheme and humiliate me.

So now, bring spiritual blindness into the eyes of all those who rise up against me and against my enemies.

Didn't you tell the Apostle Paul: Speak and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will harm you. (4)

Soften the hearts of all those who oppose the good and dignity of the Church of Christ. Therefore, let not My mouth be silent to reprove the wicked and glorify the righteous and all Your wondrous works. And may all our good undertakings and desires be fulfilled.

To you, righteous women and prayer books of God, our daring intercessors, who once with the power of their prayers restrained the invasion of foreigners, the approach of haters, who destroyed the evil plans of people, who stopped the mouths of lions, now I turn with my prayer, with my petition.

And You, the venerable great Elius of Egypt, who once fenced the place of your disciple’s settlement in a circle with the sign of the cross, commanded him to arm himself with the name of the Lord and from now on not to be afraid of demonic temptations. (5) Protect my house, in which I live, in the circle of your prayers and save it from fiery ignition, thieves’ attacks and all evil and insurance.

And you, Reverend Father Poplie of Syria, once with your unceasing prayer for ten days you kept the demon motionless and unable to walk either day or night (6); Now, around my cell and this house (my) keep behind its fence all the opposing forces and all those who blaspheme the name of God and despise me.

And You, reverend virgin Piama, who once with the power of prayer stopped the movement of those who were going to destroy the inhabitants of the village where she lived, now stop all the plans of my enemies who want to expel me from this city and destroy me: do not allow them to approach this house, stop them with the power of prayer his: “Lord, Judge of the Universe, You, who are displeased with all unrighteousness, when this prayer comes to You, may the Holy Power stop them at the place where it overtakes them.” (7)

And You, blessed Lawrence of Kaluga, pray to God for me, as having the boldness to intercede before the Lord for those suffering from the wiles of the devil. Pray to God for me, may He protect me from the wiles of Satan.

And You, Reverend Vasily of Pechersk, perform your prayers of prohibition over those who attack me and drive away all the machinations of the devil from me. (8)

And you, all the saints of the Russian land, with the power of your prayers for me, dispel all the demonic spells, all the devil’s plans and intrigues - to annoy me and destroy me and my property.

And You, great and formidable guardian, Archangel Michael, cut off with a fiery sword all the desires of the enemy of the human race and all his minions who want to destroy me. Stand inviolably on guard over this house, all those living in it and all its property.

And You, Lady, not in vain called the “Indestructible Wall”, be for all those who are hostile against me and plotting dirty tricks on me, truly a kind of barrier and an indestructible wall, protecting me from all evil and difficult circumstances.

Watch the video about the prayer of detention and for protection from evil spirits