Why is there mental fatigue? Can a soul be empty?

Why can't it? If there is no prayer, it will be both empty and tired. The Holy Fathers do the following. The man is tired, he has no strength to pray, he says to himself: "Maybe your fatigue from demons", gets up and prays. And a person has strength. This is how the Lord arranged it. In order for the soul to be not empty and to have strength, one must accustom oneself to the Jesus prayer - "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner (or a sinner)."

How to spend a day by God?

In the morning, when we are still resting, they are already standing near our bed - an Angel on the right side, and a demon on the left. They are waiting for whom we will begin to serve on this day. And you need to start the day like this. Waking up, immediately shield yourself with the sign of the cross and jump out of bed so that laziness remains under the covers, and we find ourselves in the holy corner. Then make three bows to the ground and turn to the Lord with these words: "Lord, I thank You for the last night, bless me for the day ahead, bless me and bless this day, and help to spend it in prayer, in good deeds, and save me from all enemies visible and invisible. " And immediately we begin to read the Jesus Prayer. After washing and dressing, we will stand in the holy corner, collect our thoughts, concentrate so that nothing distracts us and begin our morning prayers. Having finished them, let's read the chapter from the Gospel. And right there, let's figure out what a good deed we can do to our neighbor today ... It's time to go to work. Here, too, you need to pray: before leaving the door, say the following words of St. John Chrysostom: "I deny you, Satan, your pride and service to you, and I am combined with You, Christ, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen." Autumn yourself with the sign of the cross, and leaving the house, imperceptibly cross the road. On the way to work, and for any business, we must read the Jesus prayer and "Virgin Mary, rejoice ..." let's light it from the lamp. Then the food will not harm us, but will benefit us, in strengthening not only bodily, but also mental strength, especially if we cook, constantly reading the Jesus Prayer.

There is not always a sense of grace after morning or evening prayers. Sometimes drowsiness interferes with prayer. How can you avoid this?

Demons do not like prayer, as soon as a person begins to pray, drowsiness and absent-mindedness also attack. You must try to delve into the words of the prayer, and then you will feel it. But the Lord does not always comfort the soul. The most valuable prayer is when a person does not want to pray, but he forces himself ... A small child cannot stand and walk yet. But his parents take him, put him on his feet, support him, and he feels help, stands firmly. And when the parents let go, he immediately falls down and cries. Likewise, when the Lord - our Heavenly Father - supports us with His grace, we can do everything, are ready to move mountains and pray well and easily. But as soon as grace departs from us, we immediately fall - we cannot walk spiritually properly. And here you have to humble yourself and say: "Lord, I am nothing without You." And when a person understands this, the mercy of God will help him. And we often rely only on ourselves: I am strong, I can stand, I can and walk ... Behold, the Lord takes away grace, therefore we fall, suffer and suffer - from our pride, we rely a lot on ourselves.

How can you become attentive in prayer?

In order for prayer to pass through our attention, there is no need to rattle, do proofreading; rattled - and calmed down, postponed the Prayer Book. At first they delve into every word; without haste, calmly, evenly, one must tune oneself to prayer. We begin to gradually enter it, there you can read quickly, all the same, every word will enter the soul anyway. It is necessary for the prayer so that it does not pass by. And then we will fill the air with sound, but the heart remains empty.

The Jesus Prayer does not work for me. What do you recommend?

If the prayer does not go, then sins interfere. As we repent, we must try to read this prayer as often as possible: "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner! (Or a sinner)" And while reading, strike at the last word. In order to constantly recite this prayer, you need to lead a special spiritual life, and most importantly, to find humility. We must consider ourselves the worst of all, worse than any creature, endure reproaches, insults, not grumble and not blame anyone. Then the prayer will go. You need to start praying in the morning. How is the mill? That in the morning he fell asleep, then he will pray all day. As soon as we woke up, immediately: "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! Lord, I thank You for the last night, bless me for today. Mother of God, I thank You for the last night, bless me for today. Lord, strengthen me in me. faith, send me the grace of the Holy Spirit! Give me a Christian end, not shameful and kind answer on the day of the Last Judgment. Guardian Angel, thank you for the last night, bless me for today, save me from all enemies visible and invisible. Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner! " Just like that right away and read-read. We dress with prayer and wash. We read the morning prayers, again 500 times the Jesus Prayer. This is a charge for the whole day. He gives a person energy, strength, expels darkness and emptiness from the soul. A person will no longer walk and be indignant at something, make noise, be annoyed. When a person constantly reads the Jesus Prayer, the Lord will reward for his labors, this prayer begins to be created in the mind. A person concentrates all his attention in the words of prayer. But you can only pray with a feeling of repentance. As soon as the thought comes: "I am a saint," you should know that this is a pernicious path, this thought is from the devil.

The confessor said "to begin with, read at least 500 Jesus prayers." It’s like at a mill - that they fell asleep in the morning, it grinds all day. But if the confessor said "only 500 prayers", then more than 500 should not be read. Why? Because everything is given according to one's strength, according to the spiritual level of each person. Otherwise, you can easily fall into delusion, and then you will not approach such a "saint". In the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, one elder had a novice. This elder lived in the monastery for 50 years, and the novice just came from the world. And he decided to strive. Without the blessing of the elder, the early Liturgy would be defended, and the later one, he appointed a great rule for himself and read everything, he was constantly in prayer. After 2 years, he achieved great "perfection". The "angels" began to appear to him (they covered only their horns and tails). He was deceived by this, came to the elder and said: "You have lived here for 50 years and have not learned to pray, but in two years I have reached heights - the Angels are already to me. I am all in grace .. There is no place on earth like you. I'll strangle you. " Well, the elder managed to knock on the neighboring cell; another monk came, this "saint" was tied up. And the next morning they sent them to the cowshed, and were allowed only once a month to attend the liturgy: but they forbade praying (until they humble themselves) ... In Russia, we love prayer books, ascetics, but true ascetics will never show themselves off. Holiness is measured not by prayers, not by deeds, but by humility, obedience. Only he has achieved something who considers himself the most sinful of all, worse than any cattle.

How can one learn to pray purely, undistractedly?

We must start in the morning. The Holy Fathers advise that it is good to pray before we eat. But as soon as the food has been tasted, it immediately becomes difficult to pray. If a person absentmindedly prays, it means that he prays little and infrequently. The one who constantly abides in prayer has a living, undistracted prayer.

Prayer loves a pure life, without sins burdening the soul. For example, we have a telephone in our apartment. The kids were naughty and cut the wire with scissors. No matter how many numbers we dial, we will not get through to anywhere. It is necessary to reconnect the wires, restore the interrupted connection. In the same way, if we want to turn to God and be heard, we must establish our connection with Him - to repent of our sins, to clear our consciences. Unrepentant sins are like a blank wall, through which prayer does not reach God.

I shared with a woman close to me, telling that you gave me the Theotokos rule. But I am not doing it. I do not always follow the private rule either. What should I do?

When you are given a separate rule, don't tell anyone about it. Demons will hear and will certainly steal your exploits. I know hundreds of people who had a prayer, from morning to evening read the Jesus Prayer, akathists, canons - the whole soul was blissful. As soon as they shared with someone, they boasted of a prayer, everything disappeared. And they have neither prayer nor bows.

I am often distracted during prayer or business. What to do - keep praying or pay attention to the newcomer?

Well, since we have in the first place the commandment of God to love one's neighbor, it means that we must put everything aside and pay attention to the guest. One holy elder was praying in his cell and saw through the window that his brother was coming to him. So the elder, so as not to show that he is a prayer book, went to bed and lies. He read a prayer near the door: "Through the prayers of the saints, our father, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us." And the old man gets out of bed and says: "Amen." My brother came to see him, he received him with love, treated him to tea - that is, he showed love for him. And this is the most important thing!

Often in our life it happens: we read evening prayers, and suddenly a call (by phone or at the door). How are we to be? Of course, we must immediately answer the call, leaving prayer behind. We found out everything with the person and again we continue the prayer from the place where we finished. True, we also have such visitors who do not come to talk about God, not about the salvation of the soul, but to condemn and condemn someone. And we should already know such friends; when they come to us, invite them to read together the akathist prepared in advance for such an occasion, or the Gospel, or a holy book. Tell them: "My joy, let's pray, we honor the akathist." If they come to you with a sincere sense of friendship, they will read. And if not, then they will find a thousand reasons, immediately remember urgent matters and run away. If you agree to chat with them, then both the "poorly fed husband at home" and the "uncleaned apartment" are not a hindrance to your friend ... Once in Siberia I saw an interesting scene. One is coming from the pumping station, there are two buckets on the yoke, the second is from the store, in the hands of full bags. We met and had a conversation between them ... And I’m watching them. Their conversation is something like this: "Well, how is your daughter-in-law? And your son?" And gossip begins. Poor women! One shifts the rocker from shoulder to shoulder, the other hand pulls the bag. And all that was necessary was to spill over with a few words ... Moreover, the dirt - the bags cannot be put in ... And they cost not two, but ten, and twenty, and thirty minutes. And they don't think about gravity, the most important thing is that they learned the news, fed the soul, amused the evil spirit. And if they call to church, they say: "It's hard for us to stand, our legs hurt, our back hurts." And standing with buckets and bags doesn't hurt! The main thing is that the tongue does not hurt! I don’t want to pray, but to chat and I have the strength, and the tongue is well suspended: "We will take everybody, we will find out about everything."

The best thing is to wake up, wash up and start the day with morning prayers. After that, the Jesus Prayer must be read with attention. This is a huge charge for our soul. And with this "recharge" we will have this prayer in our thoughts throughout the day. Many say that when they stand up for prayer, they are absent-minded. You can believe it, because if you read a little in the morning, and a little in the evening, nothing will be in your heart. We will always pray - and repentance will live in our hearts. After the morning - "Jesus" prayer as a continuation, and after the day - evening prayers as a continuation of the day. And so we will be constantly in prayer and will not be scattered. Don't think that it is very difficult, very difficult to pray. We need to make an effort, overpower ourselves, ask the Lord, the Mother of God and grace will work in us. We will be given the desire to pray at all times.

And when prayer enters the soul, the heart, then these people try to move away from everyone, to hide in secluded places. They can even climb into the cellar, just to be with the Lord, in prayer. The soul melts into Divine Love.

In order to achieve such a state of mind, you need to work very hard on yourself, on your "I".

When should you pray in your own words, and when according to the Prayer Book?

When you wanted to pray, at this time and pray to the Lord; "out of the abundance of the heart, speak the mouth" (Matthew 12: 34).

Prayer is especially useful to the soul of a person when there is a need for it. Let's say a mother's daughter or son is lost. Or they took their son to prison. Here you will not pray according to the Prayer Book. A believing mother will immediately kneel down and speak to the Lord from the abundance of her heart. There is a prayer from the heart. So you can pray to God at any place; wherever we are, God hears our prayers. He knows the secrets of our heart. Even we ourselves do not know what is in our heart. And God is the Creator, He knows everything. So you can pray in transport, anywhere, in any society. So Christ says: "But when you pray, go into your room (that is, inside yourself) and, having closed your door, pray to your Father, who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly" (Matt. 6.6). When we do good, when we give alms, then we must do so so that no one knows about it. Christ says: "When you do alms, let your left hand not know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret" (Matthew 6: 3-4). That is, not literally, as grandmothers understand - they serve only with their right hand. What if a person does not have a right hand? What if both hands are missing? Good can be done without hands. The main thing is that no one should see it. Good must be done secretly. All the boastful, proud, self-loving for show do a good deed in order to get praise, earthly glory from this. They will say to her: "How good, how kind! Helps everyone, gives everyone."

I often wake up at night, always at the same time. Does this mean anything?

If we woke up at night, then there is an opportunity to pray. We prayed - go to bed again. But, if this happens often, you need to take a blessing from your confessor.

Once I talked with one person. He says:

Father Ambrose, tell me, have you ever seen demons with your own eyes?

Demons are spirits, they cannot be seen with simple eyes. But they can materialize, taking on the form of an old man, a boy, a girl, an animal; they can take any form. A non-church person cannot understand this. Even believers fall for his tricks. Do you want to see? Here, I have a woman I know in Sergiev Posad, her spiritual father gave her a rule - to read the Psalter per day. It is incessantly necessary to burn candles, without haste to read - it will take 8 hours. In addition, the canons, akathists, the Jesus Prayer must be read in the rule, and only lean food must be eaten once a day. When she began to pray (and this had to be done for 40 days) with the blessing of her confessor, he warned her: "If you pray, if there are any temptations, then do not pay attention, continue to pray." She accepted it. On the 20th day of strict fasting and almost incessant prayer (she had to sleep while sitting for 3-4 hours), she heard the locked door open and footsteps were heard, heavy - the floor was cracking. This is the 3rd floor. Someone came up behind her and began to breathe near her ear; breathes so deeply! At this time, from head to toe she was bathed in cold and shivering. I wanted to turn around, but I remembered the warning and thought: "If I turn around, I won't stay alive." So she prayed to the end.

Then she looked - everything was in place: the door was locked, everything was fine. Further, on the 30th day, a new temptation. I was reading the Psalter and heard how from the back of the windows the cats began to meow, cross, and climb out the window. Scratching - that's all! And she survived it. Someone from the street threw a stone - glass to smithereens, stone and fragments are lying on the floor. You can't turn around! The cold went through the window, but I read it all to the end. And when she finished reading, she looks - the window is intact, there is no stone. It is demonic forces that attack a person.

The Monk Silouan the Athonite, when he prayed, slept sitting for two hours. His spiritual eyes were opened and he began to see evil spirits. I saw them with my own eyes. They have horns, ugly faces, hooves on their feet, with tails ...

The person with whom I spoke is very obese - over 100 kg, loves to eat deliciously - and eats meat, and everything. I say: "Behold, you start fasting and praying, then you will see everything, hear everything, feel everything."

How to thank the Lord correctly - in your own words or is there some special prayer?

You must thank the Lord with your whole life. There is a prayer of thanksgiving in the prayer book, but it is very valuable to pray in your own words. The Monk Benjamin lived in one monastery. The Lord allowed him an illness - dropsy. He became huge, the little finger could be grasped with only two hands. A huge chair was made for him. When the brothers came to him, he showed his joy in every possible way, saying: "Dear brothers, rejoice with me. The Lord has mercy on me, the Lord has forgiven me." The Lord gave him such an illness, but he did not grumble, did not despair, rejoiced over the forgiveness of sins and the salvation of the soul, and thanked the Lord. No matter how many years we live, the main thing is to remain faithful to God in everything. For five years I carried on in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, difficult obedience - I confessed day and night. I had no strength left, I could not stand for 10 minutes - my legs did not hold. And then the Lord granted polyarthritis - he lay for 6 months, with acute pain in the joints. As soon as the inflammation passed, I began to walk around the room with a stick. Then he began to go out into the street: 100 meters, 200, 500 ... More and more each time ... And then, in the evenings, when there were few people, he began to walk 5 kilometers; left the stick. In the spring the Lord gave - and stopped limping. To this day, the Lord keeps. He knows who needs it. Therefore - thank the Lord for everything.

You need to pray everywhere and always: at home, at work, and in transport. If your legs are strong, it is better to pray while standing, and if you are sick, then, as the elders say, it is better to think about God during prayer than about sick legs.

Is it okay to cry while praying?

Can. Tears of repentance are not tears of evil and resentment, they wash our souls from sins. The more we cry, the better. It is very valuable to cry during prayer. When we pray - we read prayers - and at this time on some words we stayed with our mind (they penetrated into our soul), we do not need to skip them, speed up the prayer; return to these words, and read until the soul dissolves in feeling and begins to cry. The soul is praying at this time. When the soul is in prayer, and even with tears, next to her is the Guardian Angel; he prays next to us. Any sincerely believing person knows from practice that the Lord hears his prayer. We turn the words of prayer to God, and He, by grace, returns them to our hearts, and the heart of the believer feels that the Lord accepts his prayer.

When I read prayers, I often get distracted. Shouldn't I give up praying?

No. Read the prayer anyway. It is very useful, going out into the street, to walk and read the Jesus Prayer. It can be read in any position: standing, sitting, lying ... Prayer is a conversation with God. Now, we can tell our neighbor everything - both sorrows and joys. But the Lord is closer than any neighbor. He knows all our thoughts, the secrets of the heart. He hears all our prayers, but sometimes he hesitates to fulfill them, which means that what we ask is not for the benefit of our soul (or not for the benefit of our neighbor). Any prayer should be ended with the words: "Lord, Thy will be done. Not as I want, but as You."

What is the daily prayer rule for an Orthodox layman?

There is a rule and it is obligatory for everyone. These are morning and evening prayers, one chapter from the Gospel, two chapters from the Epistles, one kathisma, three canons, akathist, 500 Jesus prayers, 50 bows (and with blessing you can do more).

Once I ask one person:

Do I have to have lunch and dinner every day?

It is necessary, - he replies, - but apart from that I can intercept something, drink some tea.

And pray? If our body requires food, isn't it even worse for the soul? We feed the body so that the soul is kept in the body and it is cleansed, sanctified, freed from sin, so that the Holy Spirit dwells in us. It is necessary that she is already here united with God. And the body is the clothing of the soul, which grows old, dies and crumbles into the dust of the earth. And we pay special attention to this temporary, perishable. We really care about him! We feed, and drink, and paint, and we dress in fashionable rags, and we give rest - we pay a lot of attention. And for the soul, sometimes our care does not remain. Have you read the morning prayers?

This means that you cannot even have breakfast (i.e., lunch, Christians never have breakfast). And if you are not going to read even the evening, then you cannot have supper either. And you can't drink tea.

I will starve to death!

So your soul is dying of hunger! Now, when a person makes this rule the norm of his life, then in his soul there is peace, peace and quiet. The Lord sends grace, and the Mother of God and the Angel of the Lord pray. In addition, Christians still pray to the saints, read other akathists, the soul eats like that, is content and happy, peaceful, a person is saved. But do not read like some, do proofreading. They read it, rammed it off - through the air, but it didn't get into the soul. Just touch this - flared up! But he considers himself a great prayer book - he "prays" very well. The Apostle Paul says: "It is better to say five words with my mind, in order to instruct others, than the darkness of words in an unknown language" (1 Cor. 14:19) Better five words will pass into the soul than the darkness of words past the soul.

You can read akathists at least every day. I knew one woman (her name was Pelagia), she read 15 akathists every day. The Lord gave her special grace. Some Orthodox Christians have collected many akathists - both 200 and 500. They usually read a certain akathist every holiday celebrated by the Church. For example, tomorrow is the feast of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. People who have an akathist for this holiday will read it.

Akathists read well for fresh memory, i.e. in the morning, when the mind is not burdened with everyday affairs. It is very good to pray in general from morning until lunchtime, as long as the body is not burdened with food. Then there is an opportunity to feel every word from akathists, canons.

All prayers and akathists are best read aloud. Why? Because words enter the soul through the ear and are better remembered. I constantly hear: "We cannot learn prayers ..." And they do not need to be taught - they just need to be read constantly, every day - in the morning and in the evening, and they are remembered by themselves. If "Our Father" is not remembered, then it is necessary to attach a piece of paper with this prayer where our dining table is.

Many refer to a bad memory due to old age, and when you start asking them, asking different everyday questions, everyone remembers. They remember who was born when, what year, everyone's birthdays are remembered. They know how much is now in the store and on the market - and after all, prices are constantly changing! They know how much bread, salt and butter cost. Everyone remembers perfectly. You ask: "What street do you live on?" - everyone will say. Very good memory. But they can't remember the prayers. And this is because our flesh comes first. And we really care about the flesh, we all remember what it needs. And we don't care about our souls, that's why our memory is bad for all the good. We are masters of bad things ...

The Holy Fathers say that those who daily read the canons to the Savior, the Mother of God, the Guardian Angel, the saints are especially protected by the Lord and from all demonic misfortunes and evil people.

If you come to any boss for an appointment, you will see on his door a sign "Reception hours from ... to ..." You can turn to God at any time. The night prayer is especially valuable. When a person prays at night, then, as the holy fathers say, this prayer is, as it were, paid for in gold. But in order to pray at night, you need to take the priest's blessing, because there is a danger: a person may become proud that he is praying at night and fall into delusion, or demons will especially attack him. Through the blessing, the Lord will protect this person.

Sitting or standing? If your legs do not hold, then you can kneel down and read. If your knees are tired, you can read while sitting. It is better to sit while thinking about God than while standing to think about your legs. And one more thing: prayer without bows is a premature fruit. Admirers must be done.

Now many are talking about the benefits of reviving paganism in Russia. Maybe, really, paganism is not so bad?

In ancient Rome, gladiator fights were held in circuses. One hundred thousand people gathered for this spectacle, filling the benches through the numerous entrances in ten minutes. And everyone was thirsty for blood! They craved a spectacle! The two gladiators fought. In the struggle, one of them could fall, and then the second put his foot on his chest, raised his sword over the defeated one and watched what sign the patricians would give him. If the fingers are raised up, it means that you can leave the opponent to live, if down, it was necessary to take his life. Most often they demanded death. And the people triumphed seeing the blood shed. Such was the pagan fun.

In our Russia, forty years ago, one acrobat walked on a cable high under the dome of a circus. She stumbled and fell. The net was stretched underneath. It did not crash, but something else is important. All the spectators stood up as one and hummed: "Is she alive? Faster than a doctor!" What does this mean? That they did not want death, but worried about the gymnast. The spirit of love was alive in the minds of people.

Otherwise, the younger generation is being brought up now. On the TV screen there are action films with murders, blood, pornography, horrors, space wars, aliens - demonic forces ... People from an early age get used to scenes of violence. What is left for the child? Having seen enough of these pictures, he gets a weapon and shoots his classmates, who, in turn, mocked him. There are so many such cases in America! God forbid, and this will begin with us.

Sometimes contract killings were committed in Moscow before. And now the scale of crime, mortality at the hands of killers has gone up sharply. Three to four people are killed a day. And the Lord said: "Thou shalt not kill!" (Ex. 20,13); "... those who do this will not inherit the Kingdom of God" (Gal. 5:21) - they will all go into the fire of hell.

I often have to go to prisons, confess prisoners. I also confess the death row. They repent of the killings: some were ordered, and some killed in Afghanistan, Chechnya. They killed two hundred seventy, three hundred people. They counted themselves. These are terrible sins! War is one thing, and another is to order to deprive a person of the life that you did not give him.

When you confess about ten murderers and you get out of prison, then just wait: the demons will surely arrange intrigues, there will be some troubles.

Every priest knows how evil spirits take revenge for helping people to free themselves from sins. One mother came to the Monk Seraphim of Sarov:

Father, pray: my son died without repentance. He modestly at first refused, humbled himself, and then yielded to the request, began to pray. And the woman saw that, praying, he rose above the floor. The elder said:

Mother, your son is saved. Go, pray yourself, thank God.

She left. And before his death, the Monk Seraphim showed his cell attendant the body, from where the demons pulled out a piece:

This is how the demons take revenge for every soul!

It is not so easy to pray for the salvation of people.

Orthodox Russia has accepted the Spirit of Christ, and the pagan West wants to finish it off for this, thirsts for blood.

The Orthodox faith is the most impartial for a person. It obliges you to live a strict life on earth. And the Catholics promise the soul a purgatory after death, where you can repent and be saved ...

There is no such concept of "purgatory" in the Orthodox Church. According to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, if a person lived righteously and passed into the afterlife, then he is rewarded with eternal joy, such a person can receive reward for his good deeds, living on earth, in the form of peace, joy, peace of mind.

If a person lived uncleanly, did not repent and went into the other world, then he falls into the clutches of demons. Before their death, such people are usually dull, desperate, graceless, joyless. Their souls after death, languishing in torment, await the prayers of their relatives, the prayers of the Church. When intense prayer goes for the departed, the Lord frees their souls from hellish torments.

Church prayer also helps the righteous, those who have not yet received the fullness of grace during their earthly life. The fullness of grace and joy is possible only after this soul is assigned to Paradise at the Last Judgment. It is impossible to feel their fullness on earth. Only the chosen saints merged here with the Lord so that they were raptured by the Spirit into the Kingdom of God.

Orthodoxy is often called the "religion of fear": "here will be the second coming, everyone will be punished, eternal torment ..." And the Protestants talk about something else. So will punishment for unrepentant sinners, or will the love of the Lord cover everything?

Atheists have long deceived us, talking about the emergence of religion. They said that people could not explain this or that phenomenon of nature and began to deify it, to enter into religious contact with it. It used to be thunder, people were hiding in the underground, in the basement, they were sitting there, afraid. They think that their pagan god was angry and now he will punish or a tornado will strike, or a solar eclipse will begin ...

This is a pagan fear. The Christian God is Love. And we should not fear God because He will punish us, we should be afraid to offend Him with our sins. And if we have departed from God and brought trouble upon ourselves, we do not hide underground from the wrath of God, do not wait for the wrath of God to pass by. On the contrary, we go to confession, turn to God with a prayer of repentance, ask God for mercy, pray. Christians do not hide from God, on the contrary, they themselves seek to Him for a solution from sins. And God gives the penitent a Helping Hand, covers it with His grace.

And the Church warns that there will be a Second Coming, the Last Judgment, not in order to intimidate. If you are walking along the road, there is a pit in front and they tell you: "Be careful, do not fall, do not stumble", are you intimidated? They warn you, help to avoid danger. So the Church says: "Do not sin, do not harm your neighbor, all this will turn against you."

It is not necessary to portray God as a villain because He does not accept sinners into Paradise. In Paradise, unrepentant souls cannot live, they cannot bear the light and purity that is there, just as sick eyes cannot bear the bright light.

It all depends on ourselves, on our behavior, prayers.

The Lord can change everything through prayer. One woman came to us from Krasnodar. Her son was imprisoned. There was an investigation. She came to one judge, he said to her: "Your son is shining for eight years." He had a great temptation. She came to me, cried, sobbed: "Father, pray, what to do? The judge asks for five thousand dollars, but I don't have that kind of money." I say: "You know, mother, you will pray, the Lord will not leave you! What is his name?" She said his name, we prayed. And in the morning she comes:

Father, I'm going there now. The question is being decided whether they will be imprisoned or released.

The Lord put it in her heart to tell her this:

You will pray, God will arrange everything.

I prayed all night. After lunch she returned, said:

The son was released. They acquitted him. We sorted it out and let it go. Everything is fine.

This mother had so much joy, so much faith that the Lord heard her. And the son was not to blame, he was simply framed in business.

The son completely got out of hand, does not speak, does not obey. He is seventeen. How can I pray for him?

It is necessary to recite the prayer "Theotokos, Virgin, rejoice" 150 times. The Monk Seraphim of Sarov said that the one who walks in Diveyevo along the groove of the Mother of God and reads "Theotokos, Virgin, rejoice" one hundred and fifty times, is under the special protection of the Mother of God. The Holy Fathers constantly talked about the veneration of the Mother of God, about the prayerful appeal to Her for help. The prayer of the Mother of God has great power. Through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, the grace of God will descend on both mother and child. Righteous John of Kronstadt says: "If all the angels, saints, all people living on earth come together and pray, the prayer of the Mother of God in power surpasses all their prayers.

I remember one family. It was while we were ministering in the ward. One mother, Natalia, had two girls - Liza and Katya. Liza is thirteen or fourteen years old, she was capricious, headstrong. And although she went to church with my mother, she remained very restless. I wondered at my mother’s patience. Every morning he gets up and says to his daughter:

Lisa, let's pray!

Everyone, mom, I read prayers!

Read fast, read slowly!

Mom did not pull her back, patiently fulfilled all her requests. At this time, the daughter was useless to beat and pound. Mother suffered. Time passed, my daughter grew up, became calmer. Prayer together did her good.

There is no need to be afraid of temptations. The Lord will keep this family. Prayer has never hurt anyone. It only benefits our soul. Boasting does harm to us: "I have read the Psalter for the deceased." We boast, and this is sin.

It is customary to read the Psalter at the head of the deceased. Reading the Psalter is very useful for the soul of that person who constantly went to church and passed into that world with repentance. The holy fathers say: when we read the Psalter over the deceased, for example, for forty days, then sins fly off the deceased soul, like autumn leaves from a tree.

How to pray for the living or the dead, is it possible to represent a person at the same time?

The mind must be clean. When we pray, we should not represent God, the Mother of God, the saint: neither Their faces, nor their position. The mind must be free from images. Moreover, when we pray for a person, we just need to remember that such a person exists. And if you imagine images, you can damage your mind. The Holy Fathers forbid this.

I'm twenty-four years old. As a child, I laughed at my grandfather, who talked to himself. Now that he died, I began to talk to myself. An inner voice tells me that if I pray for him, this vice will slowly leave me. Do I need to pray for him?

Everyone needs to know: if we condemn a person in some kind of vice, we will certainly fall into it ourselves. Therefore, it is said by the Lord: "Do not judge and you will not be judged. With what judgment you judge, so you will be judged."

It is imperative to pray for grandfather. Serve for mass, memorial notes for requiem, commemorate in the morning and evening in home prayers. It will be of great benefit to his soul and to us.

When praying at home, is it mandatory to cover your head with a handkerchief?

“Every woman praying or prophesying with her head open shames her head, for it is the same as if she had been shaved,” says the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 11: 5). Orthodox Christians, not only in church, but also at home, cover their heads with a kerchief: "A wife should have on her head the sign of the Angels' authority over her" (1 Cor. 11:10).

Civilian authorities are organizing additional bus routes to the cemeteries for Easter. Is it correct? It seems to me that on this day the main thing is to be in the church and there to commemorate the dead.

For the departed there is a special day of remembrance - "Radonitsa". It happens on Tuesday, the second week after Easter. On this day, all Orthodox Christians go to congratulate their departed on the universal holiday of Easter, the Resurrection of Christ. And on the very day of Easter, believers should pray in the temple.

City-run routes for people who don't go to church. Let them at least go there, at least remember about death and the finiteness of earthly existence.

Can I watch live broadcasts of services from the temples and pray? Often there is not enough health and strength to be present in the temple, but you want to touch the Divine with your soul ...

The Lord vouchsafed me to visit a holy place, at the Holy Sepulcher. We had a video camera with us, and we filmed the holy place. Then they showed the footage to one priest. He saw the frames of the Holy Sepulcher and says: "Stop this frame." He bowed to the ground and said: "I have never been at the Holy Sepulcher." And he kissed the image of the Holy Sepulcher directly.

Of course, the image on TV cannot be worshiped, we have icons. The case I have told is an exception to the rule. The priest did this in the simplicity of his heart, out of a sense of reverence for the depicted shrine.

On holidays, all Orthodox Christians should strive to be in church. And if there is no health, strength to move, watch the broadcast, stay with the Lord with your soul. Let our soul, together with the Lord, participate in His feast.

Can I wear the "Live Aid" belt?

One person came to me. I ask him:

What prayers do you know?

Of course, I even carry "Live Aid" with me.

I got the documents, and there he had the 90th psalm "Alive in Vyshnyago's help" rewritten. The man says: "My mother wrote to me, gave it to me, now I always carry it with me. Can I?" - "Of course, it's good that you wear this prayer, but if you don't read it, what's the use? It is equivalent to when you are hungry and carry bread and food with you, but you do not eat. You are weakening, you can die. In the same way" Alive help "are written not so that you can wear them in your pocket or on your belt, but so that you can pull them out, read, pray to the Lord every day. If you do not pray, you can die ... That's when you, hungry, got bread , ate, strengthened your strength and you can calmly work in the sweat of your brow.

The rector of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Saratov, Hegumen Pakhomiy (Bruskov), answers questions about the personal prayer rule of a Christian

Prayer is the free conversion of a person's soul to God. How to relate this freedom to the obligation to read the rule even when you obviously do not want to do it?

Freedom is not permissiveness. A person is so structured that if he allows himself to be relaxed, it can be very difficult to return to the previous state. In the hagiographic literature, there are a lot of examples when ascetics abandoned their prayer rule in order to show love to the brothers who came. Thus, they placed the commandment of love above their prayer rule. But it should be remembered that these people reached extraordinary heights of spiritual life, were incessantly in prayer. When we feel that we do not want to pray, this is a common temptation, and not a manifestation of freedom.

The rule maintains a person in a spiritually developed state; it should not depend on the mood of the moment. If a person leaves the prayer rule, he very quickly comes to relaxation.

In addition, it should be remembered that when a person communicates with God, the enemy of our salvation always strives to stand between them. And not letting him do this is not a limitation of individual freedom.

At what point in time should you read the morning and evening rules?

This is clearly and clearly written in any Orthodox prayer book: "Standing up from sleep, before any other deed, stand reverently before the All-Seeing God and, making the sign of the cross, say ...". In addition, the very meaning of the prayers tells us that morning prayers are read at the very beginning of the day, when the person's mind is not yet occupied with any thoughts. And evening prayers should be read for a dream to come, after all things. In these prayers, sleep is compared to death, bed - to a deathbed. And it’s strange, after talking about death, to go watch TV or communicate with relatives.

Any prayer rule is built on the experience of the Church, to which we must listen. These rules do not violate human freedom, but help to obtain maximum spiritual benefit. Of course, there can be exceptions to any rule based on some unforeseen circumstances.

What else, besides morning and evening prayers, can be included in the prayer rule of a layman?

A layman's rule may include a variety of prayers and rites. These can be various canons, akathists, reading the Holy Scriptures or Psalms, bows, the Jesus Prayer. In addition, the rule should include a short or more detailed commemoration of the health and repose of loved ones. In monastic practice, there is a custom to include in the rule the reading of patristic literature. But before adding anything to your prayer rule, you need to think carefully, consult with a priest, and evaluate your strengths. After all, the rule is read regardless of mood, fatigue, and other heart movements. And if a person has promised something to God, it must be fulfilled. The holy fathers say: let the rule be small, but constant. At the same time, you need to pray with all your heart.

Can a person himself, without blessing, begin to read the canons, akathists in addition to the prayer rule?

Of course it can. But if he did not just read a prayer according to the striving of his heart, but thereby increases his constant prayer rule, it is better to ask a blessing from a confessor. The priest, with a look from the outside, will assess his condition correctly: will such an increase be beneficial to him. If a Christian regularly confesses, monitors his inner life, such a change in his rule, one way or another, will be reflected in his spiritual life.

But this is possible when a person has a spiritual father. If there is no confessor, and he himself decided to add something to his rule, it is still better to consult at the next confession.

On days when the service lasts all night and Christians are awake, is it necessary to read evening and morning prayers?

We do not tie the morning and evening rules to a specific time. However, it would be wrong to read evening prayers in the morning and morning prayers in the evening. We should not be pharisaic about the rule and read it at all costs, ignoring the meaning of the prayers. If you are not going to sleep, why ask God's blessing for sleep? You can replace the morning or evening rule with other prayers or reading the Gospel.

Can a woman read the prayer rule with her head uncovered at home?

- I think that it is better for a woman to perform the prayer rule in a headscarf. This fosters her humility and shows her obedience to the Church. After all, from the Holy Scriptures we learn that the wife covers her head not for those around her, but for the Angels (1 Cor. 11:10). It is a matter of personal piety. Of course, God does not care whether you stand up for prayer with or without a scarf, but this is important to you.

How are the canons and the adherence to Holy Communion read: one day the day before, or can they be read into several days?

- You cannot approach the execution of the prayer rule formally. A person should build his relationship with God himself, proceeding from prayer preparation, health, free time, and the practice of communicating with a confessor.

Today, a tradition has developed in preparation for Communion to read three canons: to the Lord, the Theotokos and the Guardian Angel, an akathist to the Savior or the Theotokos, and the succession to Holy Communion. I think it is better to read the entire rule on the same day, on the eve of Communion. But if it's hard, you can distribute it over three days.

Often friends and acquaintances ask how to prepare for Communion, how to read the Psalter? What should they answer to us, the laity?

- You need to answer what you know for sure. You cannot take responsibility for something strictly obligatory to prescribe to another or say something that you are not sure of. When answering, one should be guided by the widespread tradition of church life today. If there is no personal experience, you need to resort to the experience of the Church, the Holy Fathers. And if you asked a question, the answer to which you do not know, you should be advised to contact a priest or patristic creations.

I read the translation of some prayers into Russian. It turns out that I used to put a completely different meaning into them. Do you need to strive for a common understanding, read translations, or can you understand prayers as your heart tells you?

Prayers should be understood as written. An analogy can be drawn with ordinary literature. We read the work, we understand it in our own way. But it is always interesting to know what meaning the author himself put into this work. Also the text of the prayer. The author has put a special meaning into each of them. After all, we do not read a conspiracy, but turn to God with a certain petition or praise. We can recall the words of the Apostle Paul that it is better to say five words in an understandable dialect than a thousand in an incomprehensible one (1 Cor. 14:19). In addition, the authors of most Orthodox prayers are holy ascetics glorified by the Church.

How should we view modern prayers? Is it possible to read everything that is written in prayer books, or prefer the more ancient ones?

- Personally, I am more moved by the words of more ancient canons, stichera. They seem deeper and deeper to me. But many people also like modern akathists for their simplicity.

If the Church has accepted the prayers, you need to treat them with reverence, respect and try to find benefits for yourself. But to understand that some modern prayers are not of such high quality in terms of their content as the prayers composed by ancient ascetics.

When a person writes a prayer for public use, he must understand what responsibility he is taking on. He must have experience in prayer, but also be well educated. All texts that are offered by modern prayer makers must be edited, undergo a rigorous selection.

What is more important - read the rule at home or arrive on time for service?

- Go to the service. If a person is going to the temple, then public prayer should come first. Although the fathers compared public and home prayer with two wings of a bird. As a bird cannot fly with one wing, so can a man. If he does not pray at home, but only goes to church, then, most likely, the prayer will not go with him and in the church. After all, he has no experience of personal communion with God. If a person prays only at home, but does not go to church, it means that he does not have an understanding of what the Church is. And without the Church there is no salvation.

How can a lay person replace service at home, if necessary?

Today, a large number of liturgical literature and various prayer books are published. If a layman cannot be present at the service, he can read both the morning and evening services, and the mass service from the canon.

Can you read the rule while sitting?

The Apostle Paul writes: "Everything is lawful for me, but not everything is beneficial" (1 Cor. 6, 12). Tired or sick - you can sit in the Church, while reading the home rule. But you should understand what you are guided by: pain that interferes with praying, or laziness. If the alternative to reading a prayer while seated is its complete absence, of course, it is better to read while sitting. If a person is seriously ill, you can even lie down. But if he is simply tired or laziness struggles, you need to overcome yourself and get up. During divine services, the Charter regulates when you can stand or sit. For example, we listen to the reading of the Gospel, akathists while standing, and while reading kathisma, sedals, teachings, we sit down.

Everything about religion and faith - "prayer at 3 am Orthodoxy" with detailed descriptions and photographs.

“Don't pray late. Before 12 o'clock in the morning, the prayer should be over, and the prayer should go to sleep. We do not know all the secrets of the invisible world. Not everything is open to us, and not everything is known. It is also unknown to us why it is in these late hours, after 12, that the dark forces especially feel their power and attack the soul with special fury. But the people of the spiritual life noticed this. In a world where there is such a rampant devilry, the night hours are the favorite hours of those who indulge in passions. People become obsessed during these hours. They lose their image and likeness. The line between reality and fantasy disappears. The devil is gathering his harvest during these hours.

“Night prayer has its own particular difficulties. Double thoughts have the greatest effect on night prayer.

Having reached the third prayer rule, a person approached the state of unity. But check it with your nightly prayer so that it is not apparent.

At night, demons are inclined, taking advantage of duality, to wage arguments in the bowels of the human soul. We must beware of entering into empty internal quarrels. We must drive them. Leave questions unanswered. And do not be tempted by good intentions in these internal disputes to put the enemy to shame.

The night prayer rule should be short - no more than three hundred prayers. So that evil forces do not take advantage of the weakening of inner attention, which is so possible with an increase in all spiritual states at night.

The peculiarity of night prayer lies in the nature of the temptations. They are more spiritual at night. Demons are tempted most of all at night prayer by the height of prayer states. They inspire proud thoughts. About the extraordinary spiritual gifts of the one who is praying. Delight with unfavorable counterfeit revelations. Take the form of an angel of light. Drive all this away from yourself in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. All this is the nightly yearnings of our soul, which has been freed from the power of passions.

When the dark forces, poisoning it with refined temptations, recede from the soul, the beneficial meaning of the night prayer will affect. That is why demons influence the soul so strongly at night that at night prayer the soul becomes more open and accessible. But it becomes more open to both the evil and the good. When the evil retreats, the good will bear fruit a hundredfold.

The soul is quieter at night than during the day. And the quieter in the soul, the more audible to the Lord. At night, prayer more easily moves from outer words into the heart and becomes spiritual prayer. At night prayer, when the soul cries out without words with one heartfelt sigh, the prayer spirit is strengthened and increased. The night prayer rule will achieve something that daytime prayer cannot give: a kind of illusion and lightness of our spiritual shell.

If the night rule is started in good timing, it will greatly move the person praying on the path of prayer, bringing him closer to the longed-for heartfelt prayer. "

from the book of prot. Valentin Sventsitsky "A Monastery in the World".

Add a comment Cancel reply

About Salvation

“In the days of the Antichrist, when he will speak to the people, and any Christian will pray correctly at that hour, he, feeling the prayer, will tremble, because Christians have great power” (Venerable Paisiy Svyatorets “On the signs of the times” / 18 /, p. .29).

Blessed /O. Nikolay Guryanov / prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, with the prayers of the Royal Martyrs have mercy on us sinners and save the Russian land" (Flower Garden of Elder Nicholas (Guryanov) / 33 /).

“But the priest prayed with tears. … And even when he spoke about Russia, tears flowed by themselves, they could not be contained, and the father shuddered from sobs. ... He considered himself a great sinner and a part of our great sinful Russia and said that without tears and kneeling prayer, both we and Russia will perish ”. (Book: Shiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 6).

- You need to pray, you need to pray. You have no prayer. Everyone prays badly…. You need to pray so that Satan will not come. If it comes up, everyone is gone, but prayer drives everything away ”(Book: Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 254).

“And then / when it will no longer be possible to go to church /… Pray in your cells, but never leave prayer. Only with God, only with prayer! (Book: Shiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, pp. 328-329).

- Pray more, read short prayers: they both heal and save. During persecution, read the akathist to the holy Archangel Michael, the Mother of God, Jesus the Sweetest, the Monk Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov, St. Equal to the Apostles Princess Olga or Prince Vladimir, the enlighteners of Russia. They baptized Russia, ask them to wash away your sins, as in the Jordan. Fear God most of all, do not fear the wicked one ”(Book: Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / 20 /, pp. 482-483).

“Father instructed us:

- Pray for your parents. From generation to generation sins go, from generation to generation sins fall on children, children leave their children so on. It is especially difficult for those who created infanticide (in the womb). The Lord knows all our sins, our thoughts, even when they have not yet been born ”(Book: Shiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 484).

“Father often advised the sick to go around the temple three times with prayer, because the temple is an image of Jerusalem (Heavenly)” (Book: Schiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 484).

RB Valentina: “At one time there was a strong hostile attack on me from a neighbor. Again she went to the father's grave: "Father, help!"

On the same night I have a dream. The priest comes out of the bush, which he planted in the monastery with his own hand, in monastic attire, his face shines like a saint. I went into the temple, put the Psalter on the table by the candle box and said:

- Read Psalm 26 forty times a day until you fall behind.

I read it, and everything passed ”(Book: Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 500).

"- And the Lord does not forgive sins when people bypass their spiritual father and go somewhere." (Book: Shiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 418).

“Father said that in the last times it will be very difficult to be saved, because the way of life we ​​live is very sinful. You, he says, ask God to have mercy on you and save you in mysterious ways. Repeat more often these words: “Lord! With your image, weigh your destinies, have mercy on me! " and repeat Psalm 50 more often, “Create a pure heart in me, O God” (Book: Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 386).

"Spoke / Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / so that we do not accept anything, no documents, numbers. Because of the adoption of these documents, he said, prayer will be greatly weakened ”(Book: Shiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 330).

“In general, the Lord did not give a pension for work. Those who work in retirement will be responsible to God. The Lord gave a pension only for the church. (ie, the temple) so that people would pray ”(Book: Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 366).

“Father Christopher said that cancer can be defeated only by prayer, only with God. He explained that this is a satanic obsession. Doctors cannot defeat cancer, but with God you can defeat ... From cancer, the priest blessed to drink dodder, only so that everything with prayer ”(Book: Schiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 314-315).

/Talking about the future of Russia, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tula, etc. Schema-Archimandrite Christopher said: /“It all depends on how you pray. The Lord is merciful and can have mercy. Everything is in God's hands. Everything depends on repentance ”(Book: Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 211).

"And then / Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / lamented:

- What a wicked time will be! … It is important that the prayer goes on.

Why he told me:

- Cover the plates soon. It doesn't matter how it is. It is important that prayer goes on. There is a prayer. Prayer, repentance is needed ”(Book: Schiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 213).

Shhiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai): “They honor with their lips, but talk with the devil in their minds. We do not pray ”(Shiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai) / 27 /, p.520).

Shhiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai): “Lead a titanic struggle with thoughts. Prayer is not accepted with thoughts. “You pray in vain, there will be no benefit to you from such a prayer” ”(Shiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai) / 27 /, p. 522).

Schiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai): “When Peter I went to Holland, he was offered to remove one letter“ i ”, which completely distorts“ Hallelujah ”- then this is no longer praise to God. For this he was given a Masonic order and promised to reveal the secret of shipbuilding ”(Shiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai) / 27 /, p.521).

“Elders of the time of St. Seraphim (Romantsev) Glinsky said: “When we live to see the times that they will sing and write instead of“ Alleluia ”-“ Alilluy ”, then it will be impossible to pray for those books. This is one of the signs of the approaching time of the Antichrist. " (Shhiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai) / 27 /, p. 152).

“- Temples will be decorated ... you know how! ... And this will not be necessary either. You will need only prayer, only prayer! " (Book: Shiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 75).

"Father / Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / said that, unfortunately, everything will be the other way around, they will bring beauty, but there will be no prayer ...

“And in the last time,” he warned, “there will be luxurious hotels and toilets for you… This is all satanic seduction, we don't need this… We don't need this luxury, we need prayer, we need salvation” (Book: Schiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 328).

"Father / Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / even earlier he said that the Chernobyl accident is the execution of the eighth chapter of the Apocalypse. In general, the priest ordered us to read the Apocalypse every day, at least one chapter at a time:

“Blessed,” he said, “are those who read the Apocalypse” (Book: Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 293).

“While still in the Kursk Root Hermitage, father / Schema-Archimandrite Isaiah / he said not to care passionately about splendor, but to decorate the inner person more (take care of the soul), because soon they will put seals not only on documents, but also on the body ”(Shiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai) / 27 /, p.35) ...

"And also father / Schema-Archimandrite Isaiah / said: “Saint Tikhon, the wonderworker of Zadonsk, in order to gather Russia spiritually, organized sketes everywhere for reading unceasing prayer. Because of my weakness and unworthiness, I try to follow his path. These sketes and unceasing prayer to the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ and the Mother of God will save Holy Russia. " (Shhiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai) / 27 /, p. 55).

“Struggle with thoughts. In the notes of St. Ambrose Optinsky wrote that recently, for driving away one thought, God will forgive instead of 7 - 100 sins! (Shhiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai) / 27 /, p. 519).

Father recognized the reading of Holy Scripture, the Psalter and prayers only in the Church Slavonic language. “This is a language that is especially effective for converting to the Lord in our territory. It is consecrated by the saints equal to the apostles Cyril and Methodius. Other countries have their own language, they have their own saints, and we must pray in our own, God-given language to us. " For those who do not know how to read the Psalter correctly, with all the stress and intonation, he forbade doing it aloud, especially in church. “You,” he said, “are throwing these perverted words, like stones, at the Lord…” (Shhiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai) / 27 /, p. 319).

He did not approve / Schema-Archimandrite Isaiah (Korovai) / innovations with cassettes or discs on which akathists or prayers are recorded. “The soul, - said the elder, - does not have time, it does not enter the rhythm for such a prayer. The most important thing is not to pray at random. The Lord accepts prayer from the soul, from the heart, and not from an electric toy ”(Skhiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai) / 27 /, p. 320).

“At that time there were many prohibitions concerning unceasing prayer, but father / Schema-Archimandrite Isaiah / he himself prayed incessantly and taught everyone this - after all, according to the predictions of the holy fathers, in the last times the one who prays incessantly will endure. " (Shhiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai) / 27 /, p. 68).

Shiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai): “Father Anatoly asks to multiply the sisters by prayer, to set against the robbers and to appease the Creator of Heaven and Earth, so that the Creator of Heaven and Earth would pour out mercy on suffering Holy Russia. This requires not men, but simple white handkerchiefs, broken hearts who love Holy Russia. There are such warriors among the common people, but only they need to be formed for prayer and there will be victory. The Lord will hear the tearful cries of our people ”(Shhiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai) / 27 /, p.492).

"It's him / Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / said to everyone who came:

"Pray and humble yourself." (Book: Shiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 147).

"In order not to accept the seal of the antichrist - read the prayer from the seal of the antichrist daily" (Radiant Father (about Abbot Guria) / 8 /, p.83).

“In recent years, my father / Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / there was an apocalyptic mood. He said that “near, at the doors,” and read a prayer from the Antichrist and commanded everyone to read it ”(Book: Shiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 482).

"Father gave / Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / for us to read also a prayer from the Antichrist ”(Book: Schiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 420).

"In memory of himself, he / Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / commanded to read every morning a prayer from the antichrist: “Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, deliver us from the antichrist, the enemy of violence and sorcery. Amen"

- In this prayer, the father said, - everything is contained, wherever you are, it should be read. (Book: Shiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 66).

- Happy is the one who dies. Because such terrible times will come, such ... - and ordered to read this prayer here ”(Book: Schiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 432).

“Ask God for the gift of the Holy Spirit. If He is not, then an unclean spirit will take over. The soul is never empty ”(Radiant Father (about Abbot Guria) / 8 /, p.83).

“When you learn to drive and afterwards, when you leave the house, get behind the wheel, get out of the car, be sure to read the prayer that I’ll tell you. Write it down now and memorize: “Lord, grant me the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit on all my ways and roads. Amen"... This prayer should be with you all your life. " (Schema-nun Nila / 23 /, Biography, pp. 95-96).

Schiarchimandrite Christopher: “It is urgent that the Archangel Michael and the“ road ”icon be in the car: the Savior, the Mother of God and St. Nicholas ". (Book: Shiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 150).

“In times of sorrow and danger, visible and invisible, prayer is especially needed: it, being an expression of rejection of arrogance, an expression of hope in God, attracts God's help to us” (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov (+ 1867) in the book: A. Krasnov / 2 /, p. 270).

“The main thing is not to get discouraged, to hope in the Lord, in His mercy. He's not evil like us. He will surely hear and have mercy. And the main thing is to stretch out your hand to Him for help by prayer. " (Book: Scheiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 98).

"I'm not talking about this as a duty, this is advice." (Book: Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 100).

"Once upon a time father in Winter / Schema-Archimandrite Isaiah / gives us a typewritten leaflet:

- Here's a pass for you all to the Kingdom of Heaven.

We look dumbfounded: what kind of pass is that? And there it is written: “Most Holy Trinity, our God, Glory to Thee! Holy Mother of God, save us! "

“Pray only with a clever prayer,” he continued. - So that it comes from your heart ... ”(Shiarchimandrite Isaiah (Korovai) / 27 /, p.88).

“Not a person for a rule, but a rule for a person. If you don’t follow the rules, fill it with humility, but don’t try to chase after quantity ”. (Book: Shiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 100).

“In any sorrow, trouble or joy - sing the Akathist to Jesus the Sweetest, the Savior of the world. He will protect your soul and instill in it the joy and hope of salvation. If you knew how the Lord loves everyone, you would never despair and sin. " “Every day you look in the mirror of the Commandments of God. If you have sinned, repent and believe that the only thought of the Holy Spirit is to pull us out of our repentance and save us. Especially honor your parents, for the reverence of your parents the Lord will prolong your earthly life into the Eternal ”. (Flower garden of Elder Nicholas (Guryanov) / 33 /)

“Pray, a mother's prayer can reach from the bottom of the sea, and praying for it / for the son /, pray for yourself, that the Lord would forgive you, in which you sinned unknowingly. And she should know that heavenly bliss is not given to anyone without suffering. Run to prayers in front of the icon of the Mother of God "Seeking the Lost", read her an akathist and his Guardian Angel, the blessed prince Alexander Nevsky "(Book: Schiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 278).

“When asked how to pray for children, the priest said that mother’s prayer is very strong: from the bottom of the sea he saves and a person will not burn in fire” (Book: Schiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 310).

“Father wanted the mother herself to make spiritual efforts. He always said: “The mother's prayer from the bottom of the sea will get her child out” (Book: Schiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 229).

“Father Christopher advised, in case of human and enemy intrigues, to resort to the Psalms of the Holy Prophet David - the 26th, 90th, 101st and 36th. If you regularly read these Psalms three times daily with humility, surrendering yourself to the all-good Providence of God, then the Lord will bring out, like light, your truth and your fate, like midday, obey the Lord and pray to Him (Ps. 36: 6). Father loved the folk saying:

- God help me, and the man himself does not lie. And do not be afraid of temptations, where it is tempting, there is salvation. And thank the Lord: Lord, I thank you for everything, by your mercy you do not forget to visit us sinners ”(Book: Schiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 278).

« From midnight to three o'clock, the holy sky is open. A very valuable prayer during these hours. After midnight, it is good to make three great bows with prayer to the Savior, the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel. Schema-nun Antonia blessed her spiritual children to learn from memory the prayers: "Our Father," "Theotokos, Virgin, rejoice," "The Symbol of Faith," the 50th and 90th psalms. I advised you to read the short prayer rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov, and the prayer: "Lord, enlighten my mind, calm my heart, help me in life, deliver me from the evil one."

- If children are sick, it is necessary to read the 90th Psalm and Our Father seven times. If it's something serious, you need to read it twelve times. If misfortune has happened to a person, you must read the 90th psalm. If the children are restless, sickly, then over the sleeping ones it is necessary to read forty times the prayer “Virgin Mary, rejoice” and three Sundays in a row to commune the children of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. When there are impure thoughts, despondency, melancholy, many times read the prayer “Virgin Mary, rejoice”. The Lord will certainly give peace to the soul for the sake of the prayers of the Mother of God. "(Schema-nun Antonia. Advice and instructions / 32 /).

“- The old woman advised to read 17 Kathisma every day, said:“ At the ordeals of 17 Kathisma will already be in defense for you ”. The schema-nun believed that Easter candles give special grace, in particular, she said: “When you visit a sick person, read a prayer for the sick person or akathist and be sure to light the Easter (red) candle”.

- The Word of God is food for the soul and body. The duty of a Christian is: I will not go to bed if I have not read one chapter of the Gospel; two chapters of the Epistles, beginning with the Acts of the Apostles and ending with the Revelation of St. John the Theologian; several psalms from the Psalms. And so gradually the entire New Testament and the Psalter will be read, which is what is needed. We need to make three bookmarks and read in a row, and when we have read everything, start again, and so on all our life. "

- Mother advised many of those who came to her: “That in every house there should be icons of the Mother of God“ Indestructible Wall ”and Kaluga! The house should have a holy corner: for holy icons, holy water, prosphora, and it is useless to place icons on sideboards, walls. Can there be a temple without an altar or a house without a roof? - So a family should not live without a holy corner. During prayer or on holidays, the lamp should be lit, and it is good to light a candle. The grace of God rests on the houses where this is done. "

- “Be light, give all your sins to God. Give all diseases, all sorrows, all worries to God. And be light, free yourself. God knows about you. Each person is given a role to play in life: he plays and goes into eternal life. What to be upset about? We are not eternal here, we are guests here. And we will go home in due time, we will all go home. The Lord will not leave anyone on earth, He will take everyone to Himself. The soul does not die. The body is a costume, it is a temple of the soul. " (Schema-nun Antonia. Advice and instructions / 32 /).

Priest Andrey (Uglov): “Many ascetics, for example, the righteous father Nikolai (Rogozin) and the blessed eldress Pelagia the blind Ryazan ascetic, advised to read the 26th psalm more often for protection from dark forces:“ Lord my enlightenment and my Savior, whom shall I fear? The Lord Protector of my belly, whom I am afraid of. "Blessed Polyushka said that whoever reads this psalm at least three times a day will ride among the sorcerers, as if on a tank. Blessed Polyushka also advised that if a person is possessed by an unclean spirit or engaged in witchcraft, that is, demons rape this person, then it is very useful to take a blessing from a good priest and read the 26th Psalm 40 times a day for 40 days. Of course, this is a great feat, but many people receive healings through this ... This psalm, according to Blessed Polyushka, has tremendous power. This is the most powerful psalm in the entire Psalm "(Russian Angel. Youth Vyacheslav. Film 2, part 2/24 /, 2:19:00).

After people are finally determined and stand firm, not accepting anything, the Lord will allow the last action - war. And if a person overshadows himself with a cross: "Lord, save, have mercy!" The Lord will even then save all who can be saved until the beast reigns. (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 4), Archimandrite Tavrion, 4:26).

Fr. Tavrion urged to pray for Russia: Cry, when you pray, indicate: "with relatives." And relatives are all of Russia. (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 4), Archimandrite Tavrion, 5:03).

Prayer for Russia, for Orthodoxy: “Save, Lord, Holy, Orthodox Russia. Protect her from the enemy visible and invisible. " (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 4), Archimandrite Tavrion, 4:42).

R.B. Faith about my dream: "And I hear an invisible Voice whispering to me:" Here go and tell everyone: let them pray to the Sovereign Mother of God. " I come to the priest / to schema-archimandrite Christopher / and I say:

- Father, that's such a dream for me ... - and told him.

So he after that told many, many, to read the Akathist of the Mother of God "Reigning" and pray for the salvation of Russia "(Book: Schiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 227).

“Back in the 80s, one of his / Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / the child had a vision: the Mother of God told us to pray to Her “Reigning” icon, and the priest distributed the akathist to this icon to everyone and told them to pray for Russia. ” (Book: Shiarchimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 62).

Startsev will not be, because nobody listens to them. Pray directly to God, and the Lord will hear you, the Lord will save you himself ”(/ 12 /“ Salt of the Earth ”(Film 5), Abbot Guriy, 2:25).

“Protect yourself with the cross, prayer, holy water, frequent communion ... Always let the lamps burn in front of the icons” (Blessed Matrona / 11 /, p. 53).

At home, to have a Holy Corner, where nothing else should be. (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 1), Archpriest Nikolai Ragozin, 0:36).

Icon of the Mother of God "The Queen of Breads" the most important icon will now be. Because there will be such a hunger, and this icon should hang over the table for everyone. There will be such a time that you will pray to the Mother of God in front of this icon and you will be full, according to your faith you will always have a piece of bread on your table. (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 5), Abbot Guriy, 2:57).

“She also / schema-nun Nila / advised that in the house in the kitchen there must be an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "The Conqueror of Breads", and over the front door there was an icon of the Mother of God "Burning Bush". " (Schema-nun Nila / 23 /, Biography, p. 136).

“There will be a big uprising. From the floors (from the cities. - Author) people will scatter, they will not sit in the rooms. You can't sit in the rooms, nothing will be, not even bread (28.12.90). And if you pray to the Savior, the Mother of God and Elijah the Prophet, they will not let you die of hunger, they will preserve those who believed in God and prayed sincerely (06/27/88) ”. (Schema nun Macarius from the book "Given by God" / 30 /, p.187).

Schema-nun Sergius (she was led by the Mother of God herself and had a special gift to beg the dead) told us to always pray at night for the country, for our people, so that we read the Psalter, fast on Wednesday and Friday, all four fasts of the year. (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 4), Archimandrite Tavrion, 4:33).

“Mother Neela spoke about the need to constantly pray everywhere - at work, and on vacation, and in transport:

Work is in the hands, and prayer is in the mouth. Prayer first of all, daughters! ...

She spoke about the meaning of prayer as follows:

The world is held together by prayer. If prayer stops even for one hour, then the world will cease to exist. And the night prayer is especially needed, it is more pleasing to God than others.

The greatest and most difficult feat is to pray for people. You need to endure, pray, work, no matter what, no matter how much they scold or revile. There is reproach to the left, from the evil one, and sometimes to the right, from loved ones. Both are difficult, but useful and even necessary. Everything that is sent must be done before the eye of God, with the memory of the Mother of God, with an appeal to Him. Not external labors are needed, but above all - the purification of the heart. Do not allow yourself any guile, be open with people. And don't think about yourself. " (Schema-nun Nila / 23 /, Biography, pp. 187-188).

“She herself / schema-nun Nila / I constantly read the ninetieth psalm and said that this is the best means of hostile attacks. Mother's obligatory prayer rule included: morning and evening prayers; three canons; Gospel reading; The Psalter - at least one kathisma, sometimes more; every day the cell attendants read the seventeenth kathisma - mother loved her very much.

Mother unswervingly performed the five hundred. She said:

- Rosary is a telephone to the Lord, a direct connection.

Mother prayed mainly at night. " (Schema Nun Nila / 23 /, Biography, pp. 47-48).

“But now it's too late to build new churches. How to fill those that are with believers and prayer. It was time for prayer. I hung up a paper icon - and pray, the Lord gives grace through it ”. (Schema Nun Nila / 23 /, Biography, p. 78).

“Mother loved more than all the saints / schema-nun Nila / Saint Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. She said that the holy apostle loves Russia and will come to us in the time of the Antichrist. Mother gave the following prayer to one of her spiritual children:

“Lord, Thy will be done in me a sinner in all the paths of life; help me stay faithful to you until the end. Most Holy Theotokos, save me a sinner. Holy Apostle John the Theologian, be my mentor, be my representative and my prayer book before the Lord and His Most Pure Mother. Amen". (Schema Nun Nila / 23 /, Biography, pp. 194-195).

On Saturday, from 16-00 bows are not done on the eve of the Twelve Great Holidays. (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 1), Archpriest Nikolai Ragozin, 0:36).

“Father Gury said that we must always thank God for everything and more often order thanksgiving prayers to Him so that the enemy does not stuff his horns into our lives. He said that everything should be done with the words "for the glory of God." (Radiant priest (about Abbot Guria) / 8 /, p.16).

Order prayer services, order to the saints, ask the prayers of the saints, without the prayers of the saints you cannot be saved. ... And I am saved by prayer services. (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 5), Abbot Guriy, 0:39).

"Father / Gury / said that you cannot do something important without a blessing. For example, go to court, to a doctor, to a hospital, to an exam, to an important meeting, or when an audit is being made. It is imperative to order a thanksgiving prayer service to the Savior and list the names of those who are going to some business, and only those people who participate in this business, and the Lord will arrange everything ”(Radiant Father (about Abbot Guria) / 8 /, p.74).

As often as possible, order thanksgiving prayers to the Savior both in sorrow and in joy. In a note, write in the name of the person who will participate in this (in court, to the dentist, for an exam, in case of illness, etc.) and your name. On the day of prayer, you seem to be in the circle of holy angels, and this day will be completely like from God. Enemy, he can no longer prevent you on this day. This day will be according to the will of God, according to the providence of God. Whenever possible, try to order such prayers every day. (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 5), Abbot Guriy, 0:54).

You need to pray more for the dead. They are waiting for our prayers. There is such a day, it only happens once a year - on Archangel Michael. He lowers his white wing into hell, and through the night prayer of the earthly (with earthly bows), the Lord forgives the sins of departed relatives (someone climbs a step, someone is completely freed from hell). Souls from hell are liberated invisibly along this wing. If it is a suicide, then such a prayer can ease the suffering of the deceased. (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 5), Abbot Guriy, 0:57).

Father Gury himself prayed for Russia and asked his spiritual children to pray for Russia. As you drive past the village, pray that they see their sight and repent. And they didn’t accept anything. This is the time for repentance. Nothing mundane. Only repentance can save now. And not accepting anything. (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 5), Abbot Guriy, 1:55).

Father Gury said: “You need to pray especially at night, you can ask the Lord for everything at night, because a person takes time out of his sleep. And many more saints talk about this. … At night, the Divine Liturgy takes place in Heaven ”(Radiant Father (about Abbot Guria) / 8 /, pp.16-17).

"Once, at 12 o'clock in the morning, the priest heard a ringing: So they beat the alarm, so they beat the alarm in Heaven!" (Radiant priest (about abbot Guria) / 8 /, p. 57).

“Father was also alarmed by such an innovation as the transition to summer time. The fact is that Fr. Guriy taught that prayer is most powerful from 12 o'clock in the morning, and this transition is precisely conceived, he said, in order to confuse and interfere with the believers "(Radiant Father (about Abbot Guria) / 8 /, p. 46).

“Pray at night from 24.00 to 3.00. Prayer is forty times stronger at night than during the day. "(Radiant priest (about abbot Guria) / 8 /, p. 77).

Prayer from the Rite of Repentance /O. Nikolay Guryanov /: "Lord, I do not know if my relatives have sinned against the king, and if so, forgive them, Merciful Lord!" (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 3), father Nikolay Guryanov, 1:07).

Abbot Guriy of the spiritual daughter: Be sure to pray on Good Friday from 12 to 15 hours, when the Lord was crucified for us sinners, pray. If in church, then pray on your knees, if at home, then at the cross. List unconfessed and confessed sins, repent of your sins before God, read the Jesus Prayer and petition (if there is any problem: someone is in prison, or a trial, etc.). The Lord will surely reveal and help at this time. Don't forget this Friday every year. (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 5), Abbot Guriy, 0:52).

"There is no prayer stronger than an akathist", - the words of the Father Superior /Houri/. He blessed spiritual children to read various akathists ... but especially two akathists - to the Holy Spirit and the seven youths of Ephesus. He also advised children to read prayers to the Archangel Michael for deliverance from the devil and gave the texts of three prayers. "Without these prayers," he instructed, "don't leave the house either." He blessed to read and prayers to the holy archangels for every day of the week, and five-numbered prayers, and the well-known prayer of detention ”(Radiant Father (about Abbot Guria) / 8 /, pp. 37-38).

Father Guriy to his spiritual daughters: “after each prayer (any prayer), be it to the Lord, the Mother of God, Archangel Michael or any saint, or any prayers, for example, at the end of the morning, afternoon, evening, etc., add a request:

“Deliver us, Lord, from magnetic cards, electronic certificates (passports), and from the cursed seal of the antichrist! And save us. Amen". (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 5), Abbot Guriy, 2:05).

"Blessed / father Gury / to pray more on his knees, he said: “Russia will perish without kneeling prayer” (Radiant Father (about Abbot Guria) / 8 /, pp. 73-74).

“One must enter the house with a blessing:“ Lord, bless me, R. B (name), to enter your house, being baptized, and the demon will remain outside the door. ” (Radiant priest (about abbot Guria) / 8 /, p.74).

“- Thank God for everything: for every sore - a thanksgiving prayer service. Then it will heal quickly; ...

- At prayer you have to scream so that God would hear; how a baby screams when he is hungry, so that the mother can hear even in the next apartment;

- Go to the lock (with a blessing) for 1-10 days to beg for something (the main thing is the forgiveness of sins). Food: 1 prosphora and 1 glass of water per day. Not to say a single word to anyone. Pray more for forgiveness and get some rest. Gradually increase the shutter duration up to 10 days; ...

- Before you say something, take, do: "Lord, bless!" Do not rush to answer, especially to promise something. Father Gury did not promise right away, but said: "If nothing interferes, then maybe I will come." And if we do not keep our promises, we sin again. It is even worse when we do not notice our sins ”(Radiant Father (about Abbot Guria) / 8 /, p.77-78).

"Father / Gury / warned not to accept or sign anything without a blessing. If there is no father, then pray: "Our Father" three times and freeze - the first thought from God "(Radiant priest (about Abbot Guria) / 8 /, p. 78).

Rev. Lavrenty of Chernigov: “Pray more, go to church while there is an opportunity, especially to the Liturgy, where the Bloodless Sacrifice is offered for the sins of the whole world. Confess more often and partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, and the Lord will strengthen you ”(Venerable Lawrence of Chernigov / 4 /, p.99).

Prayer of Elder Samuel before accepting the poisoned / by the authorities / coffee: “- Well, okay, I'll drink to the glory of God. - answered the elder, crossed the coffee and said: - Our Lord and God Jesus Christ, Your power is limitless and Your glory is great, turn evil into good ”(Elder Samuel (2) / 10 /, p. 141).

"The time will come when the faithful children of the Church will hide in caves, and only the prayers of the Mother of God will have the power to save people from persecution and turmoil." will not jump, that is, will not deceive the soul covered by the prayers of the Mother of God. - Comp.) (St. Ambrose of Optina (+ 1891) in the book: A. Krasnov / 2 /, p. 267).

“- Pray to the Most Holy Theotokos more often! Not necessarily by prayer or before an icon. Pray anytime, anywhere. Ask her in your own words in all your troubles and sorrows. Call her baby mummy. Love her more than anyone else in the world. She is our closest intercessor and intercessor before the Lord.

It is good if you know by heart the troparia of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the Sign and sing them every day. If you try to always stand before the Most Holy Theotokos, then her veil will always always be over you. " (Shiigumen Alexy (Shumilin) ​​/ 21 /, p. 42).

Pray, read the Gospel, the Psalter, and pray to the Lord not to deviate from the Orthodox faith. (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 2), Schema. Christopher, 2:14).

"Father / Gury / taught that when a priest walks around the church with a censer, at this time, fold the right palms to the left, bend low with the words: “Send me, Lord, the Holy Spirit! Forgive me, sinner! " (Radiant priest (about abbot Guria) / 8 /, p. 73).

“A candle is the power of God, and a person put it in church with his pain or joy, and it should burn out in one place where he put it, and not play with candles, as our grandmothers now like to do near candlesticks” (Radiant Father ( about Abbot Guria) / 8 /, p.74).

“For a good harvest, Father Gury tried to order three prayers:

1) Icon of the Mother of God "The Queen of Loaves",

Add oil from the icon lamp in front of the martyr icon to the water from this prayer service. Tryphon and sprinkle it on the garden and vegetables in the cellar (from damage and rodents). At the end of the prayer service, Father Gury read an incantatory prayer from the rodents of the martyr. Tryphon. And God gave through his prayers such harvests that all the children were amazed: potatoes, cabbage, peas, carrots, onions, legumes ... For example, I have never seen such a harvest of potatoes as that of Fr. Guria in Ust-Pechenga. The potato was the size of a man's head ”(Radiant Father (about Abbot Guria) / 8 /, p.76).

“In the absence of rain, Fr. Guriy served in the garden with prayers to the Prophet Elijah. At the second prayer service, the first drops appeared, and after the third prayer service, God gave a plentiful rain. Although there was no rain in the area ”(Radiant Father (about Abbot Guria) / 8 /, p.77).

“In the summer there was no rain for a long time, everything was dry, the gardens were dying. Then mother / schema-nun Nila / blessed to go to the forest to pray: they took candles, an akathist to the holy prophet Elijah. For an hour and a half in the forest they prayed, sang, read the akathist. When they returned home, mother said:

- Ilya the prophet, we only two prayed to you. Look, what a big mine - and no one wanted to join us. Give us a rain, prophet Elijah!

Fifteen minutes passed and a small cloud appeared directly over mother's house. And how it started to rain! " (Schema-nun Nila / 23 /, Biography, p. 133).

"To this miraculous icon / Queen of Heaven "Seeking the Lost" / people come with any pain, with any disease, turn to it, and it helps. If there is no rain - drought, they take it out to the meadow, put it in the middle of our village and pray, serve a prayer service and do not have time to come home when it will rain ”(Blessed Matrona” / 11 /, p. 67).

Pray incessantly, repent incessantly, cry, pray for the whole people, not only for your relatives, but for the whole Church, for the whole country. For if one is somewhere praying, like a flame, like a candle illuminates a room on a dark night, so from one who will cry, groan, if he cannot cry with his eyes, let him cry, groan in his soul, and this will be strong before God. (/ 12 / "Salt of the Earth" (Film 4), Archimandrite Tavrion, 4:28).

“Father Christopher blessed and blessed, and then he says:

- For all housing issues - to the martyr Tryphon ”(Book: Schema-Archimandrite Christopher / 20 /, p. 377).

“Who is praying now? No, he does not read prayers, but purely prays. If there were even a few such prayer books, the end times for the world would not have come. Alas, we read the rules, we read the morning and evening prayers, but we do not pray at all. And our Lord Jesus Christ showed us an example of prayer - to bloody sweat. Who remembers this? You can't run away from Golgotha, you just have to pray like Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. The apostles slept, and He prayed. Therefore, I went through Golgotha, and for us mortals, he opened the way to salvation. Father, there is only one way possible - through Golgotha! There is not and cannot be otherwise, only Golgotha. Each has its own, its own. Someone is saved by the inconsistencies of children, someone is saved by their own ailments, or everyday troubles, but the path to the Kingdom of Heaven is only through Golgotha. … It is better when all life is one ascent to Golgotha. The ascetics also strove for this, squeezing their desires, thoughts and aspirations. They climbed it all their lives, but to Calvary. For without it eternal life is inconceivable. Therefore, the saints were very upset if the trials receded. There is simply no other way. Work and endure, endure and pray ”(Father Anthony in the book: A. Krasnov / 2 /, p. 308).

Spoke / St. blessed Pelagia of Ryazan /, that you cannot pray for those who burn the bodies of their relatives, and for those who were burned! It will be bad for the whole family! Burning bodies is not even a sin, but the very service to Satan, ... (/ 17 / St. Blessed Pelagia of Ryazan).

From a conversation with an Orthodox priest, Father (spring 2013/37 /):

- Father, the elders said that the night prayer is 40 times stronger than the day prayer. What do you think, for an ordinary layman to protect himself from all this antichrist system, should he pray at night after twelve o'clock in the morning?

- On Mount Athos they do not sleep all night, but pray for the salvation of both soul and body.

- And they do not sleep until what time in the morning?

- Until 7 am. And I didn't sleep with them.

- What then do they do after 7 in the morning?

- Then at 7 am to fall asleep for an hour and a half. They rest and obey, everyone is at work: they read the Psalms, they build, they chop, they clean, they clean

- What, for example, is more important: at night, for example, you pray as much as you can, until the morning, and then you do not have time for the Liturgy in the morning ...

- Well, in short, to pray, not until 7, but until 5. Two hours and a half, slept for three - and it's okay.

- All the same, try to do both ...

- Yes, you have to try, work out by yourself, as it will be convenient. It is necessary to regulate: that night - more, that night - less. You need to get enough sleep. You can pray lying down and fall asleep like that / 37 /.

Current page: 3 (the book has 12 pages in total) [available passage for reading: 8 pages]

About prayer

How to pray for those about whom it is not known whether they are alive?

“You will not be mistaken if you pray as for the living, because with God everyone is alive. Everyone except heretics and apostates. They are dead "- (Elder Nektarios Optinsky).21
Spiritual Teachings of the Venerable Optina Elders. Edition of the Svyato-Vvedenskaya Optina Pustyn, 2007.

It is allowed to read prayers from the Trebnik to laymen, except for priests and deacons. For example, there are such remote places where there is no church; there the believers themselves perform an incomplete funeral service, that is, they sing stichera, read the canon, the Apostle, but do not read the Gospel, the prayer of permission, do not say exclamations and litanies of the priest and deacon. They even perform services in this way; for example, they serve not mass, but mass.

Is it okay for those who work the night shift to eat at night after twelve o'clock? Do they need to read prayers "for the future sleep"?

If necessary, you can eat, and it is good to pray, at least briefly. Prayer never gets in the way, but it will also save you from temptation.

After Communion at home I read thanksgiving prayers, suddenly a neighbor came in, started a conversation, and I told her that I had just been in church, received Communion, and now I read thanksgiving prayers, and immediately after she left, my soul felt unpleasant, as if grace had departed from me ... Why could this happen?

It happened because you had to keep your good deed, the prayer a secret, and you opened it, and thus destroyed it. Because, as it were, grace departed and a mournful, unpleasant feeling took over. The enemy of salvation often inspires from the temple to go to someone or sends a person with empty conversations in order to take away the grace from the soul after visiting the temple and especially when a person takes communion.

If acquaintances unexpectedly came to me during prayer, should I leave the prayers or ask them to wait while I pray?

We must leave prayer (for love is higher than prayer), accept acquaintances, and letting them go, finish our prayer.

Is it good if the prayer rule is larger: in addition to the usual morning and evening prayers - akathists, canons?

The most important thing in the fulfillment of the prayer rule is the constant daily fulfillment of it. If necessary, it is reduced. You must have such a rule so that it does not exceed your strength and so that your conscience does not reproach you for laziness.

Is it possible to imagine the prayer of the Lord, the saints? Is it possible to arouse in oneself a desire to see Angels or to feel the suffering of Jesus Christ?

Many St. the fathers, in particular Saint Simeon the New Theologian and Saint Theophan the Recluse. Saint Simeon the New Theologian speaks of three types of prayer, and prayer with imagination is not permitted as a prayer of delusion. 22
“The distinctive properties of the first image are as follows: when someone, standing in prayer and raising his hands and his eyes and his mind to heaven, holds divine thoughts in his soul, imagines the blessings of heaven, the ranks of Angels and the abode of saints, and briefly, everything heard in the Divine Scriptures, collects in his mind, and discusses this then during prayer, in vain to heaven, and thereby moves his soul to the lust and love of God, and sometimes even pulls out tears and cries (this will be the first image of attention and prayer).
But with this image (prayer, if someone stops at it alone, it happens that) little by little - (praying like this) begins to boast in his heart, without realizing it; it seems to him that what he is doing is from the grace of God to comfort him, and he prays to God to enable him to always be in such an activity. And this (that is, to think so about this form of prayer) is a sign of delusion: for good is no longer good when it does not exist in a good way and properly ...
From what we have said, any reasonable person can understand what harm comes from this first way of attention and prayer (if you consider it as the last limit of perfection in prayer). If it happens that someone who uses this image does not suffer any of the evils of which we have heard, because of cohabitation with brethren (because they are especially exposed to those who live in solitude), then he will still spend his whole life without succeeding (in the spiritual life) ”. (Venerable Simeon the New Theologian. Word 68, about three images of attention and prayer // Words of St. Simeon the New Theologian, vol. 2. M .: The rule of faith, 2002).

But sometimes, because of the invasion of blasphemous thoughts, you cannot look at the icon! How, then, to pray?

“In order for your thoughts to chill you less, you can only occasionally look at the icons,” says St. Ambrose of Optina, - but we must know that icons are only for external eyes, and therefore, standing in prayer, we must remember that we stand before God. The icon, however, should not be imagined in the mind in any case. " 23
Lives of the Venerable Elders of the Optina Hermitage. Holy Trinity Monastery. Printshop of St. Job of Pochaev. Jordanville, New York. 1992.

Can you pray while walking or lying in bed? Is it necessary to stand while reading the Gospel when you pray at home, and is it possible to read the Gospel on public transport?

When you do a non-prayer rule, then you can pray in any position, but when you do a rule, then it is sinful to lean on and sit unnecessarily. If you can, then it is better to read the Holy Gospel while standing, and if you are tired or weak, then sitting, with reverence. It is better to read the Psalter on public transport.

Do spiritually wise people advise to practice the Jesus Prayer on their own, and if so, to what extent?

The Jesus Prayer is very useful and salutary to practice orally, usually, but the mental-hearted one can only be practiced with the guidance of experienced elders and with St. books about the Jesus Prayer, and most importantly - nothing can be sought through it, except for mercy.

But what can be the use of the Jesus Prayer if I pronounce it only with my lips, myself not understanding what I am saying, my mind is running to the side?

“You don’t understand,” said the elder of Optina, Macarius, “but the demons understand and tremble. Calm down and continue your prayer according to your strength. " 24
Psychic Teachings of the Venerable Optina Elders.

“Do not believe your flesh, which threatens you with failure during prayer: he lies. If you begin to pray, you will see that the flesh will become your obedient slave. Prayer will revive her too. Remember always that the flesh is deceitful " (Saint John of Kronstadt).25
St. right. John of Kronstadt. My life is in Christ. Word 1556.

What is the best way to pray, alone or together, three?

St. John of Kronstadt said: "The Lord loves and hears more prayers when we are not alone and not only for ourselves and not for ourselves alone we pray, but together, for everyone and for everyone." 26
St. right. John of Kronstadt. In the world of prayer. On the conciliarity of prayer. By order of the Holy Euphrosyne Monastery in Polotsk. SPb., 1991.

What to do on a holiday if you cannot go to church and cannot read spiritual books?

At home, at least lying down, pray, as God will require inner prayer even from a seriously ill person. It is also good to engage in divine thinking: about the life of the Savior on earth, about the Last Judgment, about the Resurrection of the dead, about eternal life, bliss and eternal torment, about death and ordeals. Elder of Athos Fr. Arseny writes: "This is the same as prayer." 27
Elder Paisy Svyatogorsk. Saint Arsenius of Cappadocia. Holy mountain. Without a year.

Why are the same prayers repeated so often in the church? Every now and then: "Lord, have mercy."

“Why do we repeat and quicken our breathing? It is necessary, it excites and sustains our lives. For the same we need frequent prayers ... And in fact, what does it mean: "Lord, have mercy"? This is the cry of the guilty and condemned to death, asking pardon from the irritated justice. This is the cry of a repentant, expressing a firm intention to reform and start a new life befitting a Christian. This is the cry of a sinner who is ready to have mercy on others, as one who has been immensely forgiven and merciful by God, the Judge of his deeds. " (Saint John of Kronstadt).28
St. right. John of Kronstadt. My life is in Christ. Word 1224.

Sometimes a person prays, it would seem, fervently, but his prayer does not bring him the fruits of peace and joy of heart in the Holy Spirit. From what?

“Because, praying through ready-made prayers, he did not sincerely repent of those sins that he committed that day, with which he defiled his heart, this temple of Christ, and with which he angered the Lord. But remember them, and repent with all sincerity, condemning yourself impartially, and he will immediately settle in the heart. world, surpass every mind(Phil. 4: 7). In church prayers there is a list of sins, but not all, and often the very ones are not mentioned with which we tied ourselves. You must certainly list them yourself in prayer with a clear awareness of their importance, with a feeling of humility and heartfelt contrition. That is why in the evening prayers it is said when listing sins: either this or that, or it was bad, that is, it is left to our will to mention certain sins " (Saint John of Kronstadt).29
St. right. John of Kronstadt. In the world of prayer. Repentance in Prayer.

At Epiphany I will be 22 years old. I myself have been baptized for ten years, but something began to change in me quite recently, literally a year or two. But, probably, I have not yet become a Christian, because I am still ashamed to pray in church, although I pray at home. And as soon as I start praying, tears flow. What is it? Purification?

Tears in the temple can be, indeed, cleansing, but they can also be a reminder that the soul really wants repentance, confession and communion, and false shame (fear of prayer in the temple) prevents it from doing so.

What if I overslept and there is no time for the morning rule, but I am in a hurry to work or to the beginning of the church service?

If it happens that you oversleep and do not have time to read the morning rule, then you can do this: start reading it at home and finish on the road.

You can, if the shower requires.

Is it possible on holidays, Christmastide, Bright Week to read the canon of repentance if he has committed a sin?

According to the rules of the Church, in the days of Bright Week, the canons of repentance are not allowed to be read according to the charter. It is enough to pray of repentance during fasting, and the committed sin is cleansed in confession. On these days it is better to try not to sin.

Is it possible to do earthly obeisances at home prayer on Christmastide, holidays, Bright Weeks, if you have sinned and your conscience does not allow you to pray while standing?

We must try to live according to the charter of the Church 30
See the Lenten Triode. On Holy and Great Wednesday evenings.

Which cancels bowing to the ground on these days, but kneeling can also be tolerated in home prayer.

Is it possible to replace morning and evening prayers by reading akathists and canons, after "Our Father ..." to "It is worthy to eat ..."?

It is possible, if there is some special need for this, but it is better not to invent your own statutes, but to follow the church. The canons and akathists are read in their free time; you can also recommend reading the Psalter.

Tell me, please, which saint to turn to, so that there is peace in the soul and happiness finally comes to our house and our son's wish come true - to have a two-room apartment?

There is no magic in the church. When we want to receive something from the Lord or from the saints, we must not only pray to them, but also build our lives according to the commandments of the Lord. “The prayer of the righteous can do much,” the Scripture says, and vice versa: “God does not hear sinners,” because they do not want to hear Him. Through the Gospel, the Lord addresses all of us with a request that we be kind, loving, humble, etc., but we often don’t want to hear about this, but we ourselves ask Him to help us. And it also happens: We need the Lord only in difficult times; He fulfills our requests, and we even forget to thank Him and turn to Him again only when sorrow overtakes us again; and in days of peace and happiness, we don't really need Him. You can ask for the fulfillment of your desires to many saints, to the Theotokos, to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, but for this you would like to get acquainted with the Gospel, where our doctrine is set forth; it is good to read the lives of the saints, after which these chosen ones of God become close to you, and you turn to them with a warm, heartfelt prayer from all your heart.

What saints need to pray and what icon is needed for bees to multiply?

In the Trebnik there is a special prayer for the blessing of the hives ("There are bees ...") and another prayer: "Blessing of the swarms of bees, into the uliya of the newly planted ones ..." These prayers are read by the priest. So, if you have the opportunity, you need to invite him to consecrate your hives. If there is no such possibility, then you can read the following prayer: “O God, knowing goodness by human labor and speechless animals, and by Thy inexpressible mercy teach the seeds of bees to use the fruits and deeds to our needs, we humbly pray to Thy majesty: please bless these bees for the acquisition of the human race. I am smarter, supplying them, teaching them, but trust in Your majesty and immeasurable mercies, work in keeping these animals, you will be worthy of receiving abundant fruits of your labors, and heavenly blessing will be fulfilled in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him the honor and glory forever and ever. , amen. " After reading this prayer, sprinkle the hives with holy water.

When I read prayers (in the morning and in the evening), I yawn, I cry, my body vibrates. Why is that?

You can get the answer to this question only from an experienced confessor after a detailed confession. Such issues are not resolved in absentia.

Is it true that you must first read a prayer and only then cross yourself? Or is it possible while reading?

According to the charter of the Church, the sign of the cross is supposed to be performed at the beginning and at the end of a prayer.

Is it good to pray for the offender?

The Lord pleases prayer for those who offend us, and therefore we need to pray for them.

What saints should pray for those who offend?

For those who offend, it is necessary to serve a prayer service to Archdeacon Stephen and light candles to the holy Apostle John the Theologian, St. Seraphim ordered to light candles for the throne for health and salvation. The ascetic Georgy the Recluse wrote: "Order to remember those who are at war with you in the churches for your health, the work of your good heart will be glorified by God before everyone." 31
Elder George the Recluse // Wake up, soul ... School of Orthodoxy for beginners. Selected advice and instructions of the holy fathers for all occasions. M .: Kovcheg, 2007.

Explain, please, what prayers are included in the Rebnik?

Trebniki are different. There is a Small Trebnik, there is a Big Trebnik. Peter Mogila's book is one of the most complete. The Trebniki contains a wide variety of ranks and prayers: the rite of the funeral service, baptism, confessions, communion at home, prayers for the consecration of icons, church utensils, bells, for the expulsion of dark forces, as well as ranks of reprimand, prayers for the consecration of the house, stove, beehives, against the invasion insects, etc. This is just a small list of prayers in the Trebnik.

Is there a prayer against sleep?

Is such a prayer necessary? After all, sleep restores strength, and excessive stress can lead to a breakdown, to depletion of the nervous system and even to mental illness. Here is a recommendation for insomnia: for this you need to read the Jesus prayer "Virgin Mary, rejoice ..." and others.

In the prayer books, in the Book of the Book, there are prayers with which we turn to the Lord. And sometimes I just kind of mentally talk to Him (in my own words). Is this permissible? Or maybe it is not pleasing to the Lord, and I should not do it?

Is it possible to pray without a prayer book and a Psalter at all?

We cannot do without reading the Psalter or the prayer book. This heats up the heart, just as throwing up wood increases the weakening fire in the stove. But when the heart flares up and some feeling takes possession of the whole soul, then one should give up reading and pray with your prayer. Saint Theophan the Recluse speaks of this. 32
Venerable Nikodim Svyatorets. Invisible abuse. Part 1, gl. 48-49. Saint Theophan the Recluse translated this book into Russian.

I myself do not know Russian, by nationality - Yakut, disabled. I am collecting medicinal herbs. I would like to know what prayers should be read while doing this, is there any literature?

All prayers are good when they are prayed for for good. You need to read short prayers: "Our Father ...", "Virgin Mary, rejoice ...", "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner" and others.

It happens that a Christian, on the occasion of a special holiday, drank some alcohol. It's time for evening prayer. Is it not a sin to pray to God for the coming sleep in such, albeit mild, degree of intoxication?

Let your heart and conscience tell you what to do right.

I would like to ask you for a prayer about abortion. I have already repented of this sin to the priest.

Prayer for abortion is not handed out. This prayer is recited by the priest at the request of the directly repentant.

I would like to pray with tears, but it does not always work out, we are connected with the world, we are distracted. We gather with the same believers, sing cants. Maybe write at least one?

Tears in prayer are a gift from God. The Church has always opposed artificially created exaltation. The main thing in Orthodox prayer is the consciousness of sins and repentance for them. A prayer of repentance is the most correct one. Kant is not used in church services. These chants are allowed to be sung at home; it is soul-saving. We read in the life of St. Demetrius of Rostov that the cants were pets by his order in the last hours of his life. 33
Life of St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, miracle worker // Lives of the Saints. M .: Moscow Compound of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 2004

This already shows their significance for spiritual edification.

On the tablets in the commandments of the Lord it is written: "Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." The Law of God says: “When we need anything, we must turn to God with prayer. You can pray to God everywhere: in the house, in the temple, and on the way. The Christian is obliged to pray daily, morning and evening, before and after meals, before and after the beginning of any work. " Can you often repeat “Lord, bless, save”?

In vain (that is, in vain) pronouncing the name of God is when we utter it, without realizing it, in a proverb, with every little thing. A prayer appeal to God is not in vain.

What if it is impossible to cross (hands are busy, etc.)?

"The Jesus Prayer will replace the sign of the cross, if for some reason it cannot be placed" (elder Nikon Optinsky).34

Is bowing to the ground in a church or at home needed during a prayer service, or is it not necessary during a prayer of the heart?

In the liturgical practice of the Church there is a special charter on bows. It is found in the Typikon, a book that is the Statute of the Divine Services of the Orthodox Church. It is said about prostrations there, in particular, that they are performed after the offering of the Holy Gifts, during Lenten services, in particular, during the reading of the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian, etc. they are on Sundays. During home prayer, you can bow down when your soul requires it.

If I read prayers and a candle does not glow in front of the image, do my prayers reach our Lord Jesus Christ?

The candle is a symbol of prayer. It is good when she flickers during prayer; however, this is not a condition for the Lord to accept or not accept our prayers. Love for God, sincere repentance - these are some of the conditions for the intelligibility of our prayers to God.

Is it possible to replace morning and evening prayers with reading psalms, the Jesus Prayer, or something else?

St. Theophan the Recluse answered a similar question that there was no need to replace the evening and morning prayers. 35
Saint Theophanes recommended, if there is no time or energy to read the entire morning or evening prayer rule, to shorten it, but not to cancel it. See St. Theophanes. Spiritual Life Letters. M., 1897

When is prayer put into sin?

“There is no greater sin,” taught Saint Theophan the Recluse, “how to pray to God without fear, attention and reverence; to pray with the tongue, and with the mind to conduct a conversation with demons ”. 36
The soulful teachings of St. Theophan the Recluse. Edition of the Svyato-Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage, 2008.

How to deal with extraneous thoughts?

“During prayer and spiritual discourse,” Archimandrite Theophan Novoyezersky advises us, “beware of accepting any extraneous thoughts; with a prohibition, say your thoughts: "In the name of God, I forbid you!" - and the thought will certainly listen. The Jesus prayer and the sign of the cross will conveniently drive away all the power of the enemy. " 37
The instructions of Elder Theophan Novoyezersky. Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate, 1997

What if you want to pray with bows?

"When the desire comes to pray in the midst of the rule (or in general) with a special prayer and bows, then there is no need to interfere with such a mood." (Venerable Ambrose of Optina).38
Psychic teachings of the Optina elders.

What are the signs of God's visits in prayer, and what are the signs of the enemy?

With grace-filled appearances or visits from God, there are good thoughts and feelings: joy, love for God and for one's neighbor and even for enemies, humility, self-reproach, a feeling of repentance, contrition, tenderness, peace of mind, peace for all, desire for all good and salvation. With the enemy: pride, self-esteem, anger, hatred, cruelty, anxiety, embarrassment, doubt in the phenomenon.

Can a worldly person pray with a rosary?

“About prayer on a rosary,” writes St. Theophan the Recluse, “I myself first heard from a layman, and not from a monk. And many lay people and lay women pray in this way. And this is useful to us. Only one should pray for them not ostentatiously, but secretly. " 39
St. Theophan the Recluse. What is spiritual life and how to tune in to it, ch. 47. M .: Father's house, 2007.

Is it really so important to unacceptably keep your prayer house rule?

Christians who don't keep the house rule are dead Christians. The domestic rule is a stimulant of spiritual strength, a guide to unceasing prayer.

What to do when, during prayer, bad thoughts obsessively creep into your head?

If, during prayer, bad thoughts obsessively stick to us, then it is advised, leaving the reading of the prayer, to pray to God against thoughts so that He drives them away from us.

Can You Pray for Unbelieving Leaders?

"Pray also for the authorities, even for those who persecute and hate you, and for the enemies of the Cross, so that the fruit of your faith will be clear to everyone and you yourself will be perfect." (Hieromartyr Polycarp of Smyrna).40
Schmch. Polycarp of Smyrnsky. Epistle to the Philippians // The Scriptures of the Apostolic Men. M .: Amphora, 2007.

Can you pray in public?

"Pray either in body or spirit in secret, and not in front of people, although they are sleeping." (Elder Adrian Yugsky).41
See the Guide to the Spiritual Life of Elder Adrian, Hieromonk, ascetic of the Yug Dorofeeva Hermitage. M. - Riga, 1995.

What is the best way to pray in the absence of feeling?

If you feel insensible, it is better to pray with short prayers.

Is it good to pray for ascetics who have not yet been glorified on earth?

Prayer for His deceased saints is pleasing to God. Our prayer intercedes for them great glory and invites them to pray for us before the Lord.

How should you stand in prayer?

One should get up for prayer without relaxing in the body, without shifting from foot to foot, and without leaning against a wall or a pillar. Hands should be kept decently folded, legs should be straight and motionless, your head should not be turned to one side or the other, but slightly bent over, the mind should not be scattered by thoughts and not be curious or distracted by lazy ones who talk with each other and whisper, and in every possible way keep the eyes from absent-mindedness and the soul, listening to the words of the prayer so that not a single word in it is to be missed idly. For if you accustom yourself to do this in this matter, you will soon succeed and attain a perfect husband. After the end of the doxology, do not immediately start talking with one or the other. Keep silence and move away from everyone. Keep silence with the thought: "What can I say good, being all unclean and meaningless and even unworthy to say or hear anything, or be considered among the people" .42
Venerable Simeon the New Theologian. A word about the beginning of life that was very useful and salvific // Twelve words in Russian. per. from Hellenic-Greek. Ed. Kozelskaya Vvedenskaya Optina Pustyn. M., 1869.

During prayer, is it possible to dwell on spiritual thoughts or thoughts of useful deeds?

During prayer, one should resist not only vain thoughts, but also all thoughts about spiritual and useful deeds that come untimely, and deepen and force oneself to read the prayer and contemplate until the end of them.

Is it a sin to pray in passing?

“If anyone prays to God without fear, in passing, he incurs the wrath of God, the expulsion of God. Better not to pray at all than to pray somehow. There is no greater sin. Demons never attack as much as for contempt for God. " (Rev. Simeon the New Theologian).43
The words of St. Simeon the New Theologian. Word 8.Vol. 1.

Is it possible for a husband to pray with his head covered in need?

When your head is covered, do not give up prayer, but observe only so that you do not do it with disdain.

Should one leave reading the Divine Book in a prayerful mood?

If your mind and heart experience a prayerful mood while reading the Holy Scriptures, then you remain in prayer until the prayer mood ceases.

Should bows be done beyond strength?

God does not require us to rule above our strength, and therefore consider your strength!

What saints should pray against nervousness?

Holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb.

What should I read at home if I couldn't go to church?

Instead of Matins - morning prayers, twelve selected psalms and the first hour, and instead of mass - the third and sixth hours with pictorial.

Is prayer before God valid if it is recited without the compassion of the heart?

Without the sympathy of the heart, prayer is invalid.

What does it mean to pray incessantly?

Praying always and incessantly does not mean always reading psalms or written prayers - this is an impossible task. For every Christian ought to do a work according to his title; also a worn-out body requires tranquility with sleep and so on. But it means that often in every undertaking that begins to raise the mind and heart, and sigh to God and ask Him for mercy, help and intercession.

Can you shorten your home prayer rule?

You can, only if you need it. According to the thought of Saint Theophan the Recluse, only one spiritually strengthened person is allowed to reduce the rule of prayer, and not everyone who wants to get rid of prayer as soon as possible. Remember that the one who threatens the dogs with a stick annoys them against himself, and the demons are annoyed by the one who forces himself to pray often. 44
“Before, you asked an hour earlier to end the rule. Not seeing the enemy's cunning, I agreed to this. Now the enemy sat down with you and explained that you can shorten the prayer rule by adding handicrafts to it. So your usual prayer was completely ruined. Not so good. Take the trouble to restore it as it was in the beginning. If it is more convenient for you to end the rule an hour earlier, then put it down and start it earlier. " Letter 528, no. III.

When I pray with others, can the inner movement of the soul be shown externally?

If we pray in partnership with others, then it is enough for us with our minds and hearts to show before God the inner movement of the soul, not to accept a sad, tearful face and not make any signs with our body that would show what is in our soul, so that others do not become to honor us, and others, perhaps, laugh at us - through this we are exposed to temptation, embarrassment in ourselves and anger at others. But when we are alone and others do not see us, in order to ridicule us, then we can accept the person praying, and the sad voice, and shed tears, raise our hands to grief, and bow down to earth.

If the mind is scattered in prayer, what should be done?

At a time when your mind is scattered, more than prayer, engage in reading the Divine.

Sometimes, a desire comes to pray for a person. What does it mean?

When a desire comes to pray for someone, it means that the Lord Himself wants to have mercy on that soul and graciously listens to your prayers.

Is it good to bow down at night?

Do not forget to never bow down at night, and if you get sick, bow at least three times. With these bows and prayers at night, a person overcomes the devil, and in what he sins during the day - with them he is freed from sin.

What if I don't find time to read St. books and prayers?

Is it only then that prayer is considered when we pray in front of icons?

Prayer is not only one thing to be sure to stand in front of the icons in prayer. Keeping the mind and heart turned to God and aspiring is already a prayer, no matter in what position someone is, whether he was sitting, whether he was lying, whether he was walking. The rule of prayer at home is in its own way: in the morning and in the evening in front of the icons, and this is the state of prayer - for its own.

What if during the prayer rule I am distracted by passing windows?

Draw down the curtain when you are doing your home prayer rule. And when you look out the window, then remember that you have to repent.

Does fear attack me while praying?

Consider the fear that occurs during prayer a temptation from the enemy, who tries to turn everyone away from prayer who wants to pray. When starting to pray, protect yourself with the sign of the cross and continue to pray, and in time by the grace of God you will get rid of this temptation, if you are less angry with others and restrain yourself from condemnation.

What is the best time to pray?

“Night is the best time for prayer,” writes St. Theophan the Recluse. - Especially midnight. " 45
St. Theophan the Recluse. A Guide to Spiritual Life.

And St. John Chrysostom says that the Lord especially bows to mercy with night prayers. 46
Saint John Chrysostom. Conversation about the benefits of night prayer. // I exhort you, beloved. Selected Conversations. M., 2009.

What is urge?

The urge is (the desire) to turn to God; it happens sometimes without a definite need, but only after a thirst for God. In whatever measure and in whatever form this urge manifests itself, you should never leave it unsatisfied, but immediately turn to prayer and pray in the position in which you found the urge: if at work - for him and pray, if at reading - in the middle of it and pray, if while walking, - walking and pray. But, of course, it is better and more fruitful to stand in a place of prayer and assume a prayer position, if possible. If this urge is generated during the prayer, stop reading the prayer and pray according to this urge, with your own word or without a word.

What if they ask me to pray, but I can't pray for myself?

"Do not renounce prayer for others under the pretext of fear that you cannot beg for yourself - be afraid that you do not beg for yourself if you do not pray for others." (Saint Philaret of Moscow).47
St. Filaret of Moscow. Word on the day of the wedding and chrismation of the most pious Emperor Alexander Pavlovich, 1823 // Saint Philaret (Drozdov). Selected works, letters, memoirs. M .: Orthodox St. Tikhon's Theological Institute, 2003.

What to do for the Lord to hear the prayer?

If you wish to offer a pure prayer to God, then first test your mind and arrange it so that when you say: “Have mercy on me,” you would be merciful to the one who pleads with you; when you say: “Do not remember my sins,” and you did not remember the sins of your neighbor; when you say: “Do not remember my sins, voluntary and involuntary,” - and you did not remember the insults with which you were grieved. If you don't, you will pray in vain. And God will not hear you, as the Holy Scripture testifies. So, in the Gospel, the Lord commands to pray in this way: And leave us our debts, as we also leave our debtors. If you forgive a man of their sins, your Heavenly Father will also let you go(Matthew 6: 12, 14). And in the Gospel of Luke he says: Let go and let you go(Luke 6: 37). And elsewhere he teaches students to pray like this: And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forsake every debtor of ours.(Luke 11: 4).

How to get rid of the scattering of thoughts during prayer?

Praying with your lips, pray also with your mind, that is, direct your mind to the power of the words of prayer. If, through weakness or the pretext of enmity in the midst of prayer, you are carried away by thinking about any subject, then, feeling your imprudence, sigh with contrition to the Lord and with great ardor deepen your attention into prayer; do it always and you will feel the benefit. Constancy of mind and vigilance attract special gifts of grace to the soul. 48
The Monk Bonifatius of Theophany // Seniors' councils of some Russian devotees of piety of the 18-19th centuries. M., 1913.

There is absolutely no time for prayer. How to be?

We have time for the body: we find time to drink tea, lunch, supper, but it is difficult for the Lord to devote even ten minutes! It is to the One who gives us everything.

According to the Orthodox tradition, one should thank God for every day lived in the morning and evening, before going to bed. Prayers help you feel the love of the Lord and save you from nightmares and misfortune.

It is known that one should turn to God not only in moments of spiritual misfortune and grief, but also in free time. Morning prayers help you tune in for a happy and successful day. And the evening ones appeal to the Creator: through words we thank the Almighty for every day we have lived and save our souls from evil.

Orthodox prayers for the coming sleep

Most people have lost the habit of such a wonderful tradition of praying at night. In the hustle and bustle of days, we forget to express our love for God, but it is necessary to do this. Prayer helps not only to praise the Creator and ask for help: it has a beneficial effect on our mood, soul and sleep. A person who performs such actions every day has greater happiness and luck in life than one who turns to the Almighty only with a request to resolve his problems. However, for prayer to work, it must be read correctly at home.

Turning to God greatly affects our life and consciousness. With the help of holy words, we can drive away trouble from ourselves, change the future and attract happiness. Not every person knows the Church Slavonic language, so difficulties may arise in reading powerful words. Especially for you, we have translated some prayers into Russian: they have not lost their power, but have become accessible and understandable.

Prayer to God before bed:

“Father of all living things, help me in this hour, forgive my sins, which I (name) have done through negligence today. If I offended a person with a swear word or an unacceptable act, I pray for forgiveness. Cleanse my soul from evil thoughts, and my flesh— from the desires of sinners. Deliver, God, from the vanity of the earth and reveal Your grace in a dream. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen"

Prayer to the Lord and Jesus Christ for the coming sleep:

“Our Father and Jesus Christ, grant me (name) your mercy, do not leave me on the path of life. I kneel and pray for help in tomorrow, keep my sleep and sanctify my life. May your salvation and your love descend upon me on my bed. Let go of my sins in a day and guide me along the path of repentance and light. Let all adversity pass as the day has passed. My God and your Son Jesus, I humbly believe in your power and power over evil. Save your servant (name). May your kingdom be eternal on earth. Amen".

Evening prayer to the Holy Spirit:

“Lord, the comforter of my soul. Show your mercy and save your servant (name) from misfortune. Through Your help, God, I want to cleanse my soul from the sins of the day. My thoughts and my words are involuntary, and therefore sinful. Save me from longing, sadness, despondency, grief and all evil intentions. Replace my corrupted deeds with the mercy of God and allow me to repent of my deeds. Have mercy on me before going to bed and forgive my sins. Grant Your intercession before the power of evil. I glorify you forever and ever. Amen".

Prayer to the Guardian Angel at night:

“My guardian, my soul and body are under Your protection. Forgive me (name) if I have sinned and neglected Your trust. For my daily work, I ask forgiveness and pray for deliverance from sin. Not out of malice, but involuntarily, I anger the Lord God and you, my Protector. Show me your grace and mercy. For the glory of our Lord. Amen".

In order for God and his saints to hear your prayers, you should say them with pure thoughts and love in your heart. You can choose one prayer, memorize it and read it every day before going to bed, because it is not a matter of quantity, but of your righteousness. With the help of prayers, you can fulfill your desires, the most important thing is to know the sacred text and have faith in God. be happy and don't forget to press the buttons and

03.05.2017 06:15

The icon of the Lord Almighty is one of the most important symbols of Orthodox believers. The famous image of Jesus Christ ...