What is the correct morning and evening rule? Nuances of the evening rule

Preface

The prayer rule of a layman consists of morning and evening prayers, which are performed daily. This rhythm is necessary, because otherwise the soul easily falls out of the prayer life, as if waking up only from time to time. In prayer, as in any big and difficult matter, inspiration, mood and improvisation are not enough.

There is a complete prayer rule, intended for monks and spiritually experienced lay people, which is printed in Orthodox prayer book.

However, for those who are just beginning to get used to prayer, it is difficult to immediately begin to read the entire rule. Typically, confessors advise starting with several prayers, and then adding one prayer to the rule every 7-10 days, so that the skill of reading the rule is developed gradually and naturally.

In addition, the laity sometimes has situations when there is little time left for prayer, and in this case it is better to read the short rule with attention and reverence than to hastily and superficially, without a prayerful attitude, mechanically read out the full rule.

Thus, by cultivating a reasonable attitude towards the prayer rule, Saint Theophan the Recluse writes to one family person:

“Bless, Lord, and continue prayer according to your rule. But never commit yourself to a rule and think that there is anything valuable in having such a rule or always following it. The whole price is in heartfelt surrender before God. The saints write that if someone does not leave prayer as a condemned man, worthy of all punishment from the Lord, then he leaves it as a Pharisee. Another said: “while standing in prayer, stand as if at the Last Judgment, when God’s decisive decision about you is ready to come: go away or come.”

Formality and mechanism in prayer must be avoided in every possible way. Let this always be a matter of a deliberate, free decision, and make it with consciousness and feeling, and not somehow. In case you need to be able to shorten the rule. You never know family life accidents?.. You can, for example, in the morning and evening, when there is no time, read only the morning prayers and those for bedtime as a memory. You can not even read them all, but several at a time. You can not read anything at all, but make a few bows, but with true heartfelt prayer. The rule must be handled with complete freedom. Be the mistress of the rule, not the slave. She is only a servant of God, obligated to devote all the minutes of her life to pleasing Him.”

For such cases there is an established short prayer rule, designed for all believers.

In the morning it includes:

“To the Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Virgin Mother of God”, “Rising from sleep”, “Have mercy on me, O God”, “I Believe”, “God, cleanse”, “To You, Master”, “Holy Angel “,” “Holy Lady,” invocation of saints, prayer for the living and the dead.

In the evening it includes:

“To the Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Have mercy on us, Lord”, “Eternal God”, “Good King”, “Angel of Christ”, from “The Chosen Governor” to “It is worthy to eat”.

Morning prayers

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

Initial prayer

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

Trisagion

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.
(Read three times, with sign of the cross and a bow from the waist.)

Lord's Prayer

Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos

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

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity

Having risen from sleep, I thank Thee, Holy Trinity, for for the sake of Thy goodness and long-suffering, Thou hast not been angry with me, lazy and sinful, nor hast Thou destroyed me with my iniquities; but you usually loved mankind and in the despair of the one who lay down, you raised me up to practice and glorify Your power. And now enlighten my mental eyes, open my lips to learn Your words, and understand Your commandments, and do Your will, and sing to You in confession of the heart, and sing the praises of the all-holy. your name, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

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

Psalm 50

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

Symbol of faith

I believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were. For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became human. She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets. Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen.

First prayer of Saint Macarius the Great

God, cleanse me, a sinner, for I have done nothing good before You; but deliver me from the evil one, and may Thy will be done in me, may I open my unworthy lips without condemnation and praise Thy holy name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages Amen.

Prayer of the same saint

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

Prayer to the Guardian Angel

Holy Angel, standing before my accursed soul and my passionate life, do not leave me, a sinner, nor depart from me for my intemperance. Do not give room to the evil demon to possess me through the violence of this mortal body; strengthen my poor and thin hand and guide me on the path of salvation. To her, holy Angel of God, guardian and patron of my accursed soul and body, forgive me everything, I have offended you so greatly all the days of my life, and if I sinned this past night, cover me on this day, and save me from every opposite temptation May I not anger God in any sin, and pray for me to the Lord, that He may strengthen me in His passion, and show me worthy as a servant of His goodness. Amen.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary

My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, with Your saints and all-powerful prayers, take away from me, Your humble and cursed servant, despondency, oblivion, unreason, negligence, and all the nasty, evil and blasphemous thoughts from my cursed heart and from my darkened mind; and extinguish the flame of my passions, for I am poor and damned. And deliver me from many and cruel memories and enterprises, and free me from all evil actions. For Thou art blessed from all generations, and glorified is Thy most honorable name forever and ever. Amen.

Prayerful invocation of the saint whose name you bear

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

Prayer for the living

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

Prayer for the departed

Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants: my parents, relatives, benefactors (their names), and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.

End of prayers

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

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.

Prayers for the future

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

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

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

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

Tropari

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us; Perplexed by any answer, we offer this prayer to You as the Master of sin: have mercy on us.

Glory: Lord, have mercy on us, for we trust in You; Do not be angry with us, do not remember our iniquities, but look upon us now as if you are gracious, and deliver us from our enemies; For Thou art our God, and we are Thy people; all works are done by Thy hand, and we call upon Thy name.

And now: Open the doors of mercy to us, blessed Mother of God, who trust in You, so that we may not perish, but may be delivered from troubles by You: for You are the salvation of the Christian race.
Lord have mercy. (12 times)

Prayer 1, St. Macarius the Great, to God the Father

Eternal God and King of every creature, who has vouchsafed me even at this hour to come, forgive me the sins I have committed this day in deed, word and thought, and cleanse, O Lord, my humble soul from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. And grant me, Lord, to pass through this dream in peace at night, so that, rising from my humble bed, I will please Your most holy name all the days of my life, and will trample the fleshly and incorporeal enemies that fight me. And deliver me, Lord, from vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil lusts. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary

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

Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angel

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

Kontakion to the Mother of God

To the chosen Voivode, victorious, as having been delivered from the evil ones, let us write thanks to Thy servants, the Mother of God, but as having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Ti; Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.

Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ God, bring our prayer to Your Son and our God, may You save our souls.

I place all my trust in You, Mother of God, keep me under Your roof.

Virgin Mary, do not despise me, a sinner, who requires Your help and Your intercession, for my soul trusts in You, and have mercy on me.

Prayer of Saint Ioannikios

My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit: Holy Trinity, glory to Thee.

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

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

* From Easter to Ascension, instead of this prayer, the troparion is read:

“Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs.” (Three times) From Ascension to Trinity, we begin prayers with “Holy God...”, omitting all the preceding ones. This remark also applies to future bedtime prayers.

Throughout Bright Week, instead of this rule, the hours of Holy Easter are read.

** From Easter to Ascension, instead of this prayer, the chorus and irmos of the 9th song of the Easter canon are read:

“The angel cried out with grace: Pure Virgin, rejoice! And again the river: Rejoice! Your Son is risen three days from the grave and raised up the dead; people, have fun! Shine, shine, new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord is upon you. Rejoice now and be glad, O Zion. You, Pure One, show off, O Mother of God, about the rise of Your Nativity.”

These remarks also apply to future bedtime prayers.

Compiled using materials from the book:
How to learn home prayer. Moscow, “Ark”, 2004. Trifonov Pechenga Monastery

Rules of prayer and words of prayer.

Today there are no people in the world who do not know the meaning of the word “prayer.” For some these are just words, but for others it is much more – it is a conversation with God, an opportunity to thank Him, ask for help or protection in righteous deeds. But do you know how to properly pray to God and the saints in different places? Today we will talk exactly about this.

How to pray correctly at home, in church, in front of an icon, relics, so that God hears and helps us: Orthodox church rules

Each of us has prayed to God at least once in our lives - maybe it was in church, or maybe the prayer was a request for help in a difficult situation and was expressed in our own words. Even the most persistent and strong individuals sometimes turn to God. And in order for this appeal to be heard, one must adhere to the Orthodox church rules, which will be discussed further.

So, the first question that concerns everyone is: “How to pray correctly at home?” You can and even need to pray at home, but there are prescribed church rules that should be followed:

1. Preparation for prayer:

• Before prayer, you should wash, comb your hair and dress in clean clothes.
• Approach the icon with reverence, without shaking or waving your arms
• Stand straight, lean on both legs at the same time, do not shift, do not stretch your arms and legs (stand almost still), prayer on your knees is allowed
• It is necessary to mentally and morally tune in to prayer, banish all distracting thoughts, focus only on what you are going to do and why

• If you do not know the prayer by heart, you can read it from the prayer book
• If you have never prayed at home before, just read the “Our Father” and you can then ask/thank God in your own words for some deed
• It is better to read the prayer out loud and slowly, with reverence, passing every word “through” yourself
• If, while reading the prayer, you are distracted by any sudden thoughts, ideas or desires to do something right at that moment, you should not interrupt the prayer, try to drive away the thoughts and concentrate on the prayer
• And, of course, before saying the prayer, after its completion, if required, then during its reading, you should definitely sign yourself with the sign of the cross

1. Completing prayer at home:

• After you pray, you can do absolutely any business - be it cooking, cleaning or receiving guests.
• Usually at home the morning and evening prayers, as well as prayers before and after meals. Prayers are allowed at home and in “emergency situations” when one overcomes fear for family and friends or has serious illnesses.
• If you don’t have icons at home, you can pray in front of a window facing the east or in any place convenient for you, imagining the image of the one to whom the prayer is addressed.

Prayer at home or in church

The next equally important question: “How to pray in church?”:

• There are two types of prayers in the church - collective (common) and individual (independent)
• Church (common) prayers are performed simultaneously by groups of acquaintances and strangers under the guidance of a priest or priest. He reads a prayer, and everyone present listens carefully and repeats it mentally. It is believed that such prayers are stronger than single ones - when one is distracted, the rest will continue the prayer and the distracted one can easily join it, again becoming part of the flow
• Individual (single) prayers are performed by parishioners during the absence of services. In such cases, the worshiper chooses an icon and places a candle in front of it. Then you should read the “Our Father” and a prayer to the one whose image is on the icon. Praying out loud in full voice is not allowed in church. You can pray only in a quiet whisper or mentally.

The following is not allowed in the church:

• Individual prayer out loud
• Prayer with your back to the iconostasis
• Prayer while sitting (except in cases of extreme fatigue, disability, or serious illness that prevents the person from standing)

It is worth noting that in prayer in church, as in prayer at home, it is customary to make the sign of the cross before and after prayer. In addition, when visiting a church, the sign of the cross is performed before entering the church and after leaving it.

Prayer before the icon. You can pray in front of the icon both at home and in church. The main one is the rule of conversion - the prayer is said to the saint in front of whose icon you are standing. This rule cannot be broken. If you do not know where the icon you need is located in the church, you can check with the ministers and nuns.

Prayers to the relics. Some churches have the relics of saints; you can venerate them any day through special glass sarcophagi, and on major holidays you are allowed to venerate the relics themselves. In addition, it is believed that the relics of saints have very great power, so it is customary to turn to them for help in prayers.

It is no secret that few people have been able to venerate the relics and read the prayer in full, because, as usual, the queue creates a huge pressure on the one who is in front of the relics. Therefore, it is customary to do this:

• First, in the church they light a candle and pray in front of the icon of the saint whose relics they want to venerate
• They go to venerate the relics, and at the moment of the application they express their request or gratitude in a few words. This is done in a whisper or mentally.

The application to the relics is considered one of the most ancient rituals in Christianity and carries with it great value for true believers.

What basic prayers should an Orthodox Christian know and read?

As we previously mentioned, in prayers a person can ask for help, thank for help, ask for forgiveness or praise the Lord. It is according to this principle (by purpose) that prayers are classified:

• Prayers of praise are prayers in which people praise God without asking for anything for themselves. Such prayers include praises
• Prayers of thanksgiving are prayers in which people thank God for help in business, for protection in important matters that have been accomplished
• Prayers of petition are prayers in which people ask for help in worldly affairs, ask for protection for themselves and loved ones, ask for a speedy recovery, etc.
• Prayers of repentance are prayers in which people repent of their actions and words spoken.

It is believed that every Orthodox Christian should always remember the words of 5 prayers:

• "Our Father" - The Lord's Prayer
• “To the King of Heaven” - a prayer to the Holy Spirit
• “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice” - prayer to the Mother of God
• “It is worthy to eat” - prayer to the Mother of God

The Lord's Prayer: words

It is believed that Jesus Christ himself read this prayer, and then passed it on to his disciples. “Our Father” is a “universal” prayer - it can be read in all cases. Usually, home prayers and appeals to God begin with it, and they also ask for help and protection.

This is the first prayer that children should learn. Usually, “Our Father” is familiar from childhood, and almost everyone can recite it by heart. Such a prayer can be read mentally for your protection in dangerous situations, it is also read over the sick and small children so that they sleep well.

Prayer “Alive in Help”: words

One of the most powerful prayers is considered to be “Alive in Help.” According to legend, it was written by King David, it is very old, and therefore strong. This is a prayer-amulet and a prayer-assistant. It protects against attacks, injuries, disasters, evil spirits and its influence. In addition, it is recommended to read “Alive in Help” for those who are going on an important task - on a long journey, for an exam, before moving to a new place.

Alive in Help

It is believed that if you sew a piece of paper with the words of this prayer into the belt of your clothes (or better yet, even embroider them on the belt), then good luck awaits the person wearing such an outfit.

Prayer “Creed”: words

Surprisingly, the Creed prayer is not actually a prayer. This fact is recognized by the church, but still the “Creed” is always included in the prayer book. Why?

Symbol of faith

At its core, this prayer is a collection of dogmas Christian faith. They must be read at evening and morning prayers oh, and they also sing as part of the Liturgy of the Faithful. In addition, by reading the Creed, Christians repeat the truth of their faith over and over again.

Prayer for neighbors: words

It often happens that our family, friends or relatives need help. In this case, you can read the Jesus Prayer for your neighbors.

• In addition, if a person is baptized, you can pray for him in home prayer, pray in church and light candles for health, order notes about his health, in special cases (when a person really needs help) you can order a magpie for health.
• It is customary to pray for baptized relatives, loved ones and friends in the morning prayer rule, at the very end.
• Please note: you cannot light candles in church for unbaptized people, you cannot order notes and magpies about health. If an unbaptized person needs help, you can pray for him in home prayer in your own words, without lighting a candle.

Prayer for the departed: words

There are events that are beyond anyone's control. One such event is death. It brings grief, sadness and tears to a family where a person passes away. Everyone around mourns and sincerely wishes the deceased to go to Heaven. It is in such cases that prayers for the deceased are used. Such prayers can be read:

1. At home
2. In the church:

• Order a memorial service
• Submit a note for commemoration at the liturgy
• Order a magpie for the repose of the soul of the deceased

It is believed that after death a person will face the Last Judgment, at which they will ask about all his sins. The deceased himself will no longer be able to alleviate his suffering and his fate at the Last Judgment. But his relatives and friends can ask for him in prayers, give alms, order magpies. All this helps the soul get to Heaven.

IMPORTANT: Under no circumstances should you pray, light candles for the repose of the soul, or order magpies for a person who has committed suicide. In addition, this should not be done for the unbaptized.

Prayer for enemies: words

Each of us has enemies. Whether we like it or not, there are people who envy us, who do not like us because of their faith, personal qualities or actions. What to do in such a situation and how to protect yourself from negative impacts?

• That's right, pick up a prayer for the enemy and read it. Usually this is enough for a person to lose interest in you and stop taking any negative actions, speak out, etc.
• There are sections in prayer books devoted specifically to this issue. But there are times when home prayer alone is not enough

If you know that a person has a negative attitude towards you and on this basis constantly creates problems for you, then you should go to church.

In church you need to do the following:

• Pray for the health of your enemy
• Light a candle for his health
• In difficult cases, you can order this person a magpie for health (but only on the condition that you know for sure that the enemy is baptized)

In addition, every time you pray for your enemy, ask the Lord for patience to endure this.

Family prayer: words

Christian believers believe that the family is an extension of the church. That is why it is customary in many families to pray together.

• In houses where families pray, there is a so-called “red corner” where icons are placed. Usually a room is chosen for it in which everyone can fit in for prayer in such a way as to see the icons. The icons, in turn, are placed in the eastern corner of the room. As usual, the father of the family reads the prayer, the rest repeat it mentally
• If there is no such corner in the house, it’s okay. Family prayer can be said together before or after meals

• All family members, except the youngest children, participate in family prayer. Older children are allowed to repeat the words of the prayer after their father
• Family prayers are a very powerful amulet for the family. In such prayers you can ask for the whole family at once or for one person. In families where it is customary to pray together, real Christians grow up who are able to pass on their faith to their children.
• In addition, there are cases when such prayers helped the sick to recover, and married couples who long time I can’t have children or find the happiness of parenthood.

Is it possible and how to pray correctly in your own words?

As we previously told you, you can pray in your own words. But this does not mean that you just went into church, lit a candle and asked or thanked God for something. No.

There are also rules for praying in your own words:

• You can pray in your own words in the morning and evening rules between prayers
• Before praying in your own words, you should read the Lord's Prayer.
• Prayer in your own words still includes the sign of the cross
• They pray only in their own words for the unbaptized and people of other faiths (only in cases of extreme necessity)
• You can pray in your own words in home prayers and in church, but you should adhere to the rules
• You cannot pray in your own words, just as you cannot say an ordinary prayer, and at the same time ask for punishment for someone

Is it possible to read prayers in modern Russian?

Opinions differ on this matter. Some clergy say that prayers should be read only in the church language, others - that there is no difference. Usually a person turns to God in a language he understands, asking for something that is understandable to him. Therefore, if you have not learned “Our Father” in the church language or address the saints in your own language, which you understand, there is nothing wrong with that. It’s not for nothing that they say, “God understands every language.”

Is it possible to read prayers during menstruation?

In the Middle Ages, girls and women were prohibited from attending church during menstruation. But the origins of this issue have their own story, which confirms the opinion of many - You can pray and attend church during your period.

Today it is allowed to attend church and pray at home in front of icons during menstruation. But when visiting church, some restrictions still apply:

• During this period you cannot receive communion
• You cannot venerate relics, icons, or the altar cross given by the priest.
• It is prohibited to consume prosphora and holy water.

In addition, if a girl does not feel well during this special period, it is still better to refuse to attend church

Is it possible to read prayers from a computer or phone electronically?

Modern technologies are breaking into all areas of life, and religion is no exception. Read prayers from screens electronic media possible, but not advisable. If you have no other choice, you can read it once from the screen of your tablet/phone/monitor. The main thing in prayer is not the source of the texts, but the spiritual mood. But please note that It is not customary to read prayers in churches from a phone. Ministers or nuns may reprimand you.

Is it possible to read a prayer from a piece of paper?

• If you pray at home or in church and do not yet know the text of the prayer very well
• If you are in church, then the “cheat sheet” should be on clean slate, you should not rustle it or crush it. According to generally accepted rules, in church it is allowed to read prayers from the prayer book

Is it possible to read prayers in transport?

You can pray in public transport. It is advisable to do this while standing, but if it is not possible to stand (for example, the transport is full), reading prayers while sitting is allowed.

Is it possible to read a prayer to yourself in a whisper?

Prayers are read aloud on rare occasions, so It is considered quite normal to pray in a whisper or mentally. In addition, during general (church) prayer it is not even customary to whisper. You listen to the prayer that the priest reads, you can mentally repeat the words, but under no circumstances out loud. Family prayers or independent home prayers are read aloud when you pray alone.

Is it possible to say prayers after eating?

Orthodox Christians have a good family tradition– prayers before and after meals.

• It is permissible to say a prayer after eating only if you said a prayer before eating
• The prayer books contain special prayers before and after meals. They can be read both sitting and standing
• Young children are baptized by their parents during prayers. It is forbidden to start eating before the end of the prayer.

The ritual itself can occur in several ways:

• One person reads the prayer, the rest repeat it mentally
• Everyone reads a prayer out loud together
• Everyone mentally reads a prayer and makes the sign of the cross.

Is it possible to read prayers while sitting at home?

There are several ways to pray at home; we discussed them above. According to the rules, you can only pray while standing or kneeling. It is allowed to pray at home in a sitting position in several cases:

• A disability or illness that prevents a person from praying while standing. Bedridden patients are allowed to pray in any position that is convenient for them
• Extreme fatigue or exhaustion
• You can pray while sitting at the table before and after meals

Is it possible to read prayer at home only in the morning or only in the evening?

Reading prayers in the morning and evening is called morning and evening rules. Of course, you can pray only in the evening or only in the morning, but if possible it is better to do it both in the morning and in the evening. Also, if you feel the need to pray, but do not have a prayer book, read the Lord's Prayer 3 times.

Is it possible for a Muslim to recite the Lord's Prayer?

The Orthodox Church does not encourage such experiments in faith. Most often, priests answer this question with a decisive “no.” But there are also priests who try to get to the bottom of the problem - and if the need to read the Lord’s Prayer comes from the depths of the soul of a Muslim or Muslim woman, then in rare cases they give permission to read this particular prayer.

Is it possible to recite the prayer of detention to pregnant women?

The prayer for detention is considered a very powerful amulet, but at the same time, not all clergy recognize it as a prayer. It is usually read at home in front of a lit candle.

According to most priests, pregnant women should not read this prayer. If pregnant women have a need or are worried about the health of their baby, they are recommended to read special prayers for bearing a child, about healthy child and about saving the child for Mother Matrona.

Is it possible to read several prayers in a row?

Several prayers in a row are allowed to be read in the morning and evening rules, as well as for those people who feel the need for it. If you are just taking your first steps towards God, it is better to turn to him with one prayer in full concentration than with a dozen prayers with a mess in your head. It is also permissible, after reading “Our Father,” to pray in your own words, to ask or thank God for protection and help.

Is it possible for lay people to recite the Jesus Prayer?

There is an opinion that lay people should not say the Jesus Prayer. The ban on the words “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” for the laity existed for a long time for one reason only - monks turned to God with such a prayer, and worldly people Often, having heard this appeal in the church language, they did not understand it and could not repeat it. This is how an imaginary ban on this prayer arose. In fact, every Christian can say this prayer, it heals and clears the mind. You can repeat it 3 times in a row or using the rosary method.

Is it possible to read prayers not in front of an icon?

You can't pray in front of an icon. The Church does not prohibit saying prayers at the table (prayers before and after meals), prayers for protection and intercession in critical situations, prayers for recovery and healing can also be read over the sick. After all, in prayer, the presence of an icon in front of the person praying is not the main thing, the main thing is the mental attitude and readiness to pray.

Is it possible for pregnant women to read a prayer for the deceased?

Today it is not considered a sin for a pregnant woman to attend church. It is also not prohibited to order a magpie for the health of yourself, your relatives and loved ones. You can submit notes for the repose of the souls of deceased relatives.

But in most cases, priests still do not recommend pregnant women to read prayers for the deceased. This is especially true for the first 40 days after the death of close relatives. In addition, pregnant women are prohibited from ordering a magpie for the repose of acquaintances or friends.

Is it possible to read a prayer to an unbaptized person?

If an unbaptized person feels a craving for Orthodoxy, he can read Orthodox prayers. In addition, the church will recommend that he read the Gospel and think about further baptism.

Is it possible to read prayers without a candle?

The presence of a candle when reading a prayer is desirable and pious, but its presence is not prerequisite prayers. Since there are moments of urgent need for prayer, and there is no candle at hand, prayer without it is allowed.

As you can see, there are rules for reading prayers, but most of them are optional. Remember, when saying a prayer, the most important thing is not the place or the method, but your mental attitude and sincerity.

Video: How to read morning and evening prayers correctly?

Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) in his “Teaching on the Prayer Rule” wrote: “Rule! What an accurate name, borrowed from the very effect produced on a person by prayers called the rule! The prayer rule guides the soul correctly and holy, teaches it to worship God in Spirit and Truth (John 4:23), while the soul, left to itself, could not follow the correct path of prayer. Due to her damage and darkening by sin, she would constantly be seduced to the sides, often into the abyss, now into absent-mindedness, now into daydreaming, now into various empty and deceptive ghosts of high prayerful states, created by her vanity and voluptuousness.

Prayer rules keep the person praying in a saving disposition, humility and repentance, teaching him constant self-condemnation, feeding him with tenderness, strengthening him with hope in the All-Good and All-Merciful God, delighting him with the peace of Christ, love for God and for his neighbors.”

From these words of the saint it is clear that it is very saving to read the morning and evening prayer rules. It spiritually takes a person out of the confusion of night dreams or daytime worries and puts him before God. And the human soul enters into communication with its Creator. The grace of the Holy Spirit descends on a person, brings him into the necessary repentant mood, gives him inner world and harmony, drives away demons from him (“This race is driven out only by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21), sends down God’s blessing and strength to live. Moreover, the prayers were written by holy people: Saints Basil the Great and St. John Chrysostom, Rev. Macarius the Great and others. That is, the very structure of the rule is very useful for the human soul.

Therefore, of course, reading the morning and evening prayer rule every day, so to speak, - minimum required For Orthodox Christian. Moreover, it does not take much time. For someone who has gotten into the habit of reading, it takes about twenty minutes in the morning and the same in the evening.

If you don’t have time to read the morning rule all at once, then break it into several parts. “Little Cap” from the beginning to “Lord have mercy” (12 times), inclusive, can, for example, be read at home; The following prayers are during pauses in work or during your daily activities. This, of course, needs to be confessed, but it’s better than not reading it at all. We are all human, and it is clear that we are very sinful and busy. You also regulate the end of your morning prayers yourself. This concerns the commemoration. You can read the extended commemoration or the shortened one. At your discretion, depending on the time available.

A fairly common mistake of new Orthodox Christians is reading the evening prayer rule immediately before going to bed. You sway, stagger, mutter words of prayer, and you yourself think about how to lie down in bed under a warm blanket and fall asleep. So it turns out – not prayer, but torment. Mandatory hard labor before bed.

In fact, the evening prayer rule is read somewhat differently. Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev) wrote that after evening prayers you can leave time to talk and drink tea.

That is, in fact, you can read the evening prayer rule from the beginning to the prayer of St. John of Damascus “O Lord, Lover of Mankind...” If you, dear brothers and sisters, have noticed, then before this prayer there is a prayer of dismissal: “Lord Jesus Christ, the Son God... have mercy on us. Amen". It really is a vacation. You can read the evening prayers up to and including it long before bedtime: at six, seven, eight o’clock in the evening. Then go about your daily evening routine. You can still eat and drink tea, as Father Nikon said, and communicate with loved ones.

And starting with the prayer “Lord, Lover of Mankind...” and until the end, the rule is read immediately before going to bed. During the prayer “May God rise again,” you need to cross yourself and you can cross your bed and house to the four cardinal directions (starting from Orthodox tradition from the east), protecting yourself, your loved ones and your home with the sign of the cross from all evil.

After reading the second half of the evening prayers, nothing is eaten or drunk. In the prayer “In Thy hands, O Lord...” you ask God for blessings on good dream and surrender your soul to Him. After this you should go to bed.

I would also like to draw your attention, dear brothers and sisters, to the rule St. Seraphim Sarovsky. Many understand it as reading three times a day (morning, lunch, evening) certain prayers “Our Father” (three times), “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...” (three times) and the Creed (once). But it is not so. In addition to reading the rule three times, the Monk Seraphim said that in the first half of the day a person should read the Jesus Prayer almost all the time, or, if people are around, in his mind “Lord, have mercy,” and after lunch, instead of the Jesus Prayer, “Most Holy Theotokos, save me, a sinner."

That is, Saint Seraphim offers a person spiritual exercise in continuous prayer, and not just a relief from the evening and morning prayer rules. You can, of course, read the prayer according to the rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov, but only then you need to follow all the instructions of the great elder.

Therefore, I repeat once again, the morning and evening prayer rule is the necessary minimum for an Orthodox Christian.

I would also like to draw your attention, dear brothers and sisters, to a fairly common mistake that we often make.

Saint Ignatius warns us about it in the above-mentioned work: “When performing the rule and bows, one must not rush; It is necessary to perform both the rules and bows with as much leisure and attention as possible. It is better to say fewer prayers and bow down less, but with attention, than a lot and without attention.

Choose for yourself a rule that corresponds to your strengths. What the Lord said about the Sabbath, that it is for man, and not man for it (Mark 2:27), can and should be applied to all pious deeds, as well as to the prayer rule. A prayer rule is for a person, and not a person for a rule: it should contribute to a person’s achievement of spiritual success, and not serve as an inconvenient burden (onerous duty), crushing bodily strength and confusing the soul. Moreover, it should not serve as a reason for proud and harmful conceit, for harmful condemnation of loved ones and humiliation of others.”

Venerable Nikodim Svyatogorets in the book “ Invisible abuse" wrote: "... There are many clergy who deprive themselves of the saving fruit of the world from their spiritual works by prolonging them, believing that they will suffer damage if they do not complete them, in a false confidence, of course, that this is what spiritual perfection. Following their will in this way, they work hard and torment themselves, but do not receive true peace and inner peace, in which God truly finds and rests.”

That is, we need to count our strength in prayer. You should sit down and think about the time that everyone has. If you, for example, are a freight forwarder in a trading company and are on the road from morning to night, or you are married, work and still need to devote time to your husband, children, and organize family life, then perhaps the morning and evening prayer rule is enough for you and reading two chapters of "The Apostle", a chapter of the Gospel per day. Because if you also take upon yourself to read various akathists, several kathismas, then you will have no time left to live. And if you are a pensioner or work somewhere as a security guard or at another job, with free time, then why not read akathists and kathismas.

Explore yourself, your time, your capabilities, your strengths. Balance your prayer rule with your life so that it is not a burden, but a joy. Because it is better to read fewer prayers, but with heartfelt attention, than to read a lot, but thoughtlessly, mechanically. Prayer has power when you listen and read it with your whole being. Then a life-giving spring of communication with God will flow into our hearts.

Priest Andrey Chizhenko

Part 1.

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

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

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

– In the form in which the prayer rule is now printed in our prayer books, other Local Churches do not know it, except for those Slavic Churches that at one time began to focus on the church press Russian Empire and de facto borrowed our liturgical books and corresponding printed texts. In Greek-speaking Orthodox Churches We won't see anything like this. There, the following scheme is recommended for morning and evening prayers for the laity: in the evening - a reduction of Compline and some elements of Vespers, and for morning prayers - unchangeable parts borrowed from Midnight Office and Matins.

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

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

The collection of prayers under numbers arose quite late. The first text known to us is Francis Skaryna’s “The Road Book,” and today liturgists do not have a clear opinion about when and why such a collection was made. My assumption (it cannot be considered a final statement) is this: these texts first appeared in southwestern Rus', in the volosts, where there was a very strong Uniate influence and contacts with the Uniates. Most likely, there is, if not direct borrowing from the Uniates, then a certain kind of borrowing of liturgical and ascetic logic characteristic of that time catholic church, which clearly divided its composition into two categories: the church of those who teach and the church of students. For the laity, texts were offered that were supposed to be different from the texts read by the clergy, taking into account the different educational level and intra-church status of the laity.

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

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

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

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

– In the form in which they exist, morning and evening prayers are in some inconsistency with the principle of constructing Orthodox worship, which combines, as we all well know, a changeable and an unchangeable part. Moreover, among the changing parts there are repeated - daily, weekly, once a year - circles of worship: daily, weekly and annual. This principle of combining a solid, unchanging backbone, a skeleton on which everything is built up, and variable, changeable parts is very wisely designed and corresponds to the very principle of human psychology: on the one hand, it needs a norm, a charter, and on the other, variability so that the charter does not become into formal reading and repetition of texts that no longer evoke any internal response. And here there are just problems with the prayer rule, where the same texts are used in the morning and in the evening.

When preparing for Communion, the laity follows three of the same canons. Even in priestly preparation, the canons differ by week. If you open the service book, it says that each day of the week has its own canons. But among the laity the rule remains unchanged. So what, read only this for the rest of your life? It is clear that certain types of problems will arise.

Saint Theophan gives advice, which at one time I was very happy about. I myself and other people I know have found much spiritual benefit in this advice. He advises, when reading the prayer rule to combat coldness and dryness several times a week, noticing the standard chronological period taken to read the usual rule, to try in the same fifteen to twenty minutes, half an hour, not to set yourself the task of necessarily reading everything, but repeatedly returning to the place from which we were distracted or wandered in thought, to achieve utmost concentration on the words and meaning of prayer. Even if in the same twenty minutes we read only the initial prayers, we would learn to do it for real. At the same time, the saint does not say that it is generally necessary to switch to this approach. And he says that you need to combine: on some days, read the rule in its entirety, and on others, pray in this way.

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

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

In fact, prayer, I’ll say such a terrible phrase, needs to be approached creatively. It is impossible to dry it down to the level of a formally executed scheme: to have, on the one hand, the burden of having to carry out this scheme day after day, year after year, and on the other hand, some kind of periodic internal satisfaction from the fact that I am fulfilling what is due , and what else do you want from me in heaven, I did, not without difficulty, what was required. Prayer cannot be turned into reading and performing only a duty, and counting - I don’t have the gift of prayer, I’m a small person, the holy fathers, ascetics, mystics prayed, but we’ll just wander through the prayer book - and there’s no demand.

– Who should decide what prayer rule should be - should the person himself decide, or should he still go to his confessor, to a priest?

– If a Christian has a confessor with whom he determines the constants of his internal spiritual structure, then it would be absurd to do without in this case without him, you can decide for yourself what to do with your own head. We initially assume that a confessor is a person at least no less experienced in spiritual life than the one who turns to him, and in most cases somewhat more experienced. And in general - one head is good, but two are better. From the outside it is clearer that a person, even a reasonable person in many respects, may not notice. Therefore, it is prudent, when determining something that we seek to make permanent, to consult with our confessor.

But there is no advice for every movement of the soul. And if today you wanted to open the Psalter - not in terms of regular reading, but simply open and add the psalms of King David to your usual prayer routine - shouldn’t you call the priest? It’s another matter if you want to start reading kathismas along with the prayer rule. Then you need to consult and take a blessing for this, and the priest, based on whether you are ready, will help you with advice. Well, as for just natural movements of the soul - here you somehow have to decide for yourself.

“I think that it is better not to omit the initial prayers unnecessarily, because they contain perhaps the most concentrated experience of the Church - “To the Heavenly King,” “ Holy Trinity", who taught us the prayer "Our Father" we already know, "It is worthy to eat" or "Rejoice to the Virgin Mary" - there are so few of them, and they are so obviously chosen by the prayer experience of the Church. The charter sometimes asks us to abstain from them. “To the King of Heaven” - we wait 50 days before the Feast of Pentecost, on Bright Week We generally have a special prayer rule. I don't understand the logic of this refusal.

– Why is it necessary to pray exactly twice a day – morning and evening? One of our readers writes: when I work with children, cook or clean, it’s so easy for me to pray, but as soon as I stand in front of the icons, everything seems to be cut off.

– Several themes arise here at once. Nobody calls us to limit ourselves to only the morning or evening rule. The Apostle Paul says directly: pray without ceasing. The task of good organization of prayer life implies that a Christian strives not to forget about God during the day, including not to forget in prayer. There are many situations in our lives when prayer can be developed in a distinct way. But the reluctance to stand up and pray precisely when it is supposed to be a duty must be fought, because, as we know, the enemy of the human race is especially opposed there when there is no self-will. It's easy to do, it's done when I want. But it becomes a feat that I have to do regardless of whether I want to or not. Therefore, I would advise you not to give up efforts to put yourself in morning and evening prayers. Its size is another matter, especially for a mother with children. But it should be like some constant value of the prayer structure.

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

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

– What if you’re driving and put on a CD with prayers?

– I once treated this very harshly, I thought, well, these discs are some kind of hack, and then, from the experience of various clergy and laity, I saw that this could be an aid to the prayer rule.

The only thing I would say is that you don’t need to reduce your entire prayer life to listening to discs. It would be absurd to come home in the evening and take the evening rule, turn on the disc instead of yourself, and some reverent Lavra choir and experienced hierodeacon will begin to lull you to sleep in their usual voice. Everything should be in moderation.

– How can you relate to the rule given by the great saint? Like the rule given by the great saint. I just want to remind you under what circumstances he gave it: he gave it to those nuns and novices who were in difficult labor obediences for 14-16 hours a day. He gave them so that they could start and end their day without having the opportunity to fulfill regular monastic rules, and reminded them that this rule must be combined with internal prayer work during the labors that they carry out during the day.

Of course, if a person in a hot shop or in equally tiresome office work comes home so that eating a dinner, whipped up by his beloved wife and reading prayers is all that he has the strength left for, let him read the rule of St. Seraphim. But if you still have the strength to leisurely sit at your desk, make a few not-so-necessary phone calls, watch a movie or news on TV, read a friend’s feed on the Internet, and then - oh, you have to get up for work tomorrow and only have a few minutes left - then, perhaps, it is not the most correct way to limit yourself to the Seraphim rule.

To be continued…

It is quite difficult for an ignorant person who is just opening the path to the Lord to immediately understand the numerous rules of the Orthodox religion. Two things serve as a very simple shortcut to the Lord - faith in the Almighty and prayers addressed to him and the saints.

But which sacred texts should you start your day with? The answer lies on the surface - from morning calls. Accordingly, in the evening the day ends.

The key morning texts are: the Trisagion, God have mercy on me, Our Father, the Creed and, we strongly recommend Appeals to the Guardian Angel, Jesus Christ, and the Mother of God. They are asked for a blessing, protection for the whole day. In addition, the prayer book contains a large number of morning texts.

Below is a detailed list with brief description actions during a religious ceremony, and also a note on some of the sacred formulas.

Brief

Waking up in the morning, before doing anything else, cross yourself with reverence, mentally imagining the Almighty right in front of you, say:

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

God, be merciful to me, a sinner. (Gospel of Luke, chapter 28, verse 15)

Having spoken such a short but very significant appeal to the tax collector, bow down as if the Lord were in front of you.

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

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

Cross yourself with a bow. This should be done when working with any sacred text.

Next up is the text: To the Holy Spirit

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

Note: From Easter to Ascension, instead of this prayer, the troparion is read: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs.” (Three times) From Ascension to Trinity, we begin prayers with “Holy God...”, omitting all the preceding ones.

This remark also applies to future bedtime prayers.

There is a note here. Pay attention to them - it's important.

Trisagion:

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Read three times, with the sign of the cross and bow from the waist.)

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

Bow from the waist - this is important.

Next text: To the Holy Trinity

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.
Lord have mercy. (Three times).
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen
Note: When it is written “Glory”, “And now”, it must be read in full: “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”, “And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen"

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

Trinity Troparions:

Having risen from sleep, we fall down to Thee, the Good One, and cry out to Thee, the Mightier, the angelic song: Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O God, have mercy on us through the Mother of God.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
From bed and sleep You have raised me up, O Lord, enlighten my mind and heart, and open my lips to sing to You, Holy Trinity: Holy, Holy, Holy, O God, have mercy on us through the Mother of God.
And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Suddenly the Judge will come, and every deed will be exposed, but with fear we call at midnight: Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O God, have mercy on us by the Mother of God.
Lord have mercy. (12 times)

Long

Holy Trinity:

Having risen from sleep, I thank Thee, Holy Trinity, for for the sake of Thy goodness and long-suffering, Thou hast not been angry with me, lazy and sinful, nor hast Thou destroyed me with my iniquities; but you usually loved mankind and in the despair of the one who lay down, you raised me up to practice and glorify Your power. And now enlighten my mental eyes, open my lips to learn Thy words, and to understand Thy commandments, and to do Thy will, and to sing to Thee in heartfelt confession, and to sing Thy all-holy name, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages. centuries. Amen.


Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. (Bow).

Psalm 50:

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

Symbol of faith:

I believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were. For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became human. She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets. Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen.

№ 1

God, cleanse me, a sinner, for I have done nothing good before You; but deliver me from the evil one, and may Thy will be done in me, may I open my unworthy lips without condemnation and praise Thy holy name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages Amen.

Rising from sleep, I bring the midnight hymn to Ti, Savior, and falling down crying to Ti: do not let me fall asleep in a sinful death, but be gracious to me, crucified by will, and hasten me lying in laziness, and save me in standing and in prayer, and in sleep Rise up nightly for me a sinless day, O Christ God, and save me.

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

Lord, Who through Your many goodness and Your great bounty has given me, Your servant, the passing time of this night without misfortune to pass away from all evil that is contrary to me; You Yourself, Master, the Creator of all things, grant me with Your true light and an enlightened heart to do Your will, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Then they read prayers to Saint Basil:

№ 5

Lord Almighty, God of hosts and all flesh, who lives on high and looks upon the humble, but searches hearts and wombs and the innermost of people He is foreknowledgeable, beginningless and ever-present in the Light, but with Him there is no change or overshadowing; Himself, Immortal King, accept our prayers, even at the present time, boldly for the multitude of Your bounties, from the bad lips we create towards You, and forgive us our sins, whether in deed, word, and thought, knowledge, or ignorance, we have sinned; and cleanse us from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. And grant us with a cheerful heart and a sober thought to pass through the whole night of this present life, awaiting the coming of the bright and revealed day of Your Only Begotten Son, the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ, in which the Judge of all will come with glory, to whom he will give to each according to his deeds; let us not fall and become lazy, but be watchful and raised up for the work that is to come, prepare us for joy and the Divine palace of His glory, where those who celebrate the unceasing voice and the ineffable sweetness of those who behold Your face, the ineffable kindness. For You are the true Light, you enlighten and sanctify all things, and all creation sings to You forever and ever. Amen.

We bless you, O highest God and Lord of mercy, who always does great and unexplored, glorious and terrible things to us, countless in number, giving us sleep for the repose of our weakness, and the weakening of the labors of the arduous flesh. We thank Thee, for Thou didst not destroy us with our iniquities, but Thou didst usually love mankind, and in desperation, Thou didst raise us up to glorify Thy power. In the same way, we pray for Your immeasurable goodness, enlighten our thoughts, our eyes, and raise our minds from the heavy sleep of laziness: open our lips, and fulfill Your praise, so that we can unwaveringly sing and confess to You, in all, and from all, to the glorified God, To the Beginningless Father, with Your Only Begotten Son, and Your All-Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

No. 7 to the Blessed Virgin Mary

I sing Thy grace, O Lady, I pray to Thee, my mind is filled with grace. Go right and teach me the path of Christ’s commandments. Strengthen your children to songs, driving away despondency and sleep. Bound by the captivity of the Falls, allow me through Your prayers, Bride of God. Preserve me in the night and in the day, delivering me to those who fight against the enemy. She who gave birth to God, the life-giver, was killed by my passions and revived. Who gave birth to the non-evening Light, enlighten my blind soul. O wondrous Lady of the Palace, create for me the house of the Divine Spirit. You who gave birth to a doctor, heal my soul of many years of passion. Worried by the storm of life, guide me towards the path of repentance. Deliver me from eternal fire, and from evil worms, and from tartar. Do not show me joy as a demon, who is guilty of many sins. Create me again, having promised to be insensible, Immaculate, without sin. Show me the strangeness of all kinds of torment, and implore the Lord to all. Heavenly grant me joy with all the saints. Most Holy Virgin, hear the voice of Your indecent servant. Give me a stream of tears, Most Pure One, cleansing the filth of my soul. I bring lamentations from my heart to You continually, be zealous, Lady. Accept my prayer service and bring it to the blessed God. Transcending Angel, create me above the fusion of the world. Light-bearing heavenly Seine, direct spiritual grace in me. I lift up my hand and my lips to praise, defiled by filth, O All-Immaculate One. Deliver me from the dirty tricks that are strangling me, diligently begging Christ; To Him is due honor and worship, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

No. 8 To Jesus Christ our Lord

My most merciful and all-merciful God, Lord Jesus Christ, for the sake of love you came down and became incarnate for many reasons, so that you would save everyone. And again, Savior, save me by grace, I pray to You; Even if you save me from works, there is no grace and no gift, but more than debt. Hey, abundant in generosity and ineffable in mercy! Believe in Me, you say, O my Christ, you will live and will not see death forever. Even if faith in You saves the desperate, behold, I believe, save me, for You are my God and Creator. Let faith instead of works be imputed to me, O my God, for you will not find works to justify me. But may my faith prevail instead of all, may it answer, may it justify me, may it show me to be a partaker of Your eternal glory.
Let Satan not kidnap me, and boast to the Word that he has torn me from Your hand and fence; But either I want, save me, or I don’t want, Christ my Savior, I will soon foresee, I will soon perish: For you are my God from my mother’s womb. Grant me, O Lord, now to love Thee, as sometimes I have loved that same sin; and again work for You without laziness, just as you worked before the flattering Satan. Most of all, I will serve You, my Lord and God Jesus Christ, all the days of my life, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

No. 9 Guardian Angel

Holy Angel, standing before my accursed soul and my passionate life, do not leave me, a sinner, nor depart from me for my intemperance. Do not give room to the evil demon to possess me through the violence of this mortal body; strengthen my poor and thin hand and guide me on the path of salvation. To her, holy Angel of God, guardian and patron of my accursed soul and body, forgive me everything, I have offended you so greatly all the days of my life, and if I sinned this past night, cover me on this day, and save me from every opposite temptation May I not anger God in any sin, and pray for me to the Lord, that He may strengthen me in His passion, and show me worthy as a servant of His goodness. Amen.

No. 10 Mother of God

My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, with Your saints and all-powerful prayers, take away from me, Your humble and cursed servant, despondency, oblivion, unreason, negligence, and all the nasty, evil and blasphemous thoughts from my cursed heart and from my darkened mind; and extinguish the flame of my passions, for I am poor and damned. And deliver me from many and cruel memories and enterprises, and free me from all evil actions. For Thou art blessed from all generations, and glorified is Thy most honorable name forever and ever. Amen.

Next comes an appeal to the saint whose name you were named.

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

Then a song of praise is raised to the Mother of God

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

For the Fatherland, Troparion to the Cross

Save, Lord, Your people, and bless Your inheritance, victories Orthodox Christian bestowing on the resistance, and preserving Your residence through Your Cross.

Interchangeable

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

About the Deceased

Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants: my parents, relatives, benefactors (their names), and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.

If instead of two short prayers“for the living” and “for the dead” given above, two long memorial sacred texts are read:

Funeral service: For health

Remember, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, Thy mercy and generosity from all eternity, for whose sake Thou didst become man, and Thou didst deign to endure crucifixion and death, for the sake of the salvation of those who believe in Thee; and rose from the dead, you ascended into heaven and sit at the right hand of God the Father, and look upon the humble prayers of those who call upon You with all their hearts: incline Your ear, and hear the humble prayer of me, Your indecent servant, in the stench of the spiritual fragrance, brought to You for all Your people .
And in the first place, remember Your Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, which You have provided with Your venerable Blood, and establish, and strengthen, and expand, multiply, pacify, and preserve the insurmountable gates of hell forever; Calm the tearing of the Churches, quench the pagan vacillations, and quickly destroy and eradicate the heresies of rebellion, and convert them into nothingness by the power of Your Holy Spirit. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on our God-protected country, its authorities and army, protect their power with peace, and subdue every enemy and adversary under the nose of the Orthodox, and speak peaceful and good words in their hearts about Your Holy Church, and about all Your people: let us live a quiet and silent life in orthodoxy, and in all piety and purity. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on our Great Lord and Father His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, your Eminence metropolitans, archbishops and Orthodox bishops, priests and deacons, and the entire church clergy, who You have appointed to shepherd Your verbal flock, and through their prayers have mercy and save me, a sinner. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual father (his name), and with his holy prayers forgive my sins. (Bow)
Save, O Lord, and have mercy on my parents (their names), brothers and sisters, and my relatives according to the flesh, and all the neighbors of my family, and others, and grant them Your peaceful and most peaceful goodness. (Bow)
Save, O Lord, and have mercy according to the multitude of Your bounties, all the sacred monks, monks and nuns, and all those living in virginity and reverence and fasting in monasteries, in deserts, in caves, mountains, pillars, gates, rock crevices, and sea islands, and in every place of Thy dominion those who live faithfully, and piously serve Thee, and pray to Thee: ease their burden, and comfort their sorrow, and grant them strength and strength to strive for Thee, and through their prayers grant me remission of sins. (Bow)
Save, O Lord, and have mercy on the old and the young, the poor and the orphans and the widows, and those who are in sickness and sorrow, troubles and sorrows, conditions and captivity, prisons and imprisonments, and even more so in persecution, for You for the sake of the Orthodox faith, from the tongue of the godless, from the apostate and from the heretics, Thy present servants, and remember, visit, strengthen, comfort, and soon by Thy power I will weaken, grant them freedom and deliver. (Bow)

Save, O Lord, and have mercy on those who do good to us, who are merciful and nourishing to us, who gave us alms, and who commanded us to the unworthy to pray for them, and who give us peace, and do Thy mercy to them, granting them all, even petitions for salvation, and the perception of eternal blessings . (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on those sent to the service, those traveling, our fathers and brethren, and all Orthodox Christians. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on them who I tempted with my madness, and turned away from the path of salvation, and led me to evil and inappropriate deeds; By Your Divine Providence, return again to the path of salvation. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on those who hate and offend me, and those who create misfortunes against me, and do not leave them to perish for my sake, a sinner. (Bow)
Those who have departed from the Orthodox faith and are blinded by destructive heresies, enlighten with the light of Your knowledge and bring Your Holy Apostles to the Catholic Church. (Bow).

Funeral: For the departed

Remember, Lord, the Orthodox kings and queens, the noble princes and princesses, the most holy patriarchs, the most reverend metropolitans, archbishops and bishops who departed from this life, who served You in the priesthood and in the clergy, and in the monastic rank, and in Your eternal settlements with the saints rest in peace (Bow.)
Remember, Lord, the souls of Your departed servants, my parents (their names), and all relatives in the flesh; and forgive them all their sins, voluntary and involuntary, giving them the Kingdom and the communion of Thy eternal good things and Thy endless and blissful life of pleasure. (Bow)
Remember, O Lord, and all in the hope of resurrection and eternal life, those who have fallen asleep, our fathers and brothers and sisters, and those who lie here and everywhere, Orthodox Christians, and with Thy saints, where the light of Thy face shines, and have mercy on us, for He is Good and Lover of Humanity. Amen. (Bow)
Grant, Lord, remission of sins to all who have previously departed in the faith and hope of resurrection, our fathers, brothers and sisters, and create for them eternal memory. (Thrice)

Final

It is worthy to eat as truly to bless Thee, Theotokos, Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and Mother of our God. We magnify You, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Lord have mercy. (Thrice)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
Note: From Easter to Ascension, instead of this prayer, the chorus and irmos of the 9th song of the Easter canon are read:
“The angel cried out with grace: Pure Virgin, rejoice! And again the river: Rejoice! Your Son is risen three days from the grave and raised up the dead; people, have fun!
Shine, shine, new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord is upon you. Rejoice now and be glad, O Zion. You, Pure One, show off, O Mother of God, about the rise of Your Nativity.”

Evening prayers

Read before bed. A person thanks the Lord for a good day, meekly asks for a blessing for the coming sleep, and turns to repentance for the expected or accidental sins he committed during the day.

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

It is with such an appeal that it is necessary to begin a prayer service, consisting of reading several prayers for the occasion: in ours - before going to bed.

Jesus Christ

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all others, have mercy on us. Amen.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

To the heavenly king

Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything, Treasurer of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, our souls.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (three times).
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Holy Trinity

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us: Lord, cleanse our sins: Master, forgive our iniquities: Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake.
Lord have mercy (three times).
Glory... and now...
Note: Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be thy name: thy kingdom come: thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread: and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [Amen.]
(For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.)

Trinity Troparion

Having risen from sleep, we fall down to Thee, the Good One, and cry out to Thee, the Mightier, in the angelic song: Holy, holy, holy art thou, O God, have mercy on us through the Mother of God.
Glory: From bed and sleep You have raised me up, O Lord: enlighten my mind and heart, and open my lips, to sing to You, Holy Trinity: holy, holy, holy, O God, have mercy on us through the Theotokos.
And now: Suddenly the Judge will come, and every deed will be laid bare, but with fear we call at midnight: Holy, holy, holy art thou, O God, have mercy on us through the Mother of God.
Lord have mercy (12 times).

To the Holy Trinity

Having risen from sleep, I thank Thee, Holy Trinity, for for the sake of Thy goodness and long-suffering, Thou didst not become angry with me, lazy and sinful, but rather destroyed me with my iniquities: but Thou didst usually love mankind, and in the hopelessness of the one who lay down, Thou didst raise me up, in the hedgehog of the morning. and glorify Your power. And now enlighten my mental eyes, open my lips, to learn Thy words and understand Thy commandments, and to do Thy will, and to sing to Thee in confession of the heart, and to sing Thy all holy name, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. . Amen.

Jesus Christ worship

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

(Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your compassions, cleanse my iniquity. Above all, wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and I will take away my sin before me. You I have sinned only and committed evil before You: so that you may be justified in Your words and overcome the eternal judgment of You. For I was conceived in iniquity and in sins I gave birth to my mother. For You loved the truth, You showed me Your unknown and secret wisdom. Sprinkle I will be cleansed with hyssop; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Give joy and gladness to my hearing, and humble bones will rejoice. Turn away Your face from my sins, and cleanse all my iniquities. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Give me the joy of Your salvation, and strengthen me with the Lord’s Spirit. I will teach the wicked in Your way, and wickedness will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation, my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise. As if you had desired sacrifices, you would have given them: you do not favor burnt offerings.
A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit: God will not despise a contrite and humble heart. Bless Zion, O Lord, with Your favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offering: then they will lay the bullock on Your altar.)

Jesus Christ Lord

(To You, Lord, Lover of Mankind, having risen from sleep, I come running, and I strive for Your works with Your mercy, and I pray to You: help me at all times, in every thing, and deliver me from all worldly evil things and the devil’s haste, and save me and lead me into Your eternal Kingdom. For You are my Creator and the Provider and Giver of every good thing, in You is all my hope, and I send up glory to You now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.)
Who at all times and at every hour, in heaven and on earth, is worshiped and glorified, Christ God, long-suffering, abundantly merciful, abundantly gracious, who loves the righteous and has mercy on sinners, who calls everyone to salvation, promises for the sake of future blessings: Himself, Lord, accept and ours at the hour of this prayer and correct our belly to Your commandments, sanctify our souls, cleanse our bodies, correct our thoughts, cleanse our thoughts: and deliver us from all sorrow, evil and disease: protect us with Your saints Angles, and by their militia we observe and instruct Let us reach into the union of faith and into the mind your unapproachable glory: for blessed art thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Mother of God

My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, with Your saints and all-powerful prayers, take away from me, Your humble and damned servant, despondency, oblivion, unreason, negligence, and all the nasty, evil and blasphemous thoughts from my damned heart and from my darkened mind: and extinguish the flame of passions mine, for I am a beggar and a damned one, and deliver me from many and cruel memories and undertakings, and free me from all evil actions: for you are blessed from all generations, and glorified is Your most honorable name forever and ever. Amen.

Saint Joseph (Betrothed of the Virgin Mary)

Chosen to be the guardian of the Blessed Virgin Mary, nurturer and nourisher of the God-man, righteous Joseph, glorifying your service to the ineffable mystery of the incarnation of God the Word, let us sing praises to you. Now you stand before the throne of Christ our God, and having great boldness towards Him, pray for us who cry: Rejoice, righteous Joseph, quick helper and prayer for our souls. (Kontakion 1 from Akathist).

Guardian Angel

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

The patron saint after whom the person is named

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

Heavenly spirits - angels, archangels

All heavenly powers, Holy Angels and Archangels, pray to God for us sinners.

About everyday sins

I confess to You, my Lord God and Creator, in Holy Trinity To the one glorified and worshiped Father and Son and Holy Spirit, all my sins, which I have committed all the days of my life, and at every hour, and at the present time, in deed, word, thought, sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch and all my feelings, both spiritual and physical, have angered You in the image of my God and Creator, and have not been truthful to my neighbor. Regretting these things, I present my guilt to You, my God, and have the will to repent, so You, Lord my God, help me, with tears I humbly pray to You; But having passed over my sins, forgive me by Thy mercy, and forgive me from all these, for I am Good and Lover of Mankind.)

Repentance

Weaken, forgive, forgive, O God, our sins, voluntary and involuntary, even in word and in deed, even in knowledge and in ignorance, even in days and in nights, even in mind and in thought: forgive us everything, for it is good and a lover of humanity.

About the living and the dead

Forgive those who hate and offend us, Lord and lover of mankind. Do good to those who do good. Grant to all our brethren and relatives, and those who are alone, all the petitions for salvation and eternal life. Visit and heal in existing diseases, in existing freedom in prisons, wake up the ruler of those floating on the sea, hasten those traveling. Lord, remember our captive brethren, fellow believers of the Orthodox faith, and deliver them from every evil situation. Lord, have mercy and forgive those who commanded us, unworthy, to pray for them. Have mercy, O Lord, on those who serve us and have mercy on us, and grant them all the petitions for salvation and eternal life. Remember, Lord, our fathers and brethren who died before us, and all who died in pious faith; and where the light of Thy face shines upon me. Remember, Lord, our badness and wretchedness, and enlighten our minds with the light of reason of Your holy Gospel, and guide us on the path of Your commandments; through the prayers of Thy most pure Matera and all Thy saints. Amen.

Final

[Virgin Mother of God, rejoice, full of grace Mary, the Lord is with you. Blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.]
[We take refuge under Your mercy, Virgin Mother of God, do not despise our prayers in sorrow, but deliver us from troubles, O pure and blessed one. ]
(To the chosen Voivode, victorious, as having been delivered from the evil, let us write thanks to Thy servants, the Mother of God: but as having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Thee: Rejoice, Unmarried Bride.)
Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ God, bring our prayer to Your Son and our God, may You save our souls.
I place all my trust in You, Mother of God, keep me under Your roof.
Enlighten my eyes, O Christ God, so that not when I fall asleep into death, and not when my enemy says: “Let us be strong against him.”

Be the protector of my soul, O God, as I walk in the midst of many snares: deliver me from them and save me, O Blessed One, as a lover of mankind.
My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit: Holy Trinity, glory to Thee.
[God, be merciful to me, a sinner.]

[God, cleanse my sins and have mercy on me.]
[Infinitely sinned, Lord forgive me.]
[† In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.]
(It is worthy that You are truly blessed, the Mother of God, ever-blessed and most immaculate and the Mother of our God. We magnify You, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious seraphim without comparison, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption, the real Mother of God.)
(Glory... and now...)
(Lord, have mercy (three times).)
(Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all saints, have mercy on us. Amen.)

Before bedtime

May God rise again, and may His enemies be scattered, and may those who hate Him flee from His face. As smoke disappears, let them disappear: as wax melts in the face of fire, so let demons perish in the face lovers of God and those who are marked by the sign of the cross and in joy say: Rejoice, most honorable and life-giving cross of the Lord, drive away the demons by force of our cursed Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and trampled the power of the devil and gave us to you, His honorable cross to trample upon every adversary. O most honorable and life-giving cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Virgin Mary and with all the saints forever. Amen.
Or
Protect me, Lord, by the power of your honorable and life-giving cross, and save me from all evil.

Falling asleep

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

We tried to simplify the task as much as possible for a person interested in this topic by dividing the above material, arranging it in a logical sequence, without disturbing the sequence of sacred formulas. We hope this helps to some extent.

When studying the article and the prayers, psalms, etc. offered for it, please pay close attention to the notes on each text: how to read, how many times, how to bow, what prayers can be replaced with what.

Of course, not every person has the time and is unable to immediately muster the patience and humility for such long daily rituals. Nevertheless, gradually, step by step, discovering divine revelations for himself, the layman accepts other, albeit strict, rules of the church. With the blessing and assistance of the confessor, canonical formulas are chosen together with the priest. In the meantime, due to the complexity of mastering Christian Science, at first a beginner can read the main sacred texts, gradually adding others to them.

The right time

A special book called a prayer book contains clear instructions on the time to work with certain sacred texts: just getting out of bed - in the morning, and in the evening shortly before going to bed, that is, after all everyday worries have a long day. Under no circumstances should you watch TV, listen to the radio or anything else after reading, but go straight to bed.

However, there are times when for some reason a person does not have the opportunity to sleep: a flexible work shift, for example. Then asking for a blessing makes no sense, because you won’t go to rest anyway. It’s better to work with the Gospel or something else at your discretion instead of the usual rule.

Why should you read?

This is not easy, painstaking daily work that requires maximum concentration on words raised to God. Not just a time-consuming activity. And also the discovery in your soul of the inner Light of Truth. Sometimes, when pronouncing a complex formula of sacred words, you do not always understand what lies behind this or that phrase.
But suddenly, at some point, with the blessing of God, an understanding of something special comes, directed straight into the soul. And then a feeling that cannot be expressed in words - awe, joy - fills every corner of the soul with its light. Therefore, those who wish to obtain it must work diligently and selflessly.

Religious Christian literature

Having worked with established rules, if you feel the need to expand your personal spiritual horizons, be sure to carry out your plans, having previously consulted with your confessor about the subject of reading religious literature. Thank God, there is quite a lot of it and there is plenty to choose from.

Most often read:

• Holy Scripture;
• Bible: Old and New Testament;
• Lives of the Saints;
• Breviary;
• God's Law;
• Book of Hours;
• Akathists.

The list can be continued for a long time. Reading religious works is not only useful, but it makes you think about many things. Reconsider your views on many things. Sweep away the trash, join the divine light, and finally learn to love - God, people, yourself - simply and with all your heart.

True, this is not everyday reading, but sometimes a difficult task, since what is written requires comprehension, penetration into the very essence readable material, but not only. The difficulty is that many books are written in Old Church Slavonic, which poses quite serious obstacles for a modern reader who is not accustomed to this kind of language.

Therefore, you should not immediately get down to fundamental things, but it is better to consult with the priest, ask for his blessing, and ask him to explain unclear passages.

About how to write and pronounce

Accepted abbreviations in prayer books or other books about worship are often used to save space.
Of course, this method is convenient for churchgoers (readers, singers, etc.) who are well versed in the system of notes and footnotes. But what should a novice adherent of the faith do? How not to get lost if you haven’t even figured out the basics yet? The following will come to the rescue: short dictionary abbreviations, which provide the key to understanding and correctly reading the most frequently encountered religious formulations.

1.
“Glory, and now: (or: “Glory: And now:”) - Glory to the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
“Glory:” - Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
“and now:” - And now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Attention! In the Psalter, each of the kathismas - the twenty parts into which the Psalter is divided for reading - is divided into three parts, after each of which it is usually written: “Glory:” (these parts are therefore called “Glories”). In this (and only this) case, the designation “Glory:” replaces the following prayers:

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (Thrice)
Lord have mercy. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
2.
“Alleluia” (Three times) - Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God. (Thrice)
3.
“The Trisagion according to Our Father” or “The Trisagion. Holy Trinity... Our Father..." - the prayers are read sequentially:
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.
Lord have mercy. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
4.
The abbreviation “Come, let us worship...” should read:
Come, let us worship our King God. (Bow)
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. (Bow)
Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. (Bow).
5.
Instead of the Theotokos, we usually say: Most Holy Theotokos, save us, and instead of the Trinity: Most Holy Trinity, our God, glory to Thee, or Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Much more terminology is used in books for serving God, with whom professionals - priests, or people of deep true faith - work. Don't jump into this right away, start small. May the Lord help you!