Evening Orthodox prayer rule. Evening prayers to the Lord for the coming dream. Miraculous cases with prayers at night

Religious reading: when a short evening prayer is read to help our readers.

Briefoh evening prayer rule

Prayers for the dream to come

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

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

(It is read three times, with the sign of the cross and a bow from the waist.) Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen. Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Lord, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Your name's sake. Lord have mercy ( thrice) Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Lord have mercy. ( 12 times)

Prayer 1, Saint Macarius the Great, to God the Father

Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos

Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angel

Prayer of St. Joannicius

Prayer Rule

Prayer rule- daily morning and evening prayers performed by Christians. Their texts can be found in the prayer book.

The rule can be general - obligatory for all or individual, selected for the believer by the confessor, taking into account his spiritual state, strength and employment.

Consists of morning and evening prayers that take place daily. This vital rhythm is necessary, because otherwise the soul easily falls out of the life of prayer, as if waking up only from time to time. In prayer, as in any big and difficult task, "inspiration", "mood" and improvisation alone are not enough.

Reading prayers connects a person with their creators: psalmists and ascetics. This helps to find a spiritual mood akin to their burning heart. In praying in other people's words, our example is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. His prayer exclamations during the sufferings on the Cross are lines from psalms (Ps. 21:2; 30:6).

There are three basic prayer rules:

1) The complete prayer rule, which is printed in the "Orthodox Prayer Book";

2) Brief prayer rule. Lay people sometimes have situations when there is little time and energy left for prayer, and in this case it is better to read a short rule with attention and reverence than hastily and superficially, without a prayerful mood - the whole rule. The holy fathers teach to treat their prayer rule with reason, on the one hand, not giving indulgences to their passions, laziness, self-pity and others that can destroy a correct spiritual dispensation, and on the other hand, to learn to shorten or even slightly change the rule without temptation and embarrassment when there is a real need for it.

in the morning : “King of Heaven”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Virgin Mother of God”, “Rising from sleep”, “God have mercy on me”, “Symbol of faith”, “God, cleanse”, “To You, Master”, “Holy Angela”, “Most Holy Lady”, invocation of the saints, prayer for the living and the dead;

In the evening : “King of Heaven”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Have mercy on us, Lord”, “Eternal God”, “Good King”, “Angel of Christ”, from “Choose Governor” to “It is worthy to eat”;

3) A short prayer rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov: three times "Our Father", three times "Virgin Mother of God" and once "Symbol of Faith" - for those exceptional days and circumstances when a person is extremely tired or very limited in time.

It is undesirable to completely omit the prayer rule. Even if the prayer rule is read without due attention, the words of the prayers, penetrating into the soul, have their cleansing effect.

The main prayers should be known by heart (with regular reading, they are gradually remembered by a person even with a very poor memory), so that they penetrate deeper into the heart and so that they can be repeated in any circumstances. It is advisable to study the text of the translation of prayers from Church Slavonic into Russian (see "Explanatory Prayer Book") in order to understand the meaning of each word and not pronounce a single word meaninglessly or without accurate understanding. It is very important that the person approaching prayer banish resentment, irritation, and bitterness from the heart. Without efforts aimed at serving people, at fighting sin, at establishing control over the body and the spiritual sphere, prayer cannot become the inner core of life.

In the conditions of modern life, given the workload and accelerated pace, it is not easy for the laity to set aside a certain time for prayer. Haste is the enemy of morning prayer, and fatigue is the enemy of evening prayer..

Morning prayers are best read before the start of any business (and before breakfast). In extreme cases, they are pronounced on the way from home. Late in the evening it is often difficult to concentrate due to fatigue, so it can be recommended to read the evening prayer rule in free minutes before dinner or even earlier.

During prayer, it is recommended to retire, light a lamp or a candle and stand in front of the icon. Depending on the nature of intra-family relationships, one can recommend reading the prayer rule together, with the whole family, or for each family member separately. Common Prayer recommended before eating food, on solemn days, before a festive meal and on other similar occasions. Family prayer is a kind of church, public prayer (the family is a kind of “home church”) and therefore does not replace individual prayer, but only complements it.

Before the beginning of prayer, one should make the sign of the cross and make several bows, half-length or earthly, and try to tune in to an inner conversation with God. The difficulty of prayer is often a sign of its true effectiveness.

Prayer for other people (see commemoration book) is an integral part of prayer. Standing before God does not alienate a person from his neighbors, but binds him to them with even closer ties. We should not be limited only to prayer for those close and dear to us. Praying for those who have caused us grief brings peace to the soul, affects these people and makes our prayer sacrificial.

It is good to end the prayer with thanksgiving to God for the gift of fellowship and contrition for one's inattention. Getting down to business, you must first think about what you have to say, do, see during the day and ask God for blessings and strength to follow His will. In the midst of a busy day, you need to say a short prayer (see The Jesus Prayer), which will help you find the Lord in everyday affairs.

Is it possible to shorten the prayer rule?

This question worries many modern people. However, it seems that it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to it, “yes” or “no”, regardless of the circumstances.

On the one hand, the rule exists in order to comply with it. The importance of the prayer rule lies in the fact that it orients the Christian in the right direction.

The rules of prayer included in the composition contribute to the formation of the proper relationship of the pilgrim with God, the saints and, in general, with neighbors, protecting him from the actions of evil forces and inner passions.

Many, if they did not have this saving rule, perhaps they would not even know how exactly, about what exactly and with what regularity one should pray to God and His saints.

On the other hand, there are various situations in life when a believer, either due to physical or spiritual weakness, or due to other reasons (for example, in the case of especially responsible shifts and duties, guards, active hostilities), regularly read the entire prayer rule is either extremely difficult, or almost impossible.

In such a case, it should be remembered that the prayer rule, although it is a rule that implies the appropriateness of its implementation, however, does not imply an absolute, unconditional need for its observance.

Sometimes it is better to read fewer prayers, but sincerely and with zeal (from the heart) than all (component complete rule), but “formally” (carelessly, tongue twister, jumping over lines, etc.).

There are, by the way, abbreviated versions of the prayer rule.

But still, in case of doubts about this, it makes sense to seek a specific recommendation from an experienced, spiritually wise pastor, confessor.

Morning and evening rules are only necessary spiritual hygiene. We are commanded to pray without ceasing (see the Jesus Prayer). The holy fathers said: if you churn milk, you will get butter, and in prayer, it turns from quantity into quality.

“In order for a rule to become not an obstacle, but a real mover of a person to God, it is necessary that it be in proportion to his spiritual strength, correspond to his spiritual age and state of mind. Many people, not wanting to burden themselves, consciously choose prayer rules that are too light, which because of this become formal and do not bear fruit. But sometimes a great rule, chosen out of unreasonable jealousy, also becomes a shackle, plunging into despondency and preventing one from growing spiritually.

The rule is not a frozen form, during the course of life it must necessarily change both qualitatively and externally.

St. Theophan the Recluse briefly systematizes advice on reading the prayer rule:

“a) never read in a hurry, but read as if in a singsong voice ... In ancient times, everything recited prayers taken from the psalms... But nowhere do I see the word "read", but everywhere "sing"...

b) delve into every word and not only reproduce the thought of what you read in your mind, but also arouse a corresponding feeling ...

c) in order to cut off the urge for hasty reading, put - not read this and that, but stand on the reading prayer for a quarter of an hour, half an hour, an hour ... how long you usually stand ... and then do not worry ... how many prayers you read - but how the time has come, if not hunting to stand further, stop reading ...

d) having put this down, however, do not look at the clock, but stand like that in order to stand endlessly: the thought will not run ahead ...

e) in order to promote the movement of prayerful feelings in your free time, reread and rethink all the prayers that are included in your rule - and re-feel them, so that when you begin to read them on the rule, you know in advance what feeling should be aroused in the heart ...

f) never read prayers without interruption, but always interrupt them with your own prayer, with bows, whether in the middle of prayers you have to do this or at the end. As soon as something falls into your heart, immediately stop reading and bow down. This last rule is the most necessary and most necessary for cultivating the spirit of prayer ... If some other feeling takes a lot, you will be with him and bow, and leave the reading ... so until the very end of the allotted time.

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Is it possible to shorten the morning and evening prayer rule?

Content

Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) wrote in his Teaching on the Rule of Prayer: “The rule! What an exact name, borrowed from the very action produced on a person by prayers, called the rule! The rule of prayer directs the soul correctly and holily, teaches it to worship God in Spirit and Truth (John 4:23), while the soul, being left to itself, could not follow the right path of prayer. Because of her injury and darkening by sin, she would incessantly turn aside, often into an abyss, now into absent-mindedness, now into daydreaming, then into various empty and deceptive phantoms of high prayerful states composed by her vanity and voluptuousness.

The prayer rules keep the prayer in a saving disposition, humility and repentance, teaching him unceasing self-condemnation, nourishing him with compunction, strengthening him with hope in the All-Good and All-Merciful God, amusing him with the peace of Christ, love for God and for neighbors.

From these words of the saint it is clear that it is very salutary to read the morning and evening prayer rule. It spiritually pulls a person out of the turmoil of night dreams or daytime worries and places him before God. And the human soul enters into communion 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 kind is cast out only by prayer and fasting” (Matt. 17:21), sends him God's blessing and strength to live. Moreover, prayers were written by holy people: Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom Macarius the Great and others.That is, the very structure of the rule is very useful for the human soul.

Therefore, of course, to read the daily morning and evening prayer rule, so to speak, - necessary minimum for an Orthodox Christian. And it doesn't take much time. For someone who has entered the skill of reading, it takes about twenty minutes in the morning and the same amount in the evening.

If you do not have time to read the morning rule all at once, then break it into several parts. “Hat” from the beginning to “Lord have mercy” (12 times), inclusive, can, for example, be read at home; the following prayers - during breaks in work or their daily activities. In this, of course, you need to confess, but it's better than not reading at all. We are all people, and it is clear that we are very sinful and busy. Ending morning prayers Also, you control yourself. This concerns the commemorator. You can read the extended commemoration or the abbreviated one. At your discretion, depending on the time available.

A fairly common mistake of a novice Orthodox Christian is to read the evening prayer rule just before going to bed. You sway, stagger, mumble the words of a 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. Obligatory hard labor before going to 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 “Lord, Lover of mankind ...” If you, dear brothers and sisters, have paid attention, then before this prayer there is a prayer of forgiveness: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son God... have mercy on us. Amen". It really is a vacation. You can read the evening prayers before him, inclusive, long before bedtime: at six, seven, eight o'clock in the evening. Then go about your daily evening activities. You can still eat and drink tea, as Father Nikon said, to chat with loved ones.

And already starting with the prayer “Lord Lover of Man…” and to the end, the rule is read immediately before going to bed. During the prayer "Let God rise again" you need to cross yourself and you can cross your bed and house on the four cardinal points (starting from Orthodox tradition from the east), protecting themselves, loved ones and their homes 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 Your hands, Lord ..." you ask for a blessing from God on good dream and commit your soul to Him. After that, you should go to bed.

I would also like to draw your attention, dear brothers and sisters, to the rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov. Many understand it as three readings per day (morning, afternoon, evening) of 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, St. Seraphim said that a person in the first half of the day should read the Jesus Prayer almost all the time or, if people are around, in the mind, “Lord, have mercy,” and after dinner, instead of the Jesus prayer, “Most Holy Theotokos, save me, a sinner."

That is, Saint Seraphim offers a person a spiritual exercise in uninterrupted prayer, and not just a relief from the evening and morning prayer rule. You can, of course, read a 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 a 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.

St. Ignatius warns us about it in the aforementioned work: it is necessary to make both the rules and bows with the possible slowness and attention. It is better to read less prayers and bow less, but with attention, than a lot and without attention.

Choose for yourself a rule corresponding to the forces. What the Lord said about the Sabbath, that it is for a person, and not a person for it (Mark 2:27), can and should be attributed 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 unbearable burden (a burdensome duty), crushing bodily strength and embarrassing the soul. Moreover, it should not serve as a pretext for proud and pernicious conceit, pernicious condemnation of loved ones and humiliation of neighbors.

The Monk Nicodemus the Holy Mountaineer in the book “Invisible Warfare” wrote: “... There are many clergy who deprive themselves of the saving fruit of the world from their spiritual deeds by prolonging them, believing that they will suffer damage if they do not bring them to the end, in false confidence , of course, that spiritual perfection consists in this. 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 calculate our strength in prayer. You should sit down and think about the time that everyone has. If, for example, you are a freight forwarder in a trading company and are on the road from morning till night, or you are married, work and you also need to devote time to your husband, children, organize family life, then maybe the morning and evening prayer rule is enough for you and the reading of two chapters of the "Apostle", a chapter of the gospel daily. Because if you also take upon yourself the reading of various akathists, several kathismas, then you will not have time to live. And if you are a pensioner or work somewhere as a security guard or at another job, having free time, then why not read akathists and kathismas.

It is necessary to pray not only in grief or life's difficulties, but also every day, thanking God for all the blessings that He sends us. Prayers are read when they wake up and go to bed, and thereby invoke the grace of God for life. A constant prayer rule brings spiritual peace and tranquility.

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During the day, unpleasant emotions accumulate, fatigue, committed actions burden the conscience. All this adversely affects sleep. Not always heavy thoughts about the future let you fall asleep. Brief and understandable prayers to God, the Blessed Virgin and saints before going to bed will help calm your thoughts and tell you how best to proceed.

Why should you pray daily?

Modern life is very busy, it requires from a person full dedication and constant acceleration, combining many things. It is important for an Orthodox Christian not to lose sight of the main thing, namely the need for constant communication with the Creator. It is important to allocate a certain time for reading the prayer for the coming dream and steadily adhere to it. This will help to develop a habit and life will certainly begin to change for the better.



Prayer before bed will help:

• turn thoughts to God;
• bring repentance for unworthy deeds committed during the day;
• to thank for life and health, daily bread, pleasant moments;
• drive away bad thoughts;
• ask for support and help for the future.

You can read only one prayer or read the full evening prayer rule, turn to God and the saints in ready-made texts or in your own words. The choice depends on the desire of the worshiper and the availability of free time. If a person is busy with work and household duties, you can learn a few prayers and read on the way, or doing monotonous work.

If there are problems with sleep due to worries and stress, then it is recommended to read the evening prayer rule from the prayer books. An appeal to the Almighty, the Mother of God will help to realize that not everything is in the power of man, but everything is possible for God, the nerves will calm down and a peaceful sleep will come.

Prayer is a spiritual work that brings good results. The one who prays notices that he is gaining love, patience, and peace in his soul. It doesn't come all at once, but you have to strive for it. A person gradually conquers passions, takes over bad habits.



Whom do they pray to before going to bed?

Evening prayer includes an appeal to God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the guardian angel. Also, with separate prayers, they turn to the Most Holy Spirit, the Life-Giving Cross. Included in the rules and prayers for every hour of the day and night, written by St. John Chrysostom, commemoration, confession of sins.

Before going to bed, they ask God for forgiveness of sins. Bad deeds deprive people of grace and drive away the guardian angel, since holiness and evil are incompatible. But if you have not yet managed to become a saint, do not despair, because the Bible says: "There is no person who would not sin." daily prayers help in the work on the correction of life, because the Almighty always goes forward, appreciating even one good intention.

God forgives those who sincerely repent, their souls are freed from the burden of sins, and a state of peace and hope for the best sets in. They ask God and the guardian angel for protection from evil, since the devil confuses a person and is the cause of falling into sin. The main note of night prayers is to become worthy of the grace of God, to be worthy of eternal life with God and His saints.

Requests to the Mother of God consist in instruction on good deeds and a sinless life. There is one unusual prayer in the rule - the kontakion to the Virgin Mary, briefly called the "Choose Voivode". This prayer was written after the miraculous lifting of the siege of Constantinople, when the patriarch with the icon of the Virgin went around the walls of the city, and the danger was over.






Evening prayer rule

In the Orthodox tradition, there are ready-made prayer rules for reading in the morning and in the evening. They are obligatory for all Christians. They can be found in every prayer book. These prayers are ancient and written by saints who had great spiritual experience.

For beginners, the meaning of a large number of prayers is captured only in general terms and can be interpreted by each in his own way, sometimes incorrectly. Expressions such as "fierce bodily anger" (severe bodily suffering) are not always clear to readers. Misunderstanding the words of the prayer turns prayer into mere meaningless reading.

The need of the soul to converse with God in an understandable language is better than beautiful highly poetic works in Church Slavonic, but incomprehensible to the mind of the praying one. Many collections of prayers and church hymns translated into Russian have been published. There is the so-called Explanatory Prayer Book, which includes the most common prayers, morning and night, the main liturgical texts, troparia and kontakia of major holidays.



Prayer "Our Father": the text of the Orthodox prayer appeal

Strong prayers for the coming dream

Prayer rules are helpers designed to teach a Christian how to pray correctly. They do not cancel their own prayer, but only direct it. In addition to the rules presented, there are other forms of night prayers.

The Optina elders wrote that prayer should be according to its power. It is better to reduce the number of prayers, but read them daily, than to read a lot, but not always. Elder Ambrose said: “It is better when the source flows incessantly, at least a little, than a lot with interruptions ... It is better not to have a great rule, but to constantly fulfill it, rather than a lot of perfect abandonment with interruptions.”

Three powerful prayers for the night

Great saint of God Seraphim of Sarov advised 3 strong prayers for everyday reading:

• "Our Father" 3 times;
• “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice” 3 times;
• Creed 1 time.

The text of the prayer "Our Father":




Prayer to the Mother of God:

Creed text.

Before falling asleep, we think about how the day went. And everything would be fine if you just thought. But, unfortunately, often people cannot fall asleep until the morning, literally going crazy from the attacks that suit their own thoughts. Christians are practically free from many such things, and in this they are helped by the right way of life and evening prayer for the coming dream. That is why it is so important to turn to the All-Holy Trinity before going to bed. In order for sleep to pass easily, it is imperative to talk with the Creator, protecting yourself from all kinds of internal and external storms. And both material and spiritual.

Why evening prayers are needed

Every Christian is, in fact, a warrior who has risen to fight for light, love and truth in his soul, as well as for his destiny in eternal life, which will come along with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of dead bodies.

The enemy of the human race is the devil, who, according to Sacred Tradition (the history of mankind, which is partially passed down from mouth to mouth), was immediately opposed to God creating someone else besides Angels, because these spiritual beings already possessed all the virtues and huge opportunities . And the animals were already created by the Creator who were carnal beings. The proud morning star was perplexed, why add one more flesh-bearing creature, an animal - a man?

But the Lord wanted to create such a creation that would unite all his other creations - both spiritual and material. Therefore, one more creatures appeared, angels in essence, but having their own material expression - people.

The first man, Adam, was that first fruitful angel, the crown of creation, in which God united the practically incompatible - spirit and matter, "made friends" heaven and earth. The devil was seized with jealousy and offended that God did not take into account his opinion, but at the same time realized how dear a person is to God. And he decided to take revenge. Since the Creator himself he could not do any harm, the former angel decided to strike at God's beloved creation.

According to Tradition(and part of Scripture), God visited Adam in Paradise at noon and taught him the mysteries of the universe. The first man alone, and then together with his woman Eve, quickly comprehended science. Adam penetrated the essence of many things and therefore was able to give names to animals according to God's plan for each of them. The devil realized that soon people would develop in such a way that they would become serious rivals in the arena of superiority, which existed only in the mind of a fallen and sadistic ordinary angel. Those Angels who remained with God and His truth, only rejoiced at their new brother and sister, gladly accepting new members of a huge family.

The devil decided to "seize the moment" while fallen and crippled spirits still remain smarter and more experienced than simple and pure people, so attached to the Father that they sacredly observe the ban on eating from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Then Satan, as you know, having entered the body of the serpent, crawled up to Eve, as to a younger and inexperienced one, and, having slandered the Creator that He did not allow eating from the Tree, because he was afraid that people would become like Him, persuaded Eve to eat the fruit.

At that moment, when the youngest succumbed to deceit and distorted lies, Satan practically spiritually killed us, people: the fruit from the Tree gave such consequences that the first flesh-bearing angels were unable to live like God and lost their heavenly bliss. He also killed us physically - through sin, and death came to us, that is, the inability of the body to live forever. Therefore, we call the devil, who was once one of the most beautiful and luminous angels, whom his brothers called Lucifer - Morning Star:

• father of all lies
• enemy of the human race,
• murderer,
• a misanthrope, etc.

But the loving Heavenly Father did not allow his beloved creation to perish, which, like the Angels, was also created eternal. People continued to grow, multiply and develop, but in different conditions, going through a harsh school of life on earth, where a choice is given: we continue to live with God or without Him.

On the path of each of us, regardless of faith and way of life, stood, stand and will stand in fierce malice spiritual enemies who hate us, who will go to any lie in order to seduce us, subjugate us, distract us from the Heavenly Father. It is known that Satan "boasted" that he would subdue everyone to himself and rule over us in hell.

The Lord created hell, a specially designated place that he withdrew His active participation and grace so that those who do not want to be with Him have such an opportunity. Michael the Archangel threw the devil there, and with him those who went over to the side of the liar and the proud went there.

And now the demons want only one thing: to drag as many people as possible with them in order to mock them for all eternity and avenge that God still loves man, and even for the sake of salvation and living together with him in the Kingdom of Heaven, in paradise, he was crucified for us, and even defeated death!

So is it really impossible for us to get rid of this spiritual abomination? Can. Jesus said, "this generation," that is, demons and demons, are driven out "by prayer and fasting." That is why everyone who has decided to resist and return to eternal life and love with God should often pay attention to their Parent - the Heavenly Father - and communicate with Him, pray. Prayer at night before going to bed will protect from demonic trials (temptations) and help in various needs.

Brief evening prayer rule

For strong protection by the holy fathers, who were able to defeat the devil and acquire the permanent presence of God in their souls, based on their experience, they compiled several rules of prayer. One of them is midnight. But for a modern person living in a crazy age of speeds and loads, it is too heavy and long.

Therefore, now this midnight rule, consisting of prayers and reading the psalms of David, has remained only in monastic life, occasionally in lay life. And for the laity, it was replaced by an abbreviated rule - prayers for the coming dream. Complete ancient prayers are now read by monks or Old Believers who did not recognize innovations and indulgences.

A relatively new evening rule consists of 10 prayers, which are addressed to each hypostasis of the Trinity:

• the first prayer is dedicated to the Father - the Creator of all living things,
• the second - to His Son and our Savior, thanks to whom a person has the opportunity to return to his "first grace",
• the third - to the Holy Spirit, the third hypostasis of God.

The rule also includes prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos, the Guardian Angel, and ends with the obligatory confession of sins to its Creator. The last phrase is sending your spirit to God and asking you to save and save it while the one who prayed remains in a dream.

All this rule is aimed at nightly preparation. person to possible death - transition to spiritual world and waiting in an individually prepared spiritual space for the Second Coming of Jesus and the Last Judgment, which will decide the fate of man in eternity. This is evidenced by the meek, contrite prayer of St. John of Damascus, read by an attentive prayer with special trepidation.

It begins with the words “Vladyka, Lover of mankind, will this coffin be for me?”. It sets one to renounce earthly values ​​and encourages each person to remember their heavenly homeland, delicately reminding that life is finite and God will definitely ask a person what he decided: to return to the “first grace” and prefer life with God in paradise, or choose a sinful life, and then hell and its inhabitants will be closer to his state.

The Christian also asks in his discourse with God "hating and offending" him to forgive. God will judge a Christian not only by prayers and sincere repentance of sins, but also by whether he prayed for his enemies.

An even more abbreviated prayer rule

Unfortunately, the modern realities of life are such that for an ordinary Christian, even this shortened rule, in comparison with the Midnight Office, is beyond its power. An abbreviation officially recognized by the church does not already exist. However, some abbreviations and even complete replacement. How soulful this replacement is is an open question. But in a situation where the spiritual potential of a Christian can be expressed by the words "either this way or no way," as a huge assumption, it can fit. But on one condition - this must be the blessing of the priest.

The blessing will allow not to fall into self-activity and pride, but to act in obedience, and it is one of the virtues that are pleasing to God.

There are at least two options:

• Seraphim's rule
• An evening rule abridged to a few prayers.

Seraphim's rule (prayer for the coming dream short 3 strong)

This is a short rule that St. Seraphim of Sarov blessed for people who, not because of laziness, but due to the severity of their work, did not have the opportunity to read the full version every day.

It includes three prayers:

• Our Father (read three times)
• Virgin Mary, rejoice (read three times),
• The symbol of faith ("I believe") - is read once.

Abbreviated rule of thumb

Schematically, it looks like this:

It is also worth noting that the prayers are written, albeit in Russian letters, but in the Church Slavonic language, so some words may be incomprehensible. In this case, it is necessary to turn to the interpretation of these words so that a conversation with God does not turn into a kind of spell reading. This is a godly thing. God-beloved David, great-grandfather Holy Mother of God, writes in his psalms as an instruction to believers, “sing to God, sing wisely,” that is, understand what you say, understand.

Miraculous cases with prayers at night

In order to strengthen faith and induce to a prayerful feat, we will give several examples of what happens when a person includes in his life an evening conversation with the Heavenly Father.

Getting rid of bad thoughts and images

A certain woman was often tormented bad thoughts: they continuously climbed into her head when she was already going to bed. Her imagination painted various unpleasant pictures, indecent scenes for her. It soon grew into a big problem. Realizing that she could not cope on her own, she went to the temple for confession. The priest, after listening, said that it was the demons that forced her to watch and listen to all these things, so that she would accept them as her own and thus sin by applying her will, her choice to them. The servant of God recommended that she read prayers for the coming sleep every evening. Imperceptibly the temptations ceased, as if they had never been.

Getting rid of demonic dreams

Demons, in order to confuse and subjugate a person, often try to intimidate him. To do this, they look for weaknesses, passions or fears and begin to “inflate” them. This is what happened to one man who experienced mystical fears - he was afraid that the vivid dreams that he had almost every night were actually prophetic. The fear was kindled by the fact that some episodes from dreams really came true, and things began to happen that could well be taken as signs, indications of possible events.

All this finally drove the impressionable person into a corner. Conversations with a psychologist did not bring a lasting effect, and the man went to the temple for confession, realizing that this was the last resort. The priest blessed him to read the evening rule. The man soon noted that ambiguous dreams and events that could be mistaken for signs or signs began to recede, and he himself stopped taking much of this seriously, focusing on more important things in his life, including spiritual.

God's help to a praying widow

A certain young woman was widowed early and was left alone with a young child in her arms. Terrified, she went to one spiritual person, old man, in Holy place, ask her how to live on. He told her not to lose heart, to live on, explained that her husband was alive and well, that only the “clothing” of his soul was lost, but his personality was preserved. He ordered to treat the spouse as if he had just left “on a long business trip” and blessed him to pray every morning and evening according to the rules established by the Church, and also to take Communion every 2 weeks.

The frightened woman, who tried her best to fulfill the blessing of the priest, noted that every day she had support from above. She succeeded in absolutely all things (and there were a lot of them after the departure of her husband), the Lord arranged for her cash payments and a side job, the baby was quickly accepted into kindergarten. As a result, every day she thanks the Lord for help, support and love, for the fact that she and her baby do not need anything, and prays for her beloved spouse, just as she did during his earthly life.

One believing woman from a nearby church invited her to go together to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. On the way, they read Orthodox morning and night prayers together, stopping for this at convenient places. In the monastery, they prayed together for the departed spouse and gave him a magpie. The next night, the widow dreamed of her beloved husband, who was standing in line for some spiritual rewards in some place, like a small temple. The dream began from the moment her husband approaches the sacred person and receives some reward from his hands.

In this article you will find prayers for the coming dream with interpretation. We have selected for you church texts and their translation into understandable Russian.

Prayers for the coming dream with interpretation

Tropari

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us; bewildering any answer, we offer this Timolitva as the Mistress of sin: have mercy on us.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us. Finding no justification for ourselves, we sinners offer You, as the Lord, this prayer, have mercy on us.

Glory:

Lord, have mercy on us, we put our trust in Thee; do not be angry with us, remember our iniquities below, but look now as if you are merciful, and deliver us from our enemies; Thou art our God, and we are Thy people, all works by Thy hand, and we call on Thy name.

Lord, have mercy on us, for we hope in You. Do not be very angry with us and do not remember our iniquities; but look now, as the Merciful, and deliver us from our enemies, for You are our God and we are Your people; We are all the work of Your hands and we call on Your name.

And now: Open the doors of Mercy to us, blessed Mother of God, hoping in Thee, let us not perish, but let us be delivered from troubles by Thee: Thou art the salvation of the Christian race.

And now: Open the doors of Mercy to us, Blessed Mother of God, so that we, who trust in You, would not perish, but would be delivered through You from troubles, for You are the salvation of the Christian race.

Prayer 1, Saint Macarius the Great, to God the Father

Eternal God and the King of every creature, having made me sing even at this hour, forgive me the sins that I have done in this day by deed, word and thought, and cleanse, Lord, my humble soul from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. And give me, Lord, in this night's sleep to pass away in peace, but having risen from my humble bed, I will please your most holy name, all the days of my stomach, and I will stop the enemies of the flesh and fleshless who fight me. And deliver me, O Lord, from vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil lusts. For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

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

In this prayer, we thank God for a well-spent day, ask Him to forgive sins, save us from all evil and Good night. This prayer ends with the doxology of the Holy Trinity.

Prayer 2, Saint Antiochus, to our Lord Jesus Christ

Almighty, the Word of the Father, He is perfect Himself, Jesus Christ, for the sake of Your mercy, never leave me, Your servant, but always in me
rest. Jesus, good Shepherd of Your sheep, do not betray me to sedition of the serpent, and do not leave me the desire of Satan, for there is a seed of aphids in me. You are, O Lord, worshiped God, Holy King, Jesus Christ, while sleeping, save me with a flickering light, by Your Holy Spirit, Who sanctified Your disciples. Give, Lord, to me, Your unworthy servant, Your salvation on my bed: enlighten my mind with the light of the mind of Your holy Gospel, soul with the love of Your Cross, heart with the purity of Your word, my body with Your impassive passion, save my thought with Your humility, and raise up me in time like Your praise. As if you were glorified with Your Father without beginning and with the Most Holy Spirit forever. Amen.

Almighty, Word of the Father, Jesus Christ, being Himself perfect, according to Your great mercy, never leave me, Your servant, but always abide in me. Jesus, good Shepherd of Your sheep, do not deliver me to the rebellious serpent and do not leave me to the will of Satan, for in me is the seed of destruction. You, Lord God, Who is worshipped, the Holy King, Jesus Christ, preserve me during my sleep with unfading light, by Your Holy Spirit, with which You sanctified Your disciples. Give, Lord, to me, Your unworthy servant, Your salvation on my bed: enlighten my mind with the light of understanding Your holy Gospel, soul with love for Your Cross, heart with the purity of Your word, my body with Your suffering, alien to passion, save my thought with Your humility . And lift me up at the proper time to glorify You. For You are glorified together with Your Father without beginning and with the Most Holy Spirit forever. Amen.

Prayer 3, to the Holy Spirit

Lord, the King of Heaven, the Comforter, the Soul of truth, have mercy and have mercy on me, Your sinful servant, and let me go unworthy, and forgive all, the tree You have sinned today as a man, more so, not as a man, but also more woefully than cattle, my free sins and involuntary, known and unknown: even from youth and from science they are evil, and even the essence is from arrogance and despondency. If I swear by Your name, or blaspheme in my thoughts; or whom I reproach; or I slandered whom with my anger, or grieved, or about what I became angry; or lied, or was worthless, or came to me poor, and despised him; or my brother grieved, or married, or whom I condemned; or you become proud, or you become proud, or you become angry; or standing by me in prayer, my mind moving about the wickedness of this world, or the corruption of thoughts; or overeat, or drunk, or laughing madly; or a crafty thought, or seeing a strange kindness, and by that wounded by the heart; or unlike the verbs, or the sin of my brother laughed, but my essence is countless sins; or about prayer, not radih, or otherwise that crafty deeds, I don’t remember, that’s all and more than these deeds. Have mercy on me, my Creator, my Lord, a sad and unworthy servant of Yours, and leave me, and let go, and forgive me, as a Good and Humanitarian, but I will lie down in peace, sleep and rest, prodigal, sinful and accursed az, and I will worship and sing And I will glorify Your honorable name, with the Father and His Only Begotten Son, now and forever and forever. Amen.

Lord, Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, have mercy and have mercy on me, Your sinful servant, let me go and forgive me, unworthy, everything that I have sinned against You today as a man, and, moreover, not only as a man, but even worse livestock; and forgive me, unworthy, all my sins, voluntary and involuntary, conscious and unconscious, committed from youth from evil deceit, irascibility and carelessness, and if by Your name I swore or blasphemed Him in my mind, or whom I reproached, or slandered in my anger, or grieved, or got angry about something, or lied, or slept untimely, or despised a beggar who came to me, or grieved my brother, or stirred up quarrels, or condemned whom, or became proud, or became proud, or became angry, or during prayer my mind aspired to crafty worldly thoughts, or had cunning thoughts, or ate too much, or got drunk, or laughed crazy, or thought evil, or, seeing the good of another, was wounded in the heart, or spoke obscenely, or laughed at the sin of my brother, while my sins are innumerable, or I was negligent in prayer, or I forgot everything else that I did evil, for my iniquities surpass those listed. Have mercy on me, my Creator and Master, your dull and unworthy servant, and allow me, and free me, and forgive me, as the Good and Humanitarian, so that I, prodigal, sinful and unhappy, lie down in peace, fall asleep and rest, bow, sing and glorifying your most honorable name with the Father and His Only Begotten Son, now and always and forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer 4, Saint Macarius the Great

What will I bring to Thee, or what will I repay Thee, the most gifted Immortal King, the generous and humane Lord, as if lazy to me for Your pleasure, and did nothing good, did You bring to the end of this past day, the conversion and salvation of my soul building? Be merciful to me, be a sinner and naked of every good deed, raise up my fallen soul, defiled in immeasurable sins, and take away from me all the evil thought of this visible life. Forgive my sins, O only Sinless One, even though I have sinned on this day, in knowledge and ignorance, in word and deed, and thought, and all my feelings. You yourself, covering, save me from every opposing situation with your divine power, and indescribable philanthropy, and strength.
Cleanse, O God, cleanse the multitude of my sins. Delight, Lord, deliver me from the snares of the evil one, and save my passionate soul, and fall on me with the light of Your face, when You come in glory, and now sleep uncondemned, create sleep, and without dreaming, and undisturbed, keep the thought of Your servant, and all Satan's work reject me, and enlighten with me the reasonable eyes of the heart, so that I will not fall asleep in. And send me an angel of peace, the guardian and mentor of my soul and body, may he deliver me from my enemies; so that, having risen from my bed, I will bring you prayers of thanksgiving. Hey, Lord, hear me, your sinful and wretched servant, with your will and conscience; grant me that I have risen to learn Thy words, and demonic despondency is far from me driven away to be created by Thy Angels; May I bless Your holy name, and glorify and glorify the Most Pure Theotokos Mary, You have given us sinners intercession, and accept this one who prays for us; we know, as if imitating Your philanthropy, and praying does not stop. Toya intercession, and the sign of the Holy Cross, and for the sake of all Your saints, keep my poor soul, Jesus Christ our God, for Thou art Holy, and glorified forever.
Amen.

What will I bring to You or what will I reward You, O Greatly Gifted Immortal King, Generous and Humane-Loving Lord, because You brought me, lazy in Your service and did nothing good, to the end of this past day, directing my soul to obedience and salvation. Be merciful to me, a sinner who has no good deed. Restore my soul, fallen and defiled by countless sins, and turn away from me the earthly sinful thought. You alone are Sinless, forgive my sins committed before You on this day consciously and unconsciously, in word, deed and thought, and all my feelings. You yourself save me from any enemy attack, protecting me with Your Divine power, indescribable philanthropy and strength; God, blot out and forgive my many sins, have mercy on me, Lord, free me from the nets of the devil, save my suffering soul and shine on me with the light of Your face when You come in Your glory. And now let me fall asleep with an uncondemned sleep and guard the thoughts of Your servant from dreams and embarrassment. Drive away the satanic action from me, enlighten the mental eyes of my heart so that I do not fall asleep in the sleep of death. Send me an angel of peace, guardian and mentor of my soul and body, delivering me from my enemies, so that, getting up from my bed, I would offer you prayers of thanksgiving. Oh Lord, hear me, your sinful and wretched servant. Give me, upon awakening, with a clear conscience, to learn Your law, remove demonic carelessness from me through Your Angels in order to bless Your holy name and glorify and praise the Most Pure Mother of God Mary, given to us, sinners, for protection; accept Her, praying for us, for I know that She, imitating Your philanthropy, prays unceasingly for us. By her intercession, the sign of the much-venerated Cross, and through the prayers of all Your saints, save my wretched soul, Jesus Christ our God, for You alone are Holy and Most Glorified forever. Amen.

Prayer 5th

Lord our God, if I have sinned in these days in word, deed and thought, as a Good and Lover of mankind, forgive me. Peaceful sleep and serene grant me. Send your guardian angel, covering and keeping me from all evil, as if you are the guardian of our souls and our bodies, and we send glory to you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.

Lord our God, in which I have sinned this day in word, deed and thought, forgive me, as Good and Humanitarian; Grant me a peaceful sleep, free from the excitement of passions; send Your Guardian Angel, protecting and preserving me from all evil, for You are the Guardian of our souls and bodies, and we send glory to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever. Amen.

In this evening prayer, we ask God for forgiveness of sins, peaceful sleep and a Guardian Angel who would save us from all evil. This prayer ends with a doxology to the Holy Trinity.

Prayer 6th

Lord our God, in Worthless faith and His name more than any name we call, give us, departing to sleep, weaken the soul and body, and keep us from
any dream, except for dark sweetness; set the striving of passions, quench the kindling of the uprising of the body. Give us a chaste life of deeds and words; Yes, a virtuous residence is receptive, the promised ones will not fall away from Your good ones, for blessed are You forever. Amen.

Lord our God, in whom we believe and whose name we call upon more than any name, grant us, who go to sleep, relief to the soul and body, save us from every dream and from vile voluptuousness; stop cravings; quench the flame of carnal excitations; Grant us to keep chastity in words and deeds, so that, having assumed a perfect life, we will not be deprived of Your promised blessings, for You are blessed forever. Amen.

Prayer 7, Saint John Chrysostom

(24 prayers, according to the number of hours of the day and night)

1 Lord, deprive me not of Thy heavenly blessings. 2 Lord, deliver me from eternal torment. 3 Lord, whether I have sinned in mind or thought, in word or deed, forgive me. 4 Lord, deliver me from all ignorance and forgetfulness, and cowardice, and petrified insensibility. 5 Lord, deliver me from every temptation. 6 Lord, enlighten my heart, darken the evil lust. 7 Lord, since I have sinned as a man, but You, as a generous God, have mercy on me, seeing the weakness of my soul. 8 Lord, send Thy grace to help me, that I may glorify Thy holy name. 9 Lord Jesus Christ, write me thy servant in the book of animals, and grant me a good end. 10 O Lord my God, if I have done nothing good before Thee, but grant me, according to Thy grace, to lay a good beginning. 11 Lord, sprinkle on my heart the dew of Thy grace. 12 Lord of heaven and earth, remember me, Thy sinful servant, cold and unclean, in Thy kingdom. Amen.

1 Lord, receive me in repentance. 2 Lord, do not leave me. 3 Lord, do not lead me into trouble. 4 Lord, give me a good thought. 5 Lord, give me tears, and the memory of death, and tenderness. 6 Lord, give me the thought of confessing my sins. 7 Lord, give me humility, chastity and obedience. 8 Lord, give me patience, generosity and meekness. 9 Lord, plant in me the root of good things; your fear is in my heart. 10 Lord, make me worthy to love you with all my soul and mind, and do your will in everything. 11 Lord, cover me from certain people, and demons, and passions, and from every other unsimilar thing. 12 Lord, weigh, as you do, as you will, so that your will be done in me, a sinner, as blessed are you forever. Amen.

Lord, do not deprive me of Your heavenly blessings. Lord, deliver me from eternal torment. Lord, I have sinned in mind or thought, word or deed, forgive me. Lord, deliver me from all ignorance, oblivion, cowardice and petrified insensitivity. Lord, deliver me from every temptation. Lord, enlighten my heart, darkened by evil aspirations. Lord, I have sinned as a man, but You, as a generous God, have mercy on me, seeing the weakness of my soul. Lord, send Your grace to help me, may I glorify Your holy name. Lord Jesus Christ, write me, Your servant, in the book of life and grant me a good end. Lord my God, even if I have done nothing good before Thee, but grant me, by Thy grace, to lay a good beginning. Lord, sprinkle my heart with the dew of Your grace. Lord of heaven and earth, remember me, Thy sinful, vile and unclean servant in Thy Kingdom.
Amen.

Lord, accept me, the penitent. Lord, don't leave me. Lord, do not lead me into misfortune. Lord, give me a good thought. Lord, give me tears, remembrance of death and tenderness. Lord, give me the disposition to confess my sins. Lord, give me humility, chastity and obedience. Lord, give me patience, generosity and meekness. Lord, plant Your good fear in my heart. Lord, make me worthy to love You with all my soul and mind, and in everything to do Your will. Lord, protect me from evil people, demons and passions, and from everything harmful to me. Lord, do according to Your will whatever You want, may Your will be upon me, a sinner, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer 8, to our Lord Jesus Christ

Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, for the sake of Your most honest Mother, and Your bodiless Angels, the Prophet and Forerunner and Your Baptist, the apostles of God, the bright and victorious martyrs, the reverend and God-bearing father, and all the saints with prayers, deliver me the present situation
demonic. Hey, my Lord and Creator, do not want the death of a sinner, but as if to turn and live to be him, give me the conversion of the accursed and unworthy; deliver me from the mouth of the destructive serpent that gapes, devour me and bring me down to hell alive. Hey, my Lord, my consolation, Even for the sake of the accursed in corruptible flesh, throw me out of wretchedness, and give consolation to my wretched soul. Plant in my heart to do Thy commandments, and leave evil deeds, and receive Thy blessedness: in Thee, O Lord, trust, save me.

Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, for the sake of the prayers of Your Most Honorable Mother, Your incorporeal Angels, as well as Your prophet Forerunner and Baptist, the evangelizing apostles, bright and victorious martyrs, reverend and God-bearing fathers and all the saints, deliver me from this demonic attack. Oh, my Lord and Creator, who does not desire the death of a sinner, but awaits his conversion and life, give conversion to me, who is cursed and unworthy; take me out of the mouth of the vicious serpent that wants to devour me and bring me down to hell alive. Oh, my Lord, my consolation, for the sake of me, the fallen, clothed in perishable flesh, deliver me from misfortune and give comfort to my soul, worthy of regret. Inspire my heart to fulfill Your commandments and leave evil deeds and receive Your blessedness, for in You, Lord, I trust, save me.

Prayer to the Mother of God, St. Peter the Studio

To Thee, the Most Pure Mother of God, as a cursed one, I pray: weigh, Queen, as if I sin without ceasing and anger Your Son and my God, and many times I repent, I find lies before God, and I repent trembling: surely the Lord will strike me, and by the hour again I create; lead this, my mistress, the Lady Theotokos, I pray, have mercy, yes strengthen, and do good work and grant me. Vesi bo, my Lady Mother of God, as if by no means an imam in hatred of my evil deeds, and with all my thought I love the law of my God; but we do not know, the Most Pure Lady, from where I hate it, I love it, but I transgress the good. Do not allow, Most Pure, my will to be done, it is not pleasing, but may the will of Your Son and my God be done: may it save me, and enlighten me, and give me the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that from now on I would stop foul deeds, and the rest would live in command Your Son, to Him is due all glory, honor and power, with His Father without beginning, and His Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever, amen.

To You, the Most Pure Mother of God, crouching, I, unfortunate, pray: You know, Queen, how I constantly sin and anger Your Son and my God. And although I repent many times, I turn out to be deceitful before God, and again I repent with fear, and immediately I do the same again: will the Lord really strike me? Knowing this, my Lady, the Lady Theotokos, I pray that she will have mercy and strengthen and teach me to do good. For you know, my Lady, Mother of God, that I absolutely abhor my evil deeds and with all my mind I love the law of my God, but I don’t know, Madam Most Pure, why I don’t do good, but I do evil that I don’t want. Do not allow, Most Pure, my evil will be fulfilled, but may the will of Your Son and my God, who will save me, enlighten me and give me the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that from now on I will stop doing bad things, and the rest of the time I would live according to the commandments of Your Son, Who belongs to all glory, honor and power with His Beginningless Father and the Most Holy, Good and life-giving Spirit of His, now and always and forever and ever. Amen.

I have done all the days of my belly- which I have created throughout my life.
secret eating- intemperance from food during fasting, eating secretly from others.
Neglect- carelessness (in the matter of salvation).
untruthfulness- a lie.
nasty business- criminal profit (profit).
by mischief- bribery, greed (mshel - self-interest).
Jealousy- jealousy, suspicion (incredulity).
memory malice- vindictiveness.
covetousness- greed, greed. In our tradition, enshrined in the catechism, it has become established that this word refers to any unrighteous robbed of one's neighbors: bribes, extortion, etc.
Feelings- feelings.
sins- sins.
Soul together and bodily- both spiritual and physical.
image to you- which you.
anger- angry.
One of the truths- I slandered; caused all evil, unrighteousness.
Winn to myself I present to you my God- I, guilty of all this, stand before You, my God.
I have the will to repent- I want to bring repentance.
tochia- only.
Past sins- my former (past) sins.
From all these, even the verbs- from all this that I said.

The need for daily repentance for sins committed throughout life is explained by the words of St. Anthony the Great: “Say that you are sinners, and mourn everything that you have done in a state of negligence. For this, the favor of the Lord will be with you and will act in you: for He is good and forgives the sins of all who turn to Him, whoever they may be, so that He will not remember them anymore.However, He wants those who have mercy themselves to remember the forgiveness of their sins, hitherto committed, so that, forgetting about that, to prevent what in his behavior in such a way, because of which they will be forced to give an account of those sins that have already been forgiven him ... ".
Preserving and constantly renewing repentance for the sins of our life, not forgetting about them, we should not at the same time “turn them in our mind”, re-experience, cling to them with memory. This is one of the manifestations of the art of "invisible warfare", the middle "royal" path, which a Christian should follow.
This prayer helps to consider daytime sins and maintains the memory of those committed earlier - all the days of life. Let us recall that sins sincerely confessed in the Sacrament of Penance are completely forgiven by the Lord, but this does not mean that we should forget about them. Sins remain in memory for humility and contrition about the deed.
Both at confession in the Sacrament of Repentance, and at daily confession to God, one must confess one's sins separately, consciously. Therefore, let us dwell on the sins mentioned in the prayer and indicate what deeds, deeds, words and thoughts can be meant by them. In doing so, we are guided by the Orthodox catechism and the instructions of the ascetics of the Orthodox Church.
drunkenness, drunkenness, secret eating- sins associated with the passion of gluttony, which is one of the eight major passions. secret eating- Eating secretly (out of greed, shame or unwillingness to share, in violation of the fast, in the use of unlawful food, etc.). The sins of gluttony also include polyphagy And guttural rage- a passion for enjoying taste sensations, that is, gourmandism, so planted in our days. drug use And smoking also belong to the field of drunkenness; if you have suffered or are suffering from these sinful addictions, include them in the list of sins.
idle talk. Let us recall the terrible word of the Lord Himself: I tell you that for every idle word that people say, they will give an answer on the day of judgment: for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.(Matthew 12:36-37).
And here is the patristic recipe for how to behave if the situation and conversations in the company are conducive to idle talk: "If you do not have a special need to stay, then leave; and when there is a need to stay, then turn your mind to prayer, not condemning idle talkers, but recognizing your weakness ". ( Reverend John the Prophet)
The Monk Ephraim the Syrian expands the concept of idle talk: “And what is an idle word? A promise of faith that is not fulfilled in deed. A person believes and confesses Christ, but remains idle, does not do what Christ commanded. when a person confesses and does not correct himself, when he says that he repents and sins again.
Despondency. This sin is often directly related to idle talk:
"Despondency is often one of the branches, one of the first offspring of verbosity ... Despondency is a relaxation of the soul, exhaustion of the mind ... a slanderer of God, as if He is unmerciful and inhumane; in psalmody it is weak, in prayer it is weak ... in obedience it is hypocritical" . ( Saint John of the Ladder)
Laziness, as we see, is closely connected with the passion of despondency. The Orthodox catechism names "laziness in relation to the teaching of piety, prayer and public worship" among the sins against the 1st commandment of the Law of God.
Rebuttal. "Bind your tongue, furiously striving for contradiction, and seventy times seven times a day fight with this tormentor," the holy fathers teach in the words of John of the Ladder. “Whoever stubbornly wishes to insist on his opinion in a conversation, even if it is fair, let him know that he is possessed by a diabolical illness; and if he does this in a conversation with his equals, then perhaps the denunciation of his elders will heal him; if but treats the big ones and the wisest in this way, then this ailment from people is incurable.
Disobedience. “The one who disobeys the word without a doubt does not obey the deed either, for whoever is unfaithful in word is adamant in deed,” St. John of the Ladder connects disobedience with contradiction. Everything in the Church is built on obedience; we must obey everyone and everyone whom the Lord has placed over us. Complete obedience in matters of spiritual life is necessary in relation to the spiritual father, in general, to pastors and spiritual teachers. But complete and unquestioning obedience (in everything that does not contradict faith and the Law of God) should be rendered by the wife to her husband, the children who have not yet created their own family - to their parents. Obey your superiors.
slander- a direct violation of the 9th commandment of the Law of God ( Do not bear false witness against your neighbor- Ref. 20.16). Any slander, any gossip and gossip, any unfair censure is slander. Almost certainly leads to slander condemnation of a neighbor, directly forbidden by the Lord: Judge not lest ye be judged(Matthew 7:1).
neglect- negligent fulfillment of the duties assigned to us by God, or even neglect of them. Neglect at work, neglect of one's household and family duties, neglect of prayer...
pride Abba Dorotheos calls the root of all passions, and St. Ephraim the Syrian - the mother of all evil.
"Self-love is a passionate and reckless love of the body. Love and continence are opposite to it. It is obvious that one who has self-love has all the passions." ( Saint Maximus the Confessor)
Acquisition. Covetousness...is idolatry, - says the apostle Paul (Col. 3, 5). Acquisitiveness is the passion of greed, which is one of the eight main passions, in action: any hoarding, addiction to various objects, stinginess and, conversely, wastefulness.
Theft. This concept includes not only any theft, but also any use of what is "bad": for example, "read out" a book in the library or with friends. A particularly severe type of theft is sacrilege - "appropriation of what is dedicated to God and what belongs to the Church" (see "Orthodox Catechism"), that is, not only the direct theft of sacred objects, but also: to take, without asking for the priest's blessing, donated on the eve or brought to the temple by benefactors for distribution, etc.
untruthfulness- any lie word. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who speak the truth are pleasing to Him(Prov. 12:22).
We must remember that there is no "innocent" lie, any lie is not from God. “A lie, in which there is no intention to harm one’s neighbor, is impermissible, because it does not agree with love and respect for one’s neighbor and is not worthy of a person, and especially a Christian, created for truth and love,” says St. Philaret in his “Orthodox Catechism.”
bad business- making a profit, profit in a bad, unrighteous way. The concept can include any body kit, measurement, deceit, but also any earnings that bring evil to people - for example, based on the satisfaction or incitement of sinful passions. The falsification of any documents and the use of forged documents (for example, travel tickets), the purchase of stolen goods on the cheap are also bad business. This also includes parasitism, "when they receive a salary for a position or pay for a business, but they do not fulfill their positions and deeds and, thus, they steal both the salary or pay, and the benefit that labor could bring to society or to someone for whom they should have worked. "(see "Orthodox Catechism").
mischief- covetousness, greed mshela- gain. This includes all types of extortion and bribery. And, since this sin is included in the prayer of repentance for all Orthodox Christians, you should carefully consider your life and discover its manifestations in it.
Jealousy- jealousy of all kinds.
Envy."Whoever envies his neighbor, he rebels against God - the giver of gifts." ( Saint John Chrysostom)
"... Envy and rivalry are a terrible poison: slander, hatred and murder are born from them." ( Venerable Ephraim the Syrian)
Anger- one of the eight major passions.
“Whatever the cause, the movement of anger kindles, it blinds the eyes of the heart and, putting a cover on the sharpness of mental vision, does not allow the Sun of truth to be seen. metal makes no difference in glare." ( Rev. John Cassian the Roman)
memory malice"there is the last limit of anger, the keeping in memory of sins against our neighbor, the aversion of the image of justification (God has determined: "forgive and it will be forgiven" - cf.: Lk. 6, 37), the destruction of all former virtues, a soul-destroying poison, a worm gnawing the heart, shame to pray (how do you say: "leave it, like we do..."?), a nail driven into the soul, unceasing sin, vigilant lawlessness, hourly evil. ( Saint John of the Ladder)
“If you bear a grudge against someone, pray for him; and, by prayer separating sorrow from the memory of the evil that he caused you, you will stop the movement of passion; becoming friendly and philanthropic, you will completely drive out passion from the soul.” ( Saint Maximus the Confessor)
Hatred. He who hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.(1 John 2:11). Whoever hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him(1 John 3:15). Whoever says, "I love God," and hates his brother, is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?(1 John 4:20).
covetousness- "when, under the guise of a certain right, but in reality with a violation of justice and philanthropy, they turn to their own advantage someone else's property or someone else's labor, or even the very misfortunes of their neighbors, for example, when lenders burden debtors with growth (loan interest), when owners exhaust those who depend from them by excessive taxes or work, if during the famine they sell bread at too high a price" (see "Orthodox Catechism"). In a broad sense, the word covetousness means in general covetousness, greed (passion for avarice); in this sense the word is used in the New Testament (Rom. 1:29; 2 Cor. 9:5; Eph. 4:19 and 5:3; Col. 3:5).
Serious sins committed during life, from among those that are not directly named in this prayer, should be included in it, and not “summed up” under one of the points (for example, blasphemy, grumbling against God, or attempting suicide, or killing the unborn children - abortion, etc.). In particular, this list does not contain sins related to the passion of fornication (and among them such as adultery and any extramarital cohabitation, and all violations of purity and chastity), and to the passion of pride, which is rightfully considered the most terrible of passions.