Brief morning rule of Seraphim of Sarov. Prayer rule of Seraphim of Sarov for the laity

“My joy, I pray you, acquire a peaceful spirit, and then thousands of souls will be saved around you” (Seraphim of Sarov)

Seraphim of Sarov was born in 1754 in the city of Kursk into the family of merchant Isidor Moshnin and Agathia. Lost my father early. In his adolescence, he fell from the bell tower of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, which was under construction, but remained unharmed.

In 1776 he made a pilgrimage to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, where Elder Dosifei blessed and showed him the place where he should accept obedience and take monastic vows. This place was named the Sarov Desert. Two years later he became a novice under Elder Joseph at the Sarov Monastery in the Tambov province. In 1786 he became a monk and was ordained a hierodeacon, and seven years later he was ordained a hieromonk.

Having a penchant for solitude, he began to live in the forest in a cell, not far from the monastery. Already at this time, he demonstrated various feats, and in particular: physical (he wore the same clothes in winter and summer, got his own food in the forest, slept very little, had strict abstinence and fasting in many ways), reading books (re-reading the Gospel , patristic scripture),
daily long prayer, pillar service.

Near the cell, Seraphim planted a vegetable garden and built a beehouse.

Seeing the exploits St. Seraphim, the enemy of the human race armed himself against him and, wanting to force the saint to leave silence, decided to frighten him, but the monk protected himself with prayer and the power of the Life-giving Cross.

The devil brought “mental warfare” upon the saint—a persistent, prolonged temptation. To repel the onslaught of the enemy, the Monk Seraphim intensified his labors by taking upon himself the feat of pillar-building. Every night he climbed a huge stone in the forest and prayed with raised hands, crying out: “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” During the day, he prayed in his cell, also on a stone that he brought from the forest, leaving it only for a short rest and refreshing his body with meager food. The saint prayed like this for 1000 days and nights.

Life reports an incident like the venerable one from own hands fed the bear bread. One day, robbers attacked him in the forest and, in great anger, broke his head with the butt of an ax. Having searched Seraphim’s cell for themselves, they found nothing there. Later these people were identified, but Father Seraphim forgave and begged the authorities not to punish them.

In 1807, Seraphim took upon himself the monastic labor of silence, trying not to meet or communicate with anyone. Three years later he returned to the monastery, but went into seclusion for fifteen years (1825).

The holy elder in solitude was sometimes so immersed in inner heartfelt prayer that he remained motionless for a long time, neither hearing nor seeing anything around him.

After the end of the retreat, he received many visitors from monastics and laity, having, as it is said in his life, the gift of clairvoyance and healing from illnesses. It was visited by noble persons, including Emperor Alexander I.

He addressed everyone who came to him with the words “My joy!”, and greeted everyone at any time of the year with the words “Christ is risen!”

In 1831, Seraphim was granted a vision of the Mother of God surrounded by John the Baptist, John the Theologian and 12 virgins.

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov back in early XIX centuries predicted execution royal family, revolution and wars, millions of victims, but he said that great glory awaits Russia.
He said: “There will be a time in Rus' when the angels will not have time to receive the souls of the dying.”

Seraphim of Sarov died in 1833 in the Sarov Monastery in his cell during prayer. In 1903, the elder’s grave was opened and he was canonized.

According to the prophecy of Seraphim of Sarov, a hundred years after the discovery of his relics, Russia will begin to be reborn: “The Lord, through suffering, will lead her to great glory.” But this will happen after nationwide repentance.

Seraphim of Sarov wrote: “The Slavs are loved by God because they maintain true faith in the Lord to the end. And they will be rewarded with the great blessing of God: there will be an omnipotent language on earth, and there will be no other kingdom more omnipotent than the Russian-Slavic one on earth.”

The Monk Seraphim of Sarov considered prayer to be as necessary for life as air. He asked and demanded from his spiritual children that they pray unceasingly, and commanded them a prayer rule, which remained in the memory of the church under the name "Rules of Father Seraphim".

Waking up from sleep and having stood in a chosen place, everyone must protect himself sign of the cross and, standing in a chosen place, read that saving prayer that the Lord Himself conveyed to people, that is, “Our Father” (three times), then “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary” (three times), and finally, once the Creed.
Having completed this morning rule, let every Christian go to his work and, while studying at home or on the road, should read quietly to himself: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner”.
If you are surrounded by people, then, while doing business, say only with your mind: "Lord have mercy", and continue like this until lunchtime.
Before lunch do the morning rule.
Afternoon While doing his job, everyone should read quietly: “Most Holy Mother of God, save me, a sinner”, which continues until the night.
When you happen to spend time in solitude, you need to read: “Lord Jesus Christ, through the Mother of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”, and going to bed for the night, every Christian must repeat the morning rule, and after it, fall asleep with the sign of the cross.

At the same time, the monk spoke, pointing to the experience of St. fathers, that if a Christian adheres to this small rule, as a saving anchor among the waves of worldly vanity, fulfilling it with humility, he can achieve a high spiritual measure, for these prayers are the foundation of Christianity:

• First (Our Father)- as the word of the Lord Himself and set by Him as a model for all prayers
• Second (Virgin Mary, Hail)- brought from heaven by the Archangel as a greeting to the Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Lord
• The Last (Creed)- contains all the articles of faith

Let him who has time read the Gospel, the Apostle, other prayers, akathists, and canons. If it is impossible for someone to follow this rule - a servant, a forced person - then the wise old man advised to follow this rule while lying down, and while walking, and in action, remembering the words of Scripture: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Alexander A. Sokolovsky

In our hectic times, when everyone is in a hurry and fussing around, we don’t even have time to really pray. How can we care about morning or evening prayers? In the morning I got up and ran: I need to get the children ready for school or kindergarten, I need to feed my husband breakfast, and some , and to collect ourselves, to put ourselves in order, and such a thing every day. But we forget to think about our souls. But here, too, the holy fathers come to our aid. St. Seraphim of Sarov developed a short prayer rule for those laity who, for some reason is not able to follow a more complete prayer rule. All we need is to get out of bed 10 minutes earlier and pray briefly. And with this we will help our soul overcome anxiety, excitement, gain confidence and God’s protection.

Seraphim of Sarov advised to pray as follows: “Having risen from sleep, every Christian, standing in front of the holy icons, let him read the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” three times, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity, then the hymn to the Mother of God “Rejoice, Virgin Mary” also three times and, finally, Creed once. Having completed this rule, let everyone go about their work to which they have been assigned or called. While working at home or on the road somewhere, let him quietly read: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner,” and if others surround him, then, while doing business, let him say with his mind only: “ Lord have mercy,” and continues until lunch. Just before lunch, let him perform the above morning rule. After dinner, while doing his work, let him read quietly: “Most Holy Theotokos, save me a sinner,” and let him continue this until sleep. When going to bed, let every Christian read the above morning rule again; after that, let him fall asleep, protecting himself with the sign of the cross.” “Adhering to this rule,” says Fr. Seraphim, “one can reach the measure Christian perfection, for the three prayers indicated are the foundations of Christianity: the first, as a prayer given by the Lord Himself, is a model of all prayers; the second was brought from heaven by the Archangel in greeting to the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Lord; The symbol briefly contains all the saving dogmas of the Christian faith.” For those who, due to various circumstances, cannot follow this small rule, Rev. Seraphim advised reading it in any position: during classes, while walking, and even in bed, presenting the basis for this as the words of Scripture: “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Here it is
Brief prayer rule of Seraphim of Sarov
Lord's Prayer (Thrice)

Our Father, Who art in Heaven! Hallowed be Thy name,
let him come Your kingdom, Thy will be done, as it is
heaven and earth. Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debts.
com to ours; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from the evil one.

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity (Thrice)

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

Song of the Most Holy Theotokos (Thrice)
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, Blessed Mary,
The Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women
and Blessed is the Fruit of Your womb, like the Savior
You gave birth to our souls.

Creed
I believe in One God the Father, Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible.
And in One Lord Jesus Christ, 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, by whom all things were.
For our sake man and for our salvation came down from Heaven
and became incarnate of the Holy Spirit and became man.
Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate and suffering,
and buried. And 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 future 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, Like the Father
and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets.
In 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.

Christianity, like any other religion, has its own rules and traditions. Most of them came to us from antiquity and were modernized, adapting to modern society and the fast pace of life. Rules help to modern man do not stray from the true path and cleanse your soul from sinful temptations worldly life. One of the most powerful cleansing prayers, which is recommended for a believer to read every day, is the “Rule of the Mother of God.”

There are known both daily prayer rules and those that are performed only on holidays and special cases. The daily duties of any true believer include a number of prayers, which he must read in the morning and evening. These include, in reading order:

These holy words are read by a person who has just woken up and got out of bed. Pronounce morning prayer necessary before icons and before meals, but some deviation from the rules is allowed for especially busy and constantly rushing contemporaries.

After the day's worries, in the evening, before eating, a Christian must perform another ritual and read another list of prayers, which is designed to cleanse his soul and thoughts from the dirt of the past day. These, in reading order, include:

Daily appeal to God and the Mother of God is called a rule because it disciplines a person and sets him up for a certain time for personal communication with the Heavenly forces. Modern churchmen note that it is not necessary for working Christians to commit full course reading the holy words, doing it mechanically and “on the run.”

Ten minutes of communication with God sincerely and from the heart is allowed. There is nothing wrong with the fact that the person praying did not fulfill the rule completely, but he was in no hurry and was completely tuned in to the desired wave.

To the daily mandatory calls to To higher powers refers to the church and communication with the Immaculate Virgin. This appeal to the Mother of all mothers also has certain rules and canons that must be adhered to.

The fact that the Mother of God rule, a strong appeal to the Mother of God, was given to people by the All-Holy One herself is reported in many sources. Religious scholars and clergy note that the rule came to the laity back in the 8th century AD and was an unshakable decree for daily execution. Every Christian believer should turn to Mother of God during the day 150 times and read not only the prayer “Virgin Mary, Rejoice,” but also after every ten, remember one of the fifteen important life moments, called “Members.”

• Seraphim of Sarov;
• Alexy Uminsky;
• Theophan the Recluse.

The hieromonk from the village of Diveevo, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, instructing the parishioners who turned to him on the true path, knew a certain church ritual, which people called “The Rule of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov for the laity.”

In order to cleanse the soul and heart, the founder of Seraphimo-Diveevsky convent recommended that those wishing to walk along the well-trodden path around the holy monastery and read the appeal to the Virgin Mary “Rejoice, Virgin Mary” 150 times in a row. The elder assured that these 23 simple words, spoken sincerely and from the heart, can perform a miracle, heal anyone and help in solving any life situation.

Realizing that it is not always possible for a person to read from his hand holy conversion to the Mother of God, the Monk Seraphim said: the recitation of the prayer text can be shortened by 50 times for those who are just starting this righteous activity or those who really have little time to read it in full. Since turning to the saints every day is the true duty of any believer, Seraphim of Sarov compiled his simplified list of holy words that his eternally busy contemporaries will be able to observe. Brief Rule Seraphim of Sarov consists of the following necessary morning prayers:

• "Our Father";
• Trinity;
• "Virgin Mother of God";
• "Creed".

The prayer of all Christian prayers, “Our Father,” must be said 3 times, then turn to the Holy Trinity 1 time. After which the appeal to the Virgin Mary is read 3 times and the “Creed” is finally read 1 time. Having finished the morning communication with the Heavenly forces, a person can calmly begin breakfast and other planned activities.

Having a few free minutes, the monk recommended reading from memory to himself or, if possible, out loud an appeal to the Lord, or simply repeating “Lord, have mercy.” And the Evening Rule of the Theotokos of Seraphim of Sarov consists of three, the most important, in the opinion of the hieromonk, holy texts:

• "Our Father";
• “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice”;
• "Creed".

It is recommended to read all three addresses when you come home before dinner, leaving all worldly affairs for a few minutes and retiring in the communion of your soul with the Creator. “Our Father” and “Virgin Mother of God”, the Seraphim’s rule for the laity recommends reading 3 times, but the last holy text must be said only once.

Alexey Uminsky and Feofan the Recluse

The importance of turning to the saints and to the Virgin Mary was repeatedly emphasized by other clergy. For example, Archpriest Alexei Uminsky noted that prayer rules exist for the purpose of adhering to them and, if possible, saying them every day. Communication with the Mother of God enhances the effect of communication with God, since it is the Virgin Mary who always begs for the most necessary things for those who turn to her.

Saint Theophan the Recluse also advised believers and people in need of help to observe the prayer rule and especially the Theotokos. Regarding the rush and lack of extra time, he always said that it is better to read one prayer slowly and thoughtfully than to quickly recite the entire list in a patter, when the mind of the person praying is far from understanding the holy words.

There is even a church legend. It says that a believer, who often prayed and turned to the Mother of God, somehow dreamed of a heavenly court in which he was judged. He was so frightened by what was happening that he could not utter a word, but the Guardian Angel, who was always nearby, asked him to calm down and not be afraid of what was happening.

To the sincere surprise read in the dreamer’s eyes, the heavenly protector replied that the Virgin Mary, to whom he so often turned in life, would definitely intercede for him. Having woken up, the believer believed even more strongly in the correctness of his actions, and began to venerate the Mother of God even more sincerely and more often.

In the century modern technologies appeal to the Virgin Mary and others heavenly powers You can always listen online. The main thing is to remember that communication with God must come from the heart, and the words are spoken sincerely, then the appeal will be heard faster.

Attention, TODAY only!

The Monk Seraphim of Sarov taught the following prayer rule: “Rising from sleep, every Christian, standing before St. icons, let him read the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” three times, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity, then the hymn to the Mother of God “Rejoice, Virgin Mary” also three times and, finally, the Creed once. Having completed this rule, let everyone go about their work to which they have been assigned or called.

While working at home or on the road somewhere, let him quietly read: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner,” and if others surround him, then, while doing business, let him say with his mind only: “ Lord have mercy,” and continues until lunch. Just before lunch, let him perform the above morning rule. After lunch, while doing his work, let him read quietly: “Most Holy Theotokos, save me a sinner,” and let him continue this until sleep.

When going to bed, let every Christian read the above morning rule again; after that, let him fall asleep, protecting himself with the sign of the cross.”

For those who, due to various circumstances, cannot follow this prayer rule, Rev. Seraphim advised reading it in any position: during classes, while walking, and even in bed, presenting the basis for this as the words of Scripture: “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

The Seraphim rule (3 times “Our Father”; 3 times “To the Virgin Mary...”; 1 time “Creed”) was supposed to be prayed in certain cases, when for some reason it is not possible to read complete rule. That is, as an exception.

In addition, Rev. Seraphim gave it to the Diveyevo sisters, who, being nuns of the monastery, had the opportunity to often attend divine services - more often than the laity.

Spiritual life - and this especially concerns prayer - is such that if you do not constantly force yourself, there will be no success. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) says that prayer requires constant self-compulsion, no matter what spiritual state a person is in, i.e. even the saints forced themselves to pray. It is labor that is valuable before God. Constancy is important in work.

But there is another side to prayer. When a person constantly forces himself to do it, he suddenly discovers a special inner joy in the practice of prayer, so that at times he wants to give up everything for the sake of prayer. That is why there are people who go to monasteries. They go there for nothing other than prayer. And if prayer did not bring joy, it is unlikely that anyone would be able to stay there.

As for attention, which is truly the soul of prayer, it directly depends on the kind of life a person leads. He who leads an attentive life has attentive prayer. “The reason for the involuntary is arbitrary,” said the Fathers. An attentive life is when a person is attentive to everything that happens to him. First of all - inside him, and then around him: to all thoughts, experiences, desires, intentions. Every desire and every thought is compared with the Gospel: are they pleasing to God? - and leaves in the heart and mind only what is pleasing to God, expelling from there every manifestation of sin. It helps a lot to live an attentive life when a person has a spiritual father and can ask him what to do in a given situation, and can resolve various perplexities regarding spiritual life and external circumstances.

The saints of God were wise people. They understood that it is necessary to accustom a person to a pious life gradually: they do not pour new wine into old wineskins. Therefore, at first they gave their students small rules, and then they demanded greater severity. This is an indispensable law of spiritual life: forgetting what lies behind, reaching forward, as the apostle said.

They commanded short prayers as unceasing prayers so that the mind would not be distracted by many words and would maintain attention. Continuous prayer is performed during any task, called obedience in the monastery, and work in the world. These short prayers, performed according to the commandment “pray without ceasing,” should not interfere, therefore, if the work is mental, prayer is abandoned at this time. The home rule was commanded individually, in accordance with the spiritual strength of the student. And worship, sometimes even for the laity, took considerable time. No wonder it was called an all-night vigil. The reductions began in the 19th century. On Mount Athos, services still last 13-14 hours. I believe that the necessary minimum for any layman is morning and evening prayers in full.

Hieromonk Sergius

A brief daily prayer rule bequeathed by Seraphim of Sarov to all the laity. Father Seraphim himself called him “correct.” This prayer rule is also called: Seraphim's rule.

Brief prayer rule of Seraphim of Sarov

Many, coming to Fr. Seraphim, complained that they prayed to God little, even leaving the necessary afternoon prayers. Some said that they were doing this out of ignorance, others - out of lack of time. O. Seraphim bequeathed the following prayer rule to such people:

"Rising from sleep, every Christian, standing before the holy icons, let him read

The Lord's Prayer: Our Father - three times, in honor of the Holy Trinity,

Then the hymn to the Mother of God: Virgin Mary, rejoice - also three times,

And finally, the Creed: I believe in one God - once.

Having completed this rule, let every Christian go about his business to which he has been assigned or called.

While working at home or on the way somewhere, let him read quietly: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner or a sinner; and if others surround him, then, while doing business, let him say only this with his mind: Lord, have mercy and continue until lunch.

Just before lunch, let him perform the above morning rule.

After dinner, while doing his job, let every Christian also read quietly: Most Holy Theotokos, save me a sinner, and let him continue this until sleep.

When he happens to spend time in solitude, let him read: Lord Jesus Christ, through the Mother of God, have mercy on me, a sinner or a sinner.

When going to bed, let every Christian again read the above-mentioned morning rule, that is, three times Our Father, three times the Mother of God, and once the Creed. After that, let him fall asleep, protecting himself with the sign of the cross."

“By adhering to this rule,” said Father Seraphim, “one can achieve a measure of Christian perfection, for the three prayers indicated are the foundation of Christianity: the first, as a prayer given by the Lord Himself, is a model of all prayers; the second was brought from heaven by the Archangel in greeting to the Virgin Mary, the Mother Gentlemen; the Symbol briefly contains the saving dogmas of the Christian faith."

For those who, for various reasons, are unable to follow this small rule, St. Seraphim advised reading it in every position: during classes, while walking, and even in bed, citing the words of Holy Scripture as the basis for this: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Prayers for the rule

Lord's Prayer: Our Father Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, may your kingdom come, Thy will be done as in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we also leave our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Prayer: Virgin Mary, rejoice Rejoice, Virgin Mary, Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among wives, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, For you gave birth to the Savior of our souls.

Prayer: Creed 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, begotten, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were. For our sake man and for our sake of 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 Life-Giving Lord, Who proceeds from the Father, Let us worship and glorify those who spoke with the Father and the Son. 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.