How to pray correctly at home, in church, in front of an icon, relics, so that God hears and helps us: Orthodox church rules. Is it possible and how to pray correctly in your own words? What basic prayers should an Orthodox Christian know and read: a list of words

Every woman sooner or later wonders whether it is possible to read prayers during menstruation. Trying to find the answer, the girls turn to the clergy for help. Most priests believe that menstruation is not an obstacle to saying prayer, since in it a woman turns to God. The main requirement is that the reading of the prayer be sincere and without evil thoughts. However, there are priests who question the possibility of praying on menstrual periods and suggest refraining from visiting church during menstruation.

Concept of prayer

Prayer is considered to be an appeal to the Almighty in mental or verbal form, during which a woman asks the Saint to give her advice, to direct her to the right way. The difference between prayer and ordinary petition is that the former has an energetic frame. Prayer must be sincere, come from the soul, and requests must not be of a material nature. If a person memorizes a prayer and says it without spiritual awareness, it loses its power and turns into beautiful poem. It is worth remembering that in the process of prayer, the dominant role is given to human thoughts, and not to spoken words.

Is it possible for an Orthodox woman and a Muslim to pray?

According to historical references When approaching Jesus Christ and kissing his hands, women were in a state of natural bleeding, that is, this was not considered a sinful act. Modern churches, on the contrary, do not consider it correct to visit a holy place during menstruation, despite the fact that there is absolutely no doctrinal basis for this.

Orthodox women who follow the rules of the holy temple can pray at home at any time of the day. The only prohibition is the performance of special rituals that require the presence of a priest. A woman who reads a prayer during her period does not commit a sin, but cleanses her body and her thoughts.

A Muslim woman can also simply pray at home in front of icons. Sincere appeal to Allah does not require specific place, a certain time, as well as a certain state for reading the prayer. Pray during critical days prohibited during Lent, which involves reading prayers daily for a month. Women who have started menstruation stop reading prayers, and after the end of the cycle they begin to perform the sacred ritual together with everyone else.

What does the Old Testament say?

When asked whether it is possible to pray during menstruation, Old Testament expresses a categorical answer, explaining this for the following reasons:

During menstruation, a woman is unclean and therefore cannot comply with hygiene standards. IN modern times this argument loses its relevance, since there are many hygiene products that make the menstrual period as easy as possible.
A woman cannot attend church in any condition because during menstruation female body a dead egg is rejected, which is perceived by many clergy as the murder of an unborn child.
Menstrual cycle is the result of Adam and Eve committing a sin, after which they lost the opportunity to live forever. Thus, the presence of menstruation prohibits a girl from visiting a temple, praying, or even picking up a prayer book.

God's commandments and menstruation

According to the Commandments of the Lord, there are no obstacles to reading prayers during critical days. The menstrual cycle is natural biological process, which the Almighty himself created, so it cannot be a sin. Reading a prayer should be carried out in any human condition - during a serious illness, during a period of hopelessness, as well as in joy. Prayer will help a seriously ill person to heal and return to old life, feel healthy.

According to the New Testament, turning to God does not depend on one’s physical form; the main thing is one’s sincerity and pure soul. Thus, there is no prohibition on reading prayer during menstruation. A woman can visit holy place With critical days, but she is not recommended to attend the service, since this process requires significant physical strength, which is not enough with natural blood loss.

Society's Beliefs

Women who occasionally attend church are poorly acquainted with its prohibitions and permissions. In many cases, they turn to relatives, acquaintances, and friends for advice. The opinions of most representatives of the fair sex agree that visiting the temple during menstruation is permitted. Firstly, when turning to God, it is important to be sincere and open, and not have any specific appearance. Secondly, a woman will not desecrate a holy place in any way, since she uses hygiene products that make menstruation invisible to other people. If a woman independently decides not to attend church during her period, she can pray at home. The main thing is to believe in its power.

The priest's answer

Priest Anatoly Smirnov:

“I, like many clergy, believe that a person should pray daily. Reading a prayer does not have to have a significant reason. When turning to the Almighty, a person can ask for a blessing or express gratitude for the past day. A woman's menstruation should not be an obstacle to performing a holy action. No one can prevent a woman from communicating with God if she needs it.”

Prayer to induce menstruation when delayed

Prayer for menstruation is very popular among the fair sex. Unfortunately, a missed period does not always indicate pregnancy, but can also notify a woman of many serious diseases. In order to induce menstruation, it is necessary to say the following words: “Mother of God, Mother of God Mary, command Your servant to give blood in time, not to know grief. Amen". Once you are convinced that the cause of the delay is not related to pregnancy, you need to use this prayer.

Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes: “ The soul that begins the path of God is immersed in deep ignorance of everything divine and spiritual, even if it were rich in the wisdom of this world. Because of this ignorance, she does not know how and how much she should pray. To help the infant soul, the Holy Church established prayer rules. A prayer rule is a collection of several prayers composed by the divinely inspired holy fathers, adapted to a certain circumstance and time"(A word about the cell prayer rule).

Even the apostles asked the Lord: “ Teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples"(Luke 11:1). The Savior gave the disciples, and through them, all Christians, the most perfect example of prayer - the Lord’s Prayer.

In addition to the Lord's Prayer, the psalms (Greek psallo - “I sing”) of the prophet David and the chants of other inspired hymnographers were generally accepted in the apostolic age. In the psalms they praised and thanked the Lord. They were comforted and offered petitions to God in all life circumstances. The Apostle Paul calls believers to psalmody (see: Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). However, prayer life in the primal Church was not limited to this.

Words of the Apostle Paul: “ Pray without ceasing"(1 Thess. 5:17) - contain a call to acquire constant internal prayer, which is most often performed in one’s own words.

The Apostle also speaks about prayer in his own words, pronounced with his lips: “ In church I would rather say five words with my mind, in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in an [unfamiliar] language"(1 Cor. 14:19).

In subsequent centuries, the holy fathers also taught us to pray not only with established prayers, but also with our own: “ For this you need not so much a word as a thought, not so much an outstretched hand as a tension of the soul, not so much a certain position of the body as a disposition of spirit"(St. John Chrysostom).

Instructions to the one praying with his own with my own prayers gives Rev. John Climacus: " Do not use wise expressions in your prayer, for often the simple and unsophisticated babble of children pleased their Heavenly Father."(Ladder. 28:9); " Do not try to be verbose when talking with God, so that your mind is not wasted on finding words. One word of the tax collector appeased God, and one saying, filled with faith, saved the thief. Verbosity during prayer often entertains the mind and fills it with dreams, but monologue usually collects it."(Ladder. 28:10).

How to pray correctly in your own words? The Monk Nikodim Svyatogorets writes: “ In your prayer you must combine those four actions that St. Basil the Great writes about: first glorify God, then thank Him for the blessings shown to you, then confess to Him your sins and transgressions of His commandments and finally ask Him for what you need, especially in business your salvation"(Invisible warfare. Part 1. Chapter 46: About prayer).

The most important thing is that the prayer is lively, sincere and warm: “ It’s good to say a few of your own words in prayer, breathing with ardent faith and love for the Lord... And how pleasing to the Lord this our own babble, coming directly from a believing, loving and grateful heart, cannot be retold: it is only necessary to say that the soul, in its words, to God trembles with joy... You say a few words, but you taste so much bliss that you will not receive it to such an extent from the longest and most touching prayers - other people's prayers, out of habit and sincerely pronounced" (saint righteous John Kronstadt).

Saint Theophan the Recluse also speaks about this: “ If the soul is lethargic and is not strong enough to rise to God on its own, read a prayer from memory, repeating each word several times in order to break the soul as if with a hammer. When the soul goes to the Lord on its own, do not read any memorized prayers, but lead your speech directly to the Lord, starting with thanksgiving for the mercies to yourself, then saying other things that need to be said. The Lord is near! He listens to the word from the heart"(Letters. Issue 7. Letter 1083).

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov)

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Nativity Fast in 2012: November 28 – January 6, 2013

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In your own words, is this a prayer?

Once, while talking with my friends, I heard the opinion that it is not advisable to pray in your own words, as if on your own, and such prayer is not permissible when there is no Prayer Book at hand.

I was outraged to the core. How is this so? For the Christian spirit, Prayer with God is, first of all, a conversation with our Creator, but here everyone argues that it is better not to address Him in your own words.

To my note: “Why not?” I heard several incomprehensible arguments that this is word creation, supposedly you have to invent some special pious speeches. And why complicate your life if there are ready-made prayers? After a lengthy discussion, I asked the question: “Where and from whom can one find the legitimacy of these arguments?” Some referred to different husbands God's, others interpreted that only Protestants pray this way.

It turns out that God hears us...

Another friend of mine told a completely different story, and this served to rethink many church tenets. So, during the war his grandfather was Orthodox priest and how everyone was drafted into the war in 1941. Some fighters from his detachment laughed at him and God, while clearly demonstrating red books of party membership cards, twirling them in front of my grandfather’s eyes, proclaiming: “This is my God.”

24 days after the occupation, our detachment was surrounded near Brest, about 200 people. In front of my grandfather’s eyes, some tore up their party cards, throwing torn pieces of paper at their feet, knelt in repentance and asked God in prayer to save their lives. And God heard them. 15 people managed to escape from the encirclement, including my friend’s grandfather, a priest.

After such a story, I asked the question: “How did the Lord hear their prayers without a Prayer Book and save their lives?” As I noticed, I never received a single adequate argument.

How did Jesus teach?

Returning to Biblical times, let us remember the Birth of Jesus Christ and his ministry on earth. This is a story that not only turned things upside down, but also marked the beginning of a completely new stage in relation to God and man. God took on the form of a man. His life was among people for 33 years. He cared for people, loved them and taught them the truth. I communicated with them, made friends, was happy and sad with them, laughed and grieved. And at the end of his service on earth he brought the most great sacrifice, which has no equal to this day.

Death and resurrection, and the beginning of a new covenant between the Creator and humanity. If you turn to the Holy Scriptures, Jesus says these words. "Pray like this: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed your name..." (Matthew 6:9-13).

Jesus said that we should come to God like little children and turn to Him. We need to pray so that His will is done, both in heaven and on earth. Accepting God as our Savior, we turn to Him in prayer with various problems and experiences.

With the sincere, God acts sincerely.

What is also very important is not the beauty of the words with which we pray, but the sincerity of our heart. God told the Prophet Samuel: “I do not see as man sees. Man looks at the face, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

How stronger man in his heart he wants to be with God, the greater his desire to communicate with Him. And prayer brings him closer to change and purification from within. Answers to prayers are coming. One could even say that the more time we spend in prayer before God, the more we will inherit his nature of Holiness. Many people make it a rule to break prayer into different categories. Whether this is correct is up to you to judge.

What about the Prayer Book?

We understand that when we come to a church service, we must be obedient to the priest and follow the orders that are accepted there. After all, Scripture says that the Lord is a God of order. Prayer in your own words is most likely a state of heart and soul, and such prayer is very useful for a Christian. After all, we can pour out everything that is in our hearts to the Lord, cry with him and rejoice.

We often need correct prayer or example. Sometimes it is difficult for us to say something to God, how and where to start talking. Maybe because we don’t see Him, like our parents or other people, we don’t feel anything? And that’s why we can’t find words. And the heart strives to thank, sing, praise Him. Then the Psalms and Prayer Books come to the rescue.

You cannot hold back the words of your heart.

When the heart bleeds from sinful wounds and the soul hurts, but we don’t know what to say to the Heavenly Father. Then we come to the priest in the temple and after a conversation with him, it’s as if a mountain falls from our shoulders and we understand that forgiveness has come. And words of gratitude and love for God the Father themselves are poured out in the glorification and worship of our Creator.

Sometimes it happens in life like this, when we grow cold in faith, then, by His will, God sends us another Christian whose heart burns with love for the Lord, looking at him, we ourselves light up, hearing his prayer, our heart lights up with the same love and faith .

The prayers of the heart are answered.

Let us also remember Hannah, who prayed in the spirit, asking God for a child. While she prayed for a long time before the Lord, Eli looked at her lips. And then we see the answer from God: “I prayed for this child, and the Lord granted me my request, what I asked of Him.”

Prayer with the heart and faith is very effective and gracious; it strengthens the covenant between God and people and does not allow sin to dominate a person uncontrollably. Prayer should not become a mere habit or custom. Prayer should become the support and meaning of life, Spiritual bread, food for the soul and immeasurable reverence for our God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Complete collection and description: is it possible to pray with your own hands for the spiritual life of a believer.

Information site about icons, prayers, Orthodox traditions.

How to pray the rosary correctly for Orthodox lay people

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You can often see the following picture: a person saying a prayer is fingering something in his hands. They look like beads strung on a thread. They are called rosaries. It must be remembered that this is an instrument of prayer, and not an aesthetic detail.

Is it possible to pray the rosary?

The name of the rosary comes from the word count, count. They are often used to count prayers or bows. Outwardly, they look like beads on a string with a cross. The use of this item began with Saint Basil the Great. They were used by illiterate monks who prayed not according to books, but according to a certain number of Jesus prayers. It did not carry any other meaning.

In modern spiritual practice, there is no strict rule about how to pray the rosary. The main prayer recited when using the rosary is considered the Jesus Prayer.

In monasticism they are also called the spiritual sword. They are given to the monk during tonsure for unceasing prayer and to prevent distraction of the mind. They can also be used for a special prayer rule. It consists of a certain number of Jesus prayers. In this case, they are read for a specific blessing, otherwise you can fall into a state of spiritual delusion and cause serious harm to your spiritual work.

The use of rosaries for ordinary lay people is possible only after the blessing of the confessor. And then only in the form of a reminder of unceasing prayer.

How to use

It is worth carrying out prayer using them unnoticed by prying eyes.
Prayer on the rosary may include interpolations of other prayers.
Before starting such a spiritual practice, you should definitely receive the blessing of your confessor.

One can also compare the resemblance of the rosary to the knots that were placed on Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was tied up, brought to a lawless trial, and then shamefully executed.

Eat certain rules how to pray the Orthodox rosary. There are no special prayers for the rosary. It's more of a reminder to say a prayer. But there are also certain church traditions that are associated with praying the rosary.

Before you start using your rosary for prayer, you should ask for a blessing from a priest. Praying for them is quite simple. Each bead is one prayer. Hold the bead between two fingers and read the prayer from your heart.

What prayers to read

It happens that large and small beads are strung on a thread. Basically between 2 big ones there can be 10 small ones. If this is the case, then for large ones you can read the “Symbol of Faith” in Russian, “Our Father” or the 50th Psalm prayer in Russian, and for the rest - 10 prayers.

The meaning of repeating prayer words many times is to think about their meaning and through prayer come into contact with the Lord. Prayer is a weed killer, after which it is easier to grow something useful and good.

Answers to questions

An integral part of a Christian's life is daily prayer at home. At home they read the morning and evening rule, prayers before meals, prayers to the guardian angel, following to Holy Communion. By at will or with the blessing of the priest, akathists and canons can be read. You can pray in any conditions, but it is better to do it in front of the icon. The icon, being a visible image of the invisible Prototype, helps to pray more concentratedly and promotes the unity of the people standing in front of it during joint prayer.

Icons must be in the home of an Orthodox Christian.

What icons should be in the house?

There are no special rules about what kind of icons should be in the house. Since most Christian prayers are addressed to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God, a pious tradition has developed to have at home images of the Savior (for example, the Savior Not Made by Hands, the Lord Pantocrator) and His Most Pure Mother (Vladimir, Kazan, Feodorovskaya, Three-Handed or any other icon Mother of God). If married couple got married, the main icons in the house may be the wedding couple, since it consists of the icons of the Savior and the Mother of God.

Otherwise, the choice of icons for the home depends on individual needs and preferences. Believers usually have an icon at home your heavenly protector, whose name they bear, as well as icons of other saints revered in the family and icons of holidays.

Here are just a few saints whose icons are especially revered by Russian Orthodox Christians:

a particularly revered Christian saint, they pray to him for help in any life situations, for success in business and for the well-being of the family;

one of the most revered Russian saints, defender of the Russian land;

Russian saint to whom people pray for spiritual development, about strengthening faith, as well as helping children learn;

is especially revered by women: they pray to her for marriage, for love and fidelity in the family, for the gift of children, as well as for help in everyday matters;

they pray to him for healing and for the health of themselves and their loved ones;

he is asked for help in entrepreneurial activity and about material wealth;

patroness of science and education and assistant to teachers and students.

It is also useful to acquire a family icon, that is, an icon that depicts the patron saints of all family members.

If you have to travel a lot, you can carry with you a folding bag with icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary. A folding icon is an icon consisting of two or three parts, with doors that can be closed so that the images are inside.

Red corner: where to hang icons in the house?

Icons in the house need take away special place , visible and spacious, where the whole family can comfortably sit in front of the images for prayer. In the old days, such a place was called the “red corner”.

Orthodox churches are built with the altar facing east, and in prayer it is also customary to face the east, therefore At home, icons are recommended to be placed near east wall . However, if space is limited, you can hang icons on any side of the room - the main thing is that they are in a clean, open place and you can stand in front of them for prayer.

Prayer requires concentration and solitude, so it is wise to hang home icons in the bedroom. This will make it convenient to read morning and evening prayers.

It’s good if there is at least one icon in every room of the apartment, especially in the living room, where the whole family gathers, and in the nursery so that the child sees the image of the Lord to whom he prays.

In the kitchen you also need an icon (for example, an icon of the Savior) - for prayers before and after the meal, since all family members spend a lot of time and eat food there.

Above the entrance to the apartment or an icon of the Intercession is traditionally hung in the house Holy Mother of God, icon of the Trinity or Crucifixion.

How to place icons in a home iconostasis?

Icons can stand on a shelf or hang on the wall; you need to place or hang a lamp in front of them. If there is no free corner and all the walls are occupied, and it is undesirable to disturb the interior, then the icons can be placed on a bookshelf, chest of drawers or piano. In this case, you should check whether the books on the shelf match the shrine standing above them - sometimes it is better to remove or cover the books.

You should not hang icons as decoration on the wall between paintings and panels.

There should be nothing on top of the icons. Clocks, photographs, and television are inappropriate next to and under icons. There should be no photographs or paintings between the icons, even if they are photographs of respected pious people, and the paintings have a religious plot. However, consecrated objects can be stored next to the icons: prosphora, candles, oil from the relics (that is, from the lamp above the relics), wedding candles, candles from the Holy Sepulcher and other shrines.

When arranging icons the principle of hierarchy should be observed. The image of Christ (on the right) and the Mother of God (on the left) or the wedding couple is always placed in the center; these are the main icons. Above them can only be the Holy Trinity or the Last Supper.

It is customary to place a small beautiful napkin - a shroud - on the shelf under the icon. Red corner with icons can be folk tradition, decorate with an embroidered towel or flowers.

How to use a lamp for a home iconostasis

There may be a lamp in the red corner. Depending on the design, it is placed or hung in front of the icons. The lamp should be lit while the whole family is reading prayers together in front of the icons, as well as on Sundays and holidays.

There is a pious custom to have several spare glass cups for lamps in the house. different colors and change them depending on the period of the year: red - from Easter to Ascension, blue - during Lent, green - the rest of the time.

How to pray in front of an icon?

They read before the icons

morning and evening prayers,
prayers before meals
holiday prayers on the day of the holiday,
prayers to patron saints on name day.

In front of the icon you can pray in your own words.

To pray, you need to dress carefully, approach the icon with reverence, and stand straight, leaning on both feet. You can pray on your knees. During home congregational prayer, one person can read prayers, and everyone else repeats his words to themselves. On holidays, a candle or lamp is lit in front of the icons.

What to do if the icon has become unusable?

An icon, even if it is a paper reproduction, is a shrine, not a piece of furniture. If the icon is dilapidated or damaged and cannot be restored, it can't be thrown away. Need to take the icon to the temple, where she will be burned in a church oven. If this is not feasible, then You can burn the icon yourself and bury the ashes in a place that will not be desecrated (for example, under a tree in the garden).

It is important to know: if the icon is damaged due to careless handling, this is a sin that must be confessed.

Using holy water and prosphora

Prosphora is a special consecrated church bread that is used during Divine Liturgy: particles about health and repose are taken out of the prosphoras, which at the end of the service are immersed in a vessel with the Holy Gifts. The prosphora themselves are distributed to those praying. By submitting a registered note at the candle box before the service begins, you will receive a prosphora at the end of the Liturgy.

Holy water is consecrated in the church either at the Great Blessing of Water (January 18 and 19 - Epiphany Eve and Epiphany of the Lord), or at the small consecration, which is performed during certain church holidays or, at the request of the worshipers, at a water prayer service. Holy water is taken from a special container in the temple, where it is stored after consecration.

Prosphora and a bottle of holy water are also kept in the red corner along with the icons. Prosphora is consumed in the morning on an empty stomach, holy water can be drunk throughout the day. There is a special prayer for accepting prosphora and holy water.

How to use blessed oil

During a pilgrimage to shrines, a believer can purchase oil consecrated from the relics of one or another saint or near one or another miraculous icon of the Mother of God: for example, oil from the blessed Matrona or from the icon of the Mother of God “The All-Tsarina.” Sometimes it is sold in church shops. According to the testimony of the saints, consecrated oil, like holy water, can have great strength, if used with sincere faith.

Blessed oil is used to anoint sick parts of the body with a cross.. If a person suffers sorrow or temptation, the chest (to sanctify the heart and feelings) or the forehead (to sanctify the mind and thoughts) must be anointed. Before this, you need to read a prayer (troparion or kontakion) to the saint at whose relics the oil was consecrated, or a prayer to the Mother of God if the oil was consecrated before miraculous icon. Blessed oil can also be used to light a lamp.

Log in

Is it possible to pray with your own hands?

I for a long time went to Evangelical and Baptist churches. Recently received baptism in Orthodox Church. It took me a long time to achieve this. Please tell me, is it possible to pray to God in my own words, as I did before, or does God only hear (which I doubt) those prayers that are written in prayer books?

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:

Prayer is not only a conversation with God, but also a special work in which the mind, feelings, will and body participate. For prayer to be grace-filled and bear fruit, one needs purity of heart, depth of faith, and experience of spiritual life. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes: “The soul that begins the path of God is immersed in deep ignorance of everything divine and spiritual, even if it were rich in the wisdom of this world. Because of this ignorance, she does not know how and how much she should pray. To help the infant soul, the Holy Church established prayer rules. A prayer rule is a collection of several prayers composed by the divinely inspired holy fathers, adapted to a certain circumstance and time” (A Word on the Cell Prayer Rule). Even the apostles asked the Lord: “Teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). The Savior gave the disciples, and through them, all Christians, the most perfect example of prayer - the Lord’s Prayer. In addition to the Lord's Prayer, psalms (Greek. psallo- “I sing”) of the prophet David and the chants of other inspired hymnographers. In the psalms they praised and thanked the Lord. They were comforted and offered petitions to God in all life circumstances. The Apostle Paul calls believers to psalmody (see: Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). However, prayer life in the primal Church was not limited to this. The words of the Apostle Paul: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17) contain a call to acquire constant inner prayer, which is most often done in one’s own words. The Apostle also speaks about prayer in his own words, pronounced with his lips: “In church I would rather speak five words with my mind, in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in an [unfamiliar] tongue” (1 Cor. 14:19).

In subsequent centuries, the holy fathers also taught us to pray not only with established prayers, but also with our own: “For this you need not so much a word as a thought, not so much an outstretch of the hands as the tension of the soul, not so much a certain position of the body as a disposition of the spirit” (St. John Chrysostom). The Monk John of the Climacus gives instructions to the worshiper with his own prayers: “Do not use wise expressions in your prayer, for often the simple and unsophisticated babble of children was pleasing to their Heavenly Father” (Ladder. 28:9); “Do not try to be verbose when talking with God, so that your mind is not wasted in finding words. One word of the tax collector appeased God, and one saying, filled with faith, saved the thief. Verbosity during prayer often entertains the mind and fills it with dreams, but unity of words usually collects it” (Ladder. 28: 10).

How to pray correctly in your own words? The Monk Nicodemus the Holy Mountain writes: “In your prayer you must combine those four actions that St. Basil the Great writes about: first glorify God, then thank Him for the blessings shown to you, then confess to Him your sins and the transgressions of His commandments and finally ask Him what you need, especially in the matter of your salvation” (Invisible Warfare. Part 1. Chapter 46: About prayer).

The most important thing is for the prayer to be lively, sincere and warm: “It’s good to say a few of your own words in prayer, breathing with ardent faith and love for the Lord... And how pleasing to the Lord is this our own babble, coming directly from a believer, loving and grateful heart, to retell it’s impossible: you just need to say that the soul trembles with joy at its words to God... You say a few words, but you taste so much bliss that you don’t get it to the same extent from the longest and most touching prayers - other people’s prayers, out of habit and sincerely pronounced” ( Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt). Saint Theophan the Recluse also speaks about this: “If the soul is lethargic and is not strong enough to rise to God on its own, read a prayer from memory, repeating each word several times in order to break the soul as if with a hammer. When the soul goes to the Lord on its own, do not read any memorized prayers, but lead your speech directly to the Lord, starting with thanksgiving for the mercies to yourself, then saying other things that need to be said. The Lord is near! He listens to the word from the heart” (Letters. Issue 7. Letter 1083).

How to pray correctly at home

Every believer knows that prayer is very important in the life of everyone who believes in God, keeps or at least tries to keep all the commandments, who wants to save their soul. But not every believer knows how to pray correctly at home, what rules must be followed, and in general, how to behave during prayer.

Many say that prayer in the Temple or in the Church is different from prayers at home, and the difference is that in the Temple the Lord hears us better, because the Temple is His home, His presence is felt there. Of course, we cannot argue with this, especially since the Bible itself says something similar, but we also cannot deny the importance of prayers at home, and for some people it is easier to focus on communication with the Lord at home than in the Church. But even if you pray at home, this does not mean at all that you can relax and read the prayer words somehow, there are also many rules and nuances that must be followed.

How to approach prayer

Many of us, when getting up for a prayer reading, do not think at all about how to approach it correctly. But if you talk to the priest, he will explain to you that the time we devote to God should be perceived by us as a meeting with a friend or another person dear to us, to whom we are glad, and to whom we are ready to open our heart and soul, without fear of anything. Many of us perceive meetings with friends and acquaintances superficially, and in the same superficial way we pray, but such petitions are unlikely to reach heaven.

Each of us knows and must remember that the Creator always hears us, always helps and loves, and in Christianity we have the opportunity to directly communicate with the Lord, we feel His presence, which is not the case in Buddhism, for example. There people meditate and immerse themselves in some kind of indifferent super-being, in which he seems to dissolve, but does not feel, does not sense the presence of the one to whom he devotes his entire ritual.

If you are wondering how exactly you should pray at home, then you must remember that a conversation with the Creator should not be something ordinary for us, it should not be a background, but the most important thing in our life.

Many people wonder why pray and ask the Savior for anything, since He already knows what every person needs? Yes, of course, He knows better than us what we need, but we should perceive prayer words as a way to beg something from Christ, as we said above, when we pray, we meet Christ, our soul and heart meet Him . Yes, of course, we can ask for something to help us in our daily affairs, but this is not the main thing. We must pray in order to feel the presence of the Creator in our lives for a while, to be alone with Him.

But it must be said that the presence of Christ is not always felt. Sometimes we feel that there is some kind of wall, and our words are just an empty sound that does not reach heaven. If you have experienced this, and according to the priests, every person experiences this, then you have probably wondered why this happens? After all, you seem to know all the rules on how to pray correctly at home, but there is no feeling of reunification with Christ. And then, of course, it comes to mind that the Creator Himself does not want to hear from us because of our sins. But in fact, this is not so. Remember when we talked about meeting a close friend or just an acquaintance? And if we remember how we communicate, we will understand that we do not always descend to the level of this person; we put up some kind of walls that separate us. In the same way, we build walls in communication with the Heavenly Father with our many sins. We close ourselves off from Him when He always hears us and is always next to us.

There is another type of prayer in the form of dialogue. In it we can not only turn to Jesus, but also hear his answer. And here the most important thing is not only to express everything that is on your soul, but also to open your heart as much as possible in order to hear His answer to us. Of course, you don’t need to expect that the answer will come immediately, it can come in an hour or two, or even in a few days, it is important to remember and not doubt that the answer will definitely come, perhaps in the form of the help you asked for.

Often, not knowing how to pray correctly at home, we approach this action with our own ideas about the image of God, and this is a big mistake, since our fantasies do not allow us to see the True God as He can reveal himself to us. Under no circumstances create in your creation some kind of image, an idol, which you will later thank and ask for help. This artificially created image is considered dead, and it prevents us from seeing the True God, it becomes a barrier between us. Therefore, when you begin to pray, throw all images out of your head, free your consciousness and remember that we only know the image of Christ, who appeared on earth in the guise of a man, but not as His Father.

Sometimes, and maybe even quite often, we do not hear the answer we are waiting for from above, and we think that they have forgotten about us, but this is not so. The answer is always there; whether we are properly tuned in to hear it is another matter. If you don’t hear an answer, then try to set yourself up as a kind musical instrument, which correctly conveys all notes. Tune the strings of your soul, and then the answer will definitely come to you.

Rules of Prayer

You have probably heard that in the Church there are certain rules by which they recommend praying. But many priests believe that each of us should have our own individual rules reading the prayer book. Some people, if time allows them, can devote from 20 minutes to an hour to this, but only if you read all the texts not automatically, but consciously, reading and delving into every line. If you can’t do that, and your thoughts are constantly distracted, then you can read a short text for five minutes. The main thing is not how much time you devote to this, but how you do it, with what attitude.

IN modern world We are always in a hurry to get somewhere, and it can be very difficult to set aside an hour or even half an hour to read the canons, akathists, etc., but this is not necessary. The main thing is that you must decide for yourself how much time you can devote to this, choose suitable prayers for yourself and focus on God. You can read different texts every evening, you can just one, but you need to read them thoughtfully, you can read one line and think about it a little, then a second, etc.

There is such a danger in communication with God as addiction. That is, we get used to the same text and our brain no longer perceives it, and this is very bad. But to prevent this from happening, you can read completely different canons every day, etc. For example, one evening you can simply pray in your own words, on another day read “Our Father”, on the third day read some canon.

You must learn to pray correctly and consciously at home, and for this you need to do work on yourself; you cannot just make some sounds when you stand in front of the icon.

You also need to pay attention to what precedes and what follows the prayer. If you are irritated or experiencing other strong emotions, then you cannot begin this action in this state. You need to prepare yourself internally, calm down and tune the strings of your soul to a conversation with the Creator. Also, after this, you don’t need to immediately start doing some of your daily activities, sit in silence, give yourself time to hear the Creator’s answer, so that something will quiver in you.

Remember, any conversation with the Almighty must bear fruit, thanks to them we must change in better side, live differently, but if this does not happen, then we are doing something wrong.

Body position during prayer

The Church has rules according to which those praying must either stand on their feet and bow from the waist and bow to the ground, or kneel in the pose of the prophet Elijah, and nothing else. And this rule scares many people away; some people don’t go to church because they can’t stand; some people don’t even say prayer texts at home because they can’t stand on their knees or on their feet.

Father Sergius, please tell me: is it possible to pray mentally while walking slowly?
in a lonely and deserted place?
It’s just that sometimes feelings and thoughts suddenly come, and especially gentle but, in my timid opinion, urgent urges of the soul to talk with God. And any delay, in this case, (as I noticed) i.e. specially preparing oneself for prayer, transferring the thought of prayer “for later,” indoors, on one’s knees, sometimes seems to slightly dissipate the sincerity and clarity of that appeal to God that sometimes arises right on the go. On the way.

That's why I pray when I walk in a deserted place, in nature, without opening my lips. Sometimes prayer goes very well, it flows as if by itself. As if from a vessel that is not clogged. And there is no resistance or interference in the “vessel”. In general it goes easily. After such a prayer it is much easier if you do not miss the moment. I don’t mean the absence of sorrows, if they have a place in the soul, but the very presentation of the call to God, as if it happens more easily. Not in vain or something... It’s difficult...

Spiritual wisdom

Holy Fathers on Prayer

1. How should you pray?

Ave. Isaac the Syrian:

When you stand before God in prayer, in your thoughts become like an ant, like a reptile on the ground, like a leech and like a silent child. Do not speak before God anything out of knowledge, but draw closer to Him with your childish thoughts and walk before Him, so that you may be worthy of that paternal providence that fathers have for their children and infants.

Ave. John Climacus:

If you have ever stood before an earthly judge as an accused person, then you do not need to look for another image to stand in prayer. If you yourself have not stood trial and have not seen others being tortured, then at least learn to pray from the example of the sick, as they beg the doctor for mercy when he was preparing to cut or burn their body.

St. Theophan the Recluse:

They wanted to learn mental prayer. Good! And before that, what kind of prayer did you have?! Prayer is essentially...

Dear Irina!

First, it is necessary to say that prayer is the lifting of the mind and heart to God, which is a person’s reverent word to God.

A Christian, having raised his mind and heart to God, must do the following. Firstly, glorify Him for His Divine perfections, secondly, thank Him for His benefits, thirdly, ask Him for your needs. Therefore, there are three main types of prayers: doxology, thanksgiving, and petition.

You can pray without words - with your mind and heart. An example of this is the prophet Moses, who prayed this way before crossing the Red (Red) Sea (Ex. 14:13).

This prayer has a special name. It is called spiritual, or mental and heartfelt - in a word, internal prayer, while, on the contrary, prayer pronounced in words and accompanied by other signs of reverence is called oral, or external.

There can also be external prayer, without internal prayer, when someone pronounces the words of prayer without attention and zeal. But…

Is it possible to pray to Saint Nicholas?

When and to which saint should you pray?

I once had an interesting conversation with a Christian: I asked him why, when he prays, he turns to God through the saints or asks the saints themselves for something, instead of turning to God directly, as we do does the Bible teach? After thinking a little, he answered like this: “Imagine this situation: when we need something from a big boss, we turn to people who know him well and whom he certainly will not refuse. We ask them to intercede for us. So are the saints. They know God better, and God knows them well, so the Lord will probably answer their request much faster than for us, such sinful people. That’s why I ask the saints to be mediators and intercessors for me before God.”

He practically conveyed the official view of some churches on this: “In addition to God, we depict the Mother of God on holy icons,...

Questions about prayers

Father Maxim, how to pray for victims of terrorist attacks? Is it possible to go to church for them if I don’t know which of them is baptized and who is of what faith? Inna.

In church or at home, you yourself can pray for whomever you want: baptized, unbaptized, heterodox and others. But it is customary for the baptized to order commemoration in the Church.

[Questions about prayers]

Father, during Bright Week no prayers are read except the Hours? Or is it still possible to read something at home: akathist, canon?

[Questions about prayers]

Father Maxim, is it possible to pray for the Japanese who suffered from such terrible disaster? I feel very sorry for them, but there is no other way I can help. Tamara.

It is possible and necessary. After all, all people are brothers and sisters, not only Russians and Orthodox.

[Questions about prayers]

Father Maxim, is there any...

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About prayer

How to pray for those about whom it is unknown whether they are alive?

“You will not be mistaken if you pray as if you were alive, because with God everyone is alive. Everyone except heretics and apostates. These are the dead” - (Elder Nectarius of Optina).21
Soulful teachings of the Venerable Optina Elders. Publication of the Holy Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage, 2007.

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

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

Prayers to the Saints

Is it correct to say prayers to saints, since prayer is an appeal to God? How does God feel about someone praying to saints?

Should we pray to saints?

Who among us in difficult times has not felt the need to ask for help? Depending on the cause of concern, we will likely want to contact
a sympathetic friend who has experience in solving these types of problems.

The combination of experience and responsiveness makes this friend truly invaluable. Some may feel the same way about prayer. Read

Instead of turning to God, whom they may consider too distant and unapproachable, it is easier for them to direct their requests to one of the saints.

They feel that the saints can be more compassionate because they have endured the trials and difficulties that people on earth face.

For example, when setting off on a journey or finding themselves in an extremely difficult situation, some turn to Nikolai...

“There is nothing more difficult in the world than prayer.” (Schiarchimandrite Sophrony).

Among musicians there is a concept of “position of hands”, among singers - of “position of voice”, among writers - of “development of style”.

In relation to prayer, we can also talk about its “production” and its style. And here there is the danger of a wrong start and a bad habit of carelessness and haste in prayer and the habit of only “reading” it.

As Fr. writes. Alexander Elchaninov - “Prayer is an art; incorrectly formulated prayer increases internal chaos, especially in nervously unstable people.”

Prayer is a sacrament, a sacred act of the soul; it must be approached with trepidation, with the deepest attention to inner experiences and the state of the heart.

Father John S. said this to the pastors (from among his spiritual children): “Don’t get used to serving.” By this he commanded that church services should not be performed out of habit - formally and without feeling, but always as if...

Frequently Asked Questions

These are questions encountered in the practice of parish counseling, asked by people who rarely come to church or who are just beginning church life, and answers that are understandable to a person with little church life.

As answers to some questions, quotations from the Holy Scriptures are given to show those who advise them a guideline for their answers, and those who go to church - the main source of doctrinal knowledge. Counselors are not encouraged to answer questions with memorized quotes, but if necessary, based on the situation, they can support the answer with the authority of Holy Scripture.

It should also be remembered that some questions do not have clear answers. Based on the spiritual state of the questioner and the established tradition at the parish, different answers can be given to the same question.

In church knowledge we must distinguish:

dogmas - truths Christian teaching, truths of faith, deviation from...