Is it possible to pray while lying in bed before going to bed?

Why you should pray

The classic prayer book is the main source of complete prayers used by generations of believers. Canons vary in content and content:

The prayer book contains very strong prayers to the Savior, the Mother of God, and the patron saints. All words have been passed down for centuries and therefore have a powerful effect. Many of the prayers are transmitted in Old Church Slavonic, and for correct pronunciation they are accented.

Mandatory holy appeals that should be in the prayer book include:

God is often addressed in the words of sacred texts, but you can also speak in your own words, especially if you need to ask for something. They can be said at home with family or on your own. Before turning to the Savior, they read “Our Father” and then speak in their own words. Be sure to perform the sign of the cross.

Read also: English Presbyterianism

You cannot ask for punishment, wish bad or evil for another person.

– Can I, an ordinary person, say the Jesus Prayer using the rosary?

– You can, if you don’t be vain about it. Lord help!

– I know that the Jesus Prayer can be read continuously anywhere. Is it possible, while lying in bed or taking a bath, to read “Virgin Mother of God...” or “Our Father...”?

- You can, but you washed yourself in the bath - and you don’t need to stay long.

– Is it possible to read Orthodox literature and do handicrafts at the same time? What should you not read while doing handicrafts: the Gospel, the Psalter, lives, works of the holy fathers?

– You can read everything if you are able to combine it.

– 1. Is it possible to read a prayer by agreement between two people with a request for one of them? 2. In prayer by agreement, should you simply ask for health, or can you ask for the healing of something specific?

– 1. It’s possible. 2. Just about health.

– Is it possible to move into a house where a person has died and 40 days have not yet passed?

- Can.

– Is it possible to hang an icon on the front door of an apartment from the outside? For example, "The Unbreakable Wall".

- No need. You never know how anyone will react to her. If there was a house and a fence, you could put the icon in front of the entrance, but protect it from the weather.

– Is it possible to add aromatic oil for home anointing – church oil, from Greece – to the oil from the unction?

– You can add.

– How can you learn not to be offended by people, especially those you love, and not to offend yourself if it hurts?

– Treat everyone with love and sympathy, justify and forgive everything.

– How can you pray for constantly noisy neighbors?

- With love. Then either they will calm down or you will stop being annoyed with them. If they are making noise at inappropriate times, you can contact the local police officer, but talk to them first.

– In which language is it more correct to pray: in Old Church Slavonic or use the Russian translation?

– Read prayers in Slavic, and when you pray in your own words, you can pray in Russian.

– It is forbidden to eat only blood that has not been drained or has been specially collected, but what remains in meat products, since they also consist of blood, can be eaten?

“Don’t eat blood or strangulated meat, but where the blood has been drained, you can eat.”

– I go to church, sometimes I take communion. But over the years, visions in dreams occur more and more often, and when they come true, it becomes creepy. You begin to fear yourself. In my family, such things happen not only to me, but already in the 4th generation along the same line.

– Stick to the Church and the temple. Don’t trust any of the visions until they come true, and it’s better not to tell anyone about them, and then God will arrange everything. As long as you don’t be proud and imagine anything about yourself, and because of this you don’t fall into demonic deception.

– Why can’t you wash yourself after communion on the same day, since it’s inside and not on top?

– You can wash in the evening, but you don’t need to immediately, so as not to lose your mood.

– Grandma heard that you need to be buried in a woman’s “underwear” shirt. I asked you to buy it. What kind of shirt is this, where to look for it and what is its correct name?

– People used to be buried in a shroud, a long white shirt that looked like underwear, but it’s not the same thing. If you want this, you can sew it.

– Is it possible to add the oil from unction, just like holy water, to another bottle of oil so that the other is sanctified?

– You can, but it’s not necessary. Both are done regularly, and when it’s over, go to the prayer service again and take holy water. You can do this with Epiphany water, but use cathedral oil little by little.

– Is it possible to submit notes of repose if the deceased relatives were baptized, but did not go to church and did not receive communion? And is it possible to order a memorial service for them? My husband and I would like to help our family. Maybe just remember them at home prayer?

– If they didn’t blaspheme God, order it.

– In the team, most people use foul language and swear. When I make comments, they laugh them off or make excuses, or even don’t understand them at all or are offended. Sometimes I just leave or try to say the Jesus Prayer, but it doesn’t always work. They say that at this moment you need to reproach yourself in prayer, but I don’t know how. How to act so as not to offend either God, people, or yourself?

– Read the Jesus Prayer and let it all pass by.

– I want to celebrate my son’s birthday two days earlier, since on his birthday his son will be in the hospital. But many friends say that you can’t celebrate your birthday in advance, otherwise it could lead to illness and death...

“People say stupid things, as if they didn’t go to school.” Of course, do it. And don't be afraid.

– I came to church five and a half years ago. I immediately began to actively go to church, confess, take communion, read a lot, everything was interesting, the day began with looking at the church calendar. Now I understand that, most likely, it was just a thirst for learning something new - a parallel unknown world had opened up. And now everything seems to be clear on the outside, but I still haven’t gotten to spiritual life: it frightens me with its complexity and incomprehensibility. Nothing interesting. Yes, leaving the Church will be a tragedy and a betrayal. But I don’t want to stay formally either. Is there a way to revive a keen interest in religion?

– Pray with your heart and do not do anything formally, but try everything meaningfully and with faith. It's good to go on a pilgrimage.

– I go to church often, I’ve been taking communion for about 10 years. The attacks of demons began recently, although it is believed that they happen to beginners. In a dream, a vile entity fell upon me, they choked me twice, I clearly felt a compression on my throat, I coughed after that, but for some reason I was not afraid. The questions are: 1. Why are demons not afraid of the cross on me, the icons on the walls? The apartment is consecrated, isn’t this protection? 2. Why are they not afraid of the sacrament I received and attack? Surely grace is stronger than them? 3. Why doesn’t the Guardian Angel oppose them at this time and protect them?

– 1. They are afraid. But in such cases they attack, laying claim to us for our past sins and godless life. This will pass. They also attack saints, but there are other reasons. 2. They are afraid. But besides the sacrament, there is us with our passionate life. 3. Counteracts. If God had not protected us, they would have simply torn us apart. We become stronger in the fight against them.

- I'm searching. Often, ancient lost pectoral crosses and icons are found in the ground. They tell me that they cannot be stored, they say, they contain negativity. But where does the negativity come from in a holy thing? I even have the feeling that I am saving them by removing them from the ground. Otherwise, they would rot and disappear into the ground, but this is how they are kept at home, cleaned and beautiful. Is it possible to store such things at home?

– Of course, it’s possible, but the negativity is in their heads.

– Why can holy water only be consumed on an empty stomach? I watched a film about the properties of water: what we drink is poison, and holy water is clean, good water. So why should we drink poison if God gives us what we need. Why only on an empty stomach, if you can – with gratitude – drink good water throughout the day?

– You can drink whenever you want, but with reverence.

– An ex-girlfriend gave my husband a gold cross a long time ago. Is it possible to wear it, can it be charmed? It seems to me that all our quarrels are because of him...

- You can wear it. And you don't need to be superstitious.

Answers from Archpriest Andrei Bolshanin, rector of the Church of St. Basil the Great (on the hill) Pskov

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Contents of the prayer rule

The prayer rule includes morning prayers, as well as those read before bed. Words can always be found in prayer books. There are 3 main prayer rules:

The prayer rule is recommended to be read by the whole family, but it can also be read individually. General reading is advisable on holidays, memorable dates, and on the eve of special events.

Time and place for prayers

The best place for prayer at home is a prayer corner. It is located in a quiet, secluded place. The special atmosphere that reigns in the God-pleasing space inspires reverence and encourages prayer.

Morning and evening hours are the best time to talk with the Savior. In the morning it is better to get up early and not rush anywhere, spending time with God. Before going to bed, it is also important to pray and go to rest with peace of mind. They pray on weekdays and holidays, memorable and solemn dates. They pray, if their heart dictates, with concern for loved ones.

When do we pray?

Most often, when something happens in life and help is urgently needed. Then the person begins to pray and ask God for this help. He simply has no other hope. Help comes, the satisfied person rejoices, forgets to thank him and moves away from God until the next emergency situation. Is it correct? Hardly.

Ideally, we should live our lives prayerfully. Live with it the same way we live with air. People do not forget to breathe, because without oxygen we will simply die in a few minutes. Without prayer, the soul dies; this is its “oxygen.”

Given our busy schedule and living conditions, it is extremely difficult to constantly be in prayer. The hustle and bustle at work, the hustle and bustle in everyday life, the people around you - it’s all too much. And it's too noisy around us. However, we wake up in the morning. And what do we think about first? About what you have to do today. We get up, wash, get dressed, have breakfast and off we go - towards the new bustle. But you need to adjust your morning a little. Get up and thank God for another day given to you. Ask for His intercession during the day. Of course, the best option is to read your morning prayers. But no one has yet canceled gratitude from the heart.

Prayer throughout the day

Is this possible given our workload? Why not, everything is possible. Is it possible to pray while sitting, for example, in a car? Certainly. You can go to work and mentally pray to God.

A man sat down to eat - before the meal he needed to pray mentally, read the “Our Father.” No one will hear this, but what is the benefit for the one praying! He ate, thanked the Lord for the meal, and went back to work.

Prayer in the temple

Is it possible for an Orthodox person to pray while sitting? Especially in the temple, where everyone is standing? Due to weakness - it is possible. There is such a wonderful phrase from Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow: “It is better to think about God while sitting than to think about your feet while standing.”

Some illnesses make it difficult for a person to stand. And with other weaknesses it is not always easy. Therefore, you should not be embarrassed by sitting on a bench in a temple. There are certain places in the service where you must stand when proclaiming them. This is the Cherubic Hymn, the reading of the Gospel, the prayers “I Believe” and “Our Father,” and the removal of the Chalice. In other cases, if you feel that you cannot stand the service, sit down.

Home prayer

Is it possible to sit and pray in front of icons at home? There is nothing wrong with this if a person does it due to illness or other valid reasons. If it’s just laziness, it’s better not to be lazy and get up and pray while standing.

In the case when the person praying is very tired, it is quite acceptable to sit on a chair or on a sofa near the icons, pick up a prayer book and pray from the heart.

Sequence of Spiritual Worship

Before starting the prayer, they retire and light a lamp. They stand in front of the holy image. It is advisable to learn the main texts by heart. The five main ones are listed below:

They perform prostrations and bows to the ground and make the sign of the cross. You should not be afraid if prayer is difficult; often this is proof of true effectiveness.

Preparation rules

You should prepare for prayer, for which there are certain rules:

Reading Features

The main thing is faith, on the basis of it any prayer is possible. Repentance for sins from the heart is one of the components. It is important to ask forgiveness from your loved ones, forgive yourself and let go of grievances. In this case, there is a high probability of being heard by God.

The words of the prayer are said slowly, preferably out loud or in a whisper. Focus on the spoken words and speak from the heart. If necessary, repent of sins. Each line is passed through the soul, they comprehend what is said. Before pronouncing words, perform 3 prostrations and 3 signs of the cross.

You can start with the “Our Father”, and then read the “Prayer Book” or use your own words.

How to end prayers

At the end, they offer praise and gratitude to God. Be sure to cross yourself three times with the sign of the cross. After prayer, you can study, go to work, and do household chores. It is better not to quarrel with anyone and not to offend others.

Is it possible to read morning and evening prayers while lying in bed?

The classic prayer book is the main source of complete prayers used by generations of believers. Canons vary in content and content:

for priests;
for ordinary believers;
about sick people;
about religion;
for mothers with prayers for children;
about the world;
about the fight against passions;
in Russian and Church Slavonic languages.

Mandatory holy appeals that should be in the prayer book include:

You cannot ask for punishment, wish bad or evil for another person.

From this video you will learn how to pray correctly at home.

The prayer rule includes morning prayers, as well as those read before bed. Words can always be found in prayer books. There are 3 main prayer rules:

Complete. Intended for priests and church ministers.
A short. For all Orthodox Christians.
Short Seraphim of Sarov.

The prayer rule is recommended to be read by the whole family, but it can also be read individually. General reading is advisable on holidays, memorable dates, and on the eve of special events.

Recommended prayers for home reading:

The best place for prayer at home is a prayer corner. It is located in a quiet, secluded place. The special atmosphere that reigns in the God-pleasing space inspires reverence and encourages prayer.

Before starting the prayer, they retire and light a lamp. They stand in front of the holy image. It is advisable to learn the main texts by heart. The five main ones are listed below:

They perform prostrations and bows to the ground and make the sign of the cross. You should not be afraid if prayer is difficult; often this is proof of true effectiveness.

You should prepare for prayer, for which there are certain rules:

They come to God washed, combed, and dressed in fresh clothes.
Women should wear a headscarf and a long skirt.
They approach the holy image with reverence.
If there is no icon, it is allowed to be located near the windows on the east side.
Light a lamp or candle.
Kneel or straight, the position should be natural.
During prayer, they try to concentrate on a conversation with God or a saint.

Often, when reading holy texts, all sorts of thoughts and ideas slip into your head. One of the reasons is fatigue. You need to try to tune in to prayer and not be interrupted.

It is useful to pray through strength, directing thoughts in the right direction. Since the brain does not always perceive the power of the word, everything passes through the soul and leaves divine grace in it.

In order not to be distracted during the time of conversion through prayer, it is advisable to retire, otherwise it will be difficult for God or the saints to hear you. This way you can concentrate and open up better.

Theophan the Recluse advises following a simple rule when preparing for prayer: walk around and think before addressing the greatness of the one to whom you are going to address, comprehend who God is and who you are. Such an internal attitude will allow reverent fear and reverence to be revived in the soul.

The power of prayer is priceless and can work miracles. By sincerely praying, it is possible to change fate, beg for healing, health.

If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl+Enter.

Why not. Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with this. In general, you can read a prayer anywhere and anytime (by the way, it really helps to calm down, especially in our crazy world). So read the prayer in bed too, the main thing is that this sacrament be performed from the heart.

In general, you can pray while walking, while doing business, and while lying in bed.

But if you are healthy and can easily pray while standing in front of the icons, then it is better to strain yourself for such a responsible task than through laziness to hope to receive God’s help in response to our prayers.

If a person is sick, he can pray while sitting or lying down, because when praying, we need to think about God, and not about illnesses that will bother us.

Only Emelya could do this trick:

lying on the stove as if in bed,

he gave orders to the pike,

Well, she did them right away.

Emelina's tricks won't work with God:

he is not a loser and will demand work from everyone for his work.

Ideally, we should reach a state where our whole life, every moment, is prayer (or meditation), a constant feeling of the presence of God. But while this is not the case, prayer is not a way of existence, but a task that must be done efficiently. The quality of prayer is to forget yourself (that is, your body and your mind) and immerse yourself in connection with the Divine. Therefore, they pray standing, and even on their knees, thereby giving up comfort for the body and giving all of themselves to God.

But if a person is sick, he can pray while lying in bed; such lying is not comfortable for him.

On the other hand, it is better to pray while lying in bed than not to pray at all.

In different eras in the Church there were various forms of morning, afternoon, and evening prayers. Our time is characterized by the tradition of reading a certain relatively small number of morning prayers, as well as prayers for the future, which constitute the minimum prayer rule of a believer. Despite its apparent simplicity, this is one of the topics that regularly gives rise to questions for people living church life. How to overcome yourself and establish regular prayer? How to turn a rule from some text into an integral part of your life? Hegumen Nektary (Morozov) shares his pastoral and personal Christian experience in these matters.

Resisting Chaos

Before talking about the prayer rule, it is necessary to say, at least briefly, in principle about the place of prayer in a person’s life. We know that the purpose of man, unlike all other earthly creatures created by God, is constant communication with God. And prayer is, of course, that natural and perfect way of communicating with God that is available to us.

Why is this happening? Because when a person turns to God, then in prayer he finds first of all himself - the way he is, the way he often doesn’t even see himself among the bustle, affairs, many conversations and worries. Having stood before God in prayer, each of us begins to understand what is truly important in his life, what is in second or third place, what is not important at all... If a person neglects prayer, then he certainly does not have this inner clarity. the system of priorities that should be in the life of a Christian does not arise, and the system of priorities that should be in the life of a Christian is not built - in which nothing is more important than God and what is connected with the fulfillment of the commandments of the Gospel.

No regularity - no basis

Reading the prayer rule, on the one hand, takes very little time - it is a negligible portion of our day. On the other hand, for a person who is not used to praying, but is accustomed to spending this morning and evening time on something else, regularly performing this work is not easy. So, acquiring the skill of getting up in the morning and praying before all other things, overcoming fatigue in the evening, turning off the TV, perhaps, and reading the necessary prayers, is essentially the simplest and very first feat for a person just beginning the Christian life.

And it’s also very good to try to at least learn the morning prayers by heart. They learn quite easily, since we repeat them every day, and if we use at least the same efforts that we used at school when we learned poetry, then most likely this task will be feasible for us. And then we make our life easier: we couldn’t read the rule, we didn’t have enough time - you prayed at home, at least briefly, went out the door and continued to pray. Of course, this is not entirely correct, and it’s not very convenient to read prayers to yourself somewhere on the go, in transport, but here you need to be guided by this rule: if you have fresh bread, you eat fresh bread, and if you only have crackers, then , you will have to eat crackers, just not to starve.

A little less than we can

Sometimes the opposite situation arises: a person reads the rule regularly, understands everything, but this volume of prayer work is no longer enough for him, and he wants to add something to it. This seems completely natural to me, and for many people living church life, sooner or later this question arises. What makes sense to add to the prayer rule? Probably, here you need to look at what is more consonant with a person, at his state of mind. Some people prefer to read the Psalter, others prefer akathists and canons, others prefer to pray the Jesus Prayer. And here it is quite possible to follow your preferences, but you need to remember that akathists - unlike psalms, where every word is inspired by God - were compiled by people and therefore come in different theological and literary levels. Among them - especially among those that were written in the 19th and 20th centuries - there are many that are not particularly beneficial to read. Therefore, probably, everyone who is thinking about what to compose their prayer rule from should consult with the priest with whom he is confessing and show him the prayer books that have been chosen to complement the rule.

An important point: if we have determined for ourselves a certain amount of prayer work, it must be constant. And it happens that a person adds to the rule, say, a kathisma, an akathist to the Sweetest Jesus, a certain number of Jesus prayers, but then he omits one, then another, then a third, then all together, then begins to read it all again. Inconsistency shakes the very foundation of our prayer life, so it is better to take on a little less than we can commit, but stick to it relentlessly. A little less - because when we work regularly, we begin to get tired, and if we take the maximum volume, we will not have enough strength for it. Another thing is that sometimes we just want to pray more than we usually pray, our soul demands it - and in this we, of course, have complete freedom.

Is it possible to replace morning and evening prayers with something? No, it is advisable not to replace them with anything. In our impermanent life there must be some constants, like some kind of columns to which our life is tied during the day. And if a person abandons the traditional prayer rule and decides to pray at his own discretion, then, as experience shows, this leads to the fact that today he read kathisma instead of morning prayers, tomorrow - an akathist to the Mother of God instead of evening prayers, and the day after tomorrow he read nothing. I’m not saying that this is how it objectively should be, but for some reason it mostly turns out this way. Therefore, I advise you to read morning and evening prayers in any case, and add something to them.

Is it possible to pray without distraction?

At the same time, the Lord requires from each person only what a person can give. And it happens that a person begins his prayer work in good faith, but out of a sense of duty, and not out of a heartfelt need. He knows that he needs to pray so that his life will gradually change, and he prays. And the Lord gives such a person grace. But as soon as a person can do more, the Lord expects more from him.

Some believers, if they get distracted in prayer, return to the place where their mind wandered and then re-read it again. In my opinion, this should not be done, because, from the experience of communicating with such people, then the usual prayer rule can take an hour or an hour and a half, and this is completely not normal. Some of the Optina elders have a warning not to do this - not to re-read the same prayer ten times, because the enemy will deliberately knock us down over and over again, and our rule will turn into absurdity. Therefore, reading must still be consistent and continuous.

If possible, it is highly advisable to supplement the morning and evening rules with at least a very brief daytime rule. Within a day without prayer, a person’s soul manages to cool down - just as a stove cools down if no firewood is added to it all day. And therefore, if during the day we find five to ten minutes to turn to God with the Jesus Prayer or read, for example, one of the psalms, then we will greatly help ourselves to establish ourselves in prayer. The famous ascetic of the 20th century, Abbot Nikon (Vorobyov), advised us to set aside one minute at the beginning of each hour to turn mentally to God and ask for an intercession for our pardon and salvation from the Most Holy Theotokos, the Guardian Angel, and the saints. This rule, if the nature of our employment allows, can also be guided by. In addition, a Christian’s prayer rule usually includes reading the Holy Scripture, and this is also that part of the rule that can be done during the day.

Photos from open Internet sources

What to do when scattered

Often, when reading holy texts, all sorts of thoughts and ideas slip into your head. One of the reasons is fatigue. You need to try to tune in to prayer and not be interrupted.

The power of prayer is priceless and can work miracles. By sincerely praying, it is possible to change fate, beg for healing, health.

If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl+Enter.

Source

“Pitfalls” of the prayer rule

Resisting Chaos

Prayer can be general, performed in church, or it can be private, but nevertheless its purpose is always the same: to direct the mind and heart of a person to God and give a person the opportunity to turn to Him and at the same time, at least in part - as much as in our in a state it is possible to hear God’s answer. But in order to cultivate this ability to turn to God in oneself, a person must learn to pray. If a person prays, then prayer gradually changes his state. And it is no coincidence that the morning and evening prayers that we perform daily are called the word “rule”: we can say that the prayer rule really rules our soul - it straightens its position in relation to God. We have many different aspirations, sometimes coinciding with one another, sometimes opposing each other, and our inner life is constantly in a disordered state, in some kind of chaos, with which we sometimes fight, and sometimes - and most often - we reconcile, calming ourselves down because this is the norm of existence. And prayer builds a person’s life properly, so when a person does not neglect prayer, everything in his life gradually falls into place.

No regularity - no basis

What to do if you can’t establish a daily prayer rule? Sometimes, when talking with a person, you have to give him the following advice: “If it is so difficult for you to fully read the prayers every morning and every evening, assign yourself at least some part of the morning prayers, some part of the bedtime prayers for the future, which you will read regularly in any case, because only regularity in this case is the key to moving forward.” If there is no regularity, there will be no basis on which a person can rely in the future.

It sometimes happens that a person comes home, he has had an incredibly hard day, he has spent all his strength and can only fall and fall asleep. In this case, you should pray at least briefly, for two or three minutes, and then go to bed. Elder Simeon the Reverent told his disciple, the Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, that it was enough then to read the prayers from the Trisagion to the “Our Father” and cross his bed. But you need to understand: we are talking about an exceptional situation, and not one that repeats itself from time to time. Moreover, you need to keep in mind that the enemy sometimes puts a person to sleep just before reading the rule, but as soon as you finish praying or change your mind about praying, you are cheerful, feel good, and can at least live the day again. This happens when we begin spiritual reading or come to a service. You don't have to give in to this. The simplest advice is to make a few prostrations and then continue the prayer. Such an action, firstly, accelerates the blood and drives away sleep, and secondly, when the enemy sees that a person, in response to his efforts, only intensifies his prayer, he, as a rule, retreats.

“By gaining time,” we lose everything

But it is not only by drowsiness that the enemy can tempt a person during prayer. Sometimes you just have to take the prayer book and open the first page, and some things immediately pop up in your memory that need to be done right now, so you want to finish reading the prayers as soon as possible. And in this case, it makes sense, on the contrary, to deliberately slow down the reading of prayers - and after a few minutes this internal bustle, this haste stops, and the enemy again retreats. It is useful in such cases to remind ourselves that those five or fifteen minutes that we get as a result of haste or skipping some prayers will not actually make any difference in our lives, and this “gain of time” will not at all compensate for the harm. which we will cause to ourselves by making our prayer careless and inattentive. In general, when we stand for prayer and some very important and serious thoughts begin to come to our minds, we must at that moment very clearly realize that we are now standing before the One in whose hands absolutely everything is - all our circumstances, all our affairs, our life itself - and therefore there is nothing more important than this upcoming one. We all know very well that sometimes you can work as much as you like, perform completely reasonable and effective actions, but there will be no result, because there is no God’s blessing for this. And vice versa, sometimes we just have to start doing something, both difficult and incomprehensible, and everything somehow works out, and we accomplish this task with God’s help.

If a person is usually prevented from starting the evening rule by fatigue, then with morning prayers another problem arises much more often. Day after day, a person cannot get up when the alarm clock rings; he jumps out of bed just before leaving the house, and the rule remains unread. Or perhaps the time in the morning hours is simply distributed in such a way that prayer does not fit in there. In this case, the fight with yourself, with your negligence, should probably begin by starting the morning rule anyway and reading it anyway, even if it’s not morning anymore. I remember how someone in front of me asked a similar question to Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) - about the fact that he does not have time to read the morning prayers before all other things, and does not have time to read them afterwards. Father Kirill asked: “Can you do it in the evening? Well then, read it in the evening.” It is clear that, according to their meaning, morning prayers should not be read in the evening, but if a person understands that there is no escape from them, he will still have to read them, then he will most likely find both the time and the opportunity to read them in the morning.

By the way, evening prayers, if day after day you can’t read them before bed, you can start reading them a few hours before bedtime - for example, when we come home after work. More precisely, in this case they are read before the prayer “Vladyka Lover of Mankind, will this coffin really be my bed,” and then “It is worthy to eat” and those short prayers with which the morning and evening rule usually ends, and with “Vladyka Lover of Mankind” the prayers are already read just before going to bed. It is much easier to pray this way, because then we are no longer afraid of the fact that we will need to undertake significant prayer work for us, for which we may not have enough strength.

There is also a trick that St. Nicodemus the Svyatogorets talks about: when it becomes difficult to pray, say to yourself: “Okay, I’ll pray for at least five more minutes.” You pray for five minutes, then you say to yourself: “Well, now another five minutes.” And oddly enough, in such a simple way you can deceive both the enemy and your own flesh.

There is another question: “It’s very difficult for me to read the rule, I read it and don’t understand.” When you don't understand something, it's really difficult to do it, especially day after day. But what prevents you from understanding? With regard to prayers, in this case you just need to undertake a small but very important work, which St. Theophan the Recluse often speaks about: find a little time, sit down and analyze the prayers that are included in the rule, highlighting in the text those words whose meaning is not clear. And then - use the Internet, a dictionary of the Church Slavonic language, come to the parish library and ask for the appropriate literature, contact the priest, in the end - in a word, find what these incomprehensible words mean. Moreover, there are actually few words and expressions that can really be an obstacle to understanding the meaning of a particular phrase in a prayer; otherwise, you just need to set yourself the task of carefully reading the text and making some efforts to understand its meaning.

A little less than we can

Is it possible to pray without distraction?

If possible, you need to prepare to perform the prayer rule. Don’t start praying suddenly, but stand a little and wait, “until the feelings calm down,” as it is said in the prayer book. In addition to this, it is advisable to remind yourself of several very important and, moreover, completely natural things. Remember, firstly, to whom we are addressing. Believe me, a person is such a creature that he can sometimes get up, light a lamp, open a prayer book, start reading prayers and at the same time be completely unaware of what he is doing. If you then ask him: “What were you doing just now?”, he will answer: “I read the rule,” and will be completely honest. But we should strive not for reading, but for prayer. At least for a short time - even two or five minutes out of the twenty that it takes us as a rule - we should feel that we are praying, and not just uttering words. And in order to support this desire to pray in oneself, as a rule, preparation is needed.

In addition to remembering that we turn to God, we also need to remind ourselves who we are. It is precisely for this reason that the publican’s prayer is placed at the beginning of the morning prayer rule: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Sometimes they ask: “How can I learn to pray with a repentant mood?” You know, if a person is told that he has been convicted of some crime and will be shot tomorrow, he does not need to explain in what mood, in what words to ask for mercy - he himself will beg for at least his life to be spared. And when a person has this feeling, he prays properly; if he does not realize the extreme vital necessity of God’s mercy for himself, then he will fulfill the rule simply out of duty. And before reading the rule, you definitely need to try to awaken your heart: remember the danger of the situation in which we find ourselves; remember how far away we are from God because of our sins and the inner impurity that is present in each of us. And at the same time, remember that, despite our distance from God, the Lord Himself is close to us, and therefore He hears every word we utter in prayer, He is ready to respond to every word, but only if these words before our heart responded.

Sometimes a person says: “But I can’t pray without distraction, no matter what I do.” It is necessary to understand that praying undistractedly, completely indulging in prayer, is the destiny of the Angels, and a person will still be distracted to one degree or another. And our task is not to demand that we remain completely absent-minded, but to return it to its place when we come to our senses and realize that our mind has wandered off to the side. But in no case should we allow ourselves to say a prayer with our lips, and at the same time think about something.

Photos from open Internet sources

Newspaper "Orthodox Faith" No. 18 (566)