Pure prayer: the text of the prayer, when and how to read it correctly, advice from priests

Prayer is the very thread that connects a person with the Lord. It is not God who needs prayer; even without human requests, he knows what and who needs it. Prayer is necessary for the person himself; it gives him peace and confidence. It is prayer that gives strength and strengthens faith. This is the meaning of the phrase that what will be given to those who ask.

There are quite a lot of prayers, and each of them has its own place and time. This does not at all mean that you need to memorize any texts and pronounce them in front of a certain image at a specific hour. This means that for each life event or situation in the church there are its own types of prayers, for example, for health or for repose.

What kind of prayer is this?

Many have heard that there is a special prayer for health. Not everyone understands what it is, when and why it is needed. Meanwhile, deep prayer is a traditional type of component of the liturgy. It is pronounced at the personal request of the believer and can concern not only health, but also other life aspects or problems.

Prayer is ordered from clergy in any church, monastery or other parish. It will be read by the serving priest within the part of the liturgy specially designated for the needs of the parishioners.

How is it different from other prayer services?

The main difference is clear from the name, if you think about it, prayer is intense. This means that a person asks the gentlemen for something purely, that is, on purpose. As a rule, such prayers are dedicated to asking God for help in resolving a specific problem in the life of a person or his loved ones.

Another difference between this prayer service is that it is read by the clergyman in accordance with the need of the believer. This means that the more terrible and serious the problem, the more time in the service will be allocated for reading prayer.

What kind of prayer is this?

In order to order a special prayer, it is not at all necessary to wait for the moment at which a tragedy occurs in life. It is enough just to feel the inner need for such prayer.

As a rule, a special prayer is read in connection with the needs of the following:

admonishing children or loved ones, instructing them on the righteous path;
spiritual and physical health;
assistance in family matters and in preserving marriage;
the granting of heirs and the birth of strong children;
ability to learn, disclosure of talents;
protection from evil intrigues and slander;
healing from harmful passions.

Nowadays, women most often order a special prayer asking for peace of mind and forgiveness for the sin of infanticide. We are talking about abortion, because not every woman is able to mentally and emotionally endure this event.

Accordingly, such a prayer is a deep petition to the Lord about what is important to a person. There are no restrictions on the reason for it.

Prayer by agreement - For every request

Peace be with you, dear visitors of the Orthodox website “Family and Faith”!

This page is dedicated to prayer by agreement on any petition , where we will pray with you: For first aid in any matter and resolution of various situations; About prosperity and help on all paths of life; On resolving housing issues; About finding a good job; About help in financial difficulties; On the reconciliation of warring parties; And about God’s help in your personal petitions.

Prayer by agreement is the fulfillment in practice of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ:

“And truly I say to you, if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven, for where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them.”

To participate in prayer for any petition, you need to mentally agree with all its participants, and read the prayer daily at 20:30 Moscow time. If any of you do not have time to read the prayer at the specified time, you can add it to the evening rule.

Let us pray for ourselves and for those who together with us collectively, by agreement, read a prayer for every petition (their names are attached below). Let us believe in the effective power of common prayer! The Lord is in our midst!

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

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

Prayer by agreement

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, You said with Your most pure lips: “Truly I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in Heaven, for where there are two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them.” Your words are immutable, O Lord, Your mercy is unconditional and Your love for mankind has no end. For this reason, we pray to You, fulfill the requests of Your servants: (Your names), and all those who are now offering a conciliar prayer with us, You Yourself know their names, Lord, who have agreed to ask You for any request (say your request as well).

But let it be not as we want, but as You, Lord, may Your will be done forever. Amen.

Prayers before the icon of the Mother of God “Protection” About the blessing of God over the house and about the abundance of earthly fruits in it (Read at will)

Open a prayer to the Intercession of the Mother of God

O Most Holy Virgin, Mother of the Lord of the Highest Powers, Queen of Heaven and Earth, our city and country, our all-powerful Intercessor! Accept this singing of praise and gratitude from us, unworthy Thy servants, and lift up our prayers to the Throne of God Thy Son, that He may be merciful to our iniquities and add His grace to those who honor Thy all-honorable name and with faith and love worship Thy miraculous image. We are not worthy of being pardoned by Him, unless You propitiate Him for us, the Lady, for everything is possible for You from Him. For this reason, we resort to You, as to our undoubted and speedy Intercessor: hear us praying to You, cover us with Your all-powerful protection and ask God Your Son as our shepherd for zeal and vigilance for souls, as a city ruler for wisdom and strength, for judges of truth and impartiality, as a mentor reason and humility, love and harmony for a spouse, obedience for children, patience for those who are offended, fear of God for those who are offended, complacency for those who grieve, abstinence for those who rejoice: for all of us is the spirit of reason and piety, the spirit of mercy and meekness, the spirit of purity and truth. To her, Most Holy Lady, have mercy on Your weak people; Gather those who are scattered, guide those who have gone astray onto the right path, support old age, educate young ones with chastity, raise infants, and look upon us all with the care of Your merciful intercession; raise us up from the depths of sin and enlighten the eyes of our hearts to the vision of salvation; be merciful to us here and there, in the land of earthly arrival and at the Last Judgment of Your Son; Having ceased in faith and repentance from this life, our fathers and brethren began to live with the Angels and all the saints in eternal life. For you are, Lady, the Glory of the heavenly and the Hope of the earthly, You, according to God, are our Hope and Intercessor of all those who flow to You with faith. We therefore pray to You and to You, as the Almighty Helper, we commit ourselves and each other and our whole life, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.

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DDear brothers and sisters!PRules of prayers by agreement - changed.

From August 2022, there is no need to take a blessing for prayer by agreement from the priest. The Russian Orthodox Church gives a general blessing to everyone.

From January 2022, we have also removed the list of names of participants for all convention prayers, as it is very difficult for us to keep track of the list and add new names to the eleven convention prayers daily. Also quite often there were problems due to technical reasons.

From now on, everyone can independently (mentally) join the prayer by agreement. And in the prayer itself, mention those praying with the phrase “... and to all those who now offer a conciliar prayer with us, You Yourself know their names, Lord, who agreed to ask You...”, which is inserted into the prayer itself.

God bless you !

What do clergymen advise?

Many clergy are puzzled by the attitude of their flock to custom prayer services. What worries priests is that, having ordered the reading of a prayer, many people consider their participation completed. That is, they do not consider it necessary to work on their own soul, to pray on their own, or even to do anything to correct the life situation for which the prayer was ordered.

This is a general trend that clergy everywhere are worried about. People lose spirituality and come to churches as if they were going to shops. This attitude is not only wrong, but also harmful. A prayer that the person who ordered it does not care about and does not trust in will not bring any benefit.

Orthodox Life

The texts of petitions and prayers have been published.

On February 15, in all churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, special petitions and prayers will be offered for internationalist soldiers and children with cancer. The corresponding circulars were sent by the Office of the Kyiv Metropolis to all diocesan Right Reverends on February 11, 2022, reports the Information and Educational Department of the UOC.

Prayers for living, fallen and deceased military personnel and internationalist soldiers will be offered in parishes and monasteries on the occasion of the Day of Honoring Participants in Combat Actions on the Territory of Other States.

Special petitions will be heard in churches:

- at the funeral litany:

We also pray for the repose of God’s servants, Christ-loving leaders and warriors in the country of Afghanistan and other countries, who laid down their lives and that they be forgiven for every sin, voluntary and involuntary.

- on the special litany:

We also pray for the Christ-loving leaders and warriors in the country of Afghanistan and other countries who performed feats of arms, to grant them unshakable health, peace, longevity for the good of the country and our Church, we diligently pray to you, hear and have mercy.

Prayers for the healing of seriously ill infants and adolescents will be offered on the occasion of the International Day of the Child with Cancer.

During the services, additional petitions will be heard during the litany:

I am a healer of soul and body, with tenderness in a contrite heart we fall to You, and groaningly cry out to You: heal the diseases, heal the passions of the souls and bodies of your servants, infants and youths (name of the rivers) fiercely to the sickness of those who suffer: and quickly raise them up from the sickness, We pray to You, hear and have mercy.

Merciful Lord, have mercy and mercy on Your servants, infants and youths (name of the rivers), forbid illness, put aside all passions and all illness, and stretch out your strong hand, and like Jair’s daughter Raise up from the bed of illness, and create healthy ones, we pray to You, hear and have mercy.

Hezekah’s tears, Manasseh’s and the Ninevites’ repentance, and David’s confession accepted and soon pardoned them: and our prayers brought to You in tenderness, accept, O All-merciful King, and as Generous have mercy love your sick servants, infants and youths (name of the rivers), granting them health, with We pray with tears, Source of life and immortality, hear and have mercy soon.

A prayer will also be read:

Master of the Almighty, Holy King, punish and do not kill, confirm the descending ones, and raise up the overthrown, correct bodily afflictions of people! We pray to Thee, our God, to visit Thy servants, infants and youths (name of the rivers) with the cruel disease of those who are infirm, by Thy mercy. Hey, Lord, send down Your healing power from heaven, touch the body, extinguish the fire, tame passion and all lurking infirmities: be the physician of Your servants, raise me up from the sick and from the sick Thirst for the bitterness of the whole and all-perfect, grant them to Thy Church who please and do the will Yours.

For it is Yours to have mercy and save us, O our God, and to You we send glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

How long should you read such prayers?

The Lord hears only requests filled with sincere faith and spoken with hope; pure prayer is no exception.

Based on practice, clergy recommend reading during at least twelve liturgies. But sometimes you need to read a prayer for thirty or forty services. Its effectiveness depends on the spirituality of the person asking and, of course, on the sincerity of this person’s faith. Of course, there is also a dependence on the complexity of the life situation.

For example, if a prayer is ordered for deliverance from drug captivity of a loved one, then not twelve services will be required, but much more. Although the Lord is omnipotent, demonic temptations are also not weak, and the soul of a drug addict is in the devil’s captivity and often does not consider it necessary to leave him.

It is important to understand that it is not its effectiveness in the literal sense that depends on the timing of the prayer, but the spiritual strengthening of the person praying and the firmness of intentions. That is, this is a kind of self-hypnosis, as psychologists call such actions. Of course, the stronger a person’s faith and the firmer his conviction, the faster and easier he will get the desired result. After all, as they say, to those who ask, it is given.

What is a prayer for health? What is it?

Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko answers:

Litany (from the Greek “zeal”, “extension”) is a series of prayer requests pronounced by a deacon or priest on behalf of all those praying during the service. The litany begins with a call to prayer, followed by various petitions and ends with an exclamation glorifying God (pronounced by the priest). After each petition, depending on its content, the choir sings “Lord, have mercy,” “Give, Lord,” or “To you, Lord.” According to the content and number of petitions in Russian church practice, they distinguish between great, small, special and supplicant.

The august litany (from the Slavic “subgubiti” - “strengthen, double”) - begins with the words “rtzem vse with all our soul, and from all our thoughts rtzem” (“rtzem” means “let us speak”). The name of this litany indicates intense prayer (that’s why it is called “the litany of diligent prayer”). Contains mainly petitions about persons: the Patriarch, the ruling bishop, the country (rulers and troops), about deceased Christians (primarily the creators of the temple), as well as about all those who perform divine services in it and perform various obediences, and also about upcoming ones. To each petition pronounced by a deacon or priest, the choir responds with three times “Lord, have mercy.”

A prayer service is one of the types of private worship. It is short and has a pleading or grateful character. Those praying ask the Lord, the Mother of God or a saint to send mercy or thank them for receiving benefits. There are public and private prayer services. The first are performed, as a rule, on temple holidays, on the New Year, before the start of the school year, during natural disasters, epidemics, etc. Private prayers are performed at the request of individuals: for example, for the blessing of a house, for the consecration and blessing of food, about the sending of spiritual and physical health. In different churches there are certain days for performing such prayers.

Thus, the special litany is not a prayer service, but can be included in the sequence of the prayer service. In some parishes there is a tradition of inserting petitions for the sick, for those traveling, etc., as part of the special litany.

Sincerely, Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko.

What kind of prayer is this?

Prayer is ordered from clergy in any church, monastery or other parish. It will be read by the serving priest within the part of the liturgy specially designated for the needs of the parishioners.

How is it different from other prayer services?

What kind of prayer is this?

In order to order a special prayer, it is not at all necessary to wait for the moment at which a tragedy occurs in life. It is enough just to feel the inner need for such prayer.

As a rule, a special prayer is read in connection with the needs of the following:

* admonition of children or loved ones, instruction on the righteous path; *spiritual and physical health; * assistance in family matters and in preserving marriage; *giving heirs and giving birth to strong children; *ability to learn, revealing talents; *protection from evil intrigues and slander; *healing from harmful passions.

Accordingly, such a prayer is a deep petition to the Lord about what is important to a person. There are no restrictions on the reason for it.

What do clergymen advise?

How long should you read such prayers?

The Lord hears only requests filled with sincere faith and spoken with hope; pure prayer is no exception.

Does anything need to be done?

The Lord Himself does not need any actions from man; God only needs faith. But the person himself often needs to do something, undertake something in his daily life.

It is easier for people to mentally join the ordered prayer act if they do:

* consecration of your home; *comprehend the commandments and their daily actions; *commemorate the dead in church; *ask for the health of loved ones in the temple; *attend services; * repent of sins - both involuntary and intentional.

Often it is precisely such actions that lead to the need for custom prayer, specific or otherwise.

Where can I order such a prayer?

The place does not matter, so that in a difficult life situation, prayer can help. Whether it be a monastery or a temple next to the house is not so important. The main thing is faith and conviction in your actions, as well as sincerity in your intentions. If a person orders prayer services, but at the same time continues to lead a sinful life, then such duplicity will not lead to anything good.

However, given that in our country most of the monasteries and temples were closed and, in principle, desecrated, the question of location matters. Before ordering a prayer service, you need to go to the temple and stay in it for some time, stand and listen to yourself. If this church is not particularly cozy mentally, you want to leave it, or even irritation sets in, then there is no need to order prayers in this church, regardless of which clergy work in it.

The temple, which has preserved the centuries-old energy, is felt immediately and unmistakably. In such a church, peace and tranquility comes to the soul, and when leaving the church, a person seems to glow from within. He smiles and is open to everything good and bright. It is in such a temple that you need to order prayer services.

What is the difference from a litany?

A special litany is a large general prayer. It is correct to call the litany not a prayer, but a section of the liturgy, which consists of petitions to the Lord from the parishioners of the temple.

The litany consists of prayers and, depending on their types, as well as the general nature of the service, can take various forms. Prayer is devoid of this; it is subordinated to one thought and goal.

Is it possible to pray purely without an order?

Many religious people are confused by completely commercial advertisements that you can transfer payment for prayer and order it in a monastery or church that a person has never been to. These are indeed a little strange proposals on the part of temples, since they go against the basic tenets related to custom prayers. Nevertheless, similar proposals can be found in various sources of information.

Of course, there will be no benefit from such a prayer service. If it is not possible to personally come to the temple, then, understanding what a special prayer means and in what cases it is read, you can ask the Lord on your own.

The text of the prayer could be like this:

You can read the prayer yourself in your own words. The time for it should be the same, day after day. The text of the prayer must also be repeated, therefore, if you want to read your words, you must first write them down.

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Everyone knows that when visiting church and attending services, people not only pray in front of icons of saints, but also submit petitions for the health of their loved ones and remember the dead. Wanting to strengthen the impact of prayer, they order special services, which include, in particular, a special prayer for health. What it is, however, is not known to everyone.

In past times, people had special notebooks where they wrote down the names of their relatives, whom they could then mention in their prayers: both for health and for peace. They were called memorials.

Currently, church notes are mainly used for this purpose, which, one might say, are a one-time version, but their importance is not diminished.

Commemoration is carried out both in the temple and at home. There are various prayers that are said only in the church premises during special types of services.

Commemoration is carried out by priests at proskomedia during the liturgy, as well as during prayer services or memorial services.

There is also a special prayer, the litany, which is considered especially zealous, which is also implied in the meaning of its name (in terms of translation from Greek). It comes in four main types and is called, respectively, great, especially (that is, enhanced), petitionary and small.

In another way they are called severe:

They are served before the start of the service. If you didn’t have time, then go to the next service. According to church regulations, first the names of saints and church leaders are written, then parents are mentioned, then one’s name is written, children, spouses, relatives - all in the genitive case.

These names will be read during the liturgy after the Gospel, during the special litany, among numerous prayer requests. During this procedure, names are pronounced by the deacon, and prayers are said by the priest, and then he also repeats the names from the notes. A similar process occurs during the service of prayers (if such are ordered), part of which is also enhanced general prayer. In this case, the note indicates the name of the saint in whose honor the service is ordered, specifies whether it is for health or repose, as well as the names of the people for whom this is being done;

You can also order a magpie, both for repose and for health (especially in cases of serious illness), when prayers for a person will be offered during the liturgy for forty days.

Reads a custom magpie

A special prayer for the health of your wife

To read it, you must submit the appropriate petition to the temple:

The order is made for a specific reason. For example, if you want your sick spouse to recover or simply want the illness to bypass her, you need to inform the candle shop employee about this goal. He will add her name to a separate special list, and the church will pray for her;

In accordance with church statutes, special prayers are said not just for baptized people, but for faithful Christians, that is, for believers who constantly go to church and participate in the sacraments (confess and receive communion). In other cases, it is better to order a prayer service for health. It will be served regardless of the liturgy, in church or at home.

Prayer for the health of your wife

Serious prayer in the monastery

From the list of prayer services available here, you can order the following:

Liturgy for health with different requirements, which include: proskomedia, reading enhanced prayers at the litany, serving Custom Liturgies for one specific person or with petitions read separately by the priest, but not all churches are allowed to do this. This requires the blessing of the bishop, so you need to check about this possibility directly in the church;

There are such varieties of commemoration for health as Nineteenth or Sorokoust, when prayer is carried out for someone for 9 or 40 days during the liturgy;

For health, various types of prayers are also served, which include a litany (like the one described above);

In memory of the dead, a liturgy, magpie, requiem, and litia are ordered;

In monasteries there is a special type of prayer, where names can also be mentioned, called the Undying Psalter. It is read around the clock and without interruption. It is very strong, drives away demons from a person and, according to the Church, even helps to bring sinners out of hell.

Priest in the monastery

This commemoration is highly valued by the church, and notes are submitted separately for it:

It is the first part of the Liturgy, pronounced by the priest in a low voice and consists of preparing prosphora and wine on the altar, symbolizing the body and blood of Christ. Particles are taken out of them separately for each baptized person indicated in the note. Then these particles are placed in the Holy Chalice and used in the Communion procedure;

It is interesting that it is useful for a person’s soul to pray for ill-wishers and even write them in health notes next to your name. There are enough cases of ending mutual hostility in this case.

There are situations when a person needs very strong prayer, especially during a serious illness. In this case, a special prayer for health is used. What it is and how it can be ordered for someone in need of help, we described in this article.

Does anything need to be done?

The Lord Himself does not need any actions from man; God only needs faith. But the person himself often needs to do something, undertake something in his daily life.

It is easier for people to mentally join the ordered prayer act if they do:

consecration of your home;
comprehend the commandments and their daily actions;
they remember the dead in church;
ask for the health of loved ones in the temple;
attend services;
repent of sins - both involuntary and intentional.

Deliberate sin is the scourge of the soul of modern man. The point is that, knowing that an action is bad and goes against God’s commandments, a person commits it anyway. And then, as people say, “the cats are scratching at his soul.”

Often it is precisely such actions that lead to the need for custom prayer, specific or otherwise.

Prayer for the sick
Psalm 70

Peaceful Litany

…

- He said that he would forgive every sin, voluntary and involuntary, of his (or his) servants: and let us pray to the Lord to be merciful to them (him).

- For the sake of your mother’s mercy, the sin of youth and ignorance of their (him) cannot be remembered: but mercifully grant them (him) health, let us pray to the Lord.

- For the hedgehog, do not despise the diligent prayers of your servants (your servant), who are now praying to us (the one praying): but to mercifully hear, and be merciful, and benevolent, and philanthropic to them (him), and grant them health, let us pray to the Lord.

- For the hedgehog, as sometimes weakened by the word of divine grace, who will soon raise his ailing servants (or his ailing servant) from the bed of illness, and create healthy people, let us pray to the Lord.

- Let us pray to the Lord to visit them (him) with the visitation of our holy spirit and to heal every ailment and every disease nesting in them (him).

“Oh, mercifully, like the Canaanite, he heard the voice, mercifully of us, his worthy servants crying out to him, and like that daughter, have mercy and heal his sick servants, (his sick servant) named, let us pray to the Lord.

…

Troparions to God the Lord

Troparion, tone 4: Speedy in the intercession of the only Christ / show speedy visitation from above to Thy suffering servant, / and deliver from illness and bitter illness, / and raise up thee to sing, and glorify unceasingly // with the prayers of the Mother of God, the only Lover of Mankind.

Kontakion, tone 2: On the bed of illness lying / and wounded by the wound of death, / as you sometimes raised up, O Savior, Peter’s mother-in-law / and the paralytic on the bed of us, / now, O merciful One, / visit and heal the suffering one. / You are the only one who has borne the ailments and illnesses of our family // and is all mighty, as if you are abundantly merciful.

Prokeimenon, tone 7: Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am weak; heal me, for my bones are crumpled.

Verse: Remember what is in death for you.

Epistle of the Apostle James: Brethren, take, my brethren, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and long-suffering. Behold, we bring joy to those who have endured. You have heard about Job’s patience and seen the end of it from the Lord, for the Lord is very merciful and compassionate. First of all, my brothers, do not swear by heaven or earth, or by any other oath, but let it be “yes, yes” and “no, no,” so that you do not fall into condemnation. If any of you suffers, let him pray. If anyone is happy, let him sing psalms. If any of you is sick, let him call the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will heal the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they will forgive him. Confess your faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed: the earnest prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:10-16).

Gospel of Matthew: At the time when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him and asked Him: “Lord! My servant lies at home in relaxation and suffers cruelly.” Jesus tells him: “I will come and heal him.” The centurion, answering, said: “Lord! I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will recover; for I am a subordinate man, but having soldiers under my command, I say to one: go, and he goes; and to another: come, and he comes; and to my servant: Do this, and he does.” Hearing this, Jesus was surprised and said to those following Him: “Truly I say to you, I have not found such faith in Israel. I tell you that many will come from the east and the west and lie down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; and the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said to the centurion, Go, and as you have believed, so be it done to you. And his servant was healed at that hour.” (Matthew 8:5-13).

The Great Litany

…

- Doctor of souls and bodies, with tenderness in a contrite heart we fall to you, and we cry out to you: heal illnesses, heal the passions of the souls and bodies of your servants (the soul and body of your servant), named: and forgive them (him), as you are merciful , all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and soon rise from the sickbed, pray, hear and have mercy.

- Do not want the death of sinners, but turn back and be alive, have mercy and have mercy on your servants (slave) and said, mercifully: forbid illness, put aside all passions and all illness, and stretch out your strong hand, and like Jairus’ daughter from the bed of illness raise up and create healthy people, we pray that you hear and have mercy.

- Healed the fiery illness of Peter’s mother-in-law with your touch, and now the cruelty of your suffering servants (servant) is named, heal the illness with your mercy, quickly giving them health (him), pray diligently, as a source of healing, hear and have mercy.

- Hezekiah’s tears, Manasseh’s and Ninevites’ repentance, and David’s confession accepted and soon pardoned them: and our prayers brought to you in tenderness, accept, O all-merciful king, and as you generously have mercy on your sick servants (slave), granting health to them (him), with We pray with tears, O source of life and immortality, hear and have mercy soon.

…

Prayer

Master Almighty, holy to the king, punish and do not kill, strengthen those who fall, and raise up the overthrown, correct the bodily afflictions of people, we pray to you, our God, thy servant, named, who is infirm, visit with thy mercy, forgive him every sin, voluntary and involuntary. Hey, Lord, send down your healing power from heaven, touch the body, extinguish the fire, put away passion and all lurking infirmities: be the doctor of your servant, name, raise him from the bed of pain, and from the bed of bitterness, whole and all-perfect, grant him to your well-pleasing church and doing your will, for you have mercy and save us, our God, and we send glory to you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages, amen.

God and Lord of hosts, by mercy build all things for the salvation of the human race, visit Thy servant also, the name of the rivers, who call the Name of Thy Christ, and heal him from all sin, carnal and mental, and from all temptation and misfortune, and make every invasion of hostility far from the servant Yours, and raise him up from his sick bed, and place him in Your Holy Church, healthy in soul and body, adorned with good deeds and good words, glorifying You with everyone and Thy Christ, our Hope, with Him Thou art Blessed, and with the Most Holy and Good and by Your life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Where can I order such a prayer?

READING MEMORIALS

It is the duty of the pilgrims themselves to share and make up for the work of the clergy. Every pilgrim can, during every litany, during every exclamation, which means, repeatedly during a requiem service or funeral matins, remember his loved ones, read his memorial. If they began to do this, then the commemoration would take on a completely different character, more consistent with its meaning and purpose.

Now only clergymen are busy re-reading memorials. And every pilgrim is just waiting for his memorial to be read. At this time, he begins to vigorously cross himself and make prostrations, sometimes even to the ground. After this, he considers himself entitled to take a break from prayer, sit down, even whisper with a neighbor, or leave the temple while reading the commemorations of others. And the most zealous advocates of reading memorials cannot help but admit that a long, sometimes over an hour, re-reading of names alone is not very edifying. It distracts attention more, tires and even leads to boredom and annoyance.

The diptychs of the ancient Church were undoubtedly small and few in number simply because the composition of the individual communities735 was not so large. Then not only could each shepherd literally call out the names of all his sheep, but all the parishioners knew each other well. Therefore (which is especially important) even in private diptychs there were names well known, if not to everyone, then at least to many pilgrims of a given temple. Thus, the public reading of diptychs in the ancient Church, firstly, was not lengthy, and, secondly, it was not a tedious rereading of unknown names. But even with all this, diptychs were appointed mainly for secret reading at proskomedia and liturgy. We do not have such knowledge among parishioners of each other, and the number of pilgrims, often flocking to many parishes, is significant. Hence the many commemorations with a huge number of names, in the mass of which even famous names are lost. It is necessary to read all submitted memorials out loud, otherwise their owners will be offended. And they try to do this, reading all of them, sometimes more than once. And in return for this, they omit the most essential and meaningful things from the funeral service, leaving only the skeleton of the service, arbitrarily distorting the established Church rite, violating the Church Charter. Meanwhile, this great sin could have easily been avoided if the pilgrims themselves began to share the memorial work with the clergy - not only passively, as now, being present at the reading of the memorial, but also actively participating in it. The clergy would read church-wide synodics with the names of well-known persons: local and all-Russian devotees of piety, uncanonized righteous people, clergy, patrons and benefactors of churches, local and all-Russian figures in the spirit of the Holy Church, recently deceased parishioners, and in general all those who, through their faith and good deeds earned the respect and memory of parishioners736. In conclusion of this synodikon, the commemoration with a general formula of all those who have died before may be somewhat expanded, in relation to those who were in the Old Russian synodics. The pilgrims would each read their memorials to themselves at the appropriate moments: then the service would be significantly reduced in duration, but could be filled even more in content. Then, without the fear of detaining pilgrims for a very long time, it would be possible to avoid criminal, often meaningless reductions in the funeral service and return to it all its edification, all its touchingness and beauty. At the same time, the commemoration of each deceased would be performed not once, but many times, for example, at the great memorial service with the immaculate 18 times. And what is especially important is that the pilgrims themselves would not remain passive, idle during the tedious re-reading of the names by the clergy. By repeated re-reading of their memorials, they would show the fullness of their love for the deceased, for whose sake this work of repeated re-reading is undertaken. And re-reading familiar and favorite names will not be tiresome, because almost every name is associated with a number of memories, sometimes very dear ones. These prayerful memories of persons dear to everyone, prayerful works in memory of each individual pilgrim, united with the general remembrance of all those who have previously died proclaimed by the clergy, intertwined with the touching hymns of the Church, will not only be pleasing to the Lord and joyful to the departed, but will also do something for those praying themselves. that commemorating the dead through memorials ceases to be boring and tedious.

As for the fact that in this case private commemorations will not be read by the clergy, it is necessary to keep in mind the following: commemoration during divine services is equally useful and fruitful, whether the priest pronounces the names, whether the commemorations are read by those serving at the altar,737 or the pilgrims themselves silently commemorate their the deceased, each standing in his place. All prayers, even those offered secretly in the church during the divine service, are ascended to the throne of God through the officiating primate: this truth is loudly proclaimed during the hierarchal divine service, code protodeacon, at the so-called “call” after the consecration of the Holy Gifts, during the secret commemoration of the living and departed, proclaims: “... the Right Reverend... bringing these Holy Gifts,... for the remission of sins... here coming and of which every one makes remembrance in his mind,” that is, about all those whom each of those praying mentally, silently remembered during the liturgy and remembers at the moment.

This formula for the general commemoration of all those whom each of the pilgrims mentally remembers to himself, which was in our ancient successions of liturgies - forgotten during the synodal period, and restored along with the restoration of the patriarchate - dates back to apostolic times. In the Liturgy of the Apostle James738, after the consecration of the Holy Gifts, the bishop himself prays: Lord, remember those who offer this Sacrifice today on Thy Altar and those for whom they offer It and whom they have in their thoughts. So in apostolic times, when the number of members of each Christian community was small and there were few pilgrims during the service, when, consequently, there were few names in diptychs, in certain cases they found it more convenient to limit themselves to such a general formula of commemoration, providing detailed commemoration by name to the pilgrims themselves. Moreover, this procedure should be recommended at the present time.

As you know, during the services of Fr. A huge number of notes were submitted to John of Kronstadt. If we were to read them all, especially aloud, it would take much more time than the rest of the service. Therefore, usually o. John simply placed his hand on the entire pile of notes, mentally remembering all those written in, and all those praying were sure that the commemoration was done as it should. This, according to the faith of those praying, always happens in the Church of God, when for some reason the memorials submitted by pilgrims cannot be read by the clergy themselves. The Omniscient One knows all the names, the Knower of the Heart sees the love of the living for the dead, knows their zeal and disposition to pray for the deceased, and accepts the general prayer of the Church for those who offered and for their sake, 739 as a commemoration of each individual.

In well-appointed monasteries, the brethren themselves read their monastic memorials during the proskomedia, without entering the altar, each standing in his own place. “The commemoration of relatives,” writes Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), “is heard equally by God both from the altar and from the place where you stand. God will be more pleased with your prayer from the church when, because of reverence for Him, you avoid entering the altar, than when you entered it without due reverence, violating the rule taught to you.”740

Reading the memorials by the pilgrims themselves would be convenient and useful in this regard: some of the pilgrims like to include many names in their memorials, not only of their closest relatives, but also of acquaintances and revered devotees of piety. This desire to remember the names of so many deceased is in itself very commendable and deserves all encouragement. But when there are many memorials served in a church, and if they all have many names, a great difficulty is created with reading the memorials, which takes a lot of time and thereby obscures the main service, and is also physically difficult for those reading. At the same time, many names, for example, revered elders, are repeated several times: this is where reading the memorials by the pilgrims themselves could be useful. Each person would submit a brief commemoration of the closest deceased for public reading by the clergy,741 and another, more extensive and not limited in scope, would be read, and perhaps more than once, by each pilgrim, and the names of the ascetics of piety and the deceased honored by all praying would be read once by the clergy according to the church synodik it is public - and secretly for everyone who venerates these departed pilgrims.

What is the difference from a litany?

A special litany is a large general prayer. It is correct to call the litany not a prayer, but a section of the liturgy, which consists of petitions to the Lord from the parishioners of the temple.

Literally, “litany” is translated from Greek as “long prayer.” But it is not prayer, but an integral element of the content of the service, its integral part, section.

Is it possible to pray purely without an order?

The text of the prayer could be like this:

“Lord Almighty, have mercy on me, your servant (proper name). Send me wisdom and humility, teach me what to do, do not leave your great one without help. Lord judge me with (listing or brief description of a life situation, the essence of the request). Show me the right path, enlighten me and instruct me. Grant, Lord, health and patience. Help the sick and strengthen the healthy. Give bread to the hungry and fill the well-fed with compassion. Do not leave your children in difficult times and me, your servant (proper name), among others. There is nothing greater than my faith, nothing greater than my humility, but there is much grief and suffering in the world. In the midst of great concerns for the suffering, strengthen my spirit and grant me to wait for the glorious moment, the sight of help, amen.”

Symbol of faith

Mikhail Vasilievich Nesterov. Vision to the youth Bartholomew

Memo for note submitters

About commemoration

1) Commemoration at the Proskomedia is the most important and significant commemoration. Commemoration takes place at liturgical prosphora and at prosphora presented to the altar by believers. At this time, notes and memorial books with the names of living and deceased Christians are read. The priest takes out a piece of prosphora, saying: “Remember, Lord, (the name of the person being remembered is indicated).”

The particles taken from the prosphora are placed on the paten, next to the Lamb (the central part of a special lamb prosphora intended for communion). This is the first, invisible and inaudible commemoration by those praying in the church of those whose names are written in the notes submitted. The holy righteous John of Kronstadt writes about the particles taken from the prosphora and placed on the paten: “At the proskomedia, the whole Church, heavenly and earthly, is figuratively gathered around the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world... What a close connection is there between the Lord and His saints, between Him and those who live piously on earth and those who died in faith and piety; remember what a close connection there is between us and the saints and those who died in Christ, and love everyone as members of the Lord and your members. In what closeness to each other are the inhabitants of heaven and the inhabitants of earth, and the Mother of God and all the saints, and all of us, Orthodox Christians, when the divine, universal, heavenly, universal Liturgy is celebrated! My God! What a joyful, life-giving communication!” After all the communicants have partaken of the Holy Mysteries, the deacon places into the Chalice (Holy Chalice) the particles lying on the paten about the saints, the living and the dead. This is done so that the saints, in their closest union with God, will rejoice in heaven, and the living and the dead, whose names are indicated in the notes, having been washed by the Most Pure Blood of the Son of God, receive remission of sins and eternal life. This is also evidenced by the words spoken by the clergyman: Particles taken from the prosphora for the living and the dead, reclining near the most pure Body of the Lord, being brought into the Chalice, watered with Divine blood, are filled with shrines and spiritual gifts and send them down to the one whose name is exalted .

2) Church commemoration is performed only for those who were baptized in the Orthodox faith. Memorial services for suicides, as well as for those who have not been baptized in the Orthodox faith, are not performed . Moreover, these persons cannot be commemorated at the liturgy. The unbaptized and non-Orthodox are not commemorated because otherwise the particles taken out for them would be a “foreign element” in the Body of Christ. In addition, such commemoration violates the God-given freedom of the individual; it is, as it were, a forced inclusion of a person in the Church, as the mystical Body of Christ, without his, the person’s, favor and consent.

3) At the proskomedia, the priests take out particles from the proskomedia prosphoras for the health and repose of the hierarchs and primates of the Church, as well as for the members of the parish included in the synodik of the community. The names from your notes and memorials are usually remembered on the prosphora you ordered.

4) It is customary to order at least one prosphora for proskomedia. There is an opinion that for proskomedia it is necessary to order two prosphoras, one for health and one for repose. This is a pious custom, but if you order only one prosphora, you will not sin at all. Each prosphora is two-part, as a sign of the two natures of Christ, divine and human; the priest takes out particles from each prosphora both for health and for repose. There is also a false belief that the more prosphora you order, the better. From the above it is clear that the number of prosphoras ordered does not affect the quality of the commemoration.

5) Please write your notes in legible handwriting, preferably in large block letters.

6) The names of bishops, priests and monks are indicated first, and their rank is indicated - for example, “about the health” of Bishop Tikhon, Abbot Alypius, Priest Yaroslav, monk Philotheus, nun Taisia, novice Dionysius, then write your name, your family and friends. The same applies to notes “about the repose” - for example, Metropolitan John, Archpriest Michael, Alexandra, John, Anthony, Elijah, etc. All names must be given in church writing (for example, George, not Yuri) and in full (for example, Alexandra, Nikolai, but not Sasha, Kolya. All kinds of Fridas, Werners and Waldemars are unacceptable. Communist “Vilna”, etc. are not Orthodox names that can be given at baptism).

7) It is possible to write down the names of the patriarch, our first hierarch and the ruling bishop in memorials and notes, but they are commemorated in any case at the beginning of the proskomedia, at special proskomedia prosphoras, so you can refrain from doing this. Of course, this does not apply to our guests from other dioceses who want to remember their clergy.

Try to keep track of the number of names in your memorials; it should not be too large. It is advisable to remember your relatives and only those people whom you know or knew personally. Please refrain from including in your memorials the names of ascetics of piety who have not yet been glorified by the Church and are not known to you personally, about whom you have read in books or heard. It will be better for your soul to pray for them in private prayer.

9. In health notes there is no need to write “suffering”, “embarrassed”, “needy”, “lost”, etc. The Lord knows all our needs and circumstances. The very concept of “health” includes not only the physical, but also the spiritual health of a person. The Church prays for the health and salvation of its children, and it is spiritual, and not physical health, that is a prerequisite for salvation.

10) If you do not know the full Christian name of a person and are not sure whether he was baptized, refrain from adding his name to the memorial until the facts are clarified. In the meantime, remember them in your private prayers.

11) Since during Lent the proskomedia is not celebrated at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, accordingly, in this case it makes no sense to submit notes for the proskomedia.

12) Please submit notes and memorials, if possible, in advance, preferably the night before, after the all-night vigil. Remember that the reception of notes on the day of the liturgy ends after the small entrance, and even this is already a big deviation from the Charter, which prescribes the completion of the proskomedia before the start of the liturgy, at the sixth hour. This permission is made out of condescension for human weaknesses and taking into account the circumstances of our life in dispersion, which do not always allow us to come to church, as it should be, before the start of the liturgy. (It should be especially noted that in the monasteries of our diocese, proskomedia on weekdays is performed during the reading of kathismas at Midnight Office and Matins. Therefore, pilgrims who come to the monastery church at the beginning of the service must submit their notes at this time, and not wait for the beginning of the hours .)

Commemoration at the Divine Liturgy (Church note)

Health is commemorated for those who have Christian names, and repose is remembered only for those baptized in the Orthodox Church.

Notes can be submitted at the liturgy:

For proskomedia - the first part of the liturgy, when for each name indicated in the note, particles are taken out of special prosphoras, which are subsequently dipped into the Blood of Christ with a prayer for the forgiveness of sins

Order from the monastery in Jerusalem

Mikhail Vasilievich Nesterov. Great tonsure

Commemoration at a special litany

1) A new practice has come into use in Russia - to order the commemoration of health and repose for a special litany as well as for a proskomedia. A special litany may indeed contain petitions for repose and God’s help for Christians. However, the Russian Church Abroad adheres to the traditional practice of remembering Christians at a special litany only on special occasions.

2) You can order a commemoration of the repose at a special liturgy only for the newly deceased and only at the funeral liturgy. (The servant of God is considered newly deceased, from the first to the fortieth day after death). On Sundays, holidays, pre-celebrations and post-celebrations, on the day of remembrance of a saint or holiday, when a polyeleos or doxological service is served, the remembrance of the dead is not performed “on a special day”.

3) Health is remembered at the special litany of parish members traveling or seriously ill, as well as when they want to pray for the successful completion of a good deed, for example, studies for students, etc.

4) Remember that the litany is not a prayer in itself, it is a call to those praying in the temple to pray about a particular case, deed, person. Therefore, when ordering a commemoration “on a special occasion,” you ask community members to pray for a particular person in need.

5) It would be natural, when ordering a commemoration for a special occasion, to submit an affordable donation.

6) On the note you must write “Subba Litany” and indicate the case for which you are asking for the prayers of the community (newly deceased, seriously ill, traveling). For the rest of the rules for writing a note, see the section “Proskomedia” under paragraphs 5- 10. When submitting a note for a special litany, be sure to draw the recipient’s attention to the fact that this note is “for a special litany.”

Memorial service

1) Naturally, only the deceased are remembered at a memorial service. For rules for writing a note, see the “Proskomedia” section under points 5-10. This note should be inscribed with the word “requiem service.”

2) Due to the inconvenience of using a memorial service at a memorial service, please write separate notes on sheets of paper for the memorial service. If a funeral liturgy is being served, then it would be highly advisable to prepare notes for the memorial service in advance and submit a memorial note to the Altar. These notes can be left at the illuminated box; at the beginning of the funeral service they will be placed on the priest’s lectern.

3) You can place your donations on a special plate, which is placed next to the lectern or table for koliva.

4) It is customary to bring kolivo (kutya) to a memorial service. Kolivo is boiled wheat with honey, nuts and fruits. It symbolizes our faith in the general resurrection (a grain that falls into the ground rots, but from it a new life is born - a spikelet), a wish for the deceased to partake of the sweetness of the Heavenly Kingdom (it must be sweet) and serves as a consolation to those who remember. It is not advisable to bring products other than koliv to the church for a memorial service; this is contrary to Orthodox tradition. However, if you wish, you can donate food for the common meal after the liturgy. On days strictly defined by the Charter, the funeral liturgy includes (at the end) a special rite of consecration of the koliva.

Mikhail Vasilievich Nesterov. Desert Fathers and Wives are blameless

The everlasting psalter

The indefatigable Psalter is read not only about health, but also about peace. Since ancient times, ordering a commemoration on the Everlasting Psalter has been considered a great alms for a departed soul.

It is also good to order the Indestructible Psalter for yourself; you will feel the support. And one more important point, but far from the least important, there is eternal remembrance on the Undying Psalter. It seems expensive, but the result is more than millions of times more than the money spent. If this is still not possible, then you can order for a shorter period. It's also good to read for yourself.

Order from the monastery in Jerusalem

Sorokoust

Sorokoust is the commemoration of the newly deceased during the first forty days after death. Sorokoust about the living is something new, strange and has no basis either in the Church Charter or in Church Tradition. The practice of ordering the magpie for the living has taken root in the modern Orthodox Church in Russia. In this matter, our Church Abroad strictly adheres to the Church Charter, performing magpies only for the newly deceased. “Sorokousts,” writes St. Simeon of Thessalonica, - are performed in remembrance of the Ascension of the Lord, which occurred on the fortieth day after the Resurrection, - and with the purpose that he (the deceased), having risen from the grave, ascended to the meeting (that is, towards. - Ed.). Judge, he was caught up into the clouds, and so he was always with the Lord.” Read more about Sorokoust below, in extracts from the work of Bishop. Afanasy Sakhorov “Commemoration of the dead according to the charter of the Orthodox Church.” Sorokousts are celebrated in those churches where the Divine Liturgy is served every day. In our diocese these are monastery churches. Please remember that by submitting memorial notes, you do not thereby relieve yourself of the obligation to pray for your loved ones.

Donations to the altar

You can donate wine to the altar for celebrating the Eucharist, or for drinking. Wine for the Eucharist must have certain qualities, so do not buy the wine yourself, but give the elder money to buy it. In addition, you can donate oil for lamps and wax candles to the altar. Below we bring to the reader's attention several extracts from the works of an expert in divine services and the most zealous executor of the statutes of the Orthodox Church, St. Afanasy (Sakharov) - confessor of Christ, who spent about 20 years in prisons and camps. Saint Athanasius wrote his liturgical notes in the middle of the last century, but their relevance in our time not only has not diminished, but has even increased.

Mikhail Vasilievich Nesterov. evening call, evening Bell

On the importance of observing the Church Charter

Setting out the church rules of remembrance, I affirm with all decisiveness that only obedience to the Holy Church, submission to Her statutes can provide genuine relief from grief, consolation in grief and complete satisfaction of the need to pray for loved ones. I know that regarding my statements in the proposed article they will tell me: “What you say may be true. There may be many things in the modern church liturgical practice of commemorating the dead that are a deviation from the Church Charter. But we are already accustomed to this, and deviation from the established, even if contrary to the statutory orders, can cause confusion not only among the laity, but also among the clergy and may even threaten a new schism.” Unfortunately, this is largely true. And our main problem is that we have fewer and fewer experts in the Rule, such as existed in pre-Petrine Rus' not only among the clergy, but also among the laity. Now what is considered statutory is not what really corresponds to the letter and spirit of the Church Rule, but what they are accustomed to as established. But does it follow from this that we must put up with all this, that the fear of Chekhov’s “man in a case”, “that something might happen” must be placed above the need to take urgent measures against the lawless violation and distortion of church liturgical regulations and that we must abandon attempts to return to the legitimate church channel, the modern church and liturgical practice that has deviated far from it? Of course not! Unfortunately, the unauthorized experiments of the sad memory of the renovationists slowed down and extremely complicated the necessary, urgent matter of streamlining our worship. Therefore, now it must be started with extreme caution and prudence. Long and thorough preparation is needed both among the laity and among the clergy. A lot of preliminary explanatory work is needed. Just as in everything, according to the instructions of the holy fathers, one must observe “measure and rule,” the Holy Church is guided by the same principle of measure and rule, establishing a certain order and order of prayers for the living and the dead, giving guidance to a harmonious, consistent system of commemoration. Public prayer and church services cannot be structured and performed to please the moods and desires of individual pilgrims. If you do what pleases one, you must please the other. There are many pilgrims, and what varied demands for worship can be made by them at the same time! You will never satisfy everyone. Church rites and rules of prayer were not created by chance or somehow. All of them, everything that is contained in the Typikon and liturgical books, for the most part is the fruit of sometimes entire life-long prayer feats of the best sons of the Church, great saints of God, vigilant prayer books, for whom prayer was everything in life, who, inflamed with the desire of the heavenly, the cruelty of the desert more than the whole world of sweets They chose and, having completely withdrawn from people and becoming inhabitants of the desert, they established the universe with their prayers. This is how our church Charter was formed, which our old Russian scribes, not without reason, called “the book inspired by God.” Our Typikon is milestones on the path of prayer, showing us trodden paths that lead directly to the goal, paths trodden and trampled by holy saints and our pious ancestors. Why deviate onto other paths, why look for new ones, when along these, as already known, it is safer, easier, faster, with less difficulty, you can enter into the work of all previous generations, reap what has already been sown by others, among other things, for us. There is nothing accidental in the divine service, in the Charter of the Orthodox Church; everything in it is strictly thought out. Rearranging one part of the service in place of another, introducing inappropriate additions, omitting even small details - this also violates the overall harmony of the service, like a false note in a play, like an unnecessary line or blot accidentally drawn in a picture, like a window or cornice placed out of place. in a slender building. From what has been said, it follows how important it is for Orthodox Christians to obey the Church Charter in the matter of prayer and worship. It is important and necessary to perform the smallest details of church rites and services exactly as they are set out in the Charter, for only then will the divine service have the exact meaning that the Holy Church gives it. In particular, it is important and necessary to carry out the work of remembering the dead exactly as the Holy Church commands in the Church Rules, for holy obedience to Her, and not as each of us likes or wants. With its rules for the remembrance of the dead, as with all its regulations in general, whether they relate to worship or discipline, the Holy Church offers a test of the obedience of its children, the sincerity of their love for the Lord and the unselfishness of love for their neighbors. This is a kind of tree of the knowledge of good and evil, given to educate and strengthen the will of Orthodox Christians. Do not forget your duty to pray for the departed, remember them more often, but only in those times and in those forms that are given by the Holy Church and do not exceed the established limits. The commemoration of the living and the dead at the proskomedia and at the consecration of the Gifts, although unspoken, in its meaning, strength and effectiveness cannot be compared with any other prayerful commemorations: at healthy prayer services, funeral memorial services or any other pious deeds in memory of the living and deceased. It cannot be compared with the public commemoration at the same liturgy at the great and special litanies (which is allowed locally) and at a special funeral litany.

Sorokoust about repose

This type of commemoration of the dead can be ordered at any hour - there are no restrictions on this either. During Great Lent, when the full liturgy is celebrated much less frequently, a number of churches practice commemoration in this way - in the altar, during the entire fast, all the names in the notes are read and, if the liturgy is served, then parts are taken out. You just need to remember that people baptized in the Orthodox faith can participate in these commemorations, just as in the notes submitted to the proskomedia, it is allowed to include the names of only baptized deceased.

Order from the monastery in Jerusalem

Sorokoust

The main meaning of the fortieth commemoration is that the deceased be remembered during forty liturgies, even if this commemoration is limited only to secret commemoration at the proskomedia and after the consecration of the Holy Gifts. Sorokoust means forty liturgies. But it is rare that the funeral magpie is performed exactly. Usually it ends on the fortieth day after death. The number of forty days also includes the very day of death, on which the first funeral liturgy rarely takes place. Thus, on the 40th day, most often there is only the 39th liturgy. Meanwhile, the church charter prescribes that the liturgy should be celebrated not until the 40th day after death, but until the completion of the forty days of the offering, which means until the fulfillment of 40 liturgies. Therefore, if the commemoration of the liturgy did not begin on the very day of death, or if it was not performed continuously from day to day, then it should be continued after the fortieth day until the full number of 40 liturgies have been performed, even if they had to be performed a long time after the fortieth day , how can this be about someone who died in Lent, the fortieth commemoration of which begins only on Antipascha Monday. In memory of the departed, we usually light lamps abundantly on the so-called eve, in front of the image of the Lord crucified on the cross on it. The cross is the banner of our salvation, the banner of victory over sin, over evil, over death. The cross overshadows the Orthodox Christian throughout his life. Placed on his chest at baptism, it accompanies him until death; he goes with him to the grave. The cross also crowns the grave mound of an Orthodox Christian. Therefore, during funeral services, the cross is used as a kind of “holiday,” “icon of the holiday,” and in front of it, as always on holidays, many lamps are lit in front of the holiday icon. These lamps burn not only in front of the cross and the Crucified One, but, as it were, in front of the very graves of those commemorated, just as during burial, in addition to lamps in front of the cross and icons, special lamps are placed around the coffin, in front of the body of the deceased.

Mikhail Vasilievich Nesterov. Vision to the youth Bartholomew

Service of requiem after the liturgy

We have established a custom according to which the requiem service in most cases is performed immediately after the dismissal of the liturgy. This custom has no basis in the Charter. The Typikon does not provide for the possibility of performing any other services immediately after the liturgy. Liturgy is the completion of the entire circle of daily worship. All other services prepare believers for participation or presence during the celebration of the sacrament of the charist.

The Christian's mood, starting with the evening service and passing through the night and morning services, gradually increases. At the liturgy, with “Thine from Thine” and “Holy to the Holy” it reaches its highest degree. Here the joy of a Christian is higher than any festive joy, here the triumph is higher than any festive celebration. This is the Christian's daily Passover. There cannot be greater consolation, greater joy and triumph for a Christian. That is why, almost immediately after the celebration of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, the entire circle of daily services ends, and even the final service of the 9th hour is not performed here, but is assigned to the evening. The Church wants believers to go out to their homes, thanking God, in an Easter mood, so that they can eat with him and go about their work with him. After co-presence and contemplation of the great Sacrament, turning even to the friends of our Savior (John 15:12) is already lowering one’s mood, replacing Easter joy with simply festive joy. And to perform lengthy prayers for the departed immediately after the liturgy is even less consistent with the meaning of the liturgy and only shows that we do not sufficiently understand, do not underestimate the significance of this divine service and the great Sacrament performed at it, as our divine Pascha. The church charter stipulates that all prayers that may take place on a given day must be completed before the liturgy or postponed until the end of Vespers. After the entire daily cycle of services, worshipers need rest and refreshment with a meal. At the end of the liturgy there can only be a ceremony over the Kutia in honor of the holiday or in memory of the deceased. But, firstly, this is a very short prayer, and secondly, this is, as it were, the beginning of the meal, part of the meal. Ancient Rus' performed many different prayer services both after Vespers, and after Matins, and before the Liturgy, many religious processions and so-called actions. But all this ended before the liturgy. Even the so-called royal prayer services on the days of namesakes and births were performed the day before after Vespers. Celebrating a memorial service before the liturgy would be practically useful in the sense that then it would be relatively easy to relieve the liturgy from reading many memorials at the liturgical funeral litany. All memorials would be read aloud at the memorial service before the liturgy, but at the liturgical liturgy one could limit ourselves to the general formula and those few names for which the given day is truly a memorial day, for which an offering is made on a special occasion. Celebrating a memorial service after the liturgy as an addition to public worship is inappropriate and time-sensitive. The very name “requiem”, translated from Greek, means all-night vigil service. Therefore, it can be after Vespers, just as the All-Night Vigil should be after Little Vespers. It can be at the time designated for Matins or close to it, since the requiem in its structure is an abbreviated Matins. But how to perform a requiem service - an “all-night vigil” service at lunchtime, close to noon, around which the liturgy, “mass”, and pre-dinner service should end?

Commemoration of the Dead in Lent

The Church Charter gives the following instructions regarding the commemoration of those who died during Lent. “It is fitting to know that even if our brother were to go to the Lord on these holy days in the middle of the week, there would not be a third of it even until Friday evening, then his requiem mass would be celebrated: likewise on Saturday his liturgy. On the coming Saturday there will be his nine tithes, come what may or may not. Its quaternaries happen when the number of its days is fulfilled. Offerings to his memory begin from the New Week, even before the completion of the forty days.”

Thus, commemoration of the 3rd and 9th days after death should be performed on the two Saturdays closest to the day of death, regardless of whether these Saturdays are the third or ninth days. Although general commemoration of the dead on the weekdays of Great Lent is performed almost daily at the so-called ordinary lithiums, deliberate commemoration with the performance of the full liturgy can only take place on the first four Saturdays. Therefore, the statutory prescription for commemoration in Lent only coincides with these four days for the commemoration of the 3rd and 9th days of those who died during Lent. On one of these Saturdays, a commemoration may also be made of those who died on the 40th day before the start of Lent. In relation to this order, all other deliberate commemorations should be carried out, for example, on the occasion of name days, anniversaries - they should be transferred to the next weekdays, when there may be a funeral liturgy, and on the most memorable days they should be limited only to those commemorations that are then permitted, that is, commemoration at the proskomedia, when there is a full liturgy, or at the litia, when it is celebrated. The fortieth commemoration of those who died in Lent begins on Monday of Thomas Week and continues until 40 liturgies are completed. Commemoration of the dead on the weekdays of Lent is impossible because on these days there cannot be a full liturgy. But there is another reason that prevents the celebration of the liturgy these days. In our country, according to the good old tradition, which has its basis in the Church Charter, the commemoration of the dead is always accompanied by a funeral meal, more or less complete and plentiful. It has already been noted that from the point of view of the Charter, the meal is a continuation of the divine service, the completion of the daytime and evening worship. Therefore, like every meal of an Orthodox Christian in general, and a funeral meal in particular, it must be in strict accordance with this matter. During Lent, our charter on some days completely abolishes meals or allows only dry eating. He allows the consumption of oil, except Saturdays and Sundays, only in rare cases on holidays no lower than polyeleos, and does not allow it at all, even during polyeleos on the 1st and 7th weeks and on Wednesdays and the heels of all other weeks. The church charter, prohibiting the consecration of churches on the weekdays of Lent, motivates this, among other things, by the fact that on the weekdays of Lent there cannot be a festive meal befitting the celebration of consecration. Moreover, a full funeral meal should not be served on the weekdays of Lent. The good deed of commemorating the dead should not be combined with a violation of the Church Charter, and the organizers of the commemoration should not take upon themselves the sin of the seducers. And just as the celebration of the consecration of the temple is postponed until another time, among other things, so that on the weekdays of Lent there is no weakening of the fast, so the commemoration of the dead should be postponed to “another day,” one of those when it can be performed without breaking the rules. only the church rules concerning Lenten worship, but also without violating the rules of Lenten fasting.

Ordering requirements in the Holy Land

· Commemoration at the Divine Liturgy · Blessing of the Water · Prayer for health · Prayer for repose · Prayer for health · Indestructible psalter · Candle for repose · Candle for health · Sorokoust for repose · Sorokoust for health · Requiem service

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