08.12.2020
Your doctor says that it is useless to continue conservative treatment of the joint. You seem to trust him - after all, you tried to find a good specialist. And at the same time, at the mere thought of surgery, some kind of chaotic mess arises inside, and you are ready to take literally handfuls of pills, just to avoid “going under the knife.”
Sound familiar?
It remains to understand what to do about it.
How to pray before surgery
Before going to the hospital, it is recommended to go to a temple, where you need to read a prayer for health in front of a lit candle. If for some reason you cannot pray in church, contact the One Creator before the operation near the home iconostasis. The clergy remind us that in prayer it is not the place where it is read that is important, but the faith of the Christian with which he calls out to Heaven. Once on the operating table, repeat “Lord have mercy” to yourself three times. With these words, it is recommended to undergo preoperative preparation.
We must not forget about the prayer book even after surgery. After the operation, if everything went well, read the “Our Father” or another prayer, which can be concluded with words of gratitude addressed to God, as well as a request for a speedy recovery and a favorable prognosis in the future. Don't forget to repent of your known and unknown sins. Your words will be heard, and if it is the will of the Lord, he will have mercy on you.
Keep a small icon next to the hospital bed. A small one, for example, can even be placed under the pillow. Already during preoperative preparation, you need to repeat the words “Lord have mercy,” and the Lord God will do this.
"Do no harm"
There are, indeed, cases when treatment or surgery is not blessed. It’s worth figuring out - what kind of situation is this? If it looks like this: “Father, bless me to do the operation!” “I don’t bless you!” the priest answered, turned around and left. “You have to think about it: who said that?” If Seraphim of Sarov, you need to submit.
And if an ordinary priest or monk did not give a blessing, if you see that it was not said with love, with participation, without reasoning and prayer, you should not listen to such advice.
Doctors in their work always remember the rule: “do no harm.” I am convinced that a priest should give advice based on the same principle.
What prayer to read before surgery
Before surgery, prayers can be addressed to Our Father, as well as to the Saints, who became famous precisely because of the miracle of healing and helping the sick. Requests for successful surgical intervention are responded to, for example, by the holy righteous Lazarus, as well as by the seven youths of Ephesus. Regardless of which prayer book you choose, it is important that your faith in the Savior is sincere. Only those who try to live in Christ will be rewarded!
Remember that God is the main healer of the souls and bodies of the laity, who does good unselfishly, but you need to communicate with him not only in difficult hours of trials. After the operation, order a prayer service in church, and read the prayer at home as a sign of gratitude and respect.
If your mother, father, children, relatives, friend, loved one or acquaintance are undergoing surgery, you can turn to the so-called prayer of detention. Pay attention to the need to end the prayer request with the phrase “Thy will be done, Lord,” because everything that happens in a person’s life really happens solely by the will of a merciful God.
Here are the most powerful prayers before surgery, which you can print out and read with sincere faith in your heart.
Prayer to God before surgery for a successful outcome
A successful outcome of the operation is all that the patient thinks about and wants, who is to be cured of the disease by this method. Doubts about whether a miracle of healing will happen always torment a person’s soul, but appropriate prayer helps to dispel these doubts. She will do more for the suffering person than he can imagine.
After reading the prayer book, the heart calms down, which the Lord fills with peace and hope. To the one whose prayer appeal was sincere, and whose faith is strong and unshakable, God also directs his ray of mercy, giving the layman what he asks for.
Appeal to the great healers
When there are health problems for themselves or their relatives, first of all, people turn to Saint Panteleimon.
Prayer to the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon during the operation:
Oh, great saint of Christ, passion-bearer and merciful physician Panteleimon! Have mercy on me, a sinful slave, hear my groaning and cry, propitiate the heavenly, supreme Physician of our souls and bodies, Christ our God, may He grant me healing from the illness that oppresses me. Accept the unworthy prayer of the most sinful man above all. Visit me with a gracious visit. Do not disdain my sinful sores, anoint them with the oil of your mercy and heal me; May I, healthy in soul and body, be able to spend the rest of my days, by the grace of God, in repentance and pleasing to God and be worthy of receiving a good end to my life.
Hey, servant of God! Pray to Christ God, that through your intercession he may grant health to my body and salvation to my soul. Amen.
Prayer to Luka Krymsky for health during surgery:
Like a bright and sparkling star, you illuminate our path with your virtues. Your angelic soul, your holy rank, we pray to you. The godless subjected you to persecution and brought suffering upon you. Your faith was unshakable; you did not deprive the suffering of your help and affection. Your medical wisdom entered homes with healing. We bow before your face, we bend our knees before your relics, we glorify your body and spirit. We praise your deeds. We pray that you grant us healing and strengthen our health. Amen.
Akathist
In addition to prayer appeals to the Lord, His Son, and the Saints, patients, before lying on the operating table, can ask for help from divine powers with the help of an akathist. It is not necessary to learn it by heart, which is good, given the large size of this church hymn of praise. It is enough to read it with concentration, thinking about every word.
They conclude the akathist with their own appeal to the One Creator, in which they need to formulate a clear request to survive a difficult day while maintaining good health. Anyone who glorifies the Lord with sincere and pure faith in his heart can hope for many years of life.
Kontakion 1
The first kontakion well embodies the general idea of such a laudatory church text addressed to God. For a patient undergoing surgery, this is an excellent way to once again thank the Almighty for giving him earthly life and eternal life in the future, prepared for all who try to live in Christ, serve our Father with truth and faith and sincerely repent of all their known and unknown sins .
Ikos 1
This Ikos before surgery is intended to glorify God and all his gifts that the laity can enjoy. In prayer, the patient can thank the Almighty for those obvious and secret benefits that were given to him from above.
This appeal to the One Creator is a wonderful reminder to all Orthodox Christians of His eternity in the temporary world, as well as of His mercy and protection provided to those born defenseless and weak, which is every mortal.
Kontakion 2
This Kontakion can often be heard during the liturgy in the church. Like others, he is called, first of all, to glorify our Savior, and also to remind the laity of the beauty of the earthly world created by the Lord.
And so that this beauty can be enjoyed for many years to come, all patients whose recovery is impossible without surgical intervention resort to reading this prayer.
Ikos 2
This short prayer reminds the Orthodox that the life given to us by God is a holiday, an enchanting paradise, for all the delights of which we need to thank the One Creator every day.
People take so much for granted, which is one of the many mistakes of any lay person. You can repent for this and once again glorify the Lord before the operation by reading this particular Ikos.
Kontakion 3
The life-giving God created everything beautiful on earth that we, again only thanks to the joy of contemplation given to us, can enjoy every day.
This short prayer allows you to realize this happiness, which should become part of the spiritual reading of everyone who is preparing to go on the operating table and suffers from doubt that he will be able to successfully survive this day, maintaining his health and the opportunity to continue to enjoy everything beautiful created by God.
Ikos 3
Appealing to Heaven in difficult times, people, including the sick, often forget about the main thing - the need to thank the One Creator for everything that he has given to the laity. Not everyone can find the right words for this.
It is most difficult for those whose minds are occupied with thoughts about the upcoming operation, which, regardless of the person’s health, one way or another implies a great risk. It is in such cases that church hymns of praise come to the rescue.
Kontakion 4
Every Orthodox Christian knows that effective prayer is the key to salvation, an integral pious tradition of the Christian world. The fourth Kontakion, dedicated to the life-giving Word of God, its grace, which comes to everyone who turns to their Creator with a pure heart and strong faith, also reminds us of this.
This chant is an important part of the spiritual reading of anyone who is about to undergo surgery.
Ikos 4
This prayer for every patient whose soul is tormented by doubts and fear is a reminder that God is always next to the Orthodox. No matter how distant the world may seem to others, no matter how much darkness a layman may plunge into, he has everything that is necessary for salvation - the love of the Lord, on which one can hope and trust even before the operation.
This ikos can be read with other components of the laudatory akathist, as well as with prayer books addressed to the Saints.
Kontakion 5
The three-line Kontakion can calm the anxious heart of someone who is afraid to go on the operating table, better than talking with a specialist. Just a few sentences contain everything that an Orthodox Christian feels when he lets into his soul faith in the Lord and hope for salvation when faced with life’s storms and adversities.
Reading this prayer allows you to calm down on the important day of the operation and tune in to a positive wave, allowing yourself to rely on the will of the almighty God, who always lends a helping hand to those who need it.
Ikos 5
Everyone who believes in Jesus knows how small and insignificant he is, compared to the Lord. This is felt especially acutely by those people who have faced a difficult ordeal in their lives in the form of an illness that cannot be cured without surgery. It is possible to regain hope for recovery through prayers and church chants of praise, including Ikos the fifth.
The text of this Ikos can be read at home, in church, at liturgy and simply in front of holy images, as well as directly in the hospital.
Kontakion 6
Our One Creator is omnipotent, which is especially important to remember for every seriously ill person seeking salvation through surgery. Whatever the surgical intervention, it always causes anxiety and concern in a person. And only prayer can console the hearts of the laity.
This version of turning to the Lord is included in the akathist of praise, which is recommended to be read along with other prayer books during preoperative preparation.
Ikos 6
Communion with God is the path to salvation for every Christian. When turning to the Lord, before asking Him for anything, you need to remind yourself of all the benefits that He gave to His children.
It is difficult to give thanks for all God's gifts in your own words when your heart hurts from fear and doubt before surgery. Then church hymns come to the rescue, in which all the grace of the love of the Almighty and his mercy are described in the best possible way.
Kontakion 7
Before lying on the operating table, the believer must not only repent and ask the Father for his protection and help, but also thank him for everything He has given.
The Seventh Kontakion calls upon the laity, faced with a difficult life situation, to remember that the greatness of the Lord is manifested in everything that we see in the world He created. The laudatory text should become indispensable reading for everyone who is trying to recover from a serious illness.
Ikos 7
The goodness of the Lord is something to which many church hymns are devoted, including the seventh Ikos, in which all the charm of the gifts presented by God to mortal man is described in the best possible way.
For any Orthodox Christian, this is a good way to remind himself of the greatness of the One Creator, and for those who are preparing for surgery, it is also a way to gain hope for recovery, which can be hoped for by crying out to Heaven with a pure heart filled with the love of God.
Kontakion 8
For every sick person, the eighth Kontakion is of particular value, because it describes the salvation of the suffering through faith. These lines contain a reminder of the mercy of the Almighty, which comes to a person suddenly, when he, it would seem, has already lost hope for healing, having plunged into the darkness of his mental and physical torment and trials.
This prayer makes us believe that the pure soul of someone living in Christ will definitely await a miracle, granted by our all-powerful Father.
Ikos 8
Part of the abundance of blessings that the Lord sends to the layman is taken for granted, which cannot be done. Do not forget, trusting in God, to thank him for his protection day and night, for his love and for the salvation given to all humanity.
When it is difficult to express this gratitude in your own words before an operation, you can use the eighth Ikos, part of the laudatory akathist, which is read, like a prayer, seriously, pondering every word.
Kontakion 9
Every church holiday reminds us of the omnipotence of the Lord, but we must always remember his immense love, which is what is discussed in the 9th text of praise of the church song. This prayer is well known to everyone who regularly attends liturgy in Orthodox churches.
Kontakion 9, like other parts of the akathist, needs to be read thoughtfully. This is a good addition to prayer books addressed to God, the Saints, who are able to give the patient the opportunity to survive the operation and quickly recover after it.
Ikos 9
This prayer glorifies God as a powerful force of inspiration to serve good, as a force that illuminates the heart in the most difficult times, hours of testing. These lines allow you to calm down, to believe that the Lord does not leave the sufferer for a minute, which means there is a chance to survive the operation, no matter how difficult it may be. For those who are mired in doubts and fears, this is the best spiritual reading.
Kontakion 10
Salvation through faith is what everyone who has become part of the Christian church lives for. However, among people who came to Orthodoxy only in difficult times of life, doubt often creeps in whether God will extend his helping hand to them. It is most difficult for those for whom the Lord’s help is the only thing they can hope for in life, especially when it comes to illness or a difficult upcoming operation.
The tenth Kontakion will allow you to dispel all your doubts; it reminds you that the love of the Almighty can be given to any soul, even one whose beauty has been lost.
Ikos 10
Unlike many other Ikos, this one consists not only of lines of praise addressed to the One Creator, but also a plea for salvation, which everyone dreams of, including those who are preparing to go on the operating table.
This text will be a real find for anyone who strives for dialogue with God, but does not know what words to use, how to correctly formulate their request for a miracle of healing, a quick recovery after surgery.
Kontakion 11
Life on earth is something that every person, even the seriously ill, must, no matter what, treat as a triumph of salvation and love, which we owe to the Lord.
The Orthodox are reminded of this by a short prayer, which was included in the laudatory akathist, which sounds in almost all liturgies held by Christian churches. Include these lines in your personal prayer book, prepared specifically for talking with God before surgery.
Ikos 11
God is merciful, and every member of the Christian church should know this. And this is precisely what those who have suffered severe suffering, mental and physical torment forget about. It is easy to lose hope and faith when faced with a serious illness, but even this test can be passed by those who let God into their hearts, feeling in return his supernatural and ineffable love, which can create a real miracle.
This is precisely the main message of the eleventh ikos, which, along with traditional prayer, can be read in the hospital.
Kontakion 12
The twelfth Kontakion, dedicated to the death of a person, despite expectations, does not overshadow the person preparing for the operation, but only serves as a reminder to him that everything is the will of the Lord, and in a sense, the end of worldly life is the beginning of another, the opportunity to find eternal life next to the All-Forgiving . This prayer brings peace to the most restless heart.
Ikos 12
A person is not always obedient to God, which he must admit before asking something from the Almighty. When your head is busy with thoughts about the upcoming operation, it can be difficult to find the right words. Then such a song of praise as Ikos the twelfth comes to the rescue.
This prayer, when reading which, the believer glorifies the Creator, who gives his children his immeasurable divine love, in which everyone finds salvation.
Kontakion 13
Various prayers allow you to calm down before the operation, as well as an akathist, which includes a small Kontakion dedicated to the life-giving Trinity, without which the existence of the Christian faith is impossible to imagine. Reading these lines at home, in church, in the hospital, the patient expresses his gratitude to the divine powers for all the blessings given to him and the joy of earthly life.
This small prayer book should definitely be included in the spiritual reading of anyone who is worried about the upcoming surgical intervention, doubting that it will be successful.
What is the difference between obedience to a “simple priest” and obedience to an elder?
The priest must understand his responsibility. The advice of the elders to whom the Lord reveals His will is one thing, like Seraphim of Sarov, Ambrose of Optina, John of Kronstadt, and our contemporaries - Father John Krestyankin, Father Nikolai Guryanov. Everyone probably remembers the story from the book “Unholy Saints,” when Father John Krestyankin did not bless his spiritual child for an operation, but the woman, in spite of it, did not listen, went for the operation and died.
And when a person turns to an elder with undoubted spiritual authority for a blessing, he must understand and believe that he is coming to find out the will of God, and not the will of the elder.
And therefore, you must be ready to carry out this answer, otherwise, why ask?
But today we have elders, I don’t want to say, no, but they are practically inaccessible. Maybe somewhere on Mount Athos, maybe somewhere else, in a hidden way, but they are accessible to few people...
And those “elders” to whom pilgrims are taken by bus are rather a commercial project, at least something dubious, here you should be very careful and circumspect.
To ordinary priests, even experienced and righteous ones, the approach as to an elder is not applicable. And here the priest himself must understand that he cannot violate a person’s free will.
Is there a measure of this obedience? Yes, that's common sense.
The blessing of a confessor is not an order, it is prayerful support, approval, confirmation that a person wants to fulfill the will of God, and not act according to his own will.
What to do if a person does not want to act as the priest blesses? If doubts remain, you need to go to him again and, perhaps, ask him to pray more carefully and be more attentive. But don’t immediately run for a “second opinion” to another priest in the hope that he will do what you want.
And be sure to pray yourself, ask God to show your spiritual father what is right? Do not shift all prayer and search for God’s will only to the priest as a “professional.” After all, this is your life, your question.
The main criterion in the matter of blessing, of course, should be love. You need to advise and bless a priest with love - just as you would advise your child, your loved one. And the patient should seek advice from priests in whom a thoughtful, attentive attitude is felt.
I once read the following statement from one of our saints: “Which priest is better to turn to - the perspicacious or the prudent? “Of course, to the sensible one!” This point of view is close to me.
