Every Orthodox Christian wants to save his soul using various prayers. You can find prayer texts in the prayer book, which contains the main daily prayer services. You can also find other texts that are suitable for certain circumstances. In addition to the usual prayers, which every believer is well familiar with, there are also prayer rules. The most famous are the evening and morning prayers, which are read daily. There are also special collections of texts called the Theotokos Rule.
Theotokos - Mother of all Christians
Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Offering... Intercessor, Intercessor, Helper... All this is about Her - the Mother of God. The Orthodox Church is decorated with a large number of icons of the Blessed Virgin. And the Orthodox prayer book contains a huge number of prayerful sighs to the Mother of God. The Mother of God rule occupies a special place among them.
Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
“She is the foundation of the prophets, the beginning of the apostles, the foundation of the martyrs, the foundation of the teachers. She is the glory of those who are on earth, the joy of those who are in heaven, the adornment of all creation” (St. Gregory Palamas).
The Theotokos in the prayer book does not refer to the Theotokos rule
It happens that reading the Mother of God rule is complicated by ignorance of prayers.
People who do not know what the Theotokos in the prayer book are may decide that it is the same prayer. But no. Theotokos is a contraction of the phrase “Most Holy Mother of God, save us.” And the text of the prayer for the Theotokos rule is: “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice.”
Every ten repetitions is a recollection of some event in the life of the Mother of God: the Annunciation, the Birth of Jesus, etc. For 15 decades, we remember the entire life of the saint.
50
how many times can beginners read the Theotokos rule?
Therefore, it is necessary to read the Theotokos rule 150 times a day, but for starters you can limit yourself to 50. After every ten, it is recommended to insert “Our Father” and “Doors of Mercy”:
"Our Father":
“Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth.
Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
The Lord's Prayer is read along with the Theotokos rule - after every 10 repetitions
«Doors of Mercy":
“Open doors of mercy for us, blessed Mother of God, who trust in You, so that we may not perish, but may be delivered from troubles by You: for You are the salvation of the Christian race.”
In the video below you can listen to how the Valaam male choir performs the Theotokos Rule:
This rule is often supplemented in different ways by other prayers. Next are two versions of the text: a simple and a complete Theotokos rule.
Theotokos rule
First ten
"Our Father".
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (10 times.)
Translation: Mother of God Virgin Mary, filled with the grace of God, rejoice! The Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the Fruit born of You, because You gave birth to the Savior of our souls.
We remember the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Troparion, tone 4
Your Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, / proclaim joy to the whole universe: / from you the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, has risen, / and, having destroyed the oath, you have given blessing, // and, having abolished death, you have given us life in Echny.
Translation: Your Nativity, Virgin Mary, proclaimed joy to the whole universe, for from You the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, shone; and, having canceled the curse, He gave the blessing and, having abolished death, gave us eternal life.
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos, save and preserve Your servants (names of parents and relatives), and rest with the saints in Your eternal glory.
“Open the doors of mercy for us...”
Second ten
"Our Father".
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (10 times)
We remember the Entry into the Temple of our Lady Theotokos.
Troparion, tone 4
On the day of God’s favor, the transfiguration, / and the preaching of the salvation of men, / the Virgin clearly appears in the temple of God, / and she foretells Christ to everyone./ We, too, will cry out loudly: // rejoice in the sight of the Creator and fullness.
Translation: On this day there is a foreshadowing of God’s favor and the salvation of people: in the temple of God the Virgin openly appears and announces Christ to everyone. We, too, will loudly cry out to her: “Rejoice, fulfillment of what was ordained by the Creator!”
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos, save, preserve and unite Your lost and fallen servants (names) to the Holy Orthodox Church.
“Open the doors of mercy for us...”
Third decade
"Our Father".
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (10 times.)
We remember the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Troparion, tone 4
The day of our salvation is the most important, / and from time immemorial the mystery has been revealed: / The Son of God, the Son of the Virgin, is born, / and Gabriel preaches grace. / Moreover, we also cry out to the Mother of God with him: / Rejoice, O full of grace, / The Lord is with you.
Translation: On this day of our salvation, the beginning and the eternal mystery is revealed: the Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin and Gabriel preaches the gospel of grace. Therefore, we will also cry out to the Mother of God: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos, assuage our sorrows and send consolation to Your grieving and sick servants (names).
“Open the doors of mercy for us...”
Fourth decade
"Our Father".
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (10 times)
We remember the Meeting of the Most Holy Theotokos with the righteous Elizabeth.
It is worthy to eat as truly the blessedness of Thee, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and the Mother of our God. We magnify Thee, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison, the Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption.
Translation: It is truly worthy to praise You, Mother of God, eternally blessed and immaculate and Mother of our God. With honor higher than the Cherubim and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, who virginally gave birth to God the Word, the true Mother of God, we glorify You.
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos, unite Your servants (names) who are in separation.
“Open the doors of mercy for us...”
Fifth decade
"Our Father".
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (10 times)
We remember the Nativity of Christ.
Troparion, tone 4
Your Christmas, Christ is our God,/ The Light of the Light of Razuma,/ in it, the Serving Service,/ Star, is participating,/ You are clasped by the Solnta of the Pravda,/ and you are believed with the heights of the East: // General, glory to you.
Translation: Your Nativity, Christ our God, illuminated the world with the light of knowledge, for through it those who served as stars were taught to worship You, the Sun of righteousness, and to know You from the heights of the Rising Luminary. Lord, glory to You!
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos, grant to me, who was baptized in Christ, to put on Christ.
“Open the doors of mercy for us...”
Sixth decade
"Our Father".
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (10 times)
We remember the Presentation of the Lord and the word prophesied by the righteous Simeon: “And a weapon will pierce your very soul.”
Troparion, tone 1
Rejoice, Blessed Virgin Mary, / from You the Sun of Truth, Christ our God, has risen, / enlightening those in darkness. / Rejoice, you too, the elder righteous, / received into the arms of the Liberator of our souls, / / yes who promises us resurrection.
Translation: Rejoice, blessed Virgin Mary, for from You has arisen the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, who enlightens those in darkness. Rejoice also, O righteous elder, who has accepted into the arms of the Liberator of our souls, who gives us resurrection.
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos, grant me, with my last breath, to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ and lead my soul through terrible ordeals.
“Open the doors of mercy for us...”
seventh decade
"Our Father".
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (10 times)
We remember the flight to Egypt of Righteous Joseph and the Mother of God with the Child of God.
Kontakion, tone 8
To the chosen Voivode, victorious, as if we had got rid of the evil ones, let us sing thanksgiving to Thy servants, O Mother of God; but as you have an invincible power, free us from all troubles, and let us call to You: Rejoice, Unbrideless Bride.
Translation: To the Commander who defends us, for deliverance from terrible troubles, we institute victory celebrations for You, we, Your servants, are grateful, Mother of God! But You, as having irresistible power, free us from all dangers, so we cry to You: “Rejoice, Bride, who has not known marriage!”
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos, deliver me from all misfortunes.
“Open the doors of mercy for us...”
Eighth decade
"Our Father".
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (10 times)
We remember the disappearance of the twelve-year-old boy Jesus in Jerusalem and the grief of the Mother of God over this.
Troparion, tone 7
Sighing for me, Lord, accept me as the Merciful, and have mercy on me as a publican, Your Mother through intercession.
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos, grant me unceasing remembrance of God.
“Open the doors of mercy for us...”
Ninth decade
"Our Father".
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (10 times)
We remember the miracle in Cana of Galilee, when the Lord turned water into wine according to the word of the Mother of God: “They have no wine.”
Troparion, tone 3
The saving refuge of Thyimama, Mother of God, in the abyss of life's overwhelm. Thou shalt save from all misfortune those who flow to Thy goodness.
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos, help us in all our affairs and needs.
“Open the doors of mercy for us...”
tenth ten
"Our Father".
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (10 times)
We remember the standing of the Mother of God at the Cross of the Lord, when sorrow, like a weapon, pierced Her soul.
Kontakion, tone 6
Do not weep for Me, Mother, seeing in the tomb, Whom in your womb without seed you conceived a Son: for I will rise and be glorified, and exalt with glory unceasingly as God, by faith and love I magnify You yushchyya.
Translation: Do not weep over Me, Mother, seeing that the very Son whom You conceived without seed in the womb is in the tomb: behold, I will rise and be glorified and, like God, I will exalt forever and in glory those who with faith and love glorify You.
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos, strengthen my spiritual strength and drive away despondency.
“Open the doors of mercy for us...”
Eleventh ten
"Our Father".
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (10 times)
We remember the Resurrection of Christ.
Troparion, tone 5
Christ rose from the dead, trampling down death and giving life to those in the tombs.
Translation: Christ rose from the dead, trampling down death through death and giving life to those in the tombs.
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos, resurrect my soul and grant me constant readiness to suffer for Christ.
“Open the doors of mercy for us...”
Twelfth decade
"Our Father".
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (10 times)
We remember the Ascension of Christ, at which the Mother of God was present.
Troparion, tone 4
Thou hast ascended in glory, O Christ our God,/ having brought joy to the disciple,/ by the promise of the Holy Spirit,/ by the blessing that was communicated to them,// for Thou art the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
Translation: Thou art ascended in glory, O Christ our God, filling the disciples with joy with the promise of the Holy Spirit, after confirming them with the blessing that Thou art the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos, lift me up from earthly vain thoughts and grant me the desire for the salvation of my soul.
“Open the doors of mercy for us...”
Thirteenth decade
"Our Father".
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (10 times)
We remember the Upper Room of Zion and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles.
Troparion, tone 8
Blessed art thou, O Christ our God,/ who are wise fishers of things,/ having sent down unto them the Holy Spirit,// and thereby catch the universe, O Lover of mankind, glory to Thee.
Translation: Blessed are You, Christ our God, who made the fishermen wise, sent down the Holy Spirit to them, and through them captured the universe. Lover of humanity, glory to You!
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos, strengthen the grace of the Holy Spirit in my heart.
“Open the doors of mercy for us...”
Fourteenth decade
"Our Father".
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (10 times)
We remember the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Troparion, tone 1
At Christmas you preserved your virginity, / in the Dormition you did not abandon the world, O Mother of God, / you reposed in the life, Mother of the Life of the Life, / and through your prayers you delivered our souls from death.
Translation: At the birth of Christ, You preserved your virginity and did not leave the world after your death, Mother of God: You passed into life as the Mother of Life, and through Your prayers You deliver our souls from death.
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos, grant me a peaceful and serene death.
“Open the doors of mercy for us...”
Fifteenth decade
"Our Father".
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (10 times)
We remember the Protection of the Mother of God over the Christian world.
Troparion, tone 4
Today we brightly celebrate the people of good faith/ by Your coming, O Mother of God, in the fall,/ and looking to Your Most Pure Image, touchingly with the verb:/ cover us with Your honorable Protection,/ and the hut Save us from all evil,/ praying to Thy Son, Christ our God,// save our souls.
Translation: On this day, we, faithful people, solemnly celebrate, overshadowed by Your coming, Mother of God; and, looking at Your most pure image, we cry with tenderness: “Cover us with Your sacred Veil and deliver us from all evil, begging Your Son, Christ our God, to save our souls.”
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos, save me from all evil and cover me with Your honest omophorion.
“Open the doors of mercy for us...”
Prayer from the Gospel
Daily morning prayers include a song glorifying the Most Holy Theotokos:
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.
This prayer is loved by most Orthodox Christians. In temple services, it is sung three times by the choir at the Saturday all-night vigil during the litia.
The basis for prayerful tenderness is three passages taken from the Gospel of Luke:
- Greetings from Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary during the Annunciation “Gracious One! The Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women” (Luke 1:28).
- The glorification of the Virgin Mary by the mother of John the Baptist by the righteous Elizabeth. “... blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb! "(Luke 1:42).
- The response of the Virgin Mary Herself to Elizabeth: “ My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior ...”
There is an opinion among Church historians that St. Cyril of Alexandria united the Gospel sayings into a single prayer. He is rightfully considered the Father of the Church of the 5th century. Since the 9th century, Catholics have called the glorification of the Virgin Mary “Ave Maria.”
What is the Theotokos Rule
The Theotokos rule is the daily reading of the prayer “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...” 150 times.
This prayer, also called the Song of the Mother of God, is woven from the words of the Gospel. Its first part represents the welcoming words of Archangel Gabriel. With them, he brought the Virgin Mary the news of the conception of Jesus Christ in Her womb (Luke 1:28). Therefore, this prayer is also called the Archangel's joy.
The following lines of prayer belong to the righteous Elizabeth. The Virgin Mary came to her to share her joy. And Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, said in awe: “Blessed are you among women...”
The benefits of regular repeated readings of the Song of the Virgin Mary were discussed back in the 8th century. At the Seventh Ecumenical Council the Holy Fathers said this:
“Whoever carefully reads the prayer “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary 150 times” will receive over himself the special Protection of the Mother of God.”
Rule text
Priests recommend praying with faith, passing every word of prayer through your heart. They pronounce the words humbly, in no way thinking about life’s problems, sincerely, from the heart.
The will of the Lord is accepted even when it does not coincide with the wishes of the Orthodox believer reading the prayer. Initially, it is difficult to achieve such a feeling, it is important to strive for this, not to give up, to return to reading the Mother of God verse every day, to thank God, the Virgin Mary, to pray to the saints, the guardian angel.
The benefits of the Mother of God rule
The Monk Seraphim of Sarov revived the Rule of the Theotokos for the Orthodox Church. This is connected with the so-called Holy Canal.
When Hieromonk Seraphim of Sarov was the confessor of the Diveyevo women's monastery, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him. She gave him Her orders. The sisters of the Mill Community had to dig a trench with a shaft with their own hands. According to the monk, the Queen of Heaven took this Kanavka as Her Lot. She Herself passes through it every day, blessing those praying here.
Seraphim of Sarov instructed:
“Whoever walks the Canal with prayer and reads one and a half hundred Mother of Gods, everything is here: Mount Athos, Jerusalem, and Kyiv!”
So he blessed everyone to fulfill the Theotokos rule every day. A book was found in the saint’s cell describing a large number of miracles shown to those who sincerely sought the help of the Queen of Heaven with the prayer “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...”.
From then until today, the nuns of the monastery and numerous pilgrims have been fulfilling the behest of Father Seraphim. They regularly walk around the Kanavka, reading the Song to the Virgin Mary 150 times.
The Mother of God rule can be read with or without rosary beads.
Since the prayer must be read 150 times a day, the monks do it on a rosary.
And ordinary parishioners are wondering whether they should buy such an instrument, and if so, which one and where.
Lay people can use rosary beads.
There is a great misconception that rosary beads are required, and only consecrated ones from the monastery. Others believe that lay people are not entitled to rosaries.
In fact, the rosary is just a tool. For some, it simplifies the calculation, and for others, it complicates it. If you have rosary beads, it’s easier for your health. If not, then it’s better to do it by bending your fingers or other methods.
Prayer is like the breath of the soul
The Christian soul always strives for prayer. In it, a person connects with his Creator and conducts a conversation with God Himself. Venerable Nikon of Optina instructs:
“Don’t forget prayer - it is the life of the soul.”
Reading the prayer “Hail to the Virgin Mary” 150 times every day allows the soul to be in this constant conversation with God and the Virgin Mary. A Christian calls on the Mother of God in all his difficulties. He asks for Her help and intercession, prays for Her heavenly protection and intercession.
“Aren’t the prayers of the Mother of God the essence of shields protecting the militant church? The Heavenly Queen, wanting to help us, raised up all the forces of heaven against our enemy, called on the prophets and apostles, gathered martyrs and virgins, united the saints and the righteous, and appeared with them to help us, surround us with a strong army and give us victory over our enemies" ( Saint Demetrius of Rostov).
However, one should not think that reading the Theotokos’ rule, even regularly, will automatically bring the fulfillment of one’s intended desires. Prayer is not a magic wand that makes dreams come true.
The Apostle James categorically says: “... faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). Likewise, prayer that is not supported by our good deeds and fulfillment of God’s commandments becomes empty.
“If humility and love, simplicity and goodness are not closely united in us with prayer, then prayer itself, or better yet, this guise of prayer, can bring us very little benefit” (Macarius of Egypt).
The Most Holy Theotokos is always ready to turn to Her Divine Son for us. However, we must glorify Her with our fervent prayer, deeds of mercy, and sincere love for our neighbors.
“Diligence in prayer, deeds of mercy and beneficence, and ascetic labors for salvation—this is what attracts and retains Her Protection (of the Mother of God - author’s note). “And I’ll tell you, it’s impossible to point out anything else besides this: for with these three everything is embraced.” “Prayer embraces our relationship with God, deeds of mercy and charity embrace our relationship with our neighbors, and the works of asceticism embrace our relationship with ourselves” (St. Theophan the Recluse).
We praise both the Son and the Mother
This version of the Theotokos Rule is difficult to remember, much less memorize. Therefore, without a book with the text of the petitions, you cannot read it. And there may not be a source at hand. Therefore, there is another way to read the rule.
- Repeat “Rejoice, Virgin Mary” ten times. Then read the “Our Father.”
- Repeat the prayer of the Mother of God 10 times again, and again say “Our Father.”
- And so on.
There may be other variations in the reading of the Theotokos Rule. An acceptable way to create this prayer can be suggested by your confessor.
The Holy Fathers emphasized the importance of the Theotokos Rule. There are no petitions to the Mother of God, and there is no mention of Jesus Christ. But those who read the prayer can be likened to angels. They sing the praises of the Mother of God all the time. And by pronouncing the words “Lord”, “Savior”, “fruit”, the believer praises the Son of God. And together with Him His Most Pure Mother is glorified. Thus, believers enter into prayerful communication with them and are under their heavenly protection.
History of origin
Contrary to the popular belief that prayer refers to new texts, this is not so. According to the clergy, prayer has been known to mankind since ancient times. However, in those distant times it had a completely different name - Angelic Greeting. It is reliably known that the text of this prayer was not composed by a person. The Holy Scriptures contain information that the words of the prayer service belong not to anyone, but to the Archangel Gabriel himself.
One day he came down from heaven and told the Virgin Mary the good news. He talked about how she would soon become the mother of the Savior of mankind. After some time, other people became aware of the archangel’s words. After all, the Mother of God passed on this rule to faithful Christians. She ordered to strictly follow these rules, since this was the only way people could count on the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy.
Due to numerous requests from readers, we have prepared an “Orthodox Calendar” application for smartphones. Every morning you will receive information about the current day: holidays, fasts, days of remembrance, prayers, parables. Download for free: Orthodox Calendar 2022 (available on Android)
It was believed that following the canons is capable of:
- protect from sin - all people by nature are sinners. And everyone knows about this truth. Since it was for this sin that the ancestors of mankind were punished;
- protect from temptations - only people who are strong in spirit can resist the temptations sent by the devil. But even for true Christians this is very difficult, and in some cases even impossible. This is why it is so important not to forget to read special prayers;
- to help find the righteous path - it’s easy to sin, but living according to God’s canons is much more difficult. And therefore, over time, even a true Christian can go astray from the right path. In this case, you simply cannot do without the help of heaven. But at the same time, it is extremely important to know how to read the appeal prayer correctly;
- make life easier - as you know, the Lord sends tests to his creations for only one purpose. And this goal is to guide a person on the true path. But if a Christian lives according to the Orthodox canons, then punishment and trials will not overtake him.
It is worth noting that at first people strictly followed the rules that the Virgin Mary told them about. However, this was only the case at the very beginning, when Christians were just learning about them. But later everything changed. Gradually, these canons were erased from people's memory. And so they began to sin and break the commandments of the Lord.
Humanity lived in oblivion for an unknown number of days. But this life cannot be called happy. After all, people constantly faced various kinds of trials. Very often, peasants suffered from hunger, merchants went bankrupt. Historical information, which can be easily found on the Internet, also shows that in those years the mortality rate was extremely high, since humanity regularly suffered from various kinds of epidemics.
The Lord sent all these illnesses and other trials to his flock with only one purpose - to make people remember the rules that the Mother of God told them. However, it cannot be said that this had any effect. After all, in the end, Seraphim of Sarov reminded people about the rule.
