Cell prayer is a petition that is performed alone, when a person speaks independently, directly with the Lord. No one hears him except the one praying and his Heavenly Father, this is pure dialogue.
You can ask God for something in this way for yourself and for someone else, for example, monks and clergy perform similar prayer services at the request of parishioners and pilgrims. This type is also called the cell prayer of the venerable elder John Krestyankin; why and how exactly it is performed can be found out in this article.
Differences and features of such a petition
There is nothing unreasonable or fictitious in the Christian faith; all laws and rules are prescribed in dogmas and Holy Scripture. The clergy obey these rules and maintain the established order in the temple.
Cell prayer is a prayer rule according to which believers pray at home
The dogmas of the Orthodox faith stipulate two main types of prayers: public (shared with someone) and private (alone). The Fathers of the Church brought this into the dogmas for a reason; they relied on the Holy Gospel and from the very foundation of the Orthodox Russian Church these very petitions have been made.
The so-called cell prayers are individual petitions that are performed alone outside the church and chapels, i.e. home prayers or monastic prayers. Very often, this is how monks in monasteries pray for themselves or at the request of pilgrims and parishioners.
It is from monasteries that the name of such petitions comes from because they are carried out in cells. This is a very intimate type of petition, since a person enters into a dialogue with God without intermediaries and participants, with the opportunity to talk about everything sincerely and honestly.
Moreover, such dialogues also differ in meaning and content, because in church, for the most part, one asks for something public, church, and at home - about personal things, about something that one cannot or does not want to particularly advertise in public, even in church.
Especially often, individual petitions are made with a request for forgiveness of personal sins, or pardon for loved ones. The main feature of such petitions is the fact that during reading you can remember even those people who are not remembered in the temple, i.e. suicides or unbaptized deceased.
Morning and Evening Rules have been written for cell prayers.
It is to cell petitions that both the morning and evening rules apply—daily prayers at home, which must be performed by every church-going Orthodox Christian. These also include the Rule for Communion (Following) and other canons and akathists that are read outside the church.
However, individual prayers are read based on previously compiled texts; one of the most popular and widespread is the collection of John Krestyankin, who was an archimandrite of the Russian Orthodox Church and a resident of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery.
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From the cell book of Archimandrite. Ioanna Krestyankina
Types of cell prayers
To perform personal prayers, a Christian must purchase a collection of them or a special book with texts. You can pray to the Lord in your own words, but sometimes they are simply not enough, especially if a person came to the temple quite recently and his heart cannot yet fully open to the Creator.
For this purpose, it is recommended to use additional literature. Also, petitions are made for various reasons - people ask for repentance, healing, pardon for a loved one or the deceased, and many Christians do not know how to ask correctly in a particular situation.
Therefore, cell prayers of various types compiled in advance can help significantly. There are several types of recorded cell prayers:
- “The Cell Book” by Ioann Krestyankin. This is a collection of prayers that a Christian or monk can read at different periods of life. The archimandrite compiled it over the course of 25 years of his monasticism and used the written petitions for daily reading in his cell.
Cell book of Archimandrite John Krestyankin
It was published at a distance in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, where the author served, and today it is the most popular collection for individual prayers. In addition to the texts of the petitions presented, the book also contains a reading schedule, which greatly simplifies the process for a person who has just come to God or a monk who has just taken monastic vows.
- “On Suicides”, compiled by the Optina Elders. It is read as a commemoration of people who voluntarily gave up their lives to save their souls and alleviate torment. Relatives of the deceased and parish ministers are allowed to read.
Prayer of St. Leo of Optina for cell reading:
Seek, O Lord, the lost soul of Your servant (name): if it is possible, have mercy. Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not make this my prayer a sin, but Thy holy will be done.
- “For those who died without permission,” is issued in the form of a canon and contains: the history of the creation of the petition, an explanation of what suicide is, how exactly one should ask for suicides, a canon of nine songs.
It is worth remembering that, above all, God desires sincerity from his children, so it does not matter what type of prayer is read or whether it has been blessed by a confessor - it is important to speak the words from the heart, sincerely and honestly.
If you are a Christian
1. When you wake up in bed, first of all remember God and place the sign of the cross on yourself.
2. Don’t start spending your day without a prayer rule.
3. Throughout the day, everywhere, with every task, pray short prayers.
4. Prayer is the wings of the soul, it makes the soul the Throne of God, all the strength of a spiritual person is in his prayer.
5. For God to hear a prayer, you need to pray not with the tip of your tongue, but with your heart.
6. Let none of those around you be left in the morning without your sincere greetings.
7. Do not give up prayer when the enemy makes you feel insensitive. He who forces himself to pray with a dry soul is superior to him who prays with tears.
8. You need to know the New Testament with your mind and heart; study it constantly; do not interpret anything you do not understand yourself, but ask the Holy Fathers for clarification.
9. Take holy water with thirst for the sanctification of your soul and body - do not forget to drink.
10. Greetings of gratitude to the Queen of Heaven - “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...” - say more often, even every hour.
11. In your free time, read the writings of the fathers and teachers of spiritual life.
12. In temptations and adversities, repeat the Psalter and read the Prayer Canon to the Most Holy Theotokos - “We contain many adversities.” She is our only Intercessor.
13. When demons throw their arrows at you, when sin approaches you, then sing the hymns of Holy Week and Holy Easter, read the canon with an akathist to the Sweetest Jesus Christ, and the Lord will loosen the bonds of darkness that have shackled you.
14. If you cannot sing and read, then in a moment of battle remember the Name of Jesus: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” Stand at the Cross and heal yourself by crying.
15. During fasting time, fast, but know that God is pleased with fasting not only of the body, that is, abstinence of the belly, but more importantly abstinence of the eyes, ears, tongue, as well as abstinence of the heart from serving the passions.
16. A person embarking on spiritual life must remember that he is sick, his mind is in error, his will is more inclined to evil than to good, and his heart remains impure from the passions bubbling within him, therefore the beginning of spiritual life and everything must be in acquiring mental health.
17. Spiritual life is a constant, incessant war with the enemies of the salvation of the soul. Never sleep mentally, your spirit must always be vigorous, and be sure to call on your Savior in this battle.
18. Be afraid to unite with sinful thoughts that come to you; he who agrees with such thoughts has already committed the sin he thought about.
19. Remember: to perish, you only need to be careless.
20. Constantly ask: “Instill Your fear, O Lord, into my heart.” Oh, how blessed is he who has constant awe of God.
21. Give your whole heart to God without a trace - and you will feel heaven on earth.
22. Your faith should be strengthened by frequent resort to repentance and prayer, as well as by communicating with people of deep faith.
23. Create a memorial for yourself, write down your relatives, close acquaintances, living and dead, everyone who hates and offends you, remember them daily.
24. Constantly seek deeds of mercy and compassionate love; without these deeds it is impossible to please God. Be the sunshine for everyone, mercy is above all sacrifices.
25. Don’t go anywhere unless absolutely necessary.
26. Talk as little as possible, don’t laugh, don’t be curious with idle curiosity.
27. Never be idle, and honor church holidays and Sundays according to the commandment of God.
28. Love holy solitude.
29. Endure all insults, first with silence, then by reproaching yourself, then by prayer for those who offend.
30. The most important thing for us is to learn patience and humility. With humility we will defeat all our enemies-demons, and with patience the passions that war against soul and body.
31. During prayer, do not show anyone but God your tears of tenderness and zeal for salvation.
32. Honor an Orthodox priest as an Angel, a messenger of good news, sent to rejoice you and bring deliverance.
33. Treat people as carefully as you would the messengers of the Great Kingdom, and as carefully as you treat fire.
34. Forgive everyone everything and sympathize with everyone in their suffering.
35. Don’t just rush around with yourself, like a chicken with an egg, forgetting your neighbors.
36. Whoever seeks peace here cannot have the Spirit of God abide in him.
37. Melancholy and confusion attack from lack of prayer.
38. Always and everywhere call your Guardian Angel to your aid.
39. Always keep your heart crying for your sins, and when you confess them and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, then quietly rejoice over your liberation.
40. Know only your own indecencies and shortcomings, and carefully beware of thinking and reasoning about the sins of others, do not ruin yourself by condemning others.
41. Do not believe even your good wishes before your confessor approves them.
42. Every evening, confess to God all your sinful deeds and thoughts that occurred during the day.
43. Night prayer is more expensive than daytime prayer.
44. Before going to bed, bow to the ground or bow from the waist to everyone.
45. You should not tell your dreams to other people.
46. Fall asleep with the sign of the cross.
47. Do not lose touch with your spiritual father, be afraid of offending him, offending him, do not hide anything from him.
48. Always thank God for everything.
49. Human nature must always be divided into your own self and the enemy who has attached itself to you because of your sins, and watch yourself carefully, check your thoughts and actions, avoid what your inner enemy, and not your soul, wants.
50. Inner sorrow for one’s sins is more salutary than all bodily labors.
51. There are no better words in our language than “Lord, save me!”
52. Love all the church rules and bring them closer to your life.
53. Learn to always watch yourself vigilantly, especially your external feelings, through them the enemy enters the soul.
54. When you recognize your weaknesses and powerlessness to do good, then remember that you do not save yourself, but your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, saves you.
55. Your impregnable fortress should be your faith. The fierce enemy does not sleep, guarding your every step.
56. We are brought closer to God by sorrow, hardship, illness, labor; do not complain about them and do not be afraid of them.
57. No one enters Heaven living well.
58. As often as possible, with tenderness of heart, partake of the Holy Life-giving Mysteries of Christ, you live only by them. Take communion in two weeks, on Angel's Day and on or around the twelve feasts.
59. Never forget that He, our Lord Jesus Christ, is near at the door, do not forget that judgment and reward are coming soon at what hour for whom.
60. Remember also what the Lord has prepared for those who love Him and for those who do His commandments.
61. Read this alphabet, Christian, at least once a week, this will help you in fulfilling what is written and will strengthen you on the spiritual path.
