Prayer before the Liturgy
The prayers are written down into short paragraphs for easier memorization!
To the True Hierarch Jesus Christ, who offered to Himself to God the Father on the altar of the Cross a pure sacrifice, undefiled by us sinners, and who gave us Your Body to eat and Your Blood to drink, ordaining the sacrament in the power of the Holy Spirit, saying this: Whenever you do, in My remembrance do it .
I pray through Your honest Blood, the great price of our salvation, I pray through this wondrous and inscrutable love, with which You, the unworthy, loved us so much, as if You washed us from our sins with Your Blood: teach me, Thy unworthy servant, even with Your other gifts , into the rank of the priesthood, not according to my deeds, but according to Yours alone, You deigned to call upon mercy, teach me by Your Spirit to perform such a great mystery, with great honor and reverence, with great piety and fear, in the image that is worthy of doing.
Make me, Lord Jesus Christ, by Thy grace to always believe and understand the majesty of this mystery, to feel and firmly hold, to speak and think, befitting of You, and useful to my soul.
Let Your good Spirit enter into my heart, speak silently, speak all the truth of so many mysteries, which have deepened deeply and are covered with a Divine shelter.
For the sake of Thy mercy, deign me now and always to perform the sacred rite with a pure heart and thought.
Cleanse your heart from unclean, vile, idle and harmful thoughts.
Protect the saints by angels with faithful guardianship and strong militia, so that the enemy of all blessings will flee to shame by the power of so much of the sacrament and the hand of Thy holy Angel.
Leave from me, my Christ, and from all Your servants the spirit of pride, vanity, envy, rage, fornication, uncleanness, unbelief and blasphemy, so that those who persecute us will be ashamed and may those who strive to destroy us perish.
To the King of strength, purity and chastity, Lover, O God, with the dew from above Your blessing, extinguish all the passionate flame in my flesh, for may the complete purity of soul and body live in me, with Your other gifts, pleasing to You in truth, so that I may have an undefiled body and a pure heart. To bring you a sacrifice of praise with so much contrition of heart, an outpouring of tears, with such honor and fear, in such purity of flesh and spirit, this heavenly Divine offering must be made, where Your Body is essentially eaten and Your Blood is essentially drunk, where the heavenly things below copulate, where you are the angels are coming, where the priest and the wonderful and indescribable sacrifice You yourself offered.
And who is worthy to do this, if not You Yourself, Almighty Lord, are worthy to do the offering? By this I am truly known, and I confess this to Thy mercy, that I am not worthy of the multitude for the sake of my sins and countless transgressions, to approach great mysteries, but I truly and believe with all my heart and lips I confess, that You alone are able to honor me, who was conceived in iniquities. and the one who is born can be cleansed.
For the sake of this omnipotence of Yours, I pray to You: grant me, a sinner, this heavenly sacrifice with fear and trembling, a clear conscience, an outpouring of tears, in spiritual joy and Divine joy, so that my blessed mind may feel the sweetness of Your coming and the host of Your holy angels around me.
Because, Lord, remembering Your saving Passion, I approach Your altar, even though I am unworthy, so that I may offer You a sacrifice, dedicated to You and offered in Your remembrance of our salvation, set up.
Accept this, I pray to Thee, my God, for the Church of Thy Saints and for all the people whom Thou hast provided with Thy Honest Blood: and before me, a sinner, Thou hast desired to be a mediator between Thee and them, if Thou hast not found evidence of good deeds in me , the ministry of reconciliation, entrusted to me, so that if you do not renounce, because it is not mine for the sake of unworthiness, you will lose the price of your salvation, for whose sake you yourself deigned to be a saving sacrifice and atonement.
I offer you, Lord, if you deign to mercifully look upon, the sorrows of people, the sighs of captives, the suffering of the poor, the needs of travelers, the sorrows of the weak, the infirmities of old, the sobs of a child, the vows of virgins, the prayers of widows and orphans, tenderness.
You love everything, and despise nothing created by You.
Remember who our composition is, for You are our Father.
Do not be very angry with us, nor close the wombs of Your compassions from us, O Lord, for it is not in our truths that we pour out our prayers before Your Face, but in Your many compassions.
Take away from us, Lord, our iniquities, and with the fire of Your Holy Spirit, mercifully incinerate us: take away the heart of stone from our flesh and give a heart of flesh that fears You, loves, honors, follows You and feeds on You.
We ask, O Master, for Thy generosity, so that with a bright face you may look favorably upon Thy property, awaiting Thy holy name of service, and may not a single prayer, not a single petition be rejected.
You teach us to pray, even if you yourself are ready to hear and when you ask for mercy, you fulfill them.
We pray to Thee, Holy Father, for the departed souls of the faithful, that this great sacrament of piety may be for them deliverance, salvation, joy and eternal joy.
Lord my God, give them today complete and complete consolation from You, the True, Living Bread, who came down from heaven and gives life to the world from Your Holy Flesh, the undefiled Lamb, who takes away the sins of the world.
Give them a drink of the stream of Thy goodness that flowed from Thy pierced rib on the Cross, so that they may rejoice in the praise and glory of Thy Holy One.
I pray, Lord, Your goodness, may the fulfillment of Your Divinity come upon this Bread and this Cup, may the invisible image and incomprehensible glory of Your Holy Spirit descend in the same way, as before on the sacrifices of the fathers, Who also may this offering of ours create the Body and Thy Blood, and me, Thy unworthy servant, will teach me to perform such a sacrament, so that Thou mayest more favorably and mercifully receive from my hands the Sacrifice for the salvation of all the living and the dead.
I pray to You, Lord, for the very sake of Your Holy Body and Blood of Your Sacrament, in the image of which we are always nourished and drunk in Your temple, cleansed, sanctified and adored, so that by Your power I am strengthened, coming to Your altar with a good conscience, I have this heavenly sacrament in my stomach and salvation, according to Thy holy word: The bread that I will give, My flesh is, I will give for the belly of the world that eats Me, and that one will live for My sake.
Sweetest bread, heal the mouth of my heart, so that I feel the sweetness of Your love in me, heal every ailment, and besides You, I wish for no beauty.
O pure bread, full of all sweets and aromas, enter into my heart and fill my inner soul with the sweetness of Your incense.
The angels in heaven feed on You abundantly: may the alien man on earth be satisfied according to his strength with You.
Holy Bread, Living Bread, Desirable Bread, come down from heaven and give life to the world, enter into my heart and cleanse me from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, enter into my soul, sanctifying and enlightening outside and inside, be my eternal guardianship of soul and body health.
Drive away from me those who come against me, so that those who hate me may flee from Your Face, yes, I am protected by You, I will pass with You into Your eternal kingdom, where we will not be hidden, but face to face we will see You, when you give up the Kingdom to God and the Father, may there be all God in all.
Until now I have hungered and thirsted, but then I will be satisfied, when Your glory will appear to me, in which You reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever.
Amen.
Iconography
It has preserved the historical appearance of the saint: from the V-VI centuries. he is written as a “sredovek”, that is, a middle-aged man with short hair and a beard. Early images of the saint showed him holding a book, to commemorate the significance of his teachings. Later they began to paint the saint with the bishop's staff.
Many say that the celebration of the saint, December 20, seems to be “lost” against the background of the commemoration of St. the day before. Nicholas of Myra, endlessly beloved in Rus'. But only five churches of the saint are known in Russia. But anyone who takes a closer look at the life of the saint of God will feel his spirit, reading “We praise God to you” - he will understand how great the Lord is, leading a person (seemingly quite “ordinary”) to Heaven through the fulfillment of His will.
Natalia Sazonova
Prayer of thanksgiving
Choir of Sisters of the St. Elizabeth's Monastery – Hymn of Praise to St. Ambrose of Milan Voice 3
We praise God to you, we confess the Lord to you, the whole earth magnifies the Eternal Father to you;
To you all the angels, to you the heavens and all the powers, to you the Cherubim and Seraphim incessant voices cry:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts, the heavens and earth are full of the majesty of Your glory,
To you the glorious Apostolic face, to you the prophetic number of praise, to you the bright martyr’s army praises,
Throughout the entire universe, the Holy Church confesses to You, the Father of incomprehensible majesty, the worship of Your true and Only Begotten Son and the Holy Comforter of the Spirit.
Thou, O King of Glory, Christ, Thou art the Ever-Eternal Son of the Father:
You, having received man for the deliverance, did not abhor the Virgin’s womb;
You, having overcome the sting of death, have opened the Kingdom of Heaven to believers.
You are seated at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father, the Judge has come and believed.
We therefore ask You: help Your servants, whom You redeemed with Your Honest Blood.
Make it worthy to reign with Your saints in Your eternal glory.
Save Thy people, O Lord, and bless Thy inheritance, I will correct and exalt them forever; Let us bless You all the days and praise Your name forever and ever.
Grant, Lord, that on this day we may be preserved without sin.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us: may Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we trust in Thee.
In Thee, Lord, let us put our trust, let us not be ashamed forever.
Amen.
Famous Quotes
“When good is done to us, gratitude requires us to remember it; and when they do evil, love prompts them to forget it.”
“... Poverty and wealth are names for need and contentment. He who needs something is not rich, and he who is not in need is not poor.”
“Whoever, being filled with secret sins, brings earnest repentance for Christ, let him not despair of receiving forgiveness, let him ask for it with tears and sighs, and let him ask for it with the lamentations of all the people. If the second and third time he is not accepted, let him multiply his petition and tears, let him kiss his feet and let him not cease...”
Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan
Day of Remembrance
- 20th of December
Life
Saint Ambrose was born in 340 in Northern Italy into a wealthy and noble Roman family. Having received an excellent legal education, he soon rose to prominence and, in 370, took the position of consular profect (ruler) of the provinces of Liguria and Emilia.
Once in Mediolan (modern Milan), the main city of Liguria, an election for a bishop took place, and there were heated disputes between the Orthodox and the Arians.
Ambrose appeared in the church to restore order, and suddenly a voice, as if childish, sounded: “Ambrose is a bishop.” The people and Emperor Valentin himself saw this as God’s election. It was in vain that Ambrose, who was then still among the catechumens preparing for Baptism, made excuses and even disappeared from Milan.
He was forced to agree to unanimous election, accepted Baptism and within eight days passed through all church degrees and was consecrated bishop (374).
The first thing he did after his initiation was to distribute his property to the poor. Then he began to diligently study the Holy Scriptures and the works of the fathers of the Eastern Church. Only after this did he enter the field of episcopal activity.
Saint Ambrose courageously fought against the Arian heresy, which was patronized by the Empress Justina. In memory of the victory over Arianism, he composed the hymn “We Praise Thee God,” which is still sung at thanksgiving services.
At his insistence, the pagan title of high priest (pontifex maximus) was deleted from the imperial title, priests and idolatry temples were deprived of government support, the so-called sacred fire of the Vestals was extinguished, and the statue of Victory was removed from the Senate.
Saint Ambrose showed an example of pastoral firmness when he decided not to allow Emperor Theodosius into the temple after the bloody massacre of the Thessalonians who had rebelled against him. Ambrose told the emperor: “A man who has shed so much blood cannot be in the temple of the God of peace.”
The emperor objected: “And David sinned, but did not lose the mercy of God.” To which Ambrose replied: “You imitated David in crime, imitate him in repentance,” and imposed penance on him for reconciliation with God and the Church.
In 387, under the influence of his sermons, Blessed Augustine believed and accepted Baptism, who later became a bishop and the greatest theologian of the Western Church.
Ambrose spent the last years of his life in constant prayer, calmly and joyfully awaiting his death, which occurred in 397.
Saint Ambrose is revered among the greatest theologians and fathers of the Church. He is also known as a reformer of church singing: he introduced meter, regular rhythms and a variety of melodies in singing.
He borrowed many of the lyrics from St. Ephraim the Syrian and Hilary, but he himself wrote about 30 hymns.
Divine services
- Menea. December 7th. Like our father Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, among the saints
Reading rules
Prayers to the saint are read in front of the icon in church or at home. The procedure for praying to God's saints and righteous people is established by religious rules.
In front of the image, they light a candle or lamp, cross themselves, read, without taking their eyes off the holy image. To calm the soul and be in a prayerful mood, read the “Our Father” once or twice in a row. At the end of the prayer, make the sign of the cross.
A special order is the reading of the akathist. The Akathist is read after the blessing of a spiritual deed by the priest, since it should be read for 40 days in a row. If the reading of the akathist follows the morning or evening rule, then the hymn should begin to be read before the words “It is worthy to eat...”.
Prayers
Troparion to Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, tone 4
The rule of faith, and the image of meekness, / teacher self-control, / show you to your flock, / even the truth of things; / for this reason, you have acquired high humility, / rich in poverty, Father Hierarch Ambrose, / / pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.
Translation: The immutable Truth was revealed to your flock by the rule of faith and the image of meekness and self-control. Therefore, through humility you have acquired high things, and through poverty you have acquired riches. Father, Hierarch Ambrose, pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.
Kontakion to Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, tone 3
Shedding divine dogmas, / you darkened the charm of Arius, / the priest and shepherd Ambrose, / working miracles with the power of the Spirit, / you healed various passions in reality, reverend father, / pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.
Translation: Shining with divine teachings, you extinguished the Aryan delusion, sacred keeper and shepherd Ambrose, performing miracles by the power of the Spirit, you truly healed various diseases, Reverend Father, pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.
Kontakion to Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, tone 8
Having acquired a fair amount of the word of life, O wise father, / not doubting the heights of the king, reproaching the king with God and making him wise. / All the more, honor him honestly and teach your people to God. / For this reason we call you: Rejoice, most wonderful Ambrose.
Translation: Having acquired the excellent gift of the word of life, wise father, without doubting the height of the king, teaching the Divine truths, you exposed and taught the king. Therefore, you are worthily honored, guiding your flock of people to God. Therefore, we appeal to you: “Rejoice, wonderful Ambrose.”
Prayer to Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan
Oh, glorious miracle worker, quick helper in sorrows and zealous prayer book for God for peace, Holy Father Ambrose!
We know that we have great boldness towards the Savior, standing before His high Throne, and for this sake we humbly fall down to you: pray to Him, servant of God, that He will give the Russian people a prosperous and peaceful life, that they may deliver them from enemies visible and invisible, from the invasion of foreigners, from illness and famine, from all sorrow and deadly plagues and from all evil; May all of us, who celebrate your holy memory with faith and earnestly look forward to your intercession, send down all that is beneficial for our temporary and eternal life, especially the forgiveness of sins, peace of thoughts, peace of heart, health to our souls and bodies.
To her, the saint of God, the most merciful shepherd of Christ, our most ready patron!
Hear us, asking one more thing from you: be a warm prayer book and intercessor to the Lord for our spiritual shepherds and fathers (names), who bear our infirmities and suffer for us, until Christ is imagined in us, may He, the all-good and all-powerful Lord, protect , dearest days of their life in indestructible peace and strength of spiritual and physical strength, may He lead us, His unworthy servants, through their care and prayers, through your intercession and intercession, to the haven of endless life, where the cherubs and seraphim, all the saints with the Mother of God and with you , our patron, unceasing voices glorify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Amen.
Teaching
It is in tune with the Eastern Christian tradition, which St. Ambrose knew deeply. Many theologians believe that it was thanks to his creations that the Western Christian world became acquainted with it.
About God
This teaching is in agreement with the works of the Eastern fathers: the Lord is understood as Triune, that is, having one Essence and three Hypostases - Father, Son, Spirit.
About the Mother of God
The Saint calls Her the new Eve, who brings man who has lost Paradise to the Creator. He considers the Most Pure One:
- personally sinless;
- who preserved her virginity before and after the Nativity of Christ; Therefore, he pays special attention to Her when he writes about virginity.
