Image of the Virgin Mary
The essence of the Mother of God lies in motherhood, because it was her Son Christ who made her who she is. Her nature is the nature of a mother and she, like no one else, can understand every girl who carries a child under her heart. The prayer to the icon of the Mother of God “Helper in Childbirth” helps the mother overcome fear and pain, and is also a request for the blessing that the Virgin Mary bestows.
Icon of the Mother of God “Helper in Childbirth”
In the icon “Helper in Childbirth,” the Mother of God stands with her head uncovered, and her hands rest on her chest above the Eternal Child. Christ blesses with one hand, and the other rests on his knee. The Holy One's outfit is red with splashes of gold with stars on the shoulders. Her underdress is a dark green shade with gilding and stars.
What is prayer
Prayer is a person’s appeal to higher powers: to the Lord, the Mother of God, angels and saints. The basis of Christianity is not just the amount of knowledge, but the living experience of communication with God. It is impossible to imagine the spiritual life of a believer without prayer. It is included in the morning and evening rules, and when it becomes an internal need of the soul, it occurs constantly in the mind and heart. Prayer according to its content is conventionally divided into the following types:
- thanksgiving (we thank God);
- laudatory (we praise God);
- supplicants (we ask God);
- repentant (repent of sins);
- intercessory (we ask for someone).
Prayer presupposes the obligatory presence of faith in God as the driving force behind petitions. The quality of prayer can be:
- oral;
- smart;
- cardiac.
The oral form is typical at the initial stages of learning to pray, when when reading a person’s mind becomes distracted and is unable to concentrate on the words. Smart is pronounced with insight into the meaning of the words. The highest example is heartfelt, understood by the mind and felt by the heart.
Heartfelt prayer is characteristic of saints and people of high spiritual life
According to the form of expression, prayer is divided into public and private. The first are performed collectively, in the temple, the second - by a specific person at home. Recently, prayer by agreement has gained popularity as a type of public petition. Its essence lies in the agreement of several people to pray for a specific matter at a certain hour. For example, pregnant women agree on a time to read an akathist to the Mother of God about a successful delivery.
Prayer in church or at home is accompanied by the lighting of candles, lamps, incense, the sign of the cross, and bows to the ground or from the waist. In church, incense is required during services. All external attributes of sacred rites are not valuable in themselves and are not an end in themselves, but are produced for the correct internal prayerful attitude.
What power does she have?
The power of prayer directly depends on the faith of the person praying. The petitions of the righteous have a special effect. It cannot be said that the requests of sinful people remain unanswered. The Lord hears and sees everyone, but sometimes he is in no hurry to fulfill our desires. There may be several reasons for this:
- consumer attitude towards God, a person does not live according to God’s commandments, but turns to the Creator only in difficult life circumstances;
- a person does not show mercy and love to his neighbors;
- because the time has not yet come for the request to be fulfilled;
- sometimes a person wants to get everything at once and without difficulty;
- prayer can be fulfilled in an incredible way;
- The Lord wants to reward the patience of the one asking;
- a person asks for something that is not useful to him.
The Holy Fathers claim that even if a prayer is not fulfilled instantly, this does not mean that it remains fruitless. Because just being in communion with God brings a person untold benefits, joy and consolation. Even in the scientific community, where not everyone is a believer, research has been conducted and it has been proven that prayer has a beneficial effect on all human systems and organs.
The Lord says in the Gospel: “Truly I also 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 two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them “(Matthew 18:19,20).
Gospel
https://azbyka.ru/biblia/?Mt.18:20
These words of the Savior confirm the special power of collective prayer, when several people ask for one thing. In this regard, common divine services have been formed in Christianity since ancient times, and modern clergy calls on all believers to be sure to participate in temple prayers as often as possible. According to the commandment of the Lord, it is necessary to visit the temple on Sundays and holidays.
How to pray correctly
All conditions have been created for the correct prayerful attitude in Orthodox Christianity. Since ancient times, it has been customary to cry out to God and the saints while standing, but there are exceptions for pregnant women, the sick, and the infirm. Personal prayer is performed in front of the home iconostasis with lit candles, lamps, and incense. You cannot start a conversation with the Creator immediately after earthly bustle; you need some time to tune in, pacify your emotions and passions. If possible, petitions should be offered to God and the saints in a calm atmosphere, without distractions or scattered thoughts. In Orthodoxy, during outpourings of prayer, a person necessarily makes the sign of the cross and bows to the ground or from the waist.
When a person has formed a need for prayer, then memorized hymns and requests can be pronounced in any place: transport, queues, waiting, if the mind is free. You can address God and the saints both in texts compiled by saints and clergy, and in your own words. It should be remembered that the prayers of the saints are for us a kind of alphabet by which we learn prayer. For example, Saint Theophan the Recluse advises to first pray according to the prayer book, and if during reading the soul wishes to express its words, then do not prevent it from doing so. (see St. Theophan the Recluse. Four words about prayer.)
All external attributes of prayer: icons, candles, incense, body position, clothing, etc. - are needed only for the correct internal aspiration towards God
You should know that only the Lord has the power to fulfill our requests. Therefore, when we turn to the saints, we must ask Their holy prayers for the fulfillment of desires. The saints of God are next to Christ and the Lord will hear their prayers sooner. Only the Most Holy Theotokos has a special position and one can directly ask Her for help.
How does a prayer request help?
How does regularly asking the image help? Like any prayer, it eases a heavy heart and makes you trust the Lord.
In addition, regular appeal to the Virgin Mary:
- relieves pain;
- facilitates the expected difficult birth process;
- relieves infertility;
- relieves pain and discomfort during childbirth;
- helps correct possible or existing complications;
- stops bleeding;
- helps the baby to be born strong and healthy.
History of the icon
The image was painted by the Evangelist Luke and is close to the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. This Kostroma icon at the beginning of its long historical journey belonged to the father of St. Alexander Nevsky - Prince Yaroslav, who was baptized with the name Theodore. This is where the name of this icon comes from.
The icon passed from his father to his great son, and Alexander Nevsky never parted with the Holy Image. He believed that prayer in front of the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God helps him make the right decision, protects him and his army, as well as all of Rus'.
After his death, Feodorovskaya passed to his son Vasily, who ruled in Kostroma. He played a huge role in the development of church writing in Rus', the only source of knowledge at that time, as well as the possibility of recording historical events. He was buried in the Kostroma Cathedral of Theodore Stratilates. There the holy icon remained for the entire remaining period of time.
And it was with her that the chosen Mikhail Romanov, the founder of the great royal dynasty, was blessed for the kingdom. Since the great day, March 14, a holiday has been established to honor this icon. Mikhail's mother, nun Martha, ordered the first list, which was brought to Moscow.
After the revolution, the icon was kept in the Epiphany-Anastasia Convent, where it is still located.
Several copies have been made from the Feodorovskaya icon. But the most wonderful thing, of course, is the original.
It is worth noting that this icon is double-sided - on the reverse is the image of the Holy Great Martyr Paraskeva. Historians connect this with the wife of Alexander Nevsky, since the saint is depicted in royal attire. But the date and reason for the appearance of the reverse side on the miraculous icon have not been established for certain.
Who to pray to
Since ancient times, people have sought help from above. Today, in the age of high technology and miraculous medicine, people have begun to forget that everything is from the Lord and lives only by Him. Therefore, turning to the saints for help in the process of bearing a child and in the process of giving birth is a necessary and natural action. Who should we pray to at this time? Of course, to the Mother of God “Helper in Childbirth”:
Prayer to the icon of the Mother of God “Helper in Childbirth”
Accept, Lady Theotokos, the tearful prayers of Your servants who flow to You. We see Thee in the holy icon, bearing Thy Son and our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the womb. Even if you gave birth to Him painlessly, even though the mother weighed the sorrow and infirmity of the sons and daughters of human beings. With the same warmth falling upon Thy whole-bearing image and tenderly kissing this, we pray to Thee, All-Merciful Lady: we, sinners, condemned to give birth to sickness and nourish our children in sorrow, mercifully spare and compassionately intercede, but our babies, who also gave birth to them, from the grave deliver from illness and bitter sorrow; Grant them health and well-being, and their nourishment will increase in strength, and those who feed them will be filled with joy and consolation, for even now, through Your intercession from the mouth of a baby and those who piss, the Lord will bring His praise.
O Mother of the Son of God! Have mercy on the mother of the sons of men and on Your weak people: quickly heal the illnesses that befall us, quench the sorrows and sorrows that are upon us, and do not despise the tears and sighs of Your servants. Hear us on the day of sorrow, falling before Your icon, and on the day of joy and deliverance, receive the grateful praise of our hearts. Offer our prayers to the Throne of Your Son and our God, that He may be merciful to our sin and weakness and add His mercy to those who lead His name, so that we and our children may glorify You, the Merciful Intercessor and the faithful Hope of our race, forever and ever. . Amen.
But besides this, you can read akathists and troparia:
- the icon “Leaping of the Baby”;
- Holy Martyr Catherine;
- Saints Elizabeth and Zechariah (who were the parents of the Baptist).
Advice! You should definitely ask for mercy from the Lord and Jesus Christ, since everything comes from Them. Jesus Christ is half human, so any physical problem or ailment is understandable and familiar to Him. He will send relief and bless the woman’s body.
Spiritual preparation for childbirth
Today, there are a large number of different centers that train expectant mothers and prepare them for the birth of a baby on the physical and psycho-emotional level, but few people think that preparation also needs to be provided on the spiritual level.
icons in the house while the baby is waiting ; if they are not there yet, this will protect him. Also, the expectant mother should refrain from negative thoughts at this time, since dissatisfaction and anger have a bad effect on the development of the child, which can complicate the birth process.
