History of prayer for those killed in the womb
When a woman becomes pregnant, God sends her the soul of a child. Killing an unborn child is more terrible than a person, it is an angelic soul. If a child goes into another world unbaptized, this is scary, even if it was not the fault of the woman.
A mother's prayer for unborn children was compiled by Elder Antonia, in the world Anastasia, who was born at the beginning of the last century on the Don. In her young years, she lost a child, for no known reason. When she came to the temple and began to pray to the Mother of God, the image turned away from her. The next day she began to pray to the icon “Seeking the Lost.” The Mother of God appeared to her and said that she was forgiven. The only things that cannot be forgiven are pride, taking one’s own life, and not honoring the Holy Spirit. Since then, she has accepted monasticism with the name Mother Antonia. She began her monastic life with sermons on how to pray about the sin of infanticide. She had the gift of prophecy, healing illnesses and consolation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBKvKjPCfUs
Elder Antonia suffered a lot of troubles during Soviet times. These are repressions for faith, exile to Siberia, forced treatment in a psychiatric hospital. Antonina died in 1998, but her name is known in many parts of Russia and even abroad.
Prayer for an unbaptized child and infant
The Church prays for unbaptized babies, including unborn babies. It is sad to realize that even today the problem of child mortality has not been solved. Children die while still in the womb of their mother, or at an age when their parents did not have time to baptize them. Church workers also note the opportunity to pray for the health of living babies.
There is no single algorithm for how to properly pray for unbaptized babies. It is not forbidden to offer prayer in church, although, as a rule, clergy recommend praying for all unbaptized people at the home altar.
Every prayer raised will be heard by the Lord. There is no doubt that he loves people, no matter what the color of our skin or what the name of our religion is. Mothers try to offer prayers for unbaptized babies for their health, so that the children always remain under God’s protection, because they are weak and in need of protection.
The power of maternal prayer is powerful.
The mother loves the child so much that the words will definitely be heard. Prayer for a deceased unbaptized child is important for every mother, because this is how she provides all possible assistance to a baby whom she has not even had time to really get to know. She continues to love him, being in grief over his life.
The prayer service helps to gain moral peace for the baby’s heavenly life, the understanding that he will be in heaven, among the angels. Perhaps this is the best outcome for a little one, rather than being in the torment of mortal life on earth, especially if the child was born with developmental defects or a fatal disease.
What prayers exist for unbaptized children?
There are many ways to pray for unbaptized babies. Below is information about the most popular prayers that can provide the opportunity to provide a strong amulet against any misfortunes that may happen to a child. For example, there are many prayers for children who have not seen this world:
- For unbaptized babies who died in the womb;
- For unbaptized babies;
- For unbaptized infants (hieromonk Athanasius of Athos).
Prayer “For unbaptized babies who died in the womb”
“Remember, O Lord, Lover of Mankind, the souls of Your departed servants, the infants who in the womb of Orthodox mothers died accidentally from unknown actions, or from a difficult birth, or from some carelessness and therefore did not receive the sacrament of holy baptism. Baptize them, O Lord, in the sea of Your bounties and save them with Your ineffable grace. Amen."
Prayer to Arseny Afonsky “For stillborn and unbaptized children”
“Lord, have mercy on my children who died in my womb. For my faith and tears, for the sake of Thy mercy, Lord, do not deprive them of Thy Divine light!”
All of them ascend to the Lord for help to unbaptized babies who died while in their mother’s womb. The soul of a baby is holy, for, without having lived an earthly life, it went to heaven. There are also prayers for the health of living unbaptized babies. They are pronounced either in their own words or addressed to the Mother of God.
Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos “For Children”
“O Most Holy Lady Virgin Theotokos, save and preserve under Your shelter my children (names), all youths, young women and infants, baptized and nameless and carried in their mother’s womb. Cover them with the robe of Your motherhood, keep them in the fear of God and in obedience to their parents, beg my Lord and Your Son to grant them what is useful for their salvation. I entrust them to Thy Motherly supervision, for Thou art the Divine Cover of Thy servants.” Read more…
Now you know how to pray for unbaptized children, however, you should take into account the following nuances described below.
You must have complete faith
The Church believes that it is possible to read prayer for unbaptized children both in the Temple of God and at home. The main condition for prayer is faith. Believe with all your heart that your child is now with the Lord, under his protection.
Sincere faith will help not only the child’s soul, but also you. If the baby is alive, but sick, and there is no way to baptize him, you can submit a note about his health, writing: “(mother’s name) with the child.”
You need to pray for forty days. Morning, afternoon, evening - you can ask the Lord at least every minute to help your child. Eliminate any distractions, be alone and focus completely on prayer. It is important to say it out loud. Every word you say will reach the ears of God.
Even many scientists recognize the power of the prayer word. According to a common theory, prayers that have existed for centuries contain a unique combination of sounds in the text that have a special effect on a person. Therefore, prayers heal, give love and help solve any problem, because they allow you to emotionally tune in to the right mood.
There is another theory, a church one, according to which children die for a reason.
The death of a child is the fault of parents who led an unrighteous life. Now heaven sends terrible retribution to the mother, taking away her child. Although this theory is controversial, because everyone will probably remember a dozen examples when in dysfunctional families, cohabitants who drink and repeatedly break the law have a child almost every year, while their respectable neighbors, believing Christians who have never done harm to anyone, have no children .
However, it cannot be completely dismissed. Think about what you are doing or have done wrong in this life. In addition, a similar outcome of events is possible if you resorted to black magic.
Video: Prayer for unbaptized children
They also pray for the unbaptized:
- Prayers for the unbaptized deceased
Prayers of wives who destroyed babies in their wombs [who committed abortions]
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Prayer book / Prayers for every need
Prayers to the Lord
Prayer 1
God, Most Merciful Christ Jesus, Redeemer of sinners, for the sake of the salvation of the human race, You left us, O All-Merciful, glorious Heaven, and You dwelt in this deplorable and sinful vale. You took on Your Divine shoulder our infirmities, and You bore our illnesses; You, O Holy Sufferer, were wounded for our sins and tormented for our iniquities, and therefore we, O Lover of Mankind, offer our humble prayers to You: accept them, O Most Good Lord, and condescend to our weaknesses and do not remember our sins, and Turn away the angry intention to avenge our sins from us. By Thy All-Honorable Blood, having renewed our fallen nature, renew, O Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, us, in the ashes of our sins, and comfort our hearts with the joy of Thy forgiveness. With a cry and immeasurable tears of repentance, we fall at the feet of Your Divine mercy: cleanse us all, our God, with Your Divine grace from all the untruths and iniquities of our life. May we, in the holiness of Your love for mankind, praise Your All-Holy Name, with the Father, and the Most Good, and the Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Prayer 2
Remember, O Lord who loves mankind, the souls of Your departed servants, the infants who in the womb of Orthodox mothers died accidentally from unknown actions, or from a difficult birth, or from some carelessness, or who were deliberately ruined and therefore did not receive Holy Baptism. Baptize them, O Lord, in the sea of Thy bounty and save with Thy ineffable grace, and forgive me, a sinner (name), who committed the murder of a baby in my womb and do not deprive Thy mercy. Amen.
Prayer 3
O Master, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God! Much of Your goodness, for our sake and for our salvation, man was clothed in flesh, and crucified, and buried, and with Your Blood renewing our corrupted nature, accept my repentance for sins and hear my words: I have sinned, O Lord, in Heaven and before You, in a word , deed, soul and body, and thoughts of my mind. I transgressed Your commandments, did not listen to Your commandment, angered Your goodness, my God, but as Your creation exists, I do not despair of salvation, but boldly come to Your immeasurable Compassion and pray to You: Lord! in repentance, give me a contrite heart and accept me as I pray and give me a good thought, give me tears of tenderness, Lord, let me, by Thy grace, make a good beginning. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me who has fallen, and remember me, Thy sinful servant, in Thy Kingdom, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Prayer 4
Lord, have mercy on my children who died in my womb, for my faith and my tears, for the sake of Your mercy, Lord, do not deprive them of Your Divine Light.
Prayer to the Most Holy Lady Theotokos
Open the doors of mercy to us, Blessed Mother of God, who hope in You, so that we may not perish, but be delivered from troubles by You, for You are the salvation of the Christian race. Rejoice, One Most Pure Mother of the One Creator, Lord, God and Savior of ours, Jesus Christ! Be my Intercessor on the day of the terrible trial, when I appear before the Throne of the Unfeigned Judge, so that I may be delivered from the fiery punishment of torment through Your prayers, O Blessed One.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
List of prayers
The moral side of the issue
When something unpleasant or tragic befalls a person, he usually reacts to it extremely emotionally - swearing, screaming, crying, cursing... This can destroy both human relationships and what a person has built, perhaps over many years[9] . It is important to hear and diligently apply the following instruction of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him): “[Exercise] patience [maintaining calm, balance and prudence] at the moment of the first blow [which is when it hurts the most].”[10]
Prophet Muhammad (may the Creator bless him and greet him) also conveyed the words of the Lord of the Worlds[11]: “If a believer loses a person close to him[12] [and these are primarily children who leave this mortal world before the death of their parents] and at the same time he [ this believer and practitioner of faith, including in his attitude to the sorrows that befall him] will show patience and surrender what happened to the will of the Creator (let go of the situation, “untie” from his mind and heart, overcome the seemingly unbearable pain of loss, expecting[13] reward for demonstrated patience from the Lord of the worlds) [saying, for example, that “we are all temporary on this earth, we are fully in the power of the Lord and sooner or later we return to Him” [14]], I have that [in eternity] as a reward for such a [prudent] attitude [if only he leaves this mortal abode as a believer, even if he has some sins] - Paradise [eternal stay in a paradise abode indescribable in its beauty and splendor, - the Creator of all things, the Lord of the Day of Judgment, says unequivocally and unequivocally , whose mercy is eternal and limitless]”[15].
Other reliable hadiths say: “If any of the women’s three children die [leave this mortal world for one reason or another before her death, which will be a huge shock and an irreparable loss for the mother, but she will be able to endure it steadfastly and agree with by the will of the Creator, who once gave her these children], then they will become protection for her from hellish punishment [they will become a significant reason for her unhindered entry into the heavenly abode].” One of the women present asked: “What if there are two?” The Prophet replied: “And the two [will also be protection for their mother from hellish punishment]”[16];
“If a Muslim (Muslim woman) has three children who have not reached the age of majority [which occurs with the onset of puberty, after which a person becomes responsible before God for his actions], then the Lord will certainly introduce this person, by His mercy, into the heavenly abode in eternity.” [17];
“Whoever buries his three children [that is, survives them], will not go to Hell [if he dies in faith]”[18]. One of the authentic hadiths, as mentioned earlier, also speaks of two children. There is also mention of the loss of one[19].
Often in a state of confusion and grief, parents, especially the mother, can express their indignation to God for the death of a child with the words: “Why are you so cruel, why did you take away an innocent child?!” These words are not only erroneous, but also sinful. For a believer, any situation, even such a difficult one, is a blessing[20]. It is not easy to comprehend the manifestation of the infinite wisdom of the Creator in a given situation. How many people cannot comprehend the wisdom and meaning of their temporary stay on this earth!
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of the Creator) reported: “If a person [father, mother during their lifetime] a child dies [no matter how old he is], Allah (God, Lord) will say to the angels: “You took such a child "someone." The angels will confirm: “Yes.” The Lord will continue: “You took away the fruit of his heart [you took away from him one of the most precious things on this earth—his (her) son, daughter].” The angels will confirm: “Yes.” And the Lord will ask [knowing about everything without them, the angels, but wanting to use them as witnesses to this important universal process]: “What did the person [the father or mother of the child say after such a severe irreparable loss]?” They will answer: “He thanked You [Lord, for those years of joy of life together that you gave them with this child, and treated it as something that was given for a while], saying: “Truly, we belong to God and to Him [ sooner or later] we return”[21]. And Allah (God, Lord) will say [not limited by either place or time]: “Build for this person [for this parent, mother or father] a palace in Paradise [that is, for such a grateful attitude, this person will remain in the heavenly abode for eternity , surrounded by Divine bounties and abundance]. And call this palace the Palace of gratitude [to God].”[22]
It is possible that the Creator takes the child because it is better for his parents, who, if they correctly understand the test of God, will be rewarded with great reward both in this life and in eternity. The Lord of the Worlds warns in Holy Scripture:
“Perhaps you will dislike something (something that is undesirable for you, and may be hated), but it [will turn out to be] best for you [by the way and in time, opening your eyes, for example, to something new or providing you hitherto unknown possibilities]. Also, you can love something, but it is evil for you [the worst thing you could imagine]. The Almighty knows, but you don’t know [you can guess, assume, but these are just speculations that may or may not come true. Therefore, analyze what is happening, especially what is irreversible (has already stood in your way as a blank wall), and reflect on it in such a way as to rise higher and improve as a person who aspires to well-being in both worlds, in the earthly abode and in the eternal]" ( see Holy Quran, 2:216).
There is a well-known Koranic story with the teacher of the prophet Moses, Khizyr[23], who killed someone else’s child right in front of Moses, plunging the servant of God into extreme indignation. Khyzyr later explained:
“As for that child, his parents were believers, and we [led by God’s will][24] were afraid that he would fill (fill) their lives with sin and godlessness (suffering and troubles) [and by depriving them of him, we thereby spent through a difficult test, highlighting spiritual poise and restraint, and, as a result of the patience they showed, gave the best]. The Lord replaced him (this child) with one who is purer [spiritually] and more merciful to his parents [granting the successful completion of the next pregnancy and blessing in the growth, development and formation of the new child]” (Holy Quran, 18:80, 81).
Even the complete lack of opportunity to express feelings of fatherhood and motherhood in worldly life for one or another married couple will be made up for in Paradise:
“[Those of them who did not have children in the worldly abode or lost them during their lifetime will be able to experience high and kind parental feelings while in Paradise.] And eternal children walk around them [who will not grow up]” (Holy Quran , 56:17);
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“[Those of them who did not have children in the worldly monastery or lost them during their lifetime will be able to experience high and kind parental feelings while in Paradise.] And eternal children walk around them [who will not grow up]. If you saw them, you would liken them to scattered [beautiful] pearls” (Holy Quran, 76:19).
Along with everything that has been said, we must also not forget that the Almighty is merciful to good people[25], but punishes bad ones. And punishments can begin already in this life...
May the Almighty protect us from His wrath and provide us with the opportunity to listen to good edifications and adhere to the best[26]. Amen.
