Intelligence and admonition
In what cases do Orthodox Christians read a prayer for admonition? How does it differ from a magic spell and self-hypnosis? To understand this, it is necessary to understand the categories of “mind” (“reason”) and “admonition.” After all, these terms have both secular and theological interpretations. Finally, we should understand what the purpose of Orthodox prayer as a whole is.
Orthodox prayer for admonition
Secular and Christian views on the concept of “mind”
In the worldly understanding, mind (mind) is the ability to think, reason, and cognition. This term is usually used as a synonym for the words “intelligence” and “smartness”. This interpretation is also present in Orthodoxy. The 20th century Russian theologian Nikolai Pestov speaks of the “mind of logic and science”:
“Animals do not have it... The Lord gave it to man to comprehend His creations and the wisdom of the Creator of the universe Himself. It is also given to facilitate the life of the human body, deprived of the physical strength and endurance that God has given to many of the animals.”
At the same time, there is another, purely theological interpretation of the concept of “mind”. In Christianity, this is the name given to the main gift of the Almighty to man – the ability to comprehend Truth and God. This is a special mind that the immortal human soul possesses. The head and brain are not sources, but only instruments, conductors of this force. This is the “eye of the soul”, which allows a person to cognize the spiritual world and enter into saving communication with the Creator. Venerable Macarius of Egypt notes:
“There is a mind that turns and flows to heaven and walks the path of its pure thoughts and reaches on it the paths and paths prepared for the saints in heaven. And there is another mind, crawling on the earth and reptiles in the ways of the flesh... The spiritual mind is different from the carnal” (“New Spiritual Conversations”).
The Holy Fathers instruct that knowledge of God is possible only for a soul whose mind is not clouded by sinful passions. After all, the latter break the connection between man and the Creator. The sinner loses the ability to grow spiritually, lives only by carnal values and destroys his soul. This can only be corrected by repentance and diligence in the Christian life. Venerable Anthony the Great teaches:
“Whoever has a God-loving mind is enlightened in his heart and sees God with his mind... A soul that does not have a good mind and a good life is blind” (“Philokalia”, volume 1).
Mind, will and feelings
According to the patristic tradition, the mind is one of the three properties of the human soul (also will and feeling). Their hierarchy and interrelation can be represented as the following metaphorical illustration. The mind is the rider, the will is its reins, and the feelings are the horse.
Feelings represent the irritable force of the soul, a person’s desire for pleasure. This thirst is satisfied by the contemplation of Divine beauty. However, feelings can be tempted by passions. They are overcome with the help of sobriety, that is, spiritual wakefulness, keeping oneself from sin with constant turning to God.
Will is a manifestation of the freedom given to us by the Almighty. This is the desired power of the soul, its desire to act. The will is called upon to control desires and direct them to good. Her main temptation is self-will. The main means of combating it is humility. It is necessary to direct the will to fight passions and acquire virtues.
Reason is the thinking power of the soul, intended for the knowledge of God. But if the mind is enslaved by passions, then it loses this ability and is replaced by a more primitive reason. A sinful person's mind is stricken with blindness, which prevents him from realizing his own spiritual fall. Therefore, it is necessary to purify and enlighten the mind with God's revelation. St. Anthony the Great teaches that a person steeped in evil is unreasonable. After all, true reason always chooses good.
Brothers Callistus and Ignatius Xanthopoulos (Byzantine saints, monk-writers) instructed:
“Train the irritable part of the soul with love, wither the desirable part with abstinence, inspire the rational part with prayer.”
Pray that their hearts will soften and become receptive
In Ezekiel 36:26, the Lord spoke to Israel with these words: “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; And I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
What powerful words! This appeal to Israel is great news for us too. Let this passage from the Book of Ezekiel serve as a basis for your prayers. Pray that God will give your children a new heart and a new spirit. Pray for their hearts to be softened so that they can accept the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
Believe that God can do what you think is impossible. And remember that there is no one whom the Lord cannot reach. There is no heart so hard that it cannot be turned into a vessel ready to receive Him. Parents should hold on to this hope and continue to pray for hearts to be softened.
Holy God,
I come to You asking for Your mighty work in the hearts of my children. I pray that You will transform their hearts of stone into hearts of flesh—soft and pliable in Your hands. Please, Lord, do not let my children grow cold towards You. Rekindle the flame of truth in their hearts. Remove all doubts and fears, draw them closer to You. Help me to continue to pray for them without losing faith, and may my heart soften too. Thank You for being a loving Father. I trust that You will work in the hearts of my children for Your glory and their good.
I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Why is prayer for understanding needed?
As we have found out, the concept of “mind” in Orthodoxy has several meanings. Actually, the mind is an “organ of contemplation” aimed at higher spiritual activity, the knowledge of God. The mind is a tool for analyzing and comprehending sensory experience, the “organ of knowledge.” Reason is that mental activity of a person in which he relies on his own strength to analyze, draw conclusions and make decisions.
Consequently, the term “admonition” is interpreted differently. Thus, prayers for the admonition of a son can express a request to God for an increase in earthly intelligence and intellectual abilities.
If we are talking about a person’s spiritual strength, then admonition means the return to a person of his spiritual vision. That is, the ability to distinguish between good and evil, to repent, to go to the Lord and to save the soul. In this case, they pray for admonition for spiritually lost people: those who are subject to some kind of sin or who have completely fallen away from God. For example, such prayers can be considered requests to the Almighty for the reconciliation of warring parties or the return of a person to the Church.
Christians also pray for their own admonition. So that God will enlighten you and guide you on the right path in a difficult life situation. Or he helped in overcoming sinful passions and temptations. But, as has already been said, this is possible provided that a person works on his spiritual state. Saint Theophan the Recluse instructs:
“A person who has turned to God and restored grace-filled communion with Him has his erring conscience corrected” (“Letters”).
A prayer for admonition can be addressed to God, the Virgin Mary, any saint or guardian angel. There are commonly used corresponding texts, but it is allowed to express the request in your own words. Prayer for those who have fallen from the faith is traditionally performed in front of the icon of Our Lady of the Sign.
Prayer for admonition is not a spell or self-hypnosis
Like any other Orthodox sacred text, the prayer for the gift of understanding should not be perceived as a magic spell or self-hypnosis. This is a sincere repentant request to God, pronounced with humility and admiration for His will. Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt wrote in his diaries:
“Prayer is the raising of the mind and heart to God, the contemplation of God... the conversation of creation with the Creator, the reverent standing of the soul before Him... food for the soul, air and light, life-giving warmth, cleansing of sins.”
Spells require faith not in the Creator, but in the power of the magic words themselves, which are pronounced mechanically, without the participation of the soul. There is no place for repentance and humility here. There is only a selfish desire for guaranteed fulfillment of one’s own whims without any effort. Priest Valery Dukhanin points out:
“In magic spells, a person tries to satisfy himself, his passions and mundane needs as much as possible. And in prayer, a person strives to realize in his personal life what corresponds to God’s Providence.”
A prayer for admonition always has a specific addressee. The Christian knows that his request is heard, even if there is no obvious answer. Self-hypnosis is not an appeal to a sacred person. It is directed inside the one who pronounces it, deep into his consciousness. Deacon Igor Tsukanov notes:
“Self-hypnosis and self-hypnosis are extremely far from Christianity. Christianity calls us to look at things realistically, soberly assessing both the world around us and ourselves. Only then does a person have a chance to change something in himself for the better... And here, of course, one cannot do without God’s gracious help, just as one cannot do without prayer.”
Pray for the voice of the Holy Spirit to be heard
Because the noise of the world around us constantly competes for our children's attention, it is important to pray for the voice of the Holy Spirit to be heard.
His gentle voice is described as a quiet wind in 1 Kings 19:11-12. “And behold, the Lord will pass by, and a great and strong wind will rend the mountains and break in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord will not be in the wind; after the wind there is an earthquake, but the Lord is not in the earthquake; after the earthquake there is fire, but the Lord is not in the fire; after the fire there is a breath of quiet wind.”
Pray for God's quiet call to break through the strong winds of modern culture. Pray that your children will look to their Heavenly Father for guidance during these changing and challenging times. And pray that the constant bombardment of media and pop culture will subside as God's voice grows louder.
Lord and God
I thank You for never abandoning my children. Thank you for loving them with an everlasting love. I pray open their ears to hear the sound of Your still, gentle voice calling to You. I pray that they will hear You loud and clear, louder than this worldly noise. Most of all, I pray that they will respond to Your call and come to repentance and salvation through Your Son Jesus Christ.
And in His name I pray about all this. Amen.
Prayers for understanding
Jesus Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner (or sinner).
Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
Give, Lord, to my unworthiness the grace of understanding, so as to recognize what is pleasant for You, and what is useful for me, and not only to recognize, but also to do, so as not to get carried away and not to cling to the empty, to have compassion for those who suffer and be forgiving to go to sinners.
Prayer to the Guardian Angel
To the Angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me by God from Heaven, I earnestly pray: you enlighten me today, and save me from all evil, guide me to good deeds and guide me on the path of salvation. Amen.
Prayer to the Lord for the reconciliation of warring parties
Lord, Lover of mankind, King of ages and Giver of good things, who destroyed the hostilities of the mediastinum and gave peace to the human race, grant even now peace to Your servants, root in them Your fear and love for each other Establish: quench all discord, take away all discord and temptation. For You are our peace, and to You we send glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Pray for other people to speak into their lives
Sometimes parents feel as if their words are bouncing off a brick wall and have no effect on anything at all. You still need to continue to lovingly speak to your children about the truth. But it is also important for them to hear God’s truth from other people whom they respect and consider as an example.
Pray that other people will come and tell them the same things that you have been telling yourself all this time. This could be a believing teacher, coach, friend, or youth leader in the church. Whoever God uses for this purpose, pray that He will bring it into your children's lives and influence their hearts.
If you find it necessary, you can contact some good mentors about your child and ask them to influence your son or daughter. If your kids don't want to listen to you, maybe (just maybe) they'll listen to someone else.
Dear God,
please speak into my children's lives through other people who also know and love You. Introduce your children to friends and mentors who will plant in them the seeds of faith that You will cultivate. I pray for a godly influence in the lives of my children so that they will want to know Your Son Jesus Christ more and more. Thank You, Lord, for surrounding them with people who bear Your name. I ask You to open their ears to hear and their eyes to see. I rely on You to convey the truth to my children through those who are in fellowship with You.
I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
