What independent prayers to read before confession

Prayers

Prayer before confession

God and Lord of all! He who alone has the power of every breath and soul can heal me, hear the prayer of the accursed me, and consume the serpent nesting in me through the influx of the All-Holy and Life-Giving Spirit, killing me. And to me, poor and naked of all virtues, vouchsafe to fall at the feet of my holy (spiritual) father with tears, and draw his holy soul to mercy, to have mercy on me. And grant, O Lord, in my heart humility and good thoughts, befitting a sinner who has agreed to repent to You, and may you not in the end abandon the one soul that united with You and confessed You, and chose and preferred You instead of the world: for we know, Lord, that I want to be saved, even if my evil custom is an obstacle: but it is possible for You, Master, the essence of everything, what is impossible is of man. Amen.

Prayer of St. Simeon the New Theologian for finding a spiritual mentor

Lord, not wanting the death of the sinner, but turning back and living to be him, you came down to earth for this, and raised up those lying and killed by sin and saw You, the true light, as it is possible for a person to see, make them worthy, send me a person leading You, and , like You, having worked for him and submitted to him with all my strength, and do Your will in that will, I will please You, the only God, and I, a sinner, will be worthy of Your kingdom.

Prayer of repentance, who repents with a contrite and humble spirit to God

You see everything, Lord, and there is nothing that You have not seen. Although I am the work of Your hands, I did not do the works according to Your commandments, but out of my great foolishness I did every bad thing, not thinking that You, my Creator and God, are as good as you are just. Now, having brought this to mind, I trembled and don’t know what to do. I feel Your condemnation, and I cannot find a word of justification in my mouth. I have no virtue and have not done any deed of repentance worthy of forgiving me even one idle word of my mouth. Moreover, whoever has all the virtues and does all sorts of good deeds, does so as a slave and a debtor, but for his sin in all this he will not find any replacement: here Thy mercy alone precedes. Sin is death, and which of those who died through it can be resurrected by itself? Truly no one. You alone died and rose again, because you did not commit sin and no flattery was found in your mouth. So, Lord Almighty, having done many evil deeds, I repent, but repentance alone is not strong enough to justify me.

Prayer for deliverance from temptations

Sovereign Lord, do not allow temptation, or sorrow, or illness beyond my strength to come upon me, but deliver me from them, or grant me the strength to endure them with thanksgiving.

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Prayers of repentance read before confession: words

Prayers before confession also include prayers of repentance, which are said immediately before confession. It is necessary to think through every word when reading the text of the prayer book. Pronounce the words with sincerity, then all unpleasant doubts will truly leave your soul, and you will be ready for confession.

You can understand that you are ready for confession only by certain signs. One of them is that you admitted your sins. After repentance, the clergyman will give the repentant prosphora, this is a sign of heavenly and earthly peace. Take the prosphora in the palm of your right hand. In this case, the hands should be crossed, the left palm is below, the right palm is on top. You don’t have to eat the prosphora right away; if you want to bring it home, then place it next to the icons and holy water.

The prayers of repentance are presented below:

Prayer book for repentance

Prayer for repentance

After confession, as already mentioned, you should eat the prosphora over a piece of paper, so that not a single crumb is lost. It is allowed to cut it with a knife or break it for convenience. It is better to drink it with sacred water. They eat prosphora on an empty stomach in the morning.

IMPORTANT: Do not give prosphora to people who have not been baptized in the church.

Even before communion, you should definitely read a prayer book to the Guardian Angel, the text of which can be read below in the image:

Prayer to the Angel

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Prayer of Simeon the New Theologian

From my disgusting lips, And from the abomination of my heart, From an unclean tongue, From a corrupted soul, O my God, accept the prayer From such who I am Both in words and in expressions, From shameless impudence. Let me say directly everything I want, my Christ, or rather, teach me - What to do and what to say. The harlot is more guilty than the harlot - She found out where you were, bought the Miro, boldly came up and anointed the Feet of my Lord, My Christ and God. How did You not reject her, Walking at the call of the heart, Neither do I abhor me, the Word, And give Yours to my nose, And hold and kiss, And with a stream of streams of tears, Like a valuable myrrh, Anoint them boldly. And wash me and cleanse me with a stream of these tears, the Word. And forgive me my sins, forgive my sins. You know the abyss of evil foolishness, You know all my wounds, You see bruises and bumps, But you also know faith, You see the fervor of zeal, You hear moans and groans. I cannot hide from You, my Creator and Savior, Not an insignificant drop of tears, Not a particle of this drop. All my ideas, God, are at your fingertips, In Your Book, Creator, Everything that I have to do is outlined and happened. Look at my humility, See my work to the point of fatigue, And every single grain of sin, God of all, forgive me, So that with a purified heart, a thought fenced off by fear, and a contrite soul, I may partake and be transformed by the Mysteries of Your most glorious saints, That live and adore All who taste and sip In the sincerity of an open heart. It has been said by You, Master: Whoever eats My Flesh, whoever receives My Blood, will remain in Me, and in him I will appear. There is truth in every word of God my Master. I accept the true God And the Gifts of those who worship, Not lost, lonely, But with You, in You, my Christ, Light shining in three Suns, Enlightening all nations. Yes, and I will not be alone, Without You, Giver of life, Breath and animation, Joy and exultation, And salvation to people. For this reason I begin, You see, God, with tears And with a broken soul I beg for a loan, A ransom for sins, Yes, Your life-giving And immaculate Mysteries I will partake without condemnation, May you live, as You said, With the thrice base, with me, May he not take away charming one In the clownish seduction, The insidious one will tear me away, And by deceit he will steal the Words of those who idolize. I bow to You on earth, I fervently cry out to You: Just as You have acquired one stung by death and a harlot, So accept me, lost, Doomed to destruction. Compassionate, I, Contrite, draw near to You. Here is another, look, Savior, He is not as guilty as I am, He did not do the deeds that I, a convict, did. But again and again I see: Neither a gigantic offense, nor a mass of sins will exceed the meekness of God, much long-suffering, or extreme humanity. But with the oil of compassion You cleanse and illuminate those who have been changed by repentance, And you create those who are involved in the light, You introduce them to the deity, Remaking them generously, And - incomprehensible to the thoughts of Angels and humans - You often talk to them, As your closest friends. They create boldly for me, Inspire me, my Christ, And, confident in the wealth of Your blessings to us, Rejoicing and shuddering From the fire I partake, The essence of the grass, and - a strange miracle! - I am refreshed beyond words, As if a bush from ancient times was burning fireproof. Now, with a grateful thought, With a grateful heart, My hands together, Both mentally and physically, I worship, magnify, Glorify Thee, O God, How blessed is the being, Now and unto the ages of eternity.

June-December 2022 Simeon the New Theologian was a poet, and therefore the prayer that the Orthodox are accustomed to seeing in the Synodal translation in the form of an ordinary text is in the original a poem. I cited the original from the prayer book published in 2004 by the Greek monastery of the prophet Elijah. The translation was long and difficult, because the depth and capacity of Greek words is incomparable with either Russian or Church Slavonic languages. Retained the poetic size of the original.

What independent prayers to read before confession

Preliminary preparation for confession can be quite short - for those who often confess, and quite long - for those people who are doing it for the first time or have not been to confession for a long time. You can prepare for confession both at home and in church, immediately before it begins. Sometimes it is useful to start preparing for confession several days in advance. With Christian prayers read before confession, you need to prepare yourself for repentance. Only with God's help is complete repentance possible. It is necessary to remember all our sins, all violations of God’s commandments, as well as all omissions, that is, those moments when we could have done good, but did not do it.

Special prayer of Saint Simeon the Theologian, read before confession

It should be understood that the essence of confession is not a conversation with the priest about your shortcomings - it is a living movement of the soul and repentance of the heart. Therefore, if you feel that for you, carefully writing out sins on a piece of paper turns a sacred act into pharisaism - it is better not to follow the rules - it is better for the priest to correct you at confession than to turn such a sacrament into a dry formality. For formal confession for show is useless, fruitless, and in most cases offensive to God. In the holy scriptures there is the best prayer of Simeon the New Theologian, read before confession - it helps to cleanse your soul with sincere repentance.

Orthodox prayers to the Lord, read before confession

Unlike Holy Communion, preparing for confession does not require adherence to a special prayer rule or fasting - the main thing is sincere repentance. The best prayers read before confession can be Our Father, the Canon of Repentance to the Lord, the Trisagion, Psalm 50, Lord have mercy. You can simply read the Gospel. Confession is made before the liturgy, but it is also possible during evening services. It happens that when there are a large number of people, additional time for confession is established. In any case, you should check with your temple in advance about the time it will take place.

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The real text of the Orthodox prayer of Simeon the Theologian before confession

God and Lord of all! Having the power of every breath and soul, You alone are able to heal me, hear the prayer of me, the accursed one, and the serpent nesting in me by the influx of the All-Holy and Life-giving Spirit, slaying: and from me poverty and nakedness all the virtues exist, at the feet of my holy (spiritual) father with tears grant him the honor, and his holy soul, to be merciful, so that you may be merciful to me. And grant, O Lord, in my heart humility and good thoughts, befitting a sinner who has agreed to repent to You, and may you not completely abandon the one soul that united with You and confessed You, and instead of the whole world chose and preferred You: weigh for, Lord, what I want to be saved, even if my evil custom is an obstacle: but it is possible for You, Master, the essence of everything, what is impossible is of man. Amen. Amen. Amen.

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Life of St. Simeon

The Monk Simeon came from an ancient family; in his youth he held a position at the court of the emperor. Upon reaching the age of 25, he rushed into monasticism, becoming a novice of the monastery. He desired solitude and the Holy Spirit, descending, hid the surrounding reality from his sight.

We advise you to study the Icon with Three Saints

After achieving spiritual enlightenment, Simeon served as abbot for 25 years. He transformed the monastery's economy and ennobled the temple. The kindness of the abbot was combined with exactingness in fulfilling the commandments of the Gospel. Not everyone was happy with the strict discipline; an attempt was made on Simeon's life. Instead of punishment, he granted forgiveness to the attackers through prayers and helped them in their worldly existence.

How to pray before communion

During the period of preparation for communion, one must strictly adhere to the rules established for the morning and evening. Morning prayers will be a prayer to the Holy Spirit, the Creed, Psalm 50, a prayer to the Most Holy Trinity, prayers for the living and for the dead, and others.

Before performing the ceremony, an Orthodox Christian should read 5 basic prayer texts (this can be done at home or by coming to church):

• St. Basil the Great;
• St. John Chrysostom;
• Saint John of Damascus;
• repentant prayer to St. Isaac the Syrian;
• the prayer of Simeon Metaphrastus;
• prayer to the Guardian Angel.

On the evening before communion, three penitential canons are required to be read, which are also pronounced before confession. Usually all the texts mentioned are read in Church Slavonic. They can also be pronounced in a modern adaptation, in Russian.

You might be interested in:

1. Method of sacred prayer and attention - St. Simeon the New Theologian

3. Prayers for various occasions - St. Ephraim the Syrian

4. About mental or internal prayer - St. Paisius (Velichkovsky)

7. On unceasing prayer - St. Theophan the Recluse

8. In the world of prayer - Righteous John of Kronstadt

9. About prayer - Venerable Sophrony (Sakharov)

10. About divine mysteries and spiritual life - St. Isaac the Syrian of Nineveh

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Source of the article: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Simeon_Novyj_Bogoslov/molitvy/

Prayers before confession: which ones must be read

Priests determine a list of prayers that must be read before the confessional ritual:

• canon of repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ;
• prayer canon to the Most Holy Theotokos;
• canon to the Guardian Angel;
• repentant prayer of Simeon the New Theologian.

Before confession, all morning and evening prayers must be read. They should be spoken thoughtfully, with full awareness of each word, without being distracted by anything. You should also attend church as often as possible, attend services and carefully listen to the prayer texts pronounced by the priest.

Kievan Rus

Confession and Communion: practical advice

The Kiev publishing house “QUO VADIS” published a book by the editor of the “Kievan Rus” website, Archpriest Andrei Dudchenko, about preparation for Confession and Communion. The book was recommended for publication by the review commission of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

APPENDIX 3. Prayer of St. Simeon the New Theologian before Holy Communion (translated into Russian and in poetry)

The author is also preparing a Ukrainian version of the book for publication.

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• Blog of priest Andrey Dudchenko
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Rules for preparing for church ceremonies: tips for beginners

Before coming to church for confession followed by communion, you need to seriously prepare. To do this, a three-day (in some cases seven-day) fast must be observed, which implies:

• exclusion of food of animal origin from the menu;
• refusal of various amusements and pleasures;
• strict adherence to Christian commandments.

The layman also needs to forgive his offenders and apologize to everyone who was offended or insulted by him. If this cannot be done in the usual way, you should ask for forgiveness mentally.

In addition to fasting and reconciliation with others, it is imperative to read special prayers before confession and communion. These texts, compiled by saints and deeply religious people, help to cleanse oneself inside, strengthen oneself spiritually, and realize the importance of the upcoming sacraments.

During the period allotted for preparation for confession and communion, a Christian should concentrate as much as possible on his state of mind. To do this, you should avoid noisy companies, feasts, and visits. To fully prepare for visiting the temple, it is better to spend more time alone with yourself, devoting it to thinking about your own life and reading the Holy Scriptures.

Life

Saint Simeon the New Theologian came from a noble provincial family living in Paphlagonia (Asia Minor). Born in 949, in connection with which he is often called a contemporary of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. The father predicted a secular career for his son, but service at the imperial court did not attract the young man. From an early age he felt a penchant for solitude and monastic life. He completed grammar (secondary) courses, but refused to continue his education in rhetoric and philosophy. Most of his time was spent reading spiritual literature. Having reached the age of twenty-five, he left his home and went to the Studite monastery, known throughout the area for its strict rules.

Entering a monastery

In the monastic monastery, the young man found a spiritual shepherd - Simeon the Reverent, to whom he clung with all his soul. The monastic brethren were tempted, seeing his deepest affection for their mentor. It seemed to the monks that the future saint was too zealous in his asceticism. The abbot of the Studite monastery was so dissatisfied with the young man’s behavior that he expelled him from the monastery.

Later, Simeon the New Theologian will be reproached more than once for honoring the memory of his spiritual father too zealously...

The Monk Simeon found shelter in the neighboring Xerokerk monastery in the name of Saint Mamant. Here in 980 he accepted monasticism, and three years later he was elevated to the rank of abbot.

During his twenty-five years of activity as rector, the Monk Simeon significantly improved the economic and administrative affairs of the monastery, which were in a deplorable state

He paid special attention to the spiritual and moral life of the monastery. The strict rules that he introduced did not please everyone, and after some time the brethren began to grumble

It even came to the point of open rebellion.

Having gathered in a group of about thirty people, the monks wrote a collective complaint to Patriarch Sisinius of Constantinople, but he, having examined the case, did not satisfy the petition to remove the abbot. But the troublemakers themselves were punished by expulsion from the monastery. As reported in the life of the Monk Simeon, written by his cell attendant Nikita Stifat, the abbot took a lively part in the fate of the exiles and through his efforts the shamed brothers returned to the monastery.

Ten years after this incident, approximately in 1005, the Monk Simeon himself asked to retire. He handed over the management of the monastery to his successor, Arseny, while continuing to live at the monastery.

Expulsion from the monastery

Spiritual practice based on personal (as St. Simeon himself stated) experience of communion with God and extensive preaching activities attracted the close attention of the church authorities to the theologian-philosopher. In the end, he was expelled from Constantinople and, retiring to the shores of the Bosphorus, retired to the prayer house of St. Marina, where a little later he founded a monastery

The elder's spiritual followers tried their best to clear the name of their teacher in the eyes of the higher clergy. Either through their persuasion, or from personal motives, Saint Simeon sent the Patriarch of Constantinople a book of his writings. The contents of the book were examined at a meeting of the Holy Synod and found to be orthodox, that is, they completely coincide with the dogmas and statements of the Orthodox Church. They decided to attribute the excessive mysticism to the elder’s character traits. The Monk Simeon was invited to the capital, where the patriarch made him an offer to return to his native monastery, but to adhere to more moderate views. Moreover, he even promised the rank of bishop. The saint rejected the patriarch's offer and chose to live out his life in the monastery of St. Marina. Here he wrote a significant part of his works - “Hymns”, and here he died a righteous death.

12

March 1022

after a long stomach illness, Simeon the New Theologian departed to the Lord after a long stomach illness.

Prayer of Simeon the New Theologian before communion

From a young age, the Monk Simeon the Theologian was destined for a worthy fate. Secular education, future court career, high position at the imperial court. But having reached the age of 25, Simeon suddenly felt an attraction to monastic life, left his father’s house and retired to the Studite monastery, accepting obedience from the famous elder Simeon the Reverent. He immersed himself in prayer, retiring at night to the church cemetery. The short prayer “Lord, have mercy” became his light, and admiration descended on him: the holy spirit in the form of a luminous cloud helped him achieve high spiritual enlightenment. For his aspiration, the Monk Simeon was appointed abbot of the monastery, serving in this rank for 25 years.

Thanks to him, the temple was landscaped and the neglected economy of the monastery was improved. But serving in the temple was not easy. The monk demanded strict observance of the Gospel commandments, showed strictness towards his disciples, but the saint also knew how to forgive those who stumbled, begging forgiveness for them.

Having reached the age of 60, the monk settled alone at the monastery in silence and contemplation. Instructive theological works and instructions in the fight against passions and sinful thoughts appeared. The monk also left us a legacy of hymns of divine love - about 70 poems full of prayerful reflections.

But the teaching of the Monk Simeon about the new man about the adoration of the flesh was not to the liking of the highest clergy of Constantinople, and he was expelled from the monastery. Finding shelter on the shores of the Bosphorus, he founded a new monastery, where he died peacefully at the age of 75. Both during his life and after his death, many miracles were revealed to the world. One of them is the miraculous acquisition of his image.

Text of the prayer of Simeon the New Theologian before confession

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Prayers before confession - how to read them: words

Perhaps confession is an important, exciting sacrament in the fate of any Christian. When a person admits his sinful mistakes and talks about them, then his heart becomes lighter. The only thing is that before this you should cleanse yourself in advance and read prayers before confession.

Confession - prayer

With the word confession, the image appears that this is communication with a clergyman, during which a person repents of acquired sins. However, the action actually takes place in this way, but the parishioner communicates through the priest with the Almighty. Thanks to which the soul is cleansed, the repentant is forgiven even for the most serious sins, if he has admitted his mistakes and sincerely wants to get rid of hardships. After what you have done, you can build a new destiny.

It is a pity that many are mistaken and think that confession should be conducted according to the strictest rules. And with all this, they forget that it is performed to cleanse burdens from the soul. After all, without repentance it is impossible to heal the heart and stop suffering from various negative facts that happen in life.

A penitent before Repentance must turn to the Lord in prayer. As the Bible says, without God there is no deep repentance in the heart. It is also important to do the following:

1. The person asking must admit that he was wrong and sincerely regret what happened. It is necessary to ask the Almighty to give His grace. It is she who will help you repent, and determination will help you cope with changing your fate.
2. It doesn't matter how you read the prayer book. You can pronounce it in your own words. Or you can read it from a piece of paper.
3. It is not necessary to read exactly the prayers presented below for confession; you can also turn to the Almighty with other prayers, the main thing is that their words are reflected in your soul.

Not all baptized people, even those who often go to church, have confessed at least once. This happens due to ignorance and misunderstanding of the importance of Repentance. And some simply do not understand the importance of this event, or are afraid. They are not ready to talk about their sins with a clergyman.

IMPORTANT : Prayers before confession can be read to different Saints. The words addressed to them sound beautiful, they contain a certain meaning of existence, it must be understood. If it is difficult to remember the prayer book, then you should write down the canons and then read them before Repentance.

Prayer of Simeon the New Theologian before confession

From an early age, the Monk Simeon was provided for, thanks to his parents. They had a high position and served the emperor at court. But upon reaching the age of twenty-five, Simeon felt that he was destined for a different destiny. Therefore, he went to the monastery and accepted obedience from the famous Reverent Simeon.

The Theologian read prayers in the church, in a secluded place - the temple, which was located near the cemetery. Prayer - “Lord, have mercy!” illuminated his path, he achieved spiritual enlightenment thanks to the holy spirit in the form of a cloud. After Simeon, he was appointed abbot of the monastery, where he served for a quarter of a century.

Text of the prayer before the confession of Simeon the New Theologian

Prayer book of Simeon the New Theologian before confession

Why read a prayer

What are the main tasks of a spiritual father in relation to his child? There are several of them:

• accept confession and absolve sins;
• monitor the mental state of your spiritual son (daughter);
• help you make the right decisions and refuse the wrong ones;
• pray for your spiritual child.

Prayer for the spiritual father of his son also has several mandatory tasks:

• it preserves and strengthens the bond between mentor and mentee;
• The Lord, through the prayers of his son, protects and protects his spiritual leader from all evil;
• this is an expression of prayerful gratitude to your spiritual mentor.

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Just like in all prayers that a person says, regularity and attentiveness are needed here, and some reading rules should be followed:

• as a rule, such a prayer is read at home, so during reading it is necessary to light a candle or lamp in front of the icon of the Savior and the Mother of God;
• before reading the prayer, concentrate, cross yourself and bow to the ground;
• after this, read the text of the prayer clearly and thoughtfully, but at the same time, without putting any emotions into the words.

After the text of the prayer has been read, you must again cross yourself and bow to the ground.

Prayers before confession

A necessary step to communion is the sacrament of confession. Preparation takes place, with the exception of rare cases, in the temple, but you need to prepare for it at home. To do this, in silence and solitude, you need to remember all your sins, especially those that you are ashamed to talk about.

In order not to forget them during confession, everything is written down on a piece of paper. All ten commandments are remembered and it is determined where a person has departed from them, and a list of the seven deadly sins will also help you. Sincere repentance is necessary; self-justification is unacceptable.

New converts need to read about the meaning of all the Sacraments, how to fast correctly, and what kind of life to lead before them. It is advisable to attend services often to understand the procedure.

It will be easier for those who are accustomed to repentance at the Last Judgment. It’s good if every person before evening prayer remembers the whole past day and repents - it will be easier for him during the Sacrament.

Priest Macarius of Optina said that shame in confession comes from human pride. Another Optina saint, Ambrose, argued that the entire Gospel is permeated with a call to repentance.

Prayer of repentance, who repents with a contrite and humble spirit to God

You see everything, Lord, and there is nothing that You have not seen. Although I am the work of Your hands, I did not do the works according to Your commandments, but out of my great foolishness I did every bad thing, not thinking that You, my Creator and God, are as good as you are just. Now, having brought this to mind, I trembled and don’t know what to do. I feel Your condemnation, and I cannot find a word of justification in my mouth. I have no virtue and have not done any deed of repentance worthy of forgiving me even one idle word of my mouth. Moreover, whoever has all the virtues and does all sorts of good deeds, does so as a slave and a debtor, but for his sin in all this he will not find any replacement: here Thy mercy alone precedes. Sin is death, and which of those who died through it can be resurrected by itself? Truly no one. You alone died and rose again, because you did not commit sin and no flattery was found in your mouth. So, Lord Almighty, having done many evil deeds, I repent, but repentance alone is not strong enough to justify me.

What prayers are said after confession and communion?

After the ritual is completed, it is imperative to thank the Lord for his greatest mercy and hope for the salvation of the soul. To do this, special prayers are read containing words of gratitude (among them there are quite voluminous and short texts):

• prayer 1st;
• prayer book 2 of St. Basil the Great;
• prayer book 3, Saint Simeon Metaphrastus;
• Troparion, tone 1;
• kontakion, tone 4;
• prayer 4th;
• prayer 5th to the Most Holy Theotokos;
• Troparion to Saint John Chrysostom, tone 8.

In addition to the texts listed, you can say short prayers composed in your own words. You can read them both aloud and mentally. The main thing is that such appeals to the Lord are read sincerely, from a pure heart and with a full understanding of the meaning embedded in them.

Prayer 6, Saint Simeon the New Theologian

(Proceeding to Holy Communion)

From unclean lips, from a vile heart, from an unclean tongue, from a soul defiled, accept this prayer, my Christ, and do not despise my words, below images, below lack of study. Grant me to boldly say what I want, my Christ, and even more so, teach me what I should do and say. Having sinned more than the harlot, even though I knew where you were, having bought myrrh, I came boldly to anoint Your nose, my God, my Lord and Christ. Just as you did not reject the one that came from your heart, abhor me below, the Word: Give yours to my nose, and hold and kiss, and boldly anoint this with streams of tears, like a valuable ointment. Wash me with my tears, cleanse me with them, O Word. Forgive my sins and grant me forgiveness. Weigh a multitude of evils, weigh my scabs, and see my ulcers, but also weigh my faith, and see my will, and hear my sighing. There is no hidden part of you, my God, my Creator, my Savior, below a drop of tears, below a drop of a certain part. Thy eyes have seen what I have not done, and in Thy book the essence of what has not yet been done is written to You. See my humility, see my great labor, and forgive me all my sins, O God of all: so that with a pure heart, a trembling thought, and a contrite soul, I may partake of Your undefiled and most holy Mysteries, by which everyone who eats poison and drinks with a pure heart is revived and adored; For you have said, my Lord: everyone who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, he abides in Me, and in Him I Am. The word of all my Lord and God is true: for you partake of the divine and adoring graces, for I am not alone, but with You, my Christ, the Trisunlar Light, enlightening the world. May I not be alone besides You, the Life-Giver, my breath, my life, my joy, the salvation of the world. For this reason, I come to You, as if I saw you, with tears, and with a contrite soul, I ask you to accept the deliverance of my sins, and to partake of Your life-giving and immaculate Mysteries without condemnation, so that You may remain, as You have promised, with me, the repentant one: may I not find Your grace except, the deceiver will delight me with the flatterer, and deceiving will lead away those who idolize Your words. For this reason I fall down to You, and cry out to You warmly: as You received the prodigal, and the harlot who came, so receive me, the prodigal and the defiled, Generously. With a contrite soul, now coming to You, we know, Savior, as another, like I, did not sin against You, lower than the deeds I did. But we know this again, because not the greatness of sins, nor the multitude of sins exceeds my God’s great patience and extreme love for mankind; but by the grace of compassion, warmly repentant, and purifying, and brightening, and creating light, you are partakers, associates of Your Divinity, doing unenviably, and strange things with both the Angel and human thought, conversing with them many times, as if with Your true friend. This is the bold thing they do to me, this is what they force me to do, O my Christ. And daring to show us Your rich kindness, rejoicing and trembling together, the grass partakes of the fire, and a strange miracle, we water it without burning, just as the bush of old burned without burning. Now with a grateful thought, with a grateful heart, with grateful hands, my soul and my body, I worship and magnify and glorify Thee, my God, for being blessed, now and forever.

We advise you to study the Icon of the Mother of God “Mammal”

Prayer six, St. Simeon the New Theologian

From foul lips, from a vile heart, from an unclean tongue, from a defiled soul, accept prayer, my Christ, and do not reject me

neither for my words, nor for the manifestation of my shameless character.
Let me freely express what I want, my Christ; or better yet, teach me what I should do and say. I have sinned more than the harlot, who, having learned where You are and having bought peace, dared to come to anoint the feet of Your God, my Lord and Christ. Just as you did not reject her, who came from a pure
heart, do not disdain me, Christ!
Allow me to hold and kiss Your feet and boldly anoint them with a stream of tears, like precious ointment. Wash me with your tears, cleanse me with them, Lord! Forgive my sins and grant me forgiveness. You know many of my evil deeds, you also know my ulcers, you see the scars from them; but you also know my faith, you see my zeal and hear my groans. Not a drop of tears, not even a particle of this drop, will be hidden from You, my God, my Creator, my Redeemer. Your eyes see what I have not completed, and in Your book You have written down what I have not yet done. Look at my humility, look at my suffering, and forgive me all my sins, O God of the Universe, so that with a pure heart, a trembling thought and a contrite soul, I may partake of Your most pure and most holy Mysteries, by which everyone who eats and drinks is revived and deified them
with a pure heart.
For You said, my Lord: “Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him.” And every word of my Lord and God is true; for, partaking of the divine and deifying Gifts, I am truly not alone, but with You, my Christ, with the Light shining like three suns and illuminating the world. Therefore, so that I would not be left alone, without You, the Giver of life, my breath, my life, my joy, the salvation of the world, I came to You, as You see, with tears and a contrite soul, and I beg you to give me deliverance from of my sins, without condemnation, to partake of Your life-giving, most pure Mysteries. May You remain, as You said, with me, the most unfortunate, so that the tempter does not insidiously kidnap me, seeing me deprived of Your grace, and leading me astray, do not take me away from Your deifying words. Therefore, I fall at feet
and fervently cry out to You: just as You accepted the prodigal
son
and the harlot who came to You, so, O Merciful One, accept me, the prodigal and the vile, who now comes to You with a contrite soul.
I know, my Savior, that no one has sinned before You like I have, or done what I have done. But I also know that neither the severity of sins nor the multitude of sins exceeds the great patience and extreme love of my God; but with merciful compassion You purify and enlighten those who ardently repent and introduce them to the light, abundantly imparting to them a part of Your Divinity [39] and, which is strange to the Angels and to human thought, you often converse with them as with Your true friends. This gives me courage, inspires me, my Christ! And, trusting in Your rich benefits to us, with trembling joy, being grass, I partake of the Fire and - a strange miracle! - I do not burn, being mysteriously watered by Your mercy
, like in ancient times a thorn bush that burned and was not consumed. So, with a grateful thought, a grateful heart, with all my grateful soul and body, I worship, magnify and glorify You, my God, as blessed now and forever. Amen.

Seventh prayer, St. John Chrysostom

Let me go, forgive me, forgive me my sins, O God, with which I have sinned before You in word, deed, thought, voluntarily and involuntarily, consciously and unconsciously, forgive me everything, for You are good and a lover of mankind. And through the prayers of Your most pure Mother, Your spiritual servants and holy Powers, and all the saints who have pleased You from the beginning of the world, deign me to accept without condemnation Your holy and most pure Body and honorable Blood, for the healing of soul and body and for the cleansing of my evil thoughts: for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now, and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer eight, his

I am not worthy, Master Lord, for You to enter under the roof of my soul. But since You, O Lover of Mankind, want to live in me, I boldly approach. You command, and I will open the doors that You alone created, and You will enter with ordinary love for mankind, You will enter and enlighten my darkened mind. I believe that You will do this. For You did not leave the harlot who came to You with tears; He did not reject the repentant publican; He did not even drive away the robber who recognized You as the King; did not leave what he was, even your repentant persecutor Paul

; but to all who came to You with repentance, You gave a place in the host of Your friends, the only Blessed One, always, now and forever. Amen.

The ninth prayer, his

Lord Jesus Christ, my God, weaken, let go, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner, Thy unworthy and unworthy servant, all my mistakes, sins and falls that I have sinned against You from my youth to this day and hour: consciously or unconsciously , words or deeds, attractions, thoughts, aspirations and all my feelings. And through the prayers of the most pure, ever-virgin Mary, Your Mother, who gave birth to You without seed, the only firm hope, protection and salvation of me, grant me the ability to partake of Your most pure, eternal, saving and terrible Mysteries, without bringing upon myself condemnation, for the remission of sins and eternal life, to sanctification and enlightenment, to strength, healing and health of soul and body, to the extermination and complete destruction of my evil thoughts, thoughts and ideas, as well as unclean dreams, dark and evil spirits. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, and the honor, and the worship, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer tenth, St. John of Damascus

I stand before the doors of Your temple, and yet

I don’t leave bad thoughts.
But You, Christ God, Who justified the publican and had mercy on the Canaanite woman and opened the doors of paradise to the thief, open to me Your humane heart and accept me, coming and touching You, as You accepted
the harlot and the bleeding woman: for one, touching the hem of Your garment, immediately received healing ;
the other, hugging Your most pure feet, took with her the forgiveness of sins. And I, unfortunate one, deciding to accept Your entire Body, may I not burn; but accept me as You accepted those women
, and enlighten the feelings of my soul, burning away my sinful guilts, with prayers without the seed of You Who gave birth and the heavenly Powers. For blessed are You forever and ever. Amen.

Eleventh prayer, St. John Chrysostom

I believe, Lord, and confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. I also believe that this is Your most pure Body and this is Your precious Blood itself. Therefore, I ask You: have mercy on me and forgive me my sins, voluntary and involuntary, which I have committed in word or deed, consciously or unconsciously; and deign me, without incurring condemnation, to partake of Your most pure Mysteries to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Amen.

End of prayers

It is truly worthy to glorify You as the Mother of God, always Blessed and Immaculate, and the Mother of our God. We magnify You as the true Mother of God, who gave birth without illness to God the Word, worthy of greater honor than the Cherubim, and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.

Lord have mercy. (Thrice)

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.

Immediately before Communion, if possible, recite to yourself the following verses of Symeon Metaphrast:

Here I begin to receive divine communion. Creator, do not burn me with communion! For You are the fire that burns the unworthy. But cleanse me from all uncleanness.

Then say:

Accept me today as a participant in Your mystical Supper, Son of God, for I would never

I will not reveal secrets to Your enemies and will not give You
such
a kiss as Judas, but, like a thief, I openly express my faith in You, saying: “Remember me, Lord, in Your Kingdom!”

And the following verses:

Man, tremble at the sight of the divine Blood! She is a fire that burns the unworthy. The Body of God deifies and nourishes me: it deifies the spirit, incomprehensibly nourishes the mind.

Then the troparia:

You attracted me, Christ, with love and changed me with a holy desire for You. My sins have been consumed by immaterial fire, and I am worthy to sweetly enjoy You, so that I may glorify Your two comings with rejoicing.

How can I, unworthy, enter into the bright host of Your saints? bridal chamber with them

, my clothes will give me away, because they are not the kind they wear to a wedding, and I will be bound and expelled by the Angels. Cleanse, Lord, the impurity of my soul and save me, as a Lover of mankind.

Also the prayer:

Master - Lover of mankind, Lord Jesus Christ my God, let this Holy Thing be to me not as an accusation for my unworthiness, but as a cleansing of soul and body and as a pledge of future life and the Kingdom. It is good for me to cleave to God, to place my hope in the Lord for my salvation.

And again:

Accept me today as a participant in Your mystical Supper, Son of God, for I would never

I will not reveal secrets to Your enemies and will not give You
such
a kiss as Judas, but, like a thief, I openly express my faith in You, saying: Remember me, Lord, in Your Kingdom!

PRAYERS AFTER HOLY COMMUNION

Glory to You, God! Glory to You, God! Glory to You, God!

Prayer of repentance, who repents with a contrite and humble spirit to God

You see everything, Lord, and there is nothing that You have not seen. Although I am the work of Your hands, I did not do the works according to Your commandments, but out of my great foolishness I did every bad thing, not thinking that You, my Creator and God, are as good as you are just. Now, having brought this to mind, I trembled and don’t know what to do. I feel Your condemnation, and I cannot find a word of justification in my mouth. I have no virtue and have not done any deed of repentance worthy of forgiving me even one idle word of my mouth. Moreover, whoever has all the virtues and does all sorts of good deeds, does so as a slave and a debtor, but for his sin in all this he will not find any replacement: here Thy mercy alone precedes. Sin is death, and which of those who died through it can be resurrected by itself? Truly no one. You alone died and rose again, because you did not commit sin and no flattery was found in your mouth. So, Lord Almighty, having done many evil deeds, I repent, but repentance alone is not strong enough to justify me.

Prayer six, Saint Simeon the New Theologian (Following to Holy Communion)

From unclean lips, from a vile heart, from an unclean tongue, from a soul defiled, accept this prayer, my Christ, and do not despise my words, below images, below lack of study. Grant me to boldly say what I want, my Christ, and even more so, teach me what I should do and say. Having sinned more than the harlot, even though I knew where you were, having bought myrrh, I came boldly to anoint Your nose, my God, my Lord and Christ. Just as you did not reject the one that came from your heart, abhor me below, the Word: Give yours to my nose, and hold and kiss, and boldly anoint this with streams of tears, like a valuable ointment. Wash me with my tears, cleanse me with them, O Word. Forgive my sins and grant me forgiveness. Weigh a multitude of evils, weigh my scabs, and see my ulcers, but also weigh my faith, and see my will, and hear my sighing. There is no hidden part of you, my God, my Creator, my Savior, below a drop of tears, below a drop of a certain part. Thy eyes have seen what I have not done, and in Thy book the essence of what has not yet been done is written to You. See my humility, see my great labor, and forgive me all my sins, O God of all: so that with a pure heart, a trembling thought, and a contrite soul, I may partake of Your undefiled and most holy Mysteries, by which everyone who eats poison and drinks with a pure heart is revived and adored; For you have said, my Lord: everyone who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, he abides in Me, and in Him I Am. The word of all my Lord and God is true: for you partake of the divine and adoring graces, for I am not alone, but with You, my Christ, the Trisunlar Light, enlightening the world. May I not be alone besides You, the Life-Giver, my breath, my life, my joy, the salvation of the world. For this reason, I come to You, as if I saw you, with tears, and with a contrite soul, I ask you to accept the deliverance of my sins, and to partake of Your life-giving and immaculate Mysteries without condemnation, so that You may remain, as You have promised, with me, the repentant one: may I not find Your grace except, the deceiver will delight me with the flatterer, and deceiving will lead away those who idolize Your words. For this reason I fall down to You, and cry out to You warmly: as You received the prodigal, and the harlot who came, so receive me, the prodigal and the defiled, Generously. With a contrite soul, now coming to You, we know, Savior, as another, like I, did not sin against You, lower than the deeds I did. But we know this again, because not the greatness of sins, nor the multitude of sins exceeds my God’s great patience and extreme love for mankind; but by the grace of compassion, warmly repentant, and purifying, and brightening, and creating light, you are partakers, associates of Your Divinity, doing unenviably, and strange things with both the Angel and human thought, conversing with them many times, as if with Your true friend. This is the bold thing they do to me, this is what they force me to do, O my Christ. And daring to show us Your rich kindness, rejoicing and trembling together, the grass partakes of the fire, and a strange miracle, we water it without burning, just as the bush of old burned without burning. Now with a grateful thought, with a grateful heart, with grateful hands, my soul and my body, I worship and magnify and glorify Thee, my God, for being blessed, now and forever.

Prayers for a spiritual father

The saints of the Church have composed many prayers for their spiritual father. Turning to the Savior, in such a prayer they ask for:

• granting him spiritual and physical health;
• the salvation of his soul;
• protection from evil forces;
• about being with him inseparably both in this world and in the Kingdom of Heaven.

In addition to praying to Jesus Christ, we must also turn to the Mother of God. In this case, the person asks the Mother of God to:

• she accompanied her spiritual father everywhere and everywhere;
• she consoled him in his sorrows, did not let him lose heart, delivered him from sorrows, slander and all sorts of enemies;
• protected from demons and their machinations.

That is, in this prayer we ask the Mother of God for what we always do - Her heavenly protection and intercession.

Important! You must always believe in what you ask for, only a sincere request coming from the heart will be heard by God

What prayers to read before communion

There are a large number of prayers for communion. To the daily prayer rule, a rule consisting of three canons is added. First, the Canon of Repentance is pronounced to our Lord Jesus Christ, then to the Most Holy Theotokos and Guardian Angel.

It is obligatory to read the passage to communion, and it is also advisable to recite the text of the akathist to the Sweetest Jesus.

The Church gives permission to read the Follow-up to Communion in the evening, or early in the morning before the Sacraments, and the canons at least one in the morning. If there are children in the family, up to the age of seven they are allowed to receive communion without confession.

Also, without confession, an Orthodox Christian can partake of the Holy Gifts in the face of death. Women during a special period and within 40 days after childbirth are not allowed to the Sacraments.