Prayer
Prayer to Saint Archangel Michael
Oh, Saint Michael the Archangel, light-shaped and formidable commander of the Heavenly King!
Before the Last Judgment, let me repent of my sins, deliver my soul from the net of those who catch me and bring it to the God who created it, who sits on the Cherubim, and pray for it diligently, and yours By intercession I will send you to a place of rest. O terrible Governor of the Heavenly Powers, representative of all at the Throne of the Lord Christ, steadfast guardian of all people and wise armorer, strong Governor of the Heavenly King! Have mercy on me, a sinner who requires your intercession, save me from all visible and invisible enemies, and above all, strengthen me from the horror of death and from the embarrassment of the devil, and grant me the grace to present myself shamelessly to the Creator to our body in the hour of His terrible and righteous Judgment. O all-holy, great Michael the Archangel! Do not despise me, a sinner, who prays to you for your help and intercession, in this world and in the future, but grant me there together with you to glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever ́v. Amen. This is interesting: who is the Angel of God
Second prayer to Archangel Michael
The holy and great Archangel of God Michael, the inscrutable and essential Trinity, the first in the Primate Angel, the race of human overseer and guardian, crushing the head of the army with his own proud Dennitsa in heaven and put to shame I will bring down his malice and deceit on earth! We resort to you with faith and we pray to you with love: be an indestructible shield and firmly defend the Holy Church and our Orthodox Fatherland, protecting them with your lightning sword from all enemies, see ours and the invisible. Do not forsake, O Archangel of God, your help and intercession for us, who today glorify your holy name: behold, even though we are many sinners, we do not want to perish in our iniquities, but rather be converted to the Lord and to be quickened by Him to do good works . Illuminate our mind with the light of the face of God, which shines on your lightning-like forehead, so that we may understand that there is God’s will for us, good and perfect, and we will do everything that we should do. Or despise and abandon. Strengthen our weak will and weak will with the grace of the Lord, so that, having been established in the law of the Lord, we will cease to be dominated by earthly thoughts and the lust of the flesh, which is carried away in the same way. and senseless children with the perishing beauties of this world, as if for the sake of the corruptible and the earthly it is madness to forget the eternal and heavenly. Over all of these, ask us from above for the spirit of true repentance, unfeigned sorrow for God and contrition for our sins, so that the remaining number of days of our temporary life will not depend on pleasing our feelings and work with our passions, but in blotting out the evils committed by us, with tears of faith and contrition of heart, feats of purity and holy deeds of mercy. When the hour of our end approaches, liberation from the bonds of this mortal body, do not leave us, Archangel of God, defenseless against the spirits of malice in the heavens, who habitually block the rising of the soul of mankind. to the mountains above, so that, guarded by you, we will reach those glorious villages of paradise without stumbling, where there is no sorrow , not sighing, but life without end, and, having been honored to behold the bright face of the All-Good Lord and our Master, falling with tears at His feet, we exclaim in joy and tenderness: glory to Thee, dearest Redeemer Our friend, for Your great love for us, unworthy, Thou hast deigned to send Thy angels to serve our salvation! Amen.
History of appearance
The basis for the creation of akathists addressed to angels and saints was the akathist dedicated to the Mother of God. A century later, similar texts appeared dedicated to other representatives of the heavenly powers. Archangel Michael is considered the main archangel, the leader of the army. Associated with its purpose is a recognized misconception about the role of angels in heaven. Many people forget that angels are warriors, led by a wise leader, mistaking them for dumb creatures. Warriors are called upon to protect people from the forces of evil. Michael was appointed by the Lord God to the post of leaders from the very beginning of the creation of the world.
The first mention of the hymn in honor of Michael dates back to the late 14th and early 15th centuries. The canon of Kirill Belozersky, found at the turn of the century, contains translated texts of akathists dedicated to Archangel Michael, St. Nicholas and some saints.
Since then, the performance of ikos and kontakia became mandatory for monks and became part of daily or weekly chants in many monasteries.
The appearance of the hymn in honor of the Archangel Michael cannot be called accidental. He is credited with rare virtuous qualities and endowed with special powers and power.
Troparion, kontakion, magnification
Troparion to Archangel Michael
Heavenly armies of the Archangel, we always pray to you, we are unworthy, and with your prayers protect us with the blood of the krill of your immaterial glory, preserving us, falling diligently and crying out: deliver us from troubles, as official of the Highest Powers. Translation: Archangel of heavenly armies, we, unworthy ones, continually pray to you, that you protect us with your prayers under the roof of the wings of your immaterial glory, preserving us, who fall diligently and cry out: “Deliver us from troubles, as the chief of the Highest Powers!”
Kontakion to Archangel Michael
Archangel of God, servant of the Divine glory, ruler of angels and mentor of men, ask for what is useful to us and great mercy, like the Bodiless Archangel. Translation: Archangel of God, servant of the Divine Glory of the Angels, leader and mentor of people, ask for useful things and great mercy for us, as the disembodied Archangel.
Greatness
We magnify you, Archangel Michael of God, and honor your holy memory, for you pray for us to Christ our God.
Another greatness
We magnify you, holy Archangel of Christ Michael, and you, holy angels, archangels, principalities, authorities, powers, dominions, thrones, cherubs, seraphim, glorifying the Lord. (From the Book of Hours, published in 1742 at the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.)
Archangel Michael's Day - Unique day of the year
September 19 is the date of commemoration of the Khoneh miracle.
November 21 - Council of the Archangel Michael and other disembodied heavenly powers
The strongest protection
Archangel Michael is the archangel of the invisible angelic army. The word “archistratig” means “military leader,” literally “the first of the warriors.” The Creator placed this archangel at the head of the angelic ranks after, during the rebellion of disembodied spirits, he was the first of the angels to declare his boundless devotion to the Creator and called on other creatures to follow his example, assuring them that there is no other person in the Universe like the Triune God.
“Who is like God?” - the fearless archangel exclaimed at that moment according to the Holy Scriptures, and, according to this exclamation, received his name - “Michael” (in Hebrew “מי כמו אלוהים”, pronounced according to the transcription as).
Scripture calls him “the leader of the army of the Lord” and portrays him as the main fighter against the devil and all evil among people. Therefore, prayer to the archangel is considered the strongest protection against visible and invisible enemies. Only, when pronouncing it, you must always remember that, appealing to the intercession of the heavenly patron, in everything you should rely on the Will of God and on His Wise Providence for each of the people .
Meaning in Orthodoxy
For Orthodox believers, the meaning of the name and rank of Archangel Michael is deeply symbolic. The prefix "arch" denotes seniority among the angels. The name given in the Holy Scriptures is interpreted differently. Many are inclined to believe that Michael is “nobody like God.” But there is a version that Michael means “equal to God.” Both versions testify to Michael’s special closeness to God. This is reflected in the text of the akathist, where Michael exclaims: “Who is like God?”, calling on the angels and reminding them of their main purpose - to serve people.
Michael is called the archangel, that is, the commander-in-chief. He is credited with several important steps taken in honor of the victory of good over evil:
- Michael defeated Satan by piercing him with the legendary spear. This story is fundamental. Dennitsa was close to God, but over time he stopped serving people and changed, then Michael overthrew Dennitsa from heaven, at the same time driving out evil spirits and demons.
- The Archangel became a judge at the Last Judgment, who weighed the souls of sinners and passed sentences. This quality of the archangel is mentioned in the akathist when they ask him to intercede before the face of God at the Last Judgment.
- God gave Michael the role of a trumpeter who should announce the beginning of the day of judgment. According to many sources, it is the chief among the archangels who must blow the trumpet to call souls to judgment.
The akathist, which is addressed to Mikhail, talks about the events taking place with his participation.
Examples of Archangel Michael's help
A story from the collection “New Orthodox Miracles.” (Recorded from the words of one girl’s sister):
“One day, when my sister was home alone, there was a knock on the door.
- Who's there?
— The organization brought you posters that you should hang up.
The sister opened the door. He sees two men. One of them holds a package, enters the house and says how much he should get for these posters. The sister felt bad and, when she went from the hallway to the room to get money, she prayed intensely to Archangel Michael: “Archangel of the heavenly powers, Archangel Michael, save me from evil people.”
She returned to the hallway, gave the money, and took two posters. The man left. She tried to quickly lock the door behind him. I listened at the door. The one standing outside said to the one who was entering the house:
- Why didn’t you deal with her?!
-Didn’t you see that there was some kind of military man standing in the room behind her?
So, miraculously, she was saved by the appearance of Archangel Michael, whom she especially revered.”
Maria Guseva's story:
“This Archangel is a very strong protector and helper! One day my brother Mikhail had a fire; at that time he was fast asleep. In his house there was an icon of the Archangel Michael, painted by my other brother, the icon painter Ivan. Almost everything burned down, the brother was saved, but the image of Archangel Michael remained untouched. Everyone was simply surprised. THIS IS A MIRACLE!!!"
R.'s story B. Elena Balashova:
“It so happened that in the church, where I often went after work, there hung an old icon - “The Council of the Ethereal Powers.” I always liked it very much, I tried to light a candle in front of it and pray to my Guardian Angel, as well as to the Archangels who are depicted there. At the same time, I was always simultaneously attracted and frightened by the image of Archangel Michael. Every time I prayed to him, I was seized by a completely mystical horror.
There is a belief among people that in case of danger, one should read a prayer to him. Now I understand a little why. I had a very special mystical experience with the Archangel Michael. The fear of turning to him passed when I once almost died. What saved me was that I prayed to him. And I was saved by a miracle!
At one time I had very bad dreams, and I also suffered from a fear of the dark when I lived alone. Every time it became unbearable, I read a prayer (in addition to the usual evening prayers) to Archangel Michael, and fear let go of its claws, I fell asleep peacefully.
One day I came up with the idea that since just prayer helps me, I need to do something more in his honor and it will help even more. I turned out to be right! It was approaching November 21 - Michaelmas Day. I ordered a prayer service to Archangel Michael and read him an akathist. I had the idea of donating money in his name, and I bought a large bouquet of white flowers, took it to the temple and placed it in front of his icon. I didn't expect such a quick response! I forgot what a nightmare and fear of the dark are. Moreover, now I’m not afraid of anything at all, although I used to be afraid of heights, depths, roads, horses, cars, etc. Moreover, I constantly come across his images, Archangel Michael... Some embroidery patterns, I really want to embroider his image, a bookmark for the Gospel, an icon....
After this day, I had a strong desire to order his icon. When I was reading about the iconography of the archangels, a phrase caught my eye - “they say, Satan boasts that on icons they have stopped depicting him trampled upon by the Archangel Michael.” I asked my icon painter friend if this was true. He was surprised: “How did they stop depicting this? It’s just that this icon is rare... Come on, I’ll write it for you?” And it is called “Archangel Michael - the formidable commander of the heavenly forces.” And he is depicted riding a horse, trampling the ancient serpent with a spear.”
Priest M.V. Maltsev, in his book “My Angel is With You,” told the story of the miraculous appearance of the Archangel Michael to the boy Alyosha during the Great Patriotic War (it was published in the Samara newspaper “Blagovest”):
“Fourteen-year-old Alyosha was captured along with other children during field work and placed in prison by the Germans. Alexey had to abandon the idea of running away together with his new friend, because in a dream a certain voice told him: “You two can’t escape, run alone!” The boy decided to carry out his plan one rainy day, when the prisoners were being escorted to the work site. In these tense moments, Alyosha remembered his grandmother and her words addressed to God: “Lord, help, save us, Lord!”
Stumbling and falling into the mud, the young prisoner froze, waiting for a shot, but the soldier only hit him with his boot and went to catch up with the others. After lying there for some time, the boy decided to run in the direction of the forest. A few hours later, completely exhausted, he collapsed in a small forest clearing. “When Alyosha woke up, he saw a young man sitting next to him. There was nothing special about him. Only later will Alexey be surprised and understand why he immediately trusted him, as if he had known him for a very long time. “Why are you lying there? Went!" – these were the only words that the stranger uttered. Without a moment's doubt, the boy stood up and followed him. Alyosha didn’t know how long they walked; the road was difficult, small bushes and grass wrapped around their legs, branches whipped their faces. “I wish I had a knife or an ax,” the boy thought.
And at the same moment the stranger handed him a huge knife, more like a sword. Now the going has become easier. If the boy completely lost his strength, the stranger would sit on the ground and patiently wait for Alyosha to rest. What seemed strange to the boy was that the stranger himself never lay down or dozed off. When they went out into the familiar forest, where Alyosha and his friends visited almost every day, Alexey suddenly realized that the stranger had disappeared, he was nowhere to be found, as if he had melted in the ringing cool forest air. Alyosha couldn’t find that big knife anywhere. From joy and resentment, the boy cried for a long time and inconsolably.
At home, the adults were surprised; how he could escape from captivity; It was so easy to cross the front line alive and unharmed - no one could understand this. Alyosha incoherently tried to explain that he was not alone, that he was being led by an unfamiliar young man. But everyone just sighed and repeated: “Well, thank God, he’s alive! God bless!" Alyosha’s old grandmother went to church the next morning to thank God for saving her granddaughter. A few days later, when Alyosha became stronger, she insisted that he go with her. Arriving at the church, the grandmother placed the boy near the icon, in front of which she herself prayed. Alyosha looked up at the icon and cried out in surprise: “Grandma, here is my savior!” Archangel Michael looked at Alyosha from the icon. In his right hand he held a sword, the same one that helped the boy make his way through the impassable forest thickets, overcome fear, hunger and death.”
Message from r. B. Romana:
“When I read an akathist to this Archangel and light candles in front of his image, I feel extraordinary protection and peace.”
Tatyana Rasnovskaya
Reading rules
Akathist is a special type of chant, for the reading of which certain rules are followed:
- Reading time takes from 30 to 50 minutes, so priests recommend reading akathists not daily, but weekly. The best option is to read the akathist on Mondays - then the archangel will patronize throughout the week.
- During the reading period, do not sit down; the text must be read while standing. This is connected with the name of the anthem: “akathist” means “unsaddled.”
- When reading, pay special attention to stress. Accents on words give the text a solemn appearance.
The Akathist to Michael is read on Mondays, as well as on the days when the Orthodox Church remembers the archangel: September 19 and November 21. At home, the akathist is read in complete solitude, in front of an icon with the face of an archangel. The Akathist consists of 13 kontakia and 12 ikos. Ikos are filled with refrains, they are interspersed with descriptions of events. At the end of the text, 1 kontakion and 1 ikos are repeated again. The 13th kontakion is repeated 3 times. After the akathist, it is customary to offer a prayer addressed to the face of Archangel Michael.
Miracles for which the Archangel is known
Church history remembers many of the deeds that Archangel Michael performed.
- In the first centuries of Christianity, on the territory of modern Turkey there was a temple dedicated to the archangel. The new religion then met with strong resistance. One day the pagans gathered to destroy the House of God by flooding it with water: the church stood on the shore. so they built a dam. But the Archangel Michael appeared, broke through the rock, and all the water disappeared. In memory of this event, a church holiday was established.
- In the 13th century Novgorod was freed from enemy invasion. According to the testimony of the attackers themselves, the Archangel ordered them to stop the offensive.
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This is what powerful protection prayer can give: it doesn’t matter what it is, long or short, common or rare. Here everything is decided by the faith of the person who pronounces it. Miracles happen when God touches a person's heart.
When to say a prayer for protection
Angels are protectors of people, so prayer to them should be daily. In addition to the archangels, there are also personal guardian angels who are given during baptism - this is the opinion of the Orthodox Church. They can tell you how to do the right thing - not in the literal sense, but in the soul a person will know the answer to his questions, he realizes them in his soul.
You need to ask for protection especially strongly during times of temptation. Angels are able to see evil and resist it, because their spirituality is much greater than human. That is why only the most chosen saints were honored with a personal meeting with these God's helpers - for example, the father of John the Baptist, the righteous Seraphim of Sarov and the Most Pure Virgin herself.
They pray to Archangel Michael for protection from body ailments and to overcome life’s difficulties. When starting a new business, to give the strongest protection to your home. As a talisman, many broadcast icons and a crucifix over the entrance. But we must understand that these are only symbols that do not act on their own. These are like conductors of spiritual energy; they help the believer to concentrate during petition.
