Native place of the Optina elders
The temple is very popular due to its residents. The Optina elders, according to legend, were healers and seers. People, wounded in body and soul, came here and knew that this was where they would be given a helping hand. The advice and instructions of monks are worth a lot.
The Optina Pustyn Monastery has been a center of spirituality and revival in Russia since the 18th century. The temple is located in the Kaluga region, not far from Kozelsk. Optina Pustyn is surrounded by pure green forest, which cuts off the holy place from the modern world. Among the emerald treetops stands a snow-white Kremlin with four monasteries.
Prayers and chants from Orthodox monasteries
Morning prayers with Optina Pustyn
YouTube
Morning prayers with Optina Pustyn. Pray for the one you love.
Prayer is the beginning of the day with God's help. Consider prayer the first thing in your life (St. Theophan the Recluse ). The enemy of salvation diverts us from prayer, presenting us with a lot of urgent matters, so that the prayer booker either performs the prayer hastily, or without attention, or by shortening the prayers, or, finally, completely abandons his prayer rule. He does the same thing in the evening, on the evening rule: he either makes him tired or sleepy.
In order to find true happiness, Saint Nicholas of Serbia - fear God at least as much as you fear people; - Honor God at least as much as you respect people; - Pray to God at least as much as you ask people; - trust in God at least as much as you hope in people; - ask God for help at least as much as you ask people; — fulfill God’s law at least as much as you fulfill human law; - thank God at least as much as you thank people; - glorify God at least as much as you glorify people
The Optina elders said: “If the time has come to pray, then leave all other things: prayer is most important.”
“Be zealous for frequent Communion, even if a person is sinful to such an extent that he is completely black from head to toe, but if he approaches the Holy Chalice with a feeling of repentance, he will gradually be cleansed, whitened, enlightened, and by the grace of God he will be cleansed and saved. »
Morning_prayers (Morning_rule) are read by Schema-Archimandrite Iliy (Nozdrin) and Hierodeacon Iliodor (Garyants).
Vvedensky stauropegial monastery Optina Pustyn.
Evening prayers. Optina Pustyn
YouTube
Evening prayers or prayers before going to bed. Before praying, you need to think a little about yourself and about God. Who we are and who is the One with whom we want to talk. For you do not know when you will appear before the Lord.
Do not rush to finish your prayer without condemning yourself for absent-mindedness (Rev. Ephraim the Syrian ). Of earthly creatures, only man has been given the gift of faith and prayer, the gift of comprehending the incomprehensible, knowledge of the invisible, penetration by faith beyond the boundaries of the three dimensions of the visible world, the gift of breaking the shells of the temporary, vain and mortal and join the eternal, immortal, timeless.
What should we say to our Heavenly Father, who allowed us to communicate with Him in gracious condescension towards His creation? I lie down calmly and sleep, for You, Lord, alone allow me to live in safety. Ps.4:9
The evening prayer rule is read by Schema-Archimandrite Iliy (Nozdrin) and Hierodeacon Iliodor (Gariyants).
Vvedensky stauropegial monastery Optina Pustyn.
Cherubic song. Choir of the Optina Pustyn Monastery
YouTube
Cherubic song. Old Bulgarian chant
Presentation by Abbot Silouan (1993) Male choir of the St. Petersburg Compound of the Optina Pustyn Monastery.
All Psalms of David. Choir of the brethren of the Valaam Monastery
YouTube
Complete psalter, with troparia and prayers
Performer: Hierodeacon German (Ryabtsev) / regent of the Valaam Monastery.
Contents: The usual beginning Troparion (tone 6) Lord, have mercy (40) Prayer Kathisma 1 Troparion (tone 1) Prayer Kathisma 2 Troparion (tone 2) Prayer Kathisma 3 Troparion (tone 3) Prayer Kathisma 4 Troparion (tone 7) Prayer Kathisma 5 Tropari (Tone 5) Prayer Kathisma 6 Tropari (Tone 3) Prayer Kathisma 7 Tropari (Tone 5) Prayer Kathisma 8 Tropari (Tone 5) Prayer Kathisma 9 Tropari (Tone 6) Prayer Kathisma 10 Tropari (Tone 6) Prayer Kathisma 11 Tropari ( Tone 7) Prayer Kathisma 12 Tropari (Tone 7) Prayer Kathisma 13 Tropari (Tone
Prayer Kathisma 14 Tropari ( ) Prayer Kathisma 15 Tropari (Tone 1) Prayer Kathisma 16 Tropari (Tone 1) Prayer Kathisma 17 Tropari (Tone 2) Prayer Kathisma 18 Troparion (tone 2) Prayer Kathisma 19 Troparion (tone 7) Prayer Kathisma 20 Troparion (tone Prayer
How to read morning prayers correctly?
They say that the morning prayers of the Optina Hermitage are full of light, new strength and healing effects. They combine the insight and wisdom of the elders.
Of course, before you start reading and listening to the texts of ministers, it is best to visit the monastery yourself, meet with the sages and repent of your sins. The soul and thoughts must be pure. It is better to read prayers in a whisper and without unnecessary listeners; you should not pronounce holy words without understanding them. Sunrise is the best time to read morning texts. According to legends, it is at this time that all living things are purified and enriched with new knowledge and strength. All that is required from a person is sincerity of speech.
The morning prayers of Optina Hermitage are simple and very easy to remember. But at first, it is better to read the texts from the prayer book; you can copy the sacred words onto a piece of paper and carry it near your heart. To calm down and gain strength, many people like to listen to the morning prayers of the Optina Hermitage: Father Eli and Father Iliodor read them slowly and calmly. You can listen to audio recordings everywhere: in transport, at home, in the morning at work.
Morning Prayer
Remember, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, your mercy and generosity from all eternity, for whose sake you became human, and crucifixion and death, for the salvation of those who believe in you, you endured you deigned; and rose from the dead, you ascended into heaven and sit at the right hand of God the Father, and listen to the humble prayers of those who call upon You with all their hearts: incline Your ear, and hear the humble prayer of me e, Thy unnecessary servant, into the stench of the spiritual fragrance, brought to Thee for all Thy people . And first of all, remember Your Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, which You have provided with Your honest Blood, and established, and strengthened, and expanded, multiplied, died, and invincible hell preserve the new gates forever; Calm the tearing apart of the Churches, quench the pagan vacillations, and quickly destroy and eradicate the heresies of rebellion, and turn them into nothingness by the power of Your Holy Spirit. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on our God-protected country, its authorities and army, protect their power with peace, and subdue under the nose of the Orthodox every enemy and adversary, and the words peaceful and good in the hearts them about Your Holy Church, and about all Your people: yes Let us live a quiet and silent life in orthodoxy, and in all piety and purity. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on the Great Lord and Father of our Holiness Patriarch Kirill, Your Reverend Metropolitans, Orthodox Archbishops and Bishops, Priests and Deacons, and the entire congregation of the Church O Lord, you have appointed me to shepherd your verbal flock, and through their prayers have mercy and save me, a sinner. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual father (his name), and with his holy prayers forgive my sins. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on my parents (their names), brothers and sisters, and my relatives in the flesh, and all the neighbors of my family, and others, and grant them Your peaceful and premium goodness. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy, according to the multitude of Your bounties, all the sacred monks, monks and nuns, and all those living in virginity and reverence and fasting in monasteries, in deserts, in caves, mountains, pillars , closed the clefts of stones, the islands of the sea, and in every place of Thy dominion those who live faithfully, and piously serve Thee, and pray to Thee: ease their burdens, and comfort their sorrow, and give them strength and strength to strive for You, and through their prayers give Grant me forgiveness of sins. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on the old and the young, the poor and the orphans and widows, and those who are in sickness and sorrow, troubles and sorrows, conditions and captivity, dungeons and imprisonments, today in persecution, for the sake of the Orthodox faith, from the tongue of the godless, from the apostate and from the heretics, Thy present servants, and remember, visit, strengthen, comfort, and soon by Thy power will weaken, freedom and deliverance to them. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on those who do good to us, who are merciful and nourishing to us, who gave us alms, and who commanded us unworthy to pray for them, and who give us peace, and show Thy mercy to them, the gift I am everything to them, even for the salvation of the petition, and the perception of eternal blessings . (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on those sent to serve, those who travel, our fathers and brothers, and all Orthodox Christians. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on those who have been tempted by my madness, and who have turned away from the path of salvation and led to evil and inappropriate deeds; By Your Divine Providence return the pack to the path of salvation. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on those who hate and offend me, and those who create misfortune for me, and do not leave them to perish for my sake, a sinner. (Bow)
Those who have departed from the Orthodox faith and are blinded by disastrous heresies, with the light of Your knowledge, enlighten and Thy Holy Apostles of the Catholic Church. (Bow)
How do prayers at the beginning of the day help?
The morning prayers of “Optina Hermitage” can be read not only to restore strength and get a boost of energy for the whole day. The elders say that their prayers can be said under different life circumstances:
- leaving the house;
- starting important things;
- on a long road or trip;
- during periods of health problems.
Results from prayers should be expected in the very near future:
- your mental and physical state will improve;
- the soul will be cleansed from anger, anger and irritability;
- aggression will be replaced by calm and joy;
- luck and success will burst into life.
You can listen to the morning prayers of Optina Pustyn with Iliodor and Elijah below on our website.
Orthodox Life
Archpriest Vladimir Puchkov explains.
Morning prayers, as well as evening prayers, are an integral part of the life of a Christian. Everyone has their own prayer rule, of course, but it would not be an exaggeration to say that the prayers that begin and end the day are present in the rule of most of our parishioners.
Indeed, the importance of morning prayer is difficult to overestimate. First of all, this is thanksgiving to God for the past night and the new day. Secondly, and this is important, morning prayer (and even more so the whole rule) is a kind of foundation for the coming day. Have you ever paid attention to the short instructions that are printed in prayer books before morning prayers? It says: before you begin to pray, you need to stand in silence for a while until your feelings subside. And only after that start praying.
This is the instruction for the morning hours. That is, for a time associated with bustle and haste for the majority. Indeed, who hasn’t at least once gotten up later than usual in order to at least somewhat extend the time of sweet morning sleep, and then rushed around the apartment in a hurry, frantically getting ready and trying not to be late? How many of us are there who spend the morning of the working day doing just that?
Here we see that the normal rhythm of the morning for a Christian should include not only time for prayer, but also the opportunity not to rush at all, otherwise what kind of calming of feelings can we talk about? In turn, a morning spent calmly, without fuss and haste, puts a person in a calm mood, which gives him the opportunity not to lose peace of mind during the day, which, you see, is especially valuable for a Christian in our hectic times. However, even in the area of the obvious, questions often arise and they certainly need to be clarified.
Question one: is it necessary to read morning prayer in Old Church Slavonic? After all, it would be much clearer in Ukrainian or Russian. Indeed, in our prayer books, morning prayers are printed in Old Church Slavonic (more precisely, in Church Slavonic). At first glance, this significantly complicates the task for the person praying, because, be that as it may, the Church Slavonic language, for all its intelligibility, is still more difficult to understand than the spoken language. Well, on the one hand, it may be so. However, on the other hand, the Church Slavonic language has a special liturgical purpose. It is an integral part of our culture of faith. Why doesn’t the Church “bring up” the parishioner to its cultural level? Prayer itself does not come without effort; additional effort aimed at understanding the text will not bring significant stress. In addition, the desire to understand a text in an unfamiliar language is a good way to stimulate attention. However, parishioners with experience are spared this - Old Slavonic prayers, including morning prayers, are familiar to them very well and understanding the text does not cause tension. In other words: if the Church expects from us a certain level of spiritual culture, why shouldn’t we meet its expectations?
Second question: is it not a sin to read shortened prayers? It seems that in cases where there is a shortage of time, there is not the slightest sin in reading shortened prayers. A short prayer is better than none at all. This approach is not harmful for beginning Christians who are just acquiring the skill of constant prayer in the mornings and evenings. Sometimes reading abbreviated prayers is even preferable to the full rule, for example, when it is not possible to read all the prayers in a calm atmosphere. Thus, short prayers at home near icons are much better than the full rule read on public transport.
The same applies to the ability to listen to prayers in audio format. This is acceptable and good when there is no other alternative or when the only alternative to prayers in headphones is the absence of any prayer. Replacing reading the full rule with reading an abbreviated one or listening to a written one when it is possible to read everything normally is, of course, sinful.
