Everything about religion and faith - “prayer of consolation in sorrow” with a detailed description and photographs.
Mother of God before Her icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow”
O Most Holy and Most Blessed Virgin, Lady Theotokos! Look with Your merciful eye on us standing before Your holy icon and praying to You with tenderness; raise us from the depths of sin, enlighten our minds, darkened by passions, and heal the ulcers of our souls and bodies. There are no imams of other help, no imams of other hope, except for You, the Lady. You weigh all our weaknesses and sins, we run to You and cry out: do not abandon us with Your Heavenly help, but appear to us ever and with Your ineffable mercy and bounties, save and have mercy on us who are perishing. Grant us correction of our sinful life and deliver us from sorrows, troubles and illnesses, from sudden death, hell and eternal torment. You, Queen and Lady, are the First Helper and Intercessor of all who flow to You and a strong refuge for repentant sinners. Grant us, O Most Blessed and All-Immaculate Virgin, the Christian end of our life to be peaceful and unashamed, and grant us, through Your intercession, to dwell in the Heavenly Abodes, where the unceasing voice of those celebrating with joy glorifies the Most Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. . Amen.
Zealous Intercessor, Compassionate Mother of the Lord, I come running to You, the accursed one and the most sinful person above all; Hear the voice of my prayer, hear my cry and groaning. For my iniquities have exceeded my head, and I, like a ship in the abyss, am plunging into the sea of my sins. But You, All-Good and Merciful Lady, do not despise me, desperate and perishing in sins; have mercy on me, who repent of my evil deeds, and turn my lost, accursed soul to the right path. On You, my Lady, Mother of God, I place all my hope. Thou, Mother of God, preserve and keep me under Thy roof, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
O Most Holy Lady and Mother of God, Supreme Cherub and Most Honest Seraphim, God's Chosen Maiden, Retribution for the lost and Joy to all who mourn! Give consolation to us, who live in perdition and sorrow; Are there no other refuge and help for you from the imams? You alone are our Intercessor of joy, and I, to the Mother of God and Mother of Mercy, standing at the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity, can you help us, for no one who flows to You leaves in shame. Hear now also from us, on the day of destruction and sorrow, who fall before Your icon and pray to You with tears: take away from us the sorrows and troubles that befall us in this temporary life, but do not, through Your omnipotent intercession, create eternal, endless joy in the Kingdom of the Son and God. ours. Amen.
To my most blessed Queen, to my Hope, to the Mother of God, Friend to the Orphan and Strange, Representative! To the grieving Joy, to the offended Patroness! See my misfortune, see my sorrow: help me as I am weak, feed me as I am strange. Weigh my offense, resolve it as if by will: for I have no other help except You, no other Representative, no good Comforter except You, O Mother of God, for you will preserve me and cover me forever and ever. Amen.
Archangel (Archangel) Michael
(Over all nine angelic ranks, the Lord placed the holy Archangel Michael (translated as “who is like God”) - a faithful servant of God. He cast down from heaven the proud star (Satan) with other fallen spirits. Archangel Michael helped the Israelites when leaving Egypt - he led them in the form of a pillar of fire; defended Israel in all disasters; appeared to Joshua and revealed the will of the Lord to take Jericho and much more. The protection of Russian cities by the Most Holy Theotokos was always carried out by Her appearances with the Heavenly Host under the leadership of the Archangel Michael. Therefore, the faith of Orthodox Christians in the help of the Archangel is strong. Michael in all troubles, sorrows and needs, the Archangel Michael is considered the defender of the glory of God.)
Holy and great Archangel of God Michael, the inscrutable and all-essential Trinity, the first primate of the Angels, the guardian and guardian of the human race, crushing with his army the head of the proud Denis in heaven and putting to shame his malice and deceit on earth! We resort to you with faith and we pray to you with love: be an indestructible shield and a strong shield for the Holy Church and our Orthodox Fatherland, protecting them with your lightning sword from all enemies, visible and invisible. Do not, O Archangel of God, forsake us through your help and intercession, who today glorify your holy name: behold, even though we are many sinners, we do not want to perish in our iniquities, but to turn to the Lord and be quickened by Him to do good deeds . Illuminate our minds with the light of God’s face, which shines on your lightning-like brow, so that we can understand that God’s will for us is good and perfect, and that we know all that it is fitting for us to do and that which we should despise and abandon. Strengthen our weak will and weak will with the grace of the Lord, so that, having established ourselves in the law of the Lord, we will cease to be dominated by earthly thoughts and the lusts of the flesh, carried away in the likeness of senseless children by the soon-to-perish beauties of this world, as if for the sake of the corruptible and earthly it is foolish to forget the eternal and heavenly. For all of these, ask us from above for the spirit of true repentance, unfeigned sadness for God and contrition for our sins, so that we may spend the remaining number of days of our temporary life not in pleasing our feelings and working with our passions, but in erasing the evils we have committed with tears of faith and contrition of heart, deeds 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 wickedness in heaven, accustomed to block the souls of mankind from rising to heaven, yes, protected by you, we will reach those glorious villages of paradise without stumbling, where there is no sorrow, no sighing, but endless life, and, being honored to see the bright face of the All-Blessed Lord and Master ours, falling with tears at His feet, let us exclaim in joy and tenderness: glory to Thee, our dearest Redeemer, Who for Thy great love for us, unworthy, was pleased to send Thy angels to serve our salvation! Amen.
O Saint Michael the Archangel, have mercy on us sinners who demand your intercession, save us, servants of God (names), from all visible and invisible enemies, moreover, strengthen us from mortal horror and from the embarrassment of the devil, and grant us the ability to unashamedly present ourselves to our Creator in the terrible hour and His righteous Judgment. O all-holy, great Michael the Archangel! Do not despise us sinners who pray to you for help and your intercession in this world and in the future, but grant us there together with you to glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever.
Lord, Great God, King Without Beginning, send Your Archangel Michael to help Your servants (name). Protect us, Archangel, from all enemies, visible and invisible. Oh, Lord the Great Archangel Michael! Destroyer of demons, rebuke all enemies fighting me, and make them like demons, and humble their evil hearts, and crush them like dust in the face of the wind. Oh, Lord the Great Archangel Michael! Six-winged first Prince and Governor of the Heavenly Forces - Cherubim and Seraphim, be our helper in all troubles, sorrows, sorrows, a quiet refuge in the desert and on the seas. Oh, Lord the Great Archangel Michael! Deliver us from all the charms of the devil, when You hear us, sinners, praying to You and calling on Your Holy name. Hasten to our aid and overcome all who oppose us, by the power of the Honest and Life-giving Cross of the Lord, by the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, by the prayers of the Holy Apostles, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Andrew, for Christ's sake, the Fool for the Fool, St. the prophet Elijah and all the holy great martyrs: St. martyrs Nikita and Eustathius, and all our reverend fathers, who have pleased God from the ages, and all the holy Heavenly Powers. Oh, Lord the Great Archangel Michael! Help us sinners (name) and deliver us from cowardice, flood, fire, sword and vain death, from great evil, from the flattering enemy, from the reviled storm, from the evil one always, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen. Holy Archangel of God Michael, with Your lightning sword, drive away from me the evil spirit that tempts and torments me. Amen.
Holy Angel of Christ, falling to you I pray, my holy guardian, dedicated to me for the preservation of my sinful soul and body from holy baptism, but with my laziness and my evil custom I angered your most pure lordship and drove you away from me with all the cold deeds: lies, slander , envy, condemnation, contempt, disobedience, brotherly hatred and resentment, love of money, adultery, rage, stinginess, gluttony without satiety and drunkenness, verbosity, evil thoughts and crafty ones, proud custom and lustful infuriation, self-lust for every carnal lust, oh my evil arbitrariness, even beasts without words do not do it! How can you look at me, or approach me like a stinking dog? Whose eyes, Angel of Christ, look upon me, entangled in evil in vile deeds? How can I ask for forgiveness for my bitter, evil and crafty deeds, I fall into misery all day and night and at every hour? But I pray to you, falling down, my holy guardian, have mercy on me, a sinful and unworthy servant of yours (name), be my helper and intercessor against the evil of my opponent, with your holy prayers, and make me a partaker of the Kingdom of God with all the saints, always, and now, and ever and ever. Amen.
Holy Angel, standing before my accursed soul and my passionate life, do not leave me, a sinner, nor depart from me for my intemperance. Do not give room to the evil demon to possess me through the violence of this mortal body: strengthen my poor and thin hand and guide me on the path of salvation. To her, holy Angel of God, guardian and patron of my accursed soul and body, forgive me everything, I have offended you so greatly all the days of my life, and if I sinned this past night, cover me this day, and save me from every opposite temptation, Let me not anger God in any sin, and pray for me to the Lord, that He may strengthen me in His passion, and show me worthy as a servant of His goodness. Amen.
Angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me from God from heaven for my protection! I diligently pray to you: enlighten me today, save me from all evil, guide me to good deeds, and direct me on the path of salvation. Amen.
O holy Angel, my good guardian and patron! With a contrite heart and painful soul I stand before you, praying: hear me, your sinful servant (name), with a strong cry and a bitter cry; do not remember my iniquities and untruths, in whose image I, the accursed one, anger you all the days and hours, and create abominations for myself before our Creator, the Lord; Show yourself merciful to me and do not leave me, the vile one, even until my death; awaken me from the sleep of sin and with your prayers help me to pass through the rest of my life without blemish and create fruits worthy of repentance; moreover, protect me from the mortal falls of sin, so that I will not perish in despair and may the enemy not rejoice over my destruction. I truly confess with my lips that no one is such a friend and intercessor, protector and champion, like you, holy Angel: for standing before the Throne of the Lord, pray for me, indecent, and more sinful than all, so that the Most Good One will not take away my soul on the day of my despair and on the day of creation of evil. Do not cease to propitiate the most merciful Lord and my God, may he forgive me the sins that I have committed throughout my life, in deed, in word and with all my feelings, and, like the news of fate, may he save me; may He punish me here according to His ineffable mercy, but may He not convict and punish me here according to His impartial justice; may he make me worthy to bring repentance, and with repentance may I be worthy of receiving Divine Communion, for this I pray more and I earnestly desire such a gift. In the terrible hour of death, be persistent with me, my good guardian, driving away the dark demons that have the power to frighten my trembling soul: protect me from those traps, when the imam passes through the airy ordeals, may we protect you, I will safely reach paradise, which I desire, where the faces of the saints and The Heavenly Powers continually praise the all-honorable and magnificent name in the Trinity of the glorified God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, to whom honor and worship are due forever and ever. Amen.
(Tryphon himself experienced grief when, having surrendered into the hands of those sent by the eparch of Anatolia, he was brought to Nicaea. Here, having experienced terrible torment, he was sentenced to death and died at the place of execution, before the sword touched him.)
O holy martyr of Christ Tryphon, quick helper and quick to obey the intercessor to all who come running to you and pray before your holy image! Hear now and at every hour the prayer of us, your unworthy servants, who honor your holy memory in this all-honorable temple, and intercede for us before the Lord in every place. You, the saint of Christ, shining in great miracles, exuding healing to those who flow to you with faith and intercede for those in sorrow, you yourself promised before your departure from this corruptible life to pray for us to the Lord and you asked Him for this gift: if anyone in any need, sadness and illness of soul or body, if he begins to call on your holy name, may he be delivered from every excuse of evil. And just like you sometimes the daughter of the princess, in the city of Rome, tormented by the devil, you healed her, her and us from his fierce machinations, save us all the days of our lives, and especially on the day of our last breath, intercede for us. Then be our helper and quick drive away of evil spirits, and our leader to the Kingdom of Heaven. And where you now stand in the presence of the saints at the Throne of God, pray to the Lord, that we may also be worthy to be partakers of everlasting joy and joy, and that with you we may collectively glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Comforter of the Spirit forever. Amen.
(The Holy Great Martyr, inflamed with zeal for the faith of Christ, is revered as a helper in grief.)
O all-validated, holy great martyr and wonderworker George! Look upon us with your quick help, and beg God, the Lover of Mankind, not to judge us, sinners, according to our iniquities, but to deal with us according to His great mercy. Do not despise our prayer, but ask us from Christ our God a quiet and godly life, mental and physical health, fertility of the earth, and abundance in everything, and may we not turn the good things given to us by you from the All-Bountiful God into evil, but into the glory of the Holy One in His name and in glorification of your strong intercession, may He grant our country and all the God-loving army victory over the adversaries and strengthen us with unchangeable peace and blessing. May His angel protect us saints with a militia, so that we, upon our departure from this life, may be delivered from the wiles of the evil one and his difficult airy ordeals, and may present ourselves uncondemned to the Throne of the Lord of Glory. Hear us, passion-bearing George of Christ, and pray for us unceasingly to the Trinitarian Lord of all God, so that by His grace and love for mankind, with your help and intercession we may find mercy, with the angels and archangels and all the saints at the right hand of the Just Judge of the world, and He will be glorified with the Father and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Holy, glorious and all-praised Great Martyr George! Gathered in your temple and before your holy icon, people worshiping, we pray to you, known to the desires of our intercessor, pray with us and for us, beseeching God from His mercy, may he mercifully hear us asking for His goodness, and not abandon all ours to salvation and life needful petitions, and grants our country victory in the face of resistance; and again, falling down, we pray to you, victorious saint: strengthen the Orthodox army in battle with the grace given to you, destroy the forces of the rising enemies, so that they will be fasted and put to shame, and let their insolence be crushed, and let them know that we have Divine help, and to everyone in sorrow and the current situation, show your powerful intercession. Pray to the Lord God, the Creator of all creation, to deliver us from eternal torment, so that we glorify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and we confess your intercession now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Saint Stephen of Great Perm
(Stephen, under the protection of heaven and his meekness, succeeded in the soul-saving work of preaching the faith of Christ and baptizing idolaters among the Zyryans, Perm residents. They pray to him in sorrows and adversities.)
With a divine desire, from his youth, Stephen the Wise, he was kindled, you took Christ as a yoke, and people, who had been frozen in ancient times with the unbelief of the heart, you sowed the Divine seed in them spiritually and evangelically. In the same way, we honor your glorious memory, we pray to you: pray, Whom you preached, that He may save our souls.
O God-sanctified and Equal-to-the-Apostles Stephen, a new preacher of God and enlightener of the Baptism of the saints of Great Perm in the idolatry of living people, a guide to the true Gospel light, a good shepherd and a wise teacher, a chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit, Christ-imitating in the heavenly Zion, a mentor and leader, an image of good behavior for all who wish to live piously , well-crafted mental ship, through the sea of this world to the heavenly haven of the floating, ruler, wondrous in the hierarchs, crowned with Divine grace, all-Russian lamp, great miracle worker and warm prayer book! To you, in the tenderness of my soul and the contrition of my heart, I, a cursed and sinner (name), flow reliably and before your miraculous tomb, in which your holy relics rest, I cry out, humbly asking for your help and warm intercession to the Most Good God, and ask for your God-pleasing prayers I received from Him humane mercy, forgiveness of many of my sins, health and salvation in soul and body; and, as He is Good and Lover of Mankind, may He be pleased to walk comfortably in this world until the end of my life, and during my separation from life, sow my spirit in repentance and peace by His holy Angel, mercifully receiving me, and may He give me past the dark and evil and cruel It is not forbidden for demonic spirits to pass through the air and to come to Him without shame and to worship Him, and to be honored with an immortal and blessed life with all the saints forever. Amen.
Prayer to all saints and ethereal Heavenly Powers
Holy God and rest in the saints, glorified by the thrice-holy voice in heaven from Angels, praised on earth by man in His saints: having given grace to each by Thy Holy Spirit according to the bestowal of Christ, and by that ordaining Thy holy Church to be Apostles, prophets, and evangelists , you are shepherds and teachers, preaching in their own words. You yourself, who act all in all, have accomplished many holiness in every generation and generation, having pleased you with various virtues, and leaving us with an image of your good deeds, in the joy that has passed, prepare, in it the temptations themselves were, and help us who are attacked. Remembering all these saints and praising their godly lives, I praise You Himself, who acted in them, and believing in Your goodness, the gift of being, I diligently pray to You, Holy of Holies, grant to me a sinner to follow their teaching, moreover, by Your all-effective grace, heavenly ones with them be worthy of glory, praising Your Most Holy Name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
Prayers in sorrows and consolations.
Prayer rule of St. Ambrose of Optina.
1. Rule read during mourning
Lord, why have you multiplied the cold? Many people rise up against me, many people say to my soul: there is no salvation for him in his God. But you. Lord, my Protector, be my glory and lift up my head. With my voice I cried to the Lord, and He heard me from His holy mountain. I fell asleep and fell asleep, and arose, as if the Lord would intercede for me. I will not be afraid of the people around me who attack me. Arise, Lord, save me, my God, for You have struck down all those who were at enmity with me in vain: You have crushed the teeth of sinners. Salvation is the Lord's, and Your blessing is upon Your people.
God, in Your Name save me, and in Your power judge me. God, hear my prayer, inspire the words of my mouth. As if strangers rose up against me and were strong, they sought my soul, and did not offer God before them. Behold, God helps me, and the Lord is the intercessor of my soul. Evil will turn away my enemy; consume them with Thy truth. I will devour You with my will; let me confess to Your name, O Lord, that it is good, that You have delivered me from all sorrow, and that My eye has looked upon my enemies.
Deliver me from my enemies, O God, and deliver me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from workers of iniquity and save me from bloodshed. For behold, having caught my soul, the mighty ones have attacked me, lower is my iniquity, lower is my sin, O Lord. Having flown without iniquity and corrected it, arise to meet me and see. And you, O Lord God of hosts, God of Israel, visit all nations, so that you may not show mercy to all those who practice iniquity. They will return in the evening and will hunger like a dog and will go through the city. These people answer with their lips, and the sword is in their mouth, as if anyone heard? And You, Lord, laugh at them and abase all languages. I will preserve my power towards You, for You, O God, are my Protector. My God, His mercy will precede me, my God will show me in all my misfortunes. Do not kill them, lest they forget Your law, scatter me with Your power and bring me down, my Protector, Lord. The sin of their lips, the word of their lips, and let them be in their pride, and from oaths and lies they will be proclaimed in their death. In the wrath of death, they will not and will take away, for God rules over Jacob and the ends of the earth. They will return in the evening, and will hunger like a dog, and will go through the city. Tia will be bursting with food. Or if they are not satisfied, they will grumble. I will sing of Your power and rejoice in the morning about Your mercy, for You were my Intercessor and my Refuge in the day of my tribulation. Thou art my helper, I sing to Thee: for thou art my God, my Protector, my God, my mercy.
Lord, hear my prayer, inspire my prayer in Thy truth, hear me in Thy righteousness, and do not enter into judgment with Thy servant, for no one living will be justified before You. As if the enemy drove my soul, he humbled my belly to eat, he planted me to eat in dark, like dead centuries. And my spirit is depressed within me, my heart is troubled within me. I have remembered the days of old, I have learned in all Your works, I have learned Your hand in all creation. My hands have lifted up to You, my soul, like a waterless land to You. Hear me soon, Lord, my spirit has disappeared, do not turn Your face away from me, and I will become like those who go down into the pit. I hear Thy mercy upon me in the morning, for I trust in Thee. Tell me, Lord, I will go the other way, because I have taken my soul to You. Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, I have fled to You. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Your Good Spirit will guide me to the right land. For Thy name's sake, O Lord, live me, by Thy righteousness remove my soul from sorrow. And by Thy mercy consume my enemies and destroy all my cold souls, for I am Thy servant.
Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to You. Do not turn Your face away from me: even if I mourn for a day, incline Your ear to me: even if I call on You for a day, hear me soon. As if my days had disappeared, like smoke, and my bones had dried up. I was wounded like grass, and my heart was gone, as if I had forgotten to bear my bread. Because of the voice of my groaning my bone cleaves to my flesh. We became like the tawny owl of the desert, like a nighttime corvid on its dive. Bdekh and bykh like a special bird here. All day long I have been reproached by you, and those who praise me are cursed by me. Ashes are gone, like bread is eaten, and my drink is dissolved with tears. From the presence of Thy anger and Thy wrath: as Thou hast exalted and cast down me. My days have turned away like the shade, and I have dried up like hay. But You, Lord, remain forever, and Your memory endures forever. You have risen, having shown mercy to Zion, for the time has come to show mercy to it, for the time has come. For Thy servants will take pleasure in his stone, and his dust will blight him. And the nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth will fear Your glory. For the Lord of Zion will build and appear in His glory. Consider the prayer of the humble, and do not despise their prayers. May this be written for generations, and the people of the land will praise the Lord. As from His holy heights, the Lord looked down from Heaven to earth, to hear the groaning of the chained, to allow the sons of the slain, to proclaim the Name of the Lord in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem: the people and the king will always gather together to work for the Lord. I answered him on the way of his strength: I will build up the humiliation of my days. Do not bring me to the end of my days: Thy years are in the generation of generations. In the beginning, O Lord, You founded the earth, and the works of Your hand are the Heavens. They will perish, but You remain: and all, like the robe, they promise, and like the garment I wear, they will be changed. You are the same, and your years will not become scarce. The sons of Your servants will dwell, and their seed will be corrected forever.
2. Rule read during temptations
The Lord is my enlightenment and my Savior, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Protector of my life, from whom shall I fear? Sometimes you come close to me with anger, and destroy my flesh, insulting me, and defeating me, you are exhausted and fall. Even if a regiment takes up arms against me, my heart will not fear, even if it rises up to fight me, I will trust in Him. I have asked one thing from the Lord, and this I will require: that I may live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may behold the beauty of the Lord, and that I may visit His holy temple. For He hid me in His village in the day of my evil, for He covered me in the secret of His village, and lifted me up on a stone. And now, behold, I have lifted up my head against my enemies: I have died and devoured in His village a sacrifice of praise and shouting, I will sing and sing praises to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, my voice to which I cried: have mercy on me and hear me. My heart says to you, I will seek the Lord. I will seek Your face, O Lord, I will seek Your face. Do not turn Your face away from me and do not turn aside in anger from Your servant: be my helper, do not reject me, and do not forsake me, O God of my Savior. For my father and mother have abandoned me, but the Lord will receive me. Give me the law, O Lord, in Thy way and guide me on the right path for my enemy’s sake. Do not betray me into the souls of those who are afflicted by me, as if I stood up as a witness to unrighteousness and lied untruthfully to myself. I believe in seeing the good of the Lord on the land of the living. Be patient with the Lord, be of good courage and let your heart be strong, and be patient with the Lord.
Living in the help of the Most High, he will settle in the shelter of the Heavenly God. Says the Lord: Thou art my Protector and my Refuge, my God, and I trust in Him. For He will deliver you from the snare of the trap, and from rebellious words, His splash will overshadow you, and under His wing you hope: His truth will surround you with weapons. Do not be afraid from the fear of the night, from the arrow that flies during the day, from the thing that passes in the darkness, from the cloak, and from the demon of the midday. Thousands will fall from your country, and darkness will fall at your right hand, but it will not come close to you, otherwise you will look at your eyes, and you will see the reward of sinners. For You, O Lord, are my hope, You have made the Most High your refuge. Evil will not come to you, and wound will not approach your body, as His angel commanded you to keep you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their arms, but not when you dash your foot on a stone, step on an asp and a basilisk, and cross a lion and a serpent. For I have trusted in Me, and I will deliver, and I will cover, and because I have known My name. He will call to Me, and I will hear him: I am with him in sorrow, I will overcome him, and I will glorify him, I will fill him with long days, and I will show him My salvation.
Having endured, I endured the Lord, and listened to me, and heard my prayer. And bring me up from the pit of passions, and from the clay of the mire, and set me on the stones of my feet, and straighten my steps, and put into my mouth a new song, singing to our God. Many people will see and fear, and trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man for whom the name of the Lord is his hope, and he will not despise false vanity and confusion. Thou hast done many things, O Lord, my God, Thy wonders, and by Thy thought there is no one who is like Thee. Announced and verbs, multiplying more than the number. Thou didst not desire sacrifices and offerings, but thou didst fulfill the body, burnt offerings, and thou didst not require sin. Then he said: “Behold, I have come; in the chapter of the book it is written about me: I have willed to do Thy will, O my God, and Thy law is in the midst of my womb.” I will not withhold the gospel of the truth in the great church; behold, I will not withhold from my lips: Lord, you have understood. I have not hidden Your righteousness in my heart, I have not hidden Your truth and Your salvation, I have not hidden Your mercy and Your truth from the multitude. But You, Lord, do not remove Your compassions from me: I will take Your mercy and Your truth away, intercede for me. For the wickedness, which has no number, has taken possession of me, and has overtaken me with my iniquities, and I was not able to see, multiplying more than the hair of my head, and forsake my heart. Deign, O Lord, to deliver me: O Lord, come to my aid. Let those who seek to take my soul be ashamed and put to shame, and let those who wish me evil turn back and be ashamed. May those who say: better, better, accept their bitterness. Let all who seek You, O Lord, rejoice and rejoice in You, and let them say: May the Lord be magnified in those who love Your salvation. But I am poor and wretched, the Lord will take care of me. Thou art my Helper and my Protector, O my God, do not become stubborn.
Prayer for deliverance from temptations.
Venerable Simeon the New Theologian
Do not allow me, Master, Lord, temptation, or sorrow, or illness beyond my strength, but deliver me from them or grant me the strength to endure them with gratitude.
About those who hate and offend us.
Praying for those who have crucified You, O loving-hearted Lord, and commanding Your servant to pray for everyone at once, forgive those who hate and offend us, and instruct us from all evil and wickedness towards brotherly and virtuous living, we humbly offer a prayer to You; Yes, in unanimity we glorify Thee, the One Lover of Mankind.
Like Your first martyr Stephen, he prayed to Thee for those who killed him, O Lord, and we fall down and pray, forgive those who hate everyone and offend us, so that not a single one of us will perish for the sake of them, but we will all be saved by Your grace, O All-Bountiful God.
Request for protection from the offender.
Having loved the blessedness of the Gospel, the God-Wise John, you honored the purity of your heart with virginity. Moreover, you disdained the vanity of this world and strived to see God, who glorified you with miracles in healing the variously suffering. For this reason, we pray to you: ask us from Christ the Lord of all sorrows for deliverance and receipt of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let us duly praise the pious warrior of Christ, who defeated the enemies of soul and body in a divinely wise manner, John the Martyr with songs, for by working miracles he gives abundant healing to suffering people, and prays to the Lord God to save the faithful from all troubles.
O glorious servant of Christ John the Warrior! You were brave in battle, a chaser of the enemy and an intercessor of the offended, but now you are a quick helper to all Orthodox Christians. Remember us, sinners and unworthy, and intercede for us in troubles and sorrows and sorrows and in every evil adversity, and protect us from every evil and offending person: for you have been given the grace from God to pray for us, sinners, (names), evil suffering. Oh, great champion of the enemies, the driver of the enemies, the patron of the Christ-loving army and the offended intercessor, John the Warrior! Do not forget us, sinners, who pray to you and your help and the endless mercy of those asking, and make us, sinners and unworthy, worthy to receive ineffable good things from God. For to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. (They pray to the same saint to find what was stolen.)
Prayer for unbelievers, persecutors and despisers of truth
Lord, turn the hearts of our enemies to You, but if it is impossible to turn hardened, then put a barrier to evil and protect Your chosen ones from them. Amen.
About the increase of love and the eradication of hatred and all malice
By the union of love, Thy apostles have bound, O Christ, and we, Thy faithful servants, have been firmly bound to Thyself, to keep Thy commandments and to love each other unfeignedly, through the prayers of the Mother of God, the One Lover of Mankind.
Our hearts have kindled toward You with a flame of love, O Christ God, so that with that kindling, in our hearts, in our minds and in our souls, and with all our strength, we may love You, and sincerely, as ourselves, and keeping Your commandments, we glorify You, the Giver of all good things.
Daily prayer of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow
Lord, I don’t know what to ask of You. You alone know what I need. You love me more than I can love You. Father, give to Your servant what I myself cannot ask for. I do not dare to ask for either a cross or consolation: I only stand before You. My heart is open to You; You see needs that I don't know. See and create according to Your mercy. Smite and heal, overthrow and raise me. I am in awe and silent before Your holy will and Your destinies, incomprehensible to me. I sacrifice myself to You. I have no other desire than the desire to fulfill Your will; teach me to pray; Pray in me yourself! Amen.
Prayer to the Lord for forgiveness, intercession and help
In the hand of Your great mercy, O my God, I entrust my soul and body, my feelings and words, my advice and thoughts, my deeds and all my movements of body and soul. My entry and exit, my faith and life, the course and end of my life, the day and hour of my breathing, my repose, the repose of my soul and body. But You, O Most Merciful God, invincible to the sins of the whole world, kindly, kindly Lord, accept me more than all sinners in the hand of Your protection and deliver from all evil, cleanse my many iniquities, grant correction to my evil and wretched life and from Always delight me in the coming cruel falls of sin, and in no way will I anger Your love for mankind, with which you cover my weakness from demons, passions and evil people. Forbid the enemy, visible and invisible, guiding me along the saved path, bring me to You, my refuge and the land of my desires. Grant me a Christian, shameless, peaceful death from the airy spirits of malice; at Your Last Judgment, be merciful to Your servant and number me at the right hand of Your blessed sheep, and with them I will glorify You, my Creator, forever. Amen.
Prayerful sighing to the Lord
(dying prayer of Hieroschemamonk Parthenius of Kyiv)
1. When I, depressed by illness, feel the approaching end of my earthly existence: Lord, have mercy on me.
2. When my poor heart, at its last beats, languishes and languishes in mortal pain: Lord, have mercy on me.
3. When my eyes are watered with tears for the last time at the thought that during my life I have offended You, O God, with my sins: Lord, have mercy on me.
4. When the rapid beating of my heart begins to accelerate the outcome of my soul: Lord, have mercy on me.
5. When the mortal pallor of my face and my cold body strikes my loved ones with fear: Lord, have mercy on me.
6. When my vision is darkened and my voice is cut off, my tongue turns to stone: Lord, have mercy on me.
7. When terrible ghosts and visions begin to drive me to despair of Your mercy: Lord, have mercy on me.
8. When my soul, struck by the memories of my crimes and the fear of Your judgment, becomes exhausted in the fight against the enemies of my salvation, who are trying to drag me into the darkness of torment: Lord, have mercy on me.
9. When the sweat of death drenches me, and the soul with painful suffering moves away from the body: Lord, have mercy on me.
10. When mortal darkness closes all the objects of this world from my dim gaze: Lord, have mercy on me.
11. When all sensation in my body ceases, my veins become numb and my muscles become rigid: Lord, have mercy on me.
12. When human speech and earthly sounds no longer reach my ears: Lord, have mercy on me.
13. When the soul appears before Your face, O God, in anticipation of Your appointment: Lord, have mercy on me.
14. When I begin to heed the righteous sentence of Your judgment, which determines my eternal fate: Lord, have mercy on me.
15. When the body, abandoned by the soul, becomes the prey of worms and corruption and, finally, my entire composition turns into a handful of dust: Lord, have mercy on me.
16. When the sound of the trumpet awakens everyone at Your second coming and the book of my deeds is opened: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, Your sinful servant (name). In Your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. Amen.
Cry to Our Lady
What should I pray to You for, what should I ask of You? You see everything, you know it yourself, look into my soul and give it what it needs. You, who have endured everything, overcome everything, will understand everything. You, who entwined the Baby in a manger and took Him with Your hands from the Cross, You alone know all the heights of joy, all the oppression of grief. You, who have received the entire human race as adoption, look at me with maternal care. From the snares of sin, lead me to Your Son. I see a tear watering Your face. It is above me that you shed it, and let it wash away the traces of my sins. Here I have come, I am standing, I am waiting for Your response, O Mother of God, O All-Sung, O Lady! I don’t ask for anything, I just stand before You. Only my heart, poor human heart, exhausted in longing for truth, I throw at Your Most Pure feet, Lady! Grant to all who call You to reach the eternal day by You and worship You face to face.
About taming human anger
1. Pray to the holy prophet and King David (King David unshakably believed in God and tried to do His will. He was subjected to numerous persecutions, and the Lord delivered him from all his enemies).
5. Approaching the door of an angry boss, you should say: Remember, Lord, King David and all his meekness.
Prayer of St. Demetrius of Rostov
Save me, my Savior, according to Your goodness, and not according to my deeds! You want to save me, You know how to save me: save me, as you want, as you can, as you know: in the same way, save me by destinies! I trust in You, my Lord, and I commit myself to Your holy will: do with me whatever you want! If you want to have me in the light, be blessed. If you want to have me in the darkness, be blessed again. If you open the doors of Your mercy to me, then it is good and good. If You shut the doors of Your mercy to me: blessed art Thou, Who shutth me into righteousness. If You do not destroy me with my iniquities, glory to Your immeasurable mercy. If You destroy me with my iniquities, glory to Your righteous judgment: arrange for me as You wish!
Save, O Lord, and have mercy on Your servant (name) with the words of Your Divine Gospel, read about the salvation of Your servant (name). The thorns of all his sins have fallen, O Lord, and may Thy grace dwell in him, scorching, cleansing, sanctifying every person in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In case of danger of drowning.
Venerable Zosima and Savvaty, Solovetsky Wonderworkers
Your fasting and equal-angelic life, Reverend Fathers Zosimo and Savvaty, made you known by the universe: various miracles, God-bearing, enlighten with faith those who call and honor your honorable memory
Having been wounded by the love of Christ, the venerable one, and taking up His cross in His frame, they naturally carried Him, Divinely armed against invisible enemies, and unceasing prayers, like a spear in their hands, powerfully defeated the demonic militia; The grace of the Lord is received to heal the ailments of the souls and bodies of your honest relics flowing to the crayfish, you emit rays of miracles everywhere. Thus we call to you: rejoice, reverend fathers Zosimo and Savvaty, fertilizer for the monks.
O reverend fathers, great intercessors and speedy hearers of prayers, saints of God and miracle workers Zosimo and Savvaty! Do not forget, as you promised, to visit your child. Even though you have departed from us in body, you are still with us in spirit. We pray to you, O venerable one, to deliver us from fire and sword, from the invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare, from corrupting winds and from sudden death and from all the evils of demons that come upon us. Hear us sinners (names), and accept this prayer and our supplication, like a fragrant incense, like an acceptable sacrifice, and revive our souls, evil deeds and advice and thoughts killed.
And like a dead girl, you have raised up, and healed the incurable wounds of many, and delivered from evil spirits those who were tormented by evil; Thus, free us too, who are kept in the bonds of the enemy, and deliver us from the snares of the devil, bring us out of the depths of sins, and by your merciful visit and intercession protect us from enemies visible and invisible, by the grace and power of the Most Holy Trinity, always, now and ever, and forever centuries. Amen.
The Most Holy Theotokos in front of Her Lenkovskaya Icon, or “Savior of the Drowning”
Zealous Intercessor, Mother of the Lord Most High! You are the help and intercession of all Christians, especially those in trouble. Look now from Thy holy height upon us, who with faith worship Thy most pure image, and show, we pray to Thee, Thy speedy help to those floating on the sea and to those suffering heavy sorrow from the stormy winds. Move all Orthodox Christians to salvation in the waters of drowning, and reward those who strive for this with Thy rich mercy and generosity. Behold, looking at Your image, You, who are mercifully present with us, offer our humble prayers. The imams have no other help, no other intercession, no consolation except You, O Mother of all who mourn and suffer. According to God, You are our Hope and Intercessor, and we trust in You, ourselves, and each other, and our whole life to You forever and ever. Amen.
Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra
Show the rule of faith and the image of meekness and self-control to your flock, even the truth of things. For this reason, you have acquired high humility, rich in poverty: Father Hierarch Nicholas, pray to Christ God to save our souls.
In Mireh, the holy one, you appeared as a priest; for Christ, O Reverend, having fulfilled the Gospel, you laid down your soul for your people, and saved the innocent from death. For this reason you have been sanctified, as the great hidden place of God’s grace.
In trouble, sadness and sorrow.
Holy Martyr Tryphon
Thy martyr, O Lord, Tryphon, in his suffering received an imperishable crown from Thee, our God; Having Thy strength, overthrow the tormentors, crush the demons of weak insolence. Save his souls with your prayers.
With Trinitarian firmness you destroyed polytheism from the end, you were all-glorious, you were honest in Christ, and having defeated the tormentors in Christ the Savior, you received the crown of your martyrdom and the gift of Divine healings, as if you were invincible.
O holy martyr of Christ Tryphon, quick helper to all who come running to you and pray before your holy image, quick to obey the intercessor! Hear now and at every hour the prayer of us, your unworthy servants, who honor your holy memory in this all-honorable temple, and intercede for us before the Lord in every place. You, the saint of Christ, shining in great miracles, exuding healing to those who flow to you with faith and intercede for those in sorrow, you yourself promised before your departure from this corruptible life to pray for us to the Lord and you asked Him for this gift: if anyone in any need, sadness and illness of soul or body, if he begins to call on your holy name, may he be delivered from every excuse of evil. And as you sometimes did to the princess’s daughter, in the city of Rome you healed those tormented by the devil from his cruel machinations, save us all the days of our lives, and especially on the day of our last breath, intercede for us. Then be our helper and quick drive away of evil spirits, and our leader to the Kingdom of Heaven. And where you now stand in the presence of the saints at the Throne of God, pray to the Lord, that we may also be worthy to be partakers of everlasting joy and joy, and that with you we may collectively glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Comforter of the Spirit forever. Amen. (People pray to him for relief from snoring.)
When attacked by robbers
Holy Righteous Joseph, Betrothed to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Bring the good news, Joseph, to David the miracles of the God-father: you saw the virgin who gave birth, you praised the shepherds. You bowed down to the Magi. The angel received the message: pray to Christ God to save our souls.
Today the Divine David is filled with joy, and Joseph brings praise with Jacob: for having received the crown with the kinship of Christ, they rejoice, and indescribably on the earth they sing of the One born, and cry out: Generously, save those who honor You.
O holy righteous Joseph! While you were still on earth, you had great boldness towards the Son of God, Who deigned to call you His father, as the betrothed of His Mother, and to listen to you: we believe that now from the faces of the righteous in the abodes of heaven, you will be heard in all your petitions to God and our Savior. Moreover, resorting to your protection and intercession, we humbly pray to you: just as you yourself were delivered from the storm of doubtful thoughts, so deliver us too, overwhelmed by waves of confusion and passions: just as you protected the All-Immaculate Virgin from human slander, protect us in the same way from all slander in vain: just as you preserved the incarnate Lord from all harm and bitterness, so through your intercession preserve His Orthodox Church and all of us from all bitterness and harm. Weigh, O Holiness of God, just as the Son of God in the days of His flesh had need for bodily needs, and you served them: for this reason we pray to you, and help our temporary needs through your intercession, giving us all the good things we need in this life. We most earnestly ask you to intercede for us to forgive our sins by receiving from your named Son, the Only Begotten Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and make us worthy of inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven through your intercession, so that we, dwelling with you in the high villages, will glorify the One Trihypostatic God , Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Prayers for the reconciliation of warring parties.
The Most Holy Theotokos in front of Her icon “Softening Evil Hearts”, or “Seven Arrow”
Soften our evil hearts, Mother of God, and extinguish the misfortunes of those who hate us, and resolve all the tightness of our souls, for as we look at Your holy image, we are touched by Your compassion and mercy for us and we kiss Your wounds, but we are horrified by our arrows that torment You. Do not let us, merciful Mother, perish in our hard-heartedness and from the hard-heartedness of our neighbors, for You are truly the softener of evil hearts.
By Thy grace, Lady, soften the hearts of evildoers, send down benefactors, keeping them from all evil, to those who earnestly pray to Thy before Thy honest icons.
O long-suffering Mother of God, who surpasses all the daughters of the earth, in Your purity and in the multitude of sufferings You have endured on earth, accept our much-painful sighs and keep us under the shelter of Your mercy. Do You know of no other refuge and warm intercession, but, since You have the boldness to be born of You, help and save us with Your prayers, so that we may without stumbling reach the Kingdom of Heaven, where with all the saints we will sing praises in the Trinity to the one God, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for reconciliation between warring parties
We thank Thee, Lord, Lover of Mankind, King of the ages and Giver of good things, who destroyed the mediastinum of enmity and gave peace to the human race, grant now peace to Thy servants, root Thy fear in them and establish love for each other: quench all strife, 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 ages of ages. Amen.
About the pacification of enmity between neighbors.
Holy noble princes Boris and Gleb, in baptism Roman and David
The truthful passion-bearer and the true listener of the Gospel of Christ, the chaste Romance with the kindly David, without resisting the enemy of the enemy who kills your body, but cannot touch your souls. Let the evil power-hungry cry, but you, rejoicing with the faces of the angels, the upcoming Holy Trinity, pray for the power of your relatives, be pleasing to God, and be saved as sons of Russia.
Rise today to your glorious memory, noble passion-bearers of Christ Roman and David, calling us to praise Christ our God. Thus, flowing to the race of your relics, the gift of healing is acceptable through your prayers, holy ones: you are by nature a Divine physician.
About the sacred duo, the beautiful brothers, the virtuous passion-bearers Boris and Gleb, who from their youth served Christ with faith, purity and love, and were adorned with your blood like crimson, and now reign with Christ! Do not forget us, the servants of God (names), who exist on earth, but, as warm intercessors, by your strong intercession before Christ God, preserve the young in holy faith and purity, unharmed from every pretext of unbelief and impurity, protect us all from all sorrow and bitterness and sudden death, tame all enmity and malice, raised up by the action of the devil from neighbors and strangers. We pray to you, Christ-loving passion-bearers, ask from the great-gifted Master forgiveness of our sins, unanimity and health, deliverance from the invasion of foreigners, internecine warfare, plagues and famine. Provide your intercession to our country and to all who honor your holy memory forever and ever. Amen.
About help in poverty and need.
Saint John the Merciful
In your patience you have gained your reward, O Reverend Father, in your prayers you are unceasingly patient, loving the poor and making this convenient, but pray to Christ God, the merciful, blessed John, to save our souls.
You have squandered your wealth on the poor and now you have received heavenly riches, John the All-Wise, for this reason we honor you for all of you, honoring your memory, give alms to thee!
Saint John of God, merciful protector of the orphans and those in adversity! We resort to you and pray to you, as the quick patron of all who seek consolation from God in troubles and sorrows. Don’t stop praying to the Lord for everyone who flows to you with faith! You, filled with Christ’s love and goodness, have appeared as a wonderful palace of the virtue of mercy and have acquired for yourself the name “merciful.” You were like a river, constantly flowing with generous mercies and abundantly feeding all those who thirst. We believe that after you moved from earth to heaven, the gift of sowing grace increased in you and that you became an inexhaustible vessel of all goodness. By your intercession and intercession before God, create “all kinds of joy,” so that all who come running to you may find peace and tranquility: grant them consolation in temporary sorrows and help in the needs of everyday life, instill in them the hope of eternal rest in the Kingdom of Heaven. In your life on earth, you were a refuge for all those who were in every trouble and need, the offended and ailing, and not a single one of those who flowed to you and asked you for mercy was deprived of your grace. Likewise now, reigning with Christ in Heaven, show all those who worship before your honest icon and pray for help and intercession. Not only did you yourself show mercy to the helpless, but you also raised the hearts of others to the consolation of the weak and to the charity of the poor. Move even now the hearts of the faithful to intercede for the orphans, to console the mourning and reassure the needy. May the gifts of mercy not become scarce in them, and, moreover, may peace and joy in the Holy Spirit dwell in them and in this house, which watches over the suffering, to the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, forever and ever. Amen.
When attacked by animals.
Great Martyr George the Victorious
As a liberator of captives and a protector of the poor, a physician of the infirm, Victorious Great Martyr George, pray to Christ God to save our souls.
You have been cultivated by God, a most honest worker of piety, having collected the virtues of the handle for yourself, sowing in tears, reaping with joy, having suffered with blood, you accepted Christ, and through your prayers, holy, you grant forgiveness to all sins.
Holy, glorious and all-praised Great Martyr of Christ George! Gathered in your temple and in front of your holy icon, people worshiping, we pray to you, known to the desires of our intercessor: pray with us and for us, beseeching God from His mercy, that He may mercifully hear us asking for His goodness, and not abandon all ours to salvation and life needful petition, and may the grace given to you strengthen the Orthodox army in battle, may the enemy destroy the forces of the rebels, may they be ashamed and put to shame, and may their insolence be crushed, and may they know that we are imams of Divine help; and show your powerful intercession to all who are in sorrow and distress. Pray to the Lord God, the Creator of all creation, to deliver us from eternal torment, so that we may always glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and we confess your intercession, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
May God rise again, and may His enemies be scattered, and may those who hate Him flee from His presence.
As smoke disappears, let them disappear; as wax melts in the face of fire, so let demons perish from the presence of those who love God and signify themselves with the sign of the cross, and who say in joy: Rejoice, Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, drive away the demons by force on you of our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and trampled upon the power the devil, and who gave us His Honest Cross to drive away every adversary. O Most Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Virgin Mary and with all the saints forever. Amen.
Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.
From being bitten by a reptile.
Reverend Alexy, man of God
Having risen to virtue and purified your mind, you achieved what you desired and the extreme, having adorned your life with dispassion, and accepted a fair amount of fasting with a clear conscience, in prayers, as if you were bodiless, while remaining, you shone like the sun in the world, blessed Alexie.
Having had the house of your parents as a stranger, you settled in it like a beggar, and after the repose of the crown of glory, you appeared marvelously on earth, Alexie, the man of God, an angel and a joy to man.
O servant of Christ, holy man of God Alexy! Look mercifully upon us, servant of God (names), and stretch out your honest hands in prayer to the Lord God, and ask us from Him for forgiveness of our voluntary and involuntary sins, a peaceful and Christian death and a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ. To her, servant of God, do not disgrace our trust, which we place in you, according to God and the Mother of God; but be our helper and protector for salvation; that through your prayers we have received grace and mercy from the Lord, let us glorify the love of mankind of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and your holy intercession, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
About salvation from violence.
Yours, Jesus, Thomaido calls with a great voice: I love You, my Bridegroom, and seeking You, I suffer and crucify myself, and I am buried in Your baptism, and I suffer for Your sake, so that I reign in You, and I die for You, and I live with You; but as an immaculate sacrifice, accept me, offering myself to You with love. With your prayers, as if you are merciful, save our souls.
Your all-honorable temple, as if you have found spiritual healing, all the faithful cry out loudly to you: great martyr Thomaid, pray to Christ God unceasingly for all of us.
Oh, all praise to the martyr Thomaido! For the purity of marriage, even having labored to the point of blood, and having laid down your soul for the sake of chastity, you have found yourself worthy before the Lord, even more honorable than you in the person of the holy virgins. Hear us, praying to you, and like Borimia of old, you had a healer from the flesh, according to the grace given to you from God, grant to those who now resort to your intercession joy and liberation from carnal warfare, and a chaste life, and unshakable stay in marriage and virginity by your favorable ones. Try to intercede with everyone’s prayers, so that our bodies will be a temple of the Holy Spirit living in us. Oh, most chosen among wives and faithful servant of Christ! Help us, so that we do not perish with our passions and lusts, but let us be guided by our minds and strengthened in our hearts in all piety and purity, glorifying your help and intercession, the grace and mercy of the Triune God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. . Amen.
About the conversion of the lost.
Prayer to the Mother of God of St. Gabriel of Novgorod
Oh, All-Merciful Lady, Virgin, Lady Theotokos, Queen of Heaven! By Your Nativity You saved the human race from the eternal torment of the devil: for from You Christ was born, our Savior. Look with Your mercy on this (name), deprived of God’s mercy and grace, intercede with Your Mother’s boldness and Your prayers from Your Son, Christ our God, so that He may send down His grace from above on this perishing one. O Most Blessed One! You are the hope of the unreliable, You are the salvation of the desperate, may the enemy not rejoice over his soul!
Prayers for hunger.
Prayer for hunger(opened in 1915 in Moscow to one ascetic. With this prayer, Bishop Afanasy (Sakharov) went through all the prisons and camps, observing fast everywhere)
In the flesh, an angel, the foundation of the prophets, the second forerunner of the coming of Christ, the glorious Elijah, who received food from the angel and nourished the widow in times of famine, and be a gracious nourisher for us who honor you.
Saint Spyridon, Trimifuntsky Wonderworker
At the First Council, you appeared as a champion and wonderworker, God-bearing Spyridon, Our Father. In the same way, you cried out to the dead in the tomb, and you turned the serpent into gold, and you always sang holy prayers to you, You had angels co-serving with you, most sacred one. Glory to Him who gave you strength, glory to Him who crowned you, glory to Him who heals you all.
Having been wounded by the love of Christ, O most sacred one, having fixed your mind on the dawn of the Spirit, with your active vision you have found, more pleasing to God, the Divine altar, asking for the Divine radiance to all.
O blessed Saint Spyridon! Beg the mercy of God, the Lover of Mankind, not to judge us for our iniquities, but to deal with us according to His mercy. Ask us, God's servants (names), from Christ and our God for a peaceful and serene life, mental and physical health. Deliver us from all spiritual and physical troubles, from all yearnings and the devil’s slander. Remember us at the throne of the Almighty and beg the Lord to grant us forgiveness for many of our sins, grant us a comfortable and peaceful life, and grant us a shameless and peaceful death and eternal bliss in the future, so that we may continually send glory and thanksgiving to the Father and the Son and the Spirit Holy, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Holy Hieromartyr Charalampios
With your prayers to the Lord, free those who faithfully resort to you from evil, troubles, and misfortunes, and deliver the snares of the enemy, O great passion-bearer Haralampye.
Like a martyr and confessor, Christ crowned you with a double crown, magnifying countless miracles on earth, but like the grace of the Lord showing us, faithfully grant peace to those who come running to you, help in adversity and severe troubles, most holy Charalampos.
O most sacred head, good shepherd of the verbal sheep of Christ, Hieromartyr of Christ Charalampos, great intercessor for us in sorrows and troubles and in all needs! Hear us, sinful and unworthy thy servants (names), praying to you, that through your omnipotent prayers the All-Good Lord will deliver us from every evil situation, forgive all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant us the rest of the years of our life to die in keeping His commandments and repentance. Ask, servant of God, that the blessing of the Heavenly King may rest upon Russia, blessed by Him, that there may be peace in this place, health to bodies and salvation to souls. We trust in your prayers, in you, holy martyr of Christ Charalampios, to receive great mercy from the Lord forever and ever. Amen.
From drought, thunderstorm, hail.
In the flesh, an angel, the foundation of the prophets, the second forerunner of the coming of Christ, the glorious Elijah, who sent grace from above to Elisha to drive away illnesses and cleanse lepers. Likewise, he grants healing to those who worship him.
Prophet and seer of the great deeds of our God, Elijah of great name, who filled the water-flowing clouds with your broadcasts, pray for us to the One Lover of Mankind.
O holy prophet of God, Elijah, pray for us, the Lover of God, that He may give us, the servants of God (names), the spirit of repentance and contrition for our sins, and with His omnipotent grace, may He help us to leave the paths of wickedness, and to succeed in every deed of grace, and in may he strengthen us in the fight against our passions and lusts; May the spirit of humility and meekness, the spirit of brotherly love and kindness, the spirit of patience and chastity, the spirit of zeal for the glory of God and good care for the salvation of ourselves and our neighbors, implant into our hearts. Turn away from us the righteous wrath of God by your intercession, so that having lived in peace and piety in this world, we will be worthy of the communion of eternal blessings in the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to Him befits honor and worship, with His Beginning Father and the Most Holy Spirit, forever and ever. .
Blessed Procopius, Holy Fool for Christ's sake, Ustyug Wonderworker
Having been enlightened by divine grace, God-wise, and having unswervingly placed all your mind and heart from this vain world to the Creator, with chastity and much patience, in your temporary life you ended well and kept your faith immaculate. Likewise, even after death, the lightness of your life appeared: for you flow with miracles from the source inexhaustible, by faith flowing to your holy tomb, all-blessed Procopius, pray to Christ God that he may save our souls.
For Christ's sake, through the foolishness of the aerial ordeal in the arms of angels, you came inviolably, you reached the Royal Throne and from the King of all Christ God the gift of reception, the grace of healing, for with many of your miracles and a terrible sign you surprised your city Veliky Ustyug: having asked your people for mercy, the ointment from an honest image You brought away the Most Holy Theotokos through prayer and gave healing to the sick. We also pray to you, miracle worker Procopius: pray to Christ God to continually grant forgiveness of our sins.
Oh, great saint of God and miracle worker, holy blessed Procopius! We pray to you and ask you: pray for us to the all-merciful God and our Savior Jesus Christ, that He may show His mercy to us unworthy and grant us everything we need for life and piety: advancement of faith and love, increase of piety, strengthening of peace, fruitfulness of the earth, blessing of the air and good haste in all good things. Through your intercession, keep all the cities and towns of Russia unharmed from all evil. To all Orthodox Christians who prayerfully call upon you, grant to each according to their needs: healing to the sick, consolation to the grieving, help to the needy, encouragement to the discouraged, provision to the poor, charity to the orphaned. Ask us all for the spirit of repentance and fear of God, so that having ended this temporary life in a pious manner, we may be worthy to receive a good Christian death and inherit the kingdom of heaven with God’s chosen ones. Hey, righteous one of God! Do not disgrace our hope, which we humbly place on you, but be our helper and intercessor in life, in death and after our death; Yes, through your intercession we have improved our salvation, but with you we will glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and your strong intercession for us, forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for help in difficult times, in despair.
Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople
O saint, great John Chrysostom! You have received many and varied gifts from the Lord, and as a good and faithful servant, you have multiplied all the talents given to you for good: for this reason, you were truly a universal teacher, as every age and every rank learns from you. Behold, you appeared as an image of obedience to the youth, a luminary of chastity to the young, a teacher of hard work to the husband, a teacher of kindness to the old, a teacher of abstinence to the monk, an inspired leader from God to those who pray, an enlightener of the mind to those who seek wisdom, an inexhaustible source of living words to those who are kind-hearted, to those who do good. - a star of mercy, to those in command - a wise image of rule, a zealot of truth - an inspirer of boldness, a mentor of truth for the persecuted - patience: you were everything to everyone, and you saved everyone. Over all of these you have acquired love, which is the basis of perfection, and with that, as if by the power of the Divine, you have united all the gifts in your soul into one, and there you have preached the love shared and reconciling, in the interpretation of the words of the apostles to all the faithful. We are sinners, we each have our own talent, we are not imams of unity of spirit in the union of peace, but we are vainglorious, irritating each other, envious of each other: for this reason, our division, divided not into peace and salvation, but into enmity and condemnation, has turned over to us. Moreover, we fall to you, the saint of God, servants of God (names), overwhelmed by discord, and in contrition of heart we ask: with your prayers drive away from our hearts all pride and envy that divides us, so that in many places we may remain one church body without restraint, so that In the words of your prayer, let us love each other and with one mind confess the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, Consubstantial and Indivisible, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
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Orthodox informers for websites and blogs All prayers.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we too can comfort those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which God comforts us!
(2 Cor 1:3-4).
Word " mercy” in verse 3, this is a translation of the Greek word oiktirmon(initial form - oiktirmos), which contains the idea of a merciful and compassionate attitude towards other people, kindness and goodness in alleviating the suffering and needs of others.
Paul also names God in verse 3; "The God of all comfort." " Comfort» is the translation of the word parakleseos, the initial form of which, paraklesis, comes from the verb parakaleo. This word is defined as follows: “to call; invite"; “instruct; comfort".
The word "comforter", an epithet of the Holy Spirit, is the Greek word parakletos, and it also comes from the verb parakaleo. In 1 John 2:1 it is translated “Advocate” and refers to Christ helping all Christians in their need of salvation.
1 My children! I write this to you so that you will not sin; and if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous
(1 John 2:1).
The God of all comfort is the God of all help, assistance, joy and peace. Paul says in verse 4 that God comforts us in all tribulation, that is, in all calamities or misfortunes.
« Sorrow" is the translation of the Greek word thlipsei(initial form – thlipsis), which means: “pain; suffering"; "persecution"; "difficulties; trouble."
And indeed, you and I sometimes have the feeling that various problems surround us from all sides. But God delivers us. Paul says that we can even comfort others because our God is the great comforter.
Among other wonderful aspects of a Christian's life is his ability and ability to wipe the tears from the eyes of others. He can do this because God is the wonderful God of all comfort!
In the 4th century, a pious Christian woman named Cleopatra, originally from Palestine, lived in Egypt. Honoring the martyrdom of Saint Huar for Christ, she buried the body of the martyr with honor, then, when the persecution subsided, she transported him to her fatherland, where she erected a temple in his name. She had a 17-year-old son who was enlisted in military service and had already received the badges of his dignity. Cleopatra wanted him to begin military service when the temple in honor of the martyr Huar was erected. On the very day of the consecration of the temple, she prayed to Saint Uar:
“I pray to you, more passionate than Christ, ask for me from God what will be pleasing to Him and useful to me, as well as to my only son; I have no more to ask than what the Lord Himself wants; He Himself knows what is good for us, and may His good and perfect will be done over us!
...At this time, her son, while serving the guests, suddenly fell ill and went to lie down on his bed.
...At midnight the boy died, leaving his mother in inconsolable grief. Weeping, she then rushed to the temple of Saint Uar and, falling to his tomb, cried out:
“Is this how you repay me, saint of God, for the fact that I worked so hard for you?” This is the kind of help you gave me when I despised my husband for you and placed all my hope in you? You allowed my only son to die, you destroyed my hope, you took away the light of my eyes from me. Who will now feed me in my old age? Who will close my eyes after death? Who will bury my body? It would be better for me to die myself than to see my son dead, like a flower withered before its time. Give me my son, as Elisha never did to the Somanite woman (2 Kings 4), or take me from here immediately, for life has become a burden to me from my bitter sadness.
While weeping at the saint’s tomb, she fell into sleep for a short time from extreme fatigue and great sorrow. In a dream, Saint Uar appeared before her, holding her son’s hand; both of them were as bright as the sun and their clothes were whiter than snow; they wore golden belts and crowns on their heads, of indescribable beauty. Seeing them, blessed Cleopatra threw herself at their feet, but Saint Uar raised her, saying:
- Oh woman, why are you complaining about me? Have I really forgotten your services that you provided me in Egypt and during the trip? Don’t I always listen to your prayers and pray to God for you? And first of all, I prayed to God for your relatives, with whom you laid me in the tomb, so that their sins would be forgiven. Then I took your son to serve the Heavenly King. Didn’t you yourself ask me here to ask God for you what is pleasing to Him and useful to you and your son? So I asked the All-Good God, and He deigned, out of His ineffable goodness, for your son to be accepted into His heavenly army; and now your son, as you see, has now become one of those who stand before the throne of God. If you want, take him back and send him to the service of the earthly and temporary king; I see that you do not want him to serve the Heavenly and Eternal King.
The youth hugged him and said:
- No, my lord! Do not listen to my mother - do not give me into a world full of untruth and all kinds of lawlessness, from where I was saved thanks to your intercession; do not deprive me, father, of communication with you and with the saints.
Then, turning to his mother, he said:
- Why are you crying so much, my mother? I am numbered among the army of the King - Christ, and I have been given the right to stand before Him in heaven along with the angels, and now you ask to take me out of the kingdom into humiliation.
Blessed Cleopatra, seeing that her son was invested with the rank of angel, said:
- Take me with you, so that I can be with you. But Saint Uar answered:
– And here, on earth, while remaining, you are still with us; Go in peace, and then, when the Lord commands, we will come to take you.
After these words, both became invisible. She, having come to her senses, felt indescribable joy and joy in her heart and told the priests about her vision; together with them she honorably buried at the tomb of Saint Uar and her son, no longer crying, but rejoicing in the Lord. After this, she distributed her property to the needy, while she herself, having renounced the world, lived at the church of St. War, serving God day and night in fasting and prayer. Every week on Sundays, Saint Uar and her son appeared to her in a brilliant radiance during prayer. After spending seven years in such labors, blessed Cleopatra reposed, pleasing God. Her body was laid in the church of Saint Uar, near the son of her body, John, but her holy soul, together with Saint Uar and John, stands in joy in heaven to God, to Him be glory forever and ever, amen.”
(The suffering of the holy martyr Huar and with him seven Christian teachers and the memory of blessed Cleopatra and her son John)
SENIOR CONSOLS IN THE LOSS OF LOVED ONES
Letters from Rev. Macarius of Optina
To a husband grieving the loss of his wife
Most Honorable in the Lord N. N. Before receiving your letter, I was notified of the death of your wife, I heartily regretted her and her crying, distressed sister.
Then I received your letter, in which you express the sorrow of your heart over the deprivation of your wife and recognize yourself guilty before her, imagine her merits and say that during her life they could not give a price to them. All this sensitively affects your heart and leads to repentance for the past before God and before her. Regretting the deceased, who has passed away in the prime of her life, and you, who are grieving for her, for your guilt before her and for the little ones who have lost their tender mother, I will tell you about her. Apparently, it was the will of God that her temporary life should now cease and she should pass on to an endless life. I believe that the Lord will grant her eternal bliss: she was a good Christian and in the faith and hope of Eternal Life, with the guidance of the Holy Mysteries, she left here. Church prayers and memories of her during the Bloodless Sacrifice contribute to receiving God's mercy.
I advise you not to indulge in bleak sadness about being deprived of her, but to dissolve your sadness with the hope that she will be worthy of a blessed life; and to repent of your sins before God, with a feeling of a contrite and humble heart and with a firm intention, with God’s help, not to return to the same sins in the future and to live piously, as the Lord commands and the Church conveys His teaching to us. Believe that the Lord will accept your repentance and true offer and give peace to your conscience; and when you are established in good conduct and virtue, then atone for your guilt before your deceased wife, for in this way her spirit will calm down and rejoice according to the word of God, as it is known that in heaven there will be more joy over one sinner who repents (Luke 15: 7 ). The angels and souls of the righteous rejoice over the conversion of the sinner. Through this you will get rid of the punishment of God that frightens you, as you write.
Try, with the assistance of God, to preserve and raise your remaining children in Christian piety, according to the teachings of our Orthodox Church, as a guarantee of the love of your wife. You will also repay the debt to your wife.
Pray for the repose of her soul and give alms to those in need of help. All this will be a joy to the soul of your wife.
Due to the strength of my feeble-mindedness, I offered you advice to console you in grief and calm your conscience. I pray to the Lord that He will give you the feeling to accept this spiritual healing and may He send your soul consolation in your sorrow.
A mother grieving the loss of her little children
Most Honorable in the Lord N. N. You describe your grief and grief over the deprivation of your children and, through the outpouring of your feelings of my badness, you are looking for consolation and strengthening, as well as admonition, in anticipation of seeing you someday in eternity with your infant children.
You, of course, are firmly convinced that our entry and departure, life and death are in the will of God. God created us, preserves us in life, and, at the time predetermined (according to His foreknowledge) for each one, carries us into eternity. And so we are: Even if we live, even if we die, we are the Lord’s (Rom. 14:8).
Our life here, no matter how long it is, but everything ends in death, but our existence does not end with it, but with death we only pass into eternity, which has no end.
With God, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. It pleased His will to remove your children from this vale of deplorable and sorrowful life at a very young age, while they had not yet experienced either the sweets or sorrows of life and had not stained their souls with sinful filth. Is it not God's love for them that they will enjoy eternal bliss? The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God and no torment will touch them (Wisdom 3:1).
The destinies of God are inscrutable to us. The Apostle Paul exclaimed: Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and understanding of God! Who understands the mind of the Lord? Or who will be His adviser? (Rom. 11:33). Should we test: how, why and for what purpose did God remove them from here in infancy? Although we hoped to see them as good-natured, useful to society and to have comfort from them, who could convince us of this? We often see that our hopes are not justified, and many, instead of consolation, receive great grief and sorrow through their children, and, of course, this serves as punishment for parents. But you have not experienced anything like that, except grief over their deprivation due to your weakness and cowardice. When you resort to faith and hope, you will find joyful consolation in the thought that they will receive eternal bliss and will no longer be subject to changes in life and stumbling. The Holy Scripture says: For the zeal of evil darkens the good, and the soaring of lust darkens the mind of the gentle (Wisdom 4:12), and therefore the Lord accepted your children to Himself, lest malice change their minds or flattery deceive their souls (Wisdom 4:11 ). God knows everything, even what we have not done, and therefore turn to thanksgiving to the Lord that He accepted, “for an honorable gift,” your fruit to Himself for eternal enjoyment. Read in the life of the martyr Uar how one mother, who had lost her only begotten son, received consolation from a vision of the martyr; and you will be comforted by everything described above, by faith, not by sight, and when you give thanks, you will receive from the Lord relief from your sorrow and spiritual consolation. Do you want to know how to earn a date in eternity? We should not only worry about this, but in order to be worthy of the sight of God there; then we will all be united there in love in the love of God. And how to achieve this for every Orthodox Christian, the word of God teaches us and Orthodox Church: by fulfilling the commandments of God and relying not on our own merits, but on the merits of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave us Eternal Life through the Cross and His suffering. He spoke with His most pure lips: He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me, and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will appear to him Myself (John 14:21).
Having compassion for you in your sorrow as much as I could, I wrote for your strengthening and consolation, but only God is able to strengthen and comfort you, and so cry out to Him: I will pour out my prayer before Him, I will declare my sorrow before Him (Ps. 141: 2); From the end of the earth I cried to Hebe, my heart was always depressed (Ps. 61:3) and other verbs read in the Psalter.
To a father grieving the loss of his son
Most Reverend N.N. in the Lord, I have received your venerable writing, informing you of God’s visit to you and the sadness of the death of your loving son. I sincerely sympathize and sympathize with you in your grief and fully appreciate the sorrow of your heart, due to human weakness and the sadness akin to it. Having lost something so close to my heart and loving person, one cannot help but feel and not be heartbroken, and one must repay the debt to the beloved object with condolences, but not indulge in inconsolable lamentation and sorrow. But since you are a true Christian, seek consolation for your suffering spirit in our sacred faith, in trust in the goodness of God and His immeasurable love for us sinners, and in devotion to His Holy will in all things. For unbelievers, pure joy does not bloom in home life, for whoever dies for his heart dies forever; from distant eternity no ray of hope and consolation shines upon him; his joys are momentary and his sorrows are bleak. When we only in this short-term life place hope and tea for consolation only from this world and from our relatives and friends, without despising with the eyes of faith in a future eternity, then, of course, with changes in fate and deprivation of our neighbors, we lose heart and do not find consolation. But a Christian, convinced and confident in the actions of God’s Providence, submits to His Holy will, which arranges everything for the benefit, and knows that in this vale he is a wanderer going to his Fatherland, escorting relatives and friends departing from here to the one appointed for them by Creative wisdom the end of the wandering, and hopes to one day unite with them in blissful eternity, by the grace of our God. And this very thing quenches the sadness of separation from people close to our hearts. To this end, the holy Apostle Paul strengthens us with his teaching in his letter to Thessalonians: I do not want you, brothers, not to know about the dead, so that you do not grieve, as others do who have no hope. If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so God will bring those who died in Jesus with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14), that is, those who died will be resurrected in the hope of Eternal Life. Accept this reasoning as a consolation for your sadness and hope that your dear son has been awarded the guidance of the Christian Sacraments to a blessed eternity; If it upsets you that he left here in middle age, then this, according to the wise and unknown destinies of God, was arranged in the Holy Scripture: He was caught up quickly, lest malice change his mind, or flattery deceive his soul. The zeal of evil is darkened by a good one, and the soaring of lust changes the mind of a gentle one. Having died in time, fulfill his duty: for his soul was pleasing to the Lord (Wis. 4: 11 - 14).
Rely on the mercy of our Creator, show submission to His Holy will and be comforted by the hope that your dear son, through temporary death, came to Eternal Life, where we too will one day be called. You repay him the debt of your parental love - by caring for the remembrance of his soul, by church prayers and alms; and this should console you with the hope of God’s mercy that the Lord grants him such a commemoration, this is his best legacy here, passing with him into the future, and in our monastery, from the receipt of your letter, his name is remembered for his repose, during the liturgy, at proskomedia and at litanies, at memorial services and at psalter readings, may the Lord rest his soul in the Kingdom of Heaven and create eternal memory for him.
I wish that the most merciful Lord will give you consolation in your sadness and grant peace, health and prosperity to you and your entire family.
To a father grieving the loss of his son who committed suicide
It was with a sad feeling that I received the news of the unfortunate death of your son, and then I was notified of this by your letter. In your grief, I sympathize with you: of course, it is great: to lose your son by such an unexpected and terrible death!.. But this is now irreversible, you must seek consolation from God. He is able to give it to you. Also, about his future fate, unknown and incomprehensible to us, surrender to the will of God, as He pleases and judge, for judgment about the future is not in our power: since the Father no longer judges anyone, but the Son has given all judgment (John 5 : 22), - then what is our judgment?
One can say about his letter written to you that it is very sensitive, but also desperate. What unbearable shame could have met him? This is puzzling. Is it really the one who called him a monk? - This is completely insignificant, but there was something else weighing on his heart. Ardent character and pride were the reason for this act. How disgusting this passion is to God, why one should resist it with all one’s might with godly humility, but, unfortunately, people care little about it, and understand it little. I cannot completely give you consolation; seek it, as I said above, from the Lord. When you indulge in useless sadness and lamentation, you will not help him, but will do great harm to yourself. Human life is full of sorrows, and we must enter the Kingdom of Heaven through many sorrows. Read the history of ancient centuries, you will find that great men and heroes, rulers of kingdoms and rulers of nations were not alien to the sorrows that the all-wise Providence of God sends to everyone, either by good will or by permission, testing faith, or punishing for sins. Even primordial man saw in his children the fratricide of Cain and the death of the first Abel, which added to his first sorrow another inexpressible sorrow. I will pass over the others in silence, I will only mention the pious and holy king and prophet David, what sorrows he bore through his children; read his story and imagine that you are no better than them and, according to the fate of God unknown to us, you fell into such a temptation. If you endure it with humility, presenting your sins, then God will most likely send you consolation, but if you accept it with cowardice, then you will increase and burden your own sorrow. So, hand over this case to the unknown destinies of God and His merciful judgment. I wish you and your entire family peace, health and salvation, and consolation in sorrow.
To a father grieving the loss of his son in an accident
It was with spiritual sorrow that I read your letter about the deprivation of your young son by sudden death from a pediment that fell on him. Great is the sorrow in your parental hearts, but you increase it even more by your bewilderment: did this happen by the will of God or because of your carelessness. And this kills you and breaks your hearts. Ask for my reasoning on this: how should you look at this event so as not to increase the burden of sin for this. We, discussing this sad and painful adventure, cannot say that it could have happened without the permission of the will of God; if, according to the word of the Lord, the power of your head does not perish without the will of God (Luke 21:18), then can such a thing happen without His will? The reason for this is not your carelessness, for you could not always follow his childhood games and actions. And these are immediate cases; you could not in any way turn him away, especially since the other children who were with him remained unharmed, and only he alone fell to the mortal fate. We must believe that Your righteousness is like the mountains of God, Your destinies are many in the depths (Ps. 35:7). God's providence extends to everyone; but who can comprehend His destiny? Who understands the mind of the Lord? Or who will be His adviser? (Rom. 11:34) - writes the Apostle Paul. Your son is accepted into eternity, and in such a compassionate way will undoubtedly inherit bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven; and this is by God’s mercy towards him and by His foreknowledge. We don’t know what would have befallen him during the course of his life, and perhaps it would have been even more painful for you to see him at that age in some sad and unhappy situation, which I have heard from many: “It would be better if he were in He died at a young age, it wouldn’t be so sad to see”; but God knows everything. And He sees what we have not done as real. You, having recently been in the Lavra of St. Sergius, the saint of God, to whom your son was named after, and faithfully entrusted the protection and intercession of this saint to your son, had concern not only for his prosperity, but also for eternal salvation; and now his salvation is certain. Read in the life of the martyr Huar how one famous wife, Cleopatra, built a temple and placed the relics of the martyr Huar in it, entrusting him with her only son to keep him in prosperity; but her son fell ill on the very day of the consecration of the temple and died. Out of great sadness, she grumbled at the martyr for not saving her son, and in this sadness she fell asleep and saw the martyr Uar holding her son in great glory, asking her: is she satisfied with what he arranged for her son? She woke up, believed this, received consolation and stopped grieving. So I advise you, leaving this case to the will of God, to satisfy your sorrow with the hope of his bliss in the future life.
To a father grieving the loss of his daughter
Accept the sorrow that has visited you at the death of your dear daughter as sent from the hand of God with childlike humility.
Humbly submit to the will of God, which arranges everything for the good. Seek consolation in our holy faith: each and every one of us is destined by God to remain in this world in order to acquire the future endless age, no matter how long our life here is, no one will pass the end. Therefore, she did not die, but passed on to another, perfect life.
For them, that is, for unbelievers, he who dies dies forever, and their sorrows are joyless; for them no ray of hope shines from distant eternity; but for us who believe, there is hope of the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come. The fact that she died at a young age means that she not only lost nothing, but also escaped many of the vicissitudes and sorrows of this age. The Holy Scripture speaks of those who pass away in their youth: He was loved... he was put to death: he was caught up... lest malice change his mind, or flattery deceive his soul. The zeal of evil is darkened by a good one, and the soaring of lust changes the mind of a gentle one. Having died in time, fulfill his duty: for his soul was pleasing to the Lord (Wis. 4: 10 - 14); and all these are works of God’s providence: He knows everything that could happen to us, but we know nothing and do not understand anything, and therefore we grieve, not knowing God’s providence for us. Pray to God for the repose of her soul. This will be comforting to you and to her; May the Lord rest her soul in the Kingdom of Heaven, and may He give you peace, health and salvation.
To a father grieving the loss of his baby
You have taken very seriously the death of your four-year-old baby and are deeply saddened both about her and the fact that she did not partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ before her death; attribute this to your negligence. I am sorry for you that you are so cowardly about this incident. Of course, one cannot help but regret losing a child and remembering her illness and hardships, but this is human weakness and infirmity. You, a believing Christian, must seek consolation in faith and trust in the incomprehensible Providence of God and His love for man. Are we really created only for this life? And how short it is and filled with all kinds of sorrows, sufferings, temptations and falls, the future age has no end. God, who leads our undeeds into the future, has now deigned to accept to Himself the young infant soul of your daughter into eternal pleasure and peace, and she has been delivered from all the local worries and sorrows that could have met her on the path of life. Do not worry about the fact that she did not receive Holy Communion before her death; but, of course, you recently partook of this Divine meal, and this did not happen because of your negligence, but because you did not count on such a quick transition to eternity; Yes, she is a small baby, and the Church does not pray for forgiveness of the sins of infants, but: “Rest, O Lord, the soul of the baby N. N. in the Kingdom of Heaven.” So, rest in the fact that it was the will of God that she should now move into eternity and that there, by the goodness of God, she enjoys eternal bliss. And put aside any embarrassment, as if you contained in your thoughts blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This is the action of the enemy, not your thought; the enemy does not want goodness and peace, but outrages by various means; you do not obey him in embarrassment and do not attribute the guilt of this thought to yourself. I know how embarrassed you are by many incidents that mean nothing; I talked to you a lot about this and about the reason why it happens.
Besides, about the same thing
Your letter repeats the recollection of incidents that occurred during the illness and death of your little one; and thereby upset yourself and cause grief to your wife and children. There is no doubt about the future fate of your child; he will inherit eternal bliss. You need to believe and hope and reassure yourself with this. Let spiritual love prevail over natural, carnal love. You loved her, that’s why you regret that she is not with you, but has moved into eternity. But God loves her more than you, calling her at a young age into the face of other babies, rejoicing and enjoying eternal bliss. Do you know what could meet her in life, and especially in these fierce and difficult times? Who will avoid sorrows and illnesses? and the reasons for these - sins? But she escaped all this and is now there, “where there is no illness, no sorrow, no sighing, but endless life.” With all your love for her and, let’s say, prudence, could you arrange a happy, painless and sorrowless life for her here? May the will of God be in everything and over all of us, and our task is submission to His will. Forefather Abraham willingly sacrificed his only son, the promised one, to God, at His command. But the Lord gave you many, but took away only one; give thanks above all to God and do not lament with immeasurable sorrow. You mention a case when you read a bedtime prayer to those coming over her, and when it was necessary to turn her sick woman over and you did not dare to leave the prayer, but wanted notice of the confusion of your thoughts. You expected it in vain. You know that in many cases you have confusion and this is your mental illness; You can’t look for notice; in your confusion it’s impossible to make out it. In the same answer of Saint Barsanuphius it is said: “When someone resists embarrassment, then one should not at all consider the matter harmful, but consider it.” You are talking about death that is known now, but not before: Saint Theognostus writes about this in the “Enraptured Classes.” What kind of notice is this? That is, about our future afterlife, but not before death, which is the most humble way. It seems that this applies more to those who are silent and near perfection, but we need to think about ourselves more humbly.
To a son grieving the loss of his old mother
On January 20, a letter reached my hands, announcing the sad news - the death of your most venerable mother, and my grandmother... Glory to the merciful Lord, who vouchsafed her to reach death at such an advanced age and to enter into it in white robes of sincere repentance, confession of her sins, bearing herself the seal of the Holy Blessing of Unction and having received Christ into herself through the Communion of His Holy and Life-giving Mysteries. I thank you for the details of her death: for they unanimously reassure me of her eternal well-being. Thank you for not hiding the feelings of your sorrowful heart from me, for I love to grieve with the saddened; all possible compassion is that indispensable duty that I owe to your love, which found me in this remote, silent and unknown corner.
Having lost a person, we give him the real price, dear uncle, maybe we increase it. With my conception, the law of destruction was already written within me; Death imposed its formidable mark on each newly formed member, saying: “He is mine.” The chain of my days is a chain of greater or lesser suffering: every new day of my life is a new step that brings me closer to incorruption. Illnesses come, and the trembling heart asks whether they are harbingers only of my death, or has the power already been given to you to separate the body from the soul, through a sad and terrible separation? Sometimes my mental eye, distracted by vanity, revives the contemplation of my sad fate; but as soon as any sudden sorrowful adventure occurs, the fire quickly flows to my favorite teaching, like a baby to its mother’s breasts - to the teaching about death; for true consolation is hidden in true sorrow, and a prudent remembrance of death dissolves mortal bonds!
You, of Whom we are creatures of ineffable goodness, tell us why you have dissolved our life with sorrows? Is Your mercy not touched by our suffering? Why do you give me existence and then compensate it with a painful death? I do not delight, says God, in your illnesses, O man! But from the seed of your sorrows and your sorrows I wish to grow for you the fruits of eternal and greatest pleasure. It was not in your only body that I imprinted the law of death and destruction, I imprinted it in every object of this visible world. I commanded the whole world to cry out to you, along with your body, that this life is not a true and real life, that there is nothing permanent in this world to which your heart could become attached with a non-blameable love! When you do not heed the loud voice of the entire universe, then My fatherly compassion, constantly desiring unlimited benefits for you, forces Me to raise the rod of punishment; Then I torment you with temptations, exhaust you with illnesses, threats, sorrows, so that you, leaving madness, become wise, leaving the shadows behind which you are chasing, fall at the feet of truth and together at the feet of salvation. My ineffable goodness and unimaginable love for mankind forced Me to take on flesh; By my humiliation I delivered to the human race the greatness of the Divine (see: John 14:9). Having endured the Cross for the sake of human salvation, whomever I want to attract to Myself, I first strike him with sorrows and arrows of sorrows, I kill his heart for temporary sweets. The rod of punishment is the banner of My love for man. Thus, I once wounded the heart of My servant David with suffering, and when a stream of temptations separated him from the world, then some terrible reflection, some extraordinary calculation appeared in his mind and occupied it.
I thought,” he writes, “I remembered the first days, and remembered the eternal summer, and learned (Ps. 77:6), that is, I looked at the passing days of my life, and they seemed to me like an instant dream, a quickly disappeared phenomenon, a dead life! Then I remembered eternity and began to compare it with the brevity of my past life and, comparing the infinite with the shortest temporal, I deduced the result; what is this result? After all, a person walks, but he fusses in vain (Ps. 39: 7), that is, no matter how much a person fusses, no matter how much he worries about various temporary acquisitions, but all this is in vain: for he does not cease to be some brief appearance on earth, a guest, wanderer! Such feelings and reflections removed him from the world of passions; he began to study the Law of the Lord day and night and strive to know himself and God, like a thirsty deer at a source of cool waters. As a king, he had the opportunity of all temporary pleasures, but when he tasted the sweetness of internal blessings, then he forgot to eat his own bread (see: Ps. 102:5).
I wrote to you, uncle, my feelings, if contrary to secular reason, then at least sincere; and sincerity can be comforting in times of sadness.
Your deceased mother bequeathed to you before her death to be a good Christian; and I wish this for you with all my heart. Then death will lose its menacing appearance in your eyes and will become only some most pleasant transition from temporary sorrows to endless pleasure; she will take you to the palaces in which, as we guess with some certainty, your venerable relative now lives. The very sadness for the dead, illuminated by the light of true reason, fades away; and in its place a good hope begins to vegetate, comforting and cheering the soul. Fanaticism constrains a person's way of thinking - true faith gives him freedom; This freedom is revealed by the firmness of a person in all possible happy and unhappy cases. The sword that cuts our chains is a purified mind that sees in any case its true, hidden, mysterious cause. This goal is achieved by the one who strives towards it by examining his insignificance with a reverent request for Divine protection and help.
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The Christian death of a quiet righteous man sometimes gives immeasurably more for the salvation of his neighbors than the outwardly brilliant life of the vain celebrities of this world... The theme of this book was suggested by life. And what pushed me to write was death. If these notes bring comfort to at least one person in grief, they are already useful. For he who saves himself saves others too. This story is about how a person, left alone with an incurable disease, chooses the only true path - to God. How those who love him come to the aid of his neighbor. How God helps those who love Him. I want to talk about what pacifies and strengthens the suffering soul. Even if life seems hopeless, do not be discouraged: the Comforter is always nearby. All that remains is to call upon Him and accept Him with all your heart. Preface 1. From the author 2. What people don’t like to talk and think about 3. Modern history with an unmodern ending Chapter 1 Unexpected joy 4. Thirty years and three years 5. The selfless gift of love 6. Galina and Alexander 7. Affairs of everyday life 8. A word about alms 9. My priceless friend 10. Flowers in her life 11. Earthly love and heavenly marriage Chapter 2 Half a century in a moment of insight 12. C in atheism 13. Fashion for spirituality 14. Games over the abyss 15. The path of the lost righteous 16. Dangerous guests " The modest charm of demonism 17. Fateful consensus, or reflections between the lines 18. The moment of truth 19. A reluctant career 20. A very personal digression 21. Wisdom from the evil one 22. Is reading always useful 23. “The Great Tramway” 24. Failure as God's mercy. . 25. “A true enemy will never leave you” 26. The story of one nun 27. Illumination by grace 28. The word of the confessor Chapter 3 “Life is over - life has begun” 29. This year began with difficulty 30. At the limit 31. Help from everywhere 32. “The best from the worst” 33. The year of our anniversaries 34. The birth of an Orthodox family 35. New life in Christ 36. “Galina” means “silence” 37. Unexpected money 38. The richest 39. Last holidays 40. “Whoever is sad, go to Pochaev. . . » 41. Learn prayers by heart 42. By faith - a miracle 43. Unaccepted healing 44. The sacrament of unction 45. From illusions to truth 46. An agreement “for the last resort.” . 47. Home – with hope and faith. . 48. For advice from the elder 49. Our own and others 50. Three Lives - three faiths - three deaths 51. The fastest dumplings 52. Her “invisible abuse” 53. An island of idyll 54. Closing the topic, or an epitaph for Volodya 55. Last meetings 56 Understanding the earthly 57. Nothing is accidental 58. Indian summer is gone 59. Death is as bright as life 60. Flowers on the grave Chapter 4 Consolation in grief (responses and reflections) 61. A word at the funeral 62. This book is about salvation by love 63. Her whole life was a miracle 64. Spiritual life in Orthodoxy Always a feat 65. I remember her well 66. We have never had anything like this before 67. Humility gave her strength 68. Love was a gift from God. 69. Her bright optimism was amazing. 70. But she saved my life. 71. My life has changed since this meeting 72. From soul to soul 73. Epilogue
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Saint Luke of Crimea (Voino-Yasenetsky)
Comfort, comfort my people(Isa. 40: 1). These words of the ancient prophet Isaiah are addressed primarily to us, shepherds, for we have a duty not only to teach you, not only to show you the path of Christ, but also to comfort you, to show you heartfelt love and care. And I love you, the flock given to me by God, as the people closest to me. And don’t I know how many sorrows and tears you have? Shouldn't I be comforting you? And I will try to fulfill this on this great day of worship of the Cross of Christ.
When we teach you the way of Christ, we always instill in you that you remember His words that narrow is the gate and narrow is the way, leading to the kingdom of God (Matthew 7:14), that sorrow is the lot of all Christians.
You ask: “Do only Christians endure sorrows? Don’t the people of this world endure sorrows, misfortunes and sorrows? Don’t those who reject the path of Christ shed tears?” Yes, of course, sorrows are inevitable for them too, but there is a great difference in the value of our sorrows and tears in the eyes of God compared to the sorrows and tears of those who live without God.
They do not endure their sorrows voluntarily, but only because they cannot get rid of them, often with curses and grumbling, but we Christians must bear our sorrows in a completely different way, for the sake of the name of Christ, with great submission to the will of God, with thanksgiving God for everything that happens to us - both for the good and for the hard, and for sorrows, and for all misfortunes. We bear our sorrows voluntarily, for if we had rejected Christ, we would have been freed from most sorrows; and since we do not renounce, God will bless us for our suffering.
Worldly people try with all their might to get rid of sorrows: they drown their sorrows in wine and vodka, intoxicate themselves with tobacco and even drugs, looking for consolation, and when they don’t find it, they try to forget about sorrows: they look for entertainment, walk, dance, go to each other’s houses. the guests are talking idle talk. Let this never happen to Christians, for they must not drown out the voice of conscience, but, on the contrary, must listen sensitively to it.
People who stand higher spiritually seek oblivion of their sorrows in friendship and work. The highest thing in which relief is found is mutual love: the love of spouses, the love of parents for children and the love of children for parents, love for people worthy of love. All love is blessed, but this is the initial, lower form of love, for from it, through learning in it, we must rise to a much higher love for all people, for all the unfortunate and suffering. From it we must rise to the third degree of love - divine love, love for God Himself.
There will never be any consolation in grief for those who look for it in the wrong place. Where to look for consolation in grief? The holy prophet David speaks about this: Only in God does my soul rest(Ps. 61:2). Blessed are those who find deep consolation in fervent prayer, bursting from the heart, in spiritual communion with God. Such were the righteous people of the Old Testament, but to us Christians, the Lord gave us the deepest and highest consolation - to look at the Cross of Christ and worship Him.
Do you see the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, God incarnate, the Most Holy of Holies, the Great Righteous, the Benefactor of the human race, Whom the world has never known and will never know again? Do you see Him nailed to the Cross with iron nails? How grievously does He suffer who, with one wave of His hand, with one word of His, commanded the waves and the wind to subside; The One who, during His short life on earth, performed amazing miracles out of love and pity for people; The One who healed all diseases, who opened the eyes of the blind, who raised the paralyzed from their beds, who fed thousands of people with a few loaves, who raised the dead, is the Greatest Benefactor and Savior of the world.
From the Cross of Christ pours out an immeasurable stream of Divine love, a love that in a wondrous, mysterious way destroys anger and enmity, heals the pain and confusion of the heart, strengthens our physical and spiritual strength. On the Cross, the Redeemer of the world is tormented for our sins... This greatest Sacrifice and boundless mercy overshadow all our sorrows, no matter how many there are, no matter how severe they are.
And only by being imbued with these thoughts and feelings, looking at the Cross of Christ, will you receive the only true consolation. There are no other similar consolations, and are they really needed if we are given the Cross, which we can not only contemplate, but also kiss. And don’t we endlessly draw hope and strength from this source? The Divine Scripture, which tells about the suffering of Christ on the cross, is also filled with consolation. In all our sorrow we will invariably turn our attention to the Holy Scriptures and to the Cross of Christ.
Consider the words of the Apostle Paul: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which God comforts ourselves(II Cor. 1; 3-4). I testify with all my heart to the truth of these words, I testify from my own experience, for the Lord comforted me in my great sorrow. As the sorrows increase, the consolation of Christ will also increase.
On this holy day, the Cross of Christ is brought out and attracts everyone to itself, that is, to the One who was crucified on the Cross. With great joy we see how many people strive to see the erected Cross and hear the singing: “We bow to Your Cross, Master.” What force draws us? Why are there so many people in the temple? The invisible power of God draws us in, comforting and warming our hearts. May God Himself guide your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. Amen.
The text is based on the edition: St. Luke of Crimea (Voino-Yasenetsky). “Let us bring you our love.” Conversations during the days of Great Lent. M.: Publishing house named after St. Ignatius of Stavropol, Parish of the Church of the Holy Spirit of the Descent, 2003. P. 167-171