deliver us from evil. For He alone sows tares among the wheat; steals the word of the Lord from the hearts of men; like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour and plunge into the abyss of destruction, and, being himself a lie, he is the father of lies and a murderer from time immemorial!
Our Father! Having begged You for all this, we undoubtedly believe that the fulfillment of this is in Your sovereign power; for
Your Kingdom is everywhere: in heaven, earth and in the underworld, and You, dwelling everywhere, contain everything in Your right hand and control everything!
And Your power is the life and the end of the Worlds: “You say, and it will be; command it and it will be done! Nothing is impossible for You, and nothing can happen without Your will!
And Your glory, King of Glory, is the most perfect, before which heaven and earth bow; which the ethereal ranks sing. The apostles, prophets and saints, and hymns and magnify - all who live on earth - and which will remain
forever. True.
This holy prayer, as can be seen from the Gospel, was pronounced twice by the lips of the Savior Himself: the first time - during His talk on the mount (Matthew 6:13); and in the second, when one of His disciples, on behalf of all the others, asked Him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). After this, it would be unnecessary to say in what use and respect this prayer was held by the Apostles when, at their own request, they accepted it from the Lord Himself. But that it was also the most important and everlasting prayer in the entire primal Christian Church, this is proven by the fact that, in addition to the general instruction given by the Savior on the mountain and the example of the Apostles, who, without a doubt, did not fail to convey it to all believers, according to the testimony of all the most ancient Saints and historians, it, as the most important of all prayers, was introduced into public worship from the first times of Christianity and was pronounced only at the most solemn moments of the sacred rite. So, from the liturgy of St. Apostle.
James (Brother of God and the first Bishop of Jerusalem), we see that the believers proclaimed it only after the consecration of the gifts presented on the holy altar. Why is it that in the rite of the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great and St. John Chrysostom, which have their basis in the ancient Apostolic Liturgy (as well as in the Liturgy of the Presanctified), it is placed in the same place. The respect that the ancient Christian Churches had for this prayer can be concluded from the words of Tertullian, in the 2nd century, the Holy Martyr Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, who lived in the 3rd century. St. Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, who lived in the 4th century, etc. Tertullian, by the way, mentions one feature assigned to this prayer by the leading Christians, that after pronouncing it in the primary Church, all those who prayed had the habit of kissing each other, and with this sacred kiss, as if a real Amen, to seal all the truths contained in this prayer. At the end of the 3rd century, believers were required to read this prayer three times every day.
Blessed Theodoret and Augustine testify that this prayer, along with the symbol of faith, was obligated to teach those preparing to receive Holy Baptism, and the right to this was accompanied, as a preliminary consecration to the acceptance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, with solemn words: Accept, - they told the catechumen, - this jewel, and keep it! Accept the prayer that God Himself taught us to offer to God! And then the catechumen, having learned this prayer by heart, on the day of baptism, following the creed, pronounced it solemnly before the Face of God and all those present.
How highly this prayer was valued for its holy properties in all times of the Church of Christ, this is also proven by the names assigned to it at different times. In the ancient Church, it was called: the Lord's Prayer (Oratio Domini, Oratio herilis), as flowing from the loving heart and pure lips of the Lord Himself; then the Fatherly Prayer (Oratio paterna), as raised to God the Father from the childish hearts of believers; further: Daily prayer (Oratio quotidiana), as obligatory for a Christian in repeatedly offering it to the Heavenly Father - and finally, in the liturgical books of our Orthodox Church (where it is also required to read it several times, at each service), it is indicated by the first words of its Our Father!
By its origin, this prayer is a firm guarantee that those who turn to the Lord with it will always be heard by Him, which is confirmed by Christ’s beloved disciple, John the Theologian, saying: And this is the boldness we have towards Him, that when we ask anything according to His will, He listens to us (1 John 5:14). And therefore, this prayer is the key to the fatherly heart of God and to all the treasures of salvation, given to us by the Savior Himself!
Angelic greeting to the Virgin Mary
Slavic text
Russian translation
Virgin Mary, rejoice! Gracious 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.
Virgin Mary, rejoice! Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your birth, because you gave birth to the Savior of our souls.
Explanation
Rejoice, eternal Virgin, who gave birth to Christ! Rejoice, Mary full of grace! The Lord has chosen You: You are preferred and exalted by Him before all the wives of the world, just as the fruit of Your womb is exalted and glorified above everything, earthly and heavenly: for He who was born of You is the Savior of human souls!
The words of this prayer are taken from the greeting of Archangel Gabriel and Holy Righteous Elizabeth to the Blessed Virgin.
Guardian Angel
Slavic text
Russian translation
To the Angel of God, my holy guardian, for my observance, given from God from heaven, 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.
Angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me from heaven by God to protect (me), I earnestly ask you; enlighten my mind now, and save me from all evil; instruct me in good deeds and guide me on the path of salvation. Yes it will!
Explanation
Angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me at birth from God as mentors, patrons and leaders! You, O celestial being, know both the blessed peace of the saints in heaven and our sorrows and dangers on earth! You know that here, due to the infirmities of the body and the weaknesses of the will and mind, I can subject myself to any evil that comes from myself, from the people around me, and from the tricks of the devil, and lose the right to eternal life! And therefore, I earnestly pray to you: enlighten my mind by teaching me the truths of God; save my heart, driving out destructive passions and evil desires from it; guide me in all that is good, confirming my will to do Godly deeds, and show me the path of salvation, removing everything on it that can shake me! Cover me with the shelter of your wings and deliver me from all troubles and destruction into which my ignorance and sinful depravity can plunge me. Yes it will!
To the saint whose name you bear
Slavic text
Russian translation
Pray to God for me, Holy Servant of God (name), as I diligently resort to you, a quick helper and prayer book for my soul.
Pray to God for me, Holy Pleasant of God (name), for I diligently resort to you as a strong patron and representative with my prayers before God for the salvation of my soul.
Explanation