This book is compiled on the basis of many works of Orthodox theologians and educators, based on the patristic works, and does not contain anything “new” in relation to the interpretations, explanations and teachings accepted by the Church. Its purpose is to help the reader understand the prayers he prays at home: morning, evening, and throughout the day prayers, canons and prayers for Holy Communion, prayers of thanksgiving for Holy Communion, Sunday, afternoon, and holiday troparia. It is intended for those who pray, or at least are about to start praying, and are not looking for abstract knowledge. Therefore, it not only explains the words and expressions of prayer and the theological concepts behind them, but also offers some basic teaching on how to build your prayer life.
The combination of two goals - to explain prayers and help to pray - occurred in full for the first time, so the book differs in many ways from its predecessors.
For the first time in a book addressed to a wide circle of Orthodox readers, all the prayers of ordinary cell use are explained in full. Even the most complete pre-revolutionary manuals were guided by the shortest version of the morning and evening rules and a rather narrow range of other prayers. But we are required to say all our prayers meaningfully and consciously. It was the duty of the book’s compilers to help the novice (and non-beginner) prayer book with this.
For the first time, a book explaining prayers is, as far as possible, adapted for the active development of the prayer rule, and not just rational analysis. When we pray, we do not read the explanations of the words we encounter that we do not understand (and if we rush to read, our prayer will be destroyed); we read explanations outside the rules. But we read them so that the knowledge gleaned from the book enters the flesh, the soul of our prayer. How to achieve this? The path to this was found by the great prayer books of antiquity; it is proposed on the first pages of the book, and its entire composition, its entire structure are aimed at allowing unhindered movement along this path.
Therefore, for the first time, a “book on prayer” and an extensive collection of interpretations of specific prayers are combined under one cover.
For the first time, an attempt has also been made in explaining prayers to help the reader, who has not specifically studied and is not studying the Church Slavonic language, to move forward in its development - to notice, understand and remember some of its main features, forms, and means of expression.
And one more thing: this book does not replace either a prayer book (although it contains the texts of all the prayers explained), or a catechism, that is, an explanation of the truths of Orthodox dogma. And, of course, it does not oblige the reader to anything: for those who consider themselves far from the world of prayer, the book can serve as a good reference book or teaching aid. But it is still better to learn swimming in the water, and learning to fly in the air.
This book is the first of its kind, and imperfections are inevitable. Therefore, we ask the God-loving reader to fill our incompleteness: the most skilled in book learning and work - with advice, and everyone who reads - with a prayerful sigh for all those who worked on this book.
Sing to our God, sing; sing to our King, sing, for God is the King of all the earth; Sing everything wisely.
Ps.46:7-8
The soul is not strengthened by the variety of prayers, but by repetition and implementation of them in our thoughts and in our will, or in activity - throughout our entire life.
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt
(From the book: Invisible Warfare. Elder Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain of blessed memory. Translation from the Greek Bishop Theophan. 5th edition. M., 1912. Reprint: M., 1991. P. 194-201.)
You must pray not only with words, but also with your mind, and not only with your mind, but also with your heart, so that your mind clearly sees and understands what is being said in words, and let your heart feel what your mind is thinking at the same time. All this together is real prayer, and if your prayer lacks any of this, then it is either an imperfect prayer or not a prayer at all...
How to learn such prayer? Here is your answer: learn to always pray in this way, that is, not only in words, but also with your mind and heart - and you will learn. How did you learn to read? I started working on it and learned. How did you learn to write? I started writing and learned. So you will learn to pray, as shown, if you begin to pray in this way.
You know the words of the prayer, of course. They are contained in our prayer books and church service books. They are outpourings of prayer poured out from the hearts of holy men and women when, moved by the Spirit of God, they expressed the desires of their hearts before God. They contain a spirit of prayer; You will be filled with the same spirit if you read them as you should, just as the spirit of some writer is communicated to those who read him with full attention. Everyone experiences this; I think you too have experienced...
So, have a prayer book and at certain times for prayer, usually in the morning and evening, read the prayers there, delving into every word, thinking as it is stated there, and trying to reproduce the same feelings in your heart that move in the prayer you read. That's all the wisdom! That's what everyone usually does.
That’s what everyone usually does, it’s true, you’ll say. - But why doesn’t everyone have the right prayer?
Because they do this, they do it, that is, they take a prayer book, stand in front of the icons and read, but they don’t put their mind and heart here: the mind wanders not knowing where, and the heart delights in its own interests, not in prayer. And you, while praying, enclose your mind in the words of prayer, and perceive with your heart what they say - and you will immediately feel the fruit of such prayer.
So, you have prayer words, what it means to understand and feel them - you know, and this is in your power. Therefore, prayer and success in it are in your hands. Work relentlessly and you will achieve success. I will, however, offer something as a guide to the surest success.
1. Try, not during prayer time, but at other free times, to think about and feel the prescribed prayers. Having done this, during prayer you will not encounter any difficulty in reproducing in yourself the content of the prayer being read; Even as soon as you begin a prayer, its thoughts and feelings will appear to your consciousness, and you will pronounce the prayer word as if it were your own and came from your heart, being generated in it, and not being put into it.
2. Try to think and feel the prayers and memorize them. Having done this, you will carry prayers within you. While they are in the prayer book, they are outside of you, and when you memorize them, they will become inside you, and you, no matter what the circumstances, will always have your prayer book with you. In addition, by memorizing prayers, you will more deeply imprint prayer thoughts and feelings in yourself than by simply discussing them and feeling them. From such study, a prayerful structure will be formed in you, if you not only memorize the words, but also be in the thoughts and feelings that are contained in prayer. And this is the best path to success in the skill of worthy prayer.
3. When the time comes for prayer, do not immediately, as soon as you break away from your usual affairs, begin to pray, but prepare in advance for this: “stay in silence for a little while until your feelings calm down,” as the prayer book teaches you, and remember what you are about to do and what you have to do, who you are who is starting to pray - and who is the One before whom you will say your prayers, and what exactly you must say it and how. Such preparation is made necessary in the morning - the relaxation of the soul from falling into sleep and the attack of worries about the upcoming affairs of the day, immediately upon awakening, and in the evening - the diverse impressions of the day, and especially cases of outstanding and amazing, pleasant and unpleasant. Try to get everything out of your consciousness so that the matter of prayer then takes up all your attention and you can devote the upcoming time to it alone. Amazing cases, if you don’t have time to deal with them, turn them into the subject of prayer: either thanksgiving, or asking for help and deliverance, or surrendering them and yourself and everything you have to the will of God.
4. Before the very beginning of prayer, place yourself in the presence of God to the consciousness and feeling of Him with reverent fear, and raise in your heart a living faith that God sees and hears you, that He does not turn away from those who pray, but looks at them with favor - and at you at this hour of prayer, and be inspired by the hope that He is ready to fulfill and will actually fulfill your request, if it is spiritually beneficial for you.
5. Having set yourself up in this way, say your prayers, deeply delving into them and taking every possible care that they come from your heart as your own, although they are memorized. Do not allow your attention to deviate and your thoughts to fly to the side. As soon as you realize that this has happened, return your thoughts inside and begin your prayers again from the point from which your attention deviated to something else.
Notice that attention does not dissipate when the heart is in prayerful feelings. Therefore, take care of these feelings most of all. Do not allow yourself to rush into prayer, but carry it all out reverently, as a sacred task, and bring it to the end with patience.
6. If, in the midst of prayer in such a mood and order, some subject of prayer especially falls on your heart, captivates your attention as if close to you by circumstances, and evokes in you your own word of prayer, do not let this opportunity pass by, but stop in it and pray with your word until the prayerful feeling or need that has arisen is satisfied.
7. If you take the trouble to pray in this way, you will take away from it a prayerful mood, which you take care to keep as strong as possible. To do this, do not immediately rush into ordinary affairs and never think that, having completed your prayer rule, you have finished everything in relation to God and that you can now give free rein to your thoughts and feelings. No, you should try to behave the same way throughout the day as you followed the prayer rule. To support this, do not forget that you walk with God and are held by His right hand over the abyss of non-existence - and, keeping this in mind, do every thing you do, both big and small, as God wants, ask Him for all blessings and turn everything to the glory of His name. By doing this, you will reach your evening prayer in a good prayerful mood. Having completed the evening rule in the same way, you will sleep well at night. And now you have a day of good prayer mood!
Spend this day after day - and in a few months, and maybe even weeks, you will become a strong prayer book, and prayer, like an unquenchable lamp, will begin to constantly glow in your heart.
8. I’ll add one more rule: namely, the continuity of such prayerful work, from its beginning to success in it... If now you pray well and maintain yourself in a prayerful mood, and tomorrow you give yourself free rein and spend the day dissolutely, then acting like this, you will never succeed in prayer. It will be the same as building and destroying... And you can get to the point where prayer completely dies out and the soul becomes useless for it. Having begun, one must patiently remain in prayer, without weakening and without giving oneself concessions and liberties.
To someone who does not pray with attention, but is distracted in prayer, the psalm seems to him to be in a foreign language, and to the psalm he himself becomes like a foreign language. The demons make a mockery of this.
Elijah the Elder (Philokalia, vol. 3)
The prayers that the Church offers to her children for constant use contain the fullness of Orthodox theology; their language is far from our everyday language, and to many this seems an insurmountable obstacle. Prayers must be perceived with the whole being, with the whole life - and with the whole mind... how many of us are ready for this?
The main thing, of course, is the prayerful aspiration of the heart to God, Who Himself can guide us into all truth (John 16:13). When asking God in prayer for our urgent physical and spiritual needs, shouldn’t we also ask for the main treasure of a Christian, for the main and most grace-filled spiritual activity - prayer, repeating after the Savior’s disciples: Lord! Teach us to pray (Luke 11:1)?
The main and most powerful means for entering the world of prayer is participation in worship and the experience of praying together in church. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, clearly operates in the Church, introducing words of prayer into our minds and hearts and making us feel all their power.
“We must attend church services with attention and feeling,” writes St. Theophan the Recluse. “Listen, understand and feel what is sung and read, and this is mental prayer.” “There is no better way to discover heartfelt prayer than to be in church, at church services,” he writes in another letter. — There is a prayerful spirit in church services. Anyone who sits through the service with attention to everything read and sung cannot help but warm up in a prayerful mood. If this is the case today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and so on, then the prayer fire will finally light up in the heart. But when God gives it, then you will run to church, as if to a royal feast, and nothing will stop you, just try to listen to church singing and readings, and nothing will happen without attention.”
Listening in the church and reading the Holy Scriptures at home is very important. The Word of God has enormous spiritual power, it is capable of penetrating the whole person and changing his entire being, it has great teaching power. In addition, all divine services, all our Orthodox prayers were born from the Holy Scriptures, without which they cannot be understood and assimilated. The God-inspired Fathers of the Church bequeathed to us the rule of daily reading of the Holy Scriptures, and we must try with all our might to follow this rule. It is best if you manage to read a chapter from the Gospel and from the Apostle (the Acts of the Holy Apostles and the Epistles of the Apostles) every day, but even a few verses of the Gospel, even one verse a day gives a lot to the soul. Reading the Gospel and the Apostle helps us enter the world of prayers composed by people who lived and breathed the Holy Scriptures.
“So, everyone, teach yourself and instill in the truths of the word of Christ, and it will dwell in you,” writes St. Theophan the Recluse. - For this, read, reflect, memorize, love and then put it into practice. This last is the limit of self-education. While this is not the case, it cannot be said of anyone that he has taught himself, although he knows the word of Christ by heart and reasons well.”
The next most important role belongs to the reading of books: patristic works, including interpretations of the Holy Scriptures and prayers, as well as books that specifically explain the words and expressions of prayers. Here we have tried to give the most complete set of explanations of the prayers of the cell rule, and at the end of the book we provide a list of some patristic works on prayer.
The Holy Fathers give us advice on how to combine active prayer with studying from a book.
“When you see that you are beginning to weaken in prayer, take a book and, listening to what you read, assimilate the meaning of it; do not skim over the words as if in passing, but, examining them with reasoning (searching for the meaning), put what you know into your mind, as if into a treasury. Then begin to reason about what you read, so that your heart is pleased with its understanding and what you read remains unforgettable. From this, warmth will kindle within you when you think about divine things, as St. David says: a fire will flare up in my teaching (Ps. 39:4). Just as food delights the taste when it is chewed well with the teeth, so Divine words nourish the mind and cheer the heart when they are circulated in the soul by reasoning. “How sweet,” says the same prophet, “is Your word to my throat” (Ps. 119:103). Also memorize the words of the Gospel and the sayings of the holy blessed fathers, and study their lives, so that you can have all this as an object of reflection throughout the nights.”
Blessed Theoliptus, Metropolitan of Philadelphia (Philokalia, vol. 5.)
Following this patristic teaching, it is good to establish the custom after the morning or before the evening prayer rule (or, if it is more convenient, at a special time of the day allotted for this) to read the explanations for one (and better - no more) prayer from the prayer book.
Although this book contains the complete texts of all the prayers explained, you should not pray according to it, but according to the “real” prayer book. It would be nice to have bookmarks both in the prayer book and in this book for regular study (the most convenient, perhaps, is one in the likeness of those that are widely used in church for liturgical books: a durable and beautiful ribbon that serves as a bookmark in two places of the book at once).
The book contains the full texts of the prayers, canons and chants in question, printed in ordinary “Russian” font, with accents marked. Words that need explanation are marked with a digital footnote; If possible, brief explanations of the words follow immediately after the text of this prayer book without a footnote. Then more extensive explanations or additions of two kinds may follow, marked with appropriate icons.
+ Following this sign are explanations and additions of a substantive nature, most often theological.
* This sign (occasionally it appears in the main explanations of individual words, in brackets) is followed by comments related to the features of the language.
Us. 316-325 we give a kind of guide to the Church Slavonic language, and on p. 326-359 - dictionary. Explanations directly during prayers are structured in such a way as to constantly draw the reader’s attention to the characteristic features of the Church Slavonic language and deepen the understanding of it.
To spend the entire day completely holy, peacefully and sinlessly, the only means for this is the most sincere, fervent prayer in the morning after rising from sleep. She will introduce Christ with the Father and the Holy Spirit into the heart and thus give strength and strength to the soul against the attacks of evil; You just need to guard your heart.
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt
Hands and feet at work, and thoughts with God - this is a correctly aspiring person. The internal needs to be adjusted in the morning - as soon as your eyes open. Keep it all day, warm it up in the evening, and go to sleep.
Saint Theophan the Recluse
Rising from sleep, first of all other things, stand reverently, presenting yourself before the All-Seeing God, and, having made the sign of the cross, say:
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Amen – truly, truly, so be it (Hebrew).
+ With the first words of our morning prayer, we invoke the Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and we dedicate all our prayers to Him, His name.
“We must learn to behave in the presence of the invisible Lord as we would in the presence of the Lord who has become visible to us.
First of all, this presupposes a certain state of mind, which is reflected in the state of the body. If Christ were here before us, and we stood completely transparent, mind and body, to His gaze, then we would experience reverence, fear of God, love, maybe even horror, but we would not behave as freely as we usually do. The modern world has largely lost the spirit of prayer, and body discipline has become something of secondary importance for people, although it is far from secondary. We forget that we are not a soul living in a body, but a person consisting of body and soul, and that, according to the Apostle Paul, we are called to glorify God in our bodies and in our souls (1 Cor. 6:20); our bodies, like our souls, are called to the glory of the Kingdom of God.”
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
+ Sign of the Cross – sign of the Cross. A sign is a symbol, an image, but also a military banner and a miracle (remember the expression “signs and wonders”, which is often used in the Holy Scriptures). The sign of the cross is our testimony of the crucifixion of Christ; it was used in all circumstances of life by the first Christians. This sacred and terrible sign is filled with great power, and it should be used clearly, carefully, without the slightest carelessness. The first three fingers of the right hand (thumb, index and middle) are folded together as a sign of our faith in the One and Indivisible Holy Trinity. The ring finger and little finger are bent to the palm, which signifies the two natures of the Lord Jesus Christ (that he is true God and true Man). Now with three folded fingers with the words In the Name of the Father... we touch the forehead, as a sign of sanctification of the mind, then, with the words... and the Son... - to the bottom of the chest (and even just below the chest, to the navel area, so that the cross inscribed on the body turns out to be proportional, and not inverted), as a sign of sanctification of the heart, then with the words... and the Holy Spirit!
- to the right and left shoulders, as a sign of the sanctification of the works of our hands and all bodily strength. Finally, lowering our hand and bowing, we say: Amen.
(When the sign of the cross accompanies another prayer, these words, of course, are not spoken).
You should apply the sign of the cross on yourself in such a way that you feel the touch of your own hand (and not cross the air), and bow only after touching the right and left shoulders (without “breaking the cross” before it is drawn).
Then wait a little until all your feelings come to silence and your thoughts leave everything earthly, and then say the following prayers without haste and with heartfelt attention.
“Never say your prayers hastily, and not hastily, with thoughts and feelings that are expressed in the prayers you read. Before starting prayer, always prepare a little, collecting your thoughts and trying to place your attention before the Lord, to whom you are beginning to pray. Let the main attitude of prayer be one of repentance, for we all sin a lot...
The integrity of our prayer is disrupted by thoughts. Try to fix it. The first step towards this is when starting to pray, to arouse in yourself the fear of God and reverence; then become attention in the heart and from there cry out to the Lord.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse. From letters to spiritual children.
God, be merciful to me, a sinner. (Bow)
Publican - tax collector; in the 1st century the word was almost equivalent to "sinner."
Be with me - be with me.
As an example of true prayer, these words were given in His parable by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself:
He also spoke to some who were confident in themselves that they were righteous, and humiliated others, the following parable:
Two people entered the church to pray: one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: God! I thank You that I am not like other people, robbers, offenders, adulterers, or like this publican: I fast twice a week, I give a tenth of everything I acquire. The publican, standing in the distance, did not even dare to raise his eyes to heaven; but hitting himself on the chest, he said: God! Be merciful to me, a sinner! I tell you that this one went to his house justified more than the other: for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 18:9-14).
+ If we have good deeds, they are our debt to God, and not merit; and our sins are incomparably greater than our good deeds, and only God’s mercy can cover our unworthiness: God, be merciful to me, a sinner. According to Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, “even if someone stood at the very height of virtues, if he does not pray as a sinner, his prayer is rejected by God.” In prayer you need to have a repentant and humble heart, asking and crying.
“If we pray with humility, if we beat ourselves on the chest, like the publican, if we say, like him, the words: be merciful to me, a sinner, then we will receive everything. True, we are not publicans; but we have other sins, no less than his sins. Don’t tell me that you are sinful in small ways: every sinful deed is the same in its essence. The one who killed a husband and the one who killed a child are equally called a murderer... We partake of the Terrible Mysteries unworthily, we envy, we slander, and some of us often get drunk. Each of these deeds in itself is enough to deprive us of the Kingdom of Heaven; and if they join together, what excuse can we have?”
Saint John Chrysostom
“What is the most important way to retain grace in the soul? Humility. What is the main reason for dismissal? From some movement of pride, conceit and arrogance. As soon as she senses this bad smell of pride inside, she immediately leaves.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
For prayers - for prayers.
Thy Most Pure Mother - Thy Most Pure Mother (genitive case). Here are more examples of similar forms from the prayer book: cleanse us from all filth (prayer to the Holy Spirit) - cleanse us from all filth; the pleasure of endless and blissful life (memory of the departed) - the pleasure of endless and blissful life; the goodness and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity (from prayers for those coming to sleep, to the Guardian Angel) - the goodness and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity.
+ “...How! Does God have the power to forgive sins through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother and saints, and not Himself independently? - And without the prayers of others he has power - of course, One has power; but in order to honor the high virtues of the saints, especially His Most Pure Mother, who are His friends, who pleased Him to the last strength in earthly life, He accepts their prayerful intercessions for us, the unworthy, for us, who often must stop their lips due to their great and frequent falls... Through the prayer of His Most Pure Mother, He has mercy on us, who are on our own, for great and frequent sins and iniquities, and would be unworthy of His mercy.
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
This prayer is called a small doxology: we briefly glorify God and give Him praise.
With deep feeling, with all the soul, this doxology can be pronounced in all circumstances of life, in joy and sorrow. The truly Christian feeling of life, which we must approach as best we can, is in the last words of St. John Chrysostom, who died in persecution, in severe exile: Glory to God for everything!
Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything, Treasure of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, our souls.
Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth... Giver of life (vocative case) - O Heavenly King, Comforter, spirit of truth... Giver of life! Who is everywhere - You, Omnipresent (located everywhere): like - who; syy – existing, existing, located, abiding; and fulfilling everything - and filling everything with Himself, and also replenishing and improving everything; fulfill - (participle of the verb fulfill) - fill, complete, complete; The treasure of the good is the treasury, the source of all good (all good); in us - in us; Better (also vocative case) - Save, O Good One, our souls!
+ This is a prayer to the Holy Spirit as the Person of the Holy Trinity.
To the Heavenly King: The Holy Spirit, as God, reigns over the entire universe, so that everything is in His power and authority.
Jesus Christ called Him the Comforter and Spirit of truth in a secret conversation with his disciples at the Last Supper:
But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have said to you (John 14:26).
But when the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me (John 15:26).
When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth... He will glorify Me, because He will take of Mine and declare it to you (John 16:13-14).
The Holy Spirit, having descended on the apostles after the Ascension of the Lord, comforted them in their separation from the Lord, and they rejoiced that He dwelt in them and began to guide them into all truth. In the same way, the Holy Spirit can comfort us in sorrow and misfortune and give us every good and knowledge of the truth.
Life to the Giver... These words of prayer correspond with the words of the 8th member of the Creed: And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving... In the “Long Christian Catechism” of St. Philaret it is explained: “This should be understood in such a way that He, together with God the Father and the Son, gives life to all created things, and especially spiritual life to people.”
We turn to the Holy Spirit at the beginning of our prayers, since the gift of true prayer is also the gift of the Holy Spirit:
“Whoever thinks that he is praying in a real way without the Holy Spirit, even though he glorifies God with hymns, he is blaspheming Him, since he is unclean and has not yet made friends with God.”
Venerable Simeon the New Theologian
(Philokalia, vol. 5)
“The Holy Spirit teaches true prayer. No one, until he receives the Holy Spirit, can pray such a prayer that is truly pleasing to God. Because if someone, not having the Holy Spirit within him, begins to pray, then his soul is scattered in different directions, from one thing to another, and he cannot keep his thoughts on one thing, and moreover, he does not properly know himself, nor his needs, nor how to ask and what to ask from God, and he does not know who God is. But the person in whom the Holy Spirit dwells knows God and sees that He is his Father; knows how to approach Him and how to ask, and what to ask from Him. His thoughts in prayer are harmonious, pure and directed towards one object - God; and with his prayer he can definitely do everything.”
Saint Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow
NOTE: From Easter to Ascension, instead of this prayer, the troparion of Easter is read:
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs. (Thrice)
From Ascension to Trinity, we begin the prayers of the cell rule (morning and at bedtime) with the Holy God, omitting all the previous ones.
This remark also applies to future bedtime prayers.
+ The prayer to the Holy Spirit is not read from Easter to Trinity - during the period when, after the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ, we symbolically await the Descent of the Holy Spirit. For the first time after the break, this prayer will be heard at the all-night vigil of the feast of Pentecost, or Trinity.
To the King, the Comforter, the Soul, the Giver, the Better - all these are forms of the vocative case, which is always used when addressing. When we say: Lord, God, Jesus Christ, Our Father, this is also the vocative case.
Treasure of the good: the good will give birth. plural case numbers avg. kind. In the Church Slavonic language, in the generalized meaning of a noun, neuter adjectives are often used, not only singular, as in modern Russian, but also plural: good - good, or all good things, rich - wealth, Holy of Holies - literally: The Holy of the Holy; good and useful to our souls...we ask the Lord (from the litany of petition) - we ask the Lord for good and useful (or: good and benefit) to our souls; You have shown me the unknown and secret of Your wisdom (Ps. 50:8) - the unknown (hidden) and secret (that is, the hidden secret) of Your wisdom You have shown to me.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Read three times, with the sign of the cross and bow from the waist.)
Holy is holy.
+ This is a prayer to the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity. By the words Holy God we mean God the Father; under the words Holy Mighty - God the Son (He is Mighty, or All-Powerful, since by His resurrection He destroyed hell and defeated the devil; the coming Lord Jesus Christ is called Mighty God by the prophet Isaiah - chapter 9, verse 6: For to us a child is born - to us a Son is given; Dominion is on His shoulder, and His name will be called: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace); under the words: Holy Immortal - God the Holy Spirit (He, like God, is eternal, and He is the Life-giving Spirit: He gives life to everyone, and especially spiritual, virtuous life and immortality to people). Since all Three Persons constitute the One and Undivided God, the conclusion of the prayer contains a singular verb - have mercy on us - refers to the same Being of God.
+ The story of this prayer is wonderful. In the 5th century there was a terrible earthquake in Constantinople. All the people cried and prayed to God. During a national prayer service, one boy was lifted high into the air by an invisible force, and then lowered to the ground unharmed. The boy could not answer where he was and what he saw; he only heard the harmonious and touching singing: “Holy God! Holy Mighty! Holy Immortal! The people realized that this was the singing of Angels, and everyone began to sing the same words, adding: “Have mercy on us!” - and the earthquake stopped. God had mercy on His people. Since then, this song began to be used by Christians. It is sung and read in the Church at every church service. It is also called the Angelic Song to the Most Holy Trinity.
Song of the Angels “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God!” The prophet Isaiah also conveyed to us: Seraphim stood around Him; each of them had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And they called to each other and said: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts! The whole earth is full of His glory! (Isa.6:2-3). This vision is repeated in the Revelation (Apocalypse) of St. John the Theologian: ... in the middle of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind ... And each of the four living creatures had six wings around, and inside they were full of eyes; and they have no rest day or night, crying out: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come (Rev. 4:6-8). This Angelic song, in which God is called the Holy One three times, was one of the first messages about the great mystery of the Trinity of the Divinity.
“The Holy Seraphim, through the triple Holy, announce to us the Three Persons of the all-essential Divinity. And through one dominion they proclaim both the one essence and the one Kingdom of the Divine Trinity.”
Venerable John of Damascus.
"An Accurate Statement of the Orthodox Faith"
Definition of Deity God, the Mighty, the Immortal, according to the observation of St. John of Damascus, also stand side by side in Ps.41, verse 3: My soul thirsts for the Mighty, living God. And finally, the Trisagion is concluded with the popular cry of the Church, its most frequent prayer: have mercy on us!
“We understand the words Holy God about the Father, not only separating the name of the Divine from Him, but knowing Him as God, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And we understand the words “Holy Mighty” about the Son, without depriving the Father and the Holy Spirit of strength. And we relate the words Holy Immortal to the Holy Spirit, not placing the Father and the Son outside of immortality, but regarding each of the Hypostases, accepting all the Divine names simply and independently and truly, imitating the divine Apostle, who says: We have one God the Father, from whom are all things, and we for Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him (1 Cor. 8:6), and one Holy Spirit, in whom are all things and we in Him."
Venerable John of Damascus.
"An Accurate Statement of the Orthodox Faith"
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Ever - Always; forever and ever - forever.
+ This is a short, or small doxology. It means that the same glory and worship belongs to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and not only now, but always, as the One, Eternal God, in all ages, in all generations, constantly and unchangeably.
+ “God is One in Three Persons. We do not comprehend this inner mystery of the Divinity, but we believe in it according to the immutable testimony of the word of God: No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:11).”
Saint Philaret.
"Long Christian Catechism"
In prayer books and liturgical books, this prayer, since it is often used, is often abbreviated: Glory, and now: (or Glory: And now:). In such cases, one should read in full: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Meeting the abbreviation Glory:, we read: Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, meeting the abbreviation And now: - And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.
Lord, cleanse our sins - an appeal to God the Father; Master, forgive our iniquities - Appeal to God the Son; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities - an appeal to God the Holy Spirit; for Thy name's sake - for the glory of Thy name.
+ The first words of the prayer: Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us - refer to all Three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity, to the One Being of God; then, to strengthen the prayer, a petition is raised to each Person separately: Lord... Master... Holy... Conclusion of the prayer: ... for Thy name's sake - again applies to all Persons, in order to confirm our faith in One God, Trinity in Persons: One Being of God, but in Three indivisible Persons.
The Being of God is incomprehensible to us. If the Angels do not comprehend the Trinity Being of God, but reverently worship and confess Him, then who are we to dare to test how this is One God in Three Persons? We cannot understand this with our minds; we can only accept with reverent faith what is incomprehensible and know what is open and known. It is revealed and known to us from the Word of God itself that there has been from time immemorial the One, Eternal God, that He is the Spirit, the All-Good, the All-Knowing, the All-Righteous, the Almighty, the Omnipresent, the Unchangeable, the All-Satisfied, the All-Blessed; that He is One in Essence, but Trinity in Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Trinity Consubstantial and Indivisible. For three bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one (1 John 5:7).
“Just as man, divided into many things, is one by nature, so the Holy Trinity, although divided by names and hypostases, is one by nature. You cannot comprehend the nature of God, even if you soar to Him on wings. God is incomprehensible, like our Creator... Do not test the Trinity, but believe only and worship, for whoever tests does not believe.”
Venerable Neil of Sinai
(Philokalia vol. 2)
Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
The Appendix provides St. Paisius Velichkovsky's interpretation of the prayer, Lord, have mercy.
+ “What is the meaning of the verb have mercy or be merciful in all these prayers? This is a person’s awareness of his destruction, this is a feeling of that mercy, that self-pity that the Lord commanded us to feel for ourselves and which is felt by very few; it is a denial of one's own dignity; this is a request for God’s mercy, without which there is no hope of salvation for the lost.”
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov
“Whoever said: have mercy, made a confession and acknowledged his sins, because it is common for those who have sinned to desire mercy. Whoever said: have mercy on me received remission of sins, because he who has mercy is not punished. Whoever said: “Have mercy on me” has received the Kingdom of Heaven, because God, whoever has mercy, not only frees him from punishment, but also rewards him with future blessings.”
Saint John Chrysostom
Glory, and now:
Let us remind you once again that in all cases of such writings one should read in full: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Father - Father (appeal is a form of the vocative case). He who art in heaven is the one who exists (lives) in Heaven, that is, the Heavenly One (who is like him). Esi is the form of the verb “to be” in the 2nd person singular. numbers of the present tense: in modern language we say you are, and in Church Slavonic - you are. Literal translation of the beginning of the prayer: O our Father, He who is in Heaven! Any literal translation is not entirely accurate; the words: Father Who is in Heaven, Heavenly Father - more closely convey the meaning of the first words of the Lord's Prayer. Let it be holy - let it be holy and glorified. As in heaven and on earth - as in heaven, so on earth (as - as). Essential - necessary for existence, for life. Give it - give it. Today - today. Like - how. From the evil one - from evil (the words crafty, wickedness are derived from the words “bow”: something indirect, curved, crooked, like a bow. There is also the Russian word “krivda”).
This prayer is called the Lord’s Prayer because our Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave it to His disciples and all people:
It happened that when He was praying in one place and stopped, one of His disciples said to Him: Lord! Teach us to pray!
He told them:
- When you pray, say: Our Father who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; Give us our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every debtor to us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Luke 11:1-4).
Pray like this:
Our Father who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done both on earth and in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen (Matt. 6:9-13).
+ By reading the Lord's Prayer daily, let us learn what the Lord requires of us: it indicates both our needs and our main responsibilities.
Our Father... In these words we still do not ask for anything, we only cry out, turn to God and call him father.
“Saying this, we confess God, the Ruler of the universe, as our Father—and thereby we also confess that we have been removed from the state of slavery and appropriated to God as His adopted children.”
Venerable John Cassian the Roman
(Philokalia, vol. 2)
...Who art thou in Heaven... With these words we express our readiness to turn away in every possible way from attachment to earthly life as wandering and far separating us from our Father and, on the contrary, with the greatest desire to strive for the region in which our Father dwells...
“Having reached such a high degree of sons of God, we must burn with such a filial love for God that we no longer seek our own benefits, but with all desire desire the glory of Him, our Father, saying to Him: Hallowed be Thy name, by which we testify that all our desire and all joy is the glory of our Father, so that the glorious name of our Father may be glorified, reverently honored and worshiped.”
Venerable John Cassian the Roman
May Your Kingdom come - that Kingdom “by which Christ reigns in the saints, when, after taking away power over us from the Devil and driving out passions from our hearts, God begins to reign in us through the fragrance of virtues - or that which at a predetermined time is promised to all the perfect, to all the children of God, when Christ says to them: Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from creation of the world (Matthew 25:34).”
Venerable John Cassian the Roman
“The Kingdom of God is within us when God reigns in us, when the soul in its depths confesses God as its Master and submits to Him with all its might, and God sovereignly acts in it.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
“Go into yourself, live within yourself, in the beautiful cell of your spirit - and there seek the Kingdom, as our Savior taught. If it is not yet in you, then cry out: “Our Father, Thy Kingdom come!” - and it will come when you call. The kingdom is in you. Enter into yourself, remain in your heart, for there is God. He does not leave you, but you leave Him.”
Venerable Ephraim the Syrian
Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. “This petition means: may people be like the Angels, and just as they fulfill the will of God in heaven, so may all those living on earth do not their own, but His will. This also means: may everything in life be with us according to Your will; We commit our fate to You, believing that You arrange everything—both happiness and misfortune—for our good and are more concerned about our salvation than we ourselves.”
Venerable John Cassian the Roman
“Do not pray, let it be done according to your desires, for they do not agree with the will of God in everything. But it is better to pray as you have been taught, saying: Thy will be done on me. And in every matter ask Him in this way, for He always desires what is good and beneficial to your soul, but you do not always seek this.”
Venerable Nile of Sinai (Philokalia, vol. 2)
The words “Thy will be done” turn us to the Lord’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: Father! Oh, that You would deign to carry this cup past Me! however, not My will, but Yours be done (Luke 22:42).
Give us this day our daily bread. We ask to be given the bread necessary for food, and not in large quantities, but only for this day... So, let us learn to ask for the most necessary things for our life, but we will not ask for everything leading to abundance and luxury, for we do not know whether it is useful to us. Let us learn to ask for bread and everything necessary only for this day, so as not to become lazy in prayer and obedience to God. If we are alive the next day, we will ask for the same thing again, and so on all the days of our earthly life.
However, we must not forget the words of Christ that man will not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). It is even more important to remember the other words of the Savior: I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world (John 6:51). Thus, Christ means not only something material, necessary for a person for earthly life, but also eternal, necessary for life in the Kingdom of God: Himself, offered in Communion.
Some holy fathers interpreted the Greek expression as “supra-essential bread” and attributed it only (or primarily) to the spiritual side of life; however, the Lord's Prayer embraces both earthly and heavenly meanings.
And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors. The Lord Himself concluded this prayer with an explanation: For if you forgive people their sins, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive people their sins, then your Father will not forgive you your sins (Matthew 6:14-15).
“The merciful Lord promises us forgiveness of our sins if we ourselves show an example of forgiveness to our brothers: forgive us, as we forgive. It is obvious that in this prayer only those who have forgiven their debtors can boldly ask for forgiveness. Whoever with all his heart does not let go of his brother who sins against him, with this prayer he will ask for himself not mercy, but condemnation: for if this prayer of his is heard, then in accordance with his example, what else should follow, if not inexorable wrath and indispensable punishment? Judgment without mercy to him who has shown no mercy (James 2:13).”
Venerable John Cassian the Roman
Here sins are called debts, because by faith and obedience to God we must fulfill His commandments, do good, and shun evil; is that what we do? By not doing the good we should do, we become debtors to God.
This expression of the Lord's Prayer is best explained by Christ's parable about the man who owed the king ten thousand talents (Matthew 18:23-35).
And do not lead us into temptation. Bringing to mind the words of the apostle: Blessed is the man who endures temptation, because, having been tried, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love Him (James 1:12), we should understand these words of prayer not like this: “let us never be tempted,” but like this: “let us not be overcome by temptation.”
When tempted, no one should say: God is tempting me; because God is not tempted by evil and does not tempt anyone Himself, but everyone is tempted by being carried away and deceived by his own lust; lust, having conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin that is committed gives birth to death (James 1:13-15).
But deliver us from the evil one - that is, do not allow us to be tempted by the devil beyond our strength, but when tempted, give us relief, so that we can endure it (1 Cor. 10:13).
Venerable John Cassian the Roman
The Greek text of the prayer, like Church Slavonic and Russian, allows us to understand the expression from the evil one both personally (the evil one is the father of lies - the devil) and impersonally (the evil one is all unrighteous, evil; evil). Patristic interpretations offer both understandings. Since evil comes from the devil, then, of course, the petition for deliverance from evil also contains a petition for deliverance from its culprit.
The interpretation of the Lord's Prayer occupies a very important place in many of the most authoritative theological works, from the times of the Chief Apostles to the present day. In the Appendix we provide an explanation of the Lord's Prayer from the “Long Christian Catechism” of St. Philaret of Moscow. This is the minimum understanding of the Lord’s Prayer that every Orthodox Christian needs. The interpretation of St. John Chrysostom is also attached.
Rising from sleep, we fall down to Thee, the Better, and cry out to Thee, the Mightier, the angelic song: Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O God, have mercy on us through the Mother of God.
Glory: From bed and sleep You have raised me up, O Lord, enlighten my mind and heart, and open my lips, to sing to You, Holy Trinity: Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, have mercy on us through the Theotokos.
And now: Suddenly the Judge will come, and every deed will be revealed, but with fear we call at midnight: Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O God, have mercy on us by the Mother of God.
Lord have mercy. (12 times)
Troparion is a short song in which the deeds of God or His saints are glorified. Trinity - related to the Most Holy Trinity, addressed to Her, dedicated to Her.
We fall down to You - we fall at Your feet. Better, Stronger - vocative case of the words Good, Strong when referring to God.
Odr – bed, bed. Thou hast raised me up - You have raised up (raised) me. Oral - mouth. To sing Thee as a hedgehog - in order to sing Your praises.
Some - everyone. Fear - in fear, from fear. We call - here: let us cry, let us shout (in the Greek text of the prayer literally: let us shout).
+ Each of these troparions ends with a threefold glorification of the Most Holy Trinity - a song taken from the Angels - and an appeal for mercy through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Rising from sleep, we fall down to Ti, O Blessed One... As soon as we awaken from sleep, we turn, and must certainly first of all turn, to the Triune God with angelic praise and for the sake of the intercession of the Mother of God for us, we ask ourselves for mercy: Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O God, have mercy on us through the Mother of God.
From bed and sleep you raised me up, Lord... After sleep, our mind, heart, and lips are lazy towards God and turn to worldly things - and we ask that the Lord Himself enlighten our heart and mind, and open our lips to angelic praise and have mercy on us through the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos: Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O God, have mercy on us through the Theotokos.
Suddenly the Judge will come... We remember that terrible hour when the Heavenly Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ, will come to earth for the second time in human form - he will come to judge people for their deeds, which can no longer be hidden: all truth and untruth will be revealed, and not for the omniscient God alone, but for all people; Each of us will then see and recognize all the deeds of our neighbor, and we will also recognize our own deeds, which we have already forgotten. That hour will be terrible, because we will have nothing with which to justify ourselves before God; The only hope that remains is the intercession of the holy Angels and the Mother of God for us, to whose intercession we resort: Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O God, through the Mother of God have mercy on us.
* Suddenly the Judge will come... In old prayer books there is another option: In vain the Judge will come... Its meaning is exactly the same: in vain in Church Slavonic it is suddenly; A wasted death is a sudden death.
Rising from sleep, I thank Thee, Holy Trinity, for for the sake of Thy goodness and long-suffering, Thou didst not become angry with me, lazy and sinful, nor did Thou destroy me with my iniquities; But you usually loved mankind and in the despair of the lying person you raised me up to practice and glorify Your power. And now enlighten my mental eyes, open my lips to learn Thy words, and to understand Thy commandments, and to do Thy will, and to sing to Thee in heartfelt confession, and to sing Thy all-holy name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
As many because of Your goodness - for according to the multitude of Your goodness. Below you destroyed me - and did not put me to death (below ' - and not: the union of unions neither and the same). Usually - here: as always, as You constantly do. Failure is ignorance; despair. Surely so. Utrenovati - get up early, come, say morning prayer. Power - strength, power. The eyes of the mind are the eyes of the soul. Open - open. By Your word - here: teaching, Your word (not words). Confession is here: glory, praise, thanksgiving.
+ Sleep is an image of death. Having awakened from sleep, from sleepy oblivion and insensibility, we offer thanks to the Lord for the fact that He was not angry for our sins and gave us the life of a new day, that He raised us from our bed to practice and glorify Your power - so that in the morning we could glorify the power of God. This is why we get out of bed! The first concern is glorifying the name of God, pleasing God. But we can please God only by God’s grace - therefore, we ask the Lord to enlighten our mental eyes, we ask to open our mouths for teaching in the law of the Lord and understanding and fulfilling His commandments, in order to do His will in everything (many different prayers return us to the words of the Lord’s prayer - Thy will be done!), in order to sing praise to God in confession with our hearts not only now, at the appointed hour morning prayer, but also throughout the coming day, now and all the days of our life, and ever and ever - in the eternal Kingdom of God (Thy Kingdom come!).
* sing to You in heartfelt confession - in the Greek text of the prayer literally: to rattle Your glory in a grateful heart, that is, to glorify You in a grateful heart.
* you were not angry with me... below you destroyed me... you raised me up - forms of the past tense (in modern Russian we will say simply: you were not angry with me... you did not destroy me... These modern forms were formed from more complex Church Slavonic ones by the disappearance of the auxiliary verb thou). The Church Slavonic form, in contrast to the modern one, also shows which person the verb refers to: in modern Russian, I, and you, and he - came; in Church Slavonic I came (I), you came (you), I came (he).
Church Slavonic has a more complex tense system than modern Russian. The examples given refer to the so-called past perfect tense, or perfect (it tells about an unconditionally occurring event). Similar forms are found in many prayers, for example, in the following 50th Psalm: Thou hast loved the truth—Thou hast loved the truth. But there are other types of past tense; we will encounter them below.
Come, let us worship our King God. (Bow)
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. (Bow)
Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. (Bow)
Tsarevi - Tsar. Let's fall down, throw ourselves on the ground, and bow down.
In this prayer, we invite all our mental and physical strength (and during church or general prayer, we invite other believers) to worship our King and God Jesus Christ.
This prayer usually precedes the reading of the psalms, which clearly expresses the Orthodox attitude towards the Psalter.
“The Book of Psalms in almost every psalm announces the coming of the Savior... This divine book, for those who strive for virtue and want to know the life of the Savior in the flesh, first through reading brings to mind spiritual movements, and then forms and teaches those who read such words.”
Saint Athanasius of Alexandria
Our appeal to the psalms is a stand before the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.] Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin {is} ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done {this} evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, {and} be clear when thou judgest.
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. {conceive...: Heb. warm me}
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden {part} thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness; {that} the bones {which} thou hast broken may rejoice.
Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. {right: or, constant}
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me {with thy} free spirit.
{Then} will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: {and} my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. {bloodguiltiness: Heb. bloods}
O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give {it}: thou delightest not in burnt offering. {else...: or, that I should}
The sacrifices of God {are} a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.] Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin {is} ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done {this} evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, {and} be clear when thou judgest.
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. {conceive...: Heb. warm me}
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden {part} thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness; {that} the bones {which} thou hast broken may rejoice.
Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. {right: or, constant}
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me {with thy} free spirit.
{Then} will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: {and} my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. {bloodguiltiness: Heb. bloods}
O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give {it}: thou delightest not in burnt offering. {else...: or, that I should}
The sacrifices of God {are} a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were.
For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven, and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human.
Who was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried.
And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.
And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets.
Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.
I drink the resurrection of the dead,
And the life of the next century. Amen.
Visible to everyone and invisible - everything visible and invisible, that is, the visible (material) and invisible (spiritual) world. Before all ages - before all time, before the beginning of time. It was from Him that everything came into existence, from Whom everything came, the whole world came into existence. Incarnated - becoming a true man. For us - for us. According to the Scripture - as it was foretold in the Scripture. At the right hand - on the right hand. And again the one who is to come - and who will come again. Who is to be worshiped and glorified together with the Father and the Son, equally with the Father and the Son. The prophets who spoke - who spoke through the prophets. One baptism is one baptism in life. The life of the future century - another, eternal life.
The Creed is a brief and precise statement of the basic truths of the Christian faith, which every Orthodox Christian needs to know. In the short and precise words of the Creed we confess, that is, we openly declare what we believe. No one, believing differently, diverging in anything from the Creed, has the right to call himself an Orthodox Christian. And the Symbol arose precisely in the fight against heresies, against wrong opinions about God and the world. The symbol was compiled and approved at the 1st (Nicene, 325) and 2nd (Constantinople, 381) Ecumenical Councils (therefore it is also called the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed).
So, the Creed is a brief statement of the foundations of the Christian faith, the main Christian dogmas, the framework beyond which is non-Orthodoxy.
But this “list” of dogmas is constructed in the first person, personally:
I believe in one God the Father...
And in one Lord Jesus Christ...
and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord...
into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic
Church.
I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.
I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century.
Amen (truly so!).
The Creed is the personal confession of faith of an Orthodox Christian. This is a confession of what and with what we live or should live, the most important thing in life, in the world. This is what God tells us through the Church and what we confess before God and people. Therefore, the Creed is also prayer, a conversation between the soul and God and God with the soul.
As a prayer, the Creed is very difficult: every time you pronounce (at least mentally) these truths, you must consciously accept them into your heart and strive to live by them. But this is a compass, without which you will lose your way on the road leading to life, and you must consult this compass at least daily. That is why it is included in the daily cell rule. It is also included in the shortest prayer rule for the laity, taught to us by St. Seraphim. You can't live a day without it.
Each word of the Creed is extremely deep and capacious; Brief explanations cannot go into this depth (which is why none are given in this book). The explanation of the Creed forms the main part - “On Faith” - of the Long Christian Catechism of St. Philaret of Moscow, a book that every Orthodox Christian should know well.
+ Saint Theophan the Recluse in his letters gave advice on how to overcome doubts about the truths of faith. These lines have a direct bearing on the role of the Creed in our spiritual life and show what prayerful perception of it should be.
“Imagine the truth and pray about it; during prayer, rotate it in your mind and compose prayers from it. The moment will come when this truth will enter the heart and embrace the entire being of the soul, feeding it and making it happy. This is the affinity of the soul with the truth; after this, doubts can no longer shake her. They may come to memory, but they are far from the soul, like talking or stomping behind a wall.”
“In order to carry out the truth in the heart, this is how you need to do it!.. Take some truth and understand more fully in your consciousness how it is confessed, and then pray to the Lord, may He write it in the heart as it is confessed... Our prayers all come from dogmas. The Lord came to earth for our salvation. Confessing this truth, pray: “Lord! Just as then, walking on earth, you healed all sorts of ailments, cleansed lepers, gave sight to the blind, now come to me and enlighten the eyes of my mind, and take away the leprosy of sins from me.” This is true in relation to all truth. When all the truths fall into the heart, then all doubts will end. They themselves will bounce off like arrows from someone who is covered in armor. This means, in other words, is to taste the truth, rejoice in it, remember it with consolation and sweetness, and turn it around in the mind with warmth and warmth. Help you, Lord, to achieve this!”
* The word symbol has several meanings; This was the case in the Greek language, from which this word came, and in Russian. This word is especially rich in philosophical understanding (hundreds of volumes of books have been written about the symbol in its philosophical meaning). Here are different definitions from different dictionaries: something that serves as a conventional sign of a concept; in science - the same as a sign; in art, in a broad sense, a symbol is an image in the aspect of its iconicity and a sign endowed with all the organicity and inexhaustibility of the image; the complete picture, the essence in a few words or signs. The original Greek word means: joint, crossing, connection, fusion, meeting, articulation. This also meant an identification mark by which one could recognize each other more accurately than by a password: a coin or bone was split into two halves; if the presented half completely matched yours, it was clear that this was the right person in front of you.
God, cleanse me, a sinner, for I have done no good before You, but deliver me from the evil one, and Your will be done in me, that I may open my unworthy lips without condemnation and praise Your holy name, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Yako – here: since. Nikolizhe - never. Created - I created (made).
+ Let us supplement some words of the prayers of St. Macarius the Great (about him, see attached) with the words of his ascetic teachings and conversations, in which the grace-filled teaching on prayer is expressed.
God, cleanse me, a sinner, for I have not done anything good before You... “Those who are well-skilled before God recognize themselves as very small and extremely unskillful, and for them it has become a natural and indispensable thing to consider themselves low or even nothing... The rich before God seem poor to themselves.”
And I will praise Your holy name, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. The end of this prayer (like many others) introduces into the perspective of human life the participation of Divine eternity: now, always and forever and ever, may man praise the Triune God! This “formula” already contains the promise of our stay in eternity, where, like the Angels, we will praise God, and a reminder that this eternity lies ahead of us.
Sotvorich is the 1st person singular past tense form of the verb sotvoriti. In Church Slavonic there are four types of past tense verbs; this form belongs to the most common of these tenses - the aorist. For those who do not specifically study the grammar of the Church Slavonic language, it is enough to pay attention to the fact that in all past tenses the verbs also change according to persons (in Russian - both I, and you, and he - created; in Church Slavonic: I created, you created, he created).
Rising from sleep, I offer the midnight hymn to Thee, Savior, and falling down crying out to Thee: do not let me fall asleep in a sinful death, but have compassion on me, crucified by will, and raise me up as I lie in laziness, and save me in standing and in prayer, and after my nightly sleep, rise up for me a sinless day, O Christ God, and save me.
Don't give me - don't give me. Have mercy on me - literally: have mercy on me. Crucified by will - voluntarily crucified.
+ Let us cite another saying of the Venerable Macarius the Great: “Penetrate into the mental essence of the soul, and delve not lightly. The immortal soul is a precious vessel. Look how great heaven and earth are, and God did not bless about them, but only about you. Look at your nobility and dignity, because he did not send Angels, but the Lord Himself came as an intercessor for you, to call upon the lost, revealed, to return to you the original image of pure Adam. God Himself came to intercede for you and deliver you from death. Stand firm and imagine what kind of industry is for you.”
To You, Lord, Lover of Mankind, having risen from sleep, I come running, and I strive for Your works with Your mercy, and I pray to You: help me at all times, in every thing, and deliver me from all worldly evil things and the devil’s haste, and save me, and lead me into Your eternal Kingdom. For You are my Creator and the Provider and Giver of every good thing, in You are all my hope, and I send up glory to You, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
I come running - I come, looking for help, asking for help. I strive for Your mercy - that is, according to Your mercy. Devilish haste - assistance of the devil, devilish temptation (haste - help in achieving something). Provider - Provider. All my hope is in You—in You—all my hope.
To You, Lord, Lover of Mankind... I resort... Although in modern language the verb to resort, to resort (to resort to decisive measures) has been preserved, like the related word refuge, the meaning of the word, its internal form usually eludes our consciousness. Children's perception of the word resort as running is completely correct. Just as a child, out of fear, always resorts to his mother’s womb, and to the protection of his mother’s hands, so in prayer we resort to the protection of the Lord, His Mother, His saints. Let us recall the image of a medieval city - a space enclosed by stone walls. The city fence very soon began to not accommodate the inhabitants, who were forced to settle outside, behind the walls (suburban residents). But when the enemy’s troops were approaching, the country residents fled (often burning their houses) to the city-city - a refuge, a refuge, to which they looked with great hope. This image leads us to God and the Most Holy Theotokos: They are our refuge from any enemy invasion.
The famous image of the Mother of God “The Unbreakable Wall” (in the Church of St. Sophia of Kyiv) embodies precisely this symbol.
...And deliver me from all worldly evil things and the devil’s haste, and save me, and bring me into Your eternal Kingdom. Let us supplement this line from the prayer of St. Macarius the Great with the words of his teachings. “The soul, truly striving for the Lord, fully and completely extends its love to Him and, as much as it has strength, becomes attached to Him alone by its will, and in this it acquires the help of grace, denies itself and does not follow the desires of its mind, because because of the evil that is inseparable from us and deceives us, it walks deceitfully. Thus, as soon as the soul has loved the Lord, it is snatched from the snare by its own faith and great diligence, and together with help from above, it is made worthy of the Eternal Kingdom and, having truly loved it, of its own will and with the help of the Lord, will no longer be deprived of eternal life.”
“I tell you that every person desires and desires all this: fornicators, tax collectors, and unjust people would like to receive the Kingdom so easily, without labor and deeds. This is why temptations, many trials, sorrows, struggles and shedding of sweat are laid out on the path, so that those who really loved the one Lord with all their will and with all their strength, even to death, and with such love for Him no longer had anything else desired for themselves, would become evident. Therefore, in truth, they enter the Heavenly Kingdom, having renounced themselves, according to the Lord’s word, and having loved the only Lord more than their breath, which is why they will be rewarded with high heavenly gifts for their high love.”
For you are... the Provider and Giver of all good... The Lord is called here the Thinker: the One who creates and directs everything in the world with His thought that anticipates and determines all things. Let us remember the words of the Bible: What You have thought has come to pass: what You have determined, that has appeared and said: Here am I (Judith.9:5-6). More often we use the noun providence (sometimes in the Slavic text - industry) - “the unceasing action of the omnipotence, wisdom and goodness of God, by which God preserves the existence and strength of creatures, directs them to good goals, helps every good, and the evil that arises through removal from good stops or corrects and turns to good consequences” (“Long Christian Catechism” of the saint) Philaret of Moscow). In secular dictionaries of the modern Russian language we can find a word of the same meaning and extremely similar form - providence; Wed Church Slavonic: looking (another word of the same meaning).
Lord, Who through Your many goodness and Your great bounty has given me, Your servant, the passing time of this night without misfortune to pass away from all evil that is contrary to me; You Yourself, Master, the Creator of all things, grant me with Your true light and an enlightened heart to do Your will, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.
Misfortune - trouble; temptation. She is repugnant from all evil - having been preserved from all evil. All Creators - Creator of all things (vocative case). The expressions all, all creation are used in the language of the Church to designate the entire world created by God - earthly and heavenly, visible and invisible.
Lord Almighty, God of Powers and all flesh, living in the highest and looking down upon the humble, testing the hearts and wombs and innermost parts of men, the Foreknowledgeable One, the Beginningless and Ever-Everlasting Light, which has no use or change of overshadowing; Himself, Immortal King, accept our prayers, even at the present time, boldly for the multitude of Your bounties, from the bad lips we create towards You, and forgive us our sins, whether in deed, word, and thought, knowledge, or ignorance, we have sinned; and cleanse us from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. And grant us with a cheerful heart and a sober thought to pass through the whole night of this present life, awaiting the coming of the bright and revealed day of Your Only Begotten Son, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, the Judge of all will come with glory, to whom he will give according to his deeds; let us not fall and become lazy, but be watchful and raised up for the work that is to come, and prepare for the joy and Divine palace of His glory, where those who celebrate the unceasing voice and the ineffable sweetness of those who behold Your face, the ineffable kindness.
For You are the true Light, you enlighten and sanctify all things, and all creation sings to You forever and ever. Amen.
God of the Powers and all flesh - God of the heavenly Powers, incorporeal and of all flesh. Living in the highest - living in the sky, on the heights of heaven. Look down upon the humble (more correctly, look down upon the humble) - one who looks down (bows his gaze) on the humble, the lower, the earthly. Test the hearts and wombs - he who observes the innermost thoughts. The hidden things of men are revealed to be foreknowledge - clearly knowing the secrets of men. Ever-present - eternal. It is not good to bear change, or transformation, overshadowing - Which is unchangeable, does not fade and does not leave anything obscured (change - change; overshadowing - shadow). Even - here: which. I am bold in the multitude of Your bounties - hoping for the abundance of Your compassion. The night of real life is the night of here, present (earthly) life. Those who await the coming of the bright and revealed day - those who await the bright and glorious day of the (Second) coming. Vonzhe - into it (on this day). To everyone - to everyone. According to deeds - according to deeds, according to deeds. Not fallen and lazy - not lying down and sleepy. Prepare those who find themselves - we will be ready; You will find us ready. Idezhe - where.
Kindness is beauty, goodness. All sorts of things - everything that exists, the whole world. The creature is a creation.
+ In this prayer there are several expressions from Holy Scripture, the understanding and correct translation of which is very important.
In the highest he is alive and upon the humble. The heights of heaven are contrasted in this biblical expression with the valleys of the earth: Who is the Lord our God? He lives on the high, and he looks upon the lowly in heaven and on earth (Ps. 113:5-6); in the Russian translation of the psalm: Who is like the Lord our God, Who, dwelling on high, bows down to look down upon heaven and earth). The same expression in (Ps. 137:6): For the Lord is high, and looks down on the humble, and the message is high from afar.
It is unsuitable to carry change, or change, overshadowing. These words are from the Epistle of St. James: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no change or change (James 1:17; in Russian translation: Every good work and every perfect gift is coming down from above from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning). The Slavic translation of the apostle’s words is somewhat incomprehensible, and the Russian translation is not entirely accurate (the words change and change seem to repeat each other). The words of the transformation convey overshadowing to the Greek... meaning the shadow that is formed when the luminary turns (when turning, the luminary illuminates objects, but they certainly cast a shadow, so that all objects and places cannot be illuminated evenly, but the light of the Divine illuminates everything equally and leaves no shadow).
Those who dare to receive the multitude of Your bounties. We easily understand the word generosity, which is often used in prayers, as generous mercy. This is true, of course, but the main meaning of the corresponding Greek word is compassion, pity. I come boldly to Your bounties, says the 5th prayer for Holy Communion. The mercy of the Creator and Master gives us boldness - courage in asking; we stand not only before the Righteous Judge, but also before the loving Father; let us hear from Him: Be of good cheer, child! your sins are forgiven you (Matthew 9:2); Dare, daughter! your faith has saved you (Matthew 9:22).
Stink, stink - into him. The spelling in one, in on is wrong. This spelling was born from the understanding of the word as a combination of the preposition in with the pronoun he; this is true in content, but not in form (it could not have appeared at the end of the pronoun, our soft sign). Here, rather, it’s stinking, stinking: the preposition въ and the form of the pronoun it – and, to which “n” is added in the position after the vowel of the preposition - въ (н) – stink. Wed. modern Russian: about them, into him, etc.
Let us bless you, O highest God and Lord of mercy, who always does great and unexplored, glorious and terrible things to us, countless in number, giving us sleep to repose our weakness and weaken the labors of the arduous flesh. We thank Thee, for Thou didst not destroy us with our iniquities, but Thou didst usually love mankind, and in desperation, Thou didst raise us up to glorify Thy power. We also pray for Your immeasurable goodness, enlighten our thoughts, clear our eyes, and raise our minds from the heavy sleep of laziness; open our lips, and fulfill Your praise, so that we may unwaveringly sing and confess to You, in all, and from all, the glorified God, the Beginning Father, with Your Only Begotten Son, and Your All-Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
We bless you - we praise you (the word bless in the Church Slavonic language, following the Greek, means not only the usual priestly or parental blessing, but also a generally good word - praise). Unexplored - incomprehensible (let us remember - this was said in the note to the prayer “To the Heavenly King” - that in the Church Slavonic language in the generalized meaning of a noun adjectives of the neuter plural are used: great and unexplored, glorious and terrible, there are no number of them - great and incomprehensible, glorious and terrible without number). Usually - as always, as You always do. We lie in despair - we, sleeping (in our sleep, not aware of the surrounding reality). In the hedgehog - so that (note: this is why, why the Lord awakened us from sleep!). Power is strength, power, subject area (that is, the whole world of God). If I fulfill them, fill them.
+ Note the similarity of this prayer with the morning prayer to the Most Holy Trinity. You can compare these two prayers. Please note that the prayer to the Most Holy Trinity is constructed in the singular (addressed to God from “I”), and the prayer of St. Basil the Great is constructed in the plural (from “we”). The prayer rule wisely alternates between prayers with “I, me”—such, for example, are all the prayers of St. Macarius the Great—and prayers in the plural (“we, us”), an example of which is primarily the Lord’s Prayer. This teaches a Christian to constantly pray for his neighbors, the Church and the whole world of God and at the same time never pray abstractly, “in general” - not to forget about the desperate state of his own soul.
I sing Thy grace, O Lady, I pray to Thee, my mind is filled with grace. Go right and teach me the path of Christ’s commandments. Strengthen your children to song, driving away despondency and sleep. Bound by the captivity of the Falls, allow me through Your prayers, Bride of God. Preserve me in the night and in the day, delivering me to those who fight against the enemy. Who gave birth to God, the life-giver, was killed by my passions and revived. Even as you gave birth to the non-evening Light, enlighten my blind soul. O wondrous Lady of the Palace, create for me the house of the Divine Spirit. You who gave birth to a doctor, heal my soul of many years of passion. Worried by the storm of life, guide me towards the path of repentance. Deliver me from eternal fire, and from evil worms, and from tartar. Do not show me to be a demon of joy, who is guilty of many sins. Create me again, having promised to be insensible, Immaculate, without sin. Show me the strangeness of all kinds of torment, and implore the Lord to all. Heavenly grant me joy, with all the saints, grant me joy. Most Holy Virgin, hear the voice of Your indecent servant. Give me a stream of tears, Most Pure One, cleansing the filth of my soul. I bring lamentations from my heart to You continually, be zealous, Lady.
Accept my prayer service and bring it to the blessed God. Highest Angel, create me above the fusion of the world. Light-bearing heavenly Seine, direct spiritual grace in me. I lift up my hand and my lips to praise, defiled by filth, O All-Immaculate One. Deliver me from the dirty tricks that are strangling me, diligently begging Christ; To Him is due honor and worship, now and ever, and unto ages of ages, Amen.
Captive - chain. Allow - release (release from bonds). Worried - worried, worried (that is: “me, worried..”; see below: guide me towards the path of repentance). Path - path, road. Tartarus is a hellish abyss. He who is guilty of many sins is the culprit of many sins. Dilapidated - exhausted, contrite, aged. Strange - alien, left aside. Make it worthy - make it worthy. Obscene - worthless (literally - look at the word!). Compassionate – merciful (literally: having a good heart). Create me above the merging of the world - deliver me from clinging to earthly concerns, from the power of this world (merging-mixing, joining). Sene – canopy, shadow (vocal case).
+ Newly create me, worn out and insensible, Most Immaculate, from sin. Prayer points to an important side in the action of sin: it makes a person more and more insensitive to the spiritual, becomes less and less noticeable to the sinner, who at the same time loses freshness and strength, deteriorates, weakens, moving further and further from the Source of true grace-filled life.
Exceeding the Angel, create me beyond the fusion of the world. This is a petition to the Highest Heavenly Powers of the Mother of God (the Most Honest Cherub and the Most Glorious Seraphim) for otherworldliness, a necessary property of a Christian. In a secret conversation with his disciples at the Last Supper, the Lord repeatedly repeats to them that they are not of the world: If you were of the world, then the world would love its own; But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you (John 15:19). Let us also recall the words of the apostle: For everything that is in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but from this world (1 John 2:16); It is impossible to cleave to this lust of the flesh, the lust of hair and the pride of life, to merge with it, to let it into oneself, but such worldly merging can only be avoided with the help of God’s grace.
Light-bearing heavenly Seine, direct spiritual grace in me. A canopy is a shadow (remember the Russian word canopy - an extension to a house that provides shade, or shade - canopy, in hot weather). The expression Luminous Seine, heavenly, is so deeply and theologically significant that a simple translation would not explain anything. It is based on the idea of the luminous darkness of the Divine, the inconceivable, unrepresentable, impregnable God. A cloud covers Mount Sinai when God descends on it in fire to talk with Moses. The mountain burned with fire to the very heavens, [and there was] darkness, clouds and gloom (Deut. 4:11). And the people stood afar off, and Moses entered into the darkness where God is (Ex. 20:21). During the exodus from Egypt, the Lord walked before them [the children of Israel] by day in a pillar of cloud... and by night in a pillar of fire, giving light to them (Ex. 13:21) and entered into the middle between the camp of Egypt and between the camp of Israel, and was a cloud and darkness [for some] and illuminated the night [for others] (Ex. 14:20). About the appearance of the Lord, David sings: He bowed down the heavens and came down; darkness was under His feet. And he mounted the Cherubim and flew and was carried on the wings of the wind.
And he made darkness His covering, the darkness of the waters and the clouds of the air hanging around Him (Ps. 17:10-12); the same - 2 Samuel 22:10-12; the translation is slightly different: and He covered Himself with darkness like a canopy, thickening the waters of the clouds of heaven).
The first chapter of the “Mystical Theology” of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite is called: “What is Divine Darkness.” At the pinnacle of knowledge, “in the complete absence of light, in the complete absence of sensations and visibility, our mind, impervious to spiritual enlightenment, is illuminated by the brightest light, filled with the most pure radiance!” God is absolute light - the true Light, which enlightens every person who comes into the world: In Him was life, and life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it (John 1:4-5, 9); but this Light is unapproachable: the One and having immortality, which dwells in the unapproachable light, which no man has seen or can see (1 Tim. 6:16). You cannot see My face, because man cannot see Me and live (Ex. 33:20). The impossibility of knowing God and approaching Him is resolved only by the fact that God became incarnate and became human.
That is why the Most Holy Theotokos is for us not only the Burning Bush, which is not burned by the fire of the Divine, but also the Luminous Shadow of the Divine “Darkness”, similar to Mount Sinai: in Her God appears in the darkness of His light.
Our Lord Jesus Christ
My most merciful and all-merciful God, Lord Jesus Christ, for the sake of love you came down and became incarnate for many reasons, so that you would save everyone. And again, Savior, save me by grace, I pray to You. Even if you save me from works, there is no grace and a gift, but more than a duty. To her, abundant in generosity and ineffable in mercy. Believe in Me, you say, O my Christ, you will live and will not see death forever. Even if faith in You saves the desperate, behold, I believe, save me, for You are my God and Creator. Let faith instead of works be imputed to me, O my God, for you will not find works to justify me. But may my faith prevail instead of all, may it answer, may it justify me, may it show me to be a partaker of Your eternal glory. Let Satan not kidnap me, and boast to the Word that he has torn me away from Your hand and fence; but either I want, save me, or I don’t want, Christ my Savior, before I quickly, quickly, I perish: for you are my God from my mother’s womb. Grant me, O Lord, now to love Thee, as I have sometimes loved that same sin, and again to work for Thee without laziness, tediously, as I previously worked for the flattering Satan.
Most of all, I will serve You, my Lord and God Jesus Christ, all the days of my life, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.
Like you will save everyone - to save everyone. Packs - more. If only You had saved me from my deeds - if only You had saved me for my deeds. No, this is not. But debt is more - but rather debt (more - more). Advertise you - You said. Or worse – because, because. Not at all, absolutely, in no way. Let it suffice - let it be sufficient (dovleti - be sufficient; cf.: enough). Participant - participant. May he not kidnap you - and may he not abduct you (Ubo is an intensifying particle; here it can be translated both as “same” and as “truly.” And he will boast... that he has torn me away - and he will boast that he has torn me away (stolen) me. Anticipate - warn (my desire to be saved - that is, do not wait for this desire). I am lost - I am lost. As I loved sometimes - as I first loved (sometimes - once, once). To the flattering - especially - especially, most of all, my life.
+ Even if you save me from works, there is no grace and a gift, but a greater duty. To her, abundant in generosity and unspeakable in mercy... Let faith instead of works be imputed to me, O my God, for you will not find works that justify me. The idea of the prayer is based on the words of the apostle: The reward of the one who works is not imputed according to mercy, but according to duty. But to him who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness (Rom. 4:4-5). Let us remember that generosity is generous mercy, compassion, mercy.
Believe in Me, you say, O my Christ, you will live and will not see death forever. The prayer directly points to the words of Christ Himself: I am the resurrection and the life; He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die (John 11:25-26). Compare also: Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life (John 5:24). This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:40). Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me has eternal life (John 6:47). Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever keeps My word will never see death (John 8:51).
Holy Angel, stand before my soul more dearly and more passionately than my life, do not forsake 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 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, so that in no sin I anger God, and pray for me Lord, may he strengthen me in His passion and show me worthy as a servant of His goodness. Amen.
Forthcoming - upcoming. More wretched - unfortunate, poor, full of struggle. More passionate - here: long-suffering, unhappy (remember that passion means suffering); however, it is slavery to sinful passions that is the main source of unhappiness in human life. Below - and nothing. Evil - evil, deceitful. Strengthen my poor and thin hand, and guide me on the path of salvation - in the Greek text of the prayer literally: “take me by the unfortunate and drooping (weak-willed) hand and lead me to the path of salvation”; the image of a man who has lost his will and energy, with “drooping” hands, unable to independently get out on the path of salvation is given. To her - yes, truly (cf. colloquial: “she-she”). All... great things I have insulted you with - everything with which I have insulted you (great - how many, how great). Cover - cover, protect. Opposite - opposing, enemy. She will show me worthy as a servant of His goodness - she will make me a slave worthy of His mercy (to show usually does not mean “to bring to an external likeness,” as in modern language, but “to make obvious”).
+ “Know that the Angels excite us to prayer and stand with us in it, rejoicing and praying together for us. So, if we are careless and accept contrary thoughts, then we extremely anger them: for while they struggle so much for us, we do not want to beg God for ourselves, but, neglecting our service to God and abandoning their God and Master, we carry on a conversation with unclean demons (in our thoughts).”
Venerable Neil of Sinai
My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, through Your saints and all-powerful prayers, take away from me, Your humble and accursed servant, despondency, oblivion, foolishness, negligence, and all the nasty, evil and blasphemous thoughts from my accursed heart and from my darkened mind; and extinguish the flame of my passions, for I am poor and damned. And deliver me from many and cruel memories and enterprises, and free me from all evil actions. For Thou art blessed from all generations, and glorified is Thy most honorable name forever and ever. Amen.
Drive away - drive away. Humble - pathetic, low. Enterprises - here: plans (enterprise - that which precedes the adoption of a thought or action, a preliminary intention).
+ “Why do people sin?” - St. Ambrose of Optina sometimes asked a question and solved it himself: “Or because they don’t know what to do and what to avoid; or, if they know, then they forget, then they become lazy, despondent... These are three giants: despondency or laziness, oblivion and ignorance - from which the entire human race is bound by insoluble bonds. And then comes negligence with all its host of evil passions. That is why we pray to the Queen of Heaven: My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, with Your holy and all-powerful prayers, drive away from me, Your humble and accursed servant, despondency, oblivion, foolishness, negligence, and all the nasty, evil and blasphemous thoughts.”
It is also worth comparing these words of prayer with one of the petitions of John Chrysostom’s prayer (according to the number of hours of the day and night, from prayers for sleep): Lord, deliver me from all ignorance and oblivion, and cowardice, and petrified insensibility.
Your humble and accursed servant... The words humble and accursed are often found in prayers, so it is worth delving deeper into their basic meanings. Humble means not only “endowed with humility” - one of the most important Christian virtues (saying about yourself to God: “I am humble” is even more absurd than telling people: “I am humble,” and in prayer we should not allow even a shadow of exaltation with our imaginary “humility”!) - but in general, humiliated, low, pitiful (in the explanation of prayer 5, the constant opposition in the Holy Scriptures was pointed out the highest - the upper and the humble - the lower). Damned - unhappy, rejected, filled with torment.
Deliver me from many and cruel memories and enterprises, and free me from all evil actions. With these words of prayer, we ask the Most Holy Theotokos to free us from numerous evil (many fierce) thoughts, both about the past (memories) and about the future (enterprises), as well as from evil actions associated with these thoughts. The focus of this petition on guarding the mind and heart is very important. Standing attentively in prayer, we inevitably notice the invasion of those very memories and enterprises from which we pray to the Most Holy Theotokos for deliverance; The struggle for prayer (and for a truly Christian inner life) is to a large extent a struggle against precisely these enemies, which it is impossible to defeat alone, without the help of God’s grace.
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.
Yako az - because I am. I come running and ask for help.
+ The prayer to the patron saint in all prayer books is given in this most general form, but in practice it is often pronounced differently, according to church custom - with the name of the rank of holiness of the heavenly intercessor: “Pray to God for me, holy Archangel of God Michael...”; “Pray to God for me, holy prophet of God Elijah...”; “...Holy Apostle of God Peter...”; “...Holy Equal to the Apostles Mary Magdalene...”; “...to Saint Father Nicholas...”; “...holy great martyr and victorious George...”, “...holy martyr...”, “... holy martyr...”, “... reverend Father Sergius...”, “... reverend mother Mary...” - and so on.
In this part of the prayer rule it is also good to include short prayer appeals to other saints of God who are most revered by you. They can be completed with an appeal to all saints: All saints, pray to God for us! It is also good, at least sometimes, not to limit yourself to one prayer appeal, but to read or sing a troparion to a saint (or several commemorated saints). The troparion should be known and understood by your patron saint.
By giving the baptized person the name of a saint, the Church, as it were, gives him the right to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, where the saint has already moved; at the same time, the Church shows the baptized person this path to the Kingdom of Heaven, which was followed by the saint of the same name - the way of life for which the saint became famous. By giving a person the name of a saint, the Church, as it were, binds him in a spiritual union with the saint of the same name, entrusts him with intercession, protection and intercession before God. The saints of the same name are our prayer books before God, guardians, like the Angels, and our mentors, our friends in heaven and helpers.
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.
+ The words of this, the oldest and most beautiful of the countless prayers of the Mother of God, are taken from the Gospel - from the story about the event of the Annunciation:
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to the city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a husband named Joseph, from the house of David; The name of the Virgin is: Mary. The angel came to Her and said:
- Rejoice, Blessed One! The Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women.
She, seeing him, was embarrassed by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this would be. And the Angel said to Her:
- Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace from God; and behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus.
Having received the good news from the Angel, the Blessed Virgin immediately went to Her holy relative - the righteous Elizabeth, the future mother of John the Baptist. As soon as Elizabeth saw the Most Pure Virgin, she was filled with the Holy Spirit, and exclaimed in a loud voice and said:
“Blessed are You among women, and blessed is the Fruit of Your womb!” And where does it come from for me that the Mother of my Lord came to me? (Luke 1:26-31, 41-43).
Holy Righteous Elizabeth, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, uttered the same amazing words as the Archangel Gabriel: Blessed are You among women (or, in Church Slavonic: Blessed are You among women). And we add to the words of the Angel and Righteous Elizabeth: for Thou hast given birth to the Savior of our souls, thereby expressing to the Most Holy Theotokos faith in Her Divine Son, Whom we acknowledge with all our hearts as the Savior of our souls.
Save, O Lord, Thy people, and bless Thy inheritance, granting victories against resistance, and preserving Thy residence through Thy Cross.
Property is heritage. On the opposing side - above opponents, above enemies. Residence is the dwelling, that is, the people of God - Orthodox Christians.
+ The Cross of Christ has a special power to save us from all evil. We call upon this power in prayer to the Cross for all the property of God - for everything that belongs to Christ: for His people, that is, Orthodox Christians who even bear the name of Christ; on our fatherland and especially on the Holy Church - the community of all true believers, among whom the Lord invisibly abides and lives.
Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual father (name), my parents (names), relatives (names), bosses, mentors, benefactors (their names) and all Orthodox Christians.
Lord rest the souls of your departed servants: my parents, relatives, benefactors (their names) and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.
“To remember in prayer for the peace of the Holy Churches and other things that follow is good, for this is the apostolic testament; but in doing this, one must recognize oneself as unworthy and without the strength to do so. The Gospel and Apostolic word says: Pray for one another so that you may be healed: the fervent prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much (James 5:16), and: As you would have people do to you, do so to them (Luke 6:31). He who neglects the commandment condemns himself; and therefore, whether I can or cannot, I force myself to fulfill the commandment.”
Venerable Barsanuphius the Great
The memorial is usually placed in prayer books at the end of morning prayers, but not everyone is comfortable or able to pray for the living and the departed in the morning. We need to find the most appropriate time for the commemoration; for some it will be the evening, when all the work has been done, for others it will be the middle of the day, lunch break...
If you can, read this memorial instead of short prayers for the living and the dead: (on the next 2 pages of the site editor).
Remember, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, Thy mercy and generosity from all eternity, for whose sake Thou didst become man, and Thou didst deign to endure crucifixion and death, for the sake of the salvation of those who believe in Thee; and rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father, and listens to the humble prayers of those who call upon You with all their hearts; incline Your ear and hear the humble prayer of me, Your indecent servant, into the stench of the spiritual fragrance that is brought to You for all Your people. And in the first place, remember Your Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, which You have provided with Your Honest Blood, and establish, and strengthen, and expand, multiply, pacify, and preserve the insurmountable gates of hell forever; Calm the tearing of the Churches, quench the pagan vacillations, and quickly destroy and uproot the heresies of uprising, and turn them into nothingness by the power of Your Holy Spirit. (Bow)
Generosity - manifestations of mercy, compassion. From the beginning of existence - eternal, existing from the beginning of the world. For their sake - for which, for which you are the Prize - you graciously look from above, bow down with love. In the stench of a spiritual fragrance - like a fragrant spiritual sacrifice (stench - smell, aroma; the form in the stench is similar here to the form “sacrifice” in the expression “accept as a sacrifice”). In the first place - first of all, first of all. South - which. You supplied - saved, protected (provide - protect, preserve; save). The gates of hell - the forces of hell (an ancient, frequent expression in the Bible). Tearing - discord, division into parts, separation. Unrest – disturbances, rebellions.
+ Remember, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, Thy mercy and generosity from all eternity... Remember the first prayer - a request to the Lord Jesus Christ to remember the mercies He did, for the sake of which He became man, and endured crucifixion and death, and was resurrected, and ascended. In prayer, the entire work of God’s economy—God’s providence—is remembered. All this - the mercy of God shown to the human race from time immemorial - is the basis for our subsequent petitions for the whole world.
Save, Lord, and have mercy on our God-protected country, its authorities and army, so that we may live a quiet and silent life in all piety and purity. (Bow)
Save, Lord, and have mercy on the Great Master and Father of our Most Holy Patriarch (name), your Eminence metropolitans, archbishops and Orthodox bishops, priests and deacons, and all the church clergy, who You have appointed to shepherd Your verbal flock, and through their prayers have mercy and save me, a sinner. (Bow)
Even - which ones. Verbal – here: spiritual, rational (there is also the expression “your verbal flock of sheep”).
Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual father (his name), and forgive my sins through his holy prayers. (Bow)
Save, O Lord, and have mercy on my parents (their names), brothers and sisters, and my relatives according to the flesh, and all the neighbors of my family, and others, and grant them Your peaceful and most peaceful goodness. (Bow)
Your peaceful and super-worldly good - Your earthly and heavenly blessings (literally: Your worldly and supermundane good).
Save, O Lord, and have mercy on the old and the young, the poor and the orphans and widows, and those who are in sickness and sorrow, troubles and sorrows, conditions and captivities, prisons and imprisonments, and especially in persecution, for the sake of the Orthodox faith, from the tongues of the godless, from the apostate and from heretics, the present slaves Yours; and remember, visit, strengthen, comfort, and soon by Your power I will weaken, grant them freedom and deliver. (Bow)
Existing - existing, abiding. Circumstances - difficult circumstances of life, adversity (the main meaning of the word “circumstance” is siege). Fairly – especially, more than anything. For you and the Orthodox faith - for You and the Orthodox faith. From the tongue - from the pagans. I am theirs. If I weaken, it’s a relief. Deliverance - deliverance.
Save, Lord, and have mercy on those sent to the service, those traveling, our fathers and brethren, and all Orthodox Christians. (Bow)
Save, O Lord, and have mercy on them who I tempted with my madness, and turned away from the path of salvation, and led me to evil and inappropriate deeds; By Your Divine Providence, return again to the path of salvation. (Bow)
Theirs - those whom. Az – I. I tempted, turned away, brought - I seduced, turned away, brought (1st person singular form of the past tense - aorist). Paki - again.
Save, Lord, and have mercy on those who hate and offend me, and those who create misfortunes against me, and do not leave them to perish for me for the sake of a sinner. (Bow)
Those who create misfortunes for me - those who do evil to me.
Those who have departed from the Orthodox faith and are blinded by destructive heresies, enlighten with the light of Your knowledge and bring Your Holy Apostles to the Catholic Church. (Bow)
Almost - count.
Remember, Lord, the most holy patriarchs, eminence metropolitans, archbishops and Orthodox bishops who departed from this life, who served You in the priesthood and in the parable of the church, and in the monastic rank, and rest in Your eternal villages with the saints. (Bow)
Remember, Lord, the souls of Your departed servants, my parents (their names), and all relatives in the flesh; and forgive them all their sins, voluntary and involuntary, giving them the Kingdom and the communion of Your eternal good things and the pleasure of Your endless and blissful life. (Bow)
Good - good.
Remember, O Lord, and all in the hope of resurrection and eternal life, those who have fallen asleep, our fathers and brothers and sisters, and those who lie here and everywhere, Orthodox Christians, and with Thy saints, where the light of Thy face shines, indwell and have mercy on us, for He is Good and Lover of Mankind. Amen. (Bow)
Where he visits - where it shines (to visit - to visit, to visit).
Grant, Lord, remission of sins to all who have previously departed in the faith and hope of resurrection, our fathers, brothers and sisters, and create for them eternal memory. (Thrice)
+ Create for them an eternal memory. Over the decades of use in a godless society, the words eternal memory have become completely meaningless for many: eternal memory was somehow supposed to be outside of eternity, outside of God (apparently, in a series of generations: children, grandchildren...). In the earthly dimension, the wise will not be remembered forever, just like the fool; in the days to come everything will be forgotten, and alas! The wise man dies equally with the fool (Eccl. 2:16). Only the eternal Divinity can remember forever. We begin our commemoration of the whole world with a petition: Remember, Lord... - and, finally, we ask Him to forever remember, to constantly remember those who have passed from temporary life to eternal life. The psalm speaks of this memory of God: the righteous will be an eternal memory (Ps. 112:6). Praying: Remember, Lord... - let us also remember the words of the prudent thief: Remember me, Lord, when you come into Your Kingdom! and Jesus' answer: Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23:42-43). If God keeps you in memory, you exist (this can be contrasted with the famous words of Descartes: “I think, therefore I exist”).
It is worthy to eat as you truly bless Thee, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and the Mother of our God. We magnify You, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption, the real Mother of God.
It is worthy to eat - it should, it must. As truly - truly, in justice (as - as). Bless - to praise. Ever-blessed - always blessed (ever-blessed - always). Most immaculate - the most immaculate, completely sinless. The most honorable Cherub - worthy of greater honor than the Cherubs. The most glorious Seraphim without comparison - deserving incomparably greater glorification than the Seraphim. Without decay - without violating purity. Existing - real.
Cherubim (in Hebrew this word means “outpouring of wisdom”) and Seraphim (“flaming ones”) are the highest Angels closest to God.
+ The second half of the prayer - “The most honorable Cherub...” (it is still used independently in worship) - was composed in the 8th century by Saint Cosmas, Bishop of Maium... According to legend, this song was composed by him on Good Friday, a particularly mournful day for the Mother of God. After this, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to the monk and with a joyful face said: “Your songs are pleasant to Me, but this one is more pleasant than all the others; Those who sing spiritual songs are pleasing to Me, but I am never so close to them as when they sing this new song of yours.” The words of the Most Honest Cherub go back to the laudatory words of the Mother of God of Ephraim the Syrian: “The most honorable of the Cherubim, incomparable before all the heavenly armies...”
In the 10th century, this song chosen by the Mother of God received an even more miraculous beginning.
In one of the monasteries of Holy Mount Athos, a novice prayed in his cell. There was a knock on the door, an unfamiliar, beautiful-looking monk entered and joined in the chant. When the Athonite novice was about to begin the glorification of the Mother of God “Most Honest Cherub...”, the guest stopped him and sang another, unknown beginning: “It is worthy to eat as truly blessed as Thee, the Mother of God, Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and Mother of our God,” and to these hitherto unknown words he added the ending: “Most Honest Cherub.”
The Athonite monk was touched by the wondrous words and the sounds of the angelic voice, and began to ask the stranger monk to write him the beginning of the cherished song. But in the cell there was neither parchment (on which they wrote before the invention of paper) nor ink. Then the guest asked to bring a stone slab and with the end of his finger he wrote the words he sang on the slab. Handing the slab to the astonished monk, he said: “From now on, always sing like this, both you and all Orthodox Christians,” and became invisible. Then the monk realized that an Angel of God had visited him.
Since then, this amazing prayer has remained in the Church, in which the angelic song was added to the inspired human creation: since 980, according to the conciliar definition of the Church, the chant began to be sung in a new, complete edition.
Note. From Easter to Ascension, instead of this prayer, the chorus and irmos of the 9th song of the Easter canon are read:
The angel cried out with grace: Pure Virgin, rejoice! And again the river: Rejoice! Your Son is risen three days from the grave, and raised up the dead; people, have fun!
Shine, shine, new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord is upon you. Rejoice now and be glad, O Zion; You, Pure One, show off, O Mother of God, about the rising of Your Nativity.
This remark also applies to future bedtime prayers.
Glory, and now: Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all saints, have mercy on us, Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
Heavenly King...
Trisagion according to Our Father.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us; Perplexed by any answer, we offer this prayer to You as the Master of sin: have mercy on us.
Slava:
Lord, have mercy on us, for we trust in You; Do not be angry with us, remember our iniquities, but look upon us now as if you are gracious, and deliver us from our enemies; For Thou art our God, and we are Thy people; all works are done by Thy hand, and we call on Thy name.
And now:
Open the doors of mercy for us, Blessed Mother of God, so that we who trust in You may not perish, but may be delivered from troubles by You: for You are the salvation of the Christian race.
They are perplexed by any answer - without finding any justification for themselves (perplexed - not knowing what to do, being unskillful; the word answer here is a translation of the Greek word “defense”), “justification” - cf. Russian: “to call to account”).
We trusted in You - because we relied on You (so in the Greek text of the prayer; hope is the form of the 1st person plural of the past tense - aorist - the verb to trust; the Church Slavonic version means: we trusted in You). Zelo - strong. Below - and not. He is kind - because You are merciful. We - us. All the works of Thy hand - we are all the creations of Thy hands (a dash would shine through this expression: following the Greek original, a linking verb was omitted in the Slavic translation, in full form it would sound: all are the works of Thy hand; by Thy hand - the form of the gen. case of the dual number).
By You - meaning: through You.
These troparia are the creation of St. John of Damascus.
Lord, have mercy. (12 times)
Eternal God and King of every creature, who has made me worthy even at this hour, forgive me the sins I have committed this day in deed, word and thought; and cleanse, Lord, my humble soul from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. And grant me, Lord, to pass through this dream in peace at night, so that, having risen from my humble bed, I may please Your most holy name all the days of my life, and will trample the fleshly and incorporeal enemies that fight me. Deliver me, Lord, from vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil lusts. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Even at this hour, to reach this hour - to live up to this hour (to reach this hour - to achieve). Even I created - which I created (made). Humble - here: pathetic, worthless (take care of yourself from the terrible danger of false humility and proud recognition of yourself as humble!). To pass this dream in the night - to sleep through this night, to “go through the race” of this night’s sleep. From my humble bed (in some prayer books: from my humble bed) - from my pitiful, meager bed (humble often means: “low, vile” even just in the physical sense). Popper - I will overcome, I will trample. The lusts of the evil ones are evil desires.
+ And deliver me, O Lord, from vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil lusts. These words of prayer are peculiarly echoed by other words from the teachings of St. Macarius on prayer: “The true basis of prayer is this: to be attentive to thoughts and to pray in great silence and peace. A person praying needs to direct all his efforts to his thoughts and cut off what serves as food for evil thoughts, and direct his thoughts towards God and not fulfill the desires of his thoughts, but gather the whirling thoughts from everywhere together, distinguishing natural thoughts from evil ones. The soul under sin is likened to a large forest on a mountain or reeds on a river, or some kind of thorns and trees more often, therefore those who intend to pass through this place must stretch out their hands forward and with effort and difficulty push apart the branches in front of them. Likewise, the soul is surrounded by a whole forest of thoughts inspired by a resistive force, which is why great diligence and attentiveness of the mind are required in order for a person to distinguish between alien thoughts inspired by a resistive force.”
To the Almighty, the Word of the Father, the perfect One Jesus Christ, for the sake of Thy mercy, never leave me, Thy servant, but always rest in me. Jesus, good Shepherd of Your sheep, do not betray me to the sedition of the serpent, and do not leave me to the desires of Satan, for the seed of aphids is in me. Thou, O Lord God worshiped, the Holy King, Jesus Christ, preserve me as I sleep with an unflickering light, by Thy Holy Spirit, with whom Thou hast sanctified Thy disciples. Grant, O Lord, to me, Thy unworthy servant, Thy salvation on my bed; enlighten my mind with the light of reason of Your holy Gospel, my soul with the love of Your Cross, my heart with the purity of Your word, my body with Your impassive passion; Preserve my thought with Your humility, and raise me up in time like Your praise. For Thou art glorified with Thy Beginningless Father and with the Most Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
He himself is perfect - being himself perfect (he is a participle of the verb to be: appearing, existing). Sedition - excitement, turmoil, rebellion. To the desire of Satan - to the will of Satan (to the will of Satan). The seed of an aphid is the seed of destruction. Unflickering - unfading. Give it - give it. The light of reason - here: the light of understanding. Your passionless passion - Your suffering, alien to passion. The time is like - the right time.
Lord, Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of Truth, have mercy and have mercy on me, Thy sinful servant, and forgive me the unworthy, and forgive me all that I have sinned today like a man, and moreover, not like a man, but worse than cattle, my voluntary and involuntary sins, known and unknown; who are evil from youth and science, and who are evil from insolence and despondency. If I swear by Your name, or blaspheme in my thoughts; or whom I will reproach; or slandered someone with my anger, or saddened someone, or became angry about something; either he lied, or he slept in vain, or he came to me as a beggar and despised him; or made my brother sad, or married, or whom I condemned; or became proud, or became proud, or became angry; or standing in prayer, my mind is moved by the wickedness of this world, or I think about corruption; either overeated, or drunk, or laughing madly; either I thought evil thoughts, or saw someone else’s kindness, and was wounded in my heart by it, or dissimilar verbs, or laughed at my brother’s sin, but mine are countless sins; Either I didn’t pray for the sake of it, or I didn’t remember what other evil things I did, because I did more and more of these things.
Have mercy on me, my Creator Master, Thy sad and unworthy servant, and leave me, and let me go, and forgive me, for I am Good and Lover of Mankind; May I lie down in peace, sleep and rest, the prodigal, sinful and damned one; and I will worship, and sing, and glorify Your most honorable name, with the Father and His Only Begotten Son, now and ever, and forever. Amen.
All, as many as You have sinned - everything in which I have sinned before You (all, as many as I have sinned - I have sinned). Today - today. Moreover - and more than that. Grief is worse, more bitter. Even - which. From youth - from youth, from a young age (and not “because of youth”). Evil comes from science - from evil teaching. From impudence - from shamelessness, insolence. If - if. I swore - I swore. Blasphemed e - blasphemed him (further in the prayer there is a series of verbs in the form of the 1st person past tense - aorist; reproach - I reproached; slander - I slandered; saddened - I saddened, etc.). Worthless - bad timing. Svadih - stirred up quarrels, quarreled someone. Standing in prayer - when I stood in prayer. Moved by the deceit of this world, he rushed towards the worldly (towards the lies of this world). Evil - evil, bad. Having seen someone else's kindness - seeing someone else's beauty (or good qualities in general: kindness means both external beauty and perfection in general). I was wounded in my heart by that - I was wounded in my heart by it. Inappropriate verbs - said something inappropriate, obscene. My essence is countless sins - while my sins are countless.
But all and more of these deeds - because I did all this and more.
+ At the beginning of the prayer and at the end of it, despondency is mentioned among the causes of numerous sins: ... Forgive all, O Lord, those who have sinned ... from despondency ... Have mercy on me, my Creator Master, Thy sad and unworthy servant ... Despair is one of the eight main passions, and the struggle with this passion is inevitable for every Christian.
“This evil spirit reminds the one who begins to pray about the necessary things to do and uses every trick just to distract us from the conversation with the Lord with some plausible pretext.”
Venerable John the Climacus
“The soul, wounded by the arrow of this ruinous passion, actually falls asleep for any striving for virtue and observation of its spiritual feelings... The main thing that the spirit of despondency produces in us is that it makes us lazy, discourages us from doing things and teaches idleness. The mind of an idle lover does not think about anything else than food and belly, until, having met somewhere a fellowship in some man or woman, numb in the same coldness, it gets involved in their affairs and needs... The main thing to counteract him will be: do not give in, sit down to work.”
Venerable John Cassian the Roman
“In every task, determine your measure and do not leave it before you finish; also pray intelligently and intensely - and the spirit of despondency will flee from you.”
Venerable Neil of Sinai
This prayer of repentance contains a whole list of sins that we commit daily; In order for this daily repentance to be sincere, one must delve into the essence of the sins confessed here, in their connection and difference. Some of them deserve special mention.
...If I swear by Your name... These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself: Again you have heard what was said to the ancients: do not break your oath, but fulfill your oaths before the Lord. But I say to you: do not swear at all: not by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King; Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. But let your word be: yes, yes; no no; and anything beyond this is from the evil one (Matt. 5:33-37). Undoubtedly, the words of the evening confession of sins speak not only about an immediate oath, but also about any violation of the 3rd commandment of the Law of God - about deification and taking the name of God in vain (note that violation of the same commandment includes catechism and inattention in prayer - like pronouncing the name of God in violation of reverence and lying).
...Or blasphemy in my thoughts... These words are used to confess blasphemous thoughts - disgusting, dirty thoughts and ideas that arise primarily during prayer and during divine services.
“Whoever is troubled by the spirit of blasphemy and who wants to get rid of it, let him know without a doubt that it is not his soul that is guilty of such thoughts, but an unclean demon... Therefore, we, despising him and counting the thoughts he puts in for nothing, will say to him: Get away from Me, Satan: I will worship the Lord My God and serve Him only (cf. Matt. 4:10); let your words be returned to your head!”
Venerable John Climacus
The Monk John also points out the mysterious internal reason for blasphemous thoughts: it is pride. “Whoever has achieved victory over this passion has cast aside pride.” “Let us stop judging and condemning our neighbor, and we will not be afraid of blasphemous thoughts: for the cause and root of the second is the first.” The prayer-confession also draws our attention to these sins against one’s neighbor, internally connected with blasphemy:
...Or I will reproach someone; or slandered someone with my anger, or saddened... Here we are talking about direct reproach (reproaches), about passionate unjust condemnation (slander of someone with my anger); finally, even “just” and not directly expressed anger in one way or another upsets our neighbors (the saddened). The prayer of repentance turns us to the root of these sins against our neighbor: ... or what we were angry about... Anger is one of the eight most important passions.
“Nothing hinders the coming of the Holy Spirit into us so much as anger.”
Venerable John Larch
“It is not good to be angry, either without a reason or for a good reason; for this is rightly forbidden by the Lord (see: Matt. 5:22).”
Venerable Neil of Sinai
Anger is permissible only at demons and at yourself: “Be angry at sin, that is, at yourself and at the devil, so as not to sin against God.”
Venerable Hesychius of Jerusalem
...Or my brother was saddened... It would seem that this sin was just discussed; but above we were talking about sadness caused by manifestations of anger, and my brother can be saddened by inattention, unreasonableness, and simply my general sinfulness.
...Or svadih... Swaditi - to quarrel, to stir up discord.
...Or whom I condemn... Let us recall the words of the apostle: Whoever curses his brother or judges his brother, he is cursed by the law and judged by the law; and if you judge the law, then you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one Lawgiver and Judge, who can save and destroy; and who are you who judges another? (James 4:11-12).
...Or they became proud, or became angry... But it was already said above: or about what they became angry; is this a repeat? Perhaps the prefix once indicates a different quality, a different level of professed passion: a fairly strong grip of anger (being angry can also refer to a fleeting feeling).
...Or seeing the kindness of someone else, and being wounded by it in the heart... Wounded by the heart - that is, he was wounded in the very heart, received a painful heart wound (ulcer). The ambiguity of the word kindness allows us to attribute this phrase both to the temptation of someone’s external beauty (voluptuous thoughts, burning and painful), and to envy, which is always painful; apply these words to your own mental ulcer.
...Or did you laugh at my brother’s sin, but my essence is countless sins... Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not feel the beam in your eye? Or how will you say to your brother: “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” but behold, there is a log in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye (Matthew 7:3-5).
The creator of this prayer is St. Ephraim the Syrian. (For details, see Appendix)
What will I bring to You, or what will I reward to You, O most gifted Immortal King, generous and philanthropic Lord, since you were lazy in pleasing me, and did nothing good, you brought the conversion and salvation of my soul to the end of this day? Be merciful to me, a sinner and naked of every good deed, raise up my fallen soul, defiled in immeasurable sins, and take away from me all the evil thoughts of this visible life. Forgive my sins, the only Sinless One, even those who have sinned this day, in knowledge and ignorance, in word, and deed, and thought, and with all my feelings. You Yourself, covering me, save me from every opposing situation with Your Divine power, and ineffable love for mankind, and strength. Cleanse, O God, cleanse the multitude of my sins.
Deign, Lord, to deliver me from the snare of the evil one, and save my passionate soul, and overshadow me with the light of Your countenance, when You come in glory, and make me sleep uncondemned now, and keep the thoughts of Your servant without dreaming, and undisturbed, and drive away all the work of Satan from me, and enlighten my understanding. eyes of the heart, may I not sleep into death. And send me an Angel of peace, guardian and mentor of my soul and body, that he may deliver me from my enemies; Yes, rising from my bed, I will bring you prayers of gratitude. Yes, Lord, hear me, your sinful and wretched servant, with your will and conscience; Grant that I have risen to learn from Thy words, and the despondency of demons is driven away from me, to be made by Thy Angels; may I bless Your holy name, and glorify, and glorify the Most Pure Mother of God Mary, Who hast given us sinners intercession, and accept this one praying for us; We see that He imitates Your love for mankind, and never ceases to pray. By that intercession, and the sign of the Honest Cross, and for the sake of all Thy saints, keep my poor soul, Jesus Christ our God, for Thou art holy and glorified forever. Amen.
Greatly gifted - bestowing great gifts, generous. Like me being lazy to please You - like me being lazy to serve You. And having done nothing good - and not having done anything good. You brought it to the end - You brought it to the end. Past - past. Building - here: arranging. Naked, every deed is good - deprived of any good deeds (the image of grace, as well as good deeds, as clothing that clothes a person, is repeated repeatedly in the New Testament and very often in liturgical poetry and ascetic literature. Compare the words of God Almighty in the Apocalypse: Behold, I come like a thief: blessed is he who watches and keeps his clothes, lest he walk naked and be seen his shame - Rev. 16:15). Even those who have sinned - with whom I have sinned before You (even - who have sinned - I have sinned: the form of the 1st person singular of the past tense - aorist). From every adverse situation - from every onslaught of evil. Lukavago - here: Devil. Passionate – full of passions, subject to passions. When - when. Detel – business, activity. Drive away - drive away. To her - yes, truly.
By will and conscience - Meaning. : in the expression of my will and in my conscience (will - free will, free will - and conscience in this expression belongs to the one praying, comes from him). I will rise - I will when I rise. To learn from Your words - to learn from Your law (the same expression in the morning prayer to the Most Holy Trinity). You already gave - which You gave. Vem bo - for I know. Yako - what. Imitates – strengthens, appeals to (literally: pushes). Toya – Her.
+ Deign, Lord, to deliver me from the snare of the evil one... and drive away all the work of Satan from me. Let us supplement these words of the prayer of St. Macarius the Great with words from his teaching: “The visible world, from kings to the beggars, is all in confusion, in struggle, and none of them knows the reason for this... The coming sin, as a certain rational force and essence of Satan, has sowed all kinds of evil: it secretly acts on the inner man and on the mind and fights with it with thoughts; people do not know that they are doing this prompted by some alien force; on the contrary, they think that it is natural and that they are doing this according to their own reasoning. But in their very minds, those who have the peace of Christ and the illumination of Christ know where all this comes from.”
Lord our God, who have sinned in these days in word, deed and thought, as He is Good and Lover of Mankind, forgive me. Grant me a peaceful and serene sleep. Send Your guardian angel, covering and keeping me from all evil; for You are the guardian of our souls and bodies, and we send glory to You, to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
What I have sinned - what I have sinned. Yako - how. Mi - to me. For You are - because You are.
Lord our God, in the worthlessness of faith, and we call upon His name above every name, grant to us, who are going to sleep, a weakening of soul and body, and keep us from all dreams and dark pleasures except; calm the desire of passions, extinguish the kindling of bodily rebellion. Grant us to live chastely in deeds and words; Yes, virtuous living is receptive, we will not fall away from your promised good things, for blessed are you forever. Amen.
More than that. If I weaken, it’s a relief. Dark sweets except - unaffected by unclean lust (sweetness - sensual pleasure, lust; except - outside). Stop it - stop it. Receptively - accepting, receiving back (note that the word itself indicates a return to an undefiled way of life!). Promised - promised. Good - good.
+ This evening prayer is all directed towards chastity, towards the confrontation of lust - dark sweets. Expressions such as: the desire of passions and kindling the rebellion of the body should not be translated into modern Russian: in Church Slavonic they are more understandable, because they indicate a whole worldview imprinted in them. Modern Christians live in a world literally gripped by fornication madness, so even for a married layman striving to live with God, the struggle to live chastely in deeds and words is in its own way no less intense than for a monk. Prayer is an indispensable weapon in this fight.
(24 prayers, according to the number of hours of the day and night)
Lord, do not deprive me of Your heavenly blessings. Lord, save me from eternal torment. Lord, whether I have sinned in mind or in thought, in word or in deed, forgive me. Lord, deliver me from all ignorance and oblivion, and cowardice, and petrified insensibility. Lord, deliver me from every temptation. Lord, enlighten my heart, darken my evil lust. Lord, as a man who has sinned, You, as a generous God, have mercy on me, seeing the weakness of my soul. Lord, send Your grace to help me, that I may glorify Your holy name. Lord Jesus Christ, write me Your servant in the book of animals, and grant me a good end. Lord my God, even if I have done nothing good before You, grant me, by Your grace, to make a good beginning. Lord, sprinkle the dew of Your grace in my heart. Lord of heaven and earth, remember me, Thy sinful servant, cold and unclean, in Thy Kingdom. Amen.
I have sinned - I have sinned (past tense - aorist). Ezhe darkened - which darkened (darkened - also an aorist, but the form of the 3rd person). Below the animals - in the book of life. Even though I have done nothing good, I have done nothing good. Studnago - vile (literally: shameful; stud - shame).
Lord, accept me in repentance. Lord, don't leave me. Lord, do not lead me into misfortune. Lord, give me a good thought. Lord, give me tears, and mortal memory, and tenderness. Lord, give me the thought of confessing my sins. Lord, give me humility, chastity and obedience. Lord, give me patience, generosity and meekness. Lord, plant in me the root of good things, Thy fear in my heart. Lord, grant me to love You with all my soul and thoughts, and to do Your will in everything. Lord, protect me from certain people, and demons, and passions, and from all other inappropriate things. Lord, consider that you do as you will, that your will be done in me, a sinner, for blessed are you forever. Amen.
The root of the good is the root (that is, the basis) of all good, all good. Vesi - You know (You know). As You do, as You will - that You do what You want.
+ The great teacher of prayer, St. Theophan the Recluse, attached great importance to these prayers and recommended them to many of his spiritual children as the basis of the prayer rule, as a school of unceasing contemplation of God. Here are some excerpts from his letters:
“How to read the prayers of St. Chrysostom (24 in evening prayers for sleep)? Read them before the prayer so that your attention is concentrated... But also repeat it mentally at all times. This is the best way to accustom yourself to remembering God, and this remembering is the basis of spiritual life. Bow down from the waist, and sometimes even to the ground.” – “You can use the prayers of St. Chrysostom instead of your home rule in the morning. Memorize them and think about each... In them, the whole spiritual life is remembered... How many times to remember each - determine this so that you stand in prayer for the same amount of time as you usually stand for the rule. You can also add your own prayers to them - choose from the psalms: whichever poem suits your heart, write it down... By using these prayers with attention as a rule, you will soon learn to stand in prayer without being distracted. Insert the Jesus Prayer into their midst. For example, having said ten times: “Lord, do not deprive me of Your heavenly blessings,” add: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
– “The purpose of short prayers is to promote the collection of thoughts and sobriety. Strength is not in words, but in feeling for God. It will soon be formed among those who work on prayer. This is mental prayer. The mind, standing in the heart, sees God and intelligently confesses to Him by calling upon Him... Feeling for God is unceasing prayer without words.”
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, for the sake of Your Most Honest Mother, and Your disembodied Angels, Your Prophet and Forerunner and Baptist, the God-speaking Apostles, the bright and victorious martyrs, the reverend and God-bearing fathers, and all the saints through the prayers, deliver me from the present situation of the demonic. To her, my Lord and Creator, do not want the death of a sinner, but as if he were converted and live, grant me conversion, the accursed and unworthy; take me away from the mouth of the destructive serpent, who yawns to devour me and bring me to hell alive. To her, my Lord, is my consolation, who for the sake of the accursed one has clothed himself in corruptible flesh, pluck me from accursedness, and grant consolation to my more accursed soul. Plant in my heart to do Thy commandments, and forsake evil deeds, and receive Thy blessedness: for in Thee, O Lord, have I trusted, save me.
The present situation of demons - the current environment of demons, the demonic siege. Not wanting - not wanting. But as if he were to be converted and live, so that he would be converted and live. Gaping to devour me - opening my mouth to devour me (gaping - opening my mouth). Izhe...clothed - clothed.
+ ...I do not want the death of a sinner, but rather turn and live to be him... The prayer quotes the words of the Lord from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel: I do not want the death of a sinner, but to turn the wicked from his way and live to be him (Ezek. 33:11). Here is this verse in the Russian translation of the Bible: Tell them: As I live, says the Lord God, I do not want the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should turn from his way and live. Turn yourselves, turn from your evil ways; Why should you die, O house of Israel?
Peter the Studite
To Thee, O Most Pure Mother of God, I fall down and pray: Behold, O Queen, for I am constantly sinning and angering Thy Son and my God, and many times when I repent, I find myself lying before God, and I repent in trembling: will the Lord strike me, and hour by hour I do the same again: knowing this, my Lady Lady Theotokos, I pray, have mercy, strengthen, and grant me good works. Behold, my Lady Theotokos, for the Imam is by no means in hatred of my evil deeds, and with all my thoughts I love the law of my God; But we don’t know, Most Pure Lady, why even when I hate, I love, but I transgress what is good. Do not, O Most Pure One, allow my will to be fulfilled, for it is not pleasing, but let the will of Thy Son and my God be done: may He save me, and enlighten me, and give me the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that I may cease from this place of depravity, and so on, may I live in the commandment of Thy Son; to Him belongs all glory, honor and power, with His Beginning Father, and His Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Vesi - You know. And many times when I repent, I find myself lying before God - and although I repent many times, I turn out to be unfaithful to God (I deceive God). I do the same thing again - I do the same thing again. These leaders know this. Do good things and give them to me - do good things and give them to me. It’s as if the imam is by no means hated – which I absolutely hate. My evil - my evil. We don’t know - I don’t know. From where I hate, I love - why what I hate is what I love (literally: from where [those things] that I hate are the same things I love). Good - good. May I stop from now on my evil deeds - so that from now on I will stop evil deeds. Other things - in the future. If only I had lived, I would have lived.
+ This prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos is the cry of a man who has learned how little his will to good can resist sin. And repentance, completely sincere, and love with all one’s thoughts for the law of God, and hatred of evil deeds in themselves are not capable of saving a person from slavery to sin. The words of this prayer are close to the words of the Apostle Paul: ... I am carnal, sold under sin. For I don’t understand what I’m doing: because I don’t do what I want, but what I hate, I do. If I do what I do not want, then... it is no longer I who do it, but the sin that lives in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; because the desire for good is in me, but I don’t find it to do it. I don’t do the good that I want, but I do the evil that I don’t want. If I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin living in me. And so I find the law that when I want to do good, evil belongs to me.
For according to the inner man I delight in the law of God; But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members (Rom. 7:14-23). It is possible to overcome and defeat the law of sin only with God's help, with the power of God's grace, for which we cry out in our prayers.
Good Mother of the King, Most Pure and Blessed Mother of God Mary, pour out the mercy of Thy Son and our God on my passionate soul, and with Thy prayers instruct me in good deeds; Yes, I will pass through the rest of my life without blemish, and through You I will find paradise, O Virgin Mother of God, the only Pure and Blessed One.
Passionate – 1) subject to passions; 2) unhappy, suffering; both meanings are combined here. My belly is my life. By You - here: With Your help, through You. If I find it, I will find it.
To the Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and protector of my soul and body, forgive me all who have sinned this day, and deliver me from every wickedness of the enemy who opposes me, so that I may not anger my God in any sin; but pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant, that you may show me worthy of the goodness and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity, and the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ, and all the saints. Amen.
All, the spree of sinners - everything in which I have sinned (the spree - how much). Today's - current. From all deceit - from all lies, all tricks. Opposite to me - opposing, opposing me. In no sin - no sin. If you show me worthy, you will show me worthy.
To the chosen Voivode, victorious, as having been delivered from the evil, let us write thanks to Thy servants, the Mother of God, but as having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Thee: Rejoice, Unmarried Bride.
Mounted Voivode - invincible Voivode (mounted - invincible in wars - battles). Victorious - victorious (singing, that is, a victorious song). As if they got rid of the evil ones - because they got rid (literally: as if they got rid of) from evil (from troubles). Thanksgiving - thanksgiving (thanksgiving song). Let us sing to You - we sing praises (literally: we write) to You. As one who has power - (You) as one who has strength. Unbrided – not married (literal translation of the Greek word).
+ The Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos, beginning with this kontakion, was written in the 7th century in Constantinople. This is the first (and most beautiful) of the akathists, which became a model for all subsequent ones. All 12 ikos of the akathist end with multiple “repeats” of the Archangel’s greeting to the Blessed Virgin - “Rejoice!”, the final of which is Rejoice, Unbrided Bride! We magnify the heavenly purity of the Unworn Virgin, who inexpressibly gave birth to Christ our God, and in Her purity, the “Most Honest Cherub” Bride of the Unbride appears before us as the greatest warrior with the forces of evil - the Chosen Voivode, possessing an invincible power.
* Rejoice, Unbrided Bride! If we turn to the Greek language in which the akathist was written, we will see that all these three words, literally translated into Church Slavonic and entered into our religious consciousness, should have been perceived by the Greeks somewhat differently than we perceive them.
Rejoice - the greeting of the Archangel Gabriel, brought to us by the Gospel - both before the Nativity of Christ and after it was a common greeting in Greek - the same as our “hello”. In the appearance of the Angel, in his wondrous and mysterious words, the inner meaning of the greeting, forgotten in everyday life, of course, was renewed and shone with all its strength; Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos (and every later inspiredly composed akathist), all permeated with this “Rejoice!” and sparkling with the joy of majesty, also resurrects the dormant meaning of the Greek word in everyday language. But in the Russian (and Old Russian) language they greeted each other not with the word “rejoice”, but with the word “hello” (in which we usually forget wishes for health). “Rejoice” remains for us a word that is always richer, more special – a conscious word of joy, a unique greeting for the Most Pure Virgin Mary and the saints of God.
Bride Unbride is a direct, literal translation of two Greek words. The Church Slavonic word for bride corresponds to the Greek word “nymph,” which means not only a girl-bride, but also a newlywed wife and a young woman. The New Testament (and the Greek translation of the Bible) gave this word enormous mystical depth: The Bride of the Lamb in the Revelation of John the Theologian (Rev. 19:7, 21:22, 17) is not only destined for Him, but also stands with Him in a mysterious marriage; this is the image of both the Mother of God and the Church (in her we recognize the bride of the Song of Songs and other books of Scripture). And the Greek word translated by the Slavic word nevestnaya is a negative form of the first word, meaning “not married”; this word was quite common in Greek. For Greek, but not for Slavic! Indeed, in Slavic, a bride is precisely an unknown, unknown (that is, exactly what the Greek non-bride corresponds to) girl who has not entered into marriage, although destined for it; the word itself carries the meaning of purity. Within the Slavic language, the word nevestnaya is difficult to explain.
It introduces a new shade of meaning into the expression of the akathist: Pure Bride, but – Unbridelike, not ordinary, not comparable to any other bride.
Other Slavic epithets of the Mother of God, corresponding to the word Unmarried, are Neiskuslovochnaya, Neiskuslovnaya.
* To the elected Voivode, victorious... Almost all of us are accustomed to hearing these words as a single whole, so we do not feel the structure of the phrase (quite simple): (to whom?) To the elected Voivode (we) sing (what?) a victorious song of thanks, that is, a victorious song of thanks, (why?) as if we got rid of the evil ones - because we got rid of troubles.
Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ God, bring our prayer to Your Son and our God, may You save our souls.
I place all my hope in You, Mother of God, keep me under Your roof.
Virgin Mary, do not despise me, a sinner, who requires Your help and Your intercession, for my soul trusts in You, and have mercy on me.
By You - here: through You, by Your intercession. Under the roof - under cover.
The prayers “Glorious Ever-Virgin...” and “All my hope...” are the creations of St. John of Damascus.
My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit: Holy Trinity, glory to Thee.
The creator of this prayer, Saint John the Great, repeated it after each verse of the psalms he read according to the rule, thus constantly raising the mind to the Most Holy Trinity.
It is worthy to eat as you truly bless Thee, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and the Mother of our God. We magnify You, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption, the real Mother of God.
Glory, and now:
Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
+ We see that after those prayers that in the section “Morning Prayers” are final and are marked with the words “End of prayers”, in the section “Prayers for those who are coming to bed” (in most prayer books) there are some more prayers that more directly relate to going to bed (the prayer of St. John of Damascus is supposed to be read, pointing to the bed; when reading the prayer “May God rise again”, the sign of the cross and the bed are shaded, and four cardinal directions). One of the consequences of this: we can more flexibly adapt the general rule to our own living conditions, to our internal state. So, for some people (or in some circumstances of life), it turns out to be more convenient to read the first part of the prayers for bed the following evening, quite early - perhaps before all the affairs are completely completed - and immediately before going to bed, already near your bed, read the remaining prayers.
The joint reading of bedtime prayers for the future - for example, in a family - can be completed with “It is worthy to eat...” and a general blessing, and prayers starting with the prayer of St. John of Damascus can be read to everyone..., at their bed.
This practice existed in Ancient Rus'. Under Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century, there was a custom to add a few more prayers, literally going to sleep and to his bed (the composition of these prayers did not coincide with ours). /Addition by Archpriest Sergius Pravdolyubov.
(read it pointing to your bed)
Lord, Lover of Mankind, will this coffin really be my bed, or will you still enlighten my damned soul during the day? For seven the grave lies ahead, for seven the death awaits. I fear Your judgment, Lord, and endless torment, but I do not stop doing evil; I always anger the Lord my God, and Your Most Pure Mother, and all the heavenly Powers, and my holy Guardian Angel. We know, Lord, that I am unworthy of Your love for mankind, but I am worthy of all condemnation and torment. But, Lord, whether I want it or not, save me. Even if you save a righteous man, nothing great; and even if you have mercy on a pure person, nothing is marvelous: you are worthy of the essence of Your mercy. But surprise Thy mercy on me, a sinner; about this, show Your love for mankind, so that my malice does not overcome Your unspeakable goodness and mercy; and as you wish, arrange a thing for me.
Behold - here. Mi - to me. Well - so, I know. Yako – here: what. If you save the righteous - because if you save the righteous. Nothing great - there is nothing great in it (great - great). And if you have mercy on a pure person, nothing is surprising - and if you have mercy on a pure person, there is nothing surprising in that. They are worthy, because they are worthy. About this - here: in this, by this. Unspeakable - unspeakable.
Enlighten my eyes, O Christ God, so that not when I fall asleep into death, and not when my enemy says: “Let us be strong against him.”
Slava:
Be the protector of my soul, O God, as I walk in the midst of many snares; deliver me from them and save me, O Blessed One, as a Lover of Mankind.
And now:
Let us silently sing to the Glorious Mother of God and the Most Holy Angel with our hearts and lips, who confess this Mother of God as having truly given birth to God incarnate, and who continually prays for our souls.
I have strengthened myself - I have strengthened myself (past tense - aorist). We are, of course, talking about the invisible enemy - the devil.
Those who confess this Mother of God - confessing (openly proclaiming) that She is the Mother of God.
+ Enlighten my eyes, O Christ God, so that not when I fall asleep into death, and not when my enemy says: “Be strong against him.” These are the words from the psalm: Look, hear me, O Lord my God, enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep into death, lest my enemy say: I will be strong against him (Ps. 12:4-5).
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; just as wax melts in the face of fire, so let demons perish from the face of those who love God, and those who sign the sign of the cross, and who joyfully say: Rejoice, Most Pure and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, drive away demons by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended upon you into hell, and trampled upon the power of the devil, and who gave us His Honest Cross for driving away. any 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.
They will be scattered - they will be scattered. Enemies - enemies. Yako - how. From the person - meaning: in front. Verbal - speaking. Drive away - drive away. Propyatago - crucified. Honest - worthy of honor, glorious. Adversary - enemy.
+ May God rise again, and may His enemies be scattered... The beginning of the prayer is taken from the psalm: May God arise, and His enemies will be scattered, and may those who hate Him flee from His face. As smoke disappears, let them disappear; as wax hides from the presence of fire, so let sinners (sinners) perish from the presence of God (Ps. 67:1-2). These same verses of the psalm are sung at the Easter service, interspersed with the troparion of Easter. The words about the Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and trampled upon the power of the devil, also remind us of the troparion (trampling death by death) and other Easter hymns. The power of the Cross of the Lord is inseparable from the Resurrection of Christ; the death and Resurrection of Christ make the Cross a “sign of victory,” which is why this prayer, pronounced with faith and love for the Honest Cross, is so powerful to drive away the forces of evil from us.
Protect me, Lord, by the power of Your Honest and Life-giving Cross, and save me from all evil.
Weaken, forgive, forgive, O God, our sins, voluntary and involuntary, even in word and in deed, even in knowledge and not in knowledge, even in days and in nights, even in mind and in thought: forgive us all, for you are Good and Lover of Mankind.
Even - which.
Forgive those who hate and offend us, Lord Lover of Mankind. Do good to those who do good. Grant to our brothers and relatives the same petitions for salvation and eternal life. Visit those who are infirm and grant healing. Manage the sea as well. For travelers, travel. Grant forgiveness of sins to those who serve and forgive us. Those who commanded us unworthy to pray for them, have mercy according to Your great mercy. Remember, Lord, our fathers and brothers who have fallen before us, and give them rest, where the light of Your face shines. Remember, Lord, our captive brothers, and deliver me from every situation. Remember, Lord, those who bear fruit and do good in Your holy churches, and give them petitions for salvation and eternal life. Remember, Lord, us, humble and sinful and unworthy Thy servants, and enlighten our minds with the light of Thy mind, and guide us on the path of Thy commandments, through the prayers of our Most Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary and all Thy saints, for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Grant even petitions for salvation - grant what, according to their requests, leads to salvation (but understanding this expression as follows: “grant them to ask for what leads to salvation” is also not forbidden). Where he visits - where it shines (to visit - to visit, to visit). From any situation - from any adversity. Fruit-bearing - bearing spiritual fruits of their labors). On the path - on the path, on the path.
...Fruit-bearing and good-doing... Compound words of this kind (formed from the combination of two or even more words) appeared in the Church Slavonic language in imitation of Greek, in which this method of word formation is extremely common (often as direct, literal translations, so-called calques, of Greek words). In Russian we say: “bearing fruit”, “doing good”. But many, many compound words entered Russian from the Church Slavonic language; for example, in the same prayer - those who do charity, those who travel. There are a lot of words of this type in the following prayer (confession of sins).
...Teach us on the path of Your commandments... For some reason, many people pronounce the Slavic word path with a hard “t”: stezya. Let us remember that there are Russian words of the same root: stitch (stitches-tracks), stitch (when sewing), quilt.
I confess to You, Lord my God and Creator, in the One Holy Trinity, glorified and worshiped Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, all my sins, which I have committed all the days of my life, and at every hour, and at the present time, and in the past days and nights, in deed, in word, in thought, overeating, drunkenness, secret eating, idle talk, despondency, laziness, disobedience, disobedience, slander, condemnation, neglect, selfishness, covetousness, theft, lack of speech, filthiness, money-gathering, jealousy, envy, anger, memory malice, hatred, covetousness and all my senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and my other senses sins, both mental and physical, that have angered You, my God and Creator, and untruthfulness to my neighbor; Regretting these things, I present my guilt to You, my God, and have the will to repent; Indeed, Lord my God, help me, with tears I humbly pray to Thee: forgive me my sins by Thy mercy, and forgive me from all these things that I have said before You, for You are Good and Lover of Mankind.
My belly is my life. Bad profit - criminal gain (profit). Msheloimstvo - bribery, greed (mshel - self-interest). Covetousness - greed, love of money. In our tradition, enshrined in the Catechism, this word has established the name for all kinds of unrighteous fleecing of neighbors: bribes, extortion, etc. Those who were untruthful - I slandered; caused all sorts of evil and injustice. Tochiyu - only. From all these, even words - from all this that I have expressed.
+ “Our daily affairs must be weighed hourly, listening to them, and in the evening we must lighten the burden of them by repentance, as much strength as we have, if we want, with the help of Christ, to overcome evil in ourselves. We must also look at whether we do all our sensory and visible deeds according to God, in the presence of God and for God alone, so that through foolishness we do not be robbed by any unkind feelings.”
Venerable Hesychius of Jerusalem
The need for daily repentance for sins committed throughout your life is explained by the words of St. Anthony the Great: “Say that you are sinners, and mourn everything you have done in a state of negligence. For this reason, the good will of the Lord will be with you and will work in you: for He is good and forgives the sins of all who turn to Him, no matter who they are, so that He will remember them no more. However, He wants those who have been pardoned to remember the forgiveness of their sins that they have committed so far, so that, having forgotten about it, they would not allow something in their behavior that would force them to give an account of those sins that had already been forgiven them... David, having received remission of sins, did not forget about them and passed on the memory of them to posterity. This was done in memory of all generations, from generation to generation. I will teach the wicked in Your way (Ps. 50:15), he says, so that all sinners will learn from his example to repent of their sins like him and, when they are forgiven, not to forget about them, but to always remember. God Himself said something similar through the prophet Isaiah: I am the one who blots out your sins, and I will not remember them. You remember... (Is.43:25-26).
Thus, when the Lord forgives us our sins, we must not forgive them to ourselves, but always remember them through renewed repentance for them.”
The same saint warns: “Do not turn back in your mind the sins you once committed, so that they do not recur again. Be sure that they are forgiven to you while you have given yourself over to God and repentance, and do not doubt it at all.”
So, while maintaining and constantly renewing repentance for the sins of our lives, without forgetting about them, we should not at the same time “turn them over in our minds,” relive them, cling to them in memory. This is one of the manifestations of the art of “invisible warfare,” the middle “royal” path that a Christian should follow.
This prayer helps to consider daily sins and supports the memory of those committed earlier - in all days of life. Let us remind you that sins sincerely confessed in the Sacrament of Repentance are completely forgiven by the Lord, but this does not mean that we should forget about them. Sins remain in memory for humility and contrition for what they have done.
“We must pay attention to whether our conscience has ceased to denounce us, not for the sake of our purity, but as if tired. A sign of remission of sins is that a person always considers himself a debtor to God.”
Venerable John Climacus
Both in confession in the Sacrament of Penance, and in daily confession to God, one must confess one’s sins separately, consciously. Therefore, let us dwell on the sins named in the prayer and indicate what deeds, actions, words and thoughts they may mean. In doing so, we are guided by the Orthodox Catechism and the instructions of the ascetics of the Orthodox Church.
Binge eating, drunkenness, secret eating are sins associated with the passion of gluttony, which is one of the eight main passions. Secret eating - eating food secretly (out of greed, shame or reluctance to share, when fasting is broken, when eating illicit food, etc.). The sins of gluttony also include polyeating and laryngeal madness - a passion for enjoying the sensations of taste, that is, gourmetism, which is so instilled in our days. Drug use and smoking also fall under the umbrella of binge drinking; If you have suffered or are suffering from these sinful addictions, include them in the list of sins.
Celebration. Let us recall the formidable word of the Lord Himself: I tell you that for every idle word that people speak, they will give an answer on the day of judgment: for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned (Matthew 12:36-37).
But here is the patristic recipe for how to behave if the situation and conversations in the company are conducive to idle talk: “If you have no special need to stay, then leave; and when there is a need to stay, then turn your mind to prayer, not condemning those who talk idle, but recognizing your weakness.”
Venerable John the Prophet
St. Ephraim the Syrian expands on the concept of idle talk: “What is idle talk? The promise of faith, not fulfilled in practice. A person believes and confesses Christ, but remains idle and does not do what Christ commanded. And in another case, the word is idle - namely, when a person confesses and does not correct himself, when he says that he repents and sins again. And a bad review of another is an idle word, because it retells what was not done and what it does not see.”
Dejection. This sin is often directly related to idle talk:
“Despondency is often one of the branches, one of the first manifestations of verbosity... Dejection is a relaxation of the soul, exhaustion of the mind... a deceiver of God, as if He is unmerciful and unloving of mankind; in psalmody it is weak, in prayer it is weak... in obedience it is hypocritical.”
Venerable John Climacus
Laziness, as we see, is closely connected with the passion of despondency. The Orthodox Catechism lists “laziness in relation to the teaching of piety, prayer and public worship” among the sins against the 1st commandment of the Law of God.
But here is a patristic observation from monastic life, valid for the world: “The lazy, when they see that they are assigned difficult tasks, then try to prefer prayer to them; and if the work of service is easy, then they run away from prayer like from fire.”
Venerable John Climacus
Disclaimer. “Bind your tongue, which frantically strives to argue, and fight this tormentor seventy times seven times a day,” teach the holy fathers in the words of John Climacus. “Whoever in a conversation stubbornly wants to insist on his opinion, even if it is fair, let him know that he is possessed by a devilish illness; and if he does this in conversation with equals, then perhaps the reproof of his elders will heal him; If he treats his greatest and wisest people this way, then we will not be able to cure this illness from people.”
Disobedience. “He who disobeys in word, without a doubt, does not obey in deed, for whoever is unfaithful in word is unyielding in deed,” - this is how St. John Climacus connects disobedience with contradiction. In the Church everything is built on obedience; We must obey each and everyone whom the Lord has placed over us. Complete obedience in matters of spiritual life is necessary in relation to the spiritual father, in general to shepherds and spiritual teachers: Obey your mentors and be submissive, for they vigilantly watch over your souls, as they are obliged to give an answer; so that they do this with joy, and not with groaning, for this is not profitable for you (Heb. 13:17). But complete and unquestioning obedience (in everything that does not contradict faith and the Law of God: We must obey God more than men - Acts 5:29) must be shown by the wife to her husband, and children who have not yet created their own family - to their parents. The Apostle Paul speaks about obedience to those in authority: A ruler is God's servant, for your good... And therefore you must obey not only out of fear of punishment, but also out of conscience (Rom. 13:4-5).
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh says that he was drafted into the army, having already taken monastic vows, but without taking monastic vows. When asked how he could exercise obedience in the army, the confessor replied: “Very simple: consider that everyone who gives you an order speaks in the name of God, and do it not only externally, but also with all your insides; consider that every sick person who requires help will call - your master; serve him like a bought slave.”
Slander is a direct violation of the 9th commandment of God’s Law (Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor – Ex. 20:16). Any slander, any gossip and gossip, any unfair reproach is slander. Judging your neighbor, which is directly forbidden by the Lord, almost certainly leads to slander: Judge not, lest ye be judged (Matthew 7:1). Therefore, you are inexcusable, every man who judges another, for by the same judgment with which you judge another you condemn yourself, because in judging another you do the same (Rom. 2:1).
“Just as fire is contrary to water, so it is not natural for a repentant person to judge. If you saw someone sinning even at the very departure of the soul from the body, then do not condemn him, for the judgment of God is unknown to people. Some openly fell into great sins, but performed great virtues in secret; and those who loved to ridicule them were deceived, chasing smoke and not seeing the sun.” “Experience has proven that for whatever sins, physical or mental, we condemn our neighbor, we ourselves fall into them.”
Venerable John Climacus
Negligence is the careless performance of the duties assigned to us by God or even neglect of them. Neglect at work, neglect of your home and family responsibilities, neglect of prayer...
Abba Dorotheos calls pride the root of all passions, and St. Ephraim the Syrian calls it the mother of all evil.
“Pride is a passionate, reckless love of the body. Its opposites are love and abstinence. It is obvious that he who has self-love has all the passions.”
Saint Maximus the Confessor
Multi-acquisition. Covetousness... is idolatry, says the Apostle Paul (Col. 3:5). In another letter he writes: The love of money is the root of all evil, to which some have abandoned the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows (Tim. 6:10). Covetousness is the passion of the love of money, one of the eight main passions in action: any accumulation, addiction to various objects, stinginess and, conversely, wastefulness.
“He who loves earthly things more than heavenly things will lose both heavenly and earthly things.”
Avva Eugene (Skete Patericon)
“The acquisitive man is entangled in cares and tied with a chain like a dog.”
Venerable Neil of Sinai
Covetousness is a lack of trust in God. So don’t worry and say, “What shall we eat?” or what to drink? or what to wear? because the pagans seek all this, and because your Heavenly Father knows that you need all this. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:31-33).
“Why don’t we throw off all useless worries and lighten ourselves from the burden of earthly things? Do you not know that the door is narrow and straitened, and that the covetous cannot enter through it? Let us seek only that which satisfies our needs; for excess only entertains and does not bring any benefit.”
Venerable Ephraim the Syrian
Theft. This concept includes not only any theft, but also any use of something that is “badly lying”: for example, “reading a book in the library or from friends. A particularly serious type of theft is sacrilege - “the appropriation of what is dedicated to God and what belongs to the Church” (see “Orthodox Catechism”), that is, not only the direct theft of sacred objects, but also: taking, without asking the blessing of the priest, donated to the canon or brought to the church by benefactors for distribution, etc.
Untruthfulness is any lie in words. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who speak the truth are pleasing to Him (Prov. 12:22). Therefore, putting away lies, speak the truth every one of you to your neighbor, for we are members of one another (Eph. 4:25).
We must remember that there is no “innocent” lie, every lie is not from God. “A lie, in which there is no intention to harm one’s neighbor, is impermissible, because it does not agree with love and respect for one’s neighbor and is not worthy of a person, and especially of a Christian created for truth and love,” says St. Philaret in his “Orthodox Catechism.”
Bad profitability - making profit, profit in a bad, unjust way. The concept can include any weight, measurement, deception, but also any income that brings evil to people - for example, based on satisfying or inciting sinful passions. Forgery of any documents and the use of counterfeit documents (for example, travel tickets), buying stolen goods cheaply is also bad profit. This also includes parasitism, “when they receive a salary for a position or payment for a task, but do not perform the position or task and, thus, steal both the salary or payment, and the benefit that their labor could bring to society or to the one for whom they should have worked” (see “Orthodox Catechism”).
Taking money is greed; taking money is greed. This includes all types of extortion and bribery. And, since this sin is included in the prayer of repentance for all Orthodox Christians, you should carefully examine your life and discover its manifestations in it.
Jealousy is jealousy of all kinds.
Envy. “Whoever envies his neighbor rebels against God, the giver of gifts.”
Saint John Chrysostom
“Whoever is wounded by envy and rivalry is pitiful, because he is an accomplice of the devil, through whose envy death entered the world (Wisdom 2:24)... envy and rivalry are a terrible poison: from them slander, hatred and murder are born.”
Venerable Ephraim the Syrian
Anger is one of the eight main passions.
“For whatever reason, the movement of anger flares up, it blinds the eyes of the heart and, placing a veil on the sharpness of mental vision, does not allow one to see the Sun of truth. It doesn’t matter whether the sheet is gold, or lead, or some other metal is placed on the eyes - the value of the metals does not make a difference in blinding.”
Venerable John Cassian the Roman
“Just as darkness is removed with the appearance of light, so with the fragrance of humility all grief and anger disappears.”
Venerable John Climacus
Remembrance “is the final limit of anger, storing in memory the sins of our neighbor against us, aversion to the image of justification (defined by God: “forgive and you will be forgiven” - cf. Luke 6:37), the destruction of all previous virtues, a soul-destroying poison, a worm gnawing at the heart, the shame of praying (as you say: “leave it, as we do ...”), stabbed into the soul a nail, unceasing sin, incessant lawlessness, hourly evil.”
Venerable John Climacus
“Just as the smoke from smoldering straw eats the eyes, so does the memory of malice eat the mind during prayer.”
Venerable Neil of Sinai
“If you have a grudge against someone, pray for him; and, by prayer, separating sadness from the memory of the evil that he caused you, you will stop the movement of passion; By becoming friendly and humane, you will completely drive passion out of your soul.”
Saint Maximus the Confessor
“The one who tamed anger stopped the emergence of memory and malice; for childbearing comes only from a living father.”
Venerable John Climacus
Hatred. He who hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes (John 2:11). Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him (1 John 3:15). He who says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, is a liar: for he who does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see? (1 John 4:20).
Extortion is “when, under the guise of some right, but in fact in violation of justice and philanthropy, they turn to their advantage someone else’s property or someone else’s labor, or even the very misfortunes of their neighbors, for example, when lenders burden debtors with an increase (loan interest), when owners exhaust those who depend on them with excessive taxes or work, if during a famine they sell bread at too high a price” (see “Orthodox Catechism”). In a broad sense, the word covetousness generally means covetousness, greed (the passion of love of money); in this meaning the word is used in the New Testament (Rom. 1:29; 2 Cor. 9:5; Eph. 4:19, 5:3; Col. 3:5).
Serious sins committed during life, from among those that are not directly named in this prayer, should be included in it, and not “subsumed” under one of the points (for example, blasphemy, murmuring against God, or attempted suicide, or the murder of unborn children - abortion, etc.). In particular, this list does not include sins related to the passion of fornication (and among them are such as adultery and any extramarital cohabitation, and all violations of purity and chastity), and to the passion of pride, which is rightfully considered the most terrible of passions.
In Your hands, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, I commend my spirit; You bless me, you have mercy on me and grant me eternal life. Amen.
+ In Your hands, O Lord... I commend my spirit. These are the dying words on the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Jesus, shouting with a loud voice, said: Father! I commit My spirit into Your hands. And having said this, he gave up the ghost (Luke 23:46).
God bless.
Or:
Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of Your Beginning Father, You declared with Your most pure lips: that without Me you cannot do anything. My Lord, Lord, I believe in the volume of my soul and heart spoken by You, I fall down upon Your goodness: help me a sinner to complete this work, which I have begun, in You, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
You advertised - You said. Nothing - nothing (more precisely, nothing). Volume declared, accepted (actual past participle of the verb embrace). About You Yourself - by power, in the name of You.
+ Because without Me you cannot do anything. Here are the words from the Savior’s intimate conversation with his disciples in Russian translation: He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5).
To do about You Yourself... The preposition “about” in the Church Slavonic language has, among other things, the meaning “with help, power, name”: Rejoice, ye righteous, in the Lord (Ps. 33:1), “in”: The Kingdom of God is not food and drink, but also truth and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17.) Here is this verse in the Russian translation of the Bible: The Kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Glory to You, Lord.
Or:
You are the fulfillment of all good things, O my Christ, fill my soul with joy and gladness and save me, for I am the only one who is most merciful.
Fulfillment is completeness. All the best - all the best, all the good. Fulfill it - fill it.
Heavenly King... (see Morning prayers: “Prayer to the Holy Spirit”).
Or:
Most gracious Lord, bestow upon us the grace of Your Holy Spirit, bestowing and strengthening our spiritual strength, so that, listening to the teaching taught to us, we may grow to You, our Creator, for glory, and to our parents for consolation. For the benefit of the Church and the Fatherland.
Come down - go down from the sky. Grace is the help of God, the saving power of God. Giver - giver. Mental... forces - mind, heart, will, memory, conscience. So that - so that (yes + would).
+ In this prayer we ask that the Lord give us understanding and a desire to learn, so that this teaching will serve for the glory of God, for the comfort of our parents and for the benefit of our neighbors. We can and should glorify God through a virtuous life. Namely, to console parents with good successes, modest behavior, obedience, and care for them; to be useful to the Church, that is, to visit the church of God, follow the rules and regulations of the Orthodox Church, and take care of the decoration of churches. We are useful to the Fatherland when we work for the glory of God and our homeland, pray for it, love each other and help our neighbors.
It is worthy to eat... (see Morning prayers: “End of prayers”).
Or:
We thank You, Creator, for You have made us worthy of Your grace to listen to the teaching. Bless our leaders, parents and teachers, who lead us to the knowledge of good, and give us strength and strength to continue this teaching.
Yako - what. Honored - honored. Surely so. Good is good. Strength is health.
+ In this prayer, we first thank the Lord for helping us learn; then we ask that He reward with His mercy the leaders, parents and teachers who are trying to teach us good, and give us strength and health to continue our studies.
Our Father, who art in Heaven!... (see Morning Prayers: “The Lord’s Prayer”).
Or:
The eyes of all trust in You, Lord, and You give them food in good season, You open Your generous hand and fulfill every animal’s good will.
Every animal is every living thing.
+ The prayer is taken from (Ps. 145:15-16): The eyes of all trust in You, and You give them food in due season; Thou openest Thy hand and fulfilleth every living good pleasure. (The eyes of all trust in You, and You give them their food in due season; You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing according to Your good pleasure.)
We thank Thee, Christ our God, for Thou hast filled us with Thy earthly blessings; Do not deprive us of Your Heavenly Kingdom, but as You came in the midst of Your disciples, Savior, giving them peace, come to us and save us.
+ But as you came among your disciples, O Savior, giving them peace, come to us and save us. The words of the prayer refer us to the Gospel of Luke, which describes how, when the disciples were discussing the amazing testimony of Luke and Cleopas about the meeting with the Risen Lord, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and said to them: peace be with you, and then, in order to convince them of the authenticity of His Resurrection, he took the fish and honeycombs with honey given by the disciples and ate before them (see: Luke 24: 36-43).
So, in this prayer we thank the Lord for filling us with food and drink, and we ask that He not deprive us of His Heavenly Kingdom.
Anyone who wishes to receive communion must adequately prepare for this Holy Sacrament. This preparation is called fasting. On the eve of communion, you must be at the evening service and it is advisable to read, in addition to the usual prayers for those coming to bed, the canon of repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ, the canons to the Most Holy Theotokos and the Guardian Angel.
Here, as briefly as possible, some expressions and words of the canons are explained, which custom prescribes to be read in preparation for Holy Communion.
On the eve of communion, you need to read at home, in addition to the usual prayers for the future, the canon of repentance, the canons of the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel. The canons are read either one after the other in full, or by combining them in the same way as the canons are combined during the divine service, when reading in church at Matins: the irmos of the first song of the penitential canon “Like on dry ground...” and the troparia (with choruses) are read or sung, then the troparia of the first song of the canon to the Mother of God “We contain many misfortunes...”, omitting the irmos “Water has passed...”, and the troparia canon to the Guardian Angel, also without the irmos “Let us drink to the Lord...”. The following songs are read in the same way. The troparia before the canons of the Theotokos and the Guardian Angel, as well as the stichera after the canon of the Theotokos, are omitted in this case.
Here are the three canons that are given in most prayer books, but there are also other penitential canons and canons to the Most Holy Theotokos. When preparing for communion on the eve of great holidays (after the festive all-night vigil), it is possible, and sometimes even desirable, to replace these canons with the canon of the holiday from the Festive Menaion (it would be good if it was possible not only to omit the canons below, but to transfer their reading to the previous days of the fast). When reading the canons and akathists, do not forget about the usual beginning and end of any prayer order.
A few words about the canon - a complex and spiritually rich form of church poetry. The Canon always compares Old Testament types and prophecies with corresponding events in the New Testament. The complete canon consists of nine songs (and each song consists of an irmos and similar troparions following it); in this very nine-part composition there is deep praise for the Most Holy Trinity: three times three songs. The penultimate troparion of each song of the canon praised the Most Holy Trinity and was called Trinity (We find Trinity canons in the most ancient canons and compiled according to their models; in later times they ceased to be obligatory), and the last one is dedicated to the glorification of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Historically, in the vast majority of canons, the 2nd canto is absent, so the 1st canto is immediately followed by the 3rd.
Irmos is the model according to which the rest of the troparia of this song are compiled; it is the irmos that points to the Old Testament prototypes, and the content of the irmos of each song of the canon is based on certain passages of Holy Scripture - the so-called biblical songs (which texts of the Holy Scripture are the basis for the biblical songs, and after them the irmos, are indicated below). The troparia following the Irmos are consistent with it in content, poetic form, and rhythm; in ancient times, the troparia of the canon were sung, like the irmos, to the same melody. Now the irmos is sung, and other troparia are read (however, the tradition of singing the entire canon of prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos given below has also been preserved). In private use, of course, you can also read irmos (you should be guided by which performance will be more prayerful and focused for you).
The poetic form of the canon especially clearly captures the Orthodox perception of the world: the Old Testament is perceived through the prism of the New Testament, and in this double light, the Old and New Testaments, the entire universe appears. The passage of Israel through the Red Sea, the cry of Jonah from the belly of the whale, the triumphant song of the youths thrown into the fiery furnace and not scorched by fire - all this, thanks to the canon, becomes the most important fact of the life of every Orthodox Christian, deeply personally experienced and connected with his worldview and his entire inner life.
The melody of the canon obeys one of eight voices. It is not difficult to remember the melody of common Irmos if you often attend Matins services (for example, as part of an all-night vigil): it is the performance of the canon that is the liturgical center of Matins.
The reading of each troparion of the canon is preceded by a chorus - a short prayer appeal. Usually the chorus is read rather than sung.
The 1st song of the canon brings to mind the song of thanksgiving of the prophet Moses: “Let us drink to the Lord, gloriously we will be glorified,” after the Jews crossed the Red (Red) Sea. This event is the basis of the Old Testament Passover and the prototype of the New Testament.
This is how the biblical book of Exodus describes the events (the words of the biblical song itself, which has been part of worship since ancient times, are highlighted in font). Here is an excerpt from the Russian Synodal translation of the Bible. Some phrases and expressions are given in square brackets according to the Church Slavonic Bible: those that are most often used in the irmos of the canons, as well as those that differ markedly in the Church Slavonic Bible from the Russian Synodal translation (remember that the Church Slavonic Bible was translated from Greek, and the Russian Bible was translated mainly from the Hebrew text, so some expressions in them differ).
“And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea with a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters parted. And the children of Israel went up into the midst of the sea on dry land: and the waters were a wall to them on the right hand and on the left. The Egyptians pursued, and all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots and his horsemen followed them into the middle of the sea.
And in the morning watch the Lord looked upon the camp of the Egyptians from a pillar of fire and cloud and threw the camp of the Egyptians into confusion; and he took away the wheels of their chariots, so that they could hardly draw them. And the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the Israelites, because the Lord will fight for them against the Egyptians.
And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea, and let the waters turn on the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and by morning the water returned to its place; and the Egyptians ran towards [the water]. Thus the Lord drowned the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the water returned and covered the chariots and horsemen of all the army of Pharaoh, who went into the sea after them; not a single one of them remained. And the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea: the waters were a wall to them on the right hand and on the left. And the Lord delivered Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and the children of Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
And the Israelites saw the great hand that the Lord showed over the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and Moses His servant. Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord and said:
I sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; he threw his horse and rider into the sea. [Let us drink to the Lord, for he has been gloriously glorified: he cast horse and rider into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my glory, He was my salvation. He is my God, and I will glorify Him; God of my father, and I will exalt Him. [He will be my helper and protector for salvation: this is my God, and I will glorify Him, the God of my father, and I will exalt Him.] The Lord is a man of war, Jehovah is His name. [The Lord is the destroyer of warfare, the Lord is His name.] He cast Pharaoh's chariots and his army into the sea, and his chosen captains were drowned in the Red Sea. [The chariots of Pharaoh and his strength were thrown into the sea, the chosen horsemen of the tristats were drowned in the Black Sea.] The depths covered them: they went into the depths like stone.
Thy right hand, O Lord, is glorified in strength; Thy right hand, O Lord, has slain the enemy. By the greatness of Your glory You have overthrown those who rebelled against You. You sent Your anger, and it burned them up like stubble. At Your breath the waters parted, the moisture became like a wall, and the depths in the heart of the sea thickened.
The enemy said: I will pursue, overtake, and divide the spoils; My soul shall be satisfied with them; I will draw my sword, and my hand shall destroy them. You blew with Your spirit, and the sea covered them: they sank like lead in great waters.
Who is like You, Lord, among the gods? Who, like You, is majestic in holiness, worthy of praise, Creator of miracles? You stretched out Your right hand; the earth swallowed them up. Thou leadest by Thy mercy this people whom Thou hast redeemed; Thou accompanyest by Thy power into the habitation of Thy holiness. The nations heard and trembled: horror seized the inhabitants of the Philistines; Then the princes of Edom were troubled, trembling seized the leaders of Moab, and all the inhabitants of Canaan became sad. Let fear and terror fall upon them; from the greatness of Thy arm let them be as numb as a stone, while Thy people pass by, O Lord, while this people which Thou hast purchased pass by. Bring him in and plant him on the mountain of Your heritage, in the place that You have made Your dwelling, O Lord, in the sanctuary that Your hands have created, O Lord! The Lord will reign forever and ever. When Pharaoh's horses with his chariots and his horsemen entered the sea, the Lord turned the waters of the sea against them, and the children of Israel walked on dry ground in the middle of the sea.
And Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and rejoicing. And Miriam sang before them: Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; He cast horse and rider into the sea.” (Ex.14:21-15, 21)
By the kingdom of Pharaoh in the first song, the New Testament Church understands the kingdom of the devil and sin, and by Israel - the Christians whom the Lord Jesus Christ, by His resurrection, transferred from death to life, from earth to heaven. Thus, any, even the most contrite and repentant, canon, with its first irmos and first hymn, confirms us in the Easter triumph of Christ’s victory over death and the devil, reminds us that we have been delivered from the slavery of sin and redeemed by the Blood of Christ - that is, it takes us to the foundations of the spiritual life of a Christian, to the foundation on which it is built.
The 2nd song of the canon is modeled after another song of the prophet Moses (Deut. 32:1-43), which he sang at the command of God in order to expose his ungrateful people and awaken repentance in them: “See heaven, and I will say...”. This song is omitted in most canons; it is in the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, which is performed during the first and fifth weeks of Great Lent. Since there is no second song in any of the canons explained in this book, we do not provide the text of the biblical song.
The 3rd hymn of the canon (which is sung after the first) was composed under the influence of the song of thanksgiving by St. Anna, the mother of the prophet Samuel: “My heart is in the Lord, my horn is exalted in my God... he is holy like the Lord, and he is righteous like our God.” Orthodox Christians glorify and thank the Lord, for we were illuminated by the light of Christ's faith, without which we were barren in good deeds, just as Saint Anna was barren.
Here is the Song of St. Anna in the Russian Synodal Translation of the Bible (also with selected fragments of the Church Slavonic text). Note its similarity to the hymn of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is the basis of the 9th song of the canon.
“And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in my God; My mouth is opened wide against my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation. [My heart is established in the Lord, my horn is exalted in my God, my mouth is enlarged against my enemies, they rejoice in Your salvation.] There is none so holy as the Lord; for there is no other besides You; and there is no stronghold like our God. [For there is nothing holy like the Lord, and nothing is righteous like our God, and nothing is holy more than You.] Do not multiply the speeches of arrogant ones; Do not let insolent words come out of your mouth; For the Lord is a God of knowledge, and with Him works are weighed. The bow of the mighty is broken, but the weak are girded with strength; the well-fed work from bread, and the hungry rest; even a barren woman gives birth seven times, but a woman with many children faints. The Lord kills and gives life, brings down to the underworld and raises up; The Lord makes the poor and enriches, humiliates and exalts.
He lifts up the poor from the dust, He lifts up the needy from clay, making Him sit with the nobles, and He gives them the throne of glory for an inheritance; [give prayer to the one praying and bless the righteous years.] For the Lord has the foundations of the earth, and He established the world on them. He watches the feet of His saints, and the wicked disappear in darkness; for man is not strong by strength. The Lord will wipe out those who argue with Him; will thunder upon them from heaven. The Lord is holy. [For it is not in strength that a man is strong; The Lord is weak and create his adversary, the Lord is holy.] Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the mighty boast in his strength, and let not the rich man boast in his wealth, but let him who desires to boast boast in the fact that he understands and knows the Lord. [But let him boast of this, that he may understand and know the Lord, and do justice and righteousness in the midst of the earth; The Lord ascended into heaven and thundered; The Lord will judge the ends of the earth, and will give strength to His king and exalt the horn of His anointed [and will give strength to our king and exalt the horn of His Christ].” (1 Samuel 2:1-10)
The 4th song of the canon goes back to the prophetic song-prayer of the prophet Habakkuk, who lived long before the birth of Christ. Spiritually contemplating the coming Lord Jesus Christ, the prophet said: “Lord, I heard Your hearing and was afraid... God will come from the south, and the Holy One from the mountain-shaded thicket; the heavens have covered His virtue, and the earth is full of His praises.”
We present the song of the prophet Habakkuk in the Russian Synodal translation of the Bible.
Prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, for singing.
God! I heard Your rumor and was afraid. [Lord, I heard Your hearing and was afraid; Lord, I understood Your works and was horrified.] Lord! complete your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years reveal it; In anger, remember mercy. [When you come closer in the summer, you get to know each other; when the time has come, appear; when my soul is ever troubled in anger, remember Thy mercy.]
God is coming from Teman, and the Holy One is coming from Mount Paran. [God will come from the south, and the Holy One from the mountain-shaded thicket.] His greatness covered the heavens, and the earth was filled with His glory. [The heavens have covered His virtue, and the earth has been filled with His praises.] Its brilliance is like sunlight; from the hand of His rays, and here is the hiding place of His power! A plague goes before His face, and a burning wind follows His steps. [The word will go before His face and go out into the field at His feet.] He stood and shook the earth; He looked up and made the nations tremble; the age-old mountains fell apart, the primeval hills fell; His ways are eternal. I saw the tents of Ethiopia sad; the tents of the land of Midian shook. Has Your anger kindled against the rivers, O Lord? Is it Thy indignation on the rivers, or Thy wrath on the sea, that Thou hast mounted Thy horses, Thy chariots of salvation? You have drawn Your bow according to the oath promise given to the tribes. You cut the earth with streams.
Seeing You, the mountains trembled, the waters rushed; the abyss gave its voice, raised its hands high; the sun and the moon stood still in their place [the sun and the moon rose a hundred in their rank] before the light of Your flying arrows, before the radiance of Your sparkling spears. You walk through the earth in anger and trample the nations in indignation. You come forward for the salvation of Your people, for the salvation of Your anointed. [Thou hast come forth to save Thy people, to save Thy anointed ones.] Thou shalt crush the head of the wicked house, stripping it bare from the foundation to the top. You pierce the head of his leaders with his spears, when they rushed like a whirlwind to defeat me, in joy, as if thinking to devour the poor man secretly. You and Your horses paved the way across the sea, through the abyss of great waters. I heard, and my insides trembled; at the news of this my lips trembled, pain penetrated into my bones, and the place beneath me trembled; but I must be calm in the day of disaster, when the plunderer comes against my people.
Even though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, and the olive tree fails, and the field does not yield food, even if there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, even then I will rejoice in the Lord and be glad in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength: He will make my feet like a deer’s, and He will lead me to my heights! (Hab.3:1-19)
The 5th hymn of the canon was compiled under the influence of the prayer of the prophet Isaiah, who foresaw the coming of the Savior: “From the night my spirit is awakened to Thee, O God, before the light of Thy commandment is upon the earth...”; the prayer ends with the solemn foreshadowing of the general resurrection.
With my soul I have longed for Thee at night, and with my spirit I will seek Thee within my being from early morning: for when Thy judgments are carried out on earth, then those who dwell in the world learn righteousness. [From the night my spirit will grow strong toward You, O God, for the light of Your commandment is on the earth: you who dwell on the earth will learn righteousness.] If the wicked is shown mercy, he will not learn righteousness; he will commit evil in the land of the righteous and will not look upon the greatness of the Lord. God! Thy hand was raised high [Lord, high is Thy arm], but they did not see it; Those who hate Your people will see and be ashamed; fire will devour your enemies.
God! You give us peace; for You also arrange all our affairs for us. Lord our God! other rulers besides You have ruled over us; but through You only we glorify Your name [Lord, do You know no other way; We call Your name]. The dead will not live; the rephaim will not rise [the dead cannot see their bellies; they will resurrect the doctors], because you visited and destroyed them, and destroyed all memory of them. You have multiplied the people, Lord, you have multiplied the people, you have glorified yourself, you have expanded all the borders of the earth. [Do evil to them, Lord, do evil to the glorious ones of the earth.] Lord! in distress he looked for You [in sorrow he remembered You]; poured out silent prayers when Your punishment befell him. As a pregnant woman, at the onset of labor, suffers and cries out from her pains, so we were before You, Lord. They were pregnant, they suffered, and they gave birth like the wind; salvation was not brought to the earth, and the other inhabitants of the universe did not fall. Your dead will live, your dead bodies will rise!
[The dead will rise again and those in their tombs will rise...] Arise and rejoice, you who have been cast down in the dust [and those on the earth will rejoice]: for Your dew is the dew of plants, and the earth will cast out the dead. (Isa.26:9-19)
The 6th song of the canon is modeled after the prayer of the prophet Jonah from the belly of a whale. In the 6th song of the canon, we express gratitude to the Lord for the fact that He did not despise us, who were mired in sins, but came, saved and made us worthy to glorify His greatness.
“And Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the whale and said:
I cried out to the Lord in my sorrow, and He heard me; from the belly of hell I cried, and You heard my voice. [I cried out in my affliction to the Lord my God, and heard me; from the belly of hell my cry, you heard my voice.] You cast me into the depths, into the heart of the sea, and the streams surrounded me, all Your waters and Your waves passed over me [... all Your heights and Your waves passed over me]. And I said: I have been cast away from Thy eyes, yet I will again see Thy holy church. The waters embraced me to my soul, the abyss shut me up [...water poured out upon me to my soul, the last abyss of my life]; My head was entwined with sea grass. I descended to the base of the mountains, the earth blocked me with its barriers forever; but You, Lord my God, will bring my soul out of hell [...may my belly ascend from corruption to You, Lord my God]. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer reached You, Your holy church.
Those who honor vain and false (gods) have abandoned their Merciful, and I, with the voice of praise, will offer You a sacrifice [... those who keep vain and false mercy have abandoned theirs; I will devour You with a voice of praise and confession]; I will fulfill what I promised: salvation is with the Lord!” (John 2:2-10)
The 7th and 8th songs of the canon are built on the basis of the song of thanksgiving of three youths, thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to bow to an idol and miraculously saved (chapter 3 of the Book of the Prophet Daniel; it should be noted that in all Protestant editions of the Bible, which indicate “Canonical Books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments”, with the mark “reprinted from the Synodal Edition”, songs of three you will not find youths, since it was translated from the Greek text of the Bible and is not in the Hebrew, which is used by Protestants). Remembering the miraculous salvation of the youths, the Church glorifies the Almighty and All-Powerful God and calls upon His entire creation to praise Him.
Sample of Song 7 - Daniel 3:19,26-56 (in bold):
“Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the appearance of his face changed to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than they usually fired it, and he ordered the strongest men from his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the furnace, red-hot with fire. Then these men were bound in their undergarments and outer garments, in their headbands and in their other garments, and were thrown into a fiery furnace. And since the king’s command was strict, and the furnace was extremely hot, the flames of the fire killed those people who abandoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, fell bound into a fiery furnace.
And they walked in the midst of the flames, chanting to God and blessing the Lord. And Azariah stood and prayed, and opening his mouth in the midst of the fire, he cried:
Blessed are You, Lord God of our fathers, praised and glorified is Your name forever. [Blessed art thou, O Lord, God of our fathers, praised and glorified is Thy name forever.] For Thou art righteous in all that Thou hast done to us, and all Thy works are true, and Thy ways are right, and all Thy judgments are true. You have carried out true judgments in everything that you brought upon us and on the holy city of our fathers, Jerusalem, because in truth and in judgment you brought all this upon us for our sins.
For we have sinned and acted lawlessly, turning away from You, and we have sinned in everything. They did not listen to Your commandments and did not keep them, and did not do as You commanded us, so that it would be good for us. [For we have sinned and transgressed from Thee, and have sinned in all things, and have not obeyed Thy commandments; we have been inferior to those who have kept, and inferior to those who have created, as Thou hast commanded us, that it may be good for us.] And all that Thou hast brought upon us, and all that Thou hast done to us, Thou hast done according to true judgment. And he delivered us into the hands of lawless enemies, the most hated apostates, and to the unjust and most evil king on all the earth. And now we cannot open our mouths; We have become a shame and reproach to Your servants and those who honor You.
But do not betray us forever for the sake of Your name [do not betray us to the end for the sake of Your name], and do not destroy Your covenant. Take not Thy mercy from us for the sake of Abraham, Thy beloved, for the sake of Isaac, Thy servant, and Israel, Thy saint, to whom Thou hast said that Thou shalt multiply their seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the seashore.
We have been humbled, O Lord, more than all nations, and are now humiliated throughout the whole earth for our sins, and at the present time we have no prince, no prophet, no leader, no burnt offering, no sacrifice, no offering, no incense, no place for us to offer sacrifice to You and gain Your mercy. But with a contrite heart and a humble spirit, let us be accepted. As with burnt offerings of rams and bulls, and as with thousands of fat lambs, so may our sacrifice before You now be acceptable to You; for there is no shame for those who trust in You.
And now we follow You with all our hearts and fear You and seek Your face. Do not disgrace us, but deal with us according to Your condescension and according to the abundance of Your mercy and deliver us by the power of Your miracles, and give glory to Your name, O Lord, and let all who do evil to Your servants be ashamed, and let them be ashamed with all their might, and let their power be crushed, and let them know that You are the only Lord God and glorious throughout the whole universe.
Meanwhile, the king’s servants, who had thrown them in, did not stop lighting the furnace with oil, tar, tow and brushwood, and the flame rose above the furnace to forty-nine cubits and burst out and burned those of the Chaldeans whom it reached near the furnace.
But the Angel of the Lord descended into the furnace together with Azariah and those who were with him and threw the flame of fire out of the furnace, and made it appear that in the middle of the furnace there was, as it were, a rustling wet wind, and the fire did not touch them at all, and did not harm them, and did not disturb them.
Then these three, as if with one mouth, sang in the oven, and blessed and glorified God:
Blessed are You, O Lord God of our fathers, praised and exalted forever, and blessed is the name of Your glory, holy and highly praised and exalted forever. [Blessed art thou, O Lord, God of our fathers, and praised and exalted for ever, and blessed be the name of Thy holy glory, and praised and exalted for ever.]
Blessed are You in the church of Your holy glory, and most praised and glorious forever.
Blessed are You, who sees the deep, who sits on the Cherubim, and is highly praised and exalted forever.
Blessed are You on the throne of glory of Your Kingdom, highly praised and exalted forever.
Blessed are You in the firmament of heaven, and highly praised and exalted forever.
Sample of the 8th song - (Dan.3:57-90):
Bless all the works of the Lord, sing praises to the Lord and exalt Him forever. [Bless, all the works of the Lord, the Lord, sing praises and exalt Him forever.]
Bless the Lord, Angels of the Lord, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, O heavens, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, all you waters that are above the heavens, sing praises and exalt Him forever.
Bless, all the Powers of the Lord, the Lord, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, sun and moon, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, O stars of heaven, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, O rain and dew, sing praises and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, all you winds, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, fire and heat, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, cold and heat, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, O dew and frost, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, nights and days, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, light and darkness, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, ice and frost, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, frost and snow, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, O lightning and clouds, sing and exalt Him forever.
May the earth bless the Lord, may it sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, mountains and hills, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, all you plants on earth, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, O springs, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, seas and rivers, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, whales and everything that moves in the waters, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, all birds of the air, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, you beasts and all livestock, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, sons of men, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, O Israel, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, O priests of the Lord, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, servants of the Lord, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, O spirits and souls of the righteous, sing and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, you righteous and humble of heart, sing praises and exalt Him forever.
Bless the Lord, Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael, sing and exalt Him forever; for He brought us out of hell and saved us from the hand of death, and delivered us from the midst of the furnace of burning flames, and delivered us from the midst of the fire.
Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.
Bless, all who honor the Lord, God of gods, sing and praise, for His mercy endures forever.
The 9th canon of the canon glorifies the Holy Virgin Mary. The song of the Mother of God at the meeting with Saint Elizabeth: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior...” (this song is usually sung before the 9th song of the canon at the Matins service) and the prayer of Zechariah, struck dumb for not believing that a son, John the Baptist, will be born to him, and having regained the gift of speech: “Blessed is the Lord God Israel..." - formed the basis of this song.
Song of the Most Holy Theotokos:
And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord, and My spirit rejoices in God My Savior, because He has respected the lowliness of His Servant, for from now on all generations will bless Me; that the Mighty One has done great things for Me, and holy is His name; and His mercy throughout all generations is upon those who fear Him; He showed the strength of His arm; He scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the humble; He filled the hungry with good things, and sent away the rich with nothing; He received Israel His servant, remembering mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, toward Abraham and his seed forever.
[My soul magnifies the Lord, and My spirit rejoices in God My Savior, for He has looked upon the humility of His servant, for from now on all kin will please Me; For the Mighty One has done great things for Me, and holy is His name; and His mercy endures throughout all generations of those who fear Him. Create power with Your arm; squander the proud thoughts of their hearts; dethrone the mighty and lift up the humble; Fill those who hunger with good things and those who are rich let go of their vanity. Israel will receive His servant, remembering His mercies, as He spoke to our fathers, Abraham and his seed forever.] (Luke 1:46-55)
“And Zechariah his father was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying:
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that He hath visited His people, and wrought deliverance for them, and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He declared by the mouth of His holy prophets from the ages, that He would save us from our enemies and from the hand of all them that hate us; He will show mercy to our fathers and remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father, to give us, without fear, after being delivered from the hand of our enemies, to serve Him in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
And you, baby, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will come before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to make His people understand salvation in the forgiveness of their sins, according to the gracious mercy of our God, through which the East from above visited us, to enlighten those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet on the path of peace.” (Luke 1:67-79)
Irmos: As Israel walked across the dry land, with footsteps across the abyss, seeing the persecutor Pharaoh drowned, we sing a victorious song to God, crying out.
Like on dry land - like on dry land. By walking - by walking. Let us sing a victory song to God, crying out - (The people of Israel) exclaimed: “Let us sing a victory song to God!” (this is exactly how this passage should be written, with quotation marks, when rendering it in modern writing, especially since the somewhat unusual word order for us makes it difficult to understand).
Chorus: Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me.
Note: In the canons, the chorus as a prayer appeal is pronounced before the first and second (and third, if there is one) troparion of each song, but is not read before the troparion beginning with Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit and And now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Now I, a sinner and burdened, have come to you, my Master and God; I don’t dare look at heaven, only I pray, saying: give me, Lord, mind, so that I may weep bitterly for my deeds.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me.
Oh, woe to me, a sinner! I am the most damned man of all; there is no repentance in me; Give me, Lord, tears, so that I may weep bitterly for my deeds.
Slava:
Mad, wretched man, waste time in laziness; think about your life, and turn to the Lord God, and weep bitterly over your deeds.
And now:
Most Pure Mother of God, look at me, a sinner, and deliver me from the snare of the devil, and guide me on the path of repentance, so that I may weep bitterly for my deeds.
Az – I. Verb - speaking. Give it - give it. More than that. No - no.
* Some ancient manuscripts contain the inscription: “Creation of Cyrus (Mr.) Andrew of Crete.” – Note. Archpriest Sergius Pravdolyubov.
* Some ancient manuscripts contain the inscription: “Creation of Cyrus (Mr.) Andrew of Crete.” – Note. Archpriest Sergius Pravdolyubov.
Irmos: There is nothing holy like You, O Lord my God, Who has lifted up the horn of Your faithful, O Good One, and established us on the rock of Your confession.
There is no one as holy as You - There is no one as holy as You. Exalted horn - exalted strength (horn - strength, strength, advantage; exalt horn - glorify, strengthen strength, grant victory over the enemy). Your faithful - those who believe in You (but, undoubtedly, also those who are faithful to You).
Who established us on the rock of Your confession. The word confession here also means covenant: on the rock of Thy Covenant.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me.
Whenever thrones are set at the Last Judgment, then the deeds of all people will be exposed; woe there will be a sinner, sent to torment; and then, my soul, repent from your evil deeds.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me.
The righteous will rejoice, and the sinners will weep, then no one will be able to help us, but our deeds will condemn us; Likewise, before the end, repent from your evil deeds.
Slava:
Alas for me, a great sinner, having been defiled by deeds and thoughts, I have not a drop of tears from hardness of heart; now arise from the earth, my soul, and repent from your evil deeds.
And now:
Behold, O Lady, Thy Son calls and teaches us to do good, but the sinner always runs from good; but You, Merciful One, have mercy on me, so that I may repent of my evil deeds.
Never - when. Leaders - knowing. The righteous are the righteous. Help - help. Also here; therefore, because of this. Arise - rise, rise (from a bent - prostrate - position).
I think about the terrible day and weep for the deeds of my evil ones: how will I answer the Immortal King, or with what boldness will I look at the Judge, the prodigal one? Compassionate Father, Only Begotten Son and Holy Soul, have mercy on me.
Glory, and now:
Theotokos: Bound now by many captives of sins and held captive by fierce passions and troubles, I resort to You, my salvation, and cry out: help me, Virgin, Mother of God.
Sedalen is a short church chant, during which the worshipers are allowed to sit in the church - to sit down to listen to the following reading from the Holy Scriptures or the life of a saint. After the 3rd song of the canon, a statutory reading (teachings, lives) followed in the church, in front of which the sedalion was located.
The crafty ones are the evil ones. Compassionate – merciful (literally: having a good heart). Captives - chains, bonds. Content – possessed (that is, I am under power).
Irmos: Christ is my strength, God and Lord, the honest Church sings magnificently, crying out from a pure meaning, celebrating in the Lord.
Honest - sacred, reverently revered. Graceful - as befits God. It is pure from meaning - from a pure mind and heart.
“Christ is my strength, God and Lord,” the Holy Church sings in the words of the prophet Habakkuk, “this is the meaning of irmos (quotation marks make this more understandable).
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me.
The path here is wide and pleasing to create sweetness, but it will be bitter on the last day, when the soul will be separated from the body: beware of this, man, from the Kingdom for the sake of God.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me.
Why do you offend the poor, withhold bribes from a mercenary, do not love your brother, persecute fornication and pride? Forsake this, my soul, and repent for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
Slava:
O foolish man, how long will you gather your wealth like a bee? Soon it will perish like dust and ashes; but seek more the Kingdom of God.
And now:
Lady Theotokos, have mercy on me, a sinner, and strengthen me in virtue, and protect me, so that insolent death does not snatch me away unprepared, and bring me, O Virgin, to the Kingdom of God.
Here - here. Sweets are sensual pleasures, pleasures, lusts. When - when. Beware of these - keep yourself from this. If you withhold a bribe from a mercenary, you withhold the payment to the hired worker (bribe - retribution, reward). Fornication and pride persecute - you do not leave fornication and pride (persecute - follow, achieve, hold on). Uglebaesh - you get bogged down (the image of a bee getting stuck in sweet and sticky things). Brazen - sudden, sudden.
Irmos: With God's light, O Blessed One, illumine the souls of You in the morning with love, I pray, lead You to the Word of God, the true God, calling out from the darkness of sin.
Morning Ti - those who turn to You from early morning.
With Thy God's light, O Blessed One, illumine the souls of Thy morning with love, I pray, lead Thee... The construction of the phrase is unusual for us and therefore incomprehensible. I pray to Thee, O Good One: illumine the souls of Thy morning (so that) with Thy God’s light – to lead Thee with love (love for the knowledge of You) – the true God, calling out from the darkness of sin (the true God, calling to Himself from the sinful darkness).
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me.
Remember, accursed man, how you were enslaved by lies, slander, robbery, infirmity, by a fierce beast, for the sake of sins; My sinful soul, is this what you wanted?
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me.
I tremble, for I have committed guilt for all: with my eyes I behold, my ears I hear, I speak evil with my tongue, I betray everything to myself to hell; My sinful soul, is this what you wanted?
Glory:
Thou hast received the fornicator and the repentant thief, O Saviour, and I am the only one burdened with sinful laziness and enslaved by evil deeds; My sinful soul, is this what you wanted?
And now:
Wonderful and quick helper to all people, Mother of God, help me, unworthy, for my sinful soul desires it.
Udi – members of the body (unit number of beats).
+ Thou hast received the fornicator and the repentant thief, O Savior... As a reminder to the soul, the prodigal son of the parable (Luke 15:11-32) and the prudent thief of the Cross (Luke 23:39-43) are given.
Ochima look, ushima hear... Ochima, ushima are forms of the dual number.
Irmos: The sea of life, raised in vain by misfortunes and storms, flowed to Your quiet refuge, crying out to You: lift up my belly from aphids, O Many-merciful One.
In vain - seeing. Misfortunes - troubles, temptations. Arrived - here: bailiff, sailed. Remove from aphids - remove from destruction. My belly is my life.
The sea of life, raised in vain by misfortunes and storms, flowed to Your quiet refuge, crying out to You... Again, the order of words is different from the usual. In vain (seeing) the sea of life, raised (turbulent) by a storm of misfortunes (temptations and troubles), and having come to Your quiet pier, I cry out to You...
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me.
Life on earth was spent fornication and my soul was given into darkness; Now I pray to Thee, Gracious Master: free me from the work of this enemy and give me the mind to do Thy will.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me.
Who creates something like me? Just as a pig lies in feces, so I serve sin. But You, Lord, pluck me from this vileness and give me the heart to do Your commandments.
Glory:
Rise up, accursed man, to God, remembering your sins, falling to the Creator, crying and groaning; He, who is compassionate, will give you the mind to know His will.
And now:
Virgin Mother of God, save me from visible and invisible evil, Most Pure One, and accept my prayers, and convey them to Your Son, that He may give me the mind to do His will.
From the work of sowing hostility - from this slavery to the enemy. Such as I am - such as I am.
I lived, I betrayed - forms of the past tense, 1st person: I lived, I betrayed.
My soul, why are you rich in sins, why do you do the will of the devil, why do you place your hope in this? Stop from this and turn to God with tears, calling: Merciful Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.
In what way?
+ The Greek word kontakion literally means “peg”, “roller” is a wooden roller on which a scroll is wound; this meaning easily transferred to the scroll itself. The original kontakion is a genre of Byzantine hymnography created by the Venerable Roman the Sweet Singer (the first kontakion was the kontakion of the Nativity of Christ - the Virgin today gives birth to the Most Essential...) and gained enormous popularity until it was forced out of the service by the canon. It was a hymn consisting of a large number of stanzas - ikos, identical in the number of verses and their rhythmic organization. The current kontakion and ikos, performed after the 6th song of the canon, are all that remains from the ancient canon.
Think, my soul, the bitter hour of death and the Last Judgment of your Creator and God: For the threatening angels will understand you, my soul, and will lead you into the eternal fire; For before you die, repent, crying: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Ikos is a church chant that develops the theme of the kontakion (ikos always follows the kontakion and is not used independently), but is more extensive. Kontakion and Ikos, read from the 6th song of the canon, usually end with the same words. If they understand, they will catch you.
Irmos: The angel made the furnace of the venerable youth, and the Chaldeans, the scorching command of God, exhorted the tormentor to cry out: Blessed art thou, O God of our fathers.
He made a dew-giving oven - he made it so that the oven was sprinkled with dew. Reverend youth - holy youths. Exhorted - convinced.
The Chaldeans, the scorching command of God, exhorted the tormentor to cry out... The command of God, scorching the Chaldeans, convinced the tormentor (king) to cry out.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me.
Do not trust, my soul, in perishable wealth and in unrighteous accumulation, for you will not leave all this to anyone, for the cry: have mercy on me, O Christ God, unworthy.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me.
Do not trust, my soul, in bodily health and fleeting beauty, for you see how the strong and the young die; but cry: have mercy on me, O Christ God, unworthy.
Slava:
Remember, my soul, eternal life, the Kingdom of Heaven prepared for the saints, and the total darkness and the wrath of God for the evil, and cry: have mercy on me, O Christ God, unworthy.
And now:
Come, my soul, to the Mother of God and pray to her, for she is a quick helper to the repentant, she will pray to the Son of Christ God, and have mercy on me, the unworthy.
Irmos: You poured out dew from the flames of the saints, and you burned the righteous sacrifice with water; Do everything, Christ, just as you want. We extol You forever.
Do everything, O Christ, just as you want - for You do everything, Christ, whatever you want (by Your own will).
+ And you burned the righteous sacrifice with water. Irmos sings not only that miracle of the Lord, which always lies at the basis of the 8th canto - the flow of dew from the flame of a red-hot furnace - but also another, when, through the prayer of the prophet Elijah, the Lord brought down fire from heaven, consuming a sacrifice abundantly poured with water (1 Kings 18:30-38).
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me.
Why shouldn’t the Imam cry when I think about death when I see my brother lying in the grave, inglorious and ugly? What do I lose and what do I hope for? Just grant me, Lord, before the end, repentance. (twice)
Slava:
I believe that you will come to judge the living and the dead, and everyone will stand in their rank, old and young, rulers and princes, virgins and priestesses; where will I find myself? For this reason I cry: grant me, Lord, repentance before the end.
And now:
Most Pure Mother of God, accept my unworthy prayer and save me from impudent death, and grant me repentance before the end.
When - when. Give it - give it. Priests are priests.
Irmos: It is impossible for a man to see God; they do not dare to look at the unworthy angels; By You, O All-Pure One, having appeared as a man, the Word Incarnate, Who magnifies Him, with the heavenly howls we please You.
By You - through You. Warriors - armies.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me.
Now I come running to you, Angels, Archangels and all the heavenly Powers, standing at the Throne of God, pray to your Creator, that He may deliver my soul from eternal torment.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me.
Now I cry to you, holy patriarchs, kings and prophets, apostles and saints and all the chosen ones of Christ: help me at the Judgment, may he save my soul from the power of the enemy.
Slava:
Now I will lift up my hand to you, holy martyrs, hermits, virgins, righteous women and all the saints who pray to the Lord for the whole world, that He may have mercy on me at the hour of my death.
And now:
Mother of God, help me, who trusts most strongly in You, beg Your Son to place me, unworthy, at His right hand, when the Judge of the living and the dead sits. Amen.
I will lift up - I will lift up. Martyrs, hermits, virgins, righteous women - martyrs, hermits, virgins, righteous (in the Church Slavonic language there is an alternation: the sound “k” is replaced by the sound “ts”). Right hand - on the right hand (side). When - when. If the judge sits down, he will sit down and judge (the literal translation - “the judge will sit down” or even “the judge will sit down” - would be inaccurate, so here too there is a grammatical construction characteristic of the Church Slavonic language and absent in Russian).
Master Christ God, who healed my passions with His passions and healed my ulcers with His wounds, grant me, who have sinned much to You, tears of tenderness; dissolve my body from the smell of Your Life-Giving Body, and delight my soul with Your Honest Blood from sorrow, with which the enemy gave me a drink; lift up my mind to You, which has fallen down, and lift me from the abyss of destruction, as I am not the imam of repentance, not the imam of tenderness, not the imam of comforting tears, leading children to their inheritance. Having darkened my mind in worldly passions, I cannot look to You in illness, I cannot warm myself with tears, even love for You. But, Master Lord Jesus Christ, Treasure of the good, grant me complete repentance and a laborious heart to seek Yours; Grant me Your grace and renew in me the vision of Your image. Leave Thee, do not leave me; come forth to my punishment; lead me to Thy pasture and number me among the sheep of Thy chosen flock; educate me with them from the grain of Your Divine Sacraments, through the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother and all Your saints. Amen.
Izhe... who healed my passions and healed my ulcers... - He healed my passions and healed my ulcers (in this phrase and others like it, the word Izhe is not translated at all). Dissolve - co-dissolve, mix, join (dissolve - mix; dissolve - merge, mix, connect). From smell - from smell (smell is smell, not one of the five senses). Enjoy - delight (contrasted with sorrow - bitterness - sin). Tears that are love for You - tears of love for You. The treasure of the good is the source of good (good - good, good). Laborious - loving to work, diligent. For Your seeking - to seek You (seeking - searching, trying to find). Renew the eyes of Your image in me - return me to Your image. To the pasture - to the pasture (Christ is the Good Shepherd, and the phrase develops this image). Educate - nourish and grow (grow, nourished with the grain of Your Sacraments).
Sung in every spiritual sorrow and situation
The creation of Theostiriktus the monk
Let us now diligently approach the Mother of God, sinners and humility, and let us fall down in repentance, calling from the depths of our souls: Lady, help us, having had mercy on us, struggling, we perish from many sins; do not turn away Thy servants of vanity, for Thy is the only hope of the imams. (twice)
Glory, and now:
Let us never be silent, Mother of God, to speak Your strength in unworthiness, if You had not stood before us, praying, who would have delivered us from such troubles, who would have kept us free until now? We will not retreat, O Lady, from You: for Your servants always save you from all evil ones.
Let's come quickly and come running. Let's fall down - let's approach with a bow, let's fall at the feet. Strive - try, be diligent, hurry. Don't turn away - don't send back, don't return. Waste - in vain, with nothing. One - the only one. Imams - we have.
We will never be silent... let us speak of Your strength - we will never stop talking about Your power. If only You would not have stood praying - for if You had not interceded (for us with Your) prayers. From so many - from so many. Always - always. From all kinds of fierce - from all kinds of troubles (fierce in the meaning: misfortune, villainy, lawlessness).
And Ps.50: Have mercy on me, O God... (for the text and explanation of the psalm, see the morning prayers).
Irmos: Having passed through water like dry land, and having escaped the evil of Egypt, the Israeli cried out: Let us drink to our Deliverer and our God.
Chorus: Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Contained by many misfortunes, I resort to You, seeking salvation: O Mother of the Word and the Virgin, save me from heavy and cruel things.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
I am troubled by passions, and by a great deal of despondency, fill my soul; die, O Revelation, with the silence of Your Son and God, All-Immaculate.
Slava:
Having saved the one who gave birth to Thee and God, I pray, O Virgin, to be delivered from the cruel ones; For now, running to You, I stretch out both my soul and my thoughts.
And now:
Sick in body and soul, grant the Divine visitation and providence from You, the only Mother of God, as the good Mother of the Good.
Seeking salvation - seeking salvation. From heavy and fierce - from everything heavy and cruel, from all kinds of disasters. Prilozi – attacks, seizures. Fulfill - fill; in this case - filling (my soul with much despondency). Fierce - evil, disaster.
Irmos: O Lord, Supreme Creator of the heavenly circle, and the Creator of the Church, Thou strengthenest me in Thy love, the desires of the land, the true affirmation, the only Lover of Mankind.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
I offer the intercession and protection of my life to You, the Virgin Mother of God: You feed me to Your refuge, the good one, the affirmation of the faithful, the only All-Singing One.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
I pray, Virgin, to destroy the storm of my spiritual confusion and sorrow: You, O Blessed One of God, gave birth to the ruler of the silence of Christ, the only Most Pure One.
Slava:
The Mother of God, having given birth to good sinners, poured out wealth to everyone; You can do everything, for you have given birth to the mighty Christ in the fortress, O blessed one.
And now:
He who is tormented by severe illnesses and painful passions, O Virgin, help me; healings for the infinite treasure I know You, Immaculate, inexhaustible.
The edge of desires is the limit of desires. Feed - manage, guide (cf. the word helmsman). The good is guilty - the cause, the culprit of goods (cf. further: the good culprit - the culprit of all good). The boss is the source, the beginning. You can do everything - because You can do everything. The inexhaustible is the inexhaustible.
+ The Supreme Creator of the heavenly circle, and the Creator of the Church... In these words, the Lord appears as the Builder of both the firmament (and the entire visible universe) and the Church. The expression of the Heavenly Circle of the Supreme Creator is remarkable; a more accurate translation from the Greek would be “firmament”; the supreme creator is the supreme, highest builder, but also the one who lays out the top of the vault, the dome.
Save Thy servants from troubles, Mother of God, for we all, according to God, resort to Thee, as an unbreakable wall and intercession.
Look with mercy, O all-sung Mother of God, on my fierce body, and heal the illness of my soul.
Look - look, turn your gaze; look with mercy - look with mercy. Fierce bodily embitterment is severe bodily suffering.
A warm prayer and an insurmountable wall, a source of mercy, a refuge for the world, we diligently cry out to Thee: Mother of God, Lady, advance and deliver us from troubles, the only one who will soon intercede.
The world's refuge is the world's refuge. We cry out diligently—we cry out diligently. Anticipate - hurry up, get ahead, appear earlier.
Irmos: I heard, O Lord, Thy mystery, I understood Thy works, and glorified Thy Divinity.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
The confusion of my passions, the helmsman who gave birth to the Lord, and the storm of my sins calmed, O Bride of God.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Grant me the abyss of Thy mercy, Who gave birth to the Blessed One and the Savior of all who sing to Thee.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Enjoying, O Most Pure One, Your gifts, we sing a song of thanksgiving, leading You to the Mother of God.
Slava:
On the bed of my illness and infirmity, help those who lie down, as God-loving, help the Mother of God, the only Ever-Virgin.
Nowadays:
Hope and affirmation and salvation are the wall of the immovable property of You, the All-Singing One, we get rid of every inconvenience.
I heard, I understood, I glorified - I heard, I understood, I glorified (forms of the 1st person past tense).
Looking - providence, providence, Divine economy. Embarrassment is here: indignation, excitement. The pilot who gave birth to the Lord is the one who gave birth to the Helmsman-Lord. Grant me Thy infinite mercy that I call upon the abyss of Thy mercy—give me Thy infinite mercy for which I cry (literally: when I call upon the abyss of Thy mercy, give [it] to me). Even the one who gave birth to the Beneficent is the one who gave birth to the Merciful (Even in this phrase it is not translated). Enjoying... Your gifts - enjoying Your gifts. The Mother of God leads You - knowing that You are the Mother of God (recognizing You as the Mother of God). Help - help. Having Thee is here: having in Thee. Inconvenience – here: difficulty, trouble.
Irmos: Enlighten us with Your commandments, O Lord, and with Your high arm grant us Your peace, O Lover of Mankind.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Fill, O Pure One, my heart with joy, Thy incorruptible joy that gives birth to joy, which gave birth to the guilty.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Deliver us from troubles, O Pure Mother of God, by giving birth to eternal deliverance and peace, which prevails over all minds.
Slava:
Resolve the darkness of my sins, Bride of God, with the enlightenment of Your Grace, Who gave birth to the Divine and Eternal Light.
And now:
Heal, O Pure One, the infirmity of my soul, worthy of Thy visitation, and grant me health through Thy prayers.
Imperishable - pure (the word in the original Greek means “unparalleled”, “whole”). The merriment who gave birth to the guilty one - who gave birth to the culprit of the merriment. The eternal one who gave birth to deliverance is the one who gave birth to the eternal Deliverance (that is, Christ the Savior: here is a personification). Peace that surpasses every mind - peace that surpasses every mind (peace - meaning peace, silence). Allow - dispel. The most worthy is here: worthy, worthy.
Irmos: I will pour out a prayer to the Lord, and to Him I will proclaim my sorrows, for my soul is filled with evil, and my stomach is approaching hell, and I pray like Jonah: from aphids, O God, lift me up.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
As if He saved death and aphids, He Himself gave birth to death, corruption and death my former nature, Virgin, pray to the Lord and Thy Son, to deliver me from the enemies of crime.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
We are Your representative of life and your steadfast guardian, O Virgin, and I solve rumors of misfortunes and drive away taxes from demons; and I always pray to deliver me from the aphids of my passions.
Slava:
Like a wall of refuge for money-grubbers, and all-perfect salvation for souls, and space in sorrows, O Young Lady, and we ever rejoice in Your enlightenment: O Lady, save us now from passions and troubles.
And now:
I now lie on my bed sick, and there is no healing for my flesh; but, having given birth to the God and Savior of the world and the Deliverer of illnesses, I pray to You, O Good One: raise me from aphids and illnesses.
To that - to Him. Fulfilled - filled. My stomach is approaching hell - my life is approaching hell. From aphids - from death. You have saved death and aphids, since You saved them from death and destruction. Having published - betrayed. The former is embraced. Enemies of villainy - here: from the villainy of enemies (by enemies we mean spirits of evil, demons). We know the representative of Thy life - I know that You are the intercessor of life (we know, I know). I solve rumors of adversity - (that You) free from the excitement of temptations (rumor - confusion, anxiety; solve-resolve - untie, free; adversity - attack; here: demonic attack, temptation). Taxes are attacks (cf. the word lean). From aphids - from death. Like a wall of refuge for money-grubbers, we have received (You) as a wall behind which we take refuge (a wall of refuge is that fortress, city wall behind which people hide during attacks and siege). Spaces - spaciousness. We always rejoice in Your enlightenment - we always rejoice in Your light (in Your enlightenment - dative plural: the radiance of Your light; ever - always). No - no.
Illness – ailments (plural gender).
The intercession of Christians is shameless, the intercession to the Creator is immutable, do not despise the voices of sinful prayers, but advance, as the Good One, to the aid of us who faithfully call upon Ty; hasten to prayer, and strive to entreat, interceding ever since, the Mother of God, those who honor Thee.
Representation, petition... In modern Russian, in this case, we would use the words “Representative”, “Intercessor”. Do not despise the sinful prayers of the voices - do not despise the prayerful voices of sinners (the word order in the expression of the sinful prayers of the voices is different than it would be in the modern Russian language; these are not “sinful prayers”, but the prayers [prayers of the voices] of sinners). Anticipate - hurry up. To help us - to help us. That's right - with faith. Strive - try, be diligent. Representing - defending.
There are no imams of other help, no imams of other hope, except for You, Most Pure Virgin. Help us, we rely on You, and we boast in You, for we are Your servants, let us not be ashamed.
Not imams - we don’t have (we don’t have). Is it for You - except for You? Pomozi - help (in the word, alternation of consonants: “g” is replaced by “z”). We are your servants - because we are Your slaves.
Do not entrust me to human intercession, Most Holy Lady, but accept the prayer of Your servant; sorrow will overpower me. I can’t stand demonic shooting, there is no protection for the imam, below where the accursed one will resort, we always win, and there is no consolation for the imam, do you, the Lady of the world, have the hope and intercession of the faithful, do not despise my prayer, make it useful.
Sorrow will overcome me - because sorrow has overcome me. Not an imam - I don’t have one (I don’t have one). Below where I take refuge - and nowhere do I find refuge (below - and neither). Is it for You - except for You?
Irmos: The youths who came from Judea, in Babylon sometimes, by the faith of the Trinity, quenched the fire of the cave, singing: God of the fathers, blessed art thou.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Just as you wanted to create our salvation, O Savior, you moved into the Virgin’s womb, and you showed the world a representative: our father, God, blessed are you.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
The Commander of mercy, Whom you gave birth to, Pure Mother, beg to be delivered from sins and spiritual impurities by faith, calling: Our father, God, blessed art thou.
Slava:
The treasure of salvation and the source of incorruption, Who gave birth to You, and the pillar of affirmation, and the door of repentance, You showed to those calling: Our Father, God, blessed are You.
And now:
Bodily weaknesses and mental ailments, O Theotokos, with the love of those who approach Thy blood, O Virgin, vouchsafe to heal, Who gave birth to us the Savior Christ.
Came down from Judea - those who came from Judea. Sometimes - sometime, no time. By Trinity faith - faith in the Trinity. Asked - trampled. Into the womb of the Virgin - into the womb of the Virgin (that is: the Virgin; Virgin is an adjective, not a noun). Yuzhe - Which. You showed it - You did it, you showed it. Willers of mercy - desiring mercy, loving mercy. The pillar of affirmation is a stronghold, a firm support, a stronghold. Love of those who approach - here: with love of those who approach (that is: “heal the weaknesses and ailments of those who approach with love” - and not “heal with love the weaknesses and ailments of those who approach...”). Vouchsafe to heal - heal (deign to heal).
Irmos: Praise and extol the Heavenly King, Whom all the angels sing, praise and extol to all ages.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Do not despise those who demand help from You, O Virgin, who sing and extol You forever.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
You heal the infirmity of my soul and bodily illnesses, Virgin, may I glorify You, Pure, forever.
Slava:
You pour out a wealth of healings faithfully to those who sing of Thee, O Virgin, and to those who extol Thy ineffable Nativity.
And now:
You drive away adversity and the onset of passions, O Virgin: therefore we sing of You forever and ever.
The angelic hosts are the angelic hosts. Help even those who require from You - those who ask for Your help. That's right - with faith. Christmas is here: childbirth (that is, we are not talking about Christmas - the birth of the Virgin Mary, but about the event of the Nativity of Christ). Prepositions - attacks, onslaughts, additions.
Irmos: We truly confess You, the Mother of God, saved by You, Pure Virgin, with your disembodied faces magnifying You.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Do not turn away from the current of my tears, Even though you have taken away every tear from every face, the Virgin who gave birth to Christ.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Fill my heart with joy, O Virgin, who accepts the fulfillment of joy and consumes sinful sadness.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Be refuge and intercession for those who come running to You, O Virgin, and an unbreakable wall, refuge and protection and joy.
Slava:
Enlighten Your light with the dawns, O Virgin, driving away the darkness of ignorance, faithfully confessing Theotokos to You.
And now:
In the place of the bitterness of the infirmity of the humbled one, O Virgin, heal, transforming ill health into health.
With disembodied faces - that is, with angelic ranks. Current - flow. Even the Virgin who took away every tear from every face, the Virgin, gave birth to Christ - the Virgin who gave birth to Christ, who wipes away every tear from every face (the word order in the phrase is different than it would be in modern Russian). The Virgin who accepted the fulfillment of joy is the Virgin who accepted the fullness of joy (fulfillment - fullness, completion). Consuming sinful sadness - destroying the sadness of sin (consume - destroy, exterminate). Bitterness - disasters, suffering. Humbled - here: fallen in spirit. transforming from ill health into health - making a sick person healthy (transform - transform).
The highest of the heavens and the purest of the solar lordships, who delivered us from the oath, Let us honor the Lady of the world with songs.
Because of my many sins my body is weak, my soul is also weak; I resort to You, Most gracious, the hope of the unreliable, You help me.
Mistress and Mother of the Deliverer, accept the prayer of Your unworthy servants, and intercede with Him who is born of You; Mistress of the world, be the Intercessor!
Let us diligently sing a song to You now, the all-sung Mother of God, joyfully: with the Forerunner and all the saints, pray to the Mother of God to be generous to us.
All the angels of the army, the Forerunner of the Lord, the twelve apostles, holy everything with the Mother of God, say a prayer so that we can be saved.
From an oath - from a curse. Unreliable - devoid of hope, lost hope. Help - help. Pray, Mother of God, to show mercy to us - pray, Mother of God, (God) to have mercy on us. Twelve is twelve (it would be more accurate to say twelve, but there is no such word in dictionaries; in addition, there is a vocative case here). Surely so.
Blessings to my queen, my hope to the Mother of God, friend of the orphans and strange intercessors, those who grieve with joy, those who are offended by the 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 you will: for I have no other help except You, no other intercessor, no good comforter, except You, O Mother of God, for you will preserve me and cover me forever and ever. Amen.
A friend of the orphans is a shelter for orphans. Strange representative - intercessor of the wandering. Feed me as I am strange - guide me, a wanderer, on the path. Vesey - You know. Allow her - free her from her. Like you will - as You want. As if I am not an imam of any other help - because I do not have (I do not have) any other help. Is it for You - except for You?
To whom shall I cry, Lady? To whom shall I resort in my sorrow, if not to You, Queen of Heaven? Who will accept my cry and my sighing, if not You, Most Immaculate, the hope of Christians and refuge for us sinners? Who will protect You more in adversity? Hear my groaning, and incline Your ear to me, the Lady Mother of my God, and do not despise me, who requires Your help, and do not reject me, a sinner. Enlighten and teach me, Queen of Heaven; do not depart from me Thy servant, O Lady, for my murmuring, but be my Mother and intercessor. I entrust myself to Your merciful protection: lead me, a sinner, to a quiet and serene life, so that I may weep for my sins. To whom shall I resort when I am guilty, if not to You, the hope and refuge of sinners, inspired by the hope of Your ineffable mercy and Your bounty? About the Lady Queen of Heaven! You are my hope and refuge, protection and intercession and help. To my queen, most blessed and speedy Intercessor! Cover my sins with Your intercession, protect me from enemies visible and invisible; soften the hearts of evil people who rebel against me. O Mother of the Lord my Creator!
You are the root of virginity and the unfading color of purity. O Mother of God! Give me help to those who are weak with carnal passions and those who are sick at heart, for one thing is Yours and with You the intercession of Your Son and our God; and through Your wondrous intercession may I be delivered from all misfortune and misfortune, O most immaculate and glorious Mother of God, Mary. The same with hope I say and cry: Rejoice, O Blessed One, rejoice, O O Joyful One; Rejoice, Most Blessed One, the Lord is with You.
If - if. More – bigger, better. Ubo - here: same. Imam - I have. That's why too. I speak and cry - I speak and exclaim.
O Most Holy Virgin, Mother of Christ our God, Queen of heaven and earth! Hear the much-painful sighing of our soul, look down from Thy holy height upon us, who with faith and love worship Thy most pure image. We are immersed in sins and overwhelmed by sorrows, looking at Your image, as if You were alive and living with us, we offer our humble prayers. The imams have no other help, no other intercession, no consolation except You, O Mother of all who mourn and are burdened. Help us the weak, satisfy our sorrow, guide us, the erring, on the right path, heal and save the hopeless, grant us the rest of our lives to spend in peace and silence, grant us a Christian death, and at the Last Judgment of Your Son, the merciful Intercessor will appear to us, may we always sing, magnify and glorify You, as the good Intercessor of the race Christian, with all those who please God, forever and ever. Amen.
Wonmi - listen with attention. As if You were alive with us - as if You were alive with us. Not imams, because we don’t have them.
Angel of God, my holy guardian, keep my life in the passion of Christ God, strengthen my mind in the true path, and wound my soul to heavenly love, so that by you we guide me, I will receive great mercy from Christ God.
Glory, and now:
Theotokos: Holy Lady, Mother of Christ our God, who perplexedly gave birth to all the Creator, pray to His goodness always, with my guardian Angel, to save my soul, possessed by passions, and grant me remission of sins.
My belly is my life. Upper - heavenly. Puzzling - beyond the mind, incomprehensible to the mind.
Irmos: Let us praise the Lord, who led His people through the Red Sea, for He alone was gloriously glorified.
Chorus to Jesus: Lord Jesus Christ my God, have mercy on me.
[The Troparion to the Lord Jesus Christ is only in the first and ninth canons of the canon.]
Sing and praise the song, O Savior, worthy of Your servant, the disembodied Angel, my mentor and guardian.
Chorus: Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.
I am the only one lying in foolishness and laziness now, my mentor and guardian, do not leave me perishing.
Slava:
Direct my mind with your prayer, to do God’s commandments, so that I may receive remission of sins from God, and teach me to hate the evil ones, I pray to you.
And now:
Pray, O Maiden, for me, Thy servant, to the Benefactor, with my guardian Angel, and instruct me to do the commandments of Thy Son and my Creator.
I am one - I am one. Hate the evil ones - so that I can hate evil (evil in the meaning: evil, evil).
Irmos: You are the affirmation of those who flow to You, Lord, You are the light of the darkened, and my spirit sings of You.
Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.
I place all my thoughts and my soul on you, my guardian; Deliver me from every misfortune of the enemy.
Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.
The enemy tramples me, and embitters me, and teaches me to always do my own desires; but you, my mentor, do not leave me to perish.
Slava:
Sing a song with thanksgiving and zeal to the Creator and God give me, and to you, my good Guardian Angel: my deliverer, take me away from the enemies who embitter me.
And now:
Heal, O Most Pure One, my many painful scabs, even in my soul, and heal the enemies who are constantly fighting against me.
I laid it down - I laid it down, directed it. Embitters - fulfills evils, disasters; rescue me from the enemies who embitter me; take me away from the enemies who torment me. Scabs, even in the soul, are purulent wounds of the soul. Get married - drive away. Like always - which always.
From the love of my soul I cry out to you, the guardian of my soul, my all-holy Angel: cover me and always protect me from evil deception, and guide me to heavenly life, admonishing and enlightening and strengthening me.
Glory, and now:
Theotokos: To the Blessed Most Pure Mother of God, who gave birth to all the Lord without a seed, pray to him and my guardian angel to deliver me from all bewilderment, and to give tenderness and light to my soul and purification through sin, who alone will soon intercede.
From crafty trapping - from the machinations of evil (catching - ambush, hidden hostile actions). Even if she gave birth without a seed, she gave birth without a seed. Perplexity - confusion, embarrassment. You are the only one who will quickly intercede - You, the only speedy Intercessor (who will intercede soon).
> Please note: in the Church Slavonic language the reflexive particle -sya has not yet “grew” to the verb, as in modern Russian, where we would say: “pray that I get rid of all confusion,” in Church Slavonic it sounds: “pray that I get rid of all bewilderment.” In the same way, instead of “I pray to You,” we will find “I pray to You,” etc.
Irmos: I heard, O Lord, Thy mystery, I understood Thy works, and glorified Thy Divinity.
Pray to God, the Lover of Mankind, my guardian, and do not forsake me, but keep my life in peace forever, and grant me invincible salvation.
Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.
As the intercessor and guardian of my life, you are received from God, Angel, I pray to you, holy one: free me from all troubles.
Slava:
Cleanse my depravity with your shrine, my guardian, and may I be excommunicated from the part of Shuiya through your prayers and become a partaker of glory.
And now:
I am bewildered by the evils that have befallen me, O Most Pure One, but deliver me from them quickly: I am the only one who has come to You.
I heard, I understood, I glorified - I heard, I understood, I glorified (> 1st person past tense forms). Looking - providence, conduct, Divine economy. Always - always. Invincible - invincible, invincible. My belly - my life. Receive you - I got you. From the part of Shuiya - from the left side, that is, from being numbered among sinners. Participant - participant. I am perplexed - I don’t know what to do. Those who walked around me - those who surrounded me. I came running - I came running (asked for help).
Irmos: We cry out to You in the morning: Lord, save us; For you are our God, don’t you know anything else?
Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.
As if I had boldness towards God, my holy guardian, I begged Him to deliver me from the evils that offend me.
Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.
Bright light, brightly enlighten my soul, my mentor and guardian, given to me by God to the Angel.
Slava:
Sleeping me with the evil burden of sin, keep me vigilant, O Angel of God, and raise me up for praise through your prayer.
And now:
Mary, Lady of the Brideless Mother of God, the hope of the faithful, cast down the heaps of the enemy, and those who sing rejoiced Thee.
Morning - from early morning. Except - except. Nevermind – we don’t know. As if having - here: since you have. Sleeping me evil with the burden of sin - me, engulfed in the heavy sleep of sin (evil - bad, fierce, heavy; burden - heaviness, burden, difficulty). Keep me vigilant - here: make me vigilant, keep me vigilant. Enemy heaping - exaltation of enemy, demonic forces.
Irmos: Give me a robe of light; dress in light like a robe, O most merciful Christ our God.
Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.
Free me from all misfortunes, and save me from sorrows, I pray to you, holy Angel, given to me by God, my good guardian.
Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.
Illuminate my mind, O blessed one, and enlighten me, I pray to you, holy Angel, and always instruct me to think usefully.
Slava:
Tire my heart from real rebellion, and be vigilant, strengthen me in good things, my guardian, and guide me wonderfully to the silence of animals.
And now:
The Word of God dwells in You, Mother of God, by man showing You the heavenly ladder; Because of you, the Most High has come down to us to eat.
Get dressed - getting dressed. Ustavi - direct; hold. From the present rebellion - from the present storm, confusion. Children, strengthen me in good things - strengthen me to stay awake in good things (in the good state of the soul). Animals - full of life. Ladder - ladder.
+ Dress yourself in light like a robe - words from Ps.103, v. 2: Dress yourself in light like a robe, stretch out the sky like a skin. (You dress yourself in light like a robe, you stretch out the heavens like a tent.)
Instruct me wonderfully to the silence of the animals: the image of the helmsman, the steward, who, out of a storm-rebellion, directs (instructs) the ship to a quiet haven, where the lives of those floating will be saved - to the silence of the animals. Let us also recall the episodes of the Gospels in which Christ calms the storm: ...They said: Mentor! Mentor! We are perishing. But He stood up and rebuked the wind and the disturbance of the water; and they stopped, and there was silence (Luke 8:24; cf. Matt. 8:26; Mark 4:39). Images of sailing through the stormy “sea of life” are constant in church poetry, and especially in the 6th song of the canon.
The Word of God dwells in You, Mother of God, by man showing You the heavenly ladder; Because of you, the Most High has come down to us to eat. The troparion develops the biblical image of a ladder from the dream of the patriarch Jacob (Gen. 28:12-13, 16-17: And I saw in a dream: behold, a ladder stood on the earth, and its top touched the sky; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood on it and said: I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give you and to your descendants... Jacob woke up from his sleep and said: “Truly the Lord is present in this place; but I did not know!”
Jacob's Ladder is a prototype of the Most Holy Theotokos, Who became a ladder between heaven and earth: having become incarnate, born of the Virgin Mary, the Lord Jesus Christ descended into the world.
Appear to me, merciful, holy Angel of the Lord, my guardian, and do not separate from me, who is defiled, but enlighten me with inviolable light and make me worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Inviolable light - immaterial light (the phrase “impregnable light” is more common; inviolable, inaccessible - the one that cannot be touched or approached).
My soul has been humiliated by many temptations, you, holy representative, vouchsafe the ineffable glory of heaven, and singer from the face of the disembodied Powers of God, have mercy on me and preserve me, and enlighten my soul with good thoughts, so that with your glory, my Angel, I will be enriched, and overthrow my evil-minded enemies, and make me worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Ineffable - inexpressible, beyond description. Faces - choirs (Angel is called a singer in the general choir of disembodied angelic Forces praising the Lord).
> My humble soul has been tempted by many... worthy of heavenly glory. Here we again encounter a word order unusual for the Russian language; To understand the phrase, you need to mentally rearrange the words: make my soul, humiliated by many temptations, worthy of heavenly glory.
Irmos: The youths who came from Judea, in Babylon sometimes, by the faith of the Trinity, quenched the fire of the cave, singing: God of the fathers, blessed art thou.
Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.
Be merciful to me and beg God, O Lord Angel, for I have an intercessor in my whole life, a mentor and guardian, given to me by God forever.
Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.
Do not leave my accursed soul on its journey, killed by a robber, holy Angel, who was betrayed by God without blame; but I will guide you on the path of repentance.
Slava:
I bring all my disgraced soul away from my evil thoughts and deeds: but precede, my mentor, and grant me healing with good thoughts, so that I always deviate onto the right path.
And now:
Fill everyone with wisdom and Divine strength, Hypostatic Wisdom of the Most High, for the Mother of God, for the sake of those who cry out with faith: Our father, God, blessed art thou.
Came down from Judea - those who came from Judea. Sometimes - no time, someday. By Trinity faith - faith in the Trinity. Asked - trampled. In my whole belly - in my whole life. On the path of the one who walks - the one who travels. Immaculate - immaculate; here in the meaning: immaculate. Anticipate – here: go ahead. Give me healing through good thoughts - give me the medicine of good thoughts (or: healing through good thoughts). To bow down - (so that) I bow down.
+ Do not leave my soul on its journey, killed by a robber, O holy Angel, who was betrayed by God without blemish... The image of a soul traveling along the path of life here clearly echoes Christ’s parable about the Good Samaritan and about “him who fell among the robbers” (Luke 10:30-36). The thieves of the troparion, of course, are immaterial: they are sinful thoughts and the demons that possess them.
+ I bring all my shamed soul away from my evil thoughts and deeds: but first, my mentor, grant me healing with good thoughts, so that I always deviate onto the right path. The troparion develops the image of wayfinding. The soul, disgraced by evil deeds and thoughts, comes from them, like the prodigal son from a distant country; we ask the Guardian Angel to now go ahead, pointing out the right path (right paths); This path itself and the intervention of the Guardian Angel are determined precisely in the area of thoughts - the desired healing is to choose good thoughts with the help of the Angel.
Irmos: Praise and extol the Heavenly King, Whom all the angels sing, praise and extol to all ages.
Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.
Sent from God, strengthen the belly of my servant, your servant, most good Angel, and do not leave me forever.
Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.
You are a good angel, my soul's mentor and guardian, blessedness, I sing forever.
Slava:
Be my protection and take away all people on the day of testing; good and evil deeds will be tempted by fire.
And now:
Be a helper and silence for me, O Ever-Virgin Mother of God, Thy servant, and do not leave me deprived of Thy dominion.
The angelic hosts are the angelic hosts. My belly is my life. You are a good angel - You, good Angel. Visor - wall, fence, fence. Vonzhe - in which (> if you divide the word into its component parts, you get v-n-zhe, therefore the sometimes found spelling in onzhe is incorrect; see the note to the 5th prayer of the morning rule about this).
Irmos: We truly confess You, the Mother of God, saved by You, Pure Virgin, with your disembodied faces magnifying You.
To Jesus: Lord Jesus Christ my God, have mercy on me.
Have mercy on me, my only Savior, for You are merciful and merciful, and make me a partaker of righteous faces.
Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.
Grant me always to think and create, O Lord Angel, good and useful, as she is strong in weakness and blameless.
Slava:
As if you have boldness towards the Heavenly King, pray to Him, along with other incorporeal ones, to have mercy on me, the accursed one.
And now:
Having much boldness, O Virgin, towards Him Who was incarnate from You, turn me from my bonds and grant me permission and salvation through Your prayers.
With disembodied faces - that is, with angelic ranks. Righteous faces - hosts of the righteous. Make me a partaker - make me a participant. Always - always. Good and useful - good and useful. To the Incarnate - To the Incarnate. Change me from bonds - meaning: free me from bonds (transform - turn into another form, change). Permission is liberation. Wait - give it.
Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
Heavenly King... Trisagion according to Our Father. Lord, have mercy (12 times).
Come, let us worship... (Three times)
And psalms:
[A Psalm of David.] The LORD {is} my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. {green...: Heb. pastures of tender grass} {still...: Heb. waters of quietness}
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou {art} with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. {anointest: Heb. makest fat}
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. {for ever: Heb. to length of days}
[A Psalm of David.] The earth {is} the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. {He...: Heb. The clean of hands}
He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This {is} the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. {O Jacob: or, O God of Jacob}
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Who {is} this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift {them} up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he {is} the King of glory. Selah.
I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:
I said in my haste, All men {are} liars.
What shall I render unto the LORD {for} all his benefits toward me?
I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the sight of the LORD {is} the death of his saints.
O LORD, truly I {am} thy servant; I {am} thy servant, {and} the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.
I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the LORD'S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.
Despise my iniquities, O Lord, be born of a Virgin, and cleanse my heart, creating a church to Your Most Pure Body and Blood, lower me from Your face, having great mercy without number.
Slava:
In the communion of Thy Holy Things, how dare I unworthy? Even if I dare to approach You with those who are worthy, the robe denounces me as if it were not the evening, and I intercede for condemnation of my many-sinful soul. Cleanse, Lord, the filth of my soul and save me, as a Lover of Mankind.
And now:
My many and many sins, Mother of God, I have come running to You, O Pure One, demanding salvation: visit my weak soul, and pray to Your Son and our God to grant me forgiveness for the evil deeds of the Blessed One.
Despise - leave without attention. Be born - born. By creating a church - making it a church. Below - and not. Without number, have great mercy - having infinitely great mercy (without number - infinitely; having - having; great - great; the order of words in the phrase differs from that characteristic of the modern Russian language).
Or else – because if. Chiton - clothing. Like there is no evening dress - because it is not the same as what they wear to the Supper. I petition - here: I will deliver, I will receive, I will deserve.
I came running - I came running, asked for help. Abandonment is forgiveness. Even the evil deeds - the evil (fierce) deeds that I have committed (the evil ones).
+ Even if I dare to approach You with those who are worthy, the robe denounces me as if it were not the evening, and condemnation comes from my sinful soul. The troparion turns us to the Gospel parable about those invited to the wedding Supper of the Son: The king, going in to look at those reclining, saw a man there, not dressed in wedding clothes, and said to him: friend! How did you come in here without wearing your wedding clothes? He was silent. Then the king said to the servants: Having tied his hands and feet, take him and throw him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; for many are called, but few are chosen (Matt. 22:11-14). This supper is the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Communion; the words cleanse, O Lord, the filthiness of my soul cry out to the Lord to cleanse the tunic of my soul.
When the glorious disciples are enlightened at the thought of the supper, then the evil Judas, sickened by the love of money, becomes darkened, and betrays the righteous Judge to the lawless judges. See, the steward of the property, who used strangulation for these sakes: flee the unsatiated soul, such a daring Teacher. O good Lord of all, glory to Thee.]
When - when. Pupils are students. Enlightened - enlightened. Darkened - darkened. See, treasurer of wealth, who used strangulation for these sakes - look, collector of wealth, at the one who hanged himself (used strangulation) because of them (for these sakes)! Insatiable - insatiable. To the Teacher such a one who dared - one who dared (to do) such a thing to the Teacher. Izhe is good about all - All-Good (about all - in everything; Izhe is here in the place of the Greek article).
+ This is the troparion of Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Last Supper of Christ (John 13:2-30), of which everyone who receives communion becomes a participant.
When the glory of the disciple was enlightened at the end of the supper, then the evil Judas, sick with love of money, became darkened... The verb enlightened is in the form of the 3rd person plural imperfect. numbers and, like any imperfect, expresses an action correlative with another, the main one - the one expressed by the aorist of the 3rd person singular. the numbers have become darker.
Pay attention to the choruses of the canon - one to the first and the other to the second troparion; these are verses from the 50th penitential psalm (which is read immediately before the canon itself). On the 9th song of the canon there is one more troparion; only a few prayer books indicate the chorus to this additional troparion - the next verse of the same psalm (the chorus is indicated in the Service Book). The choruses surprisingly enrich and complement the meaning of the troparia.
Irmos: Come, people, let us sing a song to Christ God, who divided the sea, and taught people, even from the work of Egypt, as if he was glorified.
Chorus: Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.
May Thy Holy Body, O most gracious Lord, be the bread of the eternal life, and the Honest Blood, and healing of manifold ailments.
Chorus: Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
The accursed one, defiled by unplaceable deeds, am unworthy, O Christ, of Your Most Pure Body and Divine Blood, to receive communion, which you have vouchsafed to me.
Chorus: Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Theotokos: Good Earth, Blessed Bride of God, Vegetating unearthed and saving the world, grant me this food to be saved.
Come - come. To the one who taught - to the one who guided. Those whom He brought forth from the work of Egypt - whom He brought out of Egyptian slavery. For he was glorified - for He was glorified. Eternal life - eternal life. Blagouterobne – merciful (vocal case). Deeds without place are obscene deeds. Class - ear. Frozen - grown. Uncultivated - uncultivated. This one is eating - taking Him as food.
+ Good Earth, Blessed Bride of God, Klas, vegetated unearthed and saving the world... The Most Holy Theotokos appears here as fertile land (Good Land), which raised the world's saving Spike (Christ), which grew Himself, without any human participation (unearthed: orati - to plow); here is an indication of the Ever-Virginity of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Irmos: Having established me on the rock of faith, you have loosed my mouth against my enemies. For my spirit is glad, always singing: none is holy like our God, and none is righteous more than Thee, O Lord.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.
Give me tears, O Christ, drops that cleanse the filth of my heart; Because I have been purified by a good conscience, I come by faith and fear, O Master, to partake of Your Divine gifts.
Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me.
May Thy Most Pure Body and Divine Blood be for forgiveness of my sins, communion with the Holy Spirit, and eternal life, Lover of mankind, and alienation from passions and sorrows.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Theotokos: The Most Holy Table of Animal Bread, from above the mercy of which came down and gave the world a new life, and now grant me the unworthy, with fear, to taste this, and live.
You rejoiced for fear - for you rejoiced. Never - when. No one is holy like our God; no one is holy like our God. There is no one more righteous than You - no one is more righteous than You. Alienation is liberation (may Communion be liberation from passions and sorrows). Bread of animals - Bread of life. Above mercy for the sake of the one who came down - who came down from above by mercy (for the sake of mercy). Mirovi - to the world. The belly is life.
Irmos: You came from the Virgin, not an intercessor, nor an Angel, but the Lord Himself, incarnate, and you saved me as a whole man. Thus I call to Thee: glory to Thy power, O Lord.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.
Thou didst desire, for our sake to be incarnate, O Thou of great mercy, to be slain like a sheep, sin for the sake of men: I also pray to Thee, and cleanse my sins.
Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me.
Heal the ulcers of my soul, O Lord, and forgive everything: and grant, O Master, that I may partake of Thy secret Divine Supper, the accursed one.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Theotokos: Appease me too from Thy womb, O Lady, and keep me undefiled and undefiled by Thy servant, like the reception of clever beads, I may be sanctified.
The intercessor is the ambassador. Angel – here: messenger. Incarnate - incarnate. Thus I call Ti - therefore I call upon You. Like a sheep - like a sheep. Sin for the sake of men - for the sins of men. That's why too. Propitiate me too - propitiate me too. Existing from Your womb - Born by You. Keep me undefiled - keep me pure, undefiled. As if by receiving smart beads, I will be sanctified - so that by accepting a spiritual jewel (beads - pearls), I will be sanctified.
Irmos: Light to the Giver and Creator of ages, Lord, instruct us in the light of Your commandments; Don’t we know another God for You?
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.
As Thou hast foretold, O Christ, that it would be done to Thy wicked servant; and abide in me as you promised; Behold, Your Body is Divine, and I drink Your Blood.
Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me.
The Word of God and God, may the coal of Your Body be for me, who is darkened, into enlightenment, and the purification of my defiled soul may Your Blood.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Theotokos: Mary, Mother of God, sweet-smelling village, make me a chosen vessel through Your prayers, so that I may partake of Your Son in sanctification.
Is it for You - for besides You. As You foretold - as You said before. Let it be so for Thy wicked servant, so let it be for Thy worthless servant (me). Behold, Your Body is Divine - for here I am eating Your Divine Body. Fragrances are an honest village - a holy fragrant dwelling, a sacred church of fragrance.
+ May the Coal of Your Body be for me, who is darkened, into enlightenment... Burning Coal is one of the symbols of the Divine (let us remember that our God is a consuming fire - Heb. 12:29). This enlightening and purifying coal of the Divine is manifested in the scene of the calling of the prophet Isaiah: Then one of the Seraphim flew to me, and in his hand he had a burning coal, which he took with tongs from the altar, and touched my mouth and said: behold, this has touched your mouth, and your iniquity is taken away from you, and your sin is cleansed (Is. 6: 6-7). The following troparia of the canon also speak about Communion as fire: I tremble, receiving fire, lest I be scorched like wax and like grass (8th canto); Let it be like fire for me, and like light, Thy Body and Blood, my most honorable Savior, scorching the sinful substance, burning the thorns of passions, and enlightening all of me (9th canto), as well as prayers for Holy Communion: Approach with fear, lest you be scorched: for there is fire; But I, the accursed one, dare to perceive Your entire Body, so that I will not be scorched.
“Let us partake of the Divine coal so that the fire in us of love, having received the ignition that comes from the coal, burns our sins and sanctifies our hearts, and so that, as a result of communion with the Divine fire, we are ignited and deified. Isaiah saw coal; but coal is not a simple tree, but connected with fire; so the bread of fellowship is not simple bread, but united with the Divine.”
Venerable John of Damascus
Irmos: Lying in the abyss of sin, I invoke the abyss of Thy unfathomable mercy: from aphids, O God, lift me up.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.
Sanctify my mind, soul and heart, O Savior, and my body, and grant me, without condemnation, O Lord, to approach the terrible Mysteries.
Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me.
May I have withdrawn from passions, and may Thy grace be applied and confirmed in life by the communion of the Saints, Christ, and Thy Mysteries.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Theotokos: God, God, Holy Word, sanctify me entirely, now coming to Thy Divine Mysteries, Thy Holy Mother with prayers.
Unexplored - incomprehensible. From aphids - from death. Application – multiplication. The affirmation of the belly is the strengthening of life.
Bread, O Christ, do not despise me, Thy Body, and now Thy Divine Blood, most pure, O Lord, and Thy terrible Mysteries, may the accursed partake, may it not be for me in judgment, may it be for me in the eternal and immortal life.
Don't despise me - don't deprive me of the opportunity. To court - to condemnation. The belly is life.
Take bread, O Christ, do not despise me, Thy Body. In modern language there would be a different word order: “Do not despise me, O Christ, take Bread—Thy Body,” or at least a different punctuation: “Bread, O Christ, take do not despise me—Thy Body.”
Irmos: The wise children did not serve the golden body, and they themselves went into the flames, and cursed their gods, and cried out in the midst of the flames, and I sprinkled the angel: the prayer of your lips has already been heard.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.
May the source of good things, communion, Christ, of Thy immortal Mysteries now be light, and life, and dispassion, and for the advancement and increase of the most Divine virtue, intercede, the only Good One, for I glorify Thee.
Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me.
May I be delivered from passions, and enemies, and need, and all sorrows, with trembling and love, with reverence, O Lover of mankind, approach now Your immortal and Divine Mysteries, and vouchsafe to You to sing: Blessed art thou, O Lord, God of our fathers.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Theotokos: Who gave birth to the Savior Christ more than the mind, God-gracious, I pray to You now, Thy servant, the Pure Unclean One: who now wants me to approach the most pure Mysteries, cleanse me all from the defilement of the flesh and spirit.
Having not served, they walked, cursed, cried out - they did not serve, they went, they ridiculed, they cried out (past tense forms - aorist 3rd person plural). Orosi - I watered them (oroshi - past tense form - aorist 3rd person singular; I - them). Once heard, heard. The source of good things is the source of goods, all good things (cf.: Treasure of good things, in prayer to the Holy Spirit). The most Divine virtues - all perfection, the highest virtue, the highest spiritual valor (this is how one can convey the meaning of the original Greek expression). Intercessively - a means, an instrument (an explanation of the phrase as a whole is given below). The One is Blessed - the only Good, the Merciful (appeal - vocative case). More than the mind - incomprehensible to the mind. God-gracious - having received grace from God, blessed by God.
The source of good things, communion, Christ, of Your immortal Mysteries now, may there be light, and life, and dispassion, and for the advancement and increase of the most Divine virtue, intercessively... This phrase has retained the typical Greek structure; To understand it, we present the members of the sentence in an order accessible to our perception: Communion, O Christ, of Thy immortal Mysteries / may I / now / be a source of good things: light, and life, and dispassion (m), and (may it also be) intercessory (that is, a means leading to a result) / to the advancement and increase of the most Divine virtue (that is, the highest spiritual valor). If, even after considering the component parts, it is difficult for you to perceive the meaning of the phrase, then this means that we have before us one of the few cases when it is worth translating a simple translation of the troparion (but at the same time the poetry turns into sophisticated prose):
May the communion of Your immortal Mysteries, O Christ, be a source of blessings for me now - may it be light, life and dispassion, may it lead me to success in the highest perfection and to its increase, O only Merciful One, may I glorify You!
May I get rid of passions, and enemies, and needs, and all kinds of sorrow... The Church Slavonic word “passion”, like the Greek “pathos”, the translation of which it is, means both sinful passion and suffering. In this troparion (as in many other texts) both understandings are acceptable.
Irmos: Who descended into the fiery furnace to the Jewish youth, and who turned God into the dew of the flame, sing, the works of the Lord, and exalt them unto all ages.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.
Heavenly, and terrible, and Thy Saints, Christ, now the Mysteries, and Thy Divine and Last Supper, a fellow being to be and vouchsafed to the desperate one, O my God our Savior.
Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me.
Beneath Your grace, O Good One, I call upon You with fear: abide in me, O Savior, and I, as You said, in You; Behold, daring in Thy mercy, I eat Thy Body and drink Thy Blood.
Chorus: Most Holy Trinity, our God, glory to Thee.
Trinity: I tremble, accepting fire, lest I be scorched like wax and like grass; Ole terrible sacrament! Ole of God's mercy! How do I partake of the Divine Body and Blood of clay, and become incorruptible?
Sing, O works, means an appeal to God’s creations: sing, O works of His creation, of Him as Lord, and exalt Him forever. Being a fellow being is becoming a participant. Make it worthy - make it worthy. Resort - here: having resorted. Benevolence is mercy. Az – I. As you advertised - as You said. Se bo - for here. Daring - here: trusting. Ole terrible sacrament! Ole of God's mercy! - Oh terrible mystery! O mercy of God! Clay - dust, dirt. I am created incorruptible - I become immortal, not subject to the effects of death (the meaning of the phrase: as I, being dust, partake of the Divine Body and Blood and become immortal).
+ Thou shalt abide in me, O Savior, and I, as thou hast said, in Thee... - Jesus said to them: Verily, verily, I say unto you, unless ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His Blood, ye have no life in you. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My Flesh is truly food, and My Blood is truly drink. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him (John 6:53-56). The last, Trinity troparion of the song again returns us to these words of the Savior, speaking about eternal life given by Communion (I partake of the Divine Body and Blood of clay, and am made incorruptible).
Irmos: The Son, the God and the Lord, who is without beginning, became incarnate from the Virgin, appearing to us, the darkened one, the scattered one, the scattered one: thus we magnify the all-sung Mother of God.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.
Christ is, taste and see: the Lord for our sake, who was for us of old, brought Himself alone as an offering to His Father, is ever slain, illuminating those who partake.
Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me.
May I be sanctified with soul and body, Master, may I be enlightened, may I be saved, may Thy house be a communion of the sanctified Mysteries, having You living within me with the Father and the Spirit, O Most Merciful Benefactor.
Chorus: Reward me with the joy of Your salvation, and strengthen me with the Lord’s Spirit.
Let me be like fire, and like light, Your Body and Blood, my most pure Savior, scorching sinful matter, burning the thorns of passions, and enlightening me all, worship Your Divinity.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Theotokos: God became incarnate from Your pure blood; In the same way, every race sings to Thee, Master, and the intelligent multitudes glorify, as through Thee they have clearly seen the Ruler of all, who has existed among humanity.
Beginningless - having no beginning and authority, that is, Eternal and Omnipotent. Incarnate - incarnate. For us, he was from ancient times - for our sake, he once became like us. He brought Himself alone as an offering to His Father - He once offered Himself as a sacrificial offering to His Father. Ever slaughtered - (since then) constantly slaughtered, sacrifices Himself. Sanctifying those who receive communion - sanctifying those receiving communion. That's why too. The intelligent multitudes are spiritual, angelic hosts. As through You I have clearly seen the Ruler of all - for through You, through You (the Mother of God) they have clearly seen (have clearly seen) the Lord of the universe (the Ruler of all). Existed by humanity - having assumed human nature (being).
+ Christ is, taste and see... In some prayer books: Good is, taste and see: He is Good - taste and see!
It is worthy to eat... The Trisagion according to Our Father...
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us... Glory:
Lord, have mercy on us, for we trust in You...
And now:
Open the doors of mercy for us...
Lord, have mercy. (40 times). And bows as much as you want.
And poems:
Although eat, O man, the Body of the Lord,
Approach with fear, but don’t get burned:
there is fire.
Master Lord Jesus Christ, our God, the Source of life and immortality, of all creation, visible and invisible to the Creator, co-essential with the Son and co-originating with the beginningless Father, much for the sake of goodness in the last days, he clothed himself in flesh, and was crucified, and was buried for us, ungrateful and evil-willed, and with Your Blood renewing our nature corrupted by sin; Immortal King Himself, accept my sinful repentance, and incline Your ear to me, and hear my words. For I have sinned, Lord, I have sinned in heaven and before You, and I am not worthy to look upon the height of Your glory; I was angered by Your goodness, having transgressed Your commandments and not obeyed Your commands. But You, Lord, are kind, long-suffering and abundantly merciful, and did not give me up to perish with my iniquities, waiting in every possible way for my conversion. For Thou art, O Lover of Mankind, as Thy prophet: for by will I do not want the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn and live. You do not want, Master, to destroy your creation by hand, and you are less than pleased with the destruction of mankind, but you want everyone to be saved, and to come into the mind of truth.
Likewise, I, even though I am unworthy of heaven and earth, and sow temporary life, having subjected myself to sin, and enslaved myself with pleasure, and desecrated Your image; but having become Thy creation and creature, I do not despair of my salvation, the accursed one, but daring to receive Thy immeasurable compassion, I come. Accept me, O Lord, who loves mankind, as a harlot, as a thief, as a publican and as a prodigal, and take away my heavy burden of sins, take away the sin of the world, and heal the infirmities of man, call those who labor and are burdened to Yourself and give rest to Him who has not come to call the righteous, but sinners for repentance. And cleanse me from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and teach me to perform holiness in Thy passion: as if my conscience is pure. Having received part of Your holy things, I will unite with Your Holy Body and Blood, and I have You living and abiding in me, with the Father and Your Holy Spirit.
To her, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, may the communion of Thy most pure and life-giving Mysteries not be in judgment for me, nor may I be weak in soul and body, which makes it all the more unworthy to partake; but grant me, even before my final breath, to uncondemnably receive part of Thy Holy Things, into communion with the Holy Spirit, into the path of the eternal life, and into a favorable answer at Thy Last Judgment; for I, too, with all Thy chosen ones, will be a partaker of Thy incorruptible blessings, which Thou hast prepared for those who love Thee, O Lord, in which Thou art glorified forever. Amen.
Co-essential - also eternal (ever-essential - eternally existing). Co-original - also without beginning (eternal) and authority (omnipotent). clothed in flesh - incarnate (clothed in flesh). (The following are also participial forms of verbs: crucified - who gave himself up to crucifixion, buried - who gave himself up to burial). For us - for us. My verbs are my words. Thou art declared... Thy prophet - for Thou hast spoken through Thy prophet. To come into the mind of truth is to achieve knowledge of the truth. That’s why I am, too. Even though I am unworthy, I am also unworthy. Sowing temporary life - this short-term life. We indulge in sensual pleasures. Benevolence is mercy. Like the prodigal - that is, like the prodigal son; Sin of the world - taking upon yourself the sins of the world (hereinafter again a series of participles: heal - healing, call - calling, rest - giving peace). To perform holiness - to demonstrate complete, perfect holiness, to become completely holy.
As if by the pure knowledge of my conscience - so that I am with the pure testimony of my conscience (information is evidence, literally - co-knowledge; the word conscience itself consists of the same parts: conscience, knowledge shared with God, the voice of God in the soul). Those who are unworthy to receive communion are from unworthy communion. Until my last breath - until my last breath (literally: my last exhalation). Receive the part - receive communion. As a farewell to the eternal life - as a farewell to eternal life. A commoner is a participant, one who has a common part. The incorruptible ones are here: pure, unalloyed, remaining in their full composition... What You have prepared - which You have prepared. In them - in which.
+ Part of this prayer coincides with the secret prayer of the priest at the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, read during the litany of petition, before the Lord’s Prayer.
In prayers for Communion, words and episodes of Holy Scripture are especially often recalled - first of all, the Gospel, and this is understandable: it is in the Sacrament of Communion that God most clearly enters our lives, but another way must always be open for His entry into us: through His word, which is living and active (Heb. 4:12), which must constantly act in us and be perceived as personally addressed to us, as something most important for our entire life. Therefore, it is very important not to “skip” episodes of Holy Scripture in prayers, but to renew them in your memory, in your heart.
Thou hast declared, O Lover of Mankind, as Thy prophet: For by will I do not desire the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn and live. -Tell them: As I live, says the Lord God, I do not want the sinner to die, but for the sinner to turn from his way and live. Turn yourselves, turn from your evil ways; Why should you die, O house of Israel? (Ezek.33:11).
You do not want, Master, to destroy the hand of Your creation, nor do you have any good will about the destruction of mankind, but you want to save everyone and come into the mind of truth. Here are the words of the Epistle of the Apostle Paul, where it is said that the Lord wants all people to be saved and to achieve the knowledge of the truth (in the Slavic Bible: He wants all men to be saved, and to come into the understanding of the truth) (Tim. 2:4).
Accept me, O Lord, who loves mankind, as a harlot, as a thief, as a publican, and as a prodigal. This and subsequent prayers turn us to the image of the sinful wife who anointed the feet of Jesus with ointment (Luke 7:36-47), the prudent thief who cried on the cross: Remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom! (Luke 23:42), the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32); the image of the publican is most likely a collective one: we can remember the apostle, the evangelist, the publican Levi-Matthew, who, leaving everything, followed the Lord and was worthy to receive Him in his home (Luke 5:27-32), and the repentant chief of publicans Zacchaeus, who was also worthy of a visit from Christ (Luke 19:2-10) and the humble publican of Christ’s parable, who went to his house more justified than the Pharisee (Luke 18:10-14), and, finally, numerous tax collectors and sinners who repeatedly shared meals with Christ and his disciples and followed Him (Matt. 9:11, 11:19; Mark 2:15; Luke 5:30, 7:34, 15:1).
Take away the sin of the world, and heal the infirmities of man, call those who labor and are burdened to Yourself and give them rest, not coming to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Let us recall the passages in the Gospel from which these words are taken: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28). I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matt. 9:13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32).
Lord my God, in knowing that I am not worthy, I am content below, so that under the roof of the church of my soul you have entered, all empty and fallen, and there is no place in me worthy of bowing your head; but just as you humbled yourself from above for our sake, humble yourself now to my humility; and just as you received it in the den and in the wordless manger, reclining, I will take it in the wordless manger of my soul, and bring it into my defiled body. And as thou didst not fail to come and light the sinners in the house of Simon the leper, so deigning threads also into the house of my humble soul, lepers and sinners; and even though You did not reject a harlot and a sinner like me, who came and touched You, have mercy on me, a sinner, who comes and touches You; and just as you did not abhor her foul and unclean lips kissing Thee, below mine, abhor those defiled and unclean lips, below my vile and unclean lips, and my foul and unclean tongue.
But let the coal of Your Most Holy Body, and Your Honest Blood, be for me, for the sanctification and enlightenment and health of my humble soul and body, for the relief of the burdens of many of my sins, for the protection from all the devil’s actions, for the driving away and prohibition of my evil and evil custom, for the mortification of passions, for the supply of the commandments Yours, in the application of Your Divine grace, and the appropriation of Your Kingdom. I come to You not as if I despise, O Christ our God, but as if I were daring in Your ineffable goodness; and let me not withdraw from Thy fellowship in the midst of Thy communication; I will be hunted down by the mental wolf. In the same way I pray to You: as the only Holy One, Master, sanctify my soul and body, womb and womb, and renew me all, and root Your fear in my lands; and create Thy sanctification inseparably from me; and be my helper and intercessor, feeding my belly in the world, making me worthy to stand at Your right hand with Your saints, the prayers and supplications of Your Most Pure Mother, Your immaterial servants and the Most Pure Powers, and all the saints who have pleased You from the ages. Amen.
Because I am not worthy, I am less satisfied - I know that I am unworthy and not sufficient (the words satisfied and worthy are synonyms, they have the same meaning; the use of synonymous words in one phrase to enhance the meaning is characteristic of both the language of the Bible and the language of prayers). Zanezhe - because. It is empty and fallen - it is empty and in ruins. Not imashi - You do not gain. Bow your head - where (You) can bow your head. As You humbled us from on high for Yourself - just as You (descended) from Heights (Heavenly) and humbled Yourself for us. Just as You accepted us - as You willed, as You pleased. In the manger of wordless animals (wordlessness - animals). Sitse - so. The wordless of my soul - unreasonable, reckless of my soul.
In the udes - in the members of the body. Nurturing - guiding (like a helmsman directs a ship). My belly is my life. Honoring me - honoring me. Standing at Your right hand is standing at Your right hand (that is, with the righteous).
+ And you are not worthy of a place in me, so that you can bow your head... The words of the Lord: Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head (Matt. 8:20; Luke 9:58) - the prayer addresses us personally: it is we who must become the dwelling place of Christ.
But just as you humbled us from above for your sake, humble yourself now to my humility. The word humility in this phrase plays with all the shades of its meaning. The words “You humbled Yourself from on high” mean both “You came down from on high” and “You humbled Yourself.” The words humble yourself and now my humility support and develop both of these meanings: descend now from the Heavenly heights to me, who is below; humiliate yourself now to me, insignificant... and humbly, without pride, calling on you. (In the Greek text, where in the Slavic there is humbleness - the word (symmetriason), that is, “commensurate”: liken Yourself to me in size!).
As you perceived in the den and in the wordless manger lying around... - see: Luke 2:7.
For thou didst not fail to give in, and to light the candles of the sinners in the house of Simon the leper... - see: Matthew 26:6; Mark 14:3.
Just as you did not reject a harlot and a sinner like me, who came and touched You... just as you did not abhor her unclean lips and unclean ones kissing You... - see: Luke 7:36-50.
Let me not withdraw from Thy communion in the depths of Thy communication; I will be hunted down by the mental wolf... Again we have before us a phrase of a characteristically Greek structure: the negation does not apply not to the immediate words, but to the phrase as a whole: “Let it not happen that, far separated from You, I will be kidnapped by a spiritual wolf.”
One pure and incorruptible Lord, for the ineffable mercy of humanity, our all-perceived mixture of pure and virgin blood is greater than the nature of the One who gave birth to Thee, the Divine Spirit by invasion, and by the favor of the Ever-present Father, Christ Jesus, the wisdom of God, and peace, and power; By your perception, life-giving and saving, suffering perceived, cross, nails, spear, death, mortify my soul-crushing bodily passions. By Your burial of the hellish kingdoms captive, bury my good thoughts, evil advice, and destroy the spirits of wickedness. By Thy three-day and life-giving resurrection of the fallen forefather, raise me up by the sin that crawled, offering me images of repentance. By Thy glorious ascension, carnal deifying perception, and honor this on the right hand of the Father, grant me the gift of receiving the communion of Thy Holy Mysteries on the right hand of those who are being saved. By the descent of Your Teacher, the Spirit has made the vessels honest and sacred; Your disciples have made it, friend and show me of That coming.
Although you should come again to judge the universe with righteousness, deign me to place You on the clouds, my Judge and Creator, with all Your saints; May I endlessly glorify and glorify You, with Your Beginningless Father, and Your Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.
Imperishable - here: whole, pure, unalloyed (not having any extraneous element in His Divine nature - as opposed to our “mixing”. Mixing is a complex, “composite” nature. More than nature - supernaturally. Who gave birth to Thee - Who gave birth to You. By Your perception - what is perceived by You, that is, the flesh perceived by You. Perceived - accepted. Evil advice - evil, bad intentions. Destroy the spirits of evil, scatter, scatter the one who has fallen into sin (literally: one who has slipped in sin). Offering images of repentance to me can be understood in two ways: by offering me examples of repentance, or by giving me the means of repentance - the one who has deified the (human) one perceived by You. flesh. And this is the seat of the Father, who gave her the honor of sitting on the right side of the Father.
Friend, show me Your coming - show me too as the receptacle of His coming. Paki - again. To place You on the clouds - to meet You coming on the clouds.
+ This prayer consistently brings before our inner gaze the stages of the House of God, the mystery of the salvation of the human race in the Person of Christ - His Incarnation, Nativity, Passion, Crucifixion, Burial, Resurrection, Ascension, the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, the Second Coming, the Last Judgment - and all this is closely connected with the preparation for the reception of the Holy Mysteries of Christ and with participation in the Sacrament of Communion itself. The work of God's Providence is addressed by this prayer for me personally, converging on the point of my heart, my life. In this respect, the prayer resembles the secret prayer of the Eucharistic canon (the center of the Liturgy), when thanksgiving is offered through the lips of the priest for the entire remembered work of our salvation (also right up to the Last Judgment), and the “vanishing point” is the throne with the Holy Mysteries. The entire prayer of Simeon Metaphrast is directed towards the Holy Mysteries...
This prayer is a living example of how ardently, how deeply personally we should perceive the Creed (after all, it, in essence, goes through all its members), how each dogma should be correlated with the main thing in our life.
One pure and incorruptible Lord, for the ineffable mercy of our love for mankind, we have received all the confusion... “So, so that not only through love, but also through deed, we may become members of the flesh of Christ, let us partake of this flesh. And this happens through the food that Christ gave to express His great love for us. For this, He mixed Himself with us and dissolved His Body in us, so that we would form something single, like a body connected to the head... He gave those who wanted not only to see Him, but also to unite with Him, and to satisfy every desire with Him. He says: “I wanted to be your brother; For your sake I partook of flesh and blood, and this flesh and blood, through which I became related to you, I again teach you.”
Saint John Chrysostom
The Greek word φúραμα, which is translated by the Slavic mixture, means mixed, kneaded substance, dough; This is precisely the word used in the proverb quoted by the apostle: A little leaven leavens the whole lump (a little leaven leavens the whole mixture - 1 Cor. 5:6; Gal. 5:9). Let us remember that the Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened (Matt. 13:33). Christ, for the “test” of our mixed, earthly-heavenly nature, becomes this leaven of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Bury my evil thoughts with good thoughts... The order of words is different from what we are used to: bury my evil intentions with good thoughts.
Master Lord Jesus Christ, our God, who alone have the power to forsake sins, for I am Good and Lover of Mankind, have despised everything in knowledge and not in knowledge of sin, and grant me without condemnation to partake of Thy Divine, and glorious, and most pure, and life-giving Mysteries, not as a burden, nor as torment, nor as an addition of sins, but for cleansing, and sanctification, and the betrothal of the future life and the Kingdom, to the wall and to help and to the objection of those who resist, to the destruction of many of my sins. For You are the God of mercy, and generosity, and love for mankind, and we send up glory to You, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Despise - leave without attention. In control and not in control - consciously and unconsciously. Application – multiplication. Future belly - future life. To object to those who resist - to drive away enemies.
We know, Lord, that I unworthily partake of Thy Most Pure Body and Thy Honest Blood, and I am guilty, and I condemn myself to pit and drink, without judging the Body and Blood of Thy Christ and my God; but in response to Your bounties, I boldly come to You, who said: He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him. Have mercy, O Lord, and do not expose me, a sinner, but do with me according to Your mercy; and may this Holy One be unto me for healing, and purification, and enlightenment, and preservation, and salvation, and for the sanctification of soul and body; to drive away all dreams, and evil deeds, and the actions of the devil, thinking in my hands; into boldness and love, even towards You; for the correction of life and affirmation; in the return of virtue and perfection; in fulfillment of the commandments, in communion with the Holy Spirit, in the guidance of the eternal life, in response to a favorable response at Thy Last Judgment: not in judgment or condemnation.
I am daring in Thy bounties and trust in Thy mercy. This holy thing is this holy thing. Lukavago - evil. Actions of the devil - devilish influence. Thinking in my hands is active - acting through thoughts in my members. Return – cultivation, growth. As a farewell to the eternal life - as a farewell to eternal life.
+ I judge myself and drink, without considering the Body and Blood of You, Christ and my God... For whoever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks judgment on himself, without considering the Body of the Lord (1 Cor. 11:29).
I come to You who said: He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him. – He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him (John 6:56).
From unclean lips, from a vile heart, from an unclean tongue, from a soul defiled, accept this prayer, my Christ, and do not despise my words, below images, below lack of study. Grant me to boldly say what I want, my Christ, and even more so, teach me what I should do and say. Having sinned more than the harlot, even though I knew where you were, having bought myrrh, I came boldly to anoint Your nose, my God, my Lord and Christ. Just as you did not reject what came from your heart, abhor me, the Word; Apply yours to my nose, and hold and kiss, and boldly anoint this with streams of tears, like valuable myrrh. Wash me with my tears, cleanse me with them, O Word. Forgive my sins and grant me forgiveness. Weigh a multitude of evils, weigh my scabs, and see my ulcers, but also weigh my faith, and see my will, and hear my sighing. There is no hidden part of you, my God, my Creator, my Savior, below a drop of tears, below a drop of a certain part. Thy eyes have seen what I have not done, but in Thy book the essence of what has not yet been done is written to You.
See my humility, see my great work, and forgive me all my sins, O God of all; that with a pure heart, a trembling thought, and a contrite soul, I may partake of Your undefiled and Holy Mysteries, by which everyone who eats and drinks with a pure heart is revived and adored. You have declared, my Lord: everyone eats my flesh and drinks my blood. This one abides in Me, and in Him I am. The word of all my Lord and God is true: for you partake of the Divine and adoring graces, for I am not alone, but with You, my Christ, the Trisolar Light, enlightening the world. For I will not be alone except You, the Life-Giver, my breath, my life, my joy, the salvation of the world. For this reason, I come to You, as I see you, with tears and a contrite soul; I ask you to accept the deliverance of my sins, and to partake of Your life-giving and immaculate Mysteries without condemnation, so that You may remain, as You have promised, with me, the repentant one; let the deceiver deceive me, deceiving me, and deceiving those who idolize Your words.
For this reason I fall down to You, and cry out to You warmly: as You received the prodigal, and the harlot who came, so receive me, the prodigal and the defiled, Generously. With a contrite soul, now coming to You, we know, O Savior, as another, like I, have not sinned against You, below the deeds I have committed. But we know this again, because not the greatness of sins, nor the multitude of sins exceeds my God’s great patience and extreme love for mankind; but by the grace of compassion, warmly repentant, and purifying, and brightening, and creating light, partakers, fellow-participants of Your Divinity, doing things unenviably, and strange things both with the Angel and with human thought, conversing with them many times, as if with Your true friend. This boldness creates me, this one forces me, my Christ. And daring to show us Your rich kindness, rejoicing and trembling together, the grass partakes of the fire; and it’s a strange miracle, we irrigate without burning, just like the bush that burned without burning in ancient times. Now with a grateful thought, with a grateful heart, with grateful hands, soul and body, I worship and magnify and glorify Thee, my God, for blessed is Thy being, now and forever.
Below the images - and no customs, no way of action. Studiolessness is shamelessness, a manifestation of a shameless character. Give me - give me. Say what I want - say what I want. More - but better. Those who have sinned more, I have sinned more. Even if you take away - who, having learned. Vesey - You know. The will of zrish - you see the direction of my will, zeal, desire. My undone is what I have not yet done to the end, have not completed. Videste – they see (the form of the dual number). And what I haven’t done yet – something I haven’t done yet. God of all – God of the whole world (all – all things, universe). Trembling - full of trepidation. The undefiled are the most pure. Everyone who eats and drinks is everyone who eats and drinks. You have spoken - for You have spoken. Besides You - outside You, without You. In addition to finding me Your grace, having found me deprived of Your grace. A charmer is a tempter, a deceiver, that is, the devil. The flatterer will delight me - he will insidiously kidnap me. Deceiving - deceiving, leading astray. Warm - hot. I cry out and call. Just as you received the prodigal, just as you received the prodigal son. Wem...
as if another, like I, did not sin against You - I know that no one else sinned before You as I did. Below the deeds I committed, I did not do what I did. But we know this again, as - but I also know that. By the grace of compassion - by merciful compassion. Warmly repentant - hotly repentant. Svetlishi - you enlighten. If you are partakers of the light, you join in the light. Communions of Your Divinity do so unenviously - generously sharing with them a part of Your Divinity. Like a friend - like with friends. This boldness creates me - it gives me courage (this is the neuter, plural - translated as “this”, not “these”). This is what they look at me - it gives me wings. Together - together; here: and at the same time. I partake of the fire, being grass; I partake of the fire, being grass. Like the bush of old - like the bush (bush) in ancient times. Udes - members.
+ Those who have sinned more than the harlot, even though Thou knowest where Thou dwellest, having bought the ointment, I came boldly to anoint Thy noses... - see: Luke 7:36-47.
For you have said, my Lord: everyone who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, he abides in Me, and in Him I Am. See: John 6:56.
Just as you accepted the prodigal, and the harlot who came - again a reminder of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) and the sinner wife already mentioned in this prayer (Luke 7:36-47).
It’s a strange miracle, we irrigate, it’s not burning, like a bush that burned in ancient times without burning. – See: Ex.3:2-6.
By the mercy of compassion... chistishi, and brightishi... In the Greek text, the word “mercy” is conveyed by its frequent symbol: oil, oil..., which is perfectly supported by the words chistishi and brightishi (oil as a healing agent and as oil in a lamp).
God, weaken, forgive, forgive me my sins, those who have sinned, whether by deed or by thought, willfully or involuntarily, by reason or foolishness, forgive me all, for I am Good and Lover of Mankind; and through the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother, Your intelligent servants and holy Powers, and all the saints who have pleased You from time immemorial, without condemnation deign me to accept Your Holy and Most Pure Body and Honest Blood, for the healing of soul and body, and for the cleansing of my evil thoughts. For Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Smart - immaterial, spiritual (that is, Angels).
I am not pleased, Master Lord, that you may come under the roof of my soul; but since You, as a Lover of Mankind, want to live in me, I boldly approach; You command that I open the doors that You alone created, and with love for mankind, like You, you will see and enlighten my darkened thoughts. I believe that you have done this; It’s not like you drove away the harlot who came to You with tears; You have rejected below the publican, having repented; lower than the thief, having called Thy Kingdom, Thou didst drive away; You left the repentant one below the persecutor; but from the repentance that came to You, Thou didst restore all things in the person of Thy friends, the One Blessed One always, now and to endless ages. Amen.
I am not satisfied - I am not worthy. Whatever You want - as You want. Goddamnit - how it was. In the person of Your friends Thou didst fix it—thou gavest (them) a place in the host of Thy friends.
+ Thou didst not drive away the harlot who came to You with tears... - see: Luke 7:36-47.
Below, you rejected the publican when you repented... - see: note to the 1st prayer for Communion.
Below the thief, having known Your kingdom, You drove away... - see: Luke 23:39-43.
You left the one who repented below the persecutor... - we are talking about the Apostle Paul - see: Acts 9: 1-22.
Lord Jesus Christ, my God, weaken, forsake, cleanse and forgive me the sinful, and indecent, and unworthy servant of Thy sins, and transgressions, and my fall into sin, who have sinned from my youth, even to this day and hour: whether in reason and in foolishness, whether in words or in deeds, or in thoughts and thoughts, and endeavors, and all my feelings. And through the prayers of the seedless One who gave birth to Thee, the Most Pure and Ever-Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, the only shameless hope and intercession and salvation of mine, grant me to uncondemnedly partake of Thy most pure, immortal, life-giving and terrible Mysteries, for the remission of sins and eternal life; for sanctification and enlightenment, strength, healing and health of soul and body, and for the consumption and complete destruction of my evil thoughts, and thoughts, and enterprises, and the nightly dreams of dark and crafty spirits; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, and the honor, and the worship, with the Father and Thy Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Elika – here: with whom. Consumption is destruction. Destruction - destruction. Enterprises - here: ideas (that is, what appears to the mind's eye, but has not yet been accepted into the mind and heart). Night dreams of dark and crafty spirits - night visions of dark and evil spirits.
+ Into the consumption and complete destruction of my evil thoughts, and thoughts, and enterprises, and the nightly dreams of dark and crafty spirits... Here special emphasis is placed on the fact that the communion of the Holy Mysteries is the most powerful weapon in the fight against thoughts. Therefore, everyone for whom this struggle is relevant and painful, as well as everyone who is tormented by dreams, night terrors and other attacks of the “mental enemy,” should read this prayer with special attention and feeling.
I stand before the doors of Your church, and I do not retreat from fierce thoughts; but You, Christ God, have justified the publican, and had mercy on the Canaanites, and opened the doors of paradise to the thief, open to me the womb of Your love for mankind, and receive me coming and touching You, like a harlot and one with bleeding. Once you have touched the edge of Your robe, you will receive healing; But Thy most pure ones restrained their noses and bore the remission of sins. I am the accursed one, daring to perceive Your entire Body, so that I will not be scorched; but accept me as you do, and enlighten my spiritual feelings, burning away my sinful guilt, with the prayers of the One who gave birth to You, and the heavenly Powers; for blessed art thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Ova ubo - for one. Convenient healing was accepted - I immediately received healing. Ova is different.
+ Christ God, who justified the publican, and had mercy on the Canaanites, and opened the doors of paradise to the thief... About the publican and the thief, see the note to prayer 1; about the Canaanite woman - Matthew 15:22-28; Mark 7:25-30.
Receive me, coming and touching You, like a harlot, and bleeding... For the harlot, see the note to prayer 1; about the bleeding one - Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-29; Luke 8:43-48.
I believe, Lord, and confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who came into the world to save sinners, from whom I am the first. I also believe that this is Your Most Pure Body, and this is Your Most Honest Blood. I pray to You: have mercy on me, and forgive me my sins, voluntary and involuntary, in word, in deed, in knowledge and ignorance, and grant me, without condemnation, to partake of Your most pure Sacraments, for the remission of sins and eternal life. Amen.
From them I am the first - of whom I am the first. I pray, that’s why I pray.
+ I believe, Lord, and confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God... - He says to them: Who do you take Me for? Simon Peter answered and said: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Then Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 16:15-17).
I came into the world to save sinners, from whom I am the first. – This is a true saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first (1 Timothy 1:15).
“Even if you have climbed the entire ladder of virtues, still pray for the forgiveness of sins, hearing what St. Paul says about sinners: “I am the first of them.”
Venerable John Climacus
Here I begin to receive Divine Communion.
Co-creator, do not scorch me with communion:
You are fire, unworthy of scorching.
But cleanse me from all filth.
Sodatelu – Creator (vocal case). You are Fire - for You are Fire.
Thy secret supper this day, O Son of God, accept me as a partaker; I will not tell your enemies the secret, nor give you a kiss like Judas, but like a thief I will confess to you: remember me, O Lord, in your kingdom.
It is in vain, O man, that you should be horrified by the worshiping Blood:
There is fire, unworthy ones.
The Divine Body both adores and nourishes me:
She loves the spirit, but she feeds the mind strangely.
In vain - seeing.
The author of the quatrain is Simeon Metaphrast.
Delight me with love, O Christ, and change me with Your Divine care; but my sins fell into immaterial fire, and I am vouchsafed to be filled with pleasure in You: let me rejoice, O Blessed One, magnify Your two comings.
Your divine zeal - your holy desire for You. And to be satisfied with the pleasure that is in You - to be filled with the pleasure contained in You; to enjoy You to the full.
+ May I rejoice, O Blessed One, magnify Your two comings - that is, the first, at the Incarnation, and the second, at the end of the world. When we unite with Christ in the Sacrament of Communion, being saturated with the pleasure contained in Him, His coming is realized for us personally, here and now, and then we can not abstractly, “theoretically,” but with our whole being, rejoicing, magnify both the first and second comings of Christ, so close to us in this holy moment.
In the brightness of Your saints, how am I below, unworthy? Even if I dare to go into the palace, my clothes will expose me as not being for marriage, and I will be cast out from the Angels, bound and bound. Cleanse, Lord, the filth of my soul, and save me, as a Lover of Mankind.
In the bright host of Your saints - in the bright host of Your saints. What's below - how will I get in? If only I dared to speak, because if I dare to enter with them.
+ The Troparion turns us to Christ’s parable about those invited to the wedding feast - see: Matthew 22:2-14.
Master, Lover of Mankind, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, may this Holy One not be in judgment against me, for being unworthy of me, but also for the purification and sanctification of soul and body, and for the betrothal of the future life and the Kingdom. It is good for me, if I cleave to God, to place the hope of my salvation in the Lord.
Let this Holy One not be brought to justice - let this Holy Place not be brought against me. For being unworthy of being - for my unworthiness.
+ It is good for me, if I cleave to God, to place the hope of my salvation in the Lord - Ps.73:28 (in Russian translation: And it is good for me to draw close to God! I have placed my trust in the Lord God).
Thy secret supper this day, O Son of God, accept me as a partaker; I will not tell your enemies the secret, nor give you a kiss like Judas, but like a thief I will confess to you: remember me, O Lord, in your kingdom.
I thank You, Lord my God, for You have not rejected me as a sinner, but have made me worthy to be a partaker of Your Holy Things. I thank You, for You have vouchsafed me, who is unworthy, to partake of Your most pure and heavenly Gifts. But the Lord, the Lover of Mankind, died and rose again for our sake, and gave us this terrible and life-giving Sacrament, for the benefit and sanctification of our souls and bodies; grant that this may be for me too, for the healing of soul and body, for the driving away of everything that is contrary, for the enlightenment of the eyes of my heart, for the peace of my spiritual strength, for unashamed faith, for unfeigned love, for the fulfillment of wisdom, for the observance of Thy commandments, for the application of Thy Divine grace, and the appropriation of Thy Kingdom: let us preserve them in Thy holiness, I always accept Your grace, and I live not for myself, but for You, our Lord and Benefactor; and thus having come from this life with the hope of the eternal life, I will achieve everlasting peace, where those who celebrate the unceasing voice, and the endless sweetness of those who behold Your face, the ineffable kindness.
For You are the true desire and inexpressible joy of those who love You, Christ our God, and all creation sings to You forever. Amen.
To be a fellow being is to take communion. For our sake - for us. Let them be - let them be. Opposite - enemy. Ochiyu - eyes (genitive case of the dual number). Fulfillment of wisdom - filling with wisdom. Application – multiplication. Appropriation – assimilation, acquisition. In the shrine - here: holiness, purity. By those - by them. And I don’t live for anyone - and I no longer live for myself (not for anyone - no longer). About the hope of the eternal life - in the hope of eternal life. In the ever-present I will achieve peace - I will reach the place of eternal peace. Idezhe - where. Inexpressible kindness - indescribable beauty, goodness (see note to the 5th morning prayer). All creation is all creation, all created things.
Master Christ God, King of the ages and Creator of all, I thank Thee for all the good things Thou hast bestowed upon me, and for the communion of Thy most pure and life-giving Mysteries. I pray to Thee, O Kinder and Lover of Mankind: keep me under Thy roof, and in the shadow of Thy wing; and grant me with a clear conscience, even until my last breath, to worthily partake of Your Holy Things, for the remission of sins and eternal life. For You are the living bread, the source of holiness, the Giver of good things, and to You we send up glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Creator of all – Creator (vocative case) of everything. About all the good things you have given me - for all the good things (good things) that you have given me (me). In the shadow of the krill - in the shadow of its wings. Until my last breath - until my last breath. For You are the bread of animals - for You are the Bread of life.
Having given me flesh by Your will, fire and scorch the unworthy, do not scorch me, my Creator; rather, go into my mouth, into all my parts, into my womb, into my heart. The thorns of all my sins fell. Cleanse your soul, sanctify your thoughts. Confirm the compositions with the bones together. Enlighten the simple five of feelings. Fill me with Thy fear. Cover me always, keep me, and save me from every deed and word of the soul. Cleanse, wash, and adorn me, fertilize, enlighten, and enlighten me. Show me Your village of the one Spirit, and not to anyone the village of sin. Yes, like Your house, the entrance of communion, like fire, every evildoer, every passion flees from me. I offer prayer books to You, all the saints, the orders of the incorporeal, Your Forerunner, the wise apostles, and to these Your undefiled Pure Mother; Accept their prayers, Compassion, my Christ, and make Your servant a son of Light. For You are the sanctification and the only one of ours, the Good One, of souls and lordship; and like unto You, as God and the Master, we send all glory every day.
This fire - You are fire. Sodatelu – Creator (vocal case). Ouds are members of the body. Compositions – joints. Strengthen the joints with the bones together - the original Greek expression means: strengthen the legs at the knees (so that the knees do not bend and the person stands straight). Enlighten the simple five feelings - enlighten the five basic (indecomposable) of my feelings. Always - always. Fertilize - decorate. Show - show, do. Village – dwelling, habitation. Not to anyone - no longer. The bureaucrats of the disembodied - and the bureaucrats of the disembodied (angelic) Forces. Undefiled - immaculate. Lime-like - decent.
For You are the sanctification and the only one of ours, the Good One, of souls and lordship. In some prayer books there is a slightly different order of words, which helps to better understand the expression: For You alone art the sanctification of our souls, the Good One, and the lordship.
May Thy Holy Body, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, be unto me in eternal life, and Thy Honest Blood for the remission of sins; May this gratitude bring us joy, health and joy; at Thy terrible and second coming, grant me, a sinner, to stand at the right hand of Thy glory, through the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and all the saints.
To eternal life - to eternal life. This thanksgiving is here: this is Communion (that is, the Sacrament of Thanksgiving - the Eucharist). Right hand - on the right side.
Most Holy Lady Theotokos, light of my darkened soul, hope, protection, refuge, consolation, joy, I thank Thee, for Thou hast vouchsafed me, unworthy, to be a partaker of the Most Pure Body and Honest Blood of Thy Son. But having given birth to the true Light, enlighten my intelligent eyes of the heart; You who gave birth to the Source of immortality, revive me, killed by sin; Even the merciful Mother of God, have mercy on me, and give me tenderness, and contrition in my heart, and humility in my thoughts, and appeal in the captivity of my thoughts; and grant me, until my last breath, to uncondemnably receive the sanctification of the most pure Mysteries, for the healing of soul and body. And give me tears of repentance and confession, to sing and praise Thee all the days of my life, for Thou art blessed and glorified forever. Amen.
Smart - spiritual. It is not translated here (in place of the Greek article). Lovable - loving mercy, lovingly kind-hearted. Give me... a call in my captivity - meaning: call me when I am in captivity of my (sinful) thoughts; let me not remain captive to these thoughts, but quickly come to my senses (from Your call - proclamation). Until my last breath - until my last breath. Confessions are here: praises, thanksgivings (confess with tears - sing and glorify Thee). In the hedgehog - namely; to. My belly is my life.
+ And give me tears of repentance and confession...
“First of all, pray to receive tears, so that by crying you can soften the cruelty that exists in your soul and, having confessed the iniquity of the Lord (Ps. 31:5), receive from Him remission of sins.”
Venerable Neil of Sinai
Now do You let Your servant go, O Master, according to Your word in peace, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of people, a light for the revelation of tongues and the glory of Your people Israel.
Yako - since. Videsta - saw (dual number, aorist). He has prepared - which You have prepared. Languages - pagans.
+ The divinely inspired song of Saint Simeon the God-Giver, who at the end of his life was honored to behold the Savior, the Light of the nations and the Glory of Israel (Luke 2:25-32), is sung (or read) at the end of every Vespers and is also noted by the Apostolic decrees among the evening prayers. This prayer always reminds us of the last day of our life: like Elder Simeon, believers hope to depart to the Lord in peace, trusting in the mercy of God revealed through our Deliverer and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is more than natural that prayers of thanksgiving for Holy Communion are crowned with this song: in partaking of the Holy Mysteries, we are like Simeon - and even closer, closer, to complete union! - Let's meet Christ the Savior. A sigh is ready to escape from a grateful heart: “Now it’s not scary to die!”
If the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom has been performed, read the troparion to St. John Chrysostom, tone 8:
Your lips, like the light of fire, shining with grace, enlighten the universe; not by the love of money and the treasures of the world, showing us the height of humility, but by punishing with your words, Father John Chrysostom, pray to the Word of Christ God, to save our souls.
Like - how. Mirovi - to the world. Punishing - teaching.
Understanding the troparion is difficult due to the “Greek” word order, so let’s translate it phrase by phrase:
Through your lips, like the light of fire, grace shining forth, enlightened the universe... grace shining forth (grace shining forth) through your lips (your lips), like the light of fire (like the light of fire), you enlightened the universe (enlighten the universe).
...It was not through the love of money that you gained the world’s treasures... - you did not gain the world the treasures of the love of money (that is, not material wealth).
Glory:
You received Divine grace from heaven, and through your lips you taught us all to worship the One God in the Trinity, John Chrysostom, O Reverend One, we worthily praise you: you are a mentor, as if you were manifesting the Divine.
You are a mentor - because you are a mentor. Like a divine manifestation - because you demonstrate the divine (teaching) (literally: as one who reveals the divine).
And now:
The intercession of Christians is shameless, the intercession to the Creator is immutable, do not despise the voices of sinful prayers, but advance, as the Good One, to the aid of us who faithfully call upon Ty; hasten to prayer, and strive to entreat, interceding ever since, the Mother of God, those who honor Thee.
Anticipate - get ahead of, come, before any petition, Strive - hurry up, try. Representing those who ever revere Thee - always interceding for those who revere Thee.
Do not despise the voices of sinful prayers... Again, an unusual word order. The meaning is: Do not despise the voices of the prayers of (whose?) sinners.
If the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great was celebrated, read the troparion to Basil the Great, tone 1:
Thy message went out into the whole earth, as if it had received your word, which thou hast beautifully taught, thou hast clarified the nature of beings, thou hast adorned human customs, the royal priesthood, reverend father, pray to Christ God that our souls may be saved.
Slava:
Thy message went forth into all the earth; thy voice was heard throughout all the earth, For she that received thy word was here: and she received thy word. Imzhe - by whom (in a word). Godly - as befits God. The nature of beings is the nature of everything that exists.
If the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great was celebrated, read the troparion to Basil the Great, tone 1:
Thy message went out into the whole earth, as if it had received your word, which thou hast beautifully taught, thou hast clarified the nature of beings, thou hast adorned human customs, the royal priesthood, reverend father, pray to Christ God that our souls may be saved.
Slava:
Thy message went forth into all the earth; thy voice was heard throughout all the earth, For she that received thy word was here: and she received thy word. Imzhe - by whom (in a word). Godly - as befits God. The nature of beings is the nature of everything that exists.
Thou hast appeared as an unshakable foundation to the Church, giving to all unstealthy dominion by man, sealing with thy commandments, the unappearing Saint Basil.
And now:
Representation of Christians...
Dominance is here: property, wealth.
If the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was celebrated, read the troparion to St. Gregory the Dvoeslov, tone 4:
Whom from God above have we received divine grace, more glorious than Gregory, and whom we strengthen with strength, who you deigned to walk in the gospel. It is from Christ that you received the recompense of your labors, O all-blessed One: pray to Him that He may save our souls.
Perceiving - perceiving. That's why. The reward of labor is reward for labor.
Glory:
The Reverend seemed to be the Chief Shepherd of Christ, the monks of the succession, Father Gregory, instructing the heavenly fence, and from there you taught the flock of Christ with His commandment; now you rejoice with them, and rejoice in the roofs of heaven.
And now:
Representation of Christians...
Reverend - a boss, similar (the word is composed according to a typically Greek model). If you showed up, you showed up. In heavenly roofs - in heavenly villages.
Lord, have mercy. (12 times)
Glory, and now:
The most honest Cherub...
After communion, let everyone remain in purity, abstinence and laconicism, in order to worthily preserve within himself Christ the Accepted.
“When we, unworthy, are worthy to partake with fear and trembling of the Divine and Most Pure Mysteries of Christ our God and King, then we will most demonstrate sobriety, guarding our minds and strict attention, so that this Divine fire, that is, the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, will consume our sins and our - small and large - defilements. For, entering into us, it immediately drives away the evil spirits of malice from the heart and forgives us former sins - and our mind is then left free from the restless bothersomeness of evil thoughts. If after this, standing at the door of the heart, we carefully preserve our mind, then when we are again honored with the Holy Mysteries, the Divine Body will more enlighten our mind and make it shining like a star.”
Venerable Hesychius of Jerusalem
Throughout Bright (Easter) Week, instead of morning and evening prayers, Easter hours are sung (or read - but, as is easy to see, the peculiarity of this week is that, if possible, everything is sung!).
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs. (Thrice)
Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, the One Sinless One. We worship Your Cross, O Christ, and we sing and glorify Your holy Resurrection: for You are our God, do we know no other to You, we call Your name. Come, all the faithful, let us worship the Holy Resurrection of Christ: behold, through the Cross joy has come to the whole world. Always blessing the Lord, we sing His Resurrection: having endured the crucifixion, destroy death by death.
Is it for You - except for You? Behold, I have come - for, behold, I have come.
We sing and glorify Your Resurrection: For You are our God, do we know no other to You, we call Your name...
“This expresses the feeling of complete peace in the Savior. And how natural it is, especially now!.. In the risen Jesus Christ, man - the poorest wanderer on earth - is delivered from sin, hell, death, the devil, adopted by God, honored by the deification of his nature... If curse and sin are destroyed, if death is trampled upon, if hell is destroyed and the head of the primordial enemy is erased, then what else is there to fear? If so much power has been demonstrated, will the Lord after this reduce His beneficent right hand?”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
Having anticipated the morning of Mary, and having found the stone rolled away from the tomb, I hear from the Angel: in the light of the ever-present Being, with the dead, why do you seek as a man? You see the grave clothes; preach to the world that the Lord has arisen, the one who puts death to death, as he is the Son of God, saving the human race.
Those who preceded the morning - those who came before dawn. Even about Mary - those who were with Mary (Mary's companions). I heard - heard. Tetsite - run, hurry. Preach - proclaim. As He is - because He is.
+ “In the Paschal Canon we hear the voice of the Angel to the myrrh-bearing women: Tetzite and preach to the world that the Lord has risen, putting to death death. The Angel’s voice in relation to us means: live so that your whole life is one word: “Christ is risen!” and so that, looking at you, the whole world, both Christian and non-Christian, would say: truly Christ is risen, because apparently he lives in one or the other, apparently powers are working in Him. Is it necessary to explain further that the basis of such a life is zeal for the glory of the Risen Lord through imitation of Him and assimilation of the power of His resurrection.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
Even though you descended into the grave, Immortal, you destroyed the power of hell, and you rose again as the Conqueror, Christ God, saying to the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice, and grant peace to your apostles, grant resurrection to the fallen.
Even though. Prophetic - the one who said.
In the tomb carnally, in hell with the soul like God, in heaven with the thief, and on the Throne you were, Christ, with the Father and the Spirit, fulfilling everything, the Indescribable.
Fulfill everything - fulfilling everything with Yourself. Indescribable - unspeakable (not amenable to description).
+ The troparion in the briefest words gives a striking image of the fullness of the Divinity - Christ, inseparably abiding with the Father and the Spirit, rests body in the tomb, descends with his soul into hell and destroys the souls of the righteous, and, according to His untrue words to the thief, now dwells with him in paradise (Luke 23:43) - and, filling everything with Himself, brings the Universe to fullness, fulfills the work of salvation.
The Apostle Paul, citing a verse of the psalm, says: It is said: He entered on high, took captivity captive and gave gifts to men (Ps. 67:19). And what does “ascended” mean, if not that He had previously descended into the nether regions of the earth? He who was lowest was also He who ascended above all the heavens to fulfill all things (Eph. 4:8-10).
Slava:
Like the Life-Bearer, like the reddest of Paradise, truly the brightest of every royal palace, Christ, Thy tomb, the source of our resurrection.
And now:
Highly sanctified Divine village, rejoice, for You have given joy to the Mother of God, calling: blessed art Thou among women, All-Immaculate Lady.
The reddest is the most beautiful. Vyshnyago - the Most High. Village is a dwelling.
+ Like the Life-Bearer, like the reddest of Paradise... The Tomb of Christ appears before us as the bearer of Life (Life-Bearer), more beautiful than Paradise, sparkling more than any royal palace! (Please note: the subject in this sentence - what is being spoken about - is precisely the tomb of Christ, “Christ” is an address, we are talking to Christ about His tomb)
Lord, have mercy. (40 times)
Glory, and now:
We magnify Thee, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison, the Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption.
Christ rose from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs. (Thrice)
During the days of Easter week and even until the celebration of Easter, before the meal, the troparion of Easter is sung (or read), and after the meal - the tribute to Easter.
Zadostoynik (chorus and irmos of the 9th song of the Easter canon): Angel crying out with more grace: Pure Virgin, rejoice! And again the river: Rejoice! Your Son was risen three days from the grave, and raised up the dead; people, have fun.
Shine, shine, new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord is upon you. Rejoice now and be glad, O Zion; You, Pure One, show off, O Mother of God, about the rising of Your Nativity.
Crying - he shouted. Pack the river - I will repeat. Show off - rejoice, enjoy. Your Nativity - Born of You.
+ The new Jerusalem is shining, shining... By the new Jerusalem we mean the New Testament Church of Christ. Rejoice now and be glad, O Zion... Under Zion (the mountain on the southern side of Jerusalem, where the house of King David was, and subsequently the upper room of the Last Supper, and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles) in the New Testament, according to the interpretation of Blessed Jerome, the saints are meant: they, standing at the pinnacle of virtues, form Zion, about which it is said: Its foundation is on the mountains of the saints. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the villages of Jacob (Ps. 87:2).
The Canon of Easter is the creation of St. John of Damascus.
This prayer is read in church on Wednesday and Friday of Cheese Week and throughout Holy Pentecost, except Saturdays and Sundays (if you strictly follow the charter, it is also read on some days of other multi-day fasts). During Great Lent (during the week), it should certainly be included in your cell rule; most naturally - at the end of morning and evening prayers, and, if possible, in the middle of the day.
Lord and Master of my life, do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk. (Bow to the ground)
Grant me the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to Your servant. (Bow to the ground)
To her, Lord the King, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother, for blessed are you forever and ever, amen. (Bow to the ground)
My belly is my life. Lust for power - lust for power, love for ruling over people. See - see.
God, cleanse me, a sinner. (12 times and the same number of small – waist – bows.)
And then the whole prayer: Lord and Master of my belly... (and one prostration at the end.)
The voice of a given Sunday (Week, in Church Slavonic and in liturgical terminology) can be found in the church calendar. The voice determines numerous liturgical hymns of the week, but here we present only Sunday troparia, since it is desirable to include them in your cell rule and are prescribed to be read in the Follow-up to Holy Communion.
Voice 1st
I am sealed with stone from the Jews, / and as a warrior guarding Your Most Pure Body, / Thou hast risen for three days, / granting life to the world. / For this reason, the heavenly powers cry out to You, O Life-Giver: / glory to Your resurrection, O Christ, / glory to Your Kingdom, / glory to Your look, the only one who loves mankind.
The stone was sealed from the Jews, and the warriors guarded Your Most Pure Body - although the stone was sealed by the Jews and the soldiers guarded Your Most Pure Body. For this reason - therefore. They cried out to You - they called out to You. Looking is providence, Providence.
The stone was sealed from the Jews, and the soldiers guarding Your Most Pure Body... They went and set a guard at the tomb, and put a seal on the stone (Matthew 27:66).
The stone is sealed from the Jews, and the warriors guarding Your Most Holy Body... We have before us a turn of speech characteristic of the Church Slavonic language: the so-called independent dative. This construction carries the meaning of circumstance. This meaning is translated into modern Russian using a completely different phrase (subordinate clause).
Voice 2nd
When you descended to death, Immortal Life, / then you killed hell with the brilliance of the Divine; / when you also raised those who had died from the underworld, / all the powers of heaven cried out: / Life-giving Christ our God, glory to Thee.
When - when. Belly Immortal - Immortal Life (* vocative case - appeal).
+ The canonical icon of the Resurrection of Christ is the icon of His descent into hell.
The Savior “descends into hell so that, just as the Sun of righteousness would shine for those on earth, in the same way the light would shine for those who were in darkness and the shadow of death (see: Job 10:21); so that, just as the Lord preached peace to those on earth, release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, and to those who believed he became the Author of eternal salvation, and to those who did not believe - the reproof of unbelief, in the same way he preached to those who were in hell, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth and under the earth (Phil. 2:10). And thus, having resolved those who had been bound for centuries, He returned back - from death to life, paving the way for us to resurrection.”
Venerable John of Damascus
When you descended to death, Immortal Belly, then you killed hell with the brilliance of the Divine...
“Having penetrated into hell, Christ, with the radiance of His glory, dispelled its impenetrable darkness and brought the holy captives, contained in the impenetrable darkness of hell, from captivity with Him to heaven.”
Venerable John Cassian the Roman
You raised those who died from the underworld...
“The Intercessor of God and men liberated the souls of the righteous from the prisons of hell when He Himself descended there, and led them to the joys of heaven.”
Saint Gregory the Great
The Sunday troparion of the 2nd tone is also the troparion of Great Saturday, the eve of Christ's Bright Resurrection.
Voice 3rd
Let them rejoice in heaven, / let them rejoice on earth, / for the Lord has created a power with His arm, / has trampled down death by death, / has become the firstborn of the dead; / deliver us from the belly of hell, / and bestow great mercy upon the world.
Heavenly - everything heavenly, heaven. 3-terrestrial - everything earthly, earth. Create power with Your arm - He showed the power of Your hand. Velia - great.
+ Create power with Your arm - an expression from the song of the Most Holy Theotokos (in Russian translation: He showed the power of His arm - Luke 1:51); the words spoken by the Most Pure Virgin about the Incarnation of the Son of God, the troparion relates to His Resurrection and, thus, to the entire work of God’s House-Building (Providence). The words trampling down death by death turn us to the troparion of Easter: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs.
Be the firstborn of the dead, deliver us from the womb of hell. The line refers us to the words of the Apostle Paul: But Christ has risen from the dead, the firstborn of those who have fallen asleep. For just as death is through man, so is the resurrection of the dead through man. Just as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will come to life, each in his own order: Christ the firstborn, then those who belong to Christ at His coming (1 Cor. 15:20-24).
Voice 4th
The disciples of the Lord heard the bright resurrection sermon / from the Angel, / and rejected the condemnation of their forefathers, / the apostle boasting with the verb: / death has been cast away, / Christ God has risen, / granting great mercy to the world.
The resurrection sermon is the news of the resurrection. Having known - having learned. An ancestral condemnation is a condemnation inherited from the forefathers (i.e. Adam and Eve). If it is overthrown, it is trampled upon.
Students. In the Church Slavonic language, in certain positions (for example, before “i” and “yat”) the sounds “k”, “g”, “x” (back-lingual) alternate with the sounds “ts”, “z”, “s”. So, a righteous man - but righteous women, a martyr - but martyrs (m. generation); God - but about God, spirit - but soul. But, in this case, the participles agreed with this noun are in the plural. including the feminine gender “having led,” “having rejected” and “boasting.”
Voice 5th
The co-original Word of the Father and the Spirit, / born from the Virgin for our salvation, / let us sing of faith and worship, / as you deigned to ascend in flesh to the Cross, / and endure death, / and resurrect the dead / with His glorious resurrection.
The co-original is also without beginning and authority, that is, also Eternal and Omnipotent.
Voice 6th
The angelic forces are on Your tomb, / and those watching are dead, / and Mary is standing in the tomb, / seeking Your Most Pure Body. / You captured hell without being tempted by it; / you met a maiden, granting life; / risen from the dead, Lord, glory to Thee.
Streguschii - watchers, guardians.
+ After the Sabbath had passed, at dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for the Angel of the Lord, who descended from heaven, came, rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb and sat on it; his appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow; Frightened by him, those guarding them trembled and became as if they were dead; The angel, turning his speech to the women, said: Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus crucified; He is not here - He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay, and go quickly, tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there. Behold, I have told you (Matthew 28:1-7). And Mary stood at the tomb and cried. And when she cried, she leaned into the tomb and saw two Angels sitting in white robes, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus lay. And they say to her: wife! Why are you crying? He says to them: They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him (John 20:11-13).
Thou hast met a virgin, granting life... The line of the troparion turns us to the continuation of the events of the Gospel of John: to the meeting of Jesus with Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18). She is called here a virgin (neither the Gospel nor the life of St. Mary Magdalene, Equal-to-the-Apostles, tells us anything directly about the age and marital status of the saint at the time of the Gospel events; but the Greek word παρυένος - virgin - like the modern girl, was also used to designate a young woman in general - one whose marital status is not indicated by anything). Often in this troparion the word “virgin” is written with a capital letter, as referring to the Most Holy Theotokos; but with this understanding, the troparion does not lend itself to any satisfactory explanation.
Thou hast captivated hell... In the Greek text of the troparion - disarmed.
Voice 7th
Thou hast destroyed death by Thy Cross, / opened up paradise to the thief, / offered mourning to the myrrh-bearers, / and commanded the apostle to preach, / that Thou hast risen, O Christ God, / bestowing upon the world / great mercy.
You changed it - that is, you turned it into joy (transform it - turn it).
Thou hast opened paradise to the thief... - see: Luke 23:43.
...Thou didst offer mourning to the myrrh-bearers... - see: Matthew 28:8-10.
...And you commanded the apostle to preach... - see: Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15.
Voice 8th
Thou didst descend from the heights, O Compassionate One, Thou didst accept the three-day burial, so that we may be freed from passions, Our Life and Resurrection, O Lord, glory to Thee.
Free your passions - you will free from suffering (but, of course, also from passions in the ascetic sense).
On weekdays (weekdays) services are performed to the faces or ranks of saints. Each day of the week (week) is dedicated to a specific memory and has a corresponding troparion. The daily troparia are included in the Follow-up to Holy Communion; It is also advisable to include them in the daily prayer rule, among the morning prayers (it is most convenient at the end of them, along with the troparions to the revered saint and the troparion to the Cross).
On the first day after the Week (Sunday), Monday, the Church remembers the incorporeal Heavenly ranks, which in the cathedral of saints after the Mother of God, the Most Honest Cherub, occupy first place and were created before man.
Heavenly armies of the Archangel, / we always pray to you, we are unworthy, / with your prayers protect us / with the shelter of your immaterial glory, / preserving us who fall diligently and cry out: / deliver us from troubles, / like the rulers of the highest Powers.
Archistratizi - military leaders (archistratig - supreme strategist); We turn to the supreme ranks of the highest Powers - the leaders of the Heavenly angelic army. Always - always. The blood of the krill is the covering of the wings.
The creator of this troparion is St. John of Damascus.
Tuesday is dedicated to the memory of John the Baptist, who is glorified more than all people (see: Matthew 11:11); in the person of the Forerunner, the Church glorifies all the prophets.
The memory of the righteous is with praise, / but the testimony of the Lord, the Forerunner, is sufficient for you; / For you have shown that you are truly the most honorable of the prophets, / that in the streams of baptism you were worthy of the Preached One. / Moreover, having suffered for the truth, rejoicing, / you preached the good news to those in hell, God manifest in the flesh, / who takes away the sin of the world / and gives us great mercy.
Enough is enough. I showed you that you are afraid - for you have appeared. I showed you that you are afraid - for you have appeared. The most honorable is the most glorious (worthy of the greatest honor). Taking upon Himself - Taking upon Himself.
+ The testimony of the Lord suffices for you, Forerunner. - This is the one about whom it is written: Behold, I send My angel before You, who will prepare Your way before You. For I tell you, among those born of women there is not one prophet greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he (Luke 7:27-28).
You preached the good news to those in hell about God revealed in the flesh. The preaching of the Forerunner was continued in hell, where it also preceded the preaching of the Savior (before the resurrection). In the service for the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist, it is sung: Precede Life in hell, preach to those who are in darkness and the shadow of death who sit above the East, Christ our God (stichera on the lithium).
On Wednesday, the Lord’s betrayal to death is remembered and there are prayers and hymns to the Life-giving Cross, since on it the Lord suffered death for us. On Friday (in Church Slavonic - heels) there is a remembrance of the suffering of the Lord and His death on the Cross. Both Wednesday and Friday are days dedicated to the Cross of the Lord, therefore, since apostolic times, the Church has maintained fasting on these days.
O Lord, save Thy people, / and bless Thy inheritance, / granting victories against resistance, / and preserving Thy residence through Thy Cross.
Explanations are in the morning prayers.
On Thursday (in Church Slavonic - Thursday), the holy apostles and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are remembered, and in his person all the saints.
Holy apostles, / pray to the Merciful God, / that forgiveness of sins / will grant to our souls.
The rule of faith and the image of meekness, / self-control teacher / show you to your flock / even the truth of things; / for this reason you have gained high humility, / rich in poverty, / Father Nicholas, / pray to Christ God, / to save our souls.
The rule is here: a measure, a sample. The image is here: sample. Reveal - revealed. Even things, truth is the subject of a sentence, placed at the end of it, and means knowledge of the truth. High – here: greatness. Rich - wealth. The priest is the head of the clergy, that is, the bishop (vocal case).
This troparion is also a general troparion to the saint - that is, a troparion that can be applied to any saint. Thus, Saint Nicholas appears before us both as the “rule and image” of the saint in general.
The rule of faith and the image of meekness, self-control, the teacher, show you to your flock as things are true. In the manuals of the early twentieth century, the following understanding of this expression is given: even things, truth was translated as “knowledge of the truth”: “Knowledge of the truth has made you for your flock a measure of faith, a model of meekness, a teacher of abstinence”; For this sake: for the sake of Christ, for Him (although, of course, a simple understanding of the expression “for this sake” as a preposition: “thanks to this,” “therefore”) is also possible.
You have acquired high humility, rich in poverty. He acquired greatness (the height of heaven) through humility, and wealth (paradise) through poverty. These kinds of oppositions (antinomies) are characteristic of New Testament thinking; they permeate the Gospel: He who exalts himself will be humiliated, and he who humiliates himself (in the Church Slavonic Gospel: humble yourself) will be exalted (Matthew 23:12; also Luke 14:11, 18:14); For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that through His poverty you might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9).
From ancient times, Saturday was revered as the seventh day after the creation of the world, when the Lord rested from the works of creation, sanctified and blessed the day. Being the last day of the week, Saturday indicates eternal blissful rest in unity with God. Therefore, on this day the Church remembers all the saints, martyrs and all the saints who have achieved eternal blissful rest, and a service is performed for the dead.
Apostles, martyrs and prophets, / saints, reverends and righteous, / who have accomplished good deeds and kept faith, / who have boldness towards the Savior, / pray for Him who is Good for us / to be saved, we pray, for our souls.
+ Those who have accomplished a good deed and kept the faith... It is based on the words of the Apostle Paul: I am already becoming a victim, and the time of my departure has come. I fought a good fight, completed the course, kept the faith (in the Slavic Bible: I fought a good fight, passed the race, kept the faith: let us remind you that the course is running); and now there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who loved His appearing (2 Tim. 4:6-8).
Remember, O Lord, how good Thy servants are, / and if you have sinned in life, forgive; / no one is sinless except You, / able to give peace to the departed.
Elika - how much.
The Twelfth Feasts are of great importance in the spiritual life of a Christian: together with the entire Church we experience the greatness of the celebrated event, all its fullness - first of all in the liturgical life of the Church, but also in our internal and external life, which is inseparable from it. This cannot but affect the basis of the spiritual life of an Orthodox person - the cell prayer rule. The troparion and kontakion of the holiday must certainly include morning and evening prayers; often prayers before a meal are replaced by a troparion, and after a meal by a kontakion of the holiday. According to the direct instructions of the prayer book, the troparion of the holiday is read as part of the Rule for Holy Communion. And, of course, it is not forbidden in cell rule to sing the majesty of the holiday due to such a natural impulse of the soul.
Zadostoynik is the irmos of the ninth song of the canon of the holiday with the refrain, which on all days of the twelfth holiday is sung at the Liturgy instead of (for) “It is worthy to eat.” The Zadostoynik must replace “It is worthy to eat” during this entire period, not only at the Liturgy, but also in every prayer rite, including the cell rule. That is why we include worthy people in our book.
In this section we give very few explanations related to the event of the holiday itself and its theology: such explanations would be too extensive and still insufficient; the essence of each of the great twelve holidays should be learned from other books specially dedicated to them, from the sermons and services of the Orthodox Church.
Troparion, tone 4
Thy Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, / is a joy to proclaim to the whole universe: / from Thee has risen the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, / and having destroyed the oath, given a blessing, / and having abolished death, given us eternal life.
Having destroyed the oath, he gave a blessing - having lifted the curse, he gave a blessing.
Kontakion, tone 4
Joachim and Anna were reproached by childlessness, / and Adam and Eve were freed from mortal aphids, O Most Pure One, in Thy holy Nativity. / Then Thy people also celebrate, / having been freed from the guilt of sins, always calling upon Thee: / the Mother of God and the nourisher of our life bears barren fruits.
From mortal aphids - from the corruption of death, from mortal death. Freed - freed. That is here: his (Nativity of the Virgin). Never - when.
* Joachim and Anna were freed from the reproach of childlessness, and Adam and Eve were freed from the aphids of death, Most Pure One... The predicate freed is in the dual number and refers to both one and the other married couple: Joachim and Anna were freed from the reproach of childlessness, and Adam and Eve were freed from mortal destruction.
Greatness
We magnify You, Most Holy Virgin, and honor Your holy parents, and glorify Your birth all-gloriously.
Zadostoynik
Chorus: Magnify, my soul, the Virgin Mary born of barrenness.
Irmos of the 9th song of the 2nd canon: Virginity is alien to mothers, and childbearing is strange to virgins; Having built both on You, Mother of God, we continually magnify You with all the tribes of the earth.
From barren - from barren (nominative case - barren). Strange - unusual. Once everything was settled, both things happened.
The creator of the 2nd canon for the Nativity of the Mother of God (and, accordingly, the deserving saint) is St. Andrew of Crete. The first canon is the creation of St. John of Damascus.
Troparion, tone 1
Save, O Lord, Thy people, / and bless Thy inheritance, / granting victories against resistance, / and preserving Thy residence through Thy Cross.
Explanations - at the end of morning prayers
Kontakion, tone 4
Having ascended to the Cross by will, / grant to your namesake new residence / your bounty, O Christ God; / make us glad with Thy power, / giving us victories as adversaries, / aid to those who have Thy, weapons of peace, / invincible victory.
Ascended - ascended, raised. To the namesake of Your new residence - the new society bearing Your name - that is, Christians. To adversaries - to enemies. Benefit - help.
The troparion and kontakion of the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord (and, more broadly, the troparion and kontakion of the Holy Cross) in old prayer books inextricably link the Cross with the emperor (king); This connection between the glorification of the Cross and the invocation of victory for the emperor is the most ancient, Byzantine, coming from the very appearance of the Cross of the Lord to Emperor Constantine: “By this victory.” The modern edition of the troparion and kontakion is adapted to the direct fact of our life: we do not have a king. Now the victory brought by the “weapon of peace”—the Cross of the Lord—is called upon us, Orthodox Christians, directly.
Greatness
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and honor Your Holy Cross, with which You saved us from the work of the enemy.
To worship the Cross
We bow to Your Cross, Master, and glorify Your Holy Resurrection.
Zadostoynik
Chorus: Magnify, my soul, the Most Honorable Cross of the Lord.
Irmos of the 9th song of the canon: Thou art the Mystery, O Theotokos, paradise, who increased Christ uncultivated,
By whom the life-giving tree of the cross was planted on the earth, therefore now I exalt, worshiping Him, we magnify You.
You are a mystery, Mother of God, a paradise - You, Mother of God, are a mysterious paradise. Uncultivated - that is, virgin. Thus now I am lifted up - therefore now, when it is raised up.
+ The song calls the Mother of God the Mysterious Paradise - that garden where God dwells, where Christ grew uncultivated - virginally; Christ planted the Tree of the Cross on earth - a similarity to the Tree of Life from which the forefathers ate in paradise, the Tree from which we all received life...
The creator of the canon (and, accordingly, the deserving person) is the Venerable Cosmas of Maium.
Troparion, tone 4
Today is the day of God's favor, the transfiguration / and the preaching of salvation to men; / the Virgin clearly appears in the church of God, / and announces Christ to everyone. / We, too, will cry out loudly: / Rejoice, seeing / the Creator’s fulfillment.
Today - today. Transfiguration is an omen (the Greek word troparion means “eve”, “introduction”, “preface”). Clear - clearly, definitely. Views of Zizhditelev - the Providence of the Creator.
+ Rejoice, fulfillment of the Creator’s vision... When the Most Pure Virgin Mary was born, when She was given to the church as a little girl, this was the beginning of the fulfillment, that is, the completion and completeness, of the action of God’s Providence (the Creator’s vision), the fulfillment of the Divine plan for the incarnation, preaching, death on the Cross and Resurrection of Christ, the Son of God.
Kontakion, tone 4
The Most Pure Church of the Savior, / the precious palace and the Virgin, / the sacred treasure of the glory of God, / is now being introduced into the house of the Lord, / the co-leading grace that is in the Divine Spirit, / Even as the Angels of God sing: / This is the village of heaven.
Grace is co-leading, even in the Divine Spirit - bringing with It the grace of the Divine Spirit. Yuzhe - Her. Village is a dwelling.
Greatness
We magnify You, Most Holy Virgin, God-chosen Youth, and honor Your entry into the Church of the Lord.
Zadostoynik
Chorus: The angels were amazed at the entry of the Most Pure One: how the Virgin entered the Holy of Holies.
Irmos of the 9th song of the canon: As if the ark of God is alive, the hand of the wicked may never touch it, but in the mouth of the faithful to the Mother of God, the voice of the Angel sings and cries out with joy: truly you are above all, O Pure Virgin.
Like the animated ark of God - (the Mother of God) like the living Ark of God.
The Ark of God is one of the prototypes of the Most Holy Theotokos. The words about the “hand of the evil” bring to mind Old Testament episodes: the terrible disasters that befell the Philistines, who dared to steal the Ark of the Covenant (1 Samuel 5-6), and the death of Uzzah, who carelessly touched the Ark (2 Samuel 6:6-7). Reverent, loving fear should permeate our attitude towards the Divine and towards the Seat of God - the Most Holy Theotokos.
This irmos (deserver) was written by St. John of Damascus.
Troparion, tone 4
Thy Nativity, Christ our God, / arises the worldly light of the mind: / in it, for those who serve the stars / study as a star, / I bow to Thee, the Sun of righteousness, / And I lead Thee from the heights of the East. / Lord, glory to You!
Those who serve the stars - that is, star worshipers, astrologers - are eastern wise men. I learned from the star - they were taught by the star. Lead you from the heights of the East - in You to recognize the Sunrise from the heights - the rising Sun of truth. Lead you from the heights of the East... St. calls the Savior the East from above. right Zechariah, father of John the Baptist:
The East from above has visited us to enlighten those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet on the path of peace (Luke 1:78-79). East here is not the name of the country of light, but the sunrise - the Rising Sun, the Lord Jesus Christ. Pay attention to the combination of opposite meanings in the very expression from the heights of the East (East from above): the ordinary, earthly sun rises from below upward (east, sunrise), and the Sun of truth, Christ, descends from above (from above).
The light of reason is the light of true knowledge, wisdom, truth (Greek γνωσις - gnosis - knowledge, knowledge, recognition).
They lead you from the heights of the East... This expression is usually perceived grammatically (and therefore in meaning) incorrectly: They lead you (from where?) from the heights of the East: the Magi from their distant east, thanks to the star, learned to know Christ. In reality, the grammar and meaning of the phrase are different: You are led (to know You as someone?) from the heights of the East (as the East is from above).
Kontakion, tone 3
The Virgin today gives birth to the Most Essential, / and the earth brings a den to the Unapproachable; / Angels and shepherds praise, / the wolves travel with the star; / for our sake, be born / of a young child, Eternal God.
Today - today. Transubstantial - Existing always and first of all. A nativity scene is a cave. Volsvi - Magi (alternation of consonants).
The kontakion of the Nativity of Christ is built on a comparison, bringing together opposites, is completely paradoxical: the Virgin gives birth, and gives birth to the One who existed forever (the Most Essential), the earth brings to the Unapproachable not a church, not a palace, but a cave; Angels are at one with people - simple shepherds; a star becomes a companion of people—the Magi—and all because a Baby was born for our sake, but He is also the Eternal God who has always existed.
This kontakion is the creation of St. Roman the Sweet Singer. The life of the saint relates that in his youth, when he reverently served in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople, he was tongue-tied and completely deprived of hearing for music. The clergy of the church hated Roman for his piety, which earned him the patronage of the patriarch, and one day, on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, when the emperor himself was in the church, they pushed Roman out of mockery onto a raised platform in the center of the church, where the main singer was supposed to sing: “You receive the same pay as us - well, sing like the others!” Poor Roman could not make a sound and barely escaped from the pulpit completely destroyed. At the end of the service, he fell prostrate before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, bitterly crying and praying. After a long prayer, he finally made his way home with difficulty and fell asleep. In a dream, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him, holding a book scroll - kontakion (κονδακιον) in her hand, and quietly said: “Open your lips!” When Roman opened his lips, the Most Pure Virgin put a scroll in them and commanded him to eat it.
Immediately after this, Roman woke up, feeling an inexplicable sweetness, and felt that his mind had opened to the understanding of the Scriptures. The hour of the all-night vigil has arrived. Roman went to the church. When it was necessary to sing a hymn in honor of the holiday, he himself ascended the pulpit in the middle of the cathedral and sang those words that the Church has joyfully sung for many centuries since: “Today a virgin gives birth to the Most Essential...”
Greatness
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, for our sake now born in the flesh from the brideless and Most Pure Virgin Mary.
Zadostoynik
Chorus: Magnify, my soul, the Most Honest and Most Glorious of the hosts on high, the Most Pure Virgin Mary.
Irmos of the 9th song of the 2nd canon: For us to love, as if we are comfortable with fear, silence is more convenient; for love, Virgo, it is inconvenient to weave long-form songs; but also, Mother, give me strength, as long as there is will.
Comfortable with fear is safe. More convenient - easier. Extensively - harmoniously, in agreement. Eating inconveniently is difficult. There is only will - because (we) have desire.
+ The Deservant of the Nativity of Christ is one of the pearls of church poetry: it is so refined in form and rich in content that it is not easy to translate or explain it. The canon, of which it is the irmos of the 9th canto, is the creation of St. John of Damascus; this canon is written in a strictly rhythmic form, which sometimes causes an unusual order of words (however, as in any real poetry, such rearrangements are never just “for rhyme”; they highlight and enhance meanings that would be lost in the usual order of words). Let's take a closer look at this amazing chant and try to understand it.
For us to love, as if we are comfortable with fear, silence is more convenient... The Slavic word bezpodnoye in the expression bezpobednoye by fear means “not bringing trouble”; in the original Greek literally "safe from fear." The meaning of the expression: it is easier for us to love silence (and adhere to it), as it does not entail any danger.
But for love, Virgo, it is inconvenient to weave long-formed songs... Long-formed songs are those rhythmic chants that compose the entire canon of John of Damascus. It is difficult to compose these harmoniously composed hymns, it is difficult to sing them (appreciate the image contained in the word weave!). These songs are long-form songs of love, created by the power of love (love for the Most Holy Theotokos - and an uncontrollable attraction to inspired songwriting!).
But also, Mother, as long as there is will, give - but grant, O Mother, (for this) the same strength as the desire for this (that is, the desire itself exceeds our strength, it is inconvenient to eat, that’s why we ask the Mother of God to grant us the strength we lack).
Let us remember the life of the Venerable John of Damascus himself. When he, being a famous theologian and songwriter, left his court position and entered a monastery, a strict elder mentor forbade him to compose chants and engage in any literary work for the sake of humility and entry into the true monastic dispensation of the spirit. The fulfillment of this prohibition required the greatest selflessness from the Monk John and cost him a fierce internal struggle. Finally, obedience was broken for the sake of love: one of the brethren of the monastery died, and at the fervent request of the other monks, John composed wonderful stichera, which are still included in the burial rite. These stichera were also extended, that is, rhythmic; It was when John, composing them, beat out the rhythm with his foot, according to the custom of Greek poets, that the elder heard this rhythmic tapping and discovered a violation of the prohibition.
John was severely punished - until finally the Most Pure Virgin Herself appeared to the elder in a night vision and demanded freedom for John’s unsurpassed and inspired song creativity. That difficult struggle that St. John waged while fulfilling his painful obedience—silence—was reflected in the irmos of the 9th canon of his canon of the Nativity of Christ. By keeping silence, he did not expose himself to trouble, did not violate obedience, and therefore it would have been more convenient to continue to keep it - but the natural attraction (volition) to compose inspired chants made this temptation too difficult for him.
This is a “biographical”, personal plan; it complements the perception of the worthy only on the condition that St. John of Damascus is close to us, that his life is not alien to us, but has become a fact of our inner life.
Let us also pay attention to the shades that the deserving person acquired in the Slavic translation. The word comfortably in the expression comfortably feared is perceived in two ways: not only as “not bringing trouble,” but also as “not-poor,” that is, rich. Surprisingly, such a “change of sign” does not contradict the Greek text, but only reveals it in a new way, complements it: it would be more fitting for us to love reverent silence, as filled with the fear of God, the fear of the inexpressible, unspeakable, unspoken mystery (let us remember the expressions of other hymns: every mind is amazed to praise according to its property, the branches of multiplicity, like fish of silence, and etc.); but we cannot help but strive for love with all the strength of our soul, with our whole being, to weave long-form songs, even though it is inconvenient to eat! And for this singing we ask the Mother of God for strength - because it is beyond human power due to the inexpressibility of what is being sung, because fear requires silence, and love requires song, and it would seem impossible to combine this!
But we have the will, the ardent desire to sing without losing this saving fear, and the Mother of God is strong to help us.
Liturgical poetry is always the realization of such a miracle, crowning the sincere and selfless will of the songwriter with the power bestowed from above.
The first canon of the Nativity of Christ, the irmos of which we hear in the church starting from the Feast of the Presentation, was created by the Monk Cosmas of Maium.
Troparion, tone 1
In the Jordan I am baptized to You, O Lord, / Trinitarian adoration appears; / For the voice of your parents testifies to You, / naming Your beloved Son, / and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, / informs your words of affirmation; / appear, O Christ God, / and enlighten the world, glory to Thee.
I am baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, when You, Lord, were baptized in the Jordan. Trinity worship appeared - the worship of the Holy Trinity appeared. Your testimony to You - I testified about You, I testified to You. Your statement in your word confirmed the truth, the authenticity of this word. Appear, enlighten - appear, enlighten (participles).
In the Jordan I am baptized to You, Lord... - an example of a dative independent, characteristic turn of the Church Slavonic language.
Kontakion, tone 4
Thou hast appeared this day throughout the universe, / and Thy light, O Lord, has appeared upon us, / in the minds of those who sing Thee: / Thou hast come and Thou hast appeared, / An unapproachable Light.
Today - today. 3named - imprinted. In the mind - consciously.
Greatness
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, for our sake now baptized in the flesh by John in the waters of the Jordan.
Zadostoynik
Chorus: Magnify, my soul, the most honorable of the hosts of the mountains, the Most Pure Virgin Mary.
Irmos of the 9th song of the canon: Every tongue is perplexed to praise according to its heritage, but the mind and the most peaceful one are amazed to sing to Thee, the Mother of God; Otherwise, being a Good being, accept faith, for our divine love weighs: For You are the Representative of Christians, We magnify You.
He is perplexed - has no means, is poor. Praise - reverently praise. He is amazed - he is perplexed, he is amazed, he goes beyond his limits. Premium - supermundane, heavenly. Either way - but. Vesey - You know. Divine - inspired by God, inspired.
The Canon for Epiphany, from which this tribute is taken, is the creation of St. Kosma Maiumsky. The second canon of the holiday was created by St. John of Damascus.
Troparion, tone 1
Rejoice, Blessed Virgin Mary, / for from You has risen the Sun of Truth, Christ our God, / to enlighten those who are in darkness; / rejoice and you, righteous elder, / are received into the arms of the Liberator of our souls, / who gives us resurrection.
Enlighten - enlightener. Accepted - accepted.
Kontakion, tone 1
You sanctified the womb of the Maiden with Your birth, / and blessed the hand of Simeon, / as it was fitting, beforehand, / and now You have saved us, O Christ our God; / but pacify life in battle, / and strengthen the people whom you have loved, / only the Lover of Mankind.
As befittingly - as it should be (refers to previous words, and not to subsequent ones). Having anticipated - having warned, ahead of (refers to subsequent words). Calm your residence in battle - pacify the discord of citizens.
Greatness
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and honor Your Most Pure Mother, Who, according to the law, has now been brought to the church of the Lord.
Zadostoynik Chorus: Virgin Mary, the hope of Christians, cover, protect and save those who trust in You.
Irmos of the 9th song of the canon: In the law, the canopy and scripture we see the image of the faithful: every male sex, opening the falsehood, is holy to God. Thus we magnify the first-born Word of the Father without beginning, and the first-born Matter without artifice.
In the law, the canopy and scripture - that is, in the totality of Old Testament knowledge: in the Law of Moses, in the canopy (shadow) of biblical prototypes and in the Holy Scriptures as a whole. Every male sex, lying open, every firstborn (false opening) is male. Holy to God - dedicated to God. That is here: therefore. Unskillfully - without a husband, without knowing a husband.
* Words in the law, canopy and scripture are usually translated as follows: in the obscure writings of the law (of Moses) (the Latin equivalent is also given). But the Slavic translation, with the help of homogeneous members, completely corresponds to the Greek original (the canon of St. Cosmas of Maium); However, the meaning of the translation is quite correct, but it is worth understanding how exactly this content is expressed. The often found writing “in the law of the canopy and scriptures” is erroneous and meaningless.
Thus we magnify the first-born Word - this is precisely the structure of the phrase: therefore we magnify the first-born Word - the first-born Son of the beginningless Father, the first-born Mother.
The canon (and accordingly the honorable person) is the creation of the Venerable Cosmas of Maium.
Troparion, tone 4 The day of our salvation is the main day, / and the manifestation of the sacrament from the ages: / The Son of God is the Son of the Virgin, / and Gabriel preaches grace. / In the same way, we also cry out to the Mother of God: / Rejoice, O full of grace, / The Lord is with Thee.
Glavizna is the beginning, the foundation (the Greek word κεφαλαου is polysemantic, just like the Russian “chapter” it means: “head”, and “a chapter in a book”, and “essence, main thing”, and “result, completion”. It has been a sacrament for centuries - an eternal mystery. It happens - here: it becomes.
Kontakion, tone 8
To the chosen Voivode, victorious, as having been delivered from the evil, let us write thanks to Thy servants, the Mother of God, but as having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, and let us call Thee: Rejoice, Unmarried Bride.
Greatness
The Archangel's voice cries out to You, Pure One: Rejoice, O Gracious One, the Lord is with You.
Zadostoynik
Chorus: Bring great joy to the earth, praise the heavens of God's glory.
Irmos of the 9th hymn of the canon: As if the ark of God is alive, let the hand of the wicked touch it, but on the lips of the faithful to the Mother of God, the voice of the Angel sings and cries out with joy: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
For an explanation of the worthy, see the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Church.
Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Week Sunday) (Sunday before Easter)
Troparion, tone 1
The general resurrection / before Thy passion, assuring, / Thou didst raise Lazarus from the dead, O Christ our God. / In the same way, we, like the youths of victory who bear signs of victory, / cry out to you, the Conqueror of death: / hosanna in the highest, / blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Troparion, tone 4
Having been buried in You through baptism, O Christ our God, / we have been made worthy of immortal life by Your resurrection, / and we cry in song: / Hosanna in the highest, / blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Assuring - certifying. Like youths - like children (Jewish). Victory signs - signs of victory (palm branches, and on our Russian soil - willow branches replacing them). Having been buried with You by baptism - having been buried with You in baptism (in the Sacrament of Baptism). If we are worthy, we are worthy.
+ Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord... The words with which they greeted the Lord Jesus Christ entering Jerusalem (these words are from the psalm: Oh, Lord, save! Oh, Lord, make progress! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! - Ps. 118:25-26).
Kontakion, tone 6
On the throne in heaven, carried on the earth by lots, O Christ God, Thou didst receive the praise of Angels and the chanting of children, calling to Thee: Blessed art Thou, Who art come to call Adam.
On a foal - on a young donkey. Coming to call Adam - coming to call Adam.
Blessed art thou, who callest Adam to come. The kontakion complements the Gospel and Psalm “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” with the words of the coming Adam to call: the Lord Jesus Christ enters Jerusalem in fulfillment of the sacrament of the Crucifixion and Resurrection, ordained from time immemorial, by the power of which he will call the fallen Adam from hell (as on the icon of the Resurrection of Christ) - and with him the entire human race.
Greatness
We magnify You, / Life-giving Christ, / Hosanna in the highest, / and we cry to You: / Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Troparion, tone 4
Thou art exalted in glory, O Christ our God, / brought joy by the disciple, / by the promise of the Holy Spirit, / by the former blessing announced to them: / for Thou art the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.
Those who were informed by him - when they were established (in the faith).
…Joy created by the disciple (by what, how?) - by the promise of the Holy Spirit...
...by the former blessing notified to him - again independent dative; can be translated as follows: after (when) Your blessing confirmed them (in what?) - that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world - that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.
Kontakion, tone 6
Having fulfilled your care for us, / and having united us on earth with the heavenly, / you ascended in glory, Christ our God, / never departing, / but remaining persistent, / and crying out to those who love You: / I am with you, and no one is against you.
Having fulfilled your care for us - having completed Your Providence for us, the arrangement of our salvation. Even on earth - what is on earth, earthly. And no one is against you - and no one is against you.
Greatness
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and honor the Divine Ascension into heaven with Your most pure flesh.
Zadostoynik
Chorus: Magnify, my soul, Christ the Giver of Life, who ascended from earth to heaven.
Irmos of the 9th song of the canon: More than mind and words, the Mother of God, who in the yearless summer ineffably gave birth to you, we magnify with one and the same wisdom.
Above the mind and words - above the mind and words (that is, incomprehensible and inexpressible). In the summer of the Timeless - in time - the Eternal.
The canon (and, accordingly, the honoree) of the holiday is the creation of St. John of Damascus.
Troparion, tone 8
Blessed art thou, O Christ our God, Who art wise as fishers of things, having sent down unto them the Holy Spirit, and with them caught the universe, Lover of mankind, glory to Thee.
Like the wise fishermen who made the fishermen wise. And with those you caught the universe - and through them you caught the universe.
Kontakion, tone 8
When the tongues merged, the Most High separated the tongues; Whenever the fiery tongues were distributed, everyone was called into unity; and accordingly we glorify the All-Holy Spirit.
More - when. Snished - having come down. Merge languages - mixed languages. By dividing languages, he divided nations. Distributed - distributed. The whole call was to unite - everything was called to unity.
When the languages of the Most High came down and the languages of the Most High were divided, we are talking about the construction of the Tower of Babel:
Throughout the whole earth there was one language, one speech... And they said: Let us build ourselves a city and a tower, its height reaching to heaven, and we will make a name for ourselves, before we are scattered over the face of the whole earth.
And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men were building. And the Lord said: Behold, there is one people, and they all have one language; and this is what they began to do, and they will not stop from what they planned to do; Let us go down and confuse their language there, so that one does not understand the speech of the other. And the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth; and they stopped building the city [and the tower]. Therefore the name was given to it: Babylon, for there the Lord confused the language of all the earth, and from there the Lord scattered them throughout all the earth (Gen. 11:1-9).
When the tongues of fire were distributed... When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together with one accord. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as if from a rushing strong wind, and it filled the whole house where they were. And cloven tongues as of fire appeared to them, and one rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4).
Greatness
We magnify You, / Life-giving Christ, / and honor Your All-Holy Spirit, / Whom You sent from the Father / as Your divine disciple.
Zadostoynik
Chorus: Apostles, beholding the descent of the Comforter, were amazed at how the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a fiery tongue.
Irmos of the 9th song of the 2nd canon: Rejoice, O Queen, Glory to the Mother of the Virgin; For every kindly, well-verbal mouth cannot speak, It is worthy to sing to You; Every mind is amazed to understand Your Nativity; We also praise You accordingly.
Mother-Virgin Glory - Glorious Mother-Virgo. Handy - skillful, agile. Benevolent - eloquent. To ornate - to speak convincingly, eloquently. Sing to you - sing to you. Amazed - amazed, perplexed. Understand your birth - (trying) to understand your birth. That's why too.
The second canon of the holiday (and accordingly the honorable one) is the creation of St. John of Damascus (the first canon was written by St. Cosmas of Maium).
Troparion, tone 7
Thou art transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, / showing Thy disciples Thy glory, / like unto a man; / may Thy ever-present light shine upon us sinners, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, / Light-Giver, glory to Thee.
Like a mozhahu - as far as they could (see her). Ever-present - eternal.
Kontakion, Tone 7 Thou art transfigured on the mountain, / and as the host of Thy disciple, / saw Thy glory, O Christ God; / so that when they see You crucified, / they will understand free suffering, / and preach to the world, / that You are truly the Father’s radiance.
Like a container - as much as they could contain. Pupils are students. When - when. Suffering will then understand that it is voluntary - they will understand that Your suffering is voluntary.
Greatness
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and honor the glorious transfiguration of Your most pure flesh.
Zadostoynik
Chorus: Magnify, my soul, the transfigured Lord on Tabor.
Irmos of the 9th song of the canon: Thy incorruptible Nativity appear; God passed from Thy side, like a flesh-bearer appearing on earth, and living with men: Thee, Mother of God, with this we magnify all.
Your Nativity appeared incorruptible - Your generations were virgin. From Your side - from Your womb. Like a flesh-bearer - incarnate. That's why.
The canon (and accordingly the honorable person) is the creation of the Venerable Cosmas of Maium.
Troparion, tone 1
At Christmas you preserved your virginity, at your Dormition you did not abandon the world, O Mother of God, you reposed yourself to the belly, Mother of the Being of the Belly, and through your prayers you delivered our souls from death.
You passed on to your stomach - You passed on to life. Mother of the Being of the Belly - since You are the Mother of Life.
Kontakion, voice 2
In prayers, the never-sleeping Mother of God, / and in intercessions, unshakable hope, / the grave and mortification cannot be restrained: / like the Mother of the Life, / put down to the life, / indwelling the ever-virgin womb.
And in intercession there is an immutable hope - and an immutably reliable Intercessor. If you didn’t hold back, you didn’t hold back (* dual number). Leave it to your belly and bring it back to life.
* Like the Mother of the Belly, bring Him to the belly, into the ever-virgin womb: (You), like the Mother of Life, were brought to life by the One who Dwelled into (Your) ever-virgin womb.
Greatness
We magnify You, Most Immaculate Mother of Christ our God, and glorify Your Dormition all-gloriously.
Zadostoynik
Chorus: The angels saw the Dormition of the Most Pure One and were amazed at how the Virgin ascended from the earth to heaven.
Irmos of the 9th song of the canon: The laws of nature are conquered in You, O Pure Virgin; For the Nativity is virgin, and the life is betrothed to death: after the birth the Virgin, and after death is alive, saving Thy inheritance, O Theotokos, everlastingly.
Virgo - virgin. The laws of nature are defeated - the laws of nature are overcome. Christmas is still virgin - for childbirth is virgin. The stomach is betrothed to death—life is betrothed to death. Always - always. Your inheritance is your destiny.
The first canon of the holiday (and accordingly the honorable one) is the creation of the Monk Cosmas of Maium.
(From the book: Margarit, or selected soul-saving sayings leading to eternal bliss. M., 1882. Reprint: Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, P. 30.)
Most merciful Lord! Grant me the divine gift of holy prayer, pouring out from the depths of my heart; gather my wasted mind, so that it always strives for You, its Creator and Savior; crush the fiery arrows of the evil one, tearing me away from You; extinguish the flame of thoughts, which consumes me stronger than fire during prayer; overshadow me with the grace of Your Most Holy Spirit, so that until the end of my sinful life I love You alone with all my heart, with all my soul and thought and with all my strength, and at the hour of separation of my soul from this mortal body, O Sweetest Jesus, receive my spirit in Your hands and remember me when You come in the Kingdom Yours. Amen.
“If you deprive yourself of prayer, you will do the same thing in your soul that cutting off your nerves does in you: it will freeze; or, in another comparison, it will be the same as taking a fish out of water, for just as life is water for a fish, so is prayer for your soul. With it you can rush through the air, as through water, ascend to heaven and become close to God.”
Saint John Chrysostom
“The work of prayer is the first work of Christian life. If in relation to the usual order of affairs the proverb is true: “Live forever, learn forever,” then all the more it applies to prayer, the action of which should not have an interruption and the extent of which has no limit.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
“Prayer is primarily the fulfillment of the first and most important commandment of those two commandments in which the law, the prophets and the Gospel are concentrated (Matthew 22:37-40): You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind: this is the first and greatest commandment; the second is similar to it: love your neighbor as yourself; All the law and the prophets are based on these two commandments. It is impossible for a person to strive with all his thoughts, with all his strength, with all his being towards God except through the action of prayer, when it rises from the dead (in the words of John Climacus, word 28) and is revived, as if by a soul, by the power of grace.”
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov
“If you want to pray properly, then you need God, who gives prayer to the one who prays. Call upon Him in prayer, saying: Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come.”
Venerable Neil of Sinai
“According to the importance of prayer, before practicing it, you need to prepare yourself for it. <...> The first preparation is to reject the memory of malice and condemnation of neighbors. This preparation is commanded by the Lord himself. When you stand in prayer, He commands, forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your Heavenly Father may forgive you your sins. If you do not forgive, then your Heavenly Father will not forgive you your sins (Mark 11:25-26). Further preparation is: the rejection of care through the power of faith in God, the power of obedience and devotion to the will of God, the consciousness of one’s sinfulness and the contrition and humility of spirit flowing from this consciousness.”
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov
“It seems that what would be simpler and more natural for us if not prayer, or the aspiration of our hearts to God? And yet it does not happen to everyone and does not always happen. It must be aroused and the excited one must be strengthened - or, what is the same, one must cultivate in oneself a spirit of prayer. The first way to do this is through reading or listening prayer. Perform prayers properly, and you will certainly arouse and strengthen the ascent in your heart to God, or you will enter into the spirit of prayer.
Our prayer books contain the prayers of the holy fathers - Ephraim the Syrian, Macarius of Egypt: to go not quite correctly, let him not deviate from what he started, but let him use new and new efforts, just as a student of a craft does. If he works patiently in this way, without losing spirit, God will look upon the work of his will and give him the strength to do everything without coercion.”
Venerable Zosimas of Palestine (Philokalia, vol. 3)
“Force yourself a little to pray, and soon cheerfulness and strength will come.”
Abba Isaiah
“The dignity of prayer lies solely in quality, and not in quantity. Then quantity is commendable when it leads to quality. Quality always leads to quantity; quantity leads to quality when the worshiper prays carefully.
The quality of true prayer is when the mind is attentive during prayer, and the heart sympathizes with the mind.”
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov
“Prayer done with carelessness and laziness is idle talk.”
Venerable Anthony the Great
“Prayer requires constant co-presence and the assistance of attention. With attention, prayer is the inalienable property of the one praying; in the absence of attention, it is alien to the person praying. With attention, it bears abundant fruit; without attention it brings thorns and thistles. <…>
Especially conducive to maintaining attention during prayer is the very leisurely pronunciation of the words of the prayer. Pronounce the words slowly, so that the mind can more easily retain its conclusion in the words of the prayer, so that it does not escape from a single word of it.”
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov
“When you pray, preserve your memory with all your might, so that it does not offer you its own, but in every possible way raise yourself to a reasonable stand (with the consciousness of Who and why you stand). For during prayer the mind is usually greatly robbed by memory: it brings to mind things, persons, events and with them distracts the attention of the mind from prayer. Memory brings to your mind during prayer, or the imagination of old affairs, or new worries, or the face of someone who insulted you. The mind can also be occupied with philosophical speculation; passions are not in motion, but the mind philosophizes and does not pray: the state of scientists.”
Venerable Neil of Sinai
“Absent-mindedness robs prayer. The one who has prayed absent-mindedly feels a vague emptiness and dryness within himself. One who constantly prays absent-mindedly is deprived of all the spiritual fruits that are usually born from attentive prayer, and acquires a state of dryness and emptiness. From this state is born coldness towards God, despondency, clouding of the mind, weakening of faith, and from them deadness in relation to eternal, spiritual life. Yet, taken together, this is a clear sign that such prayer is not accepted by God.
Daydreaming in prayer is even more harmful than absent-mindedness. Absent-mindedness makes prayer fruitless, and daydreaming causes false fruits: self-delusion and what the holy fathers call demonic delusion.”
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov
“Read slowly, delve into every word and bring the thought of every word to your heart, accompanying everything with bows. This is the whole point of reading a prayer that is pleasing and fruitful to God. Delve into every word and convey the thought of the word to your heart, otherwise, understand what you read and feel what you understand.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
“Remember that if during prayer you do not idle, but say the words of prayer with feeling, then your words will not return to you thinly, without strength (like a husk without grain), but will certainly bring you the very fruits that are contained in the word, like a fruit in a shell. This is the most natural thing, just as the fruit and its shell are natural and ordinary in nature. But if you throw words in vain, without feeling their power, like a husk without a kernel, then they will return to you empty: you throw a husk - the husk will come back to you, you throw a seed - the ear will bring you, and the better, the fatter the seed, the more abundant the ear. So it is with our prayers: the more sincerely and heartily you pronounce each word, the more fruit from the prayer: each word, like a grain, will bring you spiritual fruit, like a ripe ear. Who among those who pray has not experienced this?
Or again: the words of prayer are like rain or snow, if spoken with faith and compassion: raindrops or snowflakes, falling in a continuous thread or flakes, water the earth, and it vegetates and bears fruit; So the words of prayer are the rain of the soul: each one separately, waters the soul, and it vegetates with the fruits of virtues, assisted by the Holy Spirit, especially if there is still tearful rain.”
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt
“Those who have not acquired heartfelt prayer should pray slowly, waiting for the corresponding echo in the heart of each word of prayer. And this is not always easy for a person who is not accustomed to prayerful contemplation. Therefore, the rare pronunciation of the words of prayer for such people should be made an indispensable rule. Wait until every word resonates in your heart with its own echo.”
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt
“We must use all measures to uproot every lie from the heart and plant pure truth in it. We must start with prayer. Having learned to speak the truth in our hearts during prayer, we will not allow ourselves to lie in life. How can we learn to speak the truth in our hearts in prayer? We need to bring each word of prayer to the heart, put it on the heart, feel its truth with our hearts, realize the whole need for us of what we ask God for in prayer, or the need for heartfelt thanksgiving for His great benefits to us and the need for whole-hearted praise for His great, wise deeds in His creation.”
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt
“The image of pure prayer can also guide you in understanding how one usually acts in the face of an earthly king. If you happen to gain access to the king, then you stand before him with your body, and you beg with your tongue, and you fix your eyes pleadingly on him - and thus attract the royal favor to yourself. Do the same in prayer, whether you are standing in a church meeting or praying in the solitude of your cell. When you come to church to pray in common with your brethren in the Lord, just as you stand before Him with your body and offer psalmody with your tongue, so keep your mind attentive to the words and to God and in a clear knowledge of the One with whom you are talking and to whom you are addressing; remember that if the thought is diligently and purely engaged in prayer, then the heart is granted inalienable joy and indescribable peace. When you are alone in your cell, keep your prayer in your mind, in a sober mind, with contrition of heart - and a vision will overshadow you for the sake of sobriety, knowledge will dwell in you for the sake of prayer, and wisdom will rest in you for the sake of tenderness, driving out wordless lust and introducing Divine love.”
Theoliptus, Metropolitan of Philadelphia (Philokalia, vol. 5)
“If we, having come to a person, show such attention to him that often we do not even see the people standing nearby, but, concentrating our thoughts, we see only the one to whom we have come, all the more should we do this in relation to God, always and incessantly being in prayer.”
Saint John Chrysostom
“As a man sees a man face to face, so try to place your soul before the Lord, so that you are eye to eye. It is so natural for this to happen that there is no need to even mention it. For the soul by nature must strive for the Lord. And the Lord is always near. And there is nothing to recommend them to each other, because they are old acquaintances.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
“As soon as you deviate a little from the Lord in your trust, the whole matter is then distorted, for then the Lord retreats, as if saying: well, stay with what you place your trust in.” And whatever it is, it’s completely insignificant.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
“Outward reverent standing in prayer is very necessary and very useful for everyone who struggles in the feat of prayer, especially for the novice, in whom the disposition of the soul is most consistent with the position of the body.”
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov
“When you pray to God and are distracted with your mind, then strive until you pray without distraction, and stay alert with your mind so as not to be distracted. If the distraction of the mind continues, then at least at the end of the prayer, reproach yourself internally and say with tenderness: “Lord, remember me and forgive me all my sins!” - and you will receive forgiveness for all sins and absent-mindedness that occurred during prayer.”
Venerable Barsanuphius the Great
“Do not stop praying until you have fully repaid your prayer debt, and do not listen to the thought that it is time to sit down to work; equally, when you are busy with work, do not be too busy with your work, so as not to rush to disturb your heart and make it unfit for prayer.”
Venerable Neil of Sinai
“Question: When I pray or practice psalmody and do not feel the power of the spoken words, due to insensitivity of the heart, then what is the benefit of this prayer to me?
Answer: Although you do not feel the power of what you say, the demons feel it, hear it and tremble. So, do not stop practicing psalmody and prayer, and little by little, with the help of God, your insensibility will be transformed into gentleness.”
Venerable Barsanuphius the Great and John. Question and answer 718
One brother complained to the Monk Ambrose of Optina that during prayer there were many different thoughts. The elder said to this: “A man was driving through the market; there is a crowd of people around him, talk, noise - and he still rides on his horse: but, but! nono! - so little by little, little by little, I drove through the entire bazaar. So you too, no matter what your thoughts say, do all your work: pray!”
“Continuously calling on the name of God is a healing that kills not only passions, but also their very action. Just as a doctor finds a decent cure or a plaster for the wound of a sufferer, and they work, and the patient does not even know how this is done, so the name of God, when invoked, kills all passions, although we do not know how this is done.”
Venerable Barsanuphius the Great and John. Answer 421
“Do not grieve without immediately receiving from God what you ask for. He wants to bring you greater benefit by forcing you to patiently stand before Him in prayer. For what is higher than to extend a conversation to God and be embraced by communion with Him!”
Venerable Nile of Sinai (Philokalia, vol. 2)
“All the warfare between us and unclean spirits is waged not because of anything else but because of spiritual prayer, for it is very antagonistic and unbearable to them, but is saving and favorable to us.”
Venerable Nile of Sinai (Philokalia, vol. 2)
“The fruits of true prayer: holy peace of the soul, combined with quiet, silent joy, alien to daydreaming, conceit and heated impulses and movements; love for neighbors, which does not distinguish between good and evil, worthy and unworthy, but intercedes for everyone before God as for itself, as for its own members. From such love for one’s neighbors, the purest love for God shines forth.”
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov
“Don’t stop kneeling. Kneeling represents a fall into sin, with the implication of confession of sin; rising from the knees signifies repentance, with a hint of a vow of a virtuous life. Perform each genuflection with a mental invocation of Christ, so that, falling to the Lord with soul and body, you may make the God of souls and bodies available to you.”
Theoliptus, Metropolitan of Philadelphia
“Let us not say in our defense that the house of prayer is not near: the grace of the Spirit has made us ourselves churches of God; If only we are vigilant, we can always pray very easily. It is also possible for a wife, sitting at a spinning wheel or engaged in weaving, to gaze at the sky with her mind and fervently call on God; It is also possible for a husband, in the marketplace and on the road, to perform fervent prayers; to another, and sitting in the workshop, while going about your business, you can lift up your soul to the Lord; A servant can perform sincere and earnest prayer while buying at the market, while serving in the house, and while working in the kitchen. God does not disdain place; He requires only one fiery heart and a chaste soul... If you are in the laver, pray; whether you are on the road or on your bed, and wherever you are, pray. You are the church of God, don’t look for a place: you only need a spiritual disposition. Even if you stand before the judge, pray.”
Saint John Chrysostom
“Moments of solitude must be used, turning them exclusively to the work of God - prayer and contemplation of God. These same classes, as long as they go at least somewhat smoothly, do not let you get bored. For they exude spiritual consolation, which nothing on earth can give.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
Venerable Paisiy Velichkovsky
“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!” - and in short: “Lord, have mercy!” from apostolic times it was given to Christians, and it was determined that they should constantly proclaim this, as they do. However, when doing this, very few people know what it means: “Lord, have mercy!” Therefore they cry in vain; They cry out: “Lord, have mercy!”, but they do not receive the Lord’s mercy, because they themselves do not know what they are looking for.
Therefore, we must know what kind of mercy this is from the Lord Jesus.
Which?! - Anything: everything that we need in our present fallen state is in His right hand. For He, from the moment He incarnated and became a man, from the moment He endured such passions and through the outpouring of His all-holy Blood redeemed man from the hands of the devil, from that time on He became the Lord and Ruler of human nature in a special way. All of ours has become in His hands.
The Lord, even before the incarnation, from the beginning, was the Lord of all creatures - visible and invisible - as their Creator and Creator. According to existence, this is how it is, and will be - but not according to the free activity of rational creatures. The demons, and after them people, did not want to have Him as their Lord and Ruler - and they tore themselves away from Him, the Lord of all. For the all-good God, having created people and Angels as autocratic and endowed them with reason, does not want to violate this autocracy and rule over them by force, against their will. Therefore, those of them who want to be under the power and control of God - He rules over those and protects those, and those who do not want - He leaves them to do their will, as autocratic. Therefore, Adam, when he, seduced by the apostate devil, himself became an apostate from God and did not want to obey His commandments, God left him to his will, not wanting to rule over him.
But the envious devil, who deceived man at the beginning, did not stop further deceiving him until, through his foolishness, he made him like beasts, senseless, and he began to live like unreasonable animals.
Then the most merciful God took pity on him and, bending the heavens, descended to earth and became a Man, for man’s sake, and having redeemed him with His Most Pure Blood, arranged for him a saving path of life: in the Holy Gospel he showed how to please God, with Divine baptism he revived and recreated him, in the Most Pure Mysteries he established heavenly nourishment and, in short, with the highest wisdom he found a way to please God. to be inseparable from man and man from God, so that the devil no longer has a place in man. But even after this, He still does not force anyone, but leaves everyone to their own devices to be saved, as they are offered, or to perish. This is how it goes: some are saved, while others neglect salvation - some of whom do not believe in the Gospel at all, and others believe, but do not live according to the Gospel.
Those Christians who, after so many gifts of grace, after so many good deeds of God, were again seduced by the devil and, through the action of the world and the flesh, alienated themselves from God and fell under the yoke of slavery to sin and the devil, doing his will, but not yet completely insensitive, so as not to feel the evil that they suffered, but understand their mistake and recognize the slavery to which they fell, but have the strength to get rid of it, in They don’t see it for themselves - they run to God and cry out: “Lord, have mercy,” so that the most merciful Lord may take pity on them and have mercy on them, so that He accepts them like the prodigal son, and again gives them His Divine grace, and returns them freedom, so that they can henceforth live pleasing to God and keep the commandments of God.
So, those Christians who cry out for this purpose: “Lord, have mercy!” - they will certainly be worthy of God’s mercy and receive grace to free themselves from slavery to sin and be saved.
Those who do not have the above thoughts at all and are not aware of the misery of their situation and their enslavement to the will of the flesh and worldly customs, and do not even have time to think about their slavery, but without any such goal, out of habit alone cry out: “Lord, have mercy!” - How can these receive God’s mercy, and especially such wondrous and immeasurable mercy? For such people, it is better not to receive it than, having received it, to lose it again, because this would be a double sin.
I'll explain it to you with examples. Imagine a poor and beggarly person who wants to receive alms from one of the rich. What does he say when he comes to the rich man? - Nothing but: “Have mercy on me!” Take pity on my poverty and improve my life.” Or someone has a debt and has no means to pay it off and, wanting to get rid of this burden, comes to the decision: to beg the one to whom he owes it, to forgive him the debt. He comes to this conclusion - and what does he say? Just the same: “Have mercy on me!” Have pity on my poverty and forgive me the debt I owe you.” Likewise, when someone is guilty of something to another and wants to receive forgiveness from him, what does he do? He comes to the one he sinned against and says: “Have mercy on me! Forgive me for what I have sinned against you.”
All such people know what they are asking for and why they are asking, and they receive according to the request according to the circumstances, and they use what they receive for their own benefit.
Now put on the other side a sinner who is spiritually poor, and is in debt to God, and has offended Him many times. If he cries out as if to God: “Have mercy on me!” - and yet he doesn’t understand what he’s saying and why he’s saying it, he doesn’t even know what the mercy he wants to receive from God is, and why it’s useful, but simply out of habit calls out: “Lord, have mercy!” - then how will God give him mercy when he cannot even recognize what he has received, and therefore will not pay attention to it and will abuse it, or destroy it, and even more so become a sinner?
The mercy of God is nothing more than the grace of the Holy Spirit, which we, sinners, must ask from God, constantly crying to Him: “Have mercy on me! Show Thy mercy, my Lord, to me, a sinner, in the pitiful state in which I find myself, and accept me again into Thy grace. Give me the spirit of strength so that it strengthens me in resisting the temptations of the devil and my bad sinful habits; give me the spirit of advice, so that I may become wise, come to my senses and correct myself; give me the spirit of fear, so that I will be afraid to offend You and fulfill Your commandments; give me the spirit of love, so that I love You and no longer move away from You; give me the spirit of peace, so that I may keep my soul peaceful, gather all my thoughts and remain silent and silent in thoughts; give me the spirit of purity, may it keep me clean from all defilement; give me the spirit of meekness, that I may be quiet in my dealings with my Christian brothers and refrain from anger; give me the spirit of humility, so that I may not think highly of myself and may not be proud.”
Who knows and feels how necessary everything that has been said is, and, asking for it from the most merciful God, cries out: “Lord, have mercy!” - he will probably receive what he asks for, and will be worthy of God’s mercy and His grace. But who does not know anything of what we have said, and only out of habit cries out: “Lord, have mercy!” - there is no way for him to receive mercy from God. For even before he had already received many mercy from God, but he did not know it and did not thank God for giving it to him. He received God's mercy when he was created and became a man; received mercy when he was recreated in baptism and became an Orthodox Christian; received mercy when he got rid of so many troubles, mental and physical, that he experienced in life; received God’s mercy every time he was worthy to partake of the Most Pure Mysteries; received God’s mercy every time I sinned before God and upset Him with my sins, and was not destroyed and punished, as was proper; I received God’s mercy when I received many benefits from God, but I either did not realize it or forgot.
How else can such a Christian receive mercy from God when he does not know and does not feel that he has received so many mercies from Him? And now, even if he cries out: “Lord, have mercy!” - he does not know what he is saying, and pronounces these words without any thought or purpose, according to custom alone.
(Philokalia, vol. 5. pp. 447-451)
Priest. Would you mind giving a precise definition of what you call the Jesus Prayer? After all, every prayer addressed to the Lord Jesus Christ can be called the Jesus Prayer, and there are a lot of such prayers. I would like to know how to pronounce the Jesus Prayer correctly?
Enoch. We call the Jesus Prayer nothing more than the reverent invocation of the saving name of our Lord Jesus Christ - at every time, in every activity and in every place. This prayer is usually expressed in the following words: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner (or: sinner).” In short, we can say this: “Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me (a sinner or a sinner).” In this form, it exactly corresponds to the words of the holy Apostle Paul: I would speak five words with my mind... rather than darkness with my tongue (cf. 1 Cor. 14:19). You can say even more briefly: “Lord, have mercy!”
Priest. What explains the fact that with a prayer for mercy we turn not to the Most Holy Trinity, not to God the Father and not to the Holy Spirit, but to the Son of God?
Enoch. You, of course, know that we turn our prayers to the Most Holy Trinity (“Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us”), and to God the Father (“Our Father”), and to the Holy Spirit (“King of Heaven”). But in this case we turn to the Son of God. The reason for this is clear. We turn to the Son of God not because, of course, the Son of God prevails in the Triple Unity of the Divine, but because He acquired us to God and the Father with His Honest Blood and is our Savior and Reconciler with Divine truth.
He took our nature into His Divine Person, redeemed us from our sins with His life, death and resurrection, and bore for us the punishment that immediately lay upon us for our sins - our ancestors and our personal ones. And therefore, in all fairness, we must pray to Him as our Savior. He is our Mediator, Intercessor and Conciliator; Only by Him and through Him do our prayers receive their power, and we have access to the Heavenly Father: Whatever you ask of the Father in My name, that I will do (John 14:13).
There is no doubt, of course, that every other prayer addressed to the Lord Jesus Christ, compiled by the holy fathers, is divinely inspired, divine and partakes of the power of grace, according to our due attitude towards it, but with its greater or lesser complexity, it does not have that easy convenience so that one can read it constantly, at any time, during any activity, in any place. However, with all its brevity and simplicity, the Jesus Prayer contains everything that belongs to the Son of God, both according to the economy of our salvation and according to His Divine Hypostatic state. Confessing Him as Lord and Son of God, we recognize Him as the true God, consubstantial with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and calling Him Jesus Christ and asking “have mercy on us,” we confess the sacrament of economy, which it was pleasing to Him to perform for us for the sake of man and for our salvation; we recognize Him as our Savior, Who alone can save us. And this, as we know, is the whole essence of our Christian faith, the Gospel and all of Christ’s teaching.
Saint John the Theologian, finishing his Gospel, says: Now these things were written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that you who believe may have life in His name (John 20:31). In a word, the Jesus Prayer unites us with the Son of God, in the closest way, in Him it makes us partakers of eternal life. According to the word of the same apostle: In that life was (John 1:4).
(Collection about the Jesus Prayer. M., 1994. P. 201-202)
Is there such a prayer that could be a common Christian prayer and a model for all prayers?
This is the Lord's prayer.
What is the Lord's Prayer?
The prayer that our Lord Jesus Christ taught to the apostles and which they passed on to all believers.
How is it read?
Our Father, Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors;
and do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen (Matt. 6:9-13).
To more conveniently consider the Lord's Prayer, how can you divide it?
For invocation, seven petitions and doxology.
How dare you call God Father?
By faith in Jesus Christ and by the grace of regeneration.
And to those who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God, who were born neither of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12-13).
Should one always say: Our Father, even though whoever prays alone?
Definitely.
Why is this so?
According to Christian brotherly love, one must call on God and ask Him for good not only for oneself, but for everyone.
Why should the invocation say: Who art thou in Heaven?
In order to leave everything earthly and corruptible when entering prayer and lift the mind and heart to the heavenly, eternal and Divine.
Is not the name of God holy?
Without a doubt, sacred in itself. Holy is His name (Luke 1:49).
How can it still be holy?
It can become holy in people, that is, His eternal holiness can appear in them.
How?
Firstly, when we, having the name of God in our thoughts and hearts, live as His holiness requires, and with such a life we glorify God; secondly, when, looking at our good life, others glorify God.
So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
What Kingdom of God is spoken of in the second petition of the Lord's Prayer?
About the kingdom of grace, which, according to the apostle, is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17).
Hasn't this Kingdom come yet?
For some it has not yet come in full force, and for some it has not yet come at all, if sin still reigns in their mortal body, to obey it in its lusts (Rom. 6:12).
How does it come?
Secretly and internally.
The Kingdom of God will not come in a noticeable way... For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:20-21).
Can't a Christian ask for anything else under the name of the Kingdom of God?
He can ask for the Kingdom of Glory, that is, the perfect bliss of believers.
I have a desire to be resolved and to be with Christ (Phil. 1:23).
About the third petition “Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth”
What does it mean to ask: Thy will be done?
This should ask God so that everything we do and what happens to us happens not as we wish, but as God pleases.
Why do you need to ask for this?
Because we often make mistakes in our desires, but God, infallibly, and without comparison, more than we ourselves, desires every good for us and is always ready to grant it, unless our self-will and stubbornness prevents it.
To Him who, by the power that works in us, is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, to Him be glory in the Church (Eph. 3:20-21).
Why do we ask for God’s will to be fulfilled on earth exactly as it is in heaven?
Because in heaven, holy Angels and blessed people, all without exception, always and in everything fulfill the will of God.
What is daily bread?
Bread, necessary in order to exist or live.
With what thoughts should one bring a petition to God for daily bread?
According to the instructions of our Lord Jesus Christ, one should ask for no more than daily bread, that is, the necessary food, and also the clothing and shelter necessary for life; and what is beyond this and serves not so much for need as for pleasure, then commit it to the will of God, and if it is given, thank God; if it is not given, do not care.
Why is it commanded to ask for daily bread only today, that is, for this day?
So that we do not worry too much about the future, but rely on God for that.
Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things: each day’s own troubles are sufficient (Matthew 6:34).
Because your Father in heaven knows that you need all this (Matthew 6:32).
Is it possible to ask for something else under the name of daily bread?
Since man consists of a physical and spiritual being, and the being of the soul is much more important than the body, then one can and should ask for daily bread for the soul, without which the inner man dies of hunger. (See: Cyril of Jerusalem. Mystical Teaching, 4th, 15. Orthodox Confession.
Part 2, question 19.
What could be the daily bread for the soul?
The Word of God, and the Body and Blood of Christ.
Man will not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4; Deut. 8:3).
My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink (John 6:55).
What should we understand in the Lord's Prayer under the name of our debts?
Our sins.
Why are sins called debts?
Because we, just as we received everything from God, must give everything to God, that is, submit everything to His will and law: if we do not do this, then we remain debtors to His justice.
And who are our debtors?
People who did not give us what they should have given according to God’s law - for example, did not show love, but enmity.
How, with God's justice, can we hope to have our debts forgiven?
Through the intercession of Jesus Christ.
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all (1 Tim. 2:5-6).
What happens if we ask God for forgiveness of our sins, but we ourselves do not forgive others?
We will not receive forgiveness either.
If you forgive people their sins, then your Heavenly Father will also forgive you, and if you do not forgive people their sins, then your Father will not forgive you your sins (Matthew 6:14-15).
Why doesn't God forgive us when we don't forgive others?
Because through this we turn out to be evil, and thereby remove the goodness and mercy of God from ourselves.
Therefore, what kind of disposition do the words of the Lord’s Prayer require from those praying: “And we forgive our debtors?”
They absolutely demand that the one praying should not have any enmity or anger, but have peace and love with everyone. So, if you are bringing your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Matthew 5:23-24).
But what should I do if the one who has something against me cannot be found soon, or if he turns out to be unwilling to reconcile?
In this case, it is enough to reconcile with him in the heart, before the eyes of the All-Seeing God.
If possible, be at peace with all people (Rom. 12:18).
What should be understood in the Lord's Prayer under the name of temptation?
This is a combination of circumstances in which there is an imminent danger of losing faith or falling into serious sin.
Where do temptations come from?
From our flesh, from the world, or from other people, and from the devil.
What do we ask for in these words of prayer: do not lead us into temptation?
Firstly, that God should not allow us to be tempted; secondly, that He, if we need to be tested and purified through temptation, does not completely give us over to temptation and do not allow us to fall.
What do we ask in the words of the prayer: deliver us from evil?
We ask for deliverance from all evil that can befall us in the world, which, since the time of the first sin, has been entirely in evil (1 John 5:19); especially from the evil of sin and from the crafty suggestions and slander of the spirit of malice, the devil.
Why is praise added to the Lord's Prayer?
Firstly, so that we, asking ourselves from the Heavenly Father for mercies, at the same time give Him fair respect; secondly, so that with the thought of His eternal Kingdom, power, and glory, we are more and more affirmed in the hope that He will grant us what we ask, because this is in His power and relates to His glory.
What does the word: Amen mean?
Means: Truly, or Let it be.
Why is this word attached to the doxology?
This shows that prayer is offered with faith and without any doubt, as the Apostle James teaches (James 1:6).
(“Long Christian Catechism of the Orthodox Catholic Eastern Church.” Reprint published 1913, pp. 69-74)
Our Father, Who art in Heaven! Look how He immediately encouraged the listener and at the very beginning remembered all the good deeds of God! In fact, the one who calls God Father already confesses by this name the forgiveness of sins, and liberation from punishment, and justification, and sanctification, and redemption, and sonship, and inheritance, and brotherhood with the Only Begotten, and the gift of the spirit, since one who has not received all these benefits cannot call God Father. So, Christ inspires His listeners in two ways: both by the dignity of what is called, and by the greatness of the benefits that they received.
When he speaks in Heaven, with this word he does not imprison God in heaven, but distracts the one praying from the earth and places him in the highest countries and in the mountain dwellings.
Further, with these words He teaches us to pray for all the brothers. He does not say: “My Father, who art in Heaven,” but “Our Father,” and thereby commands us to offer prayers for the entire human race and never have in mind our own benefits, but always try for the benefits of our neighbor. And in this way he destroys enmity, and overthrows pride, and destroys envy, and introduces love - the mother of all good things; destroys the inequality of human affairs and shows complete equality between the king and the poor, since we all have equal participation in the highest and most necessary matters. Indeed, what is the harm from low kinship, when by heavenly kinship we are all united and no one has anything more than the other: neither the rich more than the poor, nor the master more than the slave, nor the boss more than the subordinate, nor the king more than the warrior, nor the philosopher more than the barbarian, nor the wise more than the ignorant? God, who honored everyone equally to call Himself Father, through this gave everyone the same nobility.
So, having mentioned this nobility, this highest gift, the unity of honor and love between brothers, having taken the listeners away from earth and placed them in heaven, let’s see what Jesus finally commands to pray for. Of course, calling God Father contains a sufficient teaching about every virtue: whoever calls God Father, and the common Father, must necessarily live in such a way as not to be unworthy of this nobility and to show zeal equal to a gift. However, the Savior was not satisfied with this name, but added other sayings.
Hallowed be Thy name, He says. To ask for nothing before the glory of the Heavenly Father, but to consider everything lower than His praise—this is a prayer worthy of one who calls God Father! Let him be holy means let him be glorified. God has his own glory, full of all majesty and never changing. But the Savior commands the one who prays to ask that God may be glorified by our life. He said about this before: Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). And the Seraphim, glorifying God, cry out: Holy, Holy, Holy! (Isa.66:10). So, let him be holy means let him be glorified. Grant us, as the Savior teaches us to pray, to live so purely that through us everyone will glorify You. To display a blameless life before everyone, so that each of those who see it exalts praise to the Lord - this is a sign of perfect wisdom.
May your kingdom come. And these words are appropriate for a good son, who is not attached to what is visible and does not consider present blessings to be something great, but strives for the Father and desires future blessings. Such prayer comes from a good conscience and a soul free from everything earthly.
The Apostle Paul desired this every day, which is why he said: we ourselves, having the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan within ourselves, waiting for adoption as sons, the redemption of our body (Rom. 8:23). He who has such love can neither become proud among the blessings of this life, nor despair among the sorrows, but, like one living in heaven, is free from both extremes.
Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Do you see the beautiful connection? He first commanded to desire the future and strive for one’s fatherland; but until this happens, those living here should try to lead the kind of life that is characteristic of the celestials. One must desire, He says, heaven and heavenly things. However, even before reaching heaven, He commanded us to make the earth heaven and, while living on it, to behave in everything as if we were in heaven, and to pray to the Lord about this. Indeed, the fact that we live on earth does not hinder us in the least from achieving the perfection of the heavenly Forces. But it is possible, even if we live here, to do everything as if we were living in heaven.
So, the meaning of the Savior’s words is this: just as in heaven everything happens without hindrance and it does not happen that the Angels obey in one thing and disobey in another, but in everything they obey and submit (because it is said: they who do His word are mighty in strength - Ps. 103:20) - so grant us, people, not to do Your will in half, but to do everything, as You wish.
Do you see? - Christ taught us to humble ourselves when he showed that virtue depends not only on our zeal, but also on heavenly grace, and at the same time he commanded each of us, during prayer, to take care of the universe. He did not say: “Thy will be done in me” or “in us,” but throughout the whole earth - that is, so that all error would be destroyed and the truth would be implanted, so that all malice would be driven out and virtue would return, and so that, thus, there would be no difference between heaven and earth. If this happens, He says, then what is above will not differ in anything from what is above, although they are different in properties; then the earth will show us other angels.
Give us this day our daily bread. What is daily bread? Everyday. Since Christ said: Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth, and He talked with people clothed in flesh, who are subject to the necessary laws of nature and cannot have angelic dispassion, then, although He commands us to fulfill the commandments in the same way as the Angels fulfill them, He nevertheless condescends to the weakness of nature and seems to say: “I demand from you an equal angelic severity of life, however, without demanding dispassion, since your nature, which has a necessary need for food, does not allow it.”
Look, however, how there is a lot of spirituality in the physical! The Savior commanded us to pray not for wealth, not for pleasures, not for valuable clothes, not for anything else like that - but only for bread, and, moreover, for everyday bread, so that we would not worry about tomorrow, which is why he added: daily bread, that is, everyday bread. He was not even satisfied with this word, but then added another: give it to us today, so that we do not overwhelm ourselves with worry about the coming day. In fact, if you don’t know whether you will see tomorrow, then why bother yourself with worrying about it? The Savior commanded this further in his sermon: “Do not worry,” he says, “about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). He wants us to always be girded and inspired by faith and not yield more to nature than necessary needs require of us.
Further, since it happens to sin even after the font of rebirth (that is, the Sacrament of Baptism. - Comp.), the Savior, wanting in this case to show His great love for mankind, commands us to approach the man-loving God with a prayer for the forgiveness of our sins and say this: And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Do you see the abyss of God's mercy? After taking away so many evils and after the indescribably great gift of justification, He again honors those who sinned with forgiveness.<…>
By reminding us of sins, He inspires us with humility; by commanding to let others go, he destroys rancor in us, and by promising us forgiveness for this, he affirms good hopes in us and teaches us to reflect on the ineffable love of God for mankind.
What is especially worthy of note is that in each of the above petitions He mentioned all the virtues, and with this last petition He also includes rancor. And the fact that the name of God is sanctified through us is an undoubted proof of a perfect life; and the fact that His will is done shows the same thing; and the fact that we call God the Father is a sign of an immaculate life. All this already implies that we should leave anger at those who insult us; however, the Savior was not satisfied with this, but, wanting to show how much concern He has for eradicating rancor among us, he especially speaks about this and after prayer he recalls not another commandment, but the commandment of forgiveness, saying: For if you forgive people their sins, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you (Matthew 6:14).
Thus, this absolution initially depends on us, and the judgment pronounced on us lies in our power. So that none of the unreasonable, being condemned for a great or small crime, has the right to complain about the court, the Savior makes you, the guilty one, a judge over yourself and, as it were, says: what judgment you yourself pronounce about yourself, the same judgment I will pronounce about you; if you forgive your brother, then you will receive the same benefit from Me - although this latter is actually much more important than the first. You forgive another because you yourself need forgiveness, and God forgives, without needing anything; you forgive your fellow servant, and God forgives your slave; you are guilty of countless sins, but God is sinless.
On the other hand, the Lord shows His love for mankind by the fact that even though He could forgive you all your sins without your doing, He wants to do you good in this too, in everything to give you occasions and incentives to meekness and love of mankind - he drives out bestiality from you, quenches your anger and in every possible way wants to unite you with your members. What do you say to this? Is it that you have unjustly suffered some kind of evil from your neighbor? If so, then, of course, your neighbor has sinned against you; and if you have suffered justly, then this does not constitute sin in him. But you also approach God with the intention of receiving forgiveness for similar and even much greater sins. Moreover, even before forgiveness, how much have you received, when you have already learned to preserve the human soul within yourself and have been taught meekness? Moreover, a great reward will await you in the next century, because then you will not be required to account for any of your sins. So, what kind of punishment will we deserve if, even after receiving such rights, we ignore our salvation?
Will the Lord listen to our requests when we ourselves do not spare ourselves where everything is in our power?
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Here the Savior clearly shows our insignificance and overthrows pride, teaching us not to abandon exploits and not to arbitrarily rush to them; in this way, for us, victory will be more brilliant, and for the devil, defeat will be more painful. As soon as we are involved in a struggle, we must stand courageously; and if there is no call to it, then we must calmly wait for the time of exploits in order to show ourselves both unconceited and courageous. Here Christ calls the devil evil, commanding us to wage irreconcilable warfare against him and showing that he is not like that by nature. Evil does not depend on nature, but on freedom. And the fact that the devil is primarily called the evil one is because of the extraordinary amount of evil that is found in him, and because he, without being offended by anything from us, wages an irreconcilable battle against us.
Therefore, the Savior did not say: “Deliver us from the evil ones,” but from the evil one, and thereby teaches us never to be angry with our neighbors for the insults that we sometimes suffer from them, but to turn all our enmity against the devil as the culprit of all evils.
By reminding us of the enemy, making us more cautious and stopping all our carelessness, He further inspires us, presenting to us that King under whose authority we fight, and showing that He is more powerful than all: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen, says the Savior. So, if His is the Kingdom, then one should not be afraid of anyone, since no one resists Him and no one shares power with Him.
When the Savior says: Thine is the Kingdom, he shows that our enemy is also subordinate to God, although, apparently, he still resists by God’s permission. And he is from among the slaves, although condemned and rejected, and therefore does not dare to attack any of the slaves without first receiving power from above. And what do I say: not one of the slaves? He did not even dare to attack pigs until the Savior himself commanded; nor over the herds of sheep and oxen, until he received power from above.
And strength, says Christ. So, even though you were very weak, you must nevertheless dare, having such a King who can easily accomplish all glorious deeds through you. And glory forever. Amen.
(Interpretation of St. Matthew the Evangelist).
Creations. T. 7. Book. 1. St. Petersburg, 1901. Reprint: M., 1993. P. 221-226
(abbreviated)
All Scripture, both the Old Testament and the New Testament, is inspired by God and useful for teaching (2 Tim. 3:16); The book of Psalms, for those who are attentive, contains something worthy of special note. She, like a garden, contains the plantings of all other books and with sweet singing conveys what is stated in them, but, singing about it, she also reveals her own characteristics.
In every book of Scripture the same thing is foretold about the Savior that is in all the Scriptures. This is a common subject, one and the same agreement of the Spirit. In every book of Scripture one can see prophecies, laws, narratives, and hymns. But whoever picks up the book of Psalms, reading the prophecies about the Savior with the same surprise and reverence as in other Scriptures, reads the other psalms as his own words. In the psalms (an amazing thing!) whoever reads everything else, except for the prophecies about the Savior and about the pagans, seems to be pronouncing his own sayings. What is said in the psalms, the reader lifts them up to God on his own behalf, as if speaking about what he himself has done.
For the one who sings them, the psalms serve as a kind of mirror: in them he recognizes the movements of his soul and pronounces them with this thought. Each psalm is so complex and spoken by the Spirit that in the psalms we recognize the movements of our soul. For what the psalmists spoke can serve as a model and a mark for us.
And this is also the grace of the Savior. For He, having become man for our sake, brought His own Body to death for us, in order to deliver us all from death - so, wanting to show us a heavenly life pleasing to Him, He depicted it in Himself. For this reason, He not only taught, but He Himself did what He taught. Now everyone hears what the Savior is saying, and, as if looking at a picture, borrows from Him an example for their activities, when the Lord says: Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29). And it is impossible to find a teaching about virtue more perfect than that which the Lord depicted in Himself. And patience, and love for mankind, and kindness, and courage, and mercy, and truth - you will find everything in the Lord, so that whoever observes the human life of the Lord will not lack anything for virtue. The Lord, as truly the Lord of all, who cares for those created by Him, not only lays down the law, but also gives Himself as a model, so that those who wish may know the power to carry it out in practice.
That is why, even before His coming to us, He inspired the psalmists, so that, just as He showed in Himself the earthly and heavenly man, so those who wish could study the spiritual movements and dispositions in the psalms, finding in them both healing and correction of every movement.
It is undeniable that all Holy Scripture teaches virtue and true faith; the book of Psalms, as it were, represents in a picture how the soul should behave. Just as a person who must appear before the king tries to find out in advance how he should behave and what to say, so that, having accidentally said the wrong thing, he will not fall under condemnation, so he who strives for virtue and wants to know the life of the Savior in the flesh first, by reading this book, renews in his memory the events of Sacred History, brings the soul into the proper disposition, and thus learns, guided by it. Anyone who reads the psalms will find in them examples of those words with which one can please the Lord, correct oneself and offer thanksgiving praise to the Lord. Anyone who turns to God in words other than those given in the psalms runs the risk of falling into wickedness: after all, it is said that not only for deeds, but also for every idle word that people speak, they will give an answer on the day of judgment (Matthew 12:36).
For this purpose, some of the psalms are presented in the form of a narrative, others - exhortations, others - in the form of a prophecy, others - in the form of a prayer, and others - in the form of a confession.
Let us not remain silent about why the words of the psalms are chanted. Many ordinary people think that chanting psalmody was introduced to delight the ears. But this is not true: Scripture does not care about pleasantness and sweetness, but about spiritual benefit, and for this purpose singing was established.
There are various movements in the soul; there is in it a thinking, lustful and irritable force; these forces activate the bodily members. Reason demands that a person should not be in discord and discord with himself and that the soul, according to the word of the Apostle, having the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), should be guided by this leader and restrain its passions by him, dominate over the bodily members, bringing them into obedience to reason, and that, like a tuned instrument in the hands of a musician, the person himself, listening to the spirit, would be entirely obedient to God’s will in all members and movements and serve to her. And the image and likeness of such a harmonious and calm state of thoughts is the harmonious pronunciation of the psalms. We express our spiritual thoughts through the words we speak; and the Lord, wanting the sweet sound of words to serve as a symbol of spiritual harmony in the soul, established to sing decorously and recite psalms. This is the need of a soul that is in a good disposition, according to the word of Scripture: If anyone in you rejoices, let him sing (James 5:13).
Therefore, those who read divine songs in a different way sing psalms unreasonably: they only delight themselves and thereby bring upon themselves censure: Praise is unpleasant in the mouth of a sinner, for it was not sent from the Lord (Sir. 15:9). And those who sing in the above-mentioned way - so that the euphony of their words stems from the good mood of the soul and from its agreement with the spirit - sing not only with their lips, but also with their minds and bring great benefit not only to themselves, but also to those who want to listen to them.
So, the recitation of psalms does not come from an external desire for euphony, but serves as a sign of harmony of thoughts in the soul. Reading brought to a harmonious measure is a symbol of a well-disposed and non-stormy state of mind. And the ancient custom of praising God with good cymbals, with psalms and harps (Ps. 150:3-5) was also a symbol that the bodily members were brought into the correct combination, like strings, and the thoughts of the soul became like cymbals, and all this was set in motion and animated by the voice and spirit of the mouth, so that man, according to the word of Scripture, lives and mortifies by the spirit works of the flesh (Rom. 8:13). Thus, whoever sings psalms correctly brings his soul into harmony and, as it were, makes it smooth from an uneven one - and the soul, having come to a state in accordance with its nature, fears nothing, but becomes more capable of vivid ideas, acquires a greater desire for future benefits and, tuned by the euphony of the sayings, forgets passions and, thinking better, is blissfully united with the mind that abides in Christ.
Therefore, child, everyone who reads this book should read everything in it with sincere disposition, because everything in it is inspired by God; and moreover, to extract from it, as from a garden, for his own benefit, exactly what he sees as a need for himself. Whether repentance or confession is needed, whether sorrow or temptation has befallen someone, whether someone is persecuted or has gotten rid of evil intentions, whether someone is sad or confused or sees himself prospering and the enemy defeated, or whether he intends to praise, give thanks and bless the Lord - for all this he will find instruction in the divine psalms.
Let no one try to alter or even change the expressions of the psalms, seeking external eloquence - but let him simply read and sing what is written as it is written, so that the saints who served us in this, recognizing their words, pray with us - it is better to say that the Spirit himself, who spoke in the saints, hearing the very words that He inspired to the saints, becomes our helper. For to the extent that the life of the saints is better than the life of others, to the same extent the sayings they used are better and stronger than those composed by us. For by this they pleased God and, by saying all this, as the apostle said, they conquered kingdoms, did righteousness, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were strengthened from weakness, were strong in war, drove away the armies of strangers; wives received their dead resurrected (Heb. 11:33-35).
Therefore, even now, when pronouncing psalms, let everyone be confident that God will soon hear those who ask with the psalm word. For if anyone grieves, great consolation will find in them; if he endures temptation and persecution, singing psalms, he will appear skillful and gain the protection of the Lord, Who protected the one who spoke the psalm; with psalms he will put the devil to flight and repel his demons. If anyone has sinned, by reading them he will come to his senses and stop sinning. And whoever has not sinned will rejoice that he competes with those who preceded him and, chanting psalms, wins in battle and will never waver in the truth. His assistant in this is the Divine Scripture itself.
In ancient times, the Israelites, by reading Scripture, cast out demons and exposed the intrigues they perpetrated on people. The words of the saints are terrible for the demons, they cannot bear them, because in the sayings of Scripture - the Lord Himself, whom the demons cried out not tolerating; I beg You, do not torment me (Luke 8:28). So now let the same be read over those who suffer; In this way, help will sooner be provided to the sufferer, and the reader will show his true and firm faith, and therefore God, seeing it, will give perfect healing to those who ask.
Knowing this, the saint said in the one hundred and eighteenth psalm: I will learn from Your justifications; I will not forget Your words (v. 16), and again: Thy vindication was praised to me in the place of my coming (v. 54). For in them the saints acquired salvation, saying: Had it not been for Thy law, my teaching, then I would have perished in my humility (v. 92).
By studying this and reading the psalms in this way, you, guided by the Spirit, will be able to comprehend the meaning of each and will begin to yearn for the same life that the God-bearing holy men who spoke them had.
Saint Athanasius the Great.
Creations. T. IV. M., 1994. P. 4-35
(on how to understand psalm expressions about the death of enemies)
Since David was a prophet, his inner eyes were open and he knew that evil spirits rejoice at the fall of people and, on the contrary, grieve when people defeat their machinations - and, without a doubt, mentally arming himself against them, he prayed for the correction of people, applying to evil spirits what was said about visible enemies. If we do not explain to ourselves the intention of the prophets in this way, then not only from what they said will we not receive any edification to acquire meekness, but we will even acquire some kind of harsh disposition that is contrary to the gospel teaching, often praying for the crushing of enemies and not loving them; After all, David says a thousand times: “Let my enemies be ashamed and put to shame, and let me not be ashamed.” Let us not think that the prophets and friends of God said this in a sense other than the one stated above. A careful student of Scripture must apply what has been said about visible enemies to mental enemies. Moreover, the ascetic must try to understand every utterance of the psalms.
Saint Athanasius the Great. Creations. T. IV. M., 1994. P. 39)
In prayer books and liturgical books, some frequently used prayers and even the most common series of prayers are not given in full each time, but are indicated in abbreviated form. Such abbreviations - for example, the abbreviation “Glory, and now:” - are found in almost all prayer books. This not only saves space, but is also very convenient for experienced readers and singers. However, a novice prayer book can sometimes be confused by abbreviations that are not yet familiar to him. Therefore, we provide for our readers a list of the most common abbreviations that can be found in prayer books.
There are much more abbreviations of this kind in liturgical books: they are designed for the reader to have a firm knowledge of a very wide range of prayers and chants. In the Church Slavonic tradition, the indicator of such a contraction is the colon (:) - it plays here a role similar to the role of the ellipsis (...) in modern Russian writing.
1.
“Glory, and now:” (or: “Glory: And now:”) - Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
“Glory:” - Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
“And now:” - And now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Attention! In the Psalter, each of the kathismas - the twenty II parts into which the Psalter is divided for reading - is divided into three parts, after each of which it is usually written: “Glory:” (these parts are therefore called “Glories”). In this (and only this) case, the designation “Glory:” replaces the following prayers:
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God.
(Thrice)
Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
2.
“Alleluia” (Three times) - Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God. (Thrice)
3.
“The Trisagion according to Our Father” or “The Trisagion. The Most Holy Trinity... Our Father..." - the prayers are read sequentially:
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.
Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
4.
The abbreviation “Come, let us worship...” should read:
Come, let us worship our King God. (Bow)
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. (Bow)
Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. (Bow)
I
Everything or almost everything in any Orthodox prayer book is in Church Slavonic (with the exception of very few prayers, for example, the prayer of the Optina elders, the prayers of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt). Until now, none of the translations of existing Church Slavonic prayers and chants into Russian could compare with the Church Slavonic text in depth, power, accuracy and poetry. All Orthodox Christians who live a life of prayer know from their own spiritual experience how much this language gives to prayer, how akin it is to it. But for those who are just beginning to master prayers, their unusual language often seems like a difficult obstacle and even frightening.
How to overcome this barrier? Let's start with the fact that the language of our prayers - Church Slavonic - is not foreign and not alien to us. Almost all the words of this language are familiar to us or echo words familiar to us; woven into our consciousness. For a huge number of believers who have never taken any courses in the Church Slavonic language, it has become native, alive, and understandable.
Unfamiliar letters (Church Slavonic graphics), unfamiliar words and unfamiliar grammatical forms scare people away. Each of these imaginary obstacles is worth talking about separately.
Современные молитвословы на церковнославянском языке по большей части печатаются «гражданским шрифтом», то есть с помощью тех же букв, что и книги на русском языке, без «ятей» и «ижиц», но и без букв «э», «е». Таким же образом (поскольку это проще для большинства читателей) печатаются тексты молитв и в данной книге. «Гражданские» молитвословы дореволюционной поры тоже печатались теми же шрифтами, что книги на русском языке, поэтому в них были также буквы Ѣ (ять, передаваемый в современном письме буквой «е»), (фита — теперешнее «ф»), V (йжица — заменяется в некоторых случаях буквой «и», в некоторых — буквой «в»). Сориентироваться в этом не труднее, чем приспособиться к чтению журнала начала XX века.
The "kirillicheskaya pechat'" — the Church Slavonic script used for printing liturgical books and some prayerbooks — can intimidate newcomers. Most people find it more convenient to start their journey in prayer using the "civilian" script, but we would like to assure our readers that the Church Slavonic script is actually more convenient, and mastering it is not at all difficult!
It is more convenient for several reasons. First, the letters are usually larger and stand out more clearly, making it easier to distinguish them — this is very important for many people. Second (if it is a genuine Church Slavonic script, not some stylized version used even in advertisements!), all words carry their accents — which is extremely important for someone who knows the language poorly! In most "civilian" publications, accents are placed only in certain words, at best in all words with more than one syllable. This means that in phrases like "all my hope," "only my tears," and "multitude of stars," you might likely read "all" (instead of "all"), "my" (instead of "my"), "tears" (instead of "tears"), "stars" (instead of "stars"), even though you know that the Church Slavonic language has no "yo." Third, and most importantly, but difficult to prove — this Church Slavonic script is much better suited for the prayerful disposition of the soul; it sets one's mind more easily on such matters. Anyone who overcomes their fear of the "unclear letters" and tries reading them will soon notice.
Almost all peculiarities of the Church Slavonic script can be mastered without special help, simply by starting to read. The outlines of most letters are familiar, while unfamiliar ones can be figured out from context (for example, understanding that "OU" at the beginning of a word should be read as "u"). In this script, there are many overline marks; some of them can be disregarded (these so-called diacritics had meaning in Greek but do not convey any sound in Slavonic: small curved hooks pointing downwards); others are very important and useful: accents (which come in three forms: oblique strokes sloping to the right or left, or more horizontal, less curved hooks pointing downwards) and titlo — signs of abbreviation placed above a word. Words written under a titlo should simply be memorized; there aren't many of them. Always abbreviated and under a titlo are words like "Bog" (God), all its derivatives, "Iisus," "Vladiky," "Gospodi," "Otche," "Troitsa," and other words related to the Divine, as well as such words as "Tserkov'" (Church), "Angel" (Angel), "Evangelie" (Gospel) and others.
The Church Slavonic punctuation marks partly coincide with our own (period, comma, exclamation point), while partly differ (a colon here can coincide with our colon but can also mean a period and comma or an ellipsis; the Church Slavonic question mark resembles our period and comma).
There are only a few “completely unfamiliar” words in the Church Slavonic language; You must definitely find out their meaning and try to remember them. But often we simply cannot make out that an unfamiliar word is one of the forms of a familiar word. Slow, thoughtful reading, even without a dictionary, will help you recognize “acquaintances” in some “strangers,” feel the connections of a word with other words, and thus understand its meaning. And the more you pray in Church Slavonic, the more carefully you listen to the words of the service, the more steadily the number of “blank spots” in your Church Slavonic vocabulary will decrease.
There are, of course, many such forms; some of them are so unusual that they are included as a separate line in dictionaries. Your own guesses are not always correct, and not everything can be understood from the context. But still, this difficulty is ultimately overcome by many people who have never found the opportunity to sit down for a course in Church Slavonic grammar: after all, grammar is learned not only and not so much by memorizing declensions and conjugations - it is gradually “deposited” in our memory, in our consciousness and subconscious, if we are immersed in the element of a given language, and this certainly happens with attentive, thoughtful and steady execution of the prayer rule and conscious attending worship services.
In explaining the prayers in this book, we tried to help the inexperienced reader, focusing his attention on some forms of words and grammatical phrases characteristic of the Church Slavonic language. The explanations placed behind the * sign refer entirely to the peculiarities of the language.
II
To facilitate the first steps, the initial orientation in Church Slavonic texts, we will talk here about some of the most noticeable differences between the Church Slavonic language and modern Russian - about what most often stops an inexperienced reader.
This is in no way a textbook, and certainly not an abbreviated language course - but only something like road signs, telling you which direction to go, or warning against mistakes and dangers.
There are no sounds in the Church Slavonic language that do not exist in the Russian language.
Basically, the general rule applies: it is read as it is written. “What”, not “what”, “on him”, not “on the field”, and so on. When reading Church Slavonic, you will have to constantly struggle with your own pronunciation habits. Don’t forget that even if you read “to yourself,” the so-called inner speech works, in which both correct and incorrect pronunciations are reinforced. In particular, this is also why beginners are not recommended to read prayers “to themselves”, but are encouraged to read everything out loud, slowly, with attention to every word.
No “e”! We are so accustomed to them that they sometimes slip through even in the readings of fairly experienced church readers. Watch yourself: “mine”, “yours”, not “mine”, “yours”; “calling”, not “calling”, “tears”, not “tears”, “dead”, not “dead”, and so on.
When reading Church Slavonic texts, it is necessary to constantly monitor the stress in words: it often does not coincide with Russian. Try not to use books of the “civil press” that do not have accents or only certain words. Train yourself to constantly pay attention to stress, watch it, and better read more slowly, but correctly. Reading quickly but incorrectly does no good to the mind or soul.
The alternation of consonant sounds in related words and forms of the same word is a property not only of Church Slavonic, but also of the Russian language: to write - I write, father - fatherly. In Church Slavonic, such alternations are regular and more frequent than in Russian. Look at the chains of Church Slavonic words - how the consonants change in them; perhaps this will help you more easily recognize other familiar words in their Church Slavonic sound form:
man - man - people; youth - youth - youths
God - God - about God; book - scribe - at the bottom
Spirit - Soul - about Dus
judge - judge (note that in Russian in this case “d” changes to “zh”!)
want - I want; light - sveta (in Russian - “t” changes to “h”).
Vocative case
In the Church Slavonic language there are all the same cases as in Russian, and approximately the same word genders change according to cases as in the Russian language - nouns, adjectives, pronouns, etc. Of course, in some forms the words we know will have slightly different endings than in Russian, but understanding (and then remembering) these forms is not so difficult. But in the Church Slavonic language there is another case used when addressing - vocative. All the words below are in the vocative case:
Lord God, Almighty Lord, Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of Truth, Most Holy Theotokos Mary, Lady Virgin Mary
Reverend Father Sergius.
Dual
In the Church Slavonic language there is not only a singular and a plural, as in Russian, but also a dual one: if we are talking about two people or objects, a special form is used. You just need to remember this - sometimes this easily explains the unusual sound of a seemingly familiar word. Here are some examples of dual numbers: Both ruce. My hand. Rukama is your own. No one else can work for two masters.
Forms of the verb "to be"
You should remember at least the basic forms of the Church Slavonic verb “to be.” Here's how it changes in the present tense:
Singular
I am
You are
He is
Plural
We are
you eat
They are
Az - I. The verb, like all others, also has dual forms: we esma (m. r.), nayu (3rd person, that is, they, if there are two of them) esta (m. r.).
Church Slavonic has a more complex system of tenses than modern Russian: it has as many as four past tenses (those who have studied modern European languages should be familiar with this). Consider the forms of at least the first two of the past tenses given here (these tenses are the most common).
The aorist, the simple past tense, is the most common. This tense tells about a simple action that precedes the moment of the story - about something that happened before.
Singular Az nesoh, pisa You, he nes, pisa Plural We nesoh, pisahom You nesos, pisaste They nesosha, pisa
(Dual number: we are not sokhova, pisakhova; you, she is not sosta, pisasta).
Perfect - past perfect tense; it states the very fact of action: what has happened is an indisputable fact. The perfect consists of a verb form ending in -l (in grammars it is called the past participle in -l) and a present tense form of the verb “to be” (we have already given these forms). So:
Singular
I carried (carried) I am, wrote (wrote) am You carried (carried) you, wrote (wrote) you He carried (she carried) is, he wrote (she wrote) is
Plural
We carried the essence, wrote the essence You carried the essence, wrote the essence They carried the essence, wrote the essence
(Dual number: we carried Esta; you, she wrote Esta, carried Esta).
For those who want to be able to navigate in rarer forms, let's talk about the other two past tenses.
Next to the aorist, another past tense can be found - the imperfect, or the past continuous tense, which expresses an action correlative with another action, the main one. Some imperfect forms are similar to or even the same as aorist forms.
Singular Az nesyakh, pisakh You, he nesyakh, pisashe Plural We nesyakh, pisakha You nesyaste, pisakhu They nesyakha, pisakhu (Dual number: we nesyakhova, pisakhova; you, she nesyasta, pissasta).
The plusqua perfect, or long past tense, expresses an action in the past that preceded another action in the past. The plusquaperfect is formed from a verb form ending in -l and the verb “to be” in the aorist or imperfect.
Singular
I carried (carried) beh or carried (carried) bah You, he carried (you, she carried) bah or carried (carried) bash
Plural
We carried it with a bang or carried it with a bang
Did you carry the beste or carried the beaste
They carried besha or carried byakha
(Dual number: we carried bekhov or carried byakhova; you, she carried besta or carried byast).
We remind you once again that this is not a grammatical reference book, but an initial guide, quite sufficient to not get lost in unusual language forms. If you want to delve deeper into the structure of the Church Slavonic language and analyze texts on your own, you will need a textbook or grammar, as well as a dictionary more extensive than what is offered in this book.
Here we explain words that are not entirely understandable to modern people who do not know the Church Slavonic language and that are repeatedly found in prayers. Particular attention is paid to words that only seem understandable, but in reality have a slightly different meaning (or shades of meaning) in the church language from the modern one. These also include words of deep theological content. All of them were explained in their place in the book (as they were encountered in prayers), but sometimes for a better understanding it is important to see where else the same word is found, what kind of life it lives in other contexts, to look at words that are close in origin and meaning (the dictionary provides this opportunity). Sometimes a word needs a theological commentary, which is given in the book in an additional explanation of the prayer (such cases are noted in the dictionary). In this way, the dictionary complements the explanations of prayers, and the explanations of prayers enrich the dictionary.
Examples showing the life of words are taken not only from cell prayers, but also from some of the most famous liturgical texts.
Abie - immediately, immediately; suddenly.
Az - I. O Lord, I am Your servant (Ps. 116:7 - in the Rule for Communion). The verb to be in combination with I takes the form I am: everyone who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, for this abides in Me, and in Him I Am (prayer 6 for Holy Communion); The Son of the Living God, who came into the world to save sinners, from whom I am the first (prayer of John Chrysostom for Communion).
Alleluia (from Hebrew) - praise, glorify the Lord. A song in honor of the Triune God, which is sung or read three times, with the addition of praise to God: alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God!
Amen (from Hebrew) - truly; so be it.
Perhaps - where.
Archangel - military leader, commander in chief.
Also - 1) if. As if you had desired sacrifice, you would have given it (Ps. 50). Even if you save me from works, there is no grace and a gift, but a greater duty (prayer 8th morning). If I have sinned this past night, cover me this day (9th morning prayer). To whom shall I resort in my sorrow, if not to You, Queen of Heaven? (Prayer according to the canon of the Most Holy Theotokos). 2) although. Even though you descended into the grave, Immortal, you destroyed the power of hell (kontakion of Easter). I sin continually and anger Thy Son and my God, and many times when I repent, I find myself lying before God (prayer 9 for those who are coming to sleep); 3) whether. God, weaken, forgive, forgive me my sins, those who have sinned, whether in word, or in deed, or in thought (prayer 7 for Holy Communion). Forgive me the sinner... Elika Ti... those who have sinned, whether in reason or in foolishness, or in words or deeds (prayer 9 for Holy Communion). If only - if only. Or else - because, because. Even if faith, even in Thee, saves the desperate, behold, I believe (8th morning prayer). If not - if not (no).
Unknown - unknown, unknown.
Wordless - 1) deprived of the gift of speech and reason; often wordless means “animals”: Thou didst perceive in the den and in the manger of wordless reclining (prayer 2 for Communion); 2) unreasonable, crazy. Receive and in the manger my wordless soul... take it in (the same prayer). Noun speechlessness.
Yearlessness is an unfavorable time. adv. useless: Or useless sleep (prayer 3 for those coming to sleep).
Placeless - inappropriate, obscene. Desecrated by deeds, without place (canon for Communion).
Beginningless - having no beginning and authority, that is, Eternal and Omnipotent. The Parent is without beginning, the Son, God and Lord (irmos of the 9th canon of the canon for Communion). Co-beginning - also without beginning. The Father without beginning is co-essential with the Son and co-originating (1st prayer for Communion). The Co-original Word to the Father and the Spirit (Resurrection Troparion, 5th tone).
Without application - immeasurable, incomparable.
Beads - pearls; Absolutely a gem. Clever beads are a spiritual treasure: let me receive the smart beads, I will be sanctified (Theotokos according to the 4th hymn of the canon for Communion).
Good (plural, cf. the adjective good) - good, all good, good. Treasure of the Good (prayer to the Holy Spirit). Children, strengthen me in good things (Canon of the Guardian Angel, 6th canticle). His soul will dwell in good things (Ps. 24:13); 2) estate, treasures...
Compassion - mercy (literally: goodness of heart). Hoping for the mercy of Thy compassion... (at Matins from the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee to the 5th Sunday of Great Lent).
Compassionate - merciful (literally: having a good heart). Accept my prayer service, and offer it to the blessed God (7th morning prayer, to the Most Holy Theotokos). Thou hast descended from on high, O Blessed Mother (Sunday troparion, 8th tone). Most gracious, glory to You (troparion of the 7th Sunday after Easter).
Noble-rooted - firmly founded, durable...
Charity is good; goodness; bliss.
Keep (a dish) - carefully store, guard, observe. Beware of these, O man (canon of repentance).
Brushno - food, food. Mysterious meal (from prayers for Communion).
Vezhda - eyelash; eyelid.
Veliy - great; big.
Velmi - very, very. Thou hast striven for great passion in the temporal life (troparion to St. Sergius).
That's right - with faith. Faithfully singing Tya.
Nativity scene is a cave.
Broadcasting - speech, telling, preaching. Your message went out into the whole earth (troparion to St. Basil the Great).
Together - together.
Never - when.
Suggest (I suggest) - listen, listen, hear; inspire - hear, heed: inspire the voice of my prayer.
Lift up (raise) - lift up, stretch out.
Offering - 1) sacrificial offering, praise, glorification, glorification. Then be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offering (Ps. 50); exaltation, arrogance. Lady Theotokos... put down the enemy's heaps (canon to the Guardian Angel, 5th hymn).
Cry, cry, cry - scream loudly, cry out for help with a cry; we cry out to you - we cry out to you.
Volity - to want, to desire; vouchsafe. Weigh my offense, resolve it like you will (prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos). The will is the one who wants, the one who shows inclination, will towards something. The Commander of mercy... implore (canon to the Most Holy Theotokos).
Stink - into it (cf.: nan); stinks - into which.
Vperyaty (I'm staring) - to inspire. This is what they hold me to (prayer 6 for Communion).
Vskaya - why, for what, why.
All sorts of things—everything that exists, the whole world. God of all (prayer 6 for Communion).
I will take it out - always, incessantly, at all times. My sin is taken away before me (Ps. 50:5).
Vyshnyaya - upper, mountainous, heavenly. God... living in the highest - God who lives in heaven, on the heights of heaven (5th morning prayer).
Verb (I am a verb) - to speak.
Mockery (I'm mocking) - 1) to mock, to be amused; 2) reflect.
Mockery - 1) idle talk, mockery, ridicule; thoughtfulness, sadness, sadness.
Goniti (I am driving) - 1) to drive; chase, pursue; 2) follow, hold on. Why... fornication and pride are persecuting? (canon of repentance, 4th canto). Wed: get married, get married, get married.
Highlander - bitter, cruel, hard, with difficulty.
Give - give: singular form of the imperative mood of the verb dati. Give us this day our daily bread (Lord's Prayer). Do not let me fall asleep in sinful death (2nd morning prayer).
Dasi - you will give: the 2nd person singular form of the present tense of the verb dati.
Power - strength, power, subject area; sovereign - strong, mighty; chosen, excellent, beautiful. Your cup makes me drunken, like a mighty one (Ps. 22:5).
Boldness - courage, fearlessness, hope. For having boldness towards the Heavenly King, pray to Him... (canon to the Guardian Angel, 9th canto).
Right hand - right hand; in a figurative sense - strength, power, patronage.
Kindness - 1) beauty, splendor; 2) inner perfection, goodness. The indescribable sweetness of those who behold Your face, the indescribable kindness (5th morning prayer; see explanation for this prayer).
Dondezhe - until, until, until.
E - his (vin. case of the neuter pronoun it).
Food - really, really.
Hedgehog (e + zhe) - 1) which (neuter pronoun izhe - which); 2) conjunction: in order, so that, what, if, when; 3) an untranslatable particle, corresponding in grammatical constructions to the Greek article. Wed: same, same.
To her - yes.
Eliko - how, how much.
Life Giver - Giver of Life. We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ... (the magnification of the Lord's holidays).
The belly is life. Lord and Master of my life... (Lenten prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian). O angel of God, my holy guardian, keep my life in the passion of Christ God (troparion to the guardian angel). Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs (troparion of Easter). You reposed to the belly, Mother of the Being of the Belly (troparion of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary). Our Life and Resurrection, Lord, glory to Thee (resurrection troparion, 8th tone). Eternal life: Thy Holy Body, Lord Jesus Christ our God, be with me in the eternal life (4th prayer after Holy Communion).
Life-giving. Life-giving Holy Spirit. Life-giving Body of the Lord. The most pure and life-giving Mysteries of Christ. Life-giving Cross of the Lord. Life-giving - life-giving. Life-giving and immaculate Sacraments (6th prayer for Holy Communion). Life-giving. By Thy three-day and life-giving resurrection of the fallen forefather, raise up me... (3rd prayer for Holy Communion).
Animal - full of life; giving life. Animal bread - Bread of life: Lord Jesus Christ, His Body in the Sacrament of Communion: For you are animal bread (2nd prayer for Holy Communion). The Bread of the Animals is the Most Holy Meal, from above mercy for the sake of the one who descended, and the world who gives a new life (Theotokos according to the 3rd ode of the canon for Communion). The animal tree is the Tree of Life: the one whose fruits Adam and Eve ate in paradise, and the Tree of the Cross of the Lord that gave us life: Those who enjoy the animal tree remain incorruptible forever (troparion to St. Equal to the Apostles Prince Olga). The book of animals is the book of life: Lord Jesus Christ, write me Thy servant in the book of animals (prayer of St. John Chrysostom, from the 7th prayer for those who are coming to sleep). Perform all animal blessings (prayer before eating).
Zane, zanezhe - for, because.
Here - here.
Zelo - very, strongly, a lot; green - strong. Do not be very angry with us (troparia from prayers for the future sleep).
The Creator is the Creator, the Creator.
Evil is bad, fierce, hard.
A sign is a sign; miracle; military banner. The sign of the cross is the sacred sign of the Cross. Image (icon) of the Sign of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
And - him (vin. case of the pronoun he).
Idezhe - where. In the everlasting peace I will achieve, where the celebrants have an unceasing voice (1st prayer after Communion).
Izhe (and + same) - 1) which, which (masculine gender). Our Father, Who art in Heaven (Lord's Prayer); My Lord, my consolation, who for the sake of me, the accursed, has clothed himself in corruptible flesh (prayer 8 for those who are coming to sleep); 2) an untranslatable particle, corresponding in grammatical constructions to the Greek article. O good one, O Lord, glory to Thee (troparion of Great Thursday). An ascetic like the virtues (troparion to St. Sergius of Radonezh). Wed: hedgehog, even.
Deign (I please) - choose, prefer.
I will marry (I will be married, I will be married) - expel; if he emasculates, emasculates, he will expel; if they are married, emasculated, they will be expelled. But the wicked will become wives (Ps. 36:28) - the wicked will be destroyed. Wed: drive, marry, marry.
Sometimes - no time, someday. Grant me, O Lord, now to love Thee, as sometimes I have loved that very sin (8th morning prayer).
Confess - openly admit, tell from the depths of your being; give praise, glory; confession - open recognition, praise, glory... Open my lips... sing to You in confession with my heart (prayer to the Most Holy Trinity, from morning prayers).
Fulfill, fulfill (I will fulfill, fulfill) - fill, fill. Open our lips and fulfill Your praise (6th morning prayer); fulfillment - 1) filling, that which fills: the Lord’s earth, and its fulfillment (Ps. 23:1); 2) completeness, completion: You are the fulfillment of all good things, my Christ, fill my soul with joy and gladness (prayer at the end of every task). Virgin, Who has received the fulfillment of joy (canon to the Most Holy Theotokos, 9th hymn).
Hyssop is a herbaceous plant, the stems of which were used as sprinkler: Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean (Ps. 50).
Corruption - decay; destruction, death, devastation. Without the corruption of God the Word, we magnify Thee, who gave birth to the living Mother of God (prayer “It is worthy to eat...”).
Kamo - where.
Icon - Ark of the Covenant: a special box in which the tablets of the covenant and other Old Testament relics were kept. Like the animate ark of God, let the hand of the wicked never touch it (worthy of the feasts of the Entry and Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos).
Cue - which, which.
Kiyzhdo - everyone; each - each; each and every one.
An oath is a curse. Let us honor the Lady of the World, who has delivered us from the oath, with songs (stichera after the canon to the Most Holy Theotokos).
Red is wonderful, beautiful.
Krilo - wing. In Your honor - under the shelter of Your wings, under Your protection. In the shadow of Your wing (2nd prayer after Communion). May your prayers protect us with the shelter of your immaterial glory (troparion to the incorporeal ranks of Heaven).
Except - outside, beyond, without. May I not alone abide besides You (6th prayer for Communion); except Your grace (ibid.).
Face (1) - face, image.
Face (2) - a collection of singers and dancers; a cheerful ceremonial meeting; system, host, collection of people. Ethereal (angelic) faces. Apostolic face. Make me a communicant of righteous faces (canon to the Guardian Angel).
To rejoice - to triumph, to celebrate.
Likhva - profit, growth; extortion - charging excess.
Lozhesna - womb; from false - from birth.
Evil - insidious, evil, deceitful (the opposite of the word right - straight and related to the words onion, onion - bend; cf. another Russian word: krivda). I have sinned against You alone, and I have created evil before You (Ps. 50:6). Evil, evil and blasphemous thoughts (10th morning prayer). I weep for the deeds of my evil ones (sedal of the canon of repentance). Deliver us from the evil one (Lord’s Prayer; in the nominative case here the evil one is evil, evil). Do not give room to the evil demon to possess me (morning prayer to the Guardian Angel). Personified as the name of the devil: Deign, O Lord, to deliver me from the snare of the evil one (prayer 4 for those who are coming to sleep).
Cunning, deceit - deceit, villainy. My mind about the wickedness of the world is always moving (prayer 3 for those coming to sleep). Deliver me from all the wickedness of the enemy who opposes me (evening prayer to the Guardian Angel).
Mrezha - fishing net, seine.
Money-grubbing is greed.
Mental - spiritual. I will be hunted by the mental wolf (2nd prayer for Communion). Wed: verbal, smart.
Muscle - shoulder. More often in a figurative meaning: strength, strength, power; high muscle - raised arm, hand (also an image of strength and power). With Your high arm, grant us Your peace (irmos).
Mostly - especially, most of all (cf.: more - more).
Punish (I punish) - teach; humble; punish; punishment - instruction, teaching. Punishing the Lord (Ps. 117:18) - the Lord punished me severely. Even before night my bowels chastised me (Ps. 15:7) - even at night my bowels teach me.
Nan - at him.
Misfortune - trouble, misfortune, temptation. Lord, do not lead me into misfortune (prayer 7 for those coming to sleep). ...The time of sowing night will pass by without misfortune... (4th morning prayer). The sea of life, raised in vain by the storm of misfortunes... (irmos of the 6th canon of the penitential canon).
To be perplexed (I am perplexed), to be perplexed (I am perplexed) - to be unskillful, ignorant, unable to understand, to comprehend with the mind, not to know what to do. Bewildered by any answer, we offer this prayer to You as the Master of sin: have mercy on us (troparia from prayers for the coming sleep). Every tongue is perplexed to praise according to its heritage... (worthy of the Epiphany).
Confusion - 1) not knowing what to do, how to act; 2) confusion, embarrassment. Pray to deliver us from all bewilderment (Theotokos of the 3rd hymn of the canon to the Guardian Angel). Bewilderment comes to me because of the evils that have happened to me (Canon of the Guardian Angel, 4th Canto).
Incomprehensible - inaccessible to the mind, beyond the mind. Christ our God Mother, as if she gave birth to all the Creator in bewilderment.
Ineffable - unspeakable, inexpressible. The indescribable sweetness of those who behold Your face, the indescribable kindness (5th morning prayer).
Unartificial - one who has not known marriage.
Inexperienced - not knowing her husband, retaining her virginity; unartfully - without knowing a husband: the Father of the Beginning Son, the first-born Matter unartfully, we magnify (worthy of the Presentation of the Lord).
Inexcusable - worthless, unworthy.
Infertile - barren.
Not - no, does not exist, is not (not + is); not - I am not, I am not... (not + am); carry - you are not, you are not... (not + you), etc.
Imperishable - 1) immortal, not subject to destruction. How do I partake of the Divine Body and Blood of clay and become incorruptible? (canon for Communion, 8th hymn); 2) pure, unalloyed, remaining in its full composition. One pure and incorruptible Lord (3rd prayer for Communion; see explanation in the text of the prayer).
Below - neither; and (even) neither; A; only.
Nikoli, Nikoli - never. ...For I have done no more good things before You (1st morning prayer).
Both - but, however, on the contrary.
Turn around - 1) turn around, turn around; 2) change, transform, correct. Not desiring the death of the sinner, but as if he were to turn and live (8th Evening Prayer; goes back to Ezek. 33:11). Noun appeal. Grant me a conversion to the accursed (same prayer).
Condition - 1) siege, onslaught. Save me from every resistant situation (prayer of the 4th century).
Deliver me from the present situation of demons (8th evening prayer); 2) attack, trouble. Existing in illness and sorrow, troubles and sorrows, circumstances and captivity (memory of the living). Remember, Lord, our captive brothers, and deliver me from every situation (from evening prayers).
Fiery - fire-like.
Right hand - on the right side.
Odr - bed, bed. Will this coffin really be my bed? (prayer of St. John of Damascus, from evening prayers).
Bitterness is a disaster, grief, full of all sorts of evils. Fierce bodily embitterment (canon of the Most Holy Theotokos, 3rd hymn).
Damned - unhappy, pitiful, distressed, filled with torment. ... Take away from me, Thy humble and cursed servant... all the nasty, evil and blasphemous thoughts from my cursed heart and from my darkened mind; and extinguish the flame of my passions, for I am poor and damned (prayer 10th morning). My Lord, my consolation, who for the sake of the wretched one has clothed himself in corruptible flesh, pluck me from wretchedness, and grant consolation to my wretched soul (8th Evening Prayer).
Altar - altar, altar.
Open (I open) - open, open. Open the doors of mercy to us, O Blessed Mother of God (troparion to the Most Holy Theotokos). O Christ Bje... open the doors of paradise to the robber, open unto me the wombs of Thy love for mankind (prayer 10 for Holy Communion). Open my mouth: Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare your praise (Ps. 50:17). Open my lips to learn Your words (prayer to the Most Holy Trinity, from morning prayers).
Otvratiti (I will turn away) - turn away, take aside, reject, turn back; return. Turn away all anger directed at us (from the petition of the lithium). Do not turn away Thy servants' vanity (troparion to the Most Holy Theotokos).
Otzheniti (az otzhenu) - drive away. Drive away all Satan's work from me (4th Evening Prayer). Wed: persecute, marry, marry.
Shepherd is a shepherd.
Again, again, again: again and again let us pray to the Lord in peace (extreme litany). I have seduced them with my madness... By Your Divine Providence, return them again to the path of salvation (memory of the living).
Re-being is a new being, rebirth, renewed life.
More - bigger, higher, better.
Finger - dust, earth.
Captive - chain. Bound by the captivity of the Falls, by Your prayers allow, Bride of God (7th morning prayer). He is now bound by many captives of sins (Theotokos according to the 3rd song of the penitential canon).
Befitting - to ought, to ought; appropriate - worthy, decent, ought.
Imitate (unrelated to imitate) - push. We know that (the Most Holy Theotokos) imitates Your love for mankind (prayer of the 4th eve).
To marry - to comprehend, to catch up (cf. the cognate word drive; in the root both consonant and vowel sounds alternate). Your mercy will marry me all the days of my life (Ps. 22:6). Wed: persecute, ostracize, ostracize.
Devour - sacrifice. I will devour a sacrifice of praise for you (Ps. 116:8).
Show - make obvious, reveal. In prayers to the Guardian Angel: Pray for me to the Lord, may He strengthen me in His passion, and may His worthy servant show me His goodness (9th morning prayer). May the All-Holy Trinity show me worthy of the goodness and mercy (11th evening prayer).
Thought - 1) thought, thought; mental activity. Enlighten my soul with good thoughts (Ikos of the Canon to the Guardian Angel). Keep the thoughts of Your servant unperturbed (4th Evening Prayer). Take away from me all the evil thoughts of this visible life (the same prayer); 2) sinful thoughts (the concept of asceticism).
More - because, because.
Haste is a help (in achieving success). Deliver me... from the devil's haste (3rd morning prayer).
Consume - destroy, exterminate.
To push - to put into rapid motion, to accelerate; act diligently. Try to help me - hurry to help me. Let us strive for repentance - let us strive for repentance.
To anticipate - to warn, to appear earlier, to overtake. Mother of God, Lady, advance us and deliver us from troubles (troparion according to the 3rd song of the canon to the Most Holy Theotokos). Having preceded the morning even about Mary - before the morning those who were with Mary (Ipaka of Easter).
Most High - located above everything, under heaven.
Prelagati - transform, change, turn into another form.
Prelest - deception, seduction, deception. The beauty of enemy. The charmer is a deceiver: Let not... the charmer delight me with the flatterer (6th prayer for Communion).
Contempt - 1) contempt, arrogance; 2) obstinacy, disobedience (that is, contempt for instructions and orders, neglect of them).
Transform - transform, turn into another form, change. You offered lamentation to the myrrh-bearers (Sunday troparion, 7th tone). Release me from my bonds (canon to the Guardian Angel, 9th canto). Noun proposal.
Rev. - 1) highly similar to God (preserving, acquiring the likeness of God characteristic of the first man), righteous, holy, pleasing to God. The death of His saints is honorable before the Lord (Ps. 116:6); 2) naming the rank of holiness - those who achieved this godlikeness through monastic feats. Reverend Father Sergius, pray to God for us.
Transform (I transform) - transform, remake, change. Heal, transforming illness into health (canon of the Most Holy Theotokos, 9th hymn).
Repression is punishment; extreme and sharp manifestation of evil feelings; threat.
To resort (I am resorting) - to find (refuge, shelter, protection; to come, seeking help, to seek help. Deliver Thy servant from troubles, O Great Merciful One, as we diligently resort to Thee, the merciful Deliverer, the Master of all, the Lord Jesus (from the prayer service). I take refuge under Thy mercy. To whom shall I take refuge in my sorrow, if not to Thee, the Queen Heavenly? (Prayer according to the canon to the Most Holy Theotokos).
Refuge - refuge, safe place. To whom shall I resort when I am guilty, if not to You, the hope and refuge of sinners? (Prayer according to the canon to the Most Holy Theotokos).
Application - addition, addition, multiplication. Yes, there would be... Your grace would have an application (canon for Communion, 6th hymn). Application of sins (4th prayer for Communion).
Attach (I will attach) - attach; venerate - join.
To fall (I'm falling) - to bend over, bow down, fall at someone's feet. Rising from sleep, we fall down, Ti, Blessed (Trinity troparia in morning prayers). I offer the midnight hymn to Ti, Savior, and falling down crying to Ti (2nd morning prayer). Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ. I pray to You while crouching.
Ever and ever: now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Ever-present - eternal.
Participant - Participant: He will show me a partaker of Your eternal glory (8th morning prayer).
A friend is a place for placement or for adoption: shelter, receptacle, storage. Friend, show me then (the Holy Spirit) coming (3rd prayer for Communion). Theotokos, friend of the orphans (prayer according to the canon to the Most Holy Theotokos).
Add (I’ll add) - extend, save.
Vegetate - to grow.
Opposite - 1) opposing, enemy; demonic. Save me from every nasty temptation (9th morning prayer). 2) outside, alien. Thou hast granted me... the past time of the night of sowing, without misfortune, to pass away from all evil that is disgusting (prayer 4th morning). Wed: resistive.
Work is slavery. The work of the enemy is slavery to the enemy: free me from the work of sowing the enemy (canon of repentance, 6th canto). Work - serve slavishly, be in slavery.
For the sake of - 1) for (indicates the purpose, purpose): for Thy name's sake (prayer to the Most Holy Trinity); for our sake, man and ours for the sake of salvation... (Creed, 4th member); My Lord... For the sake of the accursed, those like me have covered themselves with corruptible flesh (prayer 8 for those who are coming to sleep); 2) by: prayers for the sake of - by prayers; for the sake of Thy mercy - according to Thy mercy; 3) because of: do not leave them to perish for me for the sake of a sinner (memory of the living); existing... in persecution, for your sake and the Orthodox faith (memorial of the living). For this sake - because of this, therefore, for this reason: For this sake of the Heavenly Powers I cry out to Ti... (Resurrection troparion, 1st tone); for this reason you have acquired high humility (the general troparion to the saint); For this reason we cry out to you.
Except - except... There are no other imams of help, no other imams of hope, except for You, Most Pure Virgin (kontakion of the prayer canon to the Most Holy Theotokos). For you are our God, don’t you know indgos (irmos of the 5th song of the canon to the Guardian Angel).
Permission is liberation. Release me from my bonds and grant me permission (canon of the Guardian Angel, 9th canticle). Wed: allow.
Allow (I will allow) - untie, free. Weigh my offense, resolve it like a will (prayer according to the canon to the Most Holy Theotokos). Resolve the darkness of my sins, Bride of God (canon of the Most Holy Theotokos, 5th hymn). Nesov. allow (I allow). Wed: decide.
Corrupt (I am corrupting) - ruin, destroy.
Decide - release. Nesov. decide. You know... I will solve rumors of adversity (canon of the Most Holy Theotokos, 6th hymn). Wed: allow.
Decree (I say the river) - say: rekl you - you said; rtsy - tell me.
Horn - strength, strength, advantage; raise (or lift up) the horn - glorify, strengthen strength, grant victory over the enemy.
Here it is.
Village is a dwelling. This is a heavenly village (kontakion of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Church).
Canopy - 1) Shadow, darkness. In the shadow of Your wing (2nd prayer after Communion). In the law, the canopy and scripture we see the image of the faithful (the worthy of the Presentation of the Lord). The shadow of death is the darkness of death. For the expression Luminous Seine of Heaven, see the explanation for the 7th morning prayer; 2) tent, tent.
Skudel - clay, shard.
Sweets are sensual pleasures, pleasures, lusts. The path is wide here and create sweets that are pleasing (canon of repentance, 4th canticle).
Verbal - 1) verbal; 2) intelligent, gifted with reason and words (as opposed to dumb). Your verbal flock (memory of the living); mental, spiritual. Verbal service is intelligent, spiritual service expressed in words in the spirit of true faith. Verbal paradise (the name of the Mother of God) is the paradise of God the Word, the paradise of Christ. Consecrated to the church and paradise verbal (“He rejoices in You”). Wed: mental, smart; speechless.
Word (plural words) - 1) word. Do not despise my... words (6th prayer for Communion); 2) speech. For you may be justified in all Your words, and be victorious and never judge You (Ps. 50:6); 3) the gift of speech, the ability to express; 4) law, commandment, teaching. Learn from your words (prayer to the Most Holy Trinity in the morning; prayer 4th evening). God the Word is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Humility - 1) a humble state, being at the bottom; nonentity. Humble yourself now to my humility (2nd prayer for Communion); 2) one of the main virtues: lack of pride. You have acquired high humility (troparion to St. Nicholas).
Humble - 1) humiliated, humiliated; humbled, bent over; short. God... is alive in the highest and looks down on the humble (5th morning prayer; for the contrast in the Holy Scriptures between the high and the high and the humble and the low, see the explanation for this prayer). Humble bones (Ps. 50:10); 2) having humbled himself, humbled, tamed, possessing humility. God will not despise a contrite and humble heart (Ps. 50:19).
Look - the Providence of God, the predestination of God, the economy of God - the accomplishment of our salvation by the miraculous means of Divine wisdom; “the unceasing action of the omnipotence, wisdom and goodness of God, by which God preserves the existence and powers of creatures, directs them to good goals, promotes all good, and the evil that arises through removal from good suppresses or corrects and turns to good consequences” (Long Christian Catechism). I heard, O Lord, Thy sacrament, I understood Thy works, and glorified Thy Divinity (irmos of the 4th song of the canon of the Most Holy Theotokos and the canon of the Guardian Angel).
Co-beginning see Beginningless.
Complete (I will complete) - finish; perfect, establish: perfect my steps (Ps. 16:5).
Co-creator - Creator, Creator. Creator and Maker of all things, O God... (troparion before the beginning of every good deed).
Sleepiness is a dream.
Host - assembly, society.
Resistant - opposing; hostile. Save me from every resistant situation (4th prayer for the future Dream). Granting victories against resistance (troparion to the Cross). Wed: nasty.
Sryasch - attack; everything that happens unexpectedly, for example, an unexpected disaster. From cartilage and the midday demon (Ps. 90:6).
A path is a path, a narrow road for a pedestrian.
Strange - aloof, alien; wandering. Strange is all kinds of torment, show me (7th morning prayer). Theotokos, intercessor of the strange... Nourish me as I am strange (prayer according to the canon to the Most Holy Theotokos). Virginity is foreign to mothers, and childbearing is strange to virgins (a tribute to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary).
Passionate - 1) filled with suffering, unhappy. Holy Angel, stand before me more wretched than my soul and more passionate than my life... (9th morning prayer); 2) related to sinful passion, filled with sinful passions.
Passion - 1) suffering; 2) sinful passion - an attraction to sin, a vice that has taken root in the soul and through habit has become, as it were, its sinful property. ...Extinguish the flame of my passions (10th morning prayer). By Thy Passion, O Christ, we are freed from passions (Sunday stichera on the stichera of the 1st tone).
Stud - shame, reproach; cold - shameful, shameful. I... drove you away from me with all the cold affairs (prayer according to the canon to the Guardian Angel).
Stuzhati - to oppress, oppress; those who are cold are those who insult, that is, persecutors, enemies, adversaries: Thou hast prepared a table before me to resist those who are cold against me (Ps. 22:5).
Adversary - adversary, adversary, enemy. ...Given to us Your Honest Cross, to drive away every adversary (prayer to the Honest Cross). Drive away from us every enemy and adversary (prayer at lithium).
Sy - existing, existing, appearing: active participle of the verb to be.
A hiding place is someone to whom secrets are revealed. The great secret place of God's grace (kontakion to the holy Apostle John the Theologian).
Tai - secretly.
Tat is a thief.
Every time - the same thing: I repent, trembling... and hour by hour I do the same again (prayer 9, to the Most Holy Theotokos, for those coming to sleep).
Creation - creation: All creation sings of Thee (5th morning prayer).
Yours is yours.
To you - you.
Namesake - same name, eponymous; Thus, Christians are the namesake of Christ (kontakion of the Exaltation), the Apostle Andrew names courage (kontakion of the apostle; Andrew in Greek is “courageous”).
Also - therefore, because, for that.
Mother-in-law (az teku) - run, go quickly. Tetsite and preach to the world that the Lord has risen (Ipakoi Easter).
Aphids - 1) decay, damage, death. Raise my belly from aphids, O Omni-merciful One (irmos of the 6th song of the penitential canon). There is a seed of aphids in me (prayer 2 for those who are coming to sleep); 2) eternal death (contrasted with eternal life, immortality); 3) moral depravity, corruption of morals.
Just - only, only only.
Tochiyu - only.
Skinny - empty, vain.
Carefully - diligently.
Trinity - relating to the Holy Trinity. In the Jordan I am baptized to You, O Lord, the Trinity Adoration appears (troparion of the Epiphany).
Tune - for nothing; in vain.
Vain - with nothing (cf. modern: vain). Do not turn away Thy servants' clothes (troparion to the Theotokos before the prayer canon to the Most Holy Theotokos).
Tyya - those.
Darkness - 1) darkness, gloom; 2) ten thousand; in a figurative sense - an innumerable multitude.
For now - 1) so: We know, Lord, that I am unworthy of Your love for mankind... (prayer of St. John of Damascus, for the coming sleep); 2) because, in this case. Yes, when they see You crucified, they will understand free suffering (kontakion of the Transfiguration of the Lord). May I not alone abide besides You, the Giver of Life (6th prayer for Holy Communion); 3) same. As Thou hast foretold, O Christ, that it would be done to Thy wicked servant; and abide in me (canon for Holy Communion, 6th hymn). May Satan not kidnap me (8th morning prayer). Or else - because, because. Even if faith, even in Thee, saves the desperate, behold, I believe... (8th morning prayer). Ubo - same - is used to express opposition or comparison: And to the one I gave five talents, to the one two, and to the one one (Matthew 25:15).
Uglebati (I am angling) - to get bogged down, to sink. How long have you been gathering your wealth like a bee? (canon of repentance, 4th canto).
Oud is a member of the body. Pass into my hearts, into all my parts, into my womb, into my heart (3rd prayer after Communion). Root Your fear in my lands (2nd prayer for Communion). Now... I bow down to my grateful lands, my soul and body (6th prayer for Communion).
Smart is spiritual. Enlighten my intelligent eyes of the heart (4th prayer after Communion). Clever multitudes - angelic hosts. Smart beads are a spiritual treasure: let me receive the smart beads, I will be sanctified (canon for Communion, 4th hymn). Wed: mental, verbal.
Mouth - mouth, lips. Open my mouth... (prayer to the Most Holy Trinity, from morning prayers). Just as you did not abhor her foul and unclean lips...below mine, abhor the foul and unclean lips, below my vile and unclean lips (Prayer 2 for Holy Communion). The mouth as an organ of speech: The Glorious Mother of God... let us silently sing with our hearts and lips... (from prayers for those who are coming to bed). Wed: oral.
Oral - lip; the dual number of mouth is lips, mouth, lips. From unclean lips, from a vile heart, from an unclean tongue, from a soul defiled, accept prayer... (prayer 6 for Holy Communion). Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth declares your praise (Ps. 50:17). Accept our prayers, even... from the bad lips we make to You (5th morning prayer). Through your lips teach everyone to worship the One God in the Trinity (kontakion of the canon to St. John Chrysostom). Wed: mouth.
Affirmation - strengthening, support. Belly affirmation. Confirmation of those who hope for You; establish, O Lord, the Church.
Utrennevati (also morning) - get up early, do something in the morning. To you in the morning. With Thy God's light, O Blessed One, illuminate the souls of Thy morning with love (irmos of the 5th song of the penitential canon).
Establishment - definition, arrangement.
To be generous (azushchedryu) - to take pity, to have mercy, to show generous mercy (cf.: generosity). Indulge me.
Honest - to whom honor belongs, revered, worthy of honor. Honest Cross. Honest Church. Your Honest Body. Honest Blood. We magnify You, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim... the real Mother of God.
The death of His saints is honorable before the Lord (Ps. 116:6).
Generosity - mercy generously, abundantly provided; sympathy, compassion, pity. According to the multitude of Your compassions, cleanse my iniquity (Ps. 50:3).
yu - her (wine case of the feminine pronoun she).
Yudol is a valley, a low-lying place.
Yuzhe (yu + zhe) - which (or her) (vin. feminine case from the pronoun izhe - which): I glorify the Most Pure Mother of God Mary, You have given us sinners intercession (prayer 4 for those who are coming to sleep) - ...Whom You have given to us, sinners, as an Intercessor.
I am them (vin. case of the personal pronoun they).
Even (I + same) - 1) which, which (plural case from the pronoun like - which): accept our prayers, even now... we are doing (the 5th morning prayer); forgive me the sins I have committed this day... (prayer 1 for those coming to sleep); 2) an untranslatable particle, corresponding in grammatical constructions to the Greek article. Wed: hedgehog, even.
Language - 1) Language; 2) People, tribe; tongues are also pagans.
As - 1) as: Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth (the Lord's prayer). Lord, as a man who has sinned, You, as a generous God, have mercy on me (prayer 7 for those coming to sleep); 2) that: We thank You, for You have not destroyed us with our iniquities (6th morning prayer). Believe me, O Queen, for I am constantly sinning (prayer 9 for those coming to sleep); 3) since: Save me, for You are my God (8th morning prayer). Extinguish the flame of my passions, for I am poor and damned; 4) so: For thou shalt be justified in all Thy words (Ps. 50:6). As if yes - so that (points to the goal): For the sake of love, you came and became incarnate for many, as if you saved everyone (8th morning prayer).
As - as: And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors (Lord's Prayer). Grant me, O Lord, now to love Thee, as sometimes I have loved that very sin (8th morning prayer); Receive me also, O Lord who loves mankind, as a harlot, as a thief, as a publican, and as a prodigal (Prayer 1 for Holy Communion).
Akathist (in Greek - “unsaddled singing”) is a form of church poetry. The Akathist consists of 25 stanzas, each two of which (kontakion and ikos) form a semantic link. The akathist kontakia (except for the first) end with the exclamation “Alleluia”; Ikos contain twelve greetings each beginning with the word “Rejoice.” The last, twenty-fifth stanza of the akathist (13th kontakion) is a prayerful appeal to the glorified and is read three times.
Alleluia (from the Hebrew “praise God”) is a song in honor of the Triune God. Most often, this song is sung or read during worship three times, with the addition of praise to God: “Glory to Thee, O God!”
Theotokos - a chant addressed to the Most Holy Theotokos. The Theotokos are placed at the end of a series of hymns - for example, the troparions of the canon.
Great Compline see Compline.
Magnification is a short church chant glorifying the Lord, the Mother of God or the saints.
Voice is a melody in church voice music. There are 8 voices in total (a symbol of eternity: the number 7 contains the present time, according to the days of creation, and the eighth day will be after the resurrection of the dead). Each voice has its own shade in the modulation of the voice and is aimed at expressing and awakening in Christians worthy feelings towards God. The complex system of church voices has been modified at different times and in different countries, but the main thing—the prayerful mood, which is conveyed by the musical structure of the voice—has been preserved to this day. A parishioner who is inexperienced in church singing should at least know that the same voice means one melody for troparions, another for stichera, another for irmos, etc.
The Twelfth Feasts are the twelve greatest (after Easter) holidays of the Church: 1) Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8/21); 2) Exaltation of the Precious Cross of the Lord (September 14/27); 3) Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the church (November 21/December 4); 4) Christmas (December 25/January 7); 5) Epiphany (Epiphany) (January 6/19); 6) Presentation of the Lord (February 2/15); 7) Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (March 25/April 7); 8) Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (a week before Easter); 9) Ascension of the Lord (40th day after Easter, Thursday); 10) Day of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost) (50th day after Easter); 11) Transfiguration of the Lord (August 6/19); 12) Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15/28).
The Eucharist (in Greek - “Thanksgiving”) is the Sacrament of the Church, the basis of the Liturgy: the offering of the great sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ, performed at the Divine Liturgy, as well as this sacrifice itself - the Body and Blood of Christ.
Zadostoynik is the irmos of the 9th song of the canon, which is sung on the twelfth holidays and their after-feasts at the Divine Liturgy instead of “It is worthy...” (for “It is worthy”). During the period of singing of the saint (before the celebration of the holiday), they are supposed to replace the prayer “It is worthy to eat...” also in the cell rule (morning and evening prayers).
Ikos - 1. Church chant, containing the glorification of a holy or celebrated event. Ikos is similar in content and presentation to kontakion (kontakion and ikos, read from the 6th song of the canon, usually end with the same words), but is broader than kontakion. 2. Akathist stanza (along with kontakia).
Ipakoi (in Greek - “attention”, “obedience”) is a short chant that is sung or read at Sunday matins (before the antiphons), at festive matins for the holidays of the Nativity of Christ, Epiphany, Easter, etc. (after the third song of the canon), as well as as part of the Easter hours.
Irmos (in Greek - “connection, connection”) is the first in a series of troparia that make up the song of the canon. Irmos is the model on which the rest of the troparia of this song are compiled. In modern practice, the irmos is sung, and the rest of the troparia are read (in ancient times, all the troparia of the canon were sung).
Kathisma (kathisma) (in Greek - “seat”, “sedal”) is one of the 20 sections of the Psalter. Each kathisma is divided into 3 parts, or “Glory,” since after reading each such part of the kathisma it is read: “Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God” (three times). You can sit while reading the kathismas, but you must stand up during the short doxology.
Kontakion - 1. A short song containing a statement of the essence of the holiday. Kontakion and ikos, which is similar in content and form, are sung or read after the 6th song of the canon; the same kontakion is also read on the clock. 2. Akathist stanza (along with ikos).
The Greek word "kontakion" literally means "peg", "roller" - a wooden roller on which the scroll was wound; this meaning easily transferred to the scroll itself. The original kontakion is a genre of Byzantine hymnography created by the Venerable Roman the Sweet Singer (the first kontakion was the kontakion of the Nativity of Christ - “Today the Virgin gives birth to the Most Essential...”) and gained enormous popularity until it was forced out of the service by the canon. It was a hymn consisting of a large number of stanza-ikos, identical in the number of verses and their rhythmic organization. The current kontakion and ikos, performed after the 6th song of the canon, are all that remains from the ancient kontakion.
The canon of the canon begins with the irmos, followed by troparia composed in its likeness. The content of each song of the canon (primarily the irmos, which sets the tone) is based on certain passages of Holy Scripture. The content of the songs of the canon is discussed in detail in this book on p. 121-136.
Post-feast - days that continue the great holiday. The number of days of post-feast varies (depending on subsequent holidays or days of fasting - from one to eight; for Easter - forty). The last day of the post-feast is called the day of the celebration of the holiday and differs from other days of the post-feast by the greater solemnity of the divine service. In cell prayers on the days of the post-feast, it is advisable to include the troparion and kontakion of the holiday and (instead of “It is worthy to eat”) the deserving man.
Church holidays are divided into great, medium and small. The great holidays include Easter, the Twelve Feasts, as well as the following holidays: the Circumcision of the Lord (January 1/14), the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary (October 1/14), the Nativity of John the Baptist (June 24/July 7), the day of the holy chief apostles Peter and Paul (June 29/July 12), the Beheading of John the Baptist (August 29/September 11). Middle and small holidays are divided according to the degree of solemnity and the corresponding features of the service.
Forefeast is the day (or days) preceding a great holiday, when the Church, along with prayers and hymns to the remembered saints, offers prayers in honor of the upcoming holiday, preparing believers for its worthy meeting. The twelfth holidays have one forefeast day each, with the exception of the Nativity of Christ (5 days) and Epiphany (4 days).
The chorus of the canon is the verse that precedes the troparia of the canon. For the canons of the Lord's feasts, the chorus is: “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee”, the Theotokos - “Most Holy Theotokos, save us”, the chorus of the Sunday canons is “Glory, Lord, to Thy Holy Resurrection”, the canons of the Cross - “Glory, Lord, to Thy Honest Cross and Resurrection”. In the canon for Holy Communion there are special refrains: verses of the 50th Psalm. In some canons there is a special chorus to the 1st troparion of the 1st canto (so in the canon to the Guardian Angel), a Trinity chorus in the 8th canto (in the canon to Holy Communion). On the 9th song of the canon of great holidays there are special choruses - sometimes a whole series of choruses, as in the Easter canon or, for example, the canon of the Presentation of the Lord.
The Psalter is a book of David's psalms. The Psalter contains 150 psalms, which are divided into 20 sections, or kathismas.
A verse is a short saying or song, selected from the Psalter or other books of Holy Scripture, preceding singing, reading and some prayers.
Stichera (in Greek - “what is written in verse, a poem”) is a church chant that tells about the celebrated event...
Trinity is a troparion dedicated to the glorification of the Most Holy Trinity and the teaching about Her.
Troparion is a short song in which the deeds of God or his saints are glorified. In a broad sense, it is a general name for all church chants. In a narrow sense, it is the main chant in honor of a holiday or saint.
Andrew of Crete, saint, archbishop of Crete (c. 660 - 740; commemorated July 4) - a great Byzantine songwriter, one of the first creators of canons and, apparently, the creator of the canon genre itself. Born in Damascus, he was mute as a child and received the gift of speech upon communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ at the age of seven. At the age of 14, he was taken by his parents to the Jerusalem monastery of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulcher and dedicated to God. Was the steward of the Brotherhood; after 681 he was sent to Constantinople and left at the Church of Hagia Sophia, ordained to the rank of deacon. For twenty years he worked at the church and headed the charitable institutions of the Church - the Home for Orphans and the Home for the Elderly. Then he was ordained to the rank of bishop and appointed archbishop of Crete, where he worked hard in preaching, prayer, and charity. When iconoclasm began in Byzantium, he came out in defense of the holy icons.
While still serving in Constantinople, he began to compose his wondrous hymns. He compiled canons for all the twelve feasts, canons for many saints, and many stichera. The most famous creation of Saint Andrew is the Great Penitential Canon, which is read in all churches on the 1st and 5th weeks of the Holy Pentecost. But the creation of Saint Andrew of Crete is also the penitential canon to our Lord Jesus Christ given in this book. The tribute to the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (and the second canon of the feast from which it is taken) also belongs to the pen of St. Andrew.
Antiochus, whose name is marked on one of the prayers for the coming sleep, is possibly a monk of the Palestinian Lavra, St. Savva the Sanctified, author of the work “Pandects” (c. 620) - an abbreviated presentation of the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church on issues of Christian morality and partly faith in relation to monastic life. This Christian writer is not one of the canonized saints, but the tradition that carefully brought the prayer to the present day could have given him the title of “saint” - at least as someone who uttered the wondrous words of the holy prayer. But it is no less likely that this prayer was composed by another Syrian ascetic who was not a writer at all - for example, a venerable monk of the 5th century, whose memory is celebrated on February 23. Neither the ascetic instructions nor any other prayers of this saint have been preserved.
Basil the Great, saint, archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia (329-379; commemorated January 1) - ecumenical teacher of the Church. One of the greatest Christian theologians, the author of numerous conversations (the most famous are “Conversations on the Sixth Day” and 13 conversations on individual psalms) and teachings, dogmatic and polemical works, “Moral Rules”, a great organizer of monastic and church life. Saint Basil the Great regulated the order of worship and the Divine Liturgy. The liturgy bearing his name is celebrated in the modern Church ten times a year; the secret prayers that distinguish this Liturgy from the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom are undoubtedly the creation of St. Basil.
Saint Basil also owns many prayers that have survived to this day in the liturgy and in the cell rule: prayers at the end of the 6th and 9th hours, all or most of the morning prayers, secretly read by the priest at the beginning of the rite of Matins (and undoubtedly the one read after the 11th kathisma: “Shine in our hearts, O Lover of Mankind...”), prayers as part of various rites, two prayers before Communion (1st and 5th, p. 194 and 204) and one after Communion (2nd, p. 217), in the cell prayer rule - the 5th and 6th morning prayers.
Ephraim the Syrian (Syrian), venerable († c. 373-379; commemorated January 28) - a great Syrian ascetic, the author of numerous (up to 1000) works, most of which were translated from Syriac into Greek during his lifetime. St. Ephraim is one of the greatest interpreters of Holy Scripture. His sermons and moral teachings were among the most revered and beloved books of Orthodox Christians from the time they were written to the present day. The Monk Ephraim composed many prayers, as well as poems expounding church teaching and set to folk melodies, in order to contrast them with the songs of the Gnostic heretic Vardesan, which were spreading at that time. The Lenten prayer of St. Ephraim is universally obligatory for us during the days of the Holy Pentecost, and thanks to the conversion of Pushkin, it is also known to all non-church people. The prayer to the Most Holy Spirit, among the prayers for those coming to bed, also belongs to the Monk Ephraim (in a slightly different translation, this prayer is read after the 20th kathisma).
John of Damascus (that is, Damascus), venerable (c. 680-776; commemorated December 4) - great songwriter of the 8th century.
The Monk John was born into a pious and noble Christian family in the capital of Syria - Damascus, received an excellent education and was a minister of the Damascus Caliph. At this time he wrote brilliant works against various heresies and false teachings and in defense of icon veneration. For this he was slandered by the iconoclasts and executed by the caliph: his right hand was cut off. Through the saint’s fervent prayer, the Most Holy Theotokos healed him: the severed hand grew back to its place. After this, the Monk John left the court of the caliph and retired to the Lavra of the Monk Sava the Sanctified. The story of the chant “He rejoices in You...” is connected with the saint’s stay in the monastery.
Creator of the Octoechos - the services of the eight voices on which the weekly liturgical circle of the Orthodox Church is based. Author of the Easter canon, canons for the Nativity of the Theotokos, for the Entry of the Theotokos into the church, for the Nativity of Christ (2nd canon of the holiday, honorable), for the Epiphany, for Pentecost, the Ascension, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Annunciation, the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (and the irmos “I will open my mouth...”), many canons to the saints, prayers “Open the doors of Mercy for us...”, troparia “Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us...”, “Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ God...”, “Many are my many sins, Mother of God...”, “Heavenly Armies of the Archangel...”, prayers before Communion 4th and 10th, numerous stichera, including funeral stichera “What a worldly sweetness...”. The rule for future sleep includes his prayer: “Master, Lover of Mankind, will this coffin really be my bed…”.
The book also contains his honors for the Entry of the Mother of God into the Church, the Nativity of Christ, the Ascension of the Lord, and Pentecost.
John Chrysostom, saint, archbishop of Constantinople (347-14 September 407; commemorated November 13) - one of the greatest fathers of the Church, a great shepherd and teacher, theologian, expositor of all Holy Scripture, author of timeless conversations and sermons, constituting a true encyclopedia of Christian doctrine; simple, clear, living, deep, they still hit the very heart, and during the life of the saint they attracted incredible crowds of listeners to him.
All the works of Saint John are the golden fund of Christian literature.
The future saint was brought up in the most pious family and received the best education of his time; then he spent four years among the desert monks and another two years in complete solitude, and his health was so upset that he was forced to return to his hometown of Antioch, where he accepted the deaconate and then the priesthood. John's sermons gained him incredible popularity; cursive writers recorded his every conversation. In 397 he was elected archbishop of Constantinople. The Antiochians would not have released their shepherd if he had not been taken out of the city by deception. In Constantinople, he immediately became involved in widespread charity and aroused the discontent of the nobles and clergy with his modest lifestyle and constant struggle for church discipline. The saint's courageous integrity, who denounced the vices of society and those in power, ultimately earned him the hatred of the empress; he was removed from the episcopal see, exiled, and on the way to an even more cruel exile he died with the words “Glory to God for everything!”
Saint John shortened the rite of the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, streamlined the rite of worship, enriched the all-night vigil and introduced into each liturgical rite a small doxology (“Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit”), which until then had not been so widely used. The Follow-up to Holy Communion includes five of his prayers (2nd, 4th, 8th, 9th and “I believe, Lord, and confess...”), the evening prayers include his 24 prayers, according to the number of hours of the day and night,
John the Great, Venerable († 846; commemorated November 4) - hermit and wonderworker of the 9th century, labored on Mount Trihalix in Asia Minor. When singing psalms, he added to each verse of the psalms the prayer that was included in our evening rule: “My hope is the Father...”.
Cosmas Maiumsky (in another spelling - Kozma Mayumsky) is a great Byzantine songwriter of the 8th century († c. 787; commemorated October 12). Compiler of canons for many holidays, including Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Pentecost, Christmas and other twelve holidays. Author of the chant “More honorable Cherub...”. The book presents and explains his honors for the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, Epiphany, Presentation of the Lord, Transfiguration of the Lord, Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Monk Cosmas was taken as an orphan to the home of the parents of John of Damascus and thus became a fellow pupil, friend and associate of this great songwriter. He labored in the famous monastery of St. Savva the Sanctified in Palestine. Around 735 he was installed as bishop of Maiuma, a port city in Palestine.
Macarius the Great (Egyptian), venerable († c. 390; commemorated January 19). At the age of 30, he went into the desert, where he labored for about 60 years and became famous as one of the greatest ascetics. His ascetic teachings and conversations have been preserved (some of them were included in the collection “Philokalia”), in which the grace-filled teaching on prayer is expressed.
In the modern cell prayer rule, St. Macarius the Great has four morning prayers and two for those who are to go to bed (1st, p. 78, and 4th, p. 85).
Peter of Studium, a monk of the famous Studite monastery, a student of St. Theodore the Studite, lived in the 9th century and is known as the author of the 9th prayer for the future - to the Most Holy Theotokos.
Roman the Sweet Singer, Venerable (I c. 556; commemorated October 1), famous hymn-writer of the 6th century. The creator of the kontakion genre - a hymn consisting of a large number of stanzas, identical in the number of verses and their rhythmic organization (present-day kontakia are only a remnant of medieval kontakia; in ancient times, kontakia were even more popular than today's akathists, people sang them even on the streets). The Monk Roman wrote hundreds of kontakia. The history of the creation of the kontakion of the Nativity of Christ from the life of St. Roman.
Simeon Metaphrastus - famous Byzantine writer, courtier, copyist of many lives of saints, secret ascetic († c. 940). He owns the 3rd prayer for Holy Communion, the verses “Thou shalt be horrified, O man, in vain...” and the 3rd prayer for Communion.
Simeon the New Theologian, Venerable († 1021; commemorated March 12). The 6th prayer for Holy Communion belongs to him.
Theostirikt (Theoktirist), venerable, confessor (IIX century; commemorated February 29) - monk of the Medicean desert in Bithynia (Asia Minor). He suffered from the iconoclasts and recorded a brief history of persecution against icons and icon-worshipers in the biography he compiled of his mentor Nikita the Confessor, Abbot of Medicia. All Orthodox Christians are well aware of his only work - the prayer canon to the Most Holy Theotokos.
For those who intend to thoroughly understand the texts of prayers, it is advisable to have the following books:
Bible. Books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments (any publication of the Moscow Patriarchate). Every home needs at least a New Testament (note: on the first pages, even before the text, there must be a note stating that this is the New Testament in the Synodal translation, or that the book is being printed from the Synodal edition or the publication of the Moscow Patriarchate! New translations, which are often distributed by Protestant preachers, are completely unacceptable).
A lengthy Christian catechism of the Orthodox Catholic Eastern Church, compiled by St. Philaret (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna.
We also advise you to constantly use books:
Saint Theophan the Recluse. Four words about prayer. (The brochure has been reprinted by various publishers.)
Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko. Complete dictionary of the Church Slavonic language. M., 1900. Reprint: M., Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, 1993.
Hieromonk Alipy (Gamanovich). Grammar of the Church Slavonic language. St. Petersburg, 1997.
In addition to those mentioned, the following were widely used in the compilation of this book:
Sreznevsky I. I. Dictionary of the Old Russian language. Tt. 1-3. M., “Book”, 1989. Reprint edition (according to issues of 1890-1912).
Prayers and chants of the Orthodox prayer book (for the laity) with translation into Russian, explanations and notes by Nikolai Nakhimov. St. Petersburg, 1912. Reprint: M., Donskoy Monastery, 1994.
Prot. G. Cheltsov. Explanation of the Creed, prayers and commandments. Pg., 1917. Reprint: M., 1991.
Evfimy Zigaben. Explanatory Psalter. M., Donskoy Monastery, b/g. Reprint edition, original data not indicated.
P. Yungerov. Psalter in Russian translation from the Greek text. Kazan, 1915.
A brief interpretation of the psalms that are part of the divine services of the Orthodox Church. Compiled by the priest. Stefan Emelyanov. Kiev, 1908. Reprint: M., 1997.
Saint John Chrysostom. Interpretation of Saint Matthew the Evangelist. - Creations. T. 7. Book. 1. St. Petersburg, 1901. Reprint: M., Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, 1993.
From the works of St. John Chrysostom. To the Orthodox Christian about prayer. M., “Father's House”, 1997.
How to learn to pray. Advice from Saint Theophan, the Recluse of Vyshensky. M., “Father's House”, 1998.
The Philokalia in Russian translation, supplemented. Tt. 1- 5. Ed. 2nd. M., 1895-1900. Reprint: Holy Trinity Lavra of Sergius, 1992.
Rev. Fathers Barsanuphius the Great and John guide to spiritual life in answers to questions from students. Ed. 4th. St. Petersburg, 1905. Reprint: M., 1993.
Venerable John Climacus. Ladder. Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 1898. Reprint: Holy Dormition Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, 1994.
Miterikon. A collection of instructions from Abba Isaiah to the all-honorable nun Theodora. M., 1891. Reprint: M., Publishing House of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery, 1995.
Collection of the Jesus Prayer. M., Publishing House of the Spaso Transfiguration Valaam Monastery, 1994.
Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov). An offering to modern monasticism. - Essays. T. 5. St. Petersburg, 1905. Reprint: Holy Trinity Lavra of Sergius, 1991.
Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov). Ascetic experiences. - Essays. T. 2. St. Petersburg, 1905. Reprint: Publishing house. Moscow Patriarchate, 1989.
St. John of Damascus. An accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith. St. Petersburg, 1894. Reprint: M. - Rostov-on-Don, 1992.
Prot. Grigory Dyachenko. Faith, Hope, Love. Catechetical teachings. Tt. 1-3. M., Donskoy Monastery, Reprint edition; original data is not indicated. Archbishop Filaret (Gumilevsky). Historical overview of the hymns and hymns of the Greek Church. Reprint edition: Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 1995.
Saint Athanasius the Great. Creations. T. IV. M., Publication of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery, 1994.
An ancient patericon, set out in chapters. M., Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, 1991 (Reprint from the 1899 edition)
Source: Publishing House "Father's House", Moscow - 2014