Psalter of the Mother of God

The collection “Psalter of the Mother of God” was published after the death of St. Demetrius of Rostov and compiled based on his creations. The saint especially revered the Mother of God and composed prayers and hymns in Her honor, similar in structure to the psalms of King David. As in the usual Psalter, the text is divided into 20 kathismas (150 psalms in total), for each of which songs (instead of “Glory”), troparia and prayer are written. After all the kathismas, 5 final prayers are given. Psalms of St. Dmitry of Rostov is much shorter than the psalms of King David. Each psalm begins with an appeal to the Queen of Heaven. The text contains Old Testament prototypes of the Mother of God (“Burning Bush”, “ladder of the Kingdom of Heaven”, “heaven’s open door”, etc.). The “Psalter of the Mother of God” contains different types of prayers: repentant, laudatory and petitionary. The themes of the psalms include: glorification of the Mother of God as the Queen of Heaven, Intercessor and Mother of God; prayers for forgiveness of sins, protection from troubles and help in spiritual life; reflections on events from the life of the Mother of God (Annunciation, Nativity, Assumption); turning to Her as a source of consolation, healing and salvation. Christian hymns to the Most Holy Queen of Heaven, Ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of God. Compiled in the likeness of the Psalms Opening Prayer Worship of the Blessed Virgin Mary To the glory of the Holy, Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and in honor and praise of the Heavenly Queen, the Most Pure Virgin Mary. We take refuge under Your compassion, O Virgin Mother of God, do not despise our prayers in sorrow, but deliver us from troubles, O One Pure and Blessed One. O Lady, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise. My lady, please help me. Glory to Thee, orphans Mother, make us a merciful Almighty God. Oh, Most Holy Lady, Most Pure Virgin Mary, Mother of my Lord God Jesus Christ! I fall down and pray, like the Tsar’s Mother, commencing my unworthy prayer to You, having accepted, O Mother of the King of heaven and earth, bring all to the King of kings, all to the Lord, Thy Son and God, and ask forgiveness for all my sins, grant correction to my life and at the end of my death from the air enemies a serene passage, open the divine entrance to the Kingdom intercede for me and there the heavenly food of pleasure, the mountain of this city, the most beautiful Jerusalem on high, joy and indescribable beauties, and the lordship of the threefold Trinity light and the sweet voice of angelic songs to enjoy: make me an heir to the glory and joy of the heir and a partaker of all the saints, all that you can, like Mother King Almighty; and now, more than ever at this hour, hear me, O All-Merciful Lady, who stands before Thee; look, O Lady Queen, I offer prayers to Thee. Come, let us worship our Queen Theotokos. Come, let us worship the Virgin Mary, our Queen Mother of God. Come, let us bow and fall before the Lady Virgin Mary Herself, our Queen Theotokos. We worship You, Most Holy Theotokos, by Your Nativity revealing to us the true Light, Queen of heaven and earth, hope of the unreliable, Helper of the weak, intercessor to all sinners; Cover us and intercede from all troubles and needs, mental and physical, and be our intercessor, we pray, with your holy prayers. We worship Your blessed conception and birth from your holy parents, from Joachim and Anna; We pray to Thee, our Lady, grant us a sinless life to conceive and bear the fruits of repentance. We adore Your introduction into the Church of the Lord, the thirteenth Maiden, and we pray to You, our Light, to make us a church of the Holy Spirit through Your prayers. We worship Your Annunciation, Most Pure Virgin Mary, when through the action of the Holy Spirit with the voice of the Archangel you conceived the Word of the Father, and we pray to You, our Light, to bring salvation to us, the desperate. We worship Your birth, when You incarnated and gave birth to Christ, the Savior of the world, and You appeared as the Mother of God, glorified and exalted from all creation, and we pray to You, our Light, to show yourself the Mother of mercy now and in the age to come. We worship Your purification, undefiled, unblasphemous, incorruptible, Most Pure, and we pray to You, our Light, cleanse us from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit through Your prayers. We worship and honor Your illnesses, which You endured during the free passion of Your Son, when Simeon’s prophecy came true: But a weapon will pierce Your very soul, and we pray to You, our Light, to deliver us from mental and physical illnesses. We worship You, Lady, remembering the joy You had during the resurrection of Your Son, and we pray to You, our Light, not to deprive us of spiritual joy. We worship Your honest and glorious Dormition, and we pray to You, our Light, to rest our carnal passions with Your help. Oh, Most Holy Lady Theotokos! Accept this small prayer and offer it to Your Son and our God, that He may save and enlighten You for the sake of our souls. Looking at Your most holy image, as if we behold You as the true Mother of God, with heartfelt faith and love from the soul we fall and worship with the eternal Child held in Your hand, our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, Our Most Holy Lady, Queen of Heaven, glorious Lady, Virgin Mother of God, righteous consolation to all who are sad and life and resurrection to all who trust in You! Incline, O Lady, Your most pure ears to our prayer, offered to You from us, Your indecent and unworthy servants. Oh, our merciful Mother! Show Thy mercy to us, who are always in sorrow and always in sin, and do not despise us, Thy many-sinful servants. Oh, our beautiful Mother! Thou art the wine of all good things, the revival of mortal men and the deliverance of the lost, accept our unworthy this prayer, Thy fallen and many-sinful servants, in this hour of our bitter, lamentable, and painful petition, as we now dare to say to You, the Most Holy Lady Queen Theotokos, this prayer and joyful invitation with the Angel: Virgin Mary, rejoice, blessed Mary, for you have conceived in the flesh the Son of God. Rejoice, for you carried Him in Your womb. Rejoice, for you gave birth to Him. Rejoice, for you nourished the breasts. Rejoice, for the people worshiped Him. Rejoice, for you have found Christ in the church in three days. Rejoice, for Christ has risen from the dead and ascended to heaven. Rejoice, for You Yourself have been taken to heaven. Rejoice, for You are superior to the virginity of the Angels and the glory of the Saints. Rejoice, for You are creating peace on earth. Rejoice, for all the inhabitants of heaven are obedient to You. Rejoice, for you can ask what you want from your Son, Christ our God. Rejoice, for you have been honored to be near the Most Holy Trinity. Rejoice, for You are the Mother of embittered people who resort to You. Rejoice, for Your joy will never end. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Oh, Most Holy Lady Lady, Virgin Mother of God! Accept our unworthy prayer, and save us from impudent death, and grant us repentance before the end. Worthyly glorified and righteously blessed from all the heavenly ranks, as surpassing them without comparison, having given birth to God and the Creator of all things, exalted above all, She, like a Queen, stands before the faces of the Angels, proclaiming Gabriel’s song: Rejoice, Full of Grace! Our sinful and mortal lips will be able to bring worthy praise to Your greatness, so let us call You: Oh, wonderful Lady, praying from You to the incarnate Christ our God, may he look upon us, unrequited people, may he preserve us unharmed from all the enemy’s slander and evil slander, for much can Your motherly prayer, as said: ask My Mother, I will not turn away, but I will fulfill all Your requests. We are filled with joy in this, we cry to Thee: save, O Lady, Thy perishing servants, enlighten those darkened by the wisdom of this age and lead us to the Sweetest Jesus, yes, ever rejoicing, we cry: glory to the Father, glory to the Son, glory to the Holy Spirit, glory to You, the Most Glorious and Immaculate Virgin Mary, blessed and blessed forever and ever. Amen. It is worthy to eat, as you are truly blessed, the Mother of God, 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.