HOW TO READ MORNING AND EVENING PRAYERS CORRECTLY
Prayer there is a conversation or conversation between us and God. It is necessary for us just like air and food. We have everything from God and have nothing of our own: life, abilities, health, food and everything is given to us by God. Therefore, in joy and in sorrow, and when we need something, we must turn to God in prayer.
The main thing in prayer is faith, attention, reverence, contrition of heart and a promise to God not to sin. The reading technique should not obscure the meaning of what is being read. Prayers are usually read evenly and calmly, without any exaggerated intonation.
Saint Theophan the Recluse wrote in the article “How to Pray”: The work of prayer is the first task in Christian life. If in relation to the usual order of affairs the proverb is true: “Live forever, learn forever,” then all the more does it apply to prayer, the action of which should not have an interruption and the extent of which has no limit.
The ancient holy fathers, greeting each other on a date, usually asked not about health or anything else, but about prayer: how, they say, prayer goes or how it works. The action of prayer was a sign of spiritual life for them, and they called it the breath of the spirit.
There is breath in the body - and the body lives; When breathing stops, life stops. So it is in the spirit: there is prayer - the spirit lives; no prayer - no life in the spirit.
But not every performance of prayer, or prayer, is prayer. Standing in front of an icon in a church or at home and bowing down is not yet prayer, but only an accessory to prayer.
Prayer itself is the emergence in our hearts of one after another reverent feelings towards God: self-abasement, devotion, thanksgiving, glorification, forgiveness, diligent prostration, contrition, submission to the will of God and others.
All our concern should be that during our prayers these and similar feelings fill our soul so that when the tongue reads prayers or the ear listens and the body bows, the heart does not remain empty, but that there is some kind of feeling directed towards God.
When these feelings are present, our prayer is prayer, and when they are not there, then it is not yet prayer.
It seems, what would be simpler and more natural for us, like prayer, or the aspiration of the heart to God? And yet it does not happen to everyone and does not always happen. It must be aroused and then strengthened, or, what is the same, cultivate a prayerful spirit in oneself.
The first way for this is reading or listening prayer. Do it properly, and you will certainly awaken and strengthen the ascent in your heart to God, and you will enter into the spirit of prayer.
Our prayer books contain the prayers of the holy fathers Ephraim the Syrian, Macarius of Egypt, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom and other great prayer books. Being filled with a spirit of prayer, they expressed what was inspired by this spirit in word and conveyed it to us.
A great prayer power moves in their prayers, and whoever looks into them with all his zeal and attention, by virtue of the law of interaction, will certainly taste the power of prayer as his mood approaches the content of the prayer.
In order for our prayer to become a valid means for us to cultivate prayer in ourselves, we must perform it in such a way that both the thought and the heart perceive the content of the prayers that make it up. Here are the three simplest techniques for this:
- do not start praying without preliminary, albeit brief, preparation;
- do not do it haphazardly, but with attention and feeling;
- do not immediately after finishing your prayers go on to your usual activities.
Prayer rule - daily morning and evening prayers that Christians do. Their texts can be found in the prayer book.
The rule can be general - mandatory for everyone, or individual, selected for the believer by the confessor, taking into account his spiritual state, strength and employment.
Consists of morning and evening prayers, which are performed daily. This vital rhythm is necessary, because otherwise the soul easily falls out of the prayer life, as if waking up only from time to time. In prayer, as in any big and difficult matter, “inspiration”, “mood” and improvisation are not enough.
Reading prayers connects a person with their creators: the psalmists and ascetics. This helps to gain a spiritual mood akin to their heartfelt burning. Our example in praying in other people’s words is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. His prayerful exclamations during the suffering of the cross are lines from the psalms (Ps. 21:2; 30:6).
There are three basic prayer rules:
1) complete prayer rule, designed for spiritually experienced laity, which is published in the “Orthodox Prayer Book”;
2) a short prayer rule; in the morning: “Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Virgin Mother of God”, “Rising from sleep”, “God have mercy on me”, “I Believe”, “God, cleanse”, “To You, Master”, “Holy Angela", " Holy Lady", invocation of saints, prayer for the living and the dead; in the evening: “Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Have mercy on us, Lord”, “Eternal God”, “Good King”, “Angel of Christ”, from “The Chosen Governor” to “It is worthy to eat”;
3) a short prayer rule St. Seraphim Sarovsky: “Our Father” three times, “Virgin Mother of God” three times and “I Believe” once - for those days and circumstances when a person is extremely tired or very limited in time.
It is not advisable to completely omit the prayer rule. Even if the prayer rule is read without due attention, the words of the prayers, penetrating the soul, have a cleansing effect.
The main prayers should be known by heart (with regular reading, they are gradually memorized by a person even with a very poor memory), so that they penetrate deeper into the heart and so that they can be repeated in any circumstances.
It is advisable to study the text of the translation of prayers from Church Slavonic into Russian (see “Explanatory Prayer Book”) in order to understand the meaning of each word and not pronounce a single word meaninglessly or without precise understanding.
It is very important that those who begin to pray should expel resentment, irritation, and bitterness from their hearts. Without efforts aimed at serving people, fighting sin, and establishing control over the body and spiritual sphere, prayer cannot become internal rod life.
In the conditions of modern life, taking into account the workload and accelerated pace, it is not easy for the laity to set aside specific times for prayer. The enemy of morning prayer is haste, and the enemy of evening prayer is fatigue.
Morning prayers It is best to read before starting anything (and before breakfast). IN as a last resort, they are pronounced on the way from home. Late in the evening it is often difficult to concentrate due to fatigue, so we can recommend reading the evening prayer rule in the free minutes before dinner or even earlier.
During prayer, it is recommended to retire, light a lamp or candle and stand in front of the icon. Depending on the nature of family relationships, we can recommend reading the prayer rule together, with the whole family, or with each family member separately.
General prayer is recommended before eating food, in special days, before a festive meal and in other similar cases. Family Prayer- this is a type of church, social (the family is a kind of “home Church”) and therefore does not replace individual prayer, but only complements it.
Before starting prayer, you should sign yourself with the sign of the cross and make several bows, either from the waist or to the ground, and try to tune in to an internal conversation with God. The difficulty of prayer is often a sign of its true effectiveness.
Prayer for other people (see memorial) is an integral part of prayer. Standing before God does not alienate a person from his neighbors, but binds him to them with even closer ties. We should not limit ourselves to just praying for people close and dear to us. Praying for those who have caused us grief brings peace to the soul, has an impact on these people and makes our prayer sacrificial.
It is good to end the prayer with thanksgiving to God for the gift of communication and contrition for one’s inattention. When getting down to business, you must first think about what you have to say, do, see during the day and ask God for blessings and strength to follow His will. In the thick of it working day you need to say a short prayer (see Jesus prayer), which will help you find the Lord in everyday affairs.
Morning and evening rules – this is just necessary spiritual hygiene. We are commanded to pray unceasingly (see the prayer of Jesus). The Holy Fathers said: if you churn milk, you will get butter, and so in prayer, quantity turns into quality. God bless you!
What are morning and evening prayers and why are they so important in the life of every Orthodox Christian? Many holy fathers call these daily prayers spiritual hygiene, the necessary minimum for a beginning believer. With the help of these prayers and especially through their regular and conscientious reading, the laity become closer to the Lord, become spiritually cleansed, and learn humility, repentance and gratitude. It is difficult to overestimate their importance, especially in modern world.
What prayers exist and how to read them?
In Orthodoxy there is such a term - a prayer rule. This is the name given to sets of prayer texts intended for morning and evening readings. These obligatory prayers can be found in every prayer book. Among them are “Our Father”, “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary”, “Heavenly King”, “Creed” and others. The prayer rule was formed several centuries ago, and since then has become a guideline for Orthodox believers.
The prayer rule is divided into complete, that is, common to everyone, and short, individual (it is discussed with the confessor and assigned with his blessing, in cases of, for example, illness, lack of strength, heavy workload, etc.). There is also a version of a short prayer rule from St. Seraphim of Sarov. According to it, if a believer is in an extremely weak state or is very limited in time, then one can only read following prayers: three times “Our Father”, three times “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary” and once “Creed”.
Prayer "Our Father"
Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be it your 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.
Prayer “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice”
Virgin Mary, Hail 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.
Prayer "Creed"
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 only begotten Son of God, 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.
She 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 Life-Giving Lord, 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.
Tea of the resurrection of the dead.
And the life of the next century. Amen.
How to read morning and evening prayers
In the morning you are supposed to pray immediately after waking up, before meals and the start of the work day, and in the evening you can choose any time, the main thing is that all work is done in current day were finished.
Prayer should be performed in a secluded place, in front of an icon, with a lit lamp or candle. First you need to cross yourself and make several bows. Then tune in, concentrate and begin to read the prayers in the order indicated in the prayer book. You can read both aloud and silently. Prayers for loved ones, appeals to the Lord, spoken in your own words - all this is also an obligatory part of prayer.
It is important to thank the Lord and ask for His blessings before the upcoming trials of life.
It is very important to understand the meaning of each word that is spoken in prayers. For this purpose, there are translations of prayers from Church Slavonic into Russian in explanatory prayer books, they are worth studying so that reading is conscious.
It is important to pray with a pure heart, in which there is no bitterness, evil, resentment, or irritation. If a believer feels these emotions, it is necessary to get rid of them. One way is to pray for the health of the one who offended. This will cleanse the soul, calm the ardor and set one in a gracious mood.
As a rule, with some practice, reading morning and evening prayers takes an average of 20 minutes. But currently the laity is faced with a problem. In our modern world, when the pace of life is so high that the lack of time is felt at every step, Orthodox believers who begin to practice daily readings, it can be difficult to find time for prayer in your busy schedule. As a rule, people rush to work in the morning and collapse from fatigue in the evening. And there is no time left for reading prayers with a thoughtful, focused approach. And it is important to read prayers sincerely, with diligence.
Pronouncing the text in a tongue twister, formally is not necessary for anyone and is even harmful in a conversation with God.
In this case, you need to rearrange your daily schedule, find another time for prayers, some prayers can even be read at work or on the road. But all this must be discussed with your confessor or the priest with whom you regularly confess. Sometimes the priest may allow you to read not the full volume of prayers. The main thing in morning and evening prayers is the right attitude, concentration, and a message to the Lord from the heart.
The importance of prayers in the morning and evening
Why is it so important to perform morning and evening prayers daily? Priests always say that this ritual trains the will, makes the believer stronger spiritually and does not allow him to forget about God and the need to keep the commandments. And it is especially important for beginning Orthodox Christians.
Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) in his “Teaching on the Prayer Rule” wrote: “Rule! What an accurate name, borrowed from the very effect produced on a person by prayers called the rule! The prayer rule guides the soul correctly and holy, teaches it to worship God in Spirit and Truth (John 4:23), while the soul, left to itself, could not follow the correct path of prayer. Due to her damage and darkening by sin, she would constantly be seduced to the sides, often into the abyss, now into absent-mindedness, now into daydreaming, now into various empty and deceptive ghosts of high prayerful states, created by her vanity and voluptuousness.
Prayer rules keep the person praying in a saving disposition, humility and repentance, teaching him constant self-condemnation, feeding him with tenderness, strengthening him with hope in the All-Good and All-Merciful God, delighting him with the peace of Christ, love for God and for his neighbors.”
From these words of the saint it is clear that it is very saving to read the morning and evening prayer rules. It spiritually takes a person out of the confusion of night dreams or daytime worries and puts him before God. And the human soul enters into communication with its Creator. The grace of the Holy Spirit descends on a person, brings him into the necessary repentant mood, gives him inner world and harmony, drives away demons from him (“This generation is driven out only by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21), sends down to him God's blessing and strength to live. Moreover, the prayers were written by holy people: Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, Saint Macarius the Great and others. That is, the very structure of the rules is very useful for the human soul.
Therefore, of course, reading the morning and evening prayer rule every day, so to speak, - minimum required for an Orthodox Christian. Moreover, it does not take much time. For someone who has gotten into the habit of reading, it takes about twenty minutes in the morning and the same in the evening.
If you don't have time to read morning rule all at once, then break it into several parts. “Little Cap” from the beginning to “Lord have mercy” (12 times), inclusive, can, for example, be read at home; The following prayers are during pauses in work or during your daily activities. This, of course, needs to be confessed, but it’s better than not reading it at all. We are all human, and it is clear that we are very sinful and busy. You also regulate the end of your morning prayers yourself. This concerns the commemoration. You can read the extended commemoration or the shortened one. At your discretion, depending on the time available.
A fairly common mistake of new Orthodox Christians is reading the evening prayer rule immediately before going to bed. You sway, stagger, mutter words of prayer, and you yourself think about how to lie down in bed under a warm blanket and fall asleep. So it turns out – not prayer, but torment. Mandatory hard labor before bed.
In fact, the evening prayer rule is read somewhat differently. Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev) wrote that after evening prayers you can leave time to talk and drink tea.
That is, in fact, you can read the evening prayer rule from the beginning to the prayer of St. John of Damascus “O Lord, Lover of Mankind...” If you, dear brothers and sisters, have noticed, then before this prayer there is a prayer of dismissal: “Lord Jesus Christ, the Son God... have mercy on us. Amen". It really is a vacation. You can read the evening prayers up to and including it long before bedtime: at six, seven, eight o’clock in the evening. Then go about your daily evening routine. You can still eat and drink tea, as Father Nikon said, and communicate with loved ones.
And starting with the prayer “Lord, Lover of Mankind...” and until the end, the rule is read immediately before going to bed. During the prayer “May God rise again,” you need to cross yourself and you can cross your bed and house to the four cardinal directions (starting from Orthodox tradition from the east), protecting yourself, your loved ones and your home with the sign of the cross from all evil.
After reading the second half of the evening prayers, nothing is eaten or drunk. In the prayer “In Thy hands, O Lord...” you ask God for blessings on good dream and surrender your soul to Him. After this you should go to bed.
I would also like to draw your attention, dear brothers and sisters, to the rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov. Many understand it as reading three times a day (morning, lunch, evening) certain prayers “Our Father” (three times), “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...” (three times) and the Creed (once). But it is not so. In addition to reading the rule three times, the Monk Seraphim said that in the first half of the day a person should read the Jesus Prayer almost all the time, or, if people are around, in his mind “Lord, have mercy,” and after lunch, instead of the Jesus Prayer, “Most Holy Theotokos, save me, a sinner."
That is, Saint Seraphim offers man spiritual exercise in continuous prayer, and not just a relief of the evening and morning prayer rules. You can, of course, read the prayer according to the rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov, but only then you need to follow all the instructions of the great elder.
Therefore, I repeat once again, the morning and evening prayer rule is the necessary minimum for an Orthodox Christian.
I would also like to draw your attention, dear brothers and sisters, to a fairly common mistake that we often make.
Saint Ignatius warns us about it in the above-mentioned work: “When performing the rule and bows, one must not rush; It is necessary to perform both the rules and bows with as much leisure and attention as possible. It is better to say fewer prayers and bow down less, but with attention, than a lot and without attention.
Choose for yourself a rule that corresponds to your strengths. What the Lord said about the Sabbath, that it is for man, and not man for it (Mark 2:27), can and should be applied to all pious deeds, as well as to prayer rule. A prayer rule is for a person, and not a person for a rule: it should contribute to a person’s achievement of spiritual success, and not serve as an inconvenient burden (onerous duty), crushing bodily strength and confusing the soul. Moreover, it should not serve as a reason for proud and harmful conceit, for harmful condemnation of loved ones and humiliation of others.”
The Monk Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain wrote in his book “Invisible Warfare”: “...There are many clergy who deprive themselves of the saving fruit of the world from their spiritual works by procrastinating on them, believing that they will suffer damage if they do not complete them, in false confidence , of course, that this is what spiritual perfection consists of. Following their will in this way, they work hard and torment themselves, but do not receive true peace and inner peace, in which God truly finds and rests.”
That is, we need to count our strength in prayer. You should sit down and think about the time that everyone has. If you, for example, are a freight forwarder in trading company and you are on the road from morning to night, or you are married, work and you also need to devote time to your husband, children, organize family life, then perhaps the morning and evening prayer rules and reading two chapters of the “Apostle”, a chapter of the Gospel, are enough for you in a day. Because if you also take upon yourself to read various akathists, several kathismas, then you will have no time left to live. And if you are a pensioner or work somewhere as a security guard or at another job, having free time, then why not read akathists and kathismas.
Explore yourself, your time, your capabilities, your strengths. Balance your prayer rule with your life so that it is not a burden, but a joy. Because it is better to read fewer prayers, but with heartfelt attention, than to read a lot, but thoughtlessly, mechanically. Prayer has power when you listen and read it with your whole being. Then a life-giving spring of communication with God will flow into our hearts.
Priest Andrey Chizhenko
Every new day brings with it new difficulties, ups and downs. Without God's protection, we are more quickly overtaken by disappointment, despondency and troubles. It is very important to pray in the morning in order to enlist the support of the Almighty at the very beginning of the day.
Our Father
This prayer is not just universal, but obligatory for any Christian believer. It is read not only before meals or during difficult moments in life, but also in the morning. After opening your eyes and waking up from sleep, take one minute to read this prayer to pay tribute to heaven, because they woke you up and gave you another day of life. The text of the prayer is familiar to everyone:
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.
Prayers for material well-being
Much has been said about prayers that have the power to make our lives better. But it is also important to go towards God yourself. After all, only with internal readiness and with the realization of the true path comes the help of Heaven.
If you encounter money problems, you too can turn to Heaven for help. It is only important to do it correctly, not with greed in your soul, but by asking God for what is necessary. Find out about prayers for relief from poverty on the website of the Orthodox monastery.
Prayer to the Holy Trinity
First, read the text of the prayer itself:
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.
Then you can repeat three times: "Lord have mercy", and finish morning prayer words “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen».
The Holy Trinity is the three incarnations of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each of these components is our assistant in earthly affairs. Taken together, the Trinity is God, therefore, by reading this prayer, you ask our Creator to grant his mercy and forgive you all your sins - those that were committed intentionally, and those that you have not yet been able to cope with.
Publican's Prayer
"God, be merciful to me, a sinner", - this is the simplest of all protective prayers. It is good to read not only in the morning, but also before any undertaking, before leaving the house and before a difficult task.
Do not underestimate these words and think that prayer is better the more difficult and longer it is. This is absolutely not true, because the most important thing is your spiritual attitude and your faith, and not your memorization abilities.
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
“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 Blessed One, our souls.”
This simple prayer- quite rare, difficult to perceive, but very effective and ancient. It can be read before meals and in the morning.
Another simple prayer known to almost every Christian:
“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen."
First part before "...have mercy on us" It is better to read it three times - as it is read in church according to the rules. This is a very light prayer text, and it is what most believers read in the morning and before bed.
Remember that attitude is important. Do not say prayers while in bad mood or if your thoughts are busy with something else. You need full concentration, because you are communicating with God. Even simple prayer words for help will be heard if they are spoken from a pure heart. Good luck and don't forget to press the buttons and
25.04.2016 00:20
Everyone wants to cleanse their home of negativity and protect themselves from illnesses and troubles in order to say with confidence: “my home is mine...
The rule of a pious layman usually includes morning and evening prayers, a chapter from the Gospel and two chapters from the Apostles. It is good to read at least one kathisma from the Psalter a day, putting a bookmark. There is also an abbreviated rule for the sick, women with small children and other people who are very short on time. This abbreviated rule can be found in any Prayer Book.“Do not impose any vows or rules on yourself without the approval of your spiritual father, with whose advice one bow will bring you more benefit than a thousand self-made bows.”
Also Reverend Anthony wrote:
“The Pharisee prayed and fasted more than we did, but without humility all his work was nothing, and therefore be most jealous of the publican’s humility, which is usually born from obedience and is sufficient for you.”
Elder Joseph (Litovkin) warned that following a rule with a blessing is more difficult than one taken without permission. Can be done great amount bows out of vanity, but when we do something with blessing, with humility, it is much more difficult. But it’s also good for the soul:
“A rule imposed is always difficult, but doing with humility is even more difficult. What is acquired through labor is useful.”
Failure to follow a rule
Various circumstances beyond our control happen in the world: business trips, protracted meetings, emergency situations at work, as well as illnesses of ourselves and loved ones. In general, it may happen that even the most pious layman will somehow be unable to fulfill daily rule. Elder Nikon advised not to be embarrassed under any circumstances, but simply to humbly reproach yourself for your weakness:
“Try not to miss the prayer rule either in the morning or in the evening, but if for some reason you miss it, especially due to circumstances beyond your control, then do not be embarrassed, but humbly reproach yourself for your weakness, for self-reproach is an invisible ascent, and embarrassment, according to Father Ambrose, it is not listed anywhere among the virtues.”
Constant prayer memory
The elders reminded us that, in addition to the rules, we need to have a constant prayer memory, constantly remember God and throughout the day repeat more often: “Lord, have mercy!”, “Lord, bless,” “Lord, protect!” These short prayers will sanctify our everyday life.
“Every undertaking must begin by invoking the name of God for help,” taught Elder Hilarion (Ponomarev).
Reverend Nikon reminded:
“At all times, no matter what you do: whether you sit, whether you walk, whether you work, read with your heart: “Lord, have mercy!”;
“When you are sorrowful and despondent and a grave temptation comes upon you, repeat only one thing: “Lord, have mercy, save and have mercy on Your servant!” And the grief will be eased."
When asked about short prayer, which can be repeated often, the Monk Nikon answered:
“Pray simply: “Lord, grant me Your grace!” And the Lord will carry the thunderstorm past you.”
Request for Prayer for Others
So that people do not remain careless and do not place their hope only on outside prayer help, the Monk Ambrose instructed:
“Remember, the twelve apostles asked the Savior for their Canaanite wife, but He did not hear them; and she began to ask - she begged.”
And sometimes he repeated folk saying:
“God, help me - and the man himself, don’t lie down.”
Prayerful attitude
The Optina elders advised leaving verbosity and idle talk when praying, as this disrupts the prayerful mood and drives away grace. Reverend Nikon wrote:
“Especially during prayer, leave all thoughts about worldly things. After prayer, at home or in church, in order to maintain a prayerful, tender mood, silence is necessary. Sometimes even a simple insignificant word can disrupt and frighten away tenderness from our soul.
Silence prepares the soul for prayer. Silence, how beneficial it is for the soul!”
We are, of course, not talking about the necessary business conversations or communicating with relatives, raising children - this refers to the idle talk into which we so often fall.
Elder Ambrose advised:
“Intelligent silence is the most valuable thing. If you put all the rules of prudence on one scale, and put prudent silence on the other scale, then silence alone will outweigh”;
“When you feel that you want to say something out of passion, be silent. Hold back, don't speak. After all, this is a fight, you need to win, then you’ll only fall behind.”
You need to pray even to learn how to pray correctly. Reverend Nikon wrote:
“We are on our own, without Divine help, and we are not able to pray: we cannot pray properly and we do not know how and what to pray for.”
About prayer gifts
The feat of prayer is accompanied by gifts to zealous prayer workers. The Optina elders warned that one should not arbitrarily seek these gifts, such as tears in prayer or purity and dispassion. This can be dangerous for an inexperienced prayer worker.
He wrote about tears during prayer:
“Not everyone can cry, but to whom God will give tears. And God rarely gives tears to beginners. Otherwise they will become proud and worse than those who do not cry.”
He also instructed those who wanted to achieve purity and dispassion:
“Let us humble ourselves, and the Lord will cover us, and we will be holy. Until we humble ourselves and appease God, even if we break our foreheads on the floor with bows, our passions will not diminish.”
How do we know if we are praying correctly?
Prayer - spiritual work which bears spiritual fruit. Fruits of the Spirit: love, meekness, patience, peace of mind. Of course, it takes time for the fruits to ripen. But one should strive for them, spiritual growth must occur. A person must fight his passions, weaknesses, and bad habits.
“Trust yourself every day... If the present day was poorly spent, so that you did not offer a decent prayer to God, did not contrite your heart even once, did not humble yourself in thought, did not show mercy or give alms to anyone, did not forgive the guilty, did not tolerate an insult , on the contrary, he did not abstain from anger, did not abstain from words, food, drink, or immersed his mind in unclean thoughts, having considered all this according to your conscience, judge yourself and decide the next day to be more attentive to good and more careful to evil.”
Venerable Macarius warned:
“But prayer rules alone cannot bring us any benefit... I advise you to try, as much as possible, to pay your attention to deeds of love for your neighbors; in relation to your mother, wife and children - take care to raise them in Orthodox faith and good morality towards the people subordinate to you and towards all your neighbors.”
The one who strives correctly follows the middle, “royal” path. Irritability decreases and, conversely, complacency increases, thoughts of anger, condemnation, and grumbling come less often. A peaceful dispensation, a patient attitude towards the infirmities and shortcomings of others is experienced more and more often and gradually becomes permanent.
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