What prayers to read during Lent. Prayer during fasting by day. Prayers during Lent

Religious reading: prayer during Lent to help our readers.

Great Lent is a period of abstinence and repentance. And repentance is unthinkable without reading a prayer. The most famous and revered prayer of Ephraim the Syrian during Lent is read in all churches and in the homes of Christian believers throughout Lent, except Saturday and Sunday. This prayer represents the quintessence of the spiritual requests of the supplicant to God. She teaches him to love, enjoy life and helps him observe the fasting regime.

Text of the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian.

Lord and Master of my life! Do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk. (Bow to the ground). Grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to Thy 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).

God, cleanse me, a sinner (12 times and the same number of bows).

The repentant prayer of Ephraim the Syrian consists of only three dozen words, but contains all the most important elements of repentance, indicating what the praying person should put the main efforts to. Thanks to this prayer, the believer determines for himself the path to deliverance from ailments that prevent him from getting closer to God. In addition, this prayer clearly and succinctly expresses the significance and meaning of Lent and reflects the main commandments given by the Lord, helping in an accessible form to comprehend one’s attitude towards them.

Behind the modest petitions in this prayer there is a very deep meaning hidden. It is divided into two types of petitions: in some, the supplicant asks the Lord to “not give” - that is, to free him from shortcomings and sins, and in the other series of petitions, the supplicant, on the contrary, asks the Lord to “give” him spiritual gifts. Petitions for deliverance sound like this: “Do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk.” Only through prayer is a person able to accomplish a feat and get rid of these sins.

It would seem that idleness is not such a great sin compared to envy, murder and theft. However, it is the most sinful negative state of man. The translation of this word from Church Slavonic means emptiness and passivity of the soul. It is idleness that is the cause of a person’s sad powerlessness before spiritual work on himself.

In addition, it invariably gives rise to despondency - the second terrible sin human soul. They say that idleness symbolizes the absence of light in a person’s soul, and despondency symbolizes the presence of darkness in it. Despair is the impregnation of the soul with lies regarding God, the world and people. The devil in the Gospel is called the father of lies, and therefore despondency is a terrible devilish obsession. In a state of despondency, a person distinguishes only the bad and evil around him; he is unable to see kindness and light in people. That is why the state of despondency is equivalent to the beginning of spiritual death and the decomposition of the human soul.

The repentant prayer of Ephraim the Syrian also mentions such a state of soul as covetousness, which means a person’s desire for power and domination over other people. This desire is born out of despondency and idleness because, while remaining in them, a person breaks off his relationships with other people. Thus, he becomes internally lonely, and those around him turn for him only into a means of achieving his goals. The thirst for power is dictated by the desire to humiliate another person, to make him dependent on himself, his freedom is denied. They say that in the world there is nothing more terrible than such power - disfigured by the emptiness of the soul and its loneliness and despondency.

The Lenten prayer of Ephraim the Syrian also mentions such a sin of the human soul as idle talk, that is, idle talk. The gift of speech was given to man by God, and therefore it can only be used with good intentions. The word used to commit evil, deceit, express hatred, impurity carries great sin. The Gospel says about this that at the Great Judgment, the soul will answer for every idle word spoken during life. Idle talk brings lies, temptation, hatred and corruption to people. The prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian helps to realize these sins and repent of them, because only by realizing that one is wrong can a person move on to other petitions - positive ones. Such petitions sound like this in prayer: “Spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love... grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother.”

The meaning of this word is broad, and it means two basic concepts - “integrity” and “wisdom”. When a person asking the Lord for chastity for himself, it means that he is asking for knowledge, experience to see good, wisdom to lead a righteous life. The integrity of these petitions represents human wisdom and allows a person to resist evil, decay and departure from wisdom. By asking for chastity, a person dreams of returning to life in peace and harmony for the mind, body and soul.

Humility and humility are not the same concepts. And if humility can be interpreted as impersonal submission, then humility is humility that has nothing to do with self-abasement and contempt. A humble person rejoices in the comprehension revealed to him by God, in the depth of life that he discovers in humility.

“All that remains is to endure” is not Christian patience. True Christian patience is manifested by the Lord, who believes each of us, trusts us and loves us. It is based on the belief that good always triumphs over evil, life conquers death in the Christian faith. It is this virtue that the supplicant asks for himself from the Lord when he speaks of patience.

In essence, all prayer comes down to a request for love. Idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk are an obstacle to love; they are the ones who do not allow it into a person’s heart. And chastity, humility and patience are a kind of roots for the germination of love.

Who is Ephraim the Syrian? It was not only the Lenten prayer of Ephraim the Syrian that made him a revered saint; this man is known as a church speaker, thinker and theologian. He was born in the 4th century in Mesopotamia, into a family of poor peasants. For a long time Ephraim did not believe in God, but by chance he became one of the best preachers of that time. According to legend, Ephraim was accused of stealing sheep and sent to prison. While in prison, he heard the voice of God, calling him to repent and believe in the Lord, after which he was acquitted by the court and released. This event turned the young man’s life upside down, forcing him to repent and retire to life away from people. For a long time he led a hermit's life, and later became a disciple of the famous ascetic - Saint James, who lived in the surrounding mountains. Under his leadership, Ephraim preached sermons, taught children and helped at services. After the death of Saint James, the young man settled in a monastery near the city of Edessa. Ephraim persistently studied the Word of God, the works of great thinkers, holy elders, and scientists. Possessing the gift of teaching, he could convey this information to people in an accessible and convincing manner. Soon people began to come to him in need of his instructions. It is known that the pagans who attended Ephraim’s sermons converted to Christianity easily and confidently. Veneration of the saint today Today Ephraim the Syrian is called the father of the church, the teacher of repentance. All his works are imbued with the idea that repentance is the meaning and engine of the life of every Christian. Sincere repentance, combined with tears of repentance, according to the saint, completely destroys and washes away any human sin. Spiritual heritage The saint has thousands of works.

How did Ephraim the Syrian create this prayer? According to legend, one desert hermit saw angels holding in their hands a large scroll covered with inscriptions on both sides. The angels did not know to whom to give it, they stood in indecision, and then God’s voice came from heaven: “Only Ephraim, My chosen one.” The hermit brought Ephraim the Syrian to the angels, they gave him a scroll and ordered him to swallow it. Then a miracle happened: Ephraim spread the words from the scroll like a wondrous vine. So the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian during Lent became known to everyone Orthodox Christian. This prayer stands out among all other Lenten hymns, it is read more often than others in church, and most often it is during this prayer that the entire church kneels before God.

In the first days of Lent, Christians are advised to pay attention to the Great Penitential Canon of Andrew of Crete. The Holy Canon is read on the evening before Lent and on the first four days.

The famous Saint Theophan the Recluse said that a person is not complete without a body, just as prayer is not complete without a prayer rule. The prayer rule, in turn, is that you should: pray with your soul, delving into every phrase. Pray slowly, slowly, as if in a chant. Pray during the time allotted exclusively for this task, so that nothing distracts the person praying during this time. Think about prayer throughout the day, noting in advance to yourself where you manage to observe it and where you fail. Read prayers with breaks, separating them with prostrations. Observe prayer times - they should be held in the morning and evening, before and after meals, on the eve of each new task, before taking prosphora and holy water. ..

Prayer during Lent

What prayers are relevant during Lent?

Prayer of Ephraim the Syrian

Lord and Master of my life!

Do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk.

Grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to me, Your servant.

To her, Lord the King, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother,

for blessed art thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

God, cleanse me, a sinner.

12 times with bows from the waist

And once again the entire prayer with one bow to the ground at the end

Take into your prayer rule some additional texts: canons, akathists (akathists are read privately on days of fasting), psalms, etc. (And think for yourself what you can really raise, and don’t ask your priest, who is always busy and in a hurry. He may approve or.

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How to spend Lent with benefit for yourself and others?

Great Lent has begun - a time of renewal, repentance and joy. The joy is not Easter, jubilant, but quiet and imperceptible at first glance, but at the same time somehow deep. Maybe this is because during Lent you once again want to move away from all the unnecessary, superficial vanity that envelops you every weekday, and find your true self.

Lent prepares us for the celebration of celebrations - Easter. This is a real journey. This is the spring of the spirit. And this spring path should lead to us becoming at least a little better by the end than we were at the beginning.

What can you do to truly experience Lent?

1. Eat simply. Before we say anything about the spiritual component of fasting, we need to pay attention to how we will eat. After all, it is the nutritional differences that are most noticeable during fasting. The meaning of fasting is not not to eat animal food (the food itself.

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Fasting means temporary abstinence from food combined with intense prayer to God. People who fast and pray have a burning desire to draw closer to God, who is beyond human understanding.

One of the most urgent and desirable human needs is food. Of course, we have many other desires, but they are not so closely related to the question of our survival.

Prayer and fasting release the power to control our desires and lusts. The enemy tries to steal, kill and destroy us through the lust of the flesh, the eyes and greed. When we control our lust and greed through sincere prayer and fasting, the enemy cannot harm us. During fasting and prayer, our hearts are washed, cleansed and filled with the Holy Spirit, we become able to overthrow the power of Satan.

Fasting brings us to humility before God. Compared to solitary prayer, prayer with fasting gives us strength that surpasses our understanding. If we don't pray with.

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Fragments of the article text: . How to prepare for confession Bishop PANTELEMON of Smolensk and Vyazemsk talks about preparing for confession, what “sins” you don’t need to repent of, and how to find out whether you have received communion for condemnation. . The Nativity Fast has begun, and during the Nativity Fast it is very important to prepare for confession especially seriously, to try especially deeply to penetrate into the hidden places of evil that are rooted in our soul, to explore them and to bring due repentance to God. . If we have committed a serious sin, then we need to repent especially, especially cry about our sin, ask our confessor for penance, bow to the ground, refrain from committing any actions that could again lead to the commission of this sin, be very.

The meaning of fasting is repentance and spiritual renewal, and abstinence in food only contributes to this. And, as clergy say, fasting without prayer is not fasting. What prayers should you read during Lent 2016?

If you have not yet read the entire Old and New Testament- make up for lost time over the next forty days. Try to read Scripture every day, in a quiet environment, and then reflect on what you read.

Prayers to be read during Lent

Talking about how to pray correctly during Lent 2016, I must say that in addition to morning and evening prayers, you can read the psalms of King David.

As for Lenten prayers, there are two of them. Firstly, this is the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, who lived at the end of the 7th - first half of the 8th century and was one of the brightest church speakers and literary figures.

His canon can be described as a repentant cry, revealing the abyss of sin and shaking the human soul.

Very often in life you can meet people who are in the grip of sins and who do not know how to free themselves from them. These sins are familiar to everyone: unforgiveness, drunkenness, smoking, lying, fornication, obsession and much more. Only prayer and fasting can release the power that can control all lusts, unrighteous desires and human actions. Fasting and prayer are the two wings of the human soul on which it will ascend to God.

What does the Lord want to see when a person fasts? What should be the motives of the heart during prayer? What is the purpose of fasting and what should be done during this time? We will try to answer all these questions in the article.

Prayers during Lent

Always pray - this was the Savior’s commandment. Because prayers are the breath of our spiritual life. When prayer stops, spiritual life freezes in the same way as physical life stops breathing.

Prayers are all our conversations and appeals to God, to the Most Holy Theotokos, to the saints.

Food according to the Charter, which varies regarding Lent itself, Holidays and days of the week.

On-line information on the website http://days.pravoslavie.ru

Everyone will find according to his deed.

“He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters. “

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

He answered them: Because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it has not been given to them,

for whoever has, more will be given to him and he will have an increase, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him;

Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, and they do not understand;

for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it;

What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? or what ransom a man will give for a soul.

The Dormition Fast is an important time of bodily and spiritual abstinence. Orthodox believers try to cleanse themselves of sins and temptations and strengthen their faith. Find out what prayers will help you with this during Lent.

Prayers before meals

Every believer is recommended to follow the nutritional calendar during the Dormition Fast. From it you will learn on which days indulgences are allowed, and when abstinence is especially strict. In any case, every time before eating, a believer should thank the Lord for the food that is on the table and not complain about the stingy Lenten diet.

Before eating Lenten food, the prayer “Our Father” is read. Its text is well known to you:

“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 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.

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Prayer of Ephraim the Syrian during Lent. What prayers to read during Lent

Great Lent is a period of abstinence from the usual pleasures to which an Orthodox Christian is accustomed. Among the pleasures Orthodox Church includes not only food, but also entertainment - spiritual and physical.

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If the meaning of this Christian tradition was only food restrictions, then fasting would be little different from a regular diet. It is believed that only in a state of restraining bodily needs does a person become especially receptive to spiritual work on himself, therefore fasting is a period of abstinence and repentance. And repentance is unthinkable without reading a prayer. What prayers should you read during Lent? The most famous Lenten prayers and prayer books are “For every request of the soul,” the penitential canon of St. Andrew of Crete. The most famous and revered prayer of Ephraim the Syrian during Lent is read in all churches and in the homes of Christian believers throughout Lent.

Prayer reading during fasting

The famous Saint Theophan the Recluse said that a person is not complete without a body, just as prayer is not complete without a prayer rule. The prayer rule, in turn, is that it follows:

Pray with your soul, delving into every phrase.
Pray slowly, slowly, as if in a chant.
Pray during the time allotted exclusively for this task, so that nothing distracts the person praying during this time.
Think about prayer throughout the day, noting in advance to yourself where you manage to observe it and where you fail.
Read prayers with breaks, separating them with prostrations.
Observe prayer times - they should be held in the morning and evening, before and after meals, on the eve of each new task, before taking prosphora and holy water.

All these rules should be strictly observed during fasting, and, in addition, the volume of prayer readings during this period should be increased and special spiritual attention should be given to them.

The significance of the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian

In addition, this prayer is accessible and succinctly expresses the meaning and meaning of Lent. The prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian reflects the main commandments given by the Lord and helps in an accessible form to understand one’s attitude towards them. It is read by Orthodox Christians in their homes and churches at the end of every service during the Lenten period.

Who is Ephraim the Syrian

But it was not only the Lenten prayer of Ephraim the Syrian that made him a revered saint; this man is known as a church speaker, thinker and theologian. He was born in the 4th century in Mesopotamia, into a family of poor peasants. For a long time, Ephraim did not believe in God, but by chance he became one of the best preachers of that time. According to legend, Ephraim was accused of stealing sheep and sent to prison. While in prison, he heard the voice of God, calling him to repent and believe in the Lord, after which he was acquitted by the court and released. This event turned the young man’s life upside down, forcing him to repent and retire to life away from people.

Veneration of the saint today

Today Ephraim the Syrian is called the father of the church, the teacher of repentance. All his works are imbued with the idea that repentance is the meaning and engine of the life of every Christian. Sincere repentance, combined with tears of repentance, according to the saint, completely destroys and washes away any human sin. The spiritual heritage of the saint includes thousands of works, but only a small part of them has been translated into Russian. The most famous are the prayers of Ephraim the Syrian during Lent, as well as his tearful prayers, prayers for various occasions and a conversation about human free will.

The history of prayer

How Ephraim the Syrian created this prayer, no one can reliably tell. According to legend, one desert hermit saw angels holding in their hands a large scroll covered with inscriptions on both sides. The angels did not know to whom to give it, they stood in indecision, and then God’s voice came from heaven: “Only Ephraim, My chosen one.” The hermit brought Ephraim the Syrian to the angels, they gave him a scroll and ordered him to swallow it. Then a miracle happened: Ephraim spread the words from the scroll like a wondrous vine. Thus, the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian during Lent became known to every Orthodox Christian. This prayer stands out among all other Lenten hymns, it is read more often than others in church, and most often it is during this prayer that the entire church kneels before God.

Prayer text

The prayer of Ephraim the Syrian, the text of which is presented in this article, is easy to remember and read, despite the presence of Old Church Slavonic words.

Spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness

and don’t give me idle talk.

The spirit of chastity, humility,

Grant me, Your servant, patience and love.

Yes, Lord the King, grant me my vision

sins and not condemn my brother, for blessed art thou unto the ages of ages.

This is the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian. The text of the prayer may not be understandable to all Christians due to the presence of Church Slavonic words in it, and behind the modest petitions in this prayer there is hidden a meaning so deep that not every Christian manages to comprehend it from the first reading. For complete understanding, below is the interpretation of the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian.

As can be seen from the text of the prayer, it is divided into two types of petitions: in some the petitioner asks the Lord “not to give” - that is, to free him from shortcomings and sins, and in another series of petitions the petitioner, on the contrary, asks the Lord to “give” him spiritual gifts. The interpretation of the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian has a deep spiritual meaning, let's consider the meaning of each of them.

They say that idleness symbolizes the absence of light in a person’s soul, and despondency symbolizes the presence of darkness in it. Despair is the impregnation of the soul with lies regarding God, the world and people. The devil in the Gospel is called the father of lies, and therefore despondency is a terrible devilish obsession. In a state of despondency, a person distinguishes only the bad and evil around him; he is unable to see kindness and light in people. That is why the state of despondency is equivalent to the beginning of spiritual death and the decomposition of the human soul.

Humility and humble wisdom are not the same concepts. And if humility can be interpreted as impersonal submission, then humility is humility that has nothing to do with self-abasement and contempt. A humble person rejoices in the comprehension revealed to him by God, in the depth of life that he discovers in humility. A humble, fallen person needs constant self-exaltation and self-affirmation. A humble person does not need pride, since he has nothing to hide from other people, that is why he is humble and does not rush to prove his importance to others and himself.

When reading the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian, you should adhere to some rules:

Reading is performed on all days of Great Lent, except Saturday and Sunday.
If the prayer is read for the first time, then after each petition one should bow to the ground.
Subsequently, the church charter requires prostration three times during the reading of the prayer: before petitions for deliverance from illnesses, before petitions for gifts, and before the beginning of the third part of the prayer.
If the soul requires it, prayer can be performed outside of Lenten days.

What prayers are read during Lent?

In addition to the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian, the church recommends other prayers to believers. In the first days of Lent, Christians are advised to pay attention to the Great Penitential Canon of Andrew of Crete. The Holy Canon is read on the evening before Lent and on the first four days.

Conclusion

The prayer of Ephraim the Syrian during Lent represents the quintessence of the spiritual requests of the person praying to God. She teaches him to love, enjoy life and helps him observe the fasting regime.

During Great Lent, every day - from Sunday evening to Friday - the amazing prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is read

The prayer that tradition attributes to one of the great teachers of spiritual life, St. Ephraim the Syrian can truly be called a Lenten prayer, since it especially stands out among all the chants and prayers of Lent.

Here is the text of this prayer:

Lord and Master of my life,

Do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk.

Grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to me, Your servant.

Hey, Lord, King!

Grant me to see my sins,

And don't judge my brother

For blessed art thou unto the ages of ages.

Prayer of Ephraim the Syrian

This prayer is read twice at the end of each Lenten service from Monday to Friday (it is not read on Saturdays and Sundays, since the services of these two days, as we will see later, differ from the general Lenten order). At the first reading of this prayer, a prostration is made after each petition. Then the prayer is read to oneself 12 times: “God, cleanse me, a sinner,” with bows from the waist. Then the entire prayer is read again, after which one prostration is made.

Why is this short and simple prayer occupies such an important place in all Lenten worship? Because it lists in a special way, unique only to this prayer, all the negative and positive elements of repentance and defines, so to speak, a list of our individual exploits. The purpose of these feats, first of all, is liberation from some basic illness that guides our entire life and prevents us from embarking on the path of turning to God.

The main illness is idleness, laziness, carelessness, negligence. This is that strange laziness and passivity of our entire being that always pulls us “down” and does not lift us “up”, that constantly convinces us of the impossibility, and therefore undesirability, of changing anything. This is truly a deeply rooted cynicism in us, which responds to every spiritual call: “Why?” and thanks to which throughout our lives we waste the spiritual powers given to us. “Idleness” is the root of all sins, because it poisons spiritual energy at its very sources.

The fruit of idleness is despondency, in which all teachers of spiritual life see the greatest danger to the soul. A person in the grip of despondency is deprived of the ability to see anything good or positive; for him it all comes down to denial and pessimism. This is truly the devil's power over us, because the devil is first of all a liar. He lies to man about God and about the world; it fills life with darkness and denial. Dejection is the suicide of the soul, because if a person is in the grip of despondency, he is completely unable to see the light and strive for it.

Enthusiasm! Love of power. Strange as it may seem, it is idleness, laziness and despondency that fill our lives with lust. Laziness and despondency distort our entire attitude towards life, empty it and deprive it of all meaning. They force us to seek redress in completely wrong attitudes towards other people. If my soul is not directed towards God, does not set itself a goal eternal values, she will inevitably become selfish, self-centered, which means that all other beings will become means to satisfy her desires and pleasure.

If God is not the Lord and Master of my life, then I myself become my lord and master, become the absolute center of my own world and consider everything from the point of view of my needs, my desires and my judgment. Lust, thus, radically distorts my attitude towards other people, trying to subjugate them to itself. It does not always encourage us to truly command and dominate other people. It can also be expressed in indifference, contempt, lack of interest, attention and respect for other people. The spirit of idleness and hopelessness in this case is directed towards others; and spiritual suicide is combined here with spiritual murder

After all this - idle talk. Only man among all the creatures created by God received the gift of speech. All the Holy Fathers see in this the “imprint” of the Image of God in man, because God Himself is revealed to us as the Word (John 1:1). But, being the highest gift, it is at the same time the greatest danger. By truly expressing the very essence of man, his self-fulfillment, it is precisely because of this that he can become a means of fall, self-destruction, deception and sin.

The word saves and kills; the word inspires and the word poisons. The truth is expressed in words, but also devil's lie uses the word. Possessing the highest positive power, the word therefore has enormous negative power. It creates positive and negative. When a word deviates from its divine nature and purpose, it becomes idle. It “reinforces” the spirit of idleness, despondency and lust, and life turns into a living hell. The Word then truly becomes the power of sin.

Repentance is thus directed against these four manifestations of sin. These are obstacles that need to be removed. But only God alone can do this. Therefore, the first part of this Lenten prayer is a cry from the depths of human helplessness. Then the prayer moves on to the positive goals of repentance. There are also four of them.

Chastity! If we do not give this word, as is often done, only its sexual, secondary meaning, then it must be understood as the positive opposite of the spirit of idleness. Idleness, first of all, means dispersion, division, fracture of our opinions and concepts, our energy, the inability to see things as they are, in their whole. The opposite of idleness is precisely integrity.

If chastity is usually considered a virtue opposite to sexual depravity, this is only due to the fact that the brokenness of our existence is expressed nowhere more than in sexual depravity, in the alienation of the life of the body from the life of the spirit, from spiritual control. Christ restored integrity in us, restored the true hierarchy of values, bringing us back to God.

The first wonderful fruit of this integrity or chastity is humility. We have already talked about it. It is, first of all, the victory of truth in ourselves, the destruction of all the lies in which we usually live. Some humble people are able to live in truth, see and accept things as they are, and thanks to this see God's greatness, kindness and love for everyone. This is why it is said that God gives grace to the humble and resists the proud.

Chastity and humility are naturally followed by patience. A “fallen” person in his natural nature is impatient, because, not seeing himself, he is quick to judge and condemn others. These concepts about everything are incomplete, broken, distorted. Therefore, he judges everything according to his tastes and from his point of view. He is indifferent to everyone except himself, so he wants life to become immediately successful for him.

Patience is truly a divine virtue. The Lord is patient not because He treats us “condescendingly,” but because He really sees the very depth of things, which we, due to our blindness, do not see, and which is open to Him. The closer we come to God, the more patient we become, the more we reflect in ourselves what is characteristic of God alone careful attitude, respect for each individual being.

Finally, the crown and fruit of all virtues, all efforts and deeds is love, that love which, as we have already said, can be given by God alone. This is the gift that is the goal of all spiritual training and experience.

All this is brought together in the last petition of the Lenten prayer, in which we ask: “to see your sins, and not to condemn your brother.” Ultimately, there is one danger we face: pride. Pride is the source of evil, and evil is the source of pride. However, it is not enough to see your sins, because even this apparent virtue can turn into pride.

The writings of the Holy Fathers are full of warnings against this type of false piety, which in fact, under the guise of humility and self-condemnation, can lead to devilish pride. But when we “see our sins” and “do not condemn our brother,” when, in other words, chastity, humility, patience and love are united in us into one whole, then and only then our main enemy- pride - is destroyed in us.

After each request for prayer, we bow to the ground. But not only during the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is bowed to the ground; they constitute a distinctive characteristic of the entire Lenten service. But in this prayer their meaning is revealed best. In a long and difficult feat spiritual rebirth The Church does not separate the soul from the body.

Man fell away from God entirely, soul and body. And the entire person must be restored in order to return to God. The fall of sin consists precisely in the victory of the flesh (animal, lust in us) over the spiritual, divine nature. But the body is beautiful, the body is holy. So holy that God Himself “became flesh.” Salvation and repentance then are not contempt for the body, not neglect of it, but the restoration of the body in its true service, as an expression of life and spirit, as a temple of the priceless human soul.

Christian asceticism is not a struggle against the body, but for it. That is why the whole person - soul and body - repents. The body participates in the prayer of the soul, just as the soul prays not outside, but in its body. Thus, bowing to the ground, a “psycho-physical” sign of repentance and humility, worship and obedience, is distinctive feature Lenten worship.

Great Lent is a period of abstinence from the usual pleasures to which an Orthodox Christian is accustomed. The Orthodox Church includes not only food as pleasures, but also entertainment—spiritual and physical.

What is the point of the post?

If the meaning of this Christian tradition was only food restrictions, then fasting would be little different from a regular diet. It is believed that only in a state of bodily restraint does one become especially receptive to spiritual work on oneself, therefore fasting is a period of abstinence and repentance. And repentance is unthinkable without reading a prayer. What prayers should you read during Lent? The most famous Lenten prayers and prayer books are “For every request of the soul,” the penitential canon of St. Andrew of Crete. It is most famous and revered during Lent; it is read in all churches and in the homes of Christian believers throughout Lent.

Prayer reading during fasting

The famous Saint Theophan the Recluse said that a person is not complete without a body, just as prayer is not complete without, in turn, lies in what follows:

The significance of the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian

Who is Ephraim the Syrian

For a long time he led a hermit's life, and later became a disciple of the famous ascetic - Saint James, who lived in the surrounding mountains. Under his leadership, Ephraim preached sermons, taught children and helped at services. After the death of Saint James, the young man settled in a monastery near the city of Edessa. Ephraim persistently studied the Word of God, the works of great thinkers, holy elders, and scientists. Possessing the gift of teaching, he could convey this information to people in an accessible and convincing manner. Soon people began to come to him in need of his instructions. It is known that the pagans who attended Ephraim’s sermons converted to Christianity easily and confidently.

Veneration of the saint today

The history of prayer

Prayer text

The prayer of Ephraim the Syrian, the text of which is presented in this article, is easy to remember and read, despite the presence

Lord and Master of my life!
Spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness
and don’t give me idle talk.
The spirit of chastity, humility,
Grant me, Your servant, patience and love.
Yes, Lord the King, grant me my vision
sins and not condemn my brother,for blessed art thou unto the ages of ages.

Amen.

Interpretation of the prayer

As can be seen from the text of the prayer, it is divided into two types of petitions: in some, the petitioner asks the Lord “not to give” - that is, to free him from shortcomings and sins, and in the other series of petitions, the petitioner, on the contrary, asks the Lord to “give” him spiritual gifts. The interpretation of Ephraim the Syrian’s prayer has a deep spiritual meaning; let’s consider the meaning of each of them.

Petitions for deliverance sound like this: “Do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk.” Only through prayer is a person able to accomplish a feat and get rid of these sins.

Idleness

It would seem that idleness is not such a great sin compared to envy, murder and theft. However, it is the most sinful negative state of man. The translation of this word means emptiness and passivity of the soul. It is idleness that is the cause of a person’s sad powerlessness before spiritual work on himself. In addition, it invariably gives rise to despondency - the second terrible sin of the human soul.

Dejection

Inquisitiveness

The repentant prayer of Ephraim the Syrian also mentions such a state of soul as covetousness, which means a person’s desire for power and domination over other people. This desire is born out of despondency and idleness because, while remaining in them, a person breaks off his relationships with other people. Thus, he becomes internally lonely, and those around him turn for him only into a means of achieving his goals. The thirst for power is dictated by the desire to humiliate another person, to make him dependent on himself, his freedom is denied. They say that there is nothing more terrible in the world than such power - disfigured by the emptiness of the soul and its loneliness and despondency.

Celebration

The prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian helps one to realize these sins and repent of them, because only by realizing one’s wrongness can a person move on to other petitions—positive ones. Such petitions sound like this in prayer: “Spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love... grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother.”

Chastity

Humility

Patience

Love

How to read a prayer correctly

When reading the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian, you should adhere to some rules:

Reading is performed on all days of Great Lent, except Saturday and Sunday.
If the prayer is read for the first time, then after each petition one should bow to the ground.
Subsequently, the church charter requires prostration three times during the reading of the prayer: before petitions for deliverance from illnesses, before petitions for gifts, and before the beginning of the third part of the prayer.
If the soul requires it, prayer can be performed outside of Lenten days.

What prayers are read during Lent?

In addition, believers read the same prayers that they say on ordinary days. When the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is read, prayers from the Book of Hours and the Triodion, as well as the prayer book “For every request of the soul,” are usually read.

Conclusion

The temptation is great to fall into despondency: “How can I live without delicious food! No more fun now! What long services!” - whereas there is no reason for despondency. Long service- these are high examples of medieval spiritual poetry, and philosophical reflections on man’s place in eternity, and a feeling of unity with other worshipers, and communication with God Himself.

It occurs no less often, if not more often. reverse side Lenten despondency: “I cannot fast according to the rules. I miss services. I get distracted by the bustle of the world.”

It’s banal, but no less true: remember that God does not need a stomach and legs, but a heart. He sees in the human soul a sincere desire to serve Him, and He also sees infirmities.

This constant remembrance of God will be our unceasing joy in Him.

No, of course, we all don’t need to become hesychasts for fasting, but we can try to become half a step closer to the ideal.

It’s worth spending a little more time on prayer than you usually do. More attention during services - sometimes it is worth taking with you a book with the texts of the service. Follow the prayer rule more carefully - leave the computer half an hour earlier and read evening prayers. Add . On the road, listen to or read the Psalter.

It is useful to fight numerous Lenten temptations with prayer: respond to irritation, anger, and despondency with yourself short prayer Jesus.

Household chores, the road during rush hour, noise at work - even if we were able to organize our lives in such a way that we eat only permitted food, read the entire prayer rule and even pray during the day, we get terribly tired from all this fuss. And here the temple comes to our aid.

In monasteries and in many parish churches in large cities, during Great Lent, services are performed every day in the morning and evening. It’s worth going to at least part of the service before or after work - it puts you in a completely different mood from the surrounding reality.

There are divine services for which it is not a sin to take time off from work early. These are - in the first four days of Great Lent, on Wednesday evening of the fifth week, an akathist to the Mother of God on Friday evening, services...

It is good to visit at least once during Lent - by the way, in some churches it is sometimes performed in the evenings (for example, in the Sretensky Monastery several times during Lent, the Presanctification begins at 18.00).

It is well known: it is not God who needs fasting, but us. Great Lent consists of two parts: Lent and Holy Week. The first is the time of repentance, the second is the time of cleansing, preparation for Easter.

It is not for nothing that the Church offers us the reading of the canon of St. Andrew of Crete twice during Lent. It is not for nothing that every Lenten Saturday during the All-Night Vigil we hear the chant “Open the doors of repentance, O Giver of Life.” It is not for nothing that three weeks before Lent the Church calls for repentance: with the parable of the publican and the Pharisee, the parable of prodigal son, a reminder of the Last Judgment and the expulsion of Adam from paradise.

It is for repentance that we need the time of Lent. If you are not going to repent, you should not start fasting - it is a waste of your health.

By the way, health. If problems with well-being arise during fasting, the degree of abstinence should be immediately discussed with your confessor.

There can be no question of any unauthorized fasting according to the regulations or even close to the regulations if there are diseases associated with the stomach or metabolism. IN modern conditions even monasteries in in rare cases fast with dry eating - the Lord will not condemn a working person who is not in good health.

(It is worth remembering that during Great Lent a sacrament is performed in churches - anointing with specially consecrated oil with a prayer for the healing of the sick.)

A stomach ulcer will in no way bring you closer to God, but can also significantly distance you - there is an extremely thin line between a sincere desire to obey the church charter, not sparing your belly, and pride in your zeal.

“If I fast, I become vain, and if I don’t fast, I become vain,” he laments in his “Ladder.”

“Vanity by fasting” is dangerous in its obviousness and goes hand in hand with condemnation. Brother eats fish during the first week of Lent, while you sit on bread and water? It's none of your business. He drinks milk, but you don’t even put sugar in your tea? You don’t know the specifics of how his body works (by the way, in seminaries students are often given dairy products). You ate a sausage and the next day went to receive communion, whereas you began the Eucharistic fast even before the All-Night Vigil? This is a matter for him and the priest who admitted him to the sacrament.

“Vanity through non-fasting” is a more subtle passion. In our time, there is such a character as the tax collector, who is proud that he is not a Pharisee. And here another trend arises: he doesn’t eat vegetable oil - but at home I make a hundred prostrations before bed! He doesn’t drink any alcohol - but I repent every weekend!

Therefore, I would like to repeat the call of educators to kindergarten: “Look at your plate!”

And in general, talk less about food. No matter how much this simple truth sets one's teeth on edge, Lent is only to the smallest extent - a change in diet.

Vegetarians never eat animal food - this neither brings them closer to God nor removes them, exactly in accordance with the words of the apostle.

Continuation famous quote: “but by every word of God” - ideally suits the Lenten period, when special attention is paid to reading the Bible - the word of God.

During Lent it is customary to read the entire Gospel. Also during this period, the Old Testament is read daily in churches.

It would be good to combine a decrease in interest in the contents of other people's plates with an increase in attention to others in general.

Focusing on your own spiritual state should not turn into indifference to others. Fasting should benefit the cultivation of both virtues: love of God and love of neighbors.

He called for spending the money saved on the Lenten meal to help the poor. After having lunch in the canteen for a few days without a cutlet, you can buy gloves for a freezing beggar or an educational game in an orphanage.

During fasting, it is not at all necessary to interrupt communication with people who may need it - a pregnant friend, a sick neighbor, a lonely relative. A conversation with them over a cup of tea is not entertainment, but helping your neighbor.

A kind attitude towards our neighbors sometimes turns into the most unpleasant side for us: people-pleasing. In fact, as a rule, there is no good attitude here - there is one’s own weakness of character and dependence on other people’s opinions. It is during Great Lent that this passion intensifies.

“Let's meet on Friday after work in a cafe!” - a friend suggests, and now you order a cake with her - you can’t offend!

“Come visit on Saturday evening!” - the neighbors call, and you skip the service, instead of apologizing and rescheduling the meeting for a later time or Sunday.

“Eat a piece of chicken, otherwise I’ll be offended!” - the relative is openly capricious, and here you can even hide behind respect for your elders, but this will be cunning: reluctance to enter into conflict is not always associated with love for your neighbor.

To free ourselves from the sin of man-pleasing, we can recall the advice given: we must hide our personal fasts so as not to fast for show, but church-wide fasting is standing in faith. We must not only respect our neighbors ourselves, but also strive to be respected for ourselves and our faith.

Most often, people understand polite explanations and get into the situation. And even more often it turns out that our sophisticated interpretations are far-fetched. Our friend in the coffee shop is not at all embarrassed by our empty cup of espresso, the neighbors will be glad to see you after the service, and a relative will gladly treat a fasting guest to potatoes with mushrooms.

Finally, the most important rule of Lent is to remember why this period exists.

Lent is a time of concentrated anticipation of the Light Christ's Resurrection. Active expectations: together with the Lord we will try to go through forty days of fasting, together with the Lord we will approach the tomb of Lazarus, together with the Lord we will enter Jerusalem, we will listen to Him in the Temple, we will take communion together with the Apostles at His Last Supper, we will follow Him on the Way of the Cross, with Mother of God and with Christ’s beloved Apostle John we will grieve on Golgotha...

Finally, together with the myrrh-bearers, we will come to the open Tomb and again and again we will experience the joy: He is not here. Christ is Risen!

In order to properly spend Great Lent, it is necessary to engage in spiritual cleansing daily, for which prayers and the Bible are used. Almost every day of Pentecost has its own special readings.

Every day, except weekends and until Wednesday Holy Week inclusive, the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is read:

Lord and Master of my life, do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk. Grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to Thy servant. To her, Lord, King, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother, for blessed are you forever and ever. Amen.

We should not forget that Saturdays of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks are parental ones, when the souls of deceased relatives are remembered. The best way to do this is to submit a note in advance with the names of deceased relatives and be present at the liturgy.

First week

In the first week of Great Lent, the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is read for four days: it is divided into four parts, one per day from Monday to Thursday. Also at this time Psalm 69 is read:

God, come to my help, Lord, strive for my help. Let those who seek my soul be ashamed and put to shame; let those who wish me evil turn back and be ashamed. May the abies return, ashamed, and say to us: better, better. Let all those who seek You, O God, rejoice and rejoice in You, and let them say, May the Lord be magnified, who love Your salvation: but I am poor and needy, O God, help me: Thou art my Helper and my Savior, O Lord, do not be stubborn.

IN Friday The troparion and kontakion are read to Saint Theodore Tyrone. Saturday is dedicated to communion, the prayer of St. Basil the Great is read. On Sunday is the Triumph of Orthodoxy, therefore they perform “Followment on the Sunday of Orthodoxy”

Second week

Parental Saturday of the second week of Lent, liturgies are held in the church. Sunday the second week of Great Lent is associated with the name of St. Gregory Palamas. The Troparion and Kontakion of Gregory Palamas and the life of the saint himself are read.

Third week

Parent's Saturday of the third week of Great Lent. Sunday third week - Sunday of the Cross. The Troparion and Kontakion are read to the Cross.

Fourth week

IN Monday the troparion of the three song is read:

Having completed the fast, let us be bold in spirit for the future, youthful, well-behaved with God, brethren, for we will joyfully see the resurrected Christ at Easter.

Tuesday:

Thou hast redeemed us from the legal oath with Thy honorable Blood, having been nailed to the cross, and pierced with a spear, Thou hast extinguished immortality as a man, Our Savior, glory to Thee!

Parents' Saturday of the fourth week of Great Lent. Read the stichera:

Whatever worldly sweetness remains uninvolved in sorrow; Whatever glory stands on earth is immutable; all the canopy is the weakest, all the sleep is the most charming: in one moment, and this all accepts death. But in the light, O Christ, of Thy face and in the delight of Thy beauty, which Thou hast chosen, rest, as a Lover of mankind.

Sunday the fourth week is named after St. John Climacus. The Troparion and Kontakion of John Climacus are read, as well as the life of the saint.

Fifth week

Monday- read “The Ladder” by John Climacus, word 9 (about memory malice)
Tuesday - word 12 (about lies) and 16 (about the love of money) from “The Ladder” by John Climacus is read.

Wednesday— the canon of Andrei Kritsky is read in full, Maryino’s Station is performed in the church.

Saturday dedicated to the Akafest to the Most Holy Theotokos.

Sunday The fifth week of Great Lent is dedicated to the Venerable Mary of Egypt, her life is read.

Sixth week

Sunday The sixth week is dedicated to the event of the resurrection of the righteous Lazarus. The Gospel of John, chapter 11 and the festive troparion are read:

Assuring the general resurrection before Your passion, You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ our God. Likewise, 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.

Seventh week

Monday: read the parable of the barren fig tree, which is contained in the Gospel of Luke (13:6).

Tuesday: dedicated to the parable of the ten virgins described in the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 25).

Wednesday: The Gospel of Matthew (26:6) speaks of the betrayal of Judas and the woman who anointed the Lord with chrism. This chapter was chosen by the Church for Wednesday of Holy Week.

Thursday: remember the Last Supper, a description of which is in the Gospel of Matthew (26:21).

Friday: 12 passionate gospels are read about what happened after the betrayal of Judas and before the burial of the Lord.

Saturday: read the Gospel of Matthew (28:1-20)

Sunday: Easter day, the Easter canon is read.

By observing the instructions of the Church and Fasting, you can ease your soul and accomplish a small spiritual feat for yourself. All the best to you, and don't forget to press the buttons and

17.03.2016 00:30

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