Businessmen, and even simple sellers, are superstitious people. Probably, in no other occupation there are as many various signs, rituals and rituals as in trade.
Despite this peculiarity, not every person engaged in trade knows about whom and how to pray for successful business. Meanwhile, prayer to the saints promotes good trade no less than various rites. For example, prayer to Joseph Volotsky will help success in business.
Who is Joseph Volotsky?
Joseph Volotsky is not some foreign saint there, who patronized overseas merchants in ancient times. This is a Russian man who lived at the turn of the XV-XVI centuries and was engaged in enlightenment as part of a monastic dignity.
Saint Joseph was born in the Sanin family, belonging to the nobility and serving in the service of the princes of Volotsk. In the world of the boy they called him Ivan. The saint's family owned the small village of Yazvishche and was quite wealthy.
However, life was such that, following Joseph, his father took the tonsure, and later his siblings, and after them nephews came to the monastery. Thus, almost the whole family of Joseph served the Lord.
The saint himself became famous for his educational work. He is the author of many books and letters, but in addition to writing, Joseph was actively engaged in general church issues, especially those related to land tenure and the monastery as a whole.
Joseph was canonized at the end of the 16th century, and his faiths and holy relics still lie in the Joseph-Volotsky Monastery, in the Assumption Cathedral. A monument to the saint is also installed on the courtyard, which is a rarity for Orthodox churches.
How long have they prayed for trade to Joseph Volotsky?
The first prayer for the successful sale of this saint was probably made even before his canonization. It is impossible to accurately answer the question of when the merchants began to pray to Joseph. From time immemorial, merchant people considered Joseph their patron and intercessor.
Joseph acquired the official status of the “promoter of trade” only in our century. St. Joseph was declared the patron saint of Orthodox entrepreneurship and business in the winter of 2009 by Patriarch Cyril.
Where to pray to Joseph Volotsky?
Of course, you can visit the monastery and temple of Joseph Volotsky, worship the relics and order a prayer service. However, this is completely optional. Like all requests for higher powers, a prayer to this saint has only one rule - sincerity and the presence of faith.
The prayer to Joseph Volotsky for success in commercial matters, according to tradition, should not be dictated by a sense of self-interest or the desire for profit. This means that the trader must bear in his heart a firm intention to spend profit on good deeds. This does not mean that the businessman must give all the profits to a homeless shelter or do something like that. But to the best of their ability to maintain an orphanage or a local clinic, sacrifice for good deeds - it is necessary. But this should be sincere, at the behest of the soul, and not "for show." Only in this case the prayer for successful trading will be heard. You can pray in any place, both in the church, and at work or at home.
How to pray to Joseph Volotsky?
The best prayer is your own words that have arisen in the heart and uttered with all my heart. Prayer to Joseph Volotsky is no exception, her own text will be her best text. But not all people can express their own thoughts, aspirations, hopes and requests on their own. For some, this is inconvenient and the search for the right words is confusing, distracting from prayer.
In this case, lines from the church troparion or ready-made versions of texts for prayer can help.
A prayer for business prosperity may sound like this: “The venerable reverend father Joseph! Blessed is the bread bestowed by the Lord. And blessed is he who is given the taste of that bread. Accept, Father Rev., a plea for the gift of worldly goods and the increase of prosperity. Lord witness, there is no self-interest in the heart, but in thoughts of insolence. Not for the sake of gaining and stuffing a wallet, but for good intentions, for the implementation of good deeds and undertakings, grant funds to obtain and not lose. Do not leave at a difficult time, enlighten the mind, the illustrious father Joseph, direct to the right decisions and grant prosperity and a satisfying table to all employees, honestly and responsibly, without laziness and negligence. Get rid of workers who don’t get bread, who don’t do work and others who embarrass the mind with idleness. Grant good health and associates of the faithful, like-minded people. Deliver from the enemies of the deceitful and the methods of the wicked, from deceit and want, from all misfortune and the temptations that were sent to the evil ones. Amen".
Prayers are not only read, sometimes they are hung in a frame, like a photograph, on a wall in an office.
A prayer to Joseph Volotsky in the workplace may sound like this: “Our Father Joseph, patron saint of heaven! Grant a profitable day, let go into the house with plenty. Not for the sake of profit, but for the satiety of my children and the well-being of my house. Amen".