The “Sorokoost about health” prayer has recently caused a lot of controversy, because some priests believe that they don’t read such a prayer to living people. However, an appeal to historical data indicates that in Russian Orthodox traditions there are actually two types of services with the same name.
Only in Russia
One of them was developed only in Russia. This is a magpie, which is committed by a deceased person within forty days after his death. In this case, it is necessary that the priest or loved ones read the Psalter forty times. This was usually done on the third, ninth, and fortieth day after the death. Such a prayer has nothing to do with what the magpie is about health. What is this, you can find out by studying the church organization of past centuries.
Then the parishes were divided into districts, each of which had forty churches. It was possible to order the required number of memorial liturgies in all forty churches on the same day, performing the necessary ritual. So the funeral prayer with that name was formed.
The number forty
In a completely different way, it is believed that the magpie appeared about health. What it is? This service is also associated with the number “forty”, which, in turn, is associated with the number of days of the fasting of the prophet Moses, the period of wandering in the wilderness of the Jews, the Savior's stay in the wilderness after Baptism, and the time Christ taught the Apostles after the Resurrection.
Sorokoost about health (what every believer should know) is a reference in the service (liturgy) for forty days to both the living and the dead, indicated in the notes, since it is believed that “for the Most High everyone is alive”. At proskomidia, a person is taken out of the prosphora, which is then immersed in the Blood of Christ with prayer words for cleansing from sins, that is, for all who are prayed for, a thankful offering is offered to God.
How to order a moleben
Today, not everyone knows how to order magpie about health. What is this from an “organizational” point of view? A petition can be filed at any time, however, during liturgy, they are less frequently served. Note that not for every person you can ask with the help of such a prayer, since only baptized persons are allowed to the liturgy, therefore pro-pro-memorial notes cannot be submitted in any name.
Magic or not?
Sometimes there are suggestions that it is better to submit petitions to the magpie for health at once in several churches. Reviews report that people turn to three, five or more places of worship to remove spoilage, the evil eye, or heaping trouble or illness. This is not forbidden, however, some see elements of “church magic” in such actions, when the selection of numbers or arrangement of churches in a certain order (triangle, star, etc.) is added to the main element (prayer). Priests believe that in the traditional service it is enough to attribute to the name of the person for whom the note is submitted, his needs (“sick”, “suffering”), which indicates a request for healing or help in a difficult life situation.