Do you know what the gospel is? This is the biography of Jesus Christ, the New Testament. In total, Orthodox Christians have four Gospels: from John, from Mark, from Luke and from Matthew. Moreover, the Gospel of John was written somewhat later than the rest.
Why are we reading the gospel? To strengthen the soul. Is there a gospel prayer for one's neighbor? And in general, how to pray for loved ones? This article is dedicated to this.
What is the gospel?
Translated from Greek, the word "gospel" means "good news." Indeed, these four books, written by the apostles, bring good news to the world. People are liberated and saved from death and sin. The Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, came into the world.
The gospel tells us about the birth, life, teaching, and death of Christ. By His terrible and shameful death, in those days, the Lord saved the human race. Why did he do this? Why did he need this? By great love for people.
The Son of God knew that He would be betrayed. He also knew that he had to endure betrayal, torment and death. Probably, He was scared as a simple person. It is not for nothing that the Lord prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking the Heavenly Father for deliverance from a terrible fate.
But not how I want, but how you are.
How to love in order to know everything in advance, and still take this step? The Savior knew that he would be betrayed. And he did not refuse to save the human race.
His whole earthly way is described in the gospel.
How to read the gospel?
What prayers for the neighbor in Orthodoxy are there? More about this later. Now about the most important thing - reading the gospel. We offer detailed, if I may say so, instructions in this regard.
- The gospel must be on a shelf with Orthodox books and prayer books. It is unacceptable to store it together with ordinary literature.
- Before you start reading, it is advisable to light a candle in front of the icons.
It all starts with an opening prayer:
Come, worship the Tsar to our God;
Come, bow down, and come down to Christ our Tsars God;
Come, bow and bow to Christ Himself the Tsar and our God.
- These prayers are recited with a bow after each of them. That is, only three nods.
- After that we begin reading the Gospel. With attention and reverence, reading through the words and trying to understand them.
- After reading the chapter, close the book.
- We overshadow ourselves with the sign of the cross with the words:
Glory to you, our God, glory to you.
After that, the prayer for the salvation of others is carried out while reading the Gospel. About this in the next section.
How to pray for neighbors
We have read the gospel. All done as expected. And now we can read the prayer for our neighbor in our own words. How it's done?
The following words are pronounced:
God save and have mercy on your servants: (names are listed).
After listing the names of those for whom you pray, ask for help in your own words.
It's important to know
In Orthodoxy, prayers for the neighbor are offered only when these neighbors are baptized. That is, you can just pray for the unbaptized. But praying for them in the gospel is not worth it. It is better to consult with a priest on this issue. He will give a more accurate answer, whether it is possible to remember unbaptized people in the Gospel.
How we pray for loved ones
In general, every Orthodox Christian is obligated to pray for the health and repose of his neighbors every morning. In the prayer book, if you open the section of morning prayers, you can see at the end a prayer for the health of others. More precisely, about health and repose, to be precise. These prayers commemorate our parents, relatives, superiors, mentors and benefactors. We pray to God for them.
It is useful to submit notes on health and repose at the Liturgy. This is done in the temple, before the morning service. Notes can be submitted in the evening, in the morning they will be read. If the note is custom-made, then it is read in the altar and a particle is taken out for each person. If simple, then she does not go to the altar. It is read simply by ministers.
Orthodox prayer for one's neighbor is a powerful thing if the supplicant prays with faith and with all his heart.
Is it possible to pray for help to a loved one?
When a person dear to us needs help, we rush to implement it. And what if there is no such possibility? What is impossible for man is possible for God. A prayer for help to one's neighbor will be heard if requested from the bottom of the heart.
How to pray? The simplest and most famous prayer is “Our Father”. Do you know this? If not, here is the text:
Our Father, you shall be in heaven. Hallowed be thy name, may Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in Heaven and on earth. Give us our daily bread today. And leave our debts to us, as well as we leave our debtor. And do not lead us into temptation. But deliver us from the evil one.
And ask, persistently ask in your own words for help for a loved one. How to do it? Everything is simple:
Lord, help your servant (name).
Not necessarily so. As the heart lies, say so. How do children ask their parents for something? So we must resort to the Lord and ask. Childishly sincere and trusting.
Prayer for the salvation of the soul
Every Orthodox Christian wants his loved ones to be saved. Both living and deceased. Is there a prayer for the salvation of the soul of one's neighbor? let's turn to prayer again. Let's open the section of morning prayers and get to its end. There we will see a prayer for health:
God save and have mercy on my spiritual father (name), my parents (names), relatives, superiors, mentors, benefactors and all Orthodox Christians.
We read it and commemorate all loved ones, ask for their salvation. Like reading the Gospel, we pray for the salvation and pardon of our living loved ones.
As for the deceased, in the same prayer book there is a prayer for them:
God bless the souls of the dead Thy servant: my parents (names), relatives and all Orthodox Christians.
These two prayers for the neighbor, or rather for the salvation of the souls of others, are the simplest and shortest. For the repose of every Orthodox Christian, you can pray this way:
Remember, Lord our God, in the faith and hope of the belly of your ever-present servant Thy brother, (name), and as Good and Humane, forgive sins, and consume iniquities, weaken, forgive and forgive all his free sins and involuntary, deliver his eternal Genskago’s torment and fire, and grant him communion and enjoyment of Your eternal good things, prepared for those who love you: even more and have sinned, but do not depart from You, and undoubtedly in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the God of Trinity is glorious, faithful, and the One in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, Orthodox even until the last St. his breath ispoveda.Temzhe to wake mercy, and faith, which is shed in thee instead of cases was imputed, and with thy saints Thou merciful repose: to bring bo man, Who will live and not sin. But You are One except for all sin, and Thy truth is true forever, and You are the One God of mercies and generosity, and humanity, and We glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, forever and ever. Amen.
Remember the living and the dead while reading the Psalms. Usually one kathisma is read daily. Kathisma is divided into three glories. The first is read about the health of loved ones, the second - about repose, the third - about benefactors, mentors. In general, about all relatives and friends, but not blood relatives.
Here we will amend: praying according to the Psalms, as well as the Gospel, is possible only for baptized and churched people. It is excluded the mention of suicides, magicians, people who lead the wrong lifestyle.
Blessed Virgin Mary, save us
Mother of God is our Helper. And we can resort to Her, asking for help, as to Mom. With an open soul and with all your heart, pray to Her. The prayers of the Virgin for neighbors are very important. If we feel the need to pray for a loved one, then his soul asks for it.
Do not be afraid to ask the Virgin Mary for help. Dare and trust in Her mercy.
Prayer One: O Most Holy Lady of the Theotokos! Raise us, servant of God (names) from the depths of sin and deliver us from sudden death and from all evil. May God grant us peace and health, and enlighten us with our mind and heart’s eyes, so that we may be saved, and your sinful servants, the kingdom of your Son, Christ of our God, are likewise likewise: as if His power is blessed with the Father and His Most Holy Spirit.
Second Prayer: Blessed Virgin, the Mother of the Lord, show me, we’ll take away, and the servants of God (names) of your ancient mercy: have lowered the spirit of reason and piety, the spirit of mercy and meekness, the spirit of purity and truth. To her, Lady the Most Pure! Be merciful to me here and at the Last Judgment. Thou art thou, O Madame, the glory of heaven and the hope of the earth. Amen.
Prayer Three: Unclean, Non-Ophthalmic, Imperishable, Pure, Unsigned Divine Bride, Virgin Mary, Lady of the World and My Hope! Look at me, the sinful one, at this hour and from His pure blood, you unselfishly gave birth to the Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me to make your mother prayers; The one who was ripe was condemned and wounded in the heart with the weapon of sadness, sting my soul with Divine love! The highlander mourned in bondage and abuse, grant me the tears of contrition; in the case of freedom to lead to the death of a soul suffering a grievous illness of freedom, yes, I praise you, worthily glorified forever. Amen.
Prayer Four: The Intercessor is zealous, gracious to Lord Mati! I am running to you as a cursed and most sinful man: hear the voice of my prayer, and hear my cry and lament. Like my iniquity surpassing my head and az, like a ship in the abyss, plunging into the sea of my sins. But You, Omnipotent and Merciful Lady, do not despise the desperate and the sinner who perishes; have mercy on me, repenting of my evil deeds, and turn my erring, cursed soul on the right path. On You, My Lady, Mother of God, I entrust all my hope. You, Mother of God, keep and observe me under Your shelter, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.
Fifth Prayer: The Most Holy Lady of the Virgin, one purest soul and body, one transcending all purity, chastity and virginity, the one who has completely become the abode of the whole grace of the whole Holy Spirit, the most immaterial power here is still incomparably greater than the dead and merciful, uncleanness, soul and body, blackened by the filthy passions of my life, clear my passionate mind, immaculate, make and improve my wandering and blind thoughts of my mind, put my feelings in order and guide them, master Along me, tormenting me with evil and vile skill for unclean prejudices and passions, stop all sin that is in me, darkened and repented of my mind, grant sobriety and discretion to correct my trepidations and falls, so that I can become free from sinful darkness, to glorify and sing to you, the one Mother of the true Light - Christ our God; because you alone and with Him are blessed and glorified by all invisible and visible creatures now, and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer Six: O Blessed Virgin, the Mother of the Lord Vyshnyago, the Intercessor and the Veil of all who come to you! Look from the height of Thy holy one upon me, a sinner (name), which is attached to Your pure image; hear my warm prayer and bring it before the Beloved Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; implored Him, that he will illuminate my gloomy soul with the light of His Divine grace, that he will deliver me from all need, sorrow and sickness, that he will send me a quiet and peaceful life, bodily and spiritual health, may my suffering heart die and heal his wounds, may he instruct me for good deeds, let my mind cleanse itself from the thoughts of the vain, but teach me to fulfill His commandments, save it from eternal torment, and may not deprive My heavenly kingdom. O Most Holy Theotokos! Thou, "All that mourn for Joy," hear me, mournful; You called the Quenching of Sorrow, quench my sorrow; You, Kupino the Burning, save the world and all of us from the harmful fiery arrows of the enemy; You, the "Search of the lost", do not let me perish in the abyss of my sins. On Tha Bo along the Bose, all my hope and hope. Be in my life a temporary Intercessor, and about eternal life before Your Beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Intercessor. Teach me Thom slaughter with faith and love to serve, Thee, Mother of God, Blessed Mary, reverently revere until the end of my days. Amen.
Love your neighbor as yourself
This is the commandment of Jesus Christ. Let's start with the answer to the question: “Do we love ourselves?” Hardly. For if they had loved, they would have lived completely differently. There is such a wonderful phrase: we both live and pray. As we pray, we live.
How do we live? In pursuit of worldly goods. We have only a few: money, clothes, food. We strive to get more and more, grab with both hands. And do not pay attention to their neighbors. We have no patience for them, no compassion, no love.
Is there a prayer for love for one's neighbor? When love cools, then we forget what help and support are in relation to those around us. When cooling the love of one's neighbors, one can pray to the Apostle John the Theologian:
About the great apostle, the loud evangelist, the most elegant theologian, the clandestine of unspeakable revelations, the virgin and beloved confidant of Christ of John! Accept us sinners, under your strong intercession of those who come running. Ask Christ the God of God from Our All-Human-Lover, Even before your fleeing, His blood was poured out for us, His indecent servants, that he may not remember our iniquities, but have mercy on us and do with us by His grace: may he grant us mental and physical health, all prosperity and abundance, instructing us to convert him to the glory of Him, the Creator, Savior and our God, at the end of our temporary life from merciless torturers in the air ordeals, may he deliver us, and thus, we will reach you with the water and cover of the High Mountain of Jerusalem, By its glory you are a revelation in this revelation, now endless joys are enjoyed. O great John! Save all the cities and countries of Christianity, this temple, the servants and worshipers in it, from gladness, destruction, coward and flood, fire and sword, invasion of foreign tribes and civil wars; deliver us from all misfortune and adversity, and with your prayers turn away the righteous wrath of God from us, and ask His mercy to us, together with you we will be honored to glorify in the evenings the holy name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Or turn to our venerable intercessor, Seraphim of Sarov. This saint is known for his feat. He stood on a stone, praying for people, for a thousand days. He ate simple breadcrumbs and reached such heights that he fed these brownies to the brown bear that came to him.
To anyone who visited the reverend, he turned "my joy." Let’s ask the saint about giving us love for our neighbors:
Oh, the wonderful father of Seraphim, the great Sarov miracle worker, a hasty assistant to all who come to you! In the days of your earthly life, no one is thin and inconsolable from you, but the sweet vision of your face and the sweet voice of your words are sweet to everyone. In addition, the gift of healing, the gift of insight, the gift of weak souls of healing is plentiful in you. Wherever God calls you from earthly labors to heaven’s repose, your love no longer exists from us, and it’s impossible to calculate your miracles, multiplied like heavenly stars; all over the whole end of the earth our people of God appear and grant them healing. We are the same cry of ty: O, the pretentious and gentle servant of God, daring to prayer to Him, barking forth the call of thee! Raise your gracious prayer for us to the Lord of strength, grant us all that is prosperous in this life and all that is useful for spiritual salvation, may he protect us from the fall of sinfulness and true repentance, and teach us how to impart to us in the hedgehog the eternal Kingdom of heaven, no matter you now in glorious glory, and there to sing with all the saints the Life-Giving Trinity forever and ever. Amen.
Let us turn to the Monk Silouan of Athos. The future saint comes from the Tambov province. Born in 1866, a family of illiterate peasants. From childhood he was hardworking, helping his father in the field. Parents, although they were poor, were warm to those in need. They were distinguished by hospitality, sometimes sharing the last. Siluan (in the world of Simeon) gravitated to monastic life. Father, worried about the haste of his decision, insisted that the future saint try himself in military service. Rev. Siluan agreed. Thoughts about monasticism faded into the background, for his worldly life dragged on.
After the service, the future saint returned home, said goodbye to his family and went to Mount Athos. He lived there for many years, struggling in labors and prayers. He died in 1938.
O faithful servant of God, Father Silvanus! By grace, from God given to you, pray tearfully for the whole universe - the dead, the living and the coming - do not keep silent for us to the Lord, who assiduously come to you and your intercession is emphatically asking (names). , , , , , , , . , , – . , , , , , . , , , . , , , , , . – , , , , , , , , , , , , . , , , , , , , , . , , , , , , . , , . , , , , . Amen
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Conclusion
Now the reader knows how to pray for his neighbors. Who to ask for help. Come to the Lord, the Most Holy Theotokos, the holy saints of the Lord. No time and energy to read prayers? Treat as you can. If you want to mentally, if you want to - out loud. Stand at home in front of the icons, light a candle, pray.
Is it possible to read a prayer or an akathist? Do not neglect it. Prayer is never superfluous. God, seeing our sincerity, will not leave in trouble.