Ever since the day the Christian faith shone in Russia, among Orthodox people the veneration of the Most Holy Theotokos - Mother of the Lord our God Jesus Christ has been firmly established. Many laudatory hymns are composed in her honor, they turn to Her in repentant prayers, and they ask Her for intercession in everyday troubles. About the set of such prayers, called the Psalter of the Mother of God, will be discussed in our article.
Rostov saint - shepherd, preacher and teacher
Its author is an outstanding spiritual writer, preacher and teacher of the era of Peter I - Metropolitan Dimitry of Rostov and Yaroslavl (Tuptalo). Almost half a century after his blessed death, which followed in 1709, he was ranked among the saints of the Russian Orthodox Church. His God's chosenness was irrefutably evidenced by both the imperishability of the relics and the numerous miracles revealed through prayers at his grave.
In his earthly life, the holy saint of God became famous, in addition to pastoral and teaching activities (he founded the Slavic-Greek school in Rostov), also as an outstanding spiritual writer, who wrote numerous works on the study of patristic heritage and hymnography. One of the most famous of these works is the Psalter of the Mother of God.
Successor to King David
When compiling it, the author took as a basis the well-known Psalter (note that this is a feminine word) - the Old Testament Bible book, the authorship of which is attributed to King David. The name of the book is not accidentally derived from the name of an ancient oriental musical instrument - psalteria. Once, to the sound of its strings, the sons of Israel sang of God, who led them out of the land of slavery.
The Psalter of Our Lady of Dmitry Rostovsky, as well as the creation of Tsar David, is divided into twenty Kafism - separate parts, including both psalms and songs of praise, and prayers. The only difference is that the Hebrew psalmist addresses God in his work, and his Russian copycat refers to the Queen of Heaven.
Unlike the creation of King David, the Psalter of the Mother of God is a much less well-known work, and even most believers and churches are not aware of its existence. The reason for this phenomenon lies obviously in the fact that this Psalter is not included in the prayer rule and is read only in cases when a spiritual need arises.
Psalter of the Mother of God how to read?
The veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary is inseparable from the Orthodox faith. Gratitude to the Mother of the Savior of mankind from the darkness of eternal death from time immemorial has been expressed in akathists, prayers, hymns and hymns. It was the reverent love of the people that once inspired Metropolitan Dimitry of Rostov and Yaroslavl to write a collection entirely devoted to the glorification of our Heavenly Intercessor, and entitled the Psalter of the Mother of God.
How do you read this set of psalms and prayers? There is no concrete indication of this in church literature, since it is canonically not included in any worship services, but is designed exclusively for home prayer.
But even without outside help, every believer, guided only by the voice of his heart, feels that the psalms composed by the Rostov saint can become both a source of pure repentant tears and deep comfort - the key to the intercession of the Lady of our Heavenly, Blessed Virgin Mary.
The power of prayer
The extent to which a Psalter of the Mother of God can have a tangible effect in each specific case depends on the person who reads the line itself or who hears it. It is hardly worth mentioning the well-known truth that the power of prayer is determined primarily by the sincerity and faith with which it is pronounced.
The gospel words of Jesus Christ that everyone receives according to their faith are as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago. And it doesn’t matter to whom the prayers are addressed - whether to Himself or to His Most Pure Mother, only the depth of the heart feeling put into them matters.
Modern critics of St. Demetrius
At the end of the conversation, it is necessary to dwell on another important aspect of the problem related to the fact that the Psalter of the Mother of God, the text of which, although compiled by a religious figure, glorified in the face of saints, was not included in the list of materials used during church services.
The fact is that, despite the approval given by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, a number of modern clergy are skeptical of the spiritual value of this work.
Proven Works
This position is extremely perplexing and can only be the result of a misunderstanding of the essence and meaning of the psalms written by the outstanding theologian of the late XVII and early XVIII centuries. Both during the years of the earthly life of St. Demetrius of Rostov, and after the blessed death of his writings, they were always highly appreciated even by the most severe critics.
In all certainty, they can be attributed to those fruits of creativity that have passed the test of time, and therefore deserve our attention. It should also be noted that they are not prohibited, and therefore, there is no reason to exclude them from the circle of their spiritual reading. Everyone has the right to make the final decision himself.