1. On Prayer

What does it mean to pray to God?To pray to God means to glorify, thank and ask Him for your needs.Why do we need to pray to God?God is our Creator and Father. He cares for all of us more than any loving father and gives us all the blessings in life, in Him we live, move and have our being; how do we pray?We sometimes pray inwardly, with our minds and hearts; but since each of us consists of soul and body, for the most part we accompany prayer with some visible signs and bodily actions: the sign of the cross, bowing to the waist, and sometimes, for the strongest expression of our reverent feelings for God and deep humility before Him, we kneel and make prostrations to the ground. unceasingly (1 Thessalonians 5:17) [Here and further references to the corresponding passages of the Holy Bible are given in the modern generally accepted abbreviation. Here: 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 17]. At the beginning of the work, to ask for God's help. At the end of the work, to thank God for help and success in the matter. Before dinner, so that God would bless us with food for health. After lunch, to thank God who nourishes us. In the evening, before going to bed, in order to thank God for the day spent and ask for His protection at night.For all these cases, the Orthodox Church prescribes special prayers.Where should one pray?In any place; but a special place of prayer for us is God's temple, which we must visit at the appointed times of the Divine service, and especially on feast days and Sundays and fasts.Besides God, whom do we honor and call upon in our prayers?Besides God, we venerate and invoke in our prayers the Mother of God, the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the angels and all holy people.Are our prayers always pleasing to God?Not always. If we pray absent-mindedly, without love or fear of God, if we pronounce prayers with our tongue alone, and at the same time turn our minds and hearts to something extraneous, then such a prayer not only does not attract God's mercy to us, on the contrary, it angers God. What are icons?Images or images of the Lord God Jesus Christ, His Most Pure Mother, the Virgin Mary, holy angels and holy men.What can be said about someone who makes the sign of the cross during prayer incorrectly and carelessly, or is ashamed to be baptized?Such a person does not want to confess his faith in God, Jesus Christ Himself will be ashamed of him at His Last Judgment (Mark 8:11). To make the sign of the cross, put the first three fingers of the right hand - thumb, index and middle - together; The last two fingers, the ring finger and the little finger, bend to the palm. By putting the first three fingers together, we express the belief that God is one in essence, but threefold in persons. Two bent fingers show our faith that in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, there are two natures, Divine and human. By depicting the cross on ourselves with folded fingers, we show that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, Who was crucified on the cross.

2. Initial prayers

In Russian:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. [1]

In the name - in honor, in glory. Amen - truly, truly.Who is meant by the words: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit? We believe that God is one, but in Him there are three persons: the 1st person of the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is God the Father, the 2nd person is God the Son, the 3rd person is God the Holy Spirit. To these three persons of the Holy Spirit. To the Trinity belongs the same authority, honor and worship.Why is it said here: in the name, and not in the name?As a sign that God, although there are three persons in Him, in His essence is only one.Why is the word Amen added?As a sign that everything that we read in prayer is true.When should this prayer be pronounced?Before every good deed, because we must do everything in honor and glory of the three persons of the Holy Trinity.Rising from sleep, before any other occupation, reverently presenting yourself before the Most High God and making the sign of the cross, say: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Wherefore hesitate a little, so that all thy senses may fall into silence and all earthly thoughts may forsake all earthly things, and then pronounce thy prayers without haste, with heartfelt attention. ^

The Publican's Prayer

In Russian:

Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.

Whose prayer is this?This is the prayer of the publican (tax collector), who repented of his sins and received forgiveness, as can be seen from the parable of the publican and the Pharisee (Luke 18:10-14).What do we ask of God in this prayer?We ask God to be merciful to us sinners, that is, to forgive us our sins and not punish us for them.When do we need to say this prayer?We need to say it just as often, how often we sin. As soon as we sin, we must immediately repent of our sin before God and say this prayer.

Prayer to Jesus Christ, the Son of God

In Russian:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and all the saints, have mercy on us (show mercy to us). Amen.

Radi - for, by. To whom is this prayer?To Jesus Christ, the Son of God.Who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God?The Second Person of the Holy Trinity, our Saviour [1].What do we ask of the Lord in this prayer?We ask God to have mercy on us through the prayers of the saints, i.e. to be merciful to us and forgive our sins.Who is the Most Pure Mother of the Lord?The Most Holy Virgin Mary, chosen for the special holiness of her life as a Mother to the Son of God, when He, eternally living as God, wanted to appear on earth as a man for the salvation of people [2].Who are the saints?Saints are people who lived on earth piously and are now in heaven together with God and pray to Him for us. Such, for example, are the prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, and others. Through their prayers, and especially through the prayers of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, God has mercy on us.When is this prayer pronounced?This prayer, like the prayer of the publican, should be in the mind and heart of a Christian as often as possible, because, constantly sinning before God, we must constantly turn to Him with a request for mercy. This prayer is pronounced shorter: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us, or even shorter: Lord, have mercy! In the last abbreviated version, it is pronounced in church, during divine services, often up to 40 times continuously.Here are the earthly life of Jesus Christ in brief words: the Son of God descended from heaven for our salvation, received sinless human flesh from the Most-Pure Virgin Mary through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit on it, and lived on earth as a man for more than 33 years. Until the age of 30, He lived in the poor Galilean city of Nazareth with His mother, Mary, and Her betrothed, Joseph, sharing his household labors and his trade (Joseph was a carpenter). Then He appeared on the Jordan River, where He was baptized by His Forerunner John. After baptism, He spent 40 days in the wilderness in fasting and prayer; here He withstood temptation from the devil and from here He appeared into the world with a sermon about how we should live and what to do in order to receive the Kingdom of Heaven. The preaching and the whole life of Jesus in general were accompanied by numerous miracles. In spite of this, the Jews, rebuked by Him for their lawless life, hated Him. Their hatred grew to the point that after many tortures they crucified Him on the cross between two thieves. Dying on the cross and buried by His secret disciples, He rose again by the power of His omnipotence on the third day after His death, and after His resurrection He repeatedly appeared to believers for 40 days, revealing to them the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. On the 40th day, in the presence of His disciples, He ascended to heaven, and on the 50th day He sent them the Holy Spirit, enlightening and sanctifying every person. On the part of the Savior, suffering and death on the cross were a voluntary sacrifice of God's justice for the sins of people. ^Here in brief words is the life of Presv. The Virgin Mary: the parents of the Virgin Mary were the pious elders Joachim and Anna. Being childless, they asked God for their offspring, promising to dedicate it to God, God heard their prayers, and they had a daughter, who was named Mary. When She was 3 years old, Her parents brought Her to church, where She lived until the age of 14 and was engaged in reading the Holy Scriptures, praying and handicrafts. In the 15th year, according to custom, She had to be given in marriage, but She did not want this, because She promised to always be a Virgin. Then the priests, by the inspiration of God, betrothed (entrusted) Her to Her distant relative, who lived in Nazareth, the elder Joseph, so that he would nourish and preserve Her. Here, in Nazareth, the Presv. The Virgin received heavenly news from the Archangel about the birth of the Son of God from Her in the flesh, Who was born of Her in the cave of Bethlehem. After the death of Jesus Christ, She lived in the house of John the Theologian and was for him instead of a mother. Her dormition (death) followed 15 years after Christ's ascension to heaven. Her death, according to tradition, was miraculous: She died in the presence of the Apostles, miraculously brought to the place of Her death on clouds from various countries. The Lord Himself appeared with the holy angels and peacefully took Her soul. On the third day after the Dormition, Her body was taken to heaven. ^