I would like to give another example of the power of parental prayer. In the "Life" of St. Gregory the Theologian there is the following story about the calamity at sea, which he experienced in his youth during a voyage to Greece. "After this, he wished to go to Athens and embarked on an Aegina ship with the pagans. When we sailed past the island of Samos, a strong storm arose on the sea. All despaired of saving their lives and wept in view of bodily death. Gregory wept, fearing spiritual death, since he had not yet been baptized, but only a catechumen. He remembered the former miracles of God in the waters: the crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites and the rescue of Jonah from the belly of the whale. He prayed to God with cries, asking for deliverance from death in the waves. These misfortunes of his during the sea voyage were revealed to his parents in a dream vision. They immediately stood up to pray and shed hot tears before God, asking Him for help for their son in distress at sea. God, Who preserved His servant Gregory for the benefit of many and prepared him to become the pillars of the Church, tamed the fierce storm and rebuked the winds; Complete silence fell on the sea. All those who were on the ship, seeing themselves, beyond expectation, saved from destruction and as if torn from the bonds of death, glorified Christ God. They knew that only by invoking His almighty name in the prayer of Gregory was the sea tamed. Moreover, a certain youth, a companion of the saint on the journey, saw at night in a dream during a time of agitation and storm, that Gregory's mother, Blessed Nonna, hastily came by sea, took the sinking ship and led it to the shore. When the excitement subsided, he told everyone about the vision, and everyone confessed the God of Gregory as the Great Helper – they thanked Him and believed in Him. In addition, the father of Gregory, who prayed with tears in Nazianzus for his son and then fell asleep after prayer, had another vision. He saw a certain furious demon, Erinnus, who tried to destroy Gregory at sea, but Gregory seized him with his hands and conquered him. From this vision Gregory's father learned about the deliverance of his son from death and lifted up thanks to God with his wife. Saint Gregory made the subsequent journey by sea safely and arrived at Athens" (St. Demetrius of Rostov, Lives of the Saints, January, 25th).

The Lord not only gave parents special authority over their children, but also imposed on them a special responsibility so that they would use this power only for the good of their children. And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the teaching and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). There are cases when, over time, bad wishes expressed by parents to their child came true in anger. But this does not mean that ill-will can have spiritual power. No, the Merciful God has set limits to the possible use of parental authority for evil. We know that the word of God forbids to curse even personal enemies, for judgment belongs only to the Lord: "But to you who hear, I say, Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them that despitefully use you" (Luke 6:27-28). It is all the more forbidden for parents to curse children who are God's property. What seems to have come true as a parental curse has reasons in the person himself. His poor disposition of the soul and the lack of parental blessing lead to disastrous consequences over time. We are witnessing this tragedy now, when we think about the life of the modern young generation.

Parents cannot give what they themselves do not have. Therefore, if they want their children to be protected by parental prayer, they themselves must live in that grace-filled tradition in which everything true, good, and viable has crystallized.

A mother's prayer for her children  

Gosh! Creator of all creatures, applying mercy to mercy, Thou hast made me worthy to be the mother of a family; Thy grace hath given me children, and I dare to say, They are Thy children! For Thou hast given them existence, hast quickened them with an immortal soul, hast regenerated them by baptism for a life in accordance with Thy will, hast adopted them as sons and received them into the bosom of Thy Church.

God! Keep them in a state of grace until the end of your life; vouchsafe them to be partakers of the sacraments of Thy covenant; sanctify with Thy truth; may Thy holy name be sanctified in them and through them! Send down upon me Thy grace-filled help in their upbringing for the glory of Thy name and the benefit of their neighbor! Give me the means, patience and strength for this purpose! Teach me to plant in their hearts the root of true wisdom – Thy fear! Illumine them with the light of Thy wisdom that governs the universe! Let them love Thee with all their soul and mind; let them cleave to Thee with all their hearts, and tremble at Thy words all their lives! Grant me the understanding to convince them that true life consists in keeping Thy commandments; that labor, strengthened by piety, brings serene contentment in this life, and ineffable bliss in eternity. Reveal to them the understanding of Thy Law! May they cooperate to the end of their days in the sense of Thy omnipresence; plant in their hearts fear and abhorrence of all iniquity: let them be blameless in their ways; may they always remember that Thou, O All-Good God, art a zealot for Thy law and righteousness! Keep them in chastity and reverence for Thy name! Let them not defame Thy Church by their conduct, but let them live according to its precepts. Stifle them with a desire for useful learning and make them capable of every good work! Let them acquire a true understanding of those objects whose information is necessary in their condition; may they be enlightened by knowledge beneficial to mankind.

God! Wisdom me to impress with indelible features in the minds and hearts of my children the fear of fellowship with those who do not know Thy fear, to inspire them with every possible distance from all association with the wicked; let them not listen to rotten conversations; let them not listen to light-minded people; let not evil examples lead them astray from Thy way; let them not be offended by the fact that sometimes the path of the wicked is successful in this world.

Heavenly Father! Grant me the grace to take care in every possible way to tempt my children by my actions, but, constantly keeping in mind their behavior, to distract them from errors, to correct their errors, to restrain their stubbornness and obstinacy, to refrain from striving for vanity and frivolity; let them not be carried away by foolish thoughts; let them not follow their hearts; let them not forget Thee and Thy law. Let not iniquity destroy their mind and health, let not the sins of their spiritual and physical strength weaken. Sprinkle them with the dew of Thy grace; let them increase in virtue and holiness; may they grow in Thy favor and in the love of godly people.

Father of mercies and all mercy! Out of parental feeling, I would wish my children every abundance of earthly blessings, I would wish them blessings from the dew of heaven and from the fat of the earth, but may Thy holy will be with them! Arrange their fate according to Thy good pleasure, do not deprive them of their daily bread in life, send down upon them all that is necessary in time for the acquisition of blessed eternity; be merciful to them when they sin against Thee; do not impute to them the sins of youth and their ignorance; bring their hearts to contrition when they resist the guidance of Thy goodness; punish them and have mercy on them, directing them to the path that is pleasing to Thee, but do not reject them from Thy presence! Accept their prayers with good pleasure; grant them success in every good deed; Turn not Thy face away from them in the days of their affliction, lest temptations come upon them beyond their strength. Overshadow them with Thy mercy; let Thy angel walk with them, and preserve them from every misfortune and evil way.

Good God! Make me a mother who rejoices in her children, that they may be my joy in the days of my life, and my support in my old age. Grant me, trusting in Thy mercy, to stand with them at Thy Dread Judgment and with unworthy boldness to say: Here am I and my children, whom Thou hast given me, O Lord! That together with them, glorifying Thy ineffable goodness and eternal love, I exalt Thy most holy name, O Father, Son and Holy Soul, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

(Compiled by St. Ambrose of Optina).

What is the difference between repentance and repentance?

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov)  

Repentance is the realization of one's sinfulness and the experience associated with such awareness. This is not only regret for committing transgressions that are contrary to the commandments and moral norms, but something more – repentance, that is, condemnation of everything wrongly done: "For sorrow for God's sake worketh unfailing repentance unto salvation, but worldly sorrow worketh death" (2 Corinthians 7:10).