Instead of a preface.

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." — These are the words of prayer, our friends, with which we for the first time in our lives testified to our faith in the font of Holy Baptism; these are the words with which the new man is born into the world from above, by the power of God's grace, the man of God.

And from the time when the great Sacrament of Baptism with water and the Spirit was performed in us, these words will accompany us all our lives on our path of life, protecting us with a mother's blessing in infancy, strengthening us in youth and accompanying us on the path of independent life. And the trembling mother's hand will make the sign of the cross over the grown-up child, blessing him to choose the path of life, and the mother's voice, trembling with emotion, will say with feeling: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," sanctifying the unknown paths of the life that lies before him, whether family or monastic. And the Church, following the parental blessing by the hand of the priest, will give God's blessing: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" – as an external sign of the transfer of the grace of the Holy Spirit to the chosen path of life, to the good deed that is being begun.

God's grace is that holiness, power and strength that is hidden in the words of this prayer and in the sign of the cross that accompanies it. The actions of all three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity come into force in this prayer. What God the Father has pleased to be, what the Son of God has fulfilled in Himself, the Holy Spirit descends in her to us, believers. And this prayer sounds both as our confession of God and as our preaching about faith.

And a small prayer invisibly does a great deed, sanctifying every human undertaking, giving it great power to become a sacrifice to God, and at the same time sanctifying the one who offers this sacrifice.

It was not the human mind that brought this prayer into the world. For the first time, the Only-begotten Son of God Jesus Christ Himself laid the foundation of the Christian faith and its life, when, sending His disciples to preach the Gospel worldwide, He commanded them: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you..." (Matt. 28:19-20).

In brief words – "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" – the Lord encapsulated both the entire essence of the Christian faith and the entire foundation of the Christian life. With this prayer, Christ testified to faith in the One God, glorified in three Persons. God the Father Himself, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are all One present in it and carry the miracle so familiar to us, the source of life and immortality, a mysterious and powerful force – life spiritualized by God.

The foundation of the Christian life is that "not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give glory..." (Psalm 113:9). And this means that not in one's own name, not for the sake of one's own glory and one's earthly gains, but for God's sake, for God's sake and for the glory of God, the work that follows prayer will be built. In God's name it is sanctified, whether small or great, and by God's help and God's providence it will bear fruit for the benefit of the soul unto salvation.

Our friends, let us always remember that this prayer is the seal of salvation that seals those who receive it for salvation; it is the key that opens the mind and all the powers of the soul to receive the Word of God; She is the guardian who guards the purity of the soul, mind and heart.

My beloved, let us consciously and thoughtfully accept God's gift – the sanctity of this prayer – both at the dawn of the beginning of the day, when it places us before the icons for the morning veneration of God, and during the day, asking God's blessing for all our spiritual and worldly needs, and with it we will also begin our evening sacrifice to God before going to bed.

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," resounds from the ambo every time, calling our attention to hearing preaching about God, about holiness, about the saints.

Let us open our hearts to the grace of God, and may the power of this great prayer grow in our hearts and another prayer that conquers all, sanctifies all, regenerates everything: "Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, to the Trinity, One-in-Essence and Indivisible, Who has given us confession of Himself!"