Contents
Preface
I. About prayer and its external signs
II. Initial prayers
III. Lord’s Prayer
IV. Morning prayers
V. Daytime prayers
VI. Evening prayers
VII. Selected prayers
Troparion of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Troparion of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Troparion of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Troparion of the Nativity of Christ
Troparion of Epiphany, or Epiphany
Troparion of the Presentation of the Lord
Troparion of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Troparion of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem
Troparion of Easter
Troparion of the Ascension of the Lord
Troparion of Pentecost
Troparion of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Troparion of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary
VIII. Creed
IX. Commandments of the Law
First Tablet

 
Second Tablet

Preface

Teaching the Law of God to children usually begins with an explanation of the simplest prayers, with the goal of teaching children the very work of prayer, how they can express their needs and desires before the Lord in different circumstances of life. With further teaching, they gradually move on to prayers that are more difficult in volume and content, observing the gradualness that is required in mastering any subject, especially something as important and necessary as the Law of God. To satisfy this requirement, a manual for the study and interpretation of prayers must be arranged in a certain order, starting with simpler and easier educational material and ending with more complex and difficult ones.

The prayers of the Orthodox Church are composed in the Church Slavonic language, but the children know only Russian. Not only the forms and phrases, but also the very words of the church are not always intelligible to them. It therefore seemed necessary to the compiler of the manual, having cited the church text, then include a Russian translation of it.

After this, the inner meaning and significance of the prayer should be explained to the students: is this prayer a petition or a prayer of gratitude? what exactly do we ask God for or what we thank Him for; Does it contain any other moral instructions, etc. It should also indicate, where possible, who composed this prayer and when it was used in the church. This interpretation of the prayers should follow directly after the Russian translation of them. The language of interpretation should be simple, and the interpretation itself should be easy to understand, in relation to the age of the students. Guided by the above considerations, the compiler of this work arranges it in the following order.

After an explanation of the concept of prayer in general, its place and time, as well as the external signs of private and church prayer (the sign of the cross, worship and kneeling, lighting candles, smoking incense), the text and interpretation of short prayers, called initial prayers, follows. The compiler then moves on to prayers that require more detailed explanation. Among them, the Lord’s Prayer is interpreted in first place, followed by morning, afternoon and evening prayers. Next, selected prayers and troparions for the twelve feasts (according to the order of the church year) are interpreted, between which the troparion for the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord should be explained in special detail, as containing together the glorification of the holiday and prayer for the Sovereign Emperor.

Prayers and troparions of the twelve feasts (according to the order of the church year), between which the troparion for the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord should be explained in special detail, as containing together the glorification of the holiday and prayer for the Sovereign Emperor. Finally, after becoming familiar with the most important prayers listed, students can begin to assimilate the main truths of Orthodox Christian teaching about faith, hope and love. Therefore, the present work ends with the interpretation of the creed, the commandments of the law and the beatitudes. The number of prayers explained in it is determined by the title itself: from the many prayers of the Orthodox Church, the most important ones were selected for explanation, the knowledge of which is required by the programs of educational institutions. The explanations themselves are of a moral and practical nature, and not dogmatic; Of the dogmatic ones, only the most necessary ones are given. When explaining prayers that have something in common in their content, repetition is inevitable; but if the student has not fully mastered the previous explanations, then for him it will not be a repetition of what was said a second time.

I. About prayer and its external signs

Prayer is the believer’s appeal to God and is an essential need of the human heart. It is as necessary for strengthening and revitalizing our mental powers as food, drink, air and light are needed for the body. When we turn to God in prayer, we either glorify Him, or thank Him for the mercies that He gives us, or we ask Him for our needs. We also turn with prayers to the Mother of God, the angels and saints of God and ask them to pray to God for us. You should pray at all times and in all places: “pray without ceasing”, says St. Apostle Paul (1 Thess. 5:17). In the morning, upon awakening from sleep, we should thank God for keeping us through the night and ask His blessing for the coming day; in the evening, before going to bed, we should thank Him for preserving us during the day; before starting any task, at the end of it, before eating and after eating, we must always turn to God in prayer, and for all these cases special prayers are prescribed by the Orthodox Church. God is present everywhere and knows everything, at any time and in any place He is ready to accept our prayer and send us what is useful for soul and body; but in the temple there is His special presence. And first of all, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself said: “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). Then, holy icons depicting the Lord, the Mother of God, angels and saints of God, reading the Holy Scriptures, spiritual hymns to the glory of the Lord and His saints – all this distracts us from our earthly affairs, turns our thoughts to divine objects and imparts a prayerful mood to our soul. Therefore, in addition to home prayer, an Orthodox Christian should visit the temple of God as often as possible and pray there diligently, with reverence, without being entertained by anything extraneous.

“Glorify God both in your bodies and in your souls, which are God’s”, says St. Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 6:20). External prayer actions that serve to glorify God in our bodies include:

1.Sign of the Cross. To make the sign of the cross, we put the thumb, index and middle fingers of the right hand together, and bend the ring and little fingers to the palm. Having folded our fingers in this way, we place them first on the forehead, then on the chest, then on the right and left shoulders, and thus make the sign of the cross on ourselves. By putting the first three fingers together we express faith in the Holy Trinity, that is, that God is one in essence, but three in persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. With two fingers bent to the palm, we express the belief that in the second person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ, there are two natures – divine and human, i.e., that Jesus Christ, having descended from heaven to earth, became a man, without ceasing to be God1. By placing the sign of the cross on ourselves, we show that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ crucified on the cross; making a cross on our forehead, chest and shoulders, we ask God to sanctify our mind, heart and deeds.

2. Worship we express feelings of reverence, humility and gratitude to God. When making bows, we must never forget that we are sinners in need of forgiveness and mercy from God, and that all our prayers to Him are pleasing to Him only when they come from a contrite and humble heart.

3. Kneeling shows the highest degree of humility, repentance, reverence and devotion to God. During a service, it is not uncommon for a deacon or priest to invite worshipers to bow their heads or knees. Whoever kneels before God without heartfelt reverence, with distracted thoughts or hypocrisy, does wrong and incurs the wrath of God.

4. Lighting candles. In front of the holy icons depicting the Lord, the Mother of God, angels and saints of God, we light wax candles and lamps with wooden oil. This light should remind us that God is sending us teaching that enlightens our minds, and that our soul should feel an ardent love for God. Wood oil, which soothes pain when applied to a wound, reminds us that God gives us His mercies, and that we, for our part, should be merciful to others; and clean wax reminds us that we must take care of spiritual purity.

5. Smoking incense (incense) in front of holy icons is like a sacrifice offered by us to God and His saints. Just as the incense used for smoking is pure, so should our heart be pure when we turn to God in prayer.

II. Initial prayers.2

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Having risen from sleep, before doing anything else, you should reverently put the sign of the cross on yourself and say this prayer. With it we express our readiness to do everything with the blessing of God; with it we profess the most important Christian belief that God, one in essence (which is why we say: in the name, and not “in names”), is threefold in persons: God Father, God Son and God Holy Spirit. The word amen, with which we conclude this prayer, like many other prayers, is ancient Hebrew, meaning: “truly,” “let it be,” and is used as an expression of our faith in everything that we say.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

In this prayer, which is said three times, we also address the three persons of the Most Holy Trinity. Under the words: Holy God – of course God the Father, Holy Mighty – God the Son, Holy Immortal – God the Holy Spirit. We call God holy because in Him there is no lack or sin; strong – because He is omnipotent; immortal – because He is eternal, that is, He has always been and always will be. With the last words of this prayer: have mercy on us, we express our belief in one God. This prayer is called “Trisagion” because the word “Holy” is pronounced three times; It is also called “angel song.” Its origin is as follows. In the 5th century A.D. X., during the reign of the Greek Emperor Theodosius II and the priesthood of Patriarch Proclus, there was a devastating earthquake in Constantinople, which destroyed a significant part of the city. The people were horrified. The Patriarch performed a solemn prayer service with a religious procession for deliverance from danger. Suddenly, from among the people, one youth was miraculously lifted into the air, and then lowered to the ground unharmed. He said that in the air he heard angelic singing: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal.” Everyone began to repeat this song with the addition of the words: “have mercy on us” – and the earthquake stopped. Since then, this sacred song has been used in worship.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

This is a prayer of praise to the three persons of the Most Holy Trinity. By it we express that equal glory (equal glorification) belongs to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit at the present time (now), always (forever) belonged and forever (to the ages of ages) will belong.

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us: Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name’s sake.

In this prayer, first from the three persons of the Most Holy Trinity together, and then from each person separately, we ask for one thing, although in different expressions, namely, deliverance from sins. The word Lord means God the Father, and we ask Him to cleanse us from sins; under the word Lord – God the Son, and we ask Him for forgiveness of our iniquities (violations of the law of the Lord, i.e. sins); under the word Holy – God the Holy Spirit, and we ask Him for the healing of our spiritual infirmities (weaknesses, sins). With the final words of this prayer: for Thy name’s sake, we show that we ask God for forgiveness of sins not according to our merits, but in hope of God’s mercy.

Lord have mercy.

This is the prayer of a sinful man, imbued with repentance and humility. But we need God’s mercy not only because we sin, but also because we depend on God for everything. Our destiny is in His hands; He gives us the blessings of life, supports us physically and mentally, and He also sends us trials. Therefore, we must ask God, as mercy, not only for the forgiveness of our sins, but also for every good that we need.

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

This is a prayer of praise to God. Pronouncing it shorter, we say: “Glory to God.” This is what you need to say at the end of any good, useful deed.

God, be merciful to me, a sinner (Luke 18:13).

Once Jesus Christ spoke the following parable to admonish those who consider themselves righteous and others sinners and are proud of it. “Two men entered the temple to pray: one was a Pharisee3, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed to himself like this: God! I thank You that I am not like other people: robbers, offenders, adulterers, or like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I buy. The publican, standing in the distance, did not even dare to raise his eyes to heaven, but, striking himself on the chest, said: God! be merciful to me, a sinner! I tell you that this one went to his house justified more than the other: for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; but he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:10–14). So, when we pray, we will not, like the Pharisee, boast of our virtues and condemn others, otherwise our very virtues will lose their value before God; Let us better pray as the publican prayed, with humility and awareness of our sins, and the Lord will have mercy on us.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, for the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.

This is a prayer for mercy to the second person of the Holy Trinity, our Lord Jesus Christ. Realizing our sins and our unworthiness before God, we ask the Mother of God and the holy saints of God to pray to Him for us. We believe that their prayers will be more pleasing to God than ours: we are sinful people, and our sins remove us from God, but they, by their holy life, are close to God and through their intercession can ask us a lot from Him.

Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of Truth, who is everywhere and fulfills everything, treasure of good things and giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth and save, O Good One, our souls.

“Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of truth, present everywhere and filling everything, source of goodness and giver of life, come and dwell in us, cleanse us from all sin and save, O merciful One, our souls.”

With this prayer we turn to the third person of the Most Holy Trinity – God the Holy Spirit. We call Him King because He, like God the Father and God the Son, reigns over the whole world; we call Him the King heavenly, because He invisibly abides in heaven; comforter – because He comforts us in our sorrows and misfortunes; The Spirit of truth – because He instills in us truth and goodness; omnipresent and fulfilling everything – because He, like God the Father and God the Son, dwells everywhere and gives everyone what they need for earthly life and heavenly bliss; a treasure of good things – because He is, as it were, a treasury or source of all good; the giver of life – because He preserves our physical and spiritual life, helps us to live holy. Glorifying the Holy Spirit, we ask Him to dwell into our souls, cleanse us from everything bad and thereby save us from the eternal torment that awaits sinners.

The prayer to the Holy Spirit is taken from church hymns on the feast of Pentecost. On this day, the Church remembers the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.

III. Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name: thy kingdom come: thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread: and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors: and do not lead us into misfortune, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen(Matthew 6:9-13).

“Our Father who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen”.

One day the holy apostles said to the Lord Jesus Christ: “Lord! teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). Then the Lord gave them the prayer “Our Father,” which is why it is called the “Lord’s Prayer.” To more conveniently consider the Lord’s Prayer, we can divide it into invocation, seven petitions and doxology.

Our Father who art in heaven. This is how the invocation of the Lord’s Prayer is read. We call God father because He is the Creator of all people and the Guardian of the human race; He loves us like a father loves his children, and is ready to help us in everything. Therefore, we, like children to our father, must reveal our needs to God with all sincerity and heartfelt simplicity, love Him with all our soul and heart, obey Him and fulfill His commandments. If someone prays alone, he must still say: Our Father, because God is the common father of all of us, and wants us all to love each other as brothers, and what we ask for ourselves in prayer, we would also ask for others. God is present everywhere, but heaven is the place of God’s special presence; there the Mother of God, angels and saints of God serve God, worship and glorify Him. Therefore, we, too, saying the words of prayer who are in heaven, must leave all earthly thoughts and worries and direct our mind and heart to the invisibly abiding God in heaven.

1. Hallowed be Thy name. This is our first petition. The name of God in itself is most holy. It can also be holy in us when we, remembering God with the deepest reverence and knowing that He is everywhere and knows everything, are careful not to even mentally offend Him; sanctified in our words when we refrain from evil speech, lies and slander; sanctified in all our deeds when we live according to the commandments of God – in a word, when we fulfill the covenant of the Lord: “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

2. Thy kingdom come. God has reigned in the world since the creation of the world; He preserves peace and directs everything to goodness. Therefore, we must ask God to reign in us, that is, to control our spiritual powers and inspire us to live holy in order to receive the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of God will fully open after the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth.

3. Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. With these words, we ask God to help us carry out His will as holy and unquestioningly as it is carried out by the holy angels in heaven. The will of the Lord requires that we avoid evil deeds and follow God’s commandments in everything. With these same words, we show complete submission to God and express that we are ready to accept from Him everything that He pleases to give us.

4. Give us this day our daily bread. With the first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, we turn to God with a prayer for what directly relates to His glory, namely, that we glorify God with thoughts, words and deeds, in order to be worthy of the kingdom of God, in order to act in everything according to His will. In further petitions, we pray to Him for our own needs – physical and mental. Bodily needs are varied: we need health, food, clothing, shelter, etc. But food is most necessary for a person, and he cannot do without it. Therefore, one must ask God for all bodily blessings, especially bread, but only daily bread, that is, necessary for existence, for life, and not superfluous. One must ask God for enough food to support life, and this will not be small for one who is accustomed to being content with little. In a word: today, that is, “on this day,” the Lord inspires not to start eating food without first asking God’s blessing for it each time; for, no matter how rich we are in the means of life, they are still not our property, but God’s, which it is a sin to dispose of arbitrarily, without any thought of our dependence on God. But if bread is God’s property, then why do we call it ours? In relation to God, we do not have the right to call the bread received from Him ours, but we can call it that way in relation to our neighbors, expressing with these words the desire that the Lord would give us such bread that we could eat with a clear conscience, as our legitimate property, acquired honestly and harmlessly for others. Under the name daily bread we ask God for bread, necessary not only for the body, but also for the soul. The soul needs: the word of God, the body and blood of Christ.

5. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. We call our sins debts: wemust fulfill the commandments of God, and if we do not fulfill them, then, therefore, we remain in debt to God. So our neighbors must do with us according to the commandments of God; and if they do not do this, then they sin against us and, therefore, remain in debt to us. The Lord forgives sins only to those who forgive others themselves (Matthew 6:14–15).

6. And do not lead us into harm. In this petition, we pray to God to turn away from us such circumstances of life, such misfortunes (need, misfortune) that incline us to sin, tempt us. Often we do not have the strength to refrain from sin in these cases, and therefore we must pray to God to remove these temptations from us or help us overcome them and persevere in goodness.

7. But deliver us from evil. By the word: the evil one, we must first of all understand the evil that lies inside a person – in his soul. Then, the devil tries to corrupt people and remove them from God, instills evil thoughts and desires in us; but he does us harm only when we ourselves succumb to him. Finally, there are a lot of misfortunes and sorrows in the world in general. From all these evils, whether within us or lying outside us, we ask God to deliver us.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen We end our petitions with a praise to God, in which we express our gratitude to Him and the hope that He will give us what we ask: for to Him belongs the kingdom over the world, He has power to fulfill our petitions, and to Him belongs eternal glory.

IV. Morning prayers

Come, let us worship our God the King. Come, let us worship and fall down to Christ, our King God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, the King and our God.

With this prayer we begin a series of morning prayers. In it we turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, calling Him our king. Let’s fall – means: let’s throw ourselves on the ground. Therefore, after reading this prayer, one should bow to the ground.

To You, Master who loves mankind, having risen from sleep, I come running, and I strive for Your works with Your mercy, and I pray to You: help me at all times in every thing, and deliver me from all worldly evil things and the devil’s haste, and save me, and lead me into Your eternal kingdom. For You are my creator and the provider and giver of every good thing, in You are all my hope, and I send up glory to You, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

“Having risen from sleep, I turn to You, Lord who loves mankind, with the help of Your mercy I strive to do the things assigned by You, and I pray to You: help me at all times and in every matter, deliver me from every worldly evil deed and from the devil’s action, save me and lead me into Your eternal kingdom. You are my creator, You take care of me and give me everything good: all my hope is in You, I glorify You now, always and forever. Amen”.

Having risen from sleep, we begin a new day of life and must begin it with the desire to live holy, to do the works of God, that is, those assigned to everyone by God. Therefore, in the morning we ask the Lord to help us do good throughout the day, and we hope that He, in His great mercy, will not refuse us this help. The name worldly evil thing refers to any deed forbidden by God, but suggested by the devil. This prayer ends with praise to God. It was compiled by St. Macarius the Great, an ascetic of the 4th century.

Virgin Mother of God, Rejoice, gracious Mary, the Lord is with You: blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.

This is a prayer of praise in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. The words: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with You: blessed are You among women, taken from the greeting of the Archangel Gabriel, who announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary the birth of the Savior from Her (Luke 1:28); words: blessed is the fruit of your womb, – from the greeting with which righteous Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, addressed Her (Luke 1:42), Savior was called the Lord Jesus Christ for the first time by the angel who announced His birth to the Bethlehem shepherds: “Today a Savior has been born to you in the city of David, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11). Turning with prayer to the Most Holy Virgin Mary, we call Her Theotokos, for from Her the Lord God Jesus Christ was born; graceful – for She received the special mercy (grace) of God, and blessed among other wives; We also call blessed the fruit of Her womb, that is, the Savior of our souls born from Her.

It is worthy to eat, for truly to bless Thee, the Mother of God, ever-blessed and most immaculate, and the Mother of our God: the most honorable cherub and the most glorious without comparison seraphim, without the corruption of God the Word, who gave birth to the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee.

“It is justly worthy to glorify You, Mother of God, always blessed and supremely immaculate and the Mother of our God, and we glorify You, to whom belongs honor and glory more than the cherubim and seraphim – You, who gave birth to the Son of God and remained a Virgin, the true Mother of God.”

This is a song of praise to the Most Holy Theotokos. The seraphim and cherubim mentioned in it are the highest degrees or ranks of the angels of God. The Orthodox Church divides all angels into nine ranks according to the type of their service and as they approach God. The first order consists of the seraphim (Is. 6:2); the name means “fiery”, “fiery”. They are so named because of their fiery love for God. The second rank is the cherubim (Gen. 3:24), i.e., “understanding.” Contemplating the glory and wisdom of God, they seem to be observing the entire creation of God. We glorify the Most Holy Theotokos as the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, whom we call in this prayer God the Word. This name is taken from the Gospel (John 1:1, etc.). Just as we communicate our thoughts to others through the word, so God the Father, who spoke to people many times and in various ways through the prophets (Heb. 1:1), finally spoke through the Son, who for this purpose became incarnate, and in the flesh so fully revealed the will of His Father that whoever saw the Son, according to His words, saw the Father (John 14:9).

Open doors of mercy for us, blessed Mother of God, who trust in You, so that we may not perish, but may be delivered from troubles by You: for You are the salvation of the Christian race.

The Most Holy Theotokos, like our Lord, wants everyone to be saved and reach the kingdom of heaven. The greatest sinners are not deprived of Her intercession, intercession and prayers before the throne of God. There is no one closer to the Lord, and no one is more likely to move Him to mercy, like the Most Holy Theotokos; if She is merciful to us, then the Lord will not reject our prayers. That is why we pray to Her: Open the doors of mercy for us, that is, be merciful, merciful to us, and then through Your intercession we will be delivered from all sorrows and misfortunes.

Angel of God, my holy guardian, save me from every opposite temptation, so that in no sin I anger my God, and pray for me to the Lord, that He may strengthen me in His passion, and show me worthy as a servant of His goodness. Amen.

Angel of God, my holy guardian! Keep me from every hostile temptation, so that I do not anger my God with any sin, and pray to the Lord for me, so that He will confirm me in His fear and make me worthy of His goodness. Amen.

According to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, each person is under the special care or protection of his guardian angel, to whom one should pray to protect the soul from sins, and the body from earthly misfortunes. By the high merits of their nature and by their unchangeable holiness, angels occupy the first place among the creatures created by God; Our Lady alone is superior to them. We ask the guardian angel to pray to the Lord for us, so that we may be strengthened in the fearof the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the fear of sinning in something before God. This feeling is very saving, keeping us from doing things contrary to the commandments of God. Holy Scripture calls the fear of the Lord “the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10).

Angel of Christ, my holy guardian, protector of my soul and body, forgive me all that I have sinned last night4, and deliver me from every wickedness of the enemy who opposes me, so that in no sin I will anger my God, pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant, for you may show me worthy goodness and mercy All Holy Trinity, and the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ, and all saints. Amen.

“Angel of Christ, my guardian saint, patron of my soul and body! Forgive me everything that I sinned last night, and deliver me from all the deceit of my enemy, who does evil to me, so that I do not anger my God with some sin; but pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant, that I may, with your help, be worthy of the goodness and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity, the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ and all the saints. Amen”. When we sin, we insult not only God, but our guardian angel; repenting of sins, we must therefore ask him for forgiveness. By the name of the enemy we mean the devil (see the explanation of the seventh petition of the Lord’s Prayer).

V. Daytime prayers

Most gracious Lord, bestow upon us the grace of Your Holy Spirit, bestowing meaning and strengthening our spiritual strength, so that by listening to the teaching taught to us, we may grow to You, our Creator, for glory, for the comfort of our parents, for the benefit of the Church and the Fatherland.

In this prayer, read before teaching, we ask God to grant us understanding and a desire to learn. In it we call God most good, that is, extremely good, and we ask Him to send us the grace of the Holy Spirit, which gives us spiritual strength: mind, memory, and strengthens them. Having mastered the teaching taught to us, we can, with the help of God, grow to His glory, become a comfort to our parents and be useful to the Orthodox Church (that is, to the society of people who Orthodox believe in the Lord Jesus Christ) and to our fatherland. Instead of this prayer, before teaching, you can also say the prayer Heavenly King.

We thank You, Creator, for You have made us worthy of Your grace to listen to the teaching. Bless our leaders, parents and teachers, who lead us to the knowledge of good, and give us strength and strength to continue this teaching.

This prayer is read after the teaching. In it we thank God for the fact that He has honored us with His mercy – to listen to the teaching, and we ask Him not to deprive us of this mercy in the future, so that He will give us health and spiritual strength to continue the teaching. At the same time, we ask God to bless the heads of the school, parents who, by sending their children to study, do them great good, and teachers who spend time and effort to teach students what is good and useful. Instead of this prayer, after the teaching you can also say the prayer It is worthy to eat.

The eyes of all trust in You, O Lord, and You give them food in due season: You open Your generous hand, and fulfill every living thing with good pleasure (Ps. 145:15-16).

“The eyes of all trust in you, O Lord, and you give them their food in due season: you open your generous hand, satisfying all living things according to your good pleasure.”

This prayer is read before eating. Hope means to hope; favor – favor, mercy. The Lord cares not only about people, but also about all living beings in general, giving them everything they need for existence, which is why we say that He satisfies every animal, i.e. every living creature. Instead of this prayer, before eating, you can also say the prayer Our Father.

We thank Thee, Christ our God, for Thou hast filled us with Thy earthly blessings: do not deprive us of Thy heavenly kingdom.

This prayer is read after eating. In it we thank God for food and drink. But at the same time, we must not forget that complete happiness is in the kingdom of heaven, and therefore we must ask God not to deprive us of this kingdom.

VI. Evening prayers

Eternal God and King of every creature, who has vouchsafed me even at this hour to come, forgive me the sins I have committed this day in deed, word and thought, and cleanse, O Lord, my humble soul from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and grant me, O Lord, to pass away this dream in peace at night, so that I may rise from the humble bed, I will please Your most holy name all the days of my life, and will trample the fleshly and incorporeal enemies who fight me; and deliver me, Lord, from vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil lusts. For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

“Eternal God and King of all creation, who has deigned me to reach even (to live) to this hour! Forgive me the sins that I have committed on this (passing) day in deed, word and thought, and cleanse, Lord, my poor soul from all impurity of body and soul, and help me to spend the coming night calmly, so that, getting up from my wretched bed, I can do what is pleasing to Your most holy name all the days of my life and defeat the enemies of the body and incorporeal that attack me, and deliver me, Lord, from the empty thoughts that defile me, and from evil passions. For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now, always and forever. Amen”.

In the evening, going to bed, we must first of all offer gratitude to God for a well-spent day and ask Him for forgiveness for the sins we committed during the day. These sins can be: deed – when we violate the commandments of God with our actions and cause harm to our neighbors, word – when our words offend God and serve to the detriment of others, and, finally, thought – when our very thoughts and feelings are sinful and can lead to bad words or actions. Having asked for forgiveness of sins, we turn to God with a prayer that He will preserve us in the coming night. During sleep, more quickly than during wakefulness, any misfortune can happen to us from which we cannot protect ourselves: illness, fire, attack by an evil person, etc. Therefore, when going to sleep, we must ask God for a calm sleep, undisturbed by anything. Carnal enemies are people who tempt us, teach us to sin, as well as circumstances in which we can easily fall into sin; immaterial, spiritual enemies, are our own vices, for example: laziness, envy, hypocrisy, pride and the devil, who teaches us evil. This evening prayer ends with a glorification of the Most Holy Trinity. It was compiled by St. Macarius the Great, an ascetic of the 4th century.

Lord our God, who have sinned in these days in word, deed and thought, as he is good and a lover of mankind, forgive me; grant me peaceful sleep and serenity; Send Your guardian angel to cover and keep me from all evil. For You are the guardian of our souls and bodies, and we send glory to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

“Lord our God! All that I sinned on this day – in word, deed and thoughts, forgive me, as you are good and philanthropic, give me a peaceful and calm sleep, send me Your guardian angel so that he would cover and protect me from all evil. Because You are the guardian of our souls and bodies, and we send glory to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always and to endless ages. Amen”.

In this evening prayer, as in the previous one, we first ask God for forgiveness of the sins we have committed in word, deed and thought during the day. Then we ask for a quiet, undisturbed sleep and a guardian angel who would protect us from any evil that could befall us at night. The prayer ends with a glorification of the Most Holy Trinity.

Let God rise again, and let His enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Him flee from His face: as smoke disappears, let them disappear. As wax melts in the face of fire, so let demons perish from the face of those who love God, and those who sign the sign of the cross, and who say in joy: Rejoice, most honorable and life-giving cross of the Lord, drive away demons by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was cast down on you, who descended into hell and trampled the power of the devil, and who gave us His honorable cross to drive away. any adversary. O most honorable and life-giving cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Virgin Mary and with all the saints forever. Amen.

“Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Him flee from His presence. As smoke dissipates, You scatter them. As wax melts from fire, so may demons perish before those who love God, who signify themselves with the sign of the cross and exclaim in joy, Rejoice, worthy of all veneration and the life-giving cross of the Lord, driving away demons by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified on you, who descended into hell, destroyed the power of the devil and gave us you, His honorable cross, to drive away every enemy. O worthy of all veneration and life-giving cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Virgin Mary and with all the saints forever. Amen”.

This is a prayer to the Honorable Cross of the Lord. Our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, suffered and died on the cross to save people from eternal punishment for sins and bring them eternal bliss in the kingdom of heaven. Thus, by His cross Christ brought to us eternal life. That is why we venerate the cross of Christ as life-giving and believe that its power preserves us from all evil and drives away our enemy, the devil, from us. The words: descended into hell and trampled the power of the devil, mean that Jesus Christ, after His death and before the resurrection, descended into hell, brought from there to the kingdom of heaven the holy people of the Old Testament (for example: Moses, David) and thereby showed that he destroyed the power of the devil.

Protect me, Lord, by the power of your honorable and life-giving cross and save me from all evil.

The cross sanctifies all the actions of a Christian. The priest overshadows his spiritual children with it; parents bless their children with it when they part with them; a person overshadows himself with it in grief and joy; it is finally placed as a monument on the grave of a Christian. Starting the day with the sign of the cross and prayer, we must end it with this. When going to bed, you should mentally remember all your actions, words and thoughts over the past day, ask God once again for forgiveness of your sins and, saying this prayer to the Holy Cross, make the sign of the cross before going to bed.

VII. Selected prayers

I believe, Lord, and confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, who came into the world to save sinners, the first from them, seven times. I also believe that this is Your most pure body, and this very thing is Your honorable blood. I pray to You: have mercy on me and forgive me my sins, voluntary and involuntary, in word, in deed, in knowledge and ignorance; and make me worthy to partake of Your most pure sacraments without condemnation, for the remission of sins and eternal life.

Thy secret Supper this day, O Son of God, receive me as a partaker: I will not tell the secret to Thy enemies, I will not kiss Thee like Judas, but like a thief I will confess Thee: remember me, O Lord, in Thy kingdom. May the communion of Your holy mysteries be not for judgment or condemnation for me, Lord, but for the healing of soul and body.

“I believe, Lord, and testify out loud to everyone that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the most sinful. I also believe that this is Your most pure body, and this is Your most priceless blood. So, I pray to You: have mercy on me and forgive me my sins, voluntary and involuntary, which I have committed in word, deed, consciously and unconsciously; and grant me, without condemnation, to partake of Your most pure mysteries, for the remission of sins and for eternal life. Receive me today, Son of God, as a participant in Your mystical supper: for I will not reveal the secret to Your enemies and will not give You such a kiss as Judas, but as a thief I call on You: remember me, Lord, in Your kingdom. May the communion of Your holy mysteries not be a judgment or condemnation for me, but a healing of soul and body.”

This prayer is read by the priest before Holy Communion, and the communicants must repeat it reverently. The sacrament of communion was instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself on the eve of His suffering on the cross, during the last supper (dinner) with the disciples, which is why this supper is called the Last Supper. Jesus took the bread and, blessing it, broke it and, giving it to the disciples, said: “Take, eat, this is My body.” And taking the cup and blessing, he gave it to them and said: “Drink from it, all of you: for this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” everyone. In order to prepare for worthy communion of the holy mysteries, you must first of all believe that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God, the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, and that He came from heaven to earth to save sinners – which is what we express in the first words of the prayer before communion. With the words: from them I am first, we express deep humility before God (see the explanation of the publican’s prayer). Further, for worthy communion, it is necessary to believe that during communion we receive the true body under the guise of bread, and the true blood of the Savior under the guise of wine, and that in this way Christ Himself enters our soul, heals it from sin and sanctifies it. But great woe to us if Christ, who has entered into us, finds our soul unprepared, full of sins and evil thoughts; then He will judge us severely. That is why we ask Him before communion for the forgiveness of sins voluntary and involuntary, committed by word, deed, knowledge and ignorance. When we receive Holy Communion, we ourselves become like participants in the Last Supper. But there, along with the holy disciples of the Lord, was Judas, who that same night betrayed his teacher, Christ, to enemies and at the same time kissed Him as a friend. When approaching communion, we must make a promise to the Lord that we will not act like Judas, that is, we will not betray Christ because of earthly benefits – and we express this promise with the words: I will not kiss You like Judas. The shameful act of Judas is contrasted as an example worthy of imitation by the sincere repentance of that thief who, hanging on the cross next to Jesus Christ, turned to him with the prayer: “Remember me, Lord, when you come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). Having confessed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and with all our hearts asked for forgiveness of our sins, in the last words of our prayer we express the hope that the acceptance of the most pure body of Christ and His holy blood will not lead us to condemnation, as happens to those who receive communion without faith, without deep repentance for sins and without reverence, for the holy Apostle Paul says: “Whoever eats this bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthy, he will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:27). The prayer before communion was composed by the great Saint John Chrysostom (IV century).

Now you are releasing Your servant, O Master, according to Your word, in peace: for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people: Light for the revelation of tongues, and the glory of Your people Israel (Luke 2:29-32).

“Now you are releasing Your servant, O Master, according to Your word, in peace; For mine eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all nations, a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

This is the prayer of the righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, so named because he was honored to hold the Infant Jesus Christ in his arms. It was revealed to the righteous Simeon by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he saw Christ. And so, when the Baby Jesus, on the fortieth day from birth, was brought by Joseph and Mary to the temple, the righteous elder Simeon took Him in his arms and with deep tenderness and gratitude to God said this prayer. In it, he expressed feelings of joy for himself, for the entire human race and in particular for the people of Israel. He rejoiced for himself, because God vouchsafed him to die peacefully, having seen the Lord Jesus Christ, for the human race – because the long-awaited Savior of the world was born; for the people of Israel – because the predictions of the prophets who announced to Israel that the Savior would appear from among the chosen people and thereby glorify them were fulfilled.

To the chosen Voivode, victorious, as having been delivered from the evil ones, let us sing thanksgiving to Thy servants, the Mother of God; but as if you have an invincible power, free us from all troubles, and let us call to you: Rejoice, unmarried bride.

“For the Warlord who combats us, we, Mother of God, bring you victorious gifts, we, Your servants, in gratitude for being delivered from troubles. But You, as having an insurmountable power, free us from all dangers; and we will cry to You: Rejoice, bride who has never known marriage.”

In this prayer, we offer gratitude to the Most Holy Theotokos for saving us from troubles and ask that She will deliver us from all misfortunes in the future.

This prayer was compiled in the 7th century by the Orthodox Church of Constantinople in gratitude to the Mother of God, who saved Constantinople from enemies many times.

Save, Lord, and have mercy on my parents, relatives, leaders and benefactors and all Christians, and remember me, visit, strengthen and by Your power grant health and salvation, for I am good and a lover of mankind. Amen.

This prayer is for the health and salvation of the living. In it we ask God for our parents, relatives, benefactors and all our neighbors for earthly and heavenly blessings, namely: health, strength and eternal salvation.

Remember, Lord, the souls of your departed servants5 and all my departed relatives and benefactors, and forgive them all their sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the kingdom of heaven.

In this prayer, we ask the Lord to rememberthe deceased, that is, remember them, pay merciful attention to them. We call the dead “deceased” (i.e., fallen asleep) because they were not destroyed: their souls are in the place appointed by God and await the general resurrection. Then all the dead will come to life and will receive either the kingdom of heaven, assigned to the righteous, or eternal punishment, awaiting sinners (Matt. 25:46). But sinful people can still receive relief from their fate if remembrances of them are made on earth. Therefore, having remembered the names of the dead, we must ask God for them, so that He forgives their sins voluntary and involuntary and honors them with the kingdom of heaven.

Rest with the saints, O Christ, the souls of Thy servant, forefather, father and our brethren, where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but endless life.

In this prayer, we ask that God would place our deceased relatives and neighbors together with the saints in the kingdom of heaven, where there is no suffering, but only bliss.

Lord and Master of my life! Do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk! Grant me the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love, Thy servant! To her, Lord the King, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother! For blessed art thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

“Lord and Master of my life! Do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, the desire to rule and talk idle talk! On the contrary, grant me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love! O Lord and King, let me see my own sins and not condemn my brother! For You are glorified forever. Amen”.

In this prayer, we pray to God to cleanse us from sins and to confirm us in a virtuous life. It is pronounced in church by the priest during Lent at every service, except Saturday and Sunday, and is accompanied by prostrations to the ground. Why did the Holy Church introduce this particular prayer and not another prayer into daily use during Lent? Because this prayer contains everything that one should ask the Lord for during fasting and repentance. Namely, we pray to God to drive away from us, firstly, the spirit of idleness. When the head and hands are not occupied with anything, sinful thoughts most easily take possession of a person, and sinful actions follow them. Therefore, one should always avoid idleness, and even more so during fasting and repentance, and drive away the spirit of idleness through work and prayer. The spirit of despondency also easily takes possession of a person during fasting. The spirit of covetousness comes from pride. He who considers himself better than others wants to command, not obey. Let us pray to God to deliver us from the great sin of pride! The spirit of idle talk comes partly from idleness, partly from envy and malice. We must not forget the words of the Savior: “For every idle word that people speak, they will give an answer on the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). Having asked the Lord God for cleansing from these sins, we then ask Him to grant us the spirit of chastity (purity in thoughts and deeds), humility (wisdom combined with spiritual humility), patience and love for our neighbors, so that we do not condemn the sins of others, but take care of how to cleanse ourselves from our own sins. We end this prayer with praise to the Lord God. It was compiled by St. Ephraim the Syrian (IV century).

Troparion6 of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Your Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, is a joy to proclaim to the whole universe: from You has risen the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, and having destroyed the oath, given blessing, and abolished death, giving us eternal life.

“Your birth, Virgin Mary, announced the joy of the whole universe: for from You the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, rose; having destroyed the curse, He gave us blessing and, having overthrown death, gave us eternal life.”

According to the importance of memories, holidays of the Orthodox Church are divided into great, medium and small; Among the great ones, Holy Easter comes first, then the twelfth holidays, then the non-twelfth holidays. In Church Slavonic “twelfth”, and in Russian “twelfth”; from among the great holidays, St. Easter and twelve others are especially important for the Orthodox Christian. The twelfth feasts in the order of the church year, beginning on September 1, follow in the following sequence: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8, Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord on September 14, Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary on November 21, Nativity of Christ on December 25, Epiphany, or Epiphany of the Lord on January 6, Presentation of the Lord on February 2, Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on March 25, Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (a week before Easter), Ascension of the Lord (40 days after Easter), Pentecost (50 days after Easter), Transfiguration of the Lord on August 6, Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15.

The troparion of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary says that it formed people, because Jesus Christ was born from the Blessed Virgin Mary, who destroyed curse and death and gave us eternal blissful life. Jesus Christ is called Sun of Truth because He, like the sun illuminating the earth, enlightens every person with the light of true faith.

Troparion of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thy inheritance, granting victories to our blessed Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich in resistance, and preserving Thy residence through Thy cross.

“Save, Lord, Your people and bless those who belong to You, helping our blessed Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich to defeat his enemies and preserving Your holy Church by the power of the cross.”

This troparion contains together the glorification of the holiday and prayer for the Sovereign Emperor and our Fatherland. When praying to God for ourselves and the people close to us, we must pray for the entire people to which we belong, and for the country in which we were born and live, that is, pray for our fatherland. And since the happiness of the people depends a lot on the happiness of the king, who is the father of the people and the lord of the earth, we must especially pray to God and for our King.

In this troparion we call ourselves people of God because we believe in the true God. Therefore, we call our fatherland property of God, and our Tsar – believer, that is, preserving the good Christian faith. We pray to God that He will save us, as His people, from all troubles and bless our country as His property; so that He give victory over the enemies to our Emperor and preserve His residence by the power of the cross, that is, the holy Orthodox Church, for we believe that the power of the holy cross preserves us from all evil.

Troparion of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On the day of God’s favor the transfiguration and the preaching of salvation to man: in the temple of God the Virgin clearly appears and announces Christ to everyone. To that we too will cry out loudly: Rejoice in seeing the Creator’s fulfillment.

“Now is the image of God’s favor towards us and the proclamation of the salvation of people: the Virgin solemnly appears in the temple of God and announces to everyone about Christ. We, too, will loudly cry out to her: Rejoice, fulfillment of the Creator’s providence for us.”

This troparion says that the appearance in the temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary, chosen to be the Mother of our Lord and Savior, foretells salvation to people.

Troparion of the Nativity

Thy Nativity, Christ our God, the world’s light of reason rises: in it, for the stars who serve as stars learn to bow to Thee, the Sun of righteousness, and lead Thee from the heights of the East, Lord, glory to Thee.

“Your birth, Christ our God, illuminated the world with the light of knowledge of God, for then the stars, as those who served God, were taught by the star to worship you, the Sun of truth, and to know you, the East, from above. Lord, glory to You.”

This troparion says that the birth of the Savior was a spiritual light for people, because the eastern sages recognized Him through the wonderful star that appeared at the birth of the Savior. They, serving the stars, guessed the fate of a person by the currents of the stars, and when a special star appeared to them in the sky, they learned about the birth of the Savior. The East from on high is called our Savior Jesus Christ, who from heavenly heights enlightens us with faith, just as the sun rising in the east spills daylight over the earth and revives it.

Troparion of Epiphany, or Epiphany

In the Jordan I am baptized to You, O Lord, in threefold adoration appeared: for the voice of your parents testified to You, naming Your beloved Son, and the Spirit in the form of a dove announced your words of affirmation. Appear, O Christ God, and enlighten the world, glory to Thee.

“When You, Lord, were baptized in the Jordan, the adoration (glorification) of the Holy Trinity appeared: the voice of Your Father testified about You, calling You the beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the truth of this word. Christ God, who appeared and enlightened the world, glory to You.”

This troparion says that during the Baptism of the Lord, all three Persons of the Holy Trinity appeared to people: God the Father spoke to people, the Son of God was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove.

Troparion of the Presentation of the Lord

Rejoice, blessed Virgin Mary, for from You has risen the Sun of Truth, Christ our God, enlighten those who are in darkness. Rejoice also, O righteous elder, received into the arms of the Liberator of our souls, who gives us resurrection.

“Rejoice, blessed Virgin Mary, for from You has arisen the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, enlightening those in darkness. Rejoice also, O righteous old man, who has accepted into the arms of the Savior of our souls, who gives us resurrection.”

In this troparion we extend greetings to the Most Holy Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Christ God, our Enlightener; We also extend greetings to the righteous elder Simeon, who was honored to receive Him in his arms. Those who exist in darkness are pagans who, before the coming of the Savior to earth, did not know the true God, lived lawlessly and were thus, as it were, in darkness.

Troparion of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The day of our salvation is the main thing, and since the beginning of time the mystery has been revealed: the Son of God is the son of the Virgin, and Gabriel preaches grace. In the same way, we cry out to the Mother of God: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with You.

“Now is the beginning of our salvation and the revelation of a mystery that has existed for centuries: the Son of God becomes the son of the Virgin, and Gabriel proclaims grace. Therefore, we too will exclaim to the Mother of God: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with You.”

This troparion says that through the gospel of Gabriel the mystery of our salvation was revealed; because the birth of the Son of God, our Savior, from the Virgin is preached, and we are called here to turn to Her with the Archangel’s greeting. The words: from the age of mystery the manifestation should be understood as follows: the Lord before the creation of the world; before all ages, he knew that man would sin, before all ages he predestined to save him through his only begotten Son: this mystery of salvation, destined from the ages, was clearly revealed to people in the Archangel Gospel.

Troparion of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem

Assuring the general resurrection before Your passion, You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ our God. Likewise, we, like youths, bearing signs of victory, cry out to You, the Conqueror of death: Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

“In the general resurrection, before Your suffering, confirming that You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ God. Therefore, we, like (Jewish) children, wearing signs of victory, exclaim to You, the Conqueror of death: Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who walks in the name of the Lord.”

This troparion says that by raising Lazarus the Savior assured us of the general resurrection. And we are called to greet Him as the Conqueror of death. Lazarus, resurrected by the Savior, was a pious man who lived near Jerusalem, in Bethany, with his two sisters, Martha and Mary. The Lord loved this godly family and visited them often. Shortly before the suffering of the Savior, Lazarus fell ill and died. Lazarus had already been lying in the grave for four days, and the Lord raised him up. The name signs of victory refers to the branches with which the Jews usually greeted the victors.

Troparion of Easter

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to dry in tombs.

“Christ rose from the dead, striking death with His death and giving life to those in the tombs.”

The Church dedicates the greatest of Christian holidays, St., to the memory of the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Easter, which in church hymns is called: “feast of holidays”, “triumph of celebrations”. Christians celebrate this day in remembrance of the redemption of the human race through the death and resurrection of the Savior. Holidays: the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, Easter, the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost are celebrated annually on different numbers of months, which is why they are called moving, or mobile; other holidays are always celebrated on the same dates, which is why they are called immovable, or immovable. Easter occurs between March 22 and April 25 and is celebrated on the nearest Sunday after the spring afternoon. The Easter troparion says that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and during His death on the cross raised many dead.

Troparion of the Ascension of the Lord

Thou art exalted in glory, O Christ our God, having brought joy to the disciple by the promise of the Holy Spirit, informed by the former blessing, for Thou art the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.

“Christ our God! You ascended in glory, filling Your disciples with joy through the promise of the Holy Spirit, and with Your blessing you assured them that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.”

The disciples of Jesus Christ must have felt grief from separation from the Lord ascending into heaven. But the Lord, promising to send them the Comforter – the Holy Spirit, thereby reassured them, rejoicing them with His blessing, and assured them of His Divinity and the salvation of the world.

Troparion of Pentecost

Blessed are you, O Christ our God, who are wise fishers of phenomena, sending down upon them the Holy Spirit, and with them you caught the universe. Lover of humanity, glory to You.

“Blessed are You, Christ our God, who revealed the wise fishers (in the apostles), sent down the Holy Spirit to them and captured the universe with them. Glory to You, loving man.”

This troparion says that Jesus Christ sent down the Holy Spirit to the apostles and through them attracted the whole world to himself. The apostles are called fishers because they, like fishermen with a net, caught people with their preaching and led them to the true faith.

Troparion of the Transfiguration of the Lord

You were transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, showing Your glory to Your disciples, like a man. May Your light, ever present through the prayers of the Mother of God, shine upon us sinners. Light-giver, glory to Thee.

“Christ God, You were transfigured on the mountain, showing Your disciples Your glory as far as they could see it. Through the prayers of the Mother of God, may Your eternal light shine upon us sinners too! Glory to You, Light Giver.”

This troparion says that Jesus Christ was transfigured on the mountain and showed His glory to His disciples on it. Here we ask that through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, Divine light will enlighten us too.

Troparion of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary

At Christmas you preserved your virginity, at the Dormition you did not forsake the world, O Mother of God; You reposed to the belly, Mother of the Being of the Belly, and through Your prayers delivered our souls from death.

“Mother of God! You preserved virginity at birth, You did not leave the world after Your dormition; You, being the Mother of Life, reposed to Life, and with Your prayers you deliver our souls from death.”

This troparion says that the Most Holy Virgin Mary is close to us even after Her repose into heaven. Staying in heaven, She, as the Mother of God, with Her prayers before God delivers our souls from death.

VIII. Creed

The Creed is not a prayer, but a brief and precise statement of what Orthodox Christians should believe. In it we learn to believe in God the Father, who created the world and rules it; – believe in God the Son, Jesus Christ, who lived on earth as a man, suffered, died, rose again and ascended to heaven; – believe in God the Holy Spirit; – to believe that God has established His kingdom on earth, that is, the Christian Church, to which all those who correctly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ belong; – to believe that the time will come when we will all be resurrected and after that we will live forever. The Creed was compiled by the holy fathers of the first and second ecumenical councils. An Ecumenical Council is a meeting of pastors and teachers of the Christian Church, if possible from the entire universe, to affirm the true teaching and to protect believers from errors. There were seven ecumenical councils: the first of Nicaea in 325, the second of Constantinople in 381. For the most convenient consideration, the creed is divided into twelve members.

1. I believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible.

2. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not created, consubstantial with the Father, and by Him all things were.

3. For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven, and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human;

4. Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried;

5. And he rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures;

6. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father;

7. And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.

8. And in the Holy Spirit of the Lord, the life-giving one, who proceeds from the Father, who is worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son, who spoke the prophets.

9. Into one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

10. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.

11. Tea of ​​the resurrection of the dead.

12. And the life of the next century. Amen.

In Russian:

1. I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth and everything visible and invisible.

2. I also believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one being with the Father, through whom all things were created;

3. for us people and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, took flesh from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became human;

4. crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and buried;

5. rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures (of the prophets);

6. ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father;

7. and who will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.

8. (I believe) also in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, worshiped and glorified equally with the Father and the Son, who spoke through the prophets.

9. (I believe) in one holy, universal and apostolic Church.

10. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.

11. I look forward to the resurrection of the dead.

12.And the life of the next century. Amen.

1. I believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible.

In the first member of the creed, we learn to believe in God the Father, who created the world and rules it. God is one in essence, but three in persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity of equal divine dignity. The properties of God, which belong equally to all three Persons of the Holy Trinity, are: God is the eternal Spirit, all-good, all-knowing, all-righteous, all-powerful, omnipresent, unchangeable, all-content, all-blessed. Special properties of each Person: God Fatheris not born and does not come from another Person; The Son of God is eternally born from the Father; The Holy Spirit proceeds eternally from the Father. We call God the Father Almighty because He holds everything created in His power and controls everything; Creator because He created 1) the visible world: heaven (sun, moon and stars) and earth with everything that is on it, 2) the invisible world, or angels.

2. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not created, consubstantial with the Father, and by Him all things were.

In the second article of the creed we learn to believe in oneGod, the Son, Jesus Christ. We call Him Lord because He is true God, like God the Father, for the name “Lord” is the name of God; Jesusmeans: “Savior”; Christ means: “anointed one”; This is what the Old Testament prophets called Him when they were still expecting His coming to earth. The anointed ones in the Old Testament were called kings, high priests and prophets, for through the anointing with the sacred oil they received the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, power, the gift of prophecy, piety, etc. These gifts were communicated to the highest degree to the Lord Jesus, which is why He is called Christ, that is, the anointed one. Jesus Christ is called The Only Begotten Son of God, for He alone is the true Son of God, of one being with God the Father and having the same dignity as Him. True, in the Holy Scriptures, pious people are sometimes called sons of God, but only because of God’s special mercy towards them. The words: who was born of the Father before all ages indicate the distinctive property of the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity: God the Son was born of the Father before all ages, that is, he is as eternal as God the Father. The birth of God the Son from God the Father is compared with the origin of light from light: just as a ray is born from the sun, having all the properties of the sun (light, heat, etc.), so by God the Father, before all ages, His Son was born, true God from true God; namely, he was born, and not created by Him, like other creatures; consubstantial with the Father, that is, one nature, one being with the Father. With the last words of the second member of the creed: By Him were all things, we express the belief that God the Son, like God the Father, is the Creator of the visible and invisible world.

3. For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven, and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human.

In the third article of the creed we learn to believe in the incarnation of the Son of God. The words: for our sake, man show that the Lord became incarnate not for any one nation, but for all people. He became incarnate for our salvation. Our ancestors, Adam and Eve, after their creation by God, were blameless and blessed, as created in the image and likeness of God. Having eaten the fruits of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they became those very disobedients of the will of God, committed the sin of disobedience and, therefore, had to suffer punishment. Then the Lord expelled them from paradise and cursed them. The sin of the forefathers (original sin) and the curse of God were inherited and passed on to the descendants of the forefathers, therefore, to the entire human race. But the Lord is just and at the same time merciful, and in His mercy He sent deliverance to people: the Lord Jesus Christ came down from heaven for our salvation, took away from us the sin that had passed to us from Adam, and delivered us from the curse. Having descended to earth, the Son of God incarnate (i.e., took on a human body) from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, who therefore bears the name “Theotokos,” and incarnated, i.e., became a full man, accepted in addition to the body and the human soul, without ceasing to be God, in other words, we recognize that in Jesus Christ there are two natures: divine and human.

4. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried.

In the fourth article of the creed we learn to believe in the crucifixion, passion and burial of the Lord Jesus Christ. Having descended from heaven to earth and becoming a man, Jesus Christ preached the true teaching to people for three years. The Jewish elders and scribes hated Him because He exposed their false teaching and lawless life, they envied Him because the people respected Him more than them for His teaching and miracles, and therefore they slandered Him and condemned Him to death. So Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross and died for us, that is, for all of us, for our sins. In words: under Pontius Pilate the exact time of this event is determined. Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor who ruled Judea. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross was preceded and accompanied by suffering. The entire earthly life of Jesus Christ was full of labor, persecution and danger. Let us remember the ingratitude of the Jews and their attempts on the life of Christ, the betrayal of Judas, the dispersion of the disciples, Peter’s denial, false accusations. But the most severe suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ began two days before His death. They beat Him a lot, cursed Him, mocked Him, a crown of thorns was placed on His head, and finally, He was crucified on the cross between two thieves. Jesus Christ died amid suffering on the cross and was buried by the pious Joseph of Arimathea. You should know that 1) it was not the divine, but the human nature of Jesus Christ that suffered and was crucified: for the Divinity cannot undergo suffering or death; 2) the suffering and death on the cross of Jesus Christ were free: He suffered and died not because He could not avoid it, but because He Himself, out of His great mercy, wished to suffer for us in order to save us from original sin and curse.

5. And rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures.

In the fifth article of the creed we learn to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He rose from the grave by His own power, as the conqueror of death. By this, He strengthened the hope in us that someday, after our death, we will be resurrected, rise from the graves, appear at the judgment of God and live forever. Jesus Christ rose on the third day, after death on the cross, according to scripture, that is, in accordance with what was written about this by the Old Testament prophets (Isaiah, David and others), who accurately predicted the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

6. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.

In the sixth article of the creed we learn to believe in the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven. Jesus Christ ascended to heaven by human nature, but He always remained and remains in heaven as a Divine, for heaven is the place of the special presence of God. The words: sitting at the right hand of the Father mean that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has equal power and glory with God the Father.

7. And again the future will be judged with glory by the living and the dead. There will be no end to his reign.

In the seventh article of the creed we learn to believe in the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth. Packs of the future – having to come again; with glory: the first time the Lord came to earth in humiliation to save us from sin and curse, the second time He will come in glory, accompanied by His angels, to judge people, both the living who will live until the second coming of the Lord, and the dead who will then be resurrected. Then the conscience will reveal to each person all his sins, and not only deeds, but also all the secret thoughts and desires of each person will be revealed before the angels and other people. Then, by the righteous judgment of God, it will be determined who will enjoy bliss with the righteous, and who will suffer with the sinners. In the words: His kingdom will have no end we express that the bliss of the righteous and the torment of sinners will continue forever. The time of the second coming and the righteous judgment of God is unknown neither to people nor to angels, but to God alone.

8. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the life-giving, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets.

In the eighth article of the creed we learn to believe in the Holy Spirit. We call Him Lord because He is the true God, like God the Father and God the Son, for the name “Lord” is the name of God. We call Him life-giving because of His beneficial actions towards all created beings. During the creation of the world, the Holy Spirit hovered above the water and poured life-giving power into creation, creating and renewing everything. The Holy Spirit is especially called life-giving due to His gracious action on the spiritual life of man: He gives us strength to succeed in a virtuous Christian life and sends us His grace in the sacraments. The words: who proceeds from the Father indicate the distinctive property of the third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, that the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father. With the words: who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified we testify that to God the Holy Spirit belongs the same worship and glory as to God the Father and God the Son. The prophets said means that the Old Testament prophets did not predict on their own, did not preach their own teaching, but the Holy Spirit spoke through them.

9. Into one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

In the ninth member we learn to believe in the Church of Christ. The Church is a society of Christians, Orthodox believers. We call the Church: 1) one, for all Orthodox Christians have one faith, one law of God, the same sacraments, one head of the Church – the Lord Jesus Christ; 2) holy, because she is sanctified by Jesus Christ through His suffering, teaching, prayer and through the sacraments; 3) conciliar, because it gathers, or is composed of people of all times and peoples; 4) apostolic, because the Church continuously and invariably preserves from the apostles both the teaching and the succession of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, through sacred ordination. Beginning from apostolic times and until this time, the Orthodox Church is governed by legally appointed shepherds.

10. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.

In the tenth article of the symbol of faith we learn to confess, that is, to recognize the sacraments of the Orthodox Church. There are seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, communion, repentance, priesthood, marriage, consecration of oil. To be a member of the Church, you must first be baptized. If baptism is performed correctly, that is, through three times immersion in water in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, then the next time it is no longer performed, which is why we say: one baptism. Baptism gives a person forgiveness of sins committed before this sacrament, and, as it were, revives him to a new, grace-filled life. Immediately after baptism, the sacrament of confirmation is performed on the newly baptized person. It consists in the fact that the newly baptized person is anointed with holy oil, pronouncing the words: “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit,” and thereby receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit, strengthening him in spiritual life. They are anointed with myrrh: the forehead for the sanctification of the mind, the chest (chest) for the sanctification of the heart, the eyes, ears, lips for the sanctification of feelings, the hands and feet for the sanctification of the deeds and all behavior of a Christian. Communion is a sacrament in which believers receive, under the guise of bread, the true body, and under the guise of wine, the true blood of the Savior; thus Christ Himself enters our soul, heals it from sin and sanctifies it. This sacrament is performed during the liturgy (mass). In order to adequately prepare to receive the holy mysteries, believers cleanse themselves with the sacrament of repentance (confession). It consists in the fact that the person confessing with repentance reveals his sins to the priest, and the priest, according to the authority given to him by God, absolves the person confessing of his sins. The four sacraments mentioned above: baptism, confirmation, communion, repentance are absolutely obligatory for every Orthodox Christian; the other three sacraments are not obligatory for everyone. Priesthood is a sacrament in which the Holy Spirit appoints the rightly chosen one, through the ordination of a hierarch, to perform the sacraments of the Church and shepherd the flock of Christ. There are three degrees of priesthood: bishop (bishop), presbyter (priest) and deacon. The deacon helps the priest teach the people and perform the sacraments: the presbyter teaches the people and performs the sacraments depending on the bishop; the bishop has, in addition, the power to elevate others to the degree of priesthood. Marriageis a sacrament in which, with the mutual free promise of mutual marital fidelity before the priest and the Church, their marital union is blessed in the image of the spiritual union of Christ with the Church, and they ask for the grace of pure unanimity for the blessed birth and Christian upbringing of children. Blessing of Oil is a sacrament in which, when anointing the body with oil, the grace of God is invoked on the sick person, healing mental and physical infirmities.

11. Tea of ​​the resurrection of the dead.

In the eleventh article of faith we express the hope that the dead will be raised. Chayu means: “I’m waiting.” The people who died were not destroyed; their souls are in a place appointed by God, and there they await the general resurrection of the dead. It will consist in the fact that the bodies of the dead, uniting again with their souls, will come to life and will be immortal. Our Lord Jesus Christ by His resurrection proved that our resurrection will undoubtedly happen; His own example can teach us what it will consist of. The body of Jesus Christ, during His earthly life, was visible, tangible, subject to suffering and death; after the resurrection, the body of the Lord became light, thin, so to speak spiritual. The bodies of the dead will rise from their graves in the same way after the resurrection, and the same change will follow with the bodies of those who survive until the second coming of the Lord.

12. And the life of the next century.

Amen.

The twelfth article of the creed teaches us to look forward with faith to the life of the next age. After the resurrection of the dead and the terrible judgment of God, eternal life will come, joyful and blessed for the righteous and painful for sinners. The eternal bliss of the righteous will consist in the fact that they will constantly contemplate God in light and glory and be in union with Him. Not all the righteous will equally enjoy bliss, but according to their earthly merits. The state of eternal bliss will be completely opposite to the state of eternal torment of sinners. They will be removed from God and will deeply feel such removal; their conscience will torment them with the memory of a lawlessly spent life and the fact that it is no longer possible for them to change this sad situation. Together with the soul, the body of sinners, which participated in sins, will be condemned to torment. The degrees of torment of sinners will vary according to the extent of each person’s sins. Since until the last general judgment of God the fate of the dead will not yet be finally decided, then sinners can still receive relief from their fate if remembrances of them are made on earth.

IX. Commandments of the Law

A Jewish lawyer asked Jesus Christ: “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is similar to it: love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36–40). What deeds should we use to show love for God and neighbor? This is taught by the Ten Commandments that God gave to people in the Old Testament through Moses. The first four commandments contain the duties of love for God, the other six contain the duties of love for one’s neighbor.

First Tablet

1. I am the Lord your God. May you have no gods other than Men (Ex. 20:2–3).

2. You shall not make for yourself any graven image or any likeness, such as the tree in heaven, the tree below on earth, the tree in the waters under the earth: thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them (Ex. 20:4-5).

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain (Ex. 20:7).

4. Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy: six days shalt thou do, and in them shalt thou do all thy work: and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God (Ex. 20:8-10).

Second Tablet

5. Honor your father and your mother, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long on the earth (Ex. 20:12).

6. Thou shalt not kill (Ex. 20:13).

7. You shall not commit adultery (Ex. 20:14).

8. Thou shalt not steal (Ex. 20:15).

9. Do not listen to false testimony against your friend (Ex. 20:16).

10. Thou shalt not covet thy sincere wife: thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, nor his village, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor any of his livestock, nor anything that is thy neighbor (Ex. 20:17).

1. I am the Lord your God. May you have no other gods besides Me.

2. You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not worship them or serve them.

3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy: six days you shall work, and in them do all your work, and the seventh day, the Sabbath, is to the Lord your God.

5. Honor your father and your mother, so that you may be well and may continue your days on earth.

6. Don’t kill.

7. Don’t commit adultery.

8. Don’t steal.

9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; you shall not covet your neighbor’s house, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor any of his livestock, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

1.I am the Lord your God. May you have no gods other than Me.

The first commandment commands God to know and honor Him alone, to believe in Him, to hope in Him, to love Him, to obey His will, to pray to Him. To know God follows from the Holy Scriptures, which must be read with reverence, as the word of God, and with prayer for understanding it. Sins against the first commandment: atheism (who does not believe that God exists), heresy (who preaches or accepts teachings contrary to the teachings of the Orthodox Church), schism (who does not obey the Church and is clearly separated from it), apostasy (when they renounce the true faith for worldly benefits), despair (when they do not hope at all in God), superstition (who believes in fortune telling, omens, etc.), people-pleasing (when they please people more than God), human-reliance (when they rely on themselves or other people more than on God) and laziness (especially in church services and prayers). The veneration of the Mother of God, angels and saints is not contrary to the first commandment, for we honor them not as gods, but as friends and servants of God, and through their prayer they can ask us a lot from God.

2. Thou shalt not make for thyself an idol or any likeness, such as the tree in heaven, the tree below on earth, the tree in the waters under the earth: thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them.

The second commandment prohibits God from making images, or idols, and worshiping them, as the pagans do. But even in relation to us, this commandment has a deep meaning, for idolatry can rightly be called any excessive passion for objects harmful to the soul and body: pride, vanity, love of money, gluttony, drunkenness – all these are sins against the second commandment, for the proud person values ​​himself above all else, and for himself is like an idol; the vain person wants others to honor him more than necessary; a money-lover directs all his worries and labors towards profit, and money is an idol for him, etc. Worship of holy icons and relics is not contrary to the second commandment, for 1) in icons we worship not wood, not paints and not art, but the faces depicted on the icons, ascending mentally to God and His saints; 2) we bow before the holy relics, offering prayers to the saints, whose bodies are preserved incorruptible by the will of God, and to God, who glorified them.

3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

With the third commandment, God commands us to honor His name as a shrine and pronounce it with the greatest reverence. Sins prohibited by this commandment are: blasphemy or impudent words against God; murmuring against Him, blasphemy, when sacred objects are turned into a joke or reproach, a false oath, violation of vows given to God, and deification. A particularly serious violation of the third commandment is a false oath. An oath is a sworn promise that is pronounced in the presence of a priest before the cross and the gospel. The oath must be taken with reverence and with the firm intention not to betray it.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy: six days shalt thou do, and in them shalt thou do all thy work: and on the seventh day, the Sabbath, unto the Lord thy God.

By the fourth commandment, God commands us to sanctify one day a week, that is, to spend it holy, in such deeds that serve only to glorify God. Such a day for Jews was Saturday, which means: “peace”, “rest”. God, having completed the creation of the world in six days, rested from His works on the seventh and commanded people to leave all everyday affairs and worries for that day. In the Christian Church, not Saturday, but Sunday is celebrated as a day of rest and rest, in memory of the glorious resurrection of the Savior. For six days you should work for yourself and do your own things, and on Sunday you should do the works of God: go to church, then at home take up prayer and reading holy books, give something from your funds to the poor and to church, visit the sick. It is also necessary to celebrate other church holidays, as well as observe fasts. The one who sins against the fourth commandment is the one who does not do his own work on weekdays and works lazily, and on holidays does not do the works of God and spends time recklessly: in intemperance, overeating, drunkenness, etc.

5. Honor your father and your mother, may you be well, and may you live long on earth.

By the fifth commandment, God commands us to honor our parents, that is, to treat them with respect, obey them, nourish and comfort them during illness and old age, pray for them during life and remember them after death. The fifth commandment also applies to all those who in any respect take the place of their parents. Therefore, one should also honor: the Sovereign, because He is the father of the people; priests and teachers because they teach us how to live in order to be good people; all the elders, because they know a lot from experience and can give good advice; educators and benefactors for their great care for us; bosses because they care about everyone’s safety.

6. Thou shalt not kill

With the sixth commandment, God forbids: 1) killing, that is, violently taking the life of oneself (suicide) or another (murder); 2) contribute to the murder in any way: by ordering, advice, assistance, harboring the murderer, as well as by intemperance and other vices to shorten one’s own life; 3) in general, to harm one’s neighbor in deed or word, therefore: to harbor anger and hatred, to start quarrels, to incline others to sin by example or advice. Condemning a criminal to death by a lawful court and killing an enemy in war is not contrary to the sixth commandment: a criminal is deprived of his life in order to deprive him of the opportunity to do further evil; the enemy is killed in war, defending the sovereign and the fatherland.

7. Don’t commit adultery.

With the seventh commandment God forbids fornication, or criminal carnal love between a man and a woman. The same commandment also prohibits everything that predisposes one to this sin, for example: excess in food, drunkenness, shameless songs, reading bad books, and the like. In order not to violate this commandment, those living in marriage must be faithful to each other, and others must lead a chaste life.

8. Don’t steal.

By the eighth commandment God forbids theft, that is, the appropriation in any way of what belongs to others. Sins against this commandment: 1) robbery, or taking someone else’s property with violence; 2) theft, or stealing someone else’s property secretly; 3) deception, when, for example, they sell bad goods under the guise of good ones, hide from debts, do not fulfill promises, etc., and also hide a thief; 4) sacrilege, or theft of a church item; 5) parasitism, when they receive a salary, but do not replenish their work, or when they can work, but ask for alms; 6) extortion, when, taking advantage of the difficult situation of a neighbor, they take from him more than they should.

9. Do not listen to your friend’s false testimony.

By the ninth commandment, God forbids false testimony against one’s neighbor, as well as all lies: slander in absentia, unjust reproach of one’s neighbor, the tendency to interpret every deed and word in a bad way, retelling other people’s words with the aim of quarreling or embarrassing one’s neighbors. There are lies for fun, when lies are told not to harm someone, but to laugh. And this lie is not a good thing: having gotten used to lying for fun, it is easy to get used to lying in order to harm others. The most serious type of lie is a false oath, for here two commandments are violated: the third and ninth.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy true wife: thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, nor his village, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor any of his livestock, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.

In the previous three commandments it was forbidden to harm the life and honor of one’s neighbor by actual deed; By the tenth commandment, God forbids even wishing harm to one’s neighbor, for bad thoughts can easily give birth to bad deeds. The sin against the tenth commandment is called envy. Therefore, we should be kind to our neighbors and happy with our situation.

The Ten Commandments of God’s Law, as well as the Creed, need to be known to every Orthodox Christian and according to them, they should live their lives every day. If we find that during the day we have not done anything contrary to the commandments of God, then we must thank God and pray to Him to give us strength not to sin in the future; If it turns out that we have violated the commandments in some way, then we should bring sincere repentance to the Lord and pray to Him for forgiveness of our sins.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for to them is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).

2. Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted (Matt. 5:4).

3. Blessed are the meek: for these shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5).

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be satisfied (Matt. 5:6).

5. The blessings of mercy: for they will receive mercy (Matt. 5:7).

6. Blessed are those who are pure in heart: for they shall see God (Matt. 5:8).

7. Blessed are the peacemakers: for these shall be called the sons of God (Matt. 5:9).

8. Blessed is the exile of righteousness for the sake of them: for the kingdom of heaven is theirs (Matthew 5:10).

9. Blessed are you, when they revile you, and despise you, and say all sorts of evil things against you, who lie to Me for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is abundant in heaven (Matt. 5:11–12).

1. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

9. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.”

In the Beatitudes, the Lord teaches us by what paths we can achieve the kingdom of heaven; He calls people who act in accordance with these commandments blessed. Each of the nine sayings of the Lord contains a commandment and a promise of reward for fulfilling it.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for to them is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Bliss means: happy. The poor in spirit are humble people, aware of their shortcomings and not exalted in their virtues. The Lord does not say that they will receive the kingdom of heaven, but that they are already here on earth, anticipating it and enjoying it: is the kingdom of heaven. This kingdom of inner peace and tranquility of humble people is also the beginning or guarantee of that complete, perfect kingdom that the poor in spirit will receive in eternity.

2. Blessed are those who cry: for they will be comforted.

In the second commandment, the Lord pleases crying and promises them comfort. Those who cry are people who sincerely, from the bottom of their hearts, lament their sins and mourn them. Their consolation will consist in forgiveness of sins and peace of conscience.

3. Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth.

Meekness is a quiet disposition of spirit, combined with caution, so as not to irritate anyone or to be irritated by anything. Therefore, the meek do not murmur against God and people, do not become angry and do not become arrogant. The Lord says about them that they will inherit the earth, that is, they will receive both earthly blessings and the kingdom of heaven.

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be satisfied.

Hungry – “those who want to eat”; thirsty – “thirst to drink.” In this commandment, the Lord compares people who with all their souls seek righteousness with the hungry and thirsty: just as the latter seek to be satisfied and quench their thirst, so the righteous strive for righteousness, fulfilling the commandment of the Lord: “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). And the Lord promises the righteous satisfaction in His kingdom.

5. Blessedness of mercy: for they will receive mercy.

In this commandment, the Lord promises all merciful people who do deeds of mercy pardon in the kingdom of heaven. The works of mercy are: to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the one who has no clothes, to visit those imprisoned, to serve the sick, to receive the stranger; teach your neighbors what is good and useful, console the sad, forgive offenses with all your heart, pray for everyone.

6. Blessed are those who are pure in heart: for they will see God.

According to this saying of the Savior, to achieve bliss, purity of heart is required, that is, purity of feelings and holiness of thoughts. To those who protect their souls from everything bad, who have only good in their thoughts, the Lord promises the highest reward: they will see God, and this constitutes the highest degree of future bliss.

7. Blessed are the peacemakers: for these shall be called the sons of God.

Peacemakers are those who act friendly with everyone and do not give reasons for disagreement, make peace with others and pray to God that everyone lives in peace. The Lord promises them the title sons of God, for with their deeds they imitate the Son of God, who came to earth to reconcile sinful man with the justice of God.

8. Blessed is the expulsion of truth for the sake of: for those are the Kingdom of Heaven.

In the eighth commandment of beatitude, the Lord promises the kingdom of heaven to those persecuted for righteousness, that is, for piety, pleasing God and fulfilling His holy will. In the future life they will receive a reward worthy of their exploits; but already in earthly life, like the poor in spirit, they look forward to the kingdom of heaven, for the Lord encourages and strengthens the righteous in the midst of persecution and persecution.

9. Blessed are you when they revile you, and condemn you, and say all sorts of evil things about you lying to Me for my sake. Rejoice and be glad: for your reward is abundant in heaven.

At the conclusion of His instructions on the paths to achieving bliss, the Lord, wanting to impress upon us that the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of truth and righteousness cannot be achieved without struggle, warns that His followers often expect reproach, expulsion, slander. At the same time, the Lord encourages His courageous followers in their determination to make all sacrifices with a special, exclusive reward in heaven. At all times of the Church of Christ, especially in the first centuries, during persecutions, the words of the Savior about the defenders of the gospel truth were exactly fulfilled. There were many martyrs then for the faith of Christ, and they all received a great reward – they all entered the kingdom of God and are glorified by the Church.

* * *

Notes

For more details, see the explanation of the third article of the Creed

Almost all church services begin with them; With them we begin a series of home morning and evening prayers.

Pharisee is a Hebrew word and means: special. These people were called that way because they tried to distinguish themselves from others by their special holiness; but this holiness was only external, for which the Savior always denounced the Pharisees (Matt. 12:1–7, 25–45, 15:1–14, 16:6, 12; Mark 7:1–16, 8:11–21; Luke 5:21–25, 7:30–47, etc.). “Publican” – tax collector. The proud Pharisees especially despised publicans.

If this prayer is read in the evening, when going to bed, then it should be said: “on this day” (i.e. on today’s day, today).

Their names should be mentioned here.

A troparion is a sacred song in which the essence of the holiday or feat of one or another saint of God glorified by the Church is briefly and clearly expressed.