"Our Father" is the Lord's prayer. Prayer "Our Father Rus', Holy Our Father, Lord's Prayer"

The Orthodox Lord's Prayer "Our Father" is a sacred word, familiar to every Christian from childhood and pronounced by a person in any situation. Its text traces detachment from the world, avoidance of vanity, penetration into the most hidden corners of the human soul and a direct appeal to the Lord Almighty. You cannot pronounce the sacred text mechanically; you need to understand and feel every word of the “Our Father” prayer.

The day of every Orthodox person should begin with the prayer text “Our Father”. These words are supposed to be read before going to bed. Christians resort to them before meals and before any important undertaking.

The sacred words “Our Father” protect a person from the machinations of Satan and evil spirits, from damage and the evil eye. This prayer strengthens the physical and moral strength of a Christian, cleanses the soul and heart of bad thoughts and deep resentments.

Rules for reading the prayer:

1. For God, it does not matter in what language the prayer words are pronounced, so you can read the text in both Old Church Slavonic and modern Russian.
2. What is truly important is the mood of the person praying and the impulses of his soul.
3. If a mistake was made during prayer or a person misspoke, then you need to start reading again, saying “Lord, have mercy on me.”

Text of the prayer "Our Father"

This prayer appeal is a kind of conversation with God. Prayer has enormous power and after reading these sacred words, a person’s soul becomes lighter and calmer.

The Lord's Prayer - full text:

Our Father! Who art in heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name,

May your kingdom come

Thy will be done

both in heaven and on earth.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our debts,

"Our Father" in Church Slavonic, Russian, Greek, Latin, English.

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An explanation of prayer and its use in daily life...

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, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

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“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 our daily bread this day; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors ours; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever” (Matthew 6:9-13).

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In Greek:

Πάτερ ἡμῶν, ὁἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. ἁγιασθήτω τὸὄνομά σου, ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου, γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶἐπὶ γής. Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον. Καὶἄφες ἡμῖν τὰὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν. Καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ρυσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ του πονηρου.

In Latin:

Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie. Et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo.

In English (Catholic liturgical version)

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed to be your 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

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Why did God Himself give a special prayer?

“Only God Himself can allow people to call God Father. He granted this right to people, making them sons of God. And despite the fact that they withdrew from Him and were in extreme anger against Him, He granted oblivion of insults and the sacrament of grace” ( St. Cyril of Jerusalem).

How Christ taught the apostles to pray

The Lord's Prayer is given in the Gospels in two versions, more extensive in the Gospel of Matthew and brief in the Gospel of Luke. The circumstances under which Christ pronounces the text of the prayer are also different. In the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord's Prayer is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Evangelist Luke writes that the apostles turned to the Savior: “Lord! Teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1).

"Our Father" in the home prayer rule

The Lord's Prayer is part of the daily prayer rule and is read both during Morning Prayers and Bedtime Prayers. The full text of the prayers is given in Prayer Books, Canons and other collections of prayers.

For those who are especially busy and cannot devote much time to prayer, Venerable Seraphim of Sarov gave a special rule. "Our Father" is also included in it.

In the morning, afternoon and evening you need to read “Our Father” three times, “Virgin Mother of God” three times and “I Believe” once. For those who, due to various circumstances, cannot follow this small rule, Rev. Seraphim advised reading it in any position: during classes, while walking, and even in bed, presenting the basis for this as the words of Scripture: “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

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There is a custom to read “Our Father” before meals along with other prayers (for example, “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 animal’s good will”).

Interpretation of Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria on the Lord's Prayer "Our Father..."“Pray like this: Our Father who art in heaven!”

A vow is one thing, prayer is another. A vow is a promise to God, as when someone promises to abstain from wine or anything else; prayer is asking for benefits. Saying “Father” shows you what blessings you have received by becoming the son of God, and with the word “in heaven” he points you to your fatherland and your father’s house. Therefore, if you want to have God as your Father, then look at heaven, not at earth. You do not say: “My Father,” but “Our Father,” because you must consider all the children of one Heavenly Father to be your brothers."Hallowed be Thy name" -

that is, make us holy, so that Your name may be glorified, for just as God is blasphemed through me, so through me He is sanctified, that is, glorified as Holy."Thy kingdom come"

- that is, the second coming: for a person with a clear conscience prays for the coming of resurrection and judgment."Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

As the angels, he says, carry out Your will in heaven, so grant us to do it on earth."Give us this day our daily bread."

By “daily” the Lord means that bread that is sufficient for our nature and condition, but He eliminates concern for tomorrow. And the Body of Christ is our daily bread, for whose uncondemned communion we must pray.“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

Since we sin even after baptism, we pray that God will forgive us, but forgive us in the same way that we forgive. If we hold a grudge, He will not forgive us. God has me as His example and does to me what I do to others.. We are weak people, so we should not expose ourselves to temptation, but if we fall, we must pray so that temptation does not consume us. Only the one who is consumed and defeated is drawn into the abyss of trial, and not the one who fell but then won.

Audio:

In Church Slavonic:
O 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, just as we forgive our debtors;
and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one ().

If you truly call God your Father, then trust in Him as the only Father, all-good, all-powerful, wise, unchangeable in His love and in all perfections.
St. righteous

Read “Our Father”, but do not lie: Forgive us our debts, as we forgive….
Reverend

...One should pray about this:
First, with pure intention - Thy will be done, for I, sincerely desiring to follow it unselfishly, not for the sake of reward or acquisition of anything, and not because You, Lord, enriched me with Your bounties and protected me from my opponents, as Satan reproached the righteous Job for this before God () , and not out of fear of the eternal torment of Gehenna, but in the simplicity of my heart I follow Your will, I desire what You desire, only because You want it, because such is Your will, my God!
Secondly, you must pray with love: Thy will be done! - I am looking for one thing here and I think one thing, that Thy will be done in everything, Lord! May the majesty of Your name, my God, spread and be glorified through me, the indecent one. I consider this alone to be my greatest honor and reward, so that I am worthy to please You, my Creator, Who gave me reason and free will as a guarantee of closest communication with You, my Creator and Savior.

Hallowed be your name... For this purpose we pray that the name of God may be sanctified in us: not because it begins to be holy without being holy, but because in us it becomes holy when we ourselves are sanctified and do what is worthy of shrines.
saint

Say: Our Father, - the only ones who have the right are those who, by a miraculous birth in Divine Baptism, according to the new and extraordinary law of pregnancy, show in themselves that they are true sons. And say: Hallowed be thy name, - those who do nothing worthy of condemnation. And this: Thy kingdom come, - those who avoid everything that gives pleasure to the tormentor. And this: Thy will be done, - those who show it by their actions. And this: give us this day our daily bread, - those who refuse luxury and extravagance. And this: forgive us our debts - those that forgive those who sin against them. And this: do not lead us into temptation, - those who do not plunge either themselves or others into it. And this: deliver us from evil, - those who wage an irreconcilable war with Satan. And this: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory., - those who tremble at the words of God and show them in their very deeds. For the knowledge of prayer is successful to the same extent as the character and life of the one who prays is successful.
Reverend

Interpretation of the Lord's Prayer

sschmch.
Metropolitan
Metropolitan
A.G. Dolzhenko
St.
St.
St.
priest Ioann Anuriev
St.
St.

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, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

People, Public Domain

According to the Gospel, Jesus Christ gave it to his disciples in response to a request to teach them prayer. Quoted in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke:

“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". (Matt. 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 our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every debtor to us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Luke 11:2-4)

Slavic translations (Old Church Slavonic and Church Slavonic)

Archangel Gospel (1092)	Ostrog Bible (1581)	Elizabethan Bible (1751)	Elizabethan Bible (1751)
Our people like you are on nbskh. May I be humbled by your name. may your kingdom come. May you please. ꙗko on nbsi and on earth. our daily bread (daily) give us a day. (give us every day). and leave us our debts (sins). But we also left him as our debtor. and do not lead us into attack. spare us the hostility. Because yours is the kingdom. and power and glory otsa and sna and stgo dha forever. amen.	Just like ours and yours on the nbse, may Thy name stand, may Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, ѧko in nbsi and in ꙁєmli. Give us our daily bread and leave us our long debts, Who and we will remain our debtor and don’t lead us into misfortune but also add on Ѡтъ лукаваго.	Who is ours and who art in heaven, may Your name shine, may your kingdom come, Thy will be done, Like in heaven and on earth, Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, We too will leave him as our debtor, and do not lead us into misfortune, but deliver us from the evil one.	Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, may your kingdom come, Thy will be done as in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we also leave our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Russian translations

Synodal translation (1860)	Synodal translation (in post-reform spelling)	Good news (translation by RBO, 2001)
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 do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.	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.	Our Father in Heaven, Let Your name be glorified, Let Your kingdom come Let Your will be fulfilled on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive those who owe us. Don't put us to the test but protect us from the Evil One.

Story

The Lord's Prayer is given in the Gospels in two versions, more extensive in and brief in the Gospel of Luke. The circumstances under which Jesus pronounces the text of the prayer are also different. In the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord's Prayer is included in the Sermon on the Mount, while in Luke, Jesus gives this prayer to the disciples in response to a direct request to “teach them to pray.”

A version of the Gospel of Matthew has become widespread throughout Christendom as the central Christian prayer, with the use of the Lord's Prayer as a prayer going back to the earliest Christian times. The text of Matthew is reproduced in the Didache, the oldest monument of Christian writing of a catechetical nature (late 1st - beginning of the 2nd century), and the Didache gives instructions to say prayer three times a day.

Biblical scholars agree that the original version of the prayer in the Gospel of Luke was significantly shorter; subsequent copyists supplemented the text at the expense of the Gospel of Matthew, as a result of which the differences were gradually erased. Mainly, these changes in the text of Luke occurred in the period after the Edict of Milan, when church books were massively rewritten due to the destruction of a significant part of Christian literature during the persecution of Diocletian. The medieval Textus Receptus contains almost identical text in the two Gospels.

One of the important differences in the texts of Matthew and Luke is the doxology that concludes the text of Matthew - “For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen,” which is missing from Luke. Most of the best and oldest manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew do not contain this phrase, and biblical scholars do not consider it part of the original text of Matthew, but the addition of doxology was made very early, which proves the presence of a similar phrase (without mentioning the kingdom) in the Didache. This doxology has been used since early Christian times in the liturgy and has Old Testament roots (cf. 1 Chron. 29:11-13).

Differences in the texts of the Lord's Prayer sometimes arose due to the desire of translators to emphasize different aspects of polysemantic concepts. So in the Vulgate the Greek ἐπιούσιος (Ts.-Slav. and Russian “daily”) in the Gospel of Luke is translated into Latin as “cotidianum” (everyday), and in the Gospel of Matthew “supersubstantialem” (super-essential), which directly indicates on Jesus as the Bread of Life.

Theological interpretation of prayer

Many theologians have turned to the interpretation of the Lord's Prayer. There are known interpretations of John Chrysostom, Cyril of Jerusalem, Ephraim the Syrian, Maximus the Confessor, John Cassian and others. General works were also written based on the interpretations of ancient theologians (for example, the work of Ignatius (Brianchaninov)).

Orthodox theologians

The Long Orthodox Catechism writes, “The Lord’s Prayer is the prayer that our Lord Jesus Christ taught to the apostles and which they passed on to all believers.” He distinguishes in it: invocation, seven petitions and doxology.

Invocation - “Our Father who art in heaven!”

Faith in Jesus Christ and the grace of man’s rebirth through the sacrifice of the cross gives Christians the ability to call God Father. Cyril of Jerusalem writes:

“Only God himself can allow people to call God Father. He granted this right to people, making them sons of God. And, despite the fact that they withdrew from Him and were in extreme anger against Him, He granted oblivion of insults and the sacrament of grace.”

Petitions

The indication “he who is in heaven” is necessary in order to, starting to pray, “leave everything earthly and corruptible and lift up the mind and heart to the Heavenly, Eternal and Divine.” It also indicates the location of God.

According to Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), “The petitions that make up the Lord’s Prayer are petitions for spiritual gifts acquired for humanity through redemption. There is no word in prayer about the carnal, temporary needs of a person.”

“hallowed be thy name” John Chrysostom writes that these words mean that believers should first of all ask for “the glory of the Heavenly Father.” The Orthodox Catechism indicates: “The Name of God is holy and, without a doubt, holy in itself,” and at the same time can “still be holy in people, that is, His eternal holiness can appear in them.” Maximus the Confessor points out: “We sanctify the name of our heavenly Father by grace when we mortify the lust attached to matter and cleanse ourselves from corrupting passions.”
“Thy Kingdom come” The Orthodox Catechism notes that the Kingdom of God “comes hidden and inward. The Kingdom of God will not come with observance (in a noticeable manner).” Regarding the impact of the feeling of the Kingdom of God on a person, Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes: “He who has felt the Kingdom of God within himself becomes alien to a world hostile to God. He who has felt the Kingdom of God within himself can desire, out of true love for his neighbors, that the Kingdom of God will open in all of them.”
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” With this, the believer expresses that he asks God so that everything that happens in his life happens not according to his own desire, but as it pleases God.
“Give us this day our daily bread” In the Orthodox Catechism, “daily bread” is “the bread necessary in order to exist or live,” but “the soul’s daily bread” is “the word of God and the Body and Blood Christ's." In Maximus the Confessor, the word “today” (this day) is interpreted as the present age, that is, the earthly life of a person.
“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Debts in this petition refer to human sins. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) explains the need to forgive others their “debts” by saying that “Forgiving our neighbors of their sins before us, their debts, is our own need: without doing this, we will never acquire a mood capable of accepting redemption.”
“Do not lead us into temptation” In this petition, believers ask God how to prevent them from being tempted, and if, according to the will of God, they should be tested and purified through temptation, then God would not completely give them over to temptation and not allow them to fall.
“Deliver us from evil” In this petition, the believer asks God to deliver him from all evil and especially “from the evil of sin and from the evil suggestions and slander of the spirit of evil - the devil.”

Doxology - “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

The doxology at the end of the Lord's Prayer is contained so that the believer, after all the petitions contained in it, gives God due reverence.

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

This is how Orthodox Christians begin their morning and evening prayers. In this prayer we call for help Holy Trinity, one in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we ask that God bless all our works and endeavors, both prayerful and everyday. This prayer can be read before starting any business.

Word "Amen"(Hebrew amen - true) at the end of the prayer means: truly so. Many prayers end with this word; it confirms the truth of what was said.

God bless.

This prayer is also said before every task. All our actions, deeds, and works will then be successful when we call on God for help, ask Him for help and blessings.

Lord have mercy.

We hear these words most often during worship. "Lord have mercy!" (Greek: “Kyrie eleyson”) is the oldest prayer. To strengthen our repentant mood, we repeat it three, twelve and forty times. All these three numbers in the Holy Bible symbolize completeness.

A deacon or priest, on behalf of all those praying in the church, pronounces a litany, asking the Lord to forgive us our sins and grant us His heavenly and earthly blessings. The chorus answers: “Lord, have mercy!” - as if on behalf of all those praying. We also say this prayer to ourselves. This is the shortest confession, even briefer than the repentance of the publican, who said five words from the depths of a contrite heart. In it we humbly ask God for forgiveness for all our sins and pray for help.

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

(Pronounced three times)

This prayer is called Trisagion— the word “Holy” is repeated three times. It is addressed to the Holy Trinity. We call God Holy because He is sinless; Strong because He is omnipotent, and Immortal because He is eternal.

A strong earthquake occurred in Constantinople in 439. The people were in fear. People, going around the city in a religious procession, prayed to God to end the disaster. They repentantly, with tears, exclaimed: “Lord, have mercy!” During prayer, one boy was lifted into the air by an invisible force. When he sank to the ground, he said that he saw a choir of Angels singing: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us!” As soon as this chant was repeated by the believers, the earthquake stopped. This sacred angelic song has become an integral part of the worship and prayer rules of Orthodox Christians.

Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee.

We must not only ask God for something, but also thank Him for everything that He sends us. If something good happens to us, we should offer thanks to God at least briefly by saying this prayer. During the day we will notice everything that the Lord gives us, and when we go to sleep we will thank Him.

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, just as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation. But deliver us from the evil one.

For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Our Father, Who is in Heaven! Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us our daily bread today. And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation. But deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

This prayer is special. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave it to His disciples-apostles when they asked Him: “Lord, teach us to pray.” That is why this prayer is called the Lord's Prayer. It is also called the “Our Father” prayer - after the first words. All Orthodox Christians, even small ones, should know it by heart. There is even a saying: “To know like the Lord’s Prayer,” that is, to remember something very well.

This short prayer contains a request to God for everything that a person needs. We turn to God with the words: “Our Father!”, because He created all people, gave us life, takes care of us and Himself calls us His children: gave the power to become children of God(John 1:12). We are His children, and He is our Father. God is everywhere, but His Throne, the place of special presence, is in the inaccessible, high spheres in heaven where Angels live.

Hallowed be Thy name. First of all, the name of God, His glory must be sanctified in His children - people. This light of God must be visible in us, which manifests itself in good deeds, words, in purity of heart, in the fact that we have peace and love among ourselves. The Lord Himself said about this: So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.(Mt 5:16).

Thy kingdom come. It also says that the Kingdom of God must first of all come in the heart and soul of every Christian. We Orthodox Christians must show other people an example of how the Kingdom of God begins in our family, in our parish, how we love each other and treat people well and kindly. The future Kingdom of God, which has come in power, will begin on earth after the Lord Jesus Christ comes to it for the second time to judge all people with His final Judgment and establish a kingdom of peace, goodness and truth on earth.

Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. The Lord wants only good and salvation for us. People, unfortunately, do not always live the way God wants. Angels in heaven are always in obedience to God, they know and do His will. We pray that people will understand that God wants them all to be saved and happy, and will be obedient to God. But how can you find out God’s will for yourself? After all, we are all different, and everyone has their own path. To live according to the will of God, you need to build your life the way God commands, that is, be guided in your life by His commandments, by what the word of God, the Holy Scripture, tells us. We need to read it more often and look for answers to questions in it. We need to listen to our conscience, it is the voice of God in us. It is necessary to accept with humility and gratitude everything that happens to us in life as sent from God. And in all difficult, difficult circumstances, when we do not know what to do, it is necessary to ask God to enlighten us and consult with spiritually experienced people. If possible, it is advisable for everyone to have his own spiritual father and, when necessary, ask him for advice.

Give us this day our daily bread. We ask God to give us for every day of our life everything we need for our soul and body. By Bread here we primarily mean Heavenly Bread, that is, the Holy Gifts that the Lord gives us in the Sacrament of Communion.

But we also ask for earthly food, clothing, housing and everything necessary for life. Therefore, Orthodox Christians read the “Our Father” prayer before meals.

And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors. We all have something to repent of before the Heavenly Father, we have something to ask Him for forgiveness for. And God, out of His great love, always forgives us if we repent. Likewise, we must forgive our “debtors” - people who cause us sorrow and resentment. If we do not forgive our offenders, then God will not forgive us our sins.

And do not lead us into temptation. What are temptations? These are life's trials and circumstances in which we can easily commit sins. They happen to everyone: it can be difficult to resist irritation, harsh words, and hostility. We need to pray that God will help us cope with temptation and not sin.

But deliver us from evil. From whom do temptations, bad, sinful thoughts, desires most often come? From our enemy - the devil. He and his servants begin to instill in us evil thoughts and encourage us to sin. They deceive us, never tell the truth, therefore the devil and his servants are called wicked - deceitful. But there is no need to be afraid of them, God has assigned a Guardian Angel to us, who helps us in the fight against demonic temptations. God protects from the evil devil all who turn to Him.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. The Lord's Prayer ends with praise to God, glorifying Him as the King and Ruler of the world. We believe that God is the All-Perfect Power, capable of helping us and protecting us from all evil. In confirmation of our faith we say: “Amen” - “truly so.”

When explaining the Lord’s Prayer to children, one can recall Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tale “The Snow Queen” in its full version. The heroine of the fairy tale, the girl Gerda, read the “Our Father,” and the prayer helped her a lot. When Gerda approached the Snow Queen's palace to help Kai out, her path was blocked by scary servants. “Gerda began to read “Our Father”; it was so cold that the girl’s breath immediately turned into a thick fog. This fog thickened and thickened, but little bright angels began to stand out from it, who, having stepped on the ground, grew into large, formidable angels with helmets on their heads and spears and shields in their hands. Their number kept growing, and when Gerda finished her prayer, a whole legion had already formed around her. The angels took the snow monsters onto their spears, and they crumbled into a thousand pieces. Gerda could now boldly walk forward: the angels stroked her arms and legs, and she no longer felt so cold. Finally the girl reached the palace of the Snow Queen.”

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

This prayer is addressed to the third Person of the Holy Trinity - the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is everywhere, for God is Spirit. He is the giver of life and grace-filled help to all living. This prayer is especially important to read before starting any good deed, so that the grace of the Holy Spirit will dwell in us, strengthen our strength and give us help. It is customary to read the prayer “To the Heavenly King” before classes.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary

("Virgin Mother of God")

This prayer is based on greeting of Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary at the moment of the Annunciation when the holy Archangel brought the news of the birth from Her to the Mother of God Savior of the world(see: Lk 1:28).

The Church honors and glorifies the Mother of God above all saints, above all Angels. The prayer “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary” is ancient, it appeared in the first centuries of Christianity.

Words blessed is the fruit of your womb, glorifying Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, are taken from the greeting of righteous Elizabeth, when the Most Holy Theotokos, after the Annunciation, wished to visit her (Luke 1:42).

This prayer is glorifying. We magnify and glorify the Mother of God in her as the most worthy and righteous Virgin of all people, who was awarded the great honor of giving birth to God Himself.

We also turn to the Mother of God in a short prayer of supplication:

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

We ask God for salvation through the prayers of the person closest to Him - His Mother. The Mother of God is our first Intercessor and Intercessor before God.

Song of praise to the Mother of God

(“It is worthy to eat”)

The Most Holy Theotokos is truly worthy of veneration and delight as the immaculate Mother of Christ the Savior.

We glorify Her more than all the Heavenly Powers, Cherubim and Seraphim and magnify the Mother of God, who gave birth to God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, without birth pains and illnesses.

Prayer “It is worthy to eat” - doxological, laudatory . “It is worthy to eat” and “To the Virgin Mary” are the most famous and important prayers to the Mother of God. Most often they are sung in the temple by all those praying.

This prayer usually concludes some parts of the church service. In home prayer, “It is worthy to eat” is usually read at the very end. This prayer is read after studying and working.

Arkhangelsk Song

The prayer “It is worthy to eat” is called the Archangel’s Song. According to the legend of Holy Mount Athos, during the reign of Basil and Constantine the Porphyrogenitus, Elder Gabriel and his novice, who was also called Gabriel, labored in a cell near the monastery of Kareia. On Saturday evening, June 11, 980, the elder went to the monastery for an all-night vigil, and left the novice to perform the service privately. At night, an unknown monk knocked on his cell. The novice showed him hospitality. They began to perform the service together. While singing the words “Most Honest Cherub,” the guest said that they glorify the Mother of God in a different way. He sang “It is worthy that You are truly blessed, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Immaculate and Mother of our God...”, and then added: “The most honorable Cherub...” The icon of the Mother of God “Merciful”, in front of which they prayed, shone with heavenly light. The novice asked to write down this song, but there was no paper in the cell. The guest took the stone, which became soft in his hands, and inscribed this prayer with his finger. The guest introduced himself as Gabriel and disappeared. When Elder Gabriel arrived, he realized that Archangel Gabriel was coming. The stone with the song inscribed by the Archangel was delivered to Constantinople.

Prayer to the Guardian Angel

To the Angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me by God from heaven, I diligently pray to you: enlighten me today, save me from all evil, guide me to good deeds and direct me on the path of salvation. Amen.

Each person is given a Guardian Angel at baptism. He protects us, preserves us from all evil and especially from the machinations of the demonic forces.

In this prayer, we turn to him and ask him to enlighten our minds to the knowledge of God, to save us from all evil, to guide us to salvation and to help us in all good deeds.

Prayer for the living

Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual father(his name) , my parents(their names) , relatives, mentors, benefactors and all Orthodox Christians.

Our duty is to pray not only for ourselves, but also for the people closest to us: parents, the priest with whom we confess, brothers, sisters, teachers, everyone who does good to us, and for all brothers in faith - Orthodox Christians.

Prayer for the departed

Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants: my parents(their names) , relatives, benefactors(names) , and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.

God has no dead, He has everyone alive. Not only those living on earth, those close to us, need our prayerful help, but also those who have left us, all our deceased relatives and friends.

Prayer before studying

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

For schoolchildren, their classes and studies are the same work as for adults their daily work. Therefore, we need to begin such an important and responsible matter as teaching with prayer, so that the Lord will give us strength, help us to master the teaching being taught, so that we can then use the acquired knowledge for the glory of God, for the benefit of the Church and our country. In order for work to bring us joy and benefit to people, we need to learn a lot and work hard.

Prayer after eating food

We have already said that before eating food, the prayer “Our Father” is read. After eating, we also read a prayer, giving thanks to God for the meal sent.

God sends us food, but people prepare it, so we also don’t forget to thank those who fed us.

Jesus Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

The Jesus Prayer is addressed to our Lord Jesus Christ. In it we ask for the most important thing: that the Savior forgive our sins and save us, have mercy on us.

This prayer is usually read in monasteries; it is part of the daily prayer rule. Monks - people who have dedicated their lives to serving God - read it many times, sometimes almost without a break all day. The prayer is read using the rosary so as not to lose count, because it is read a certain number of times. A rosary is usually a string with knots or beads tied in it. People living outside the monastery, in the world, can also read the Jesus Prayer and pray the rosary, but for this they need to take a blessing from the priest. It is very good to say the Jesus Prayer while working, calling on God for help, on the road, and generally at any convenient time.

Prayer has great power. In the Lives of Saints, Patericon, Fatherland and other spiritual books there are many examples of the miraculous effect of prayer.

The Power of Prayer

Abba Dula, a student of Elder Vissarion, says: “Abba Vissarion needed to cross the river Chryzoroia. Having said a prayer, he walked along the river, as if on dry land, and came out to the other bank. In surprise, I bowed to him and asked: what did your feet feel when you walked on the water? The elder answered: my heels felt the water, but the rest was dry. In this way he crossed the great Nile River more than once” (Otechnik).