Psalter for the dead. Psalter and canons for the departed Psalter for the departed in Russian

In detail: the rules for reading the psalter for the dead at home - from all open sources and from different parts of the world on the site site for our dear readers.

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of Truth, Who is everywhere and fills everything, Treasury of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Blessed, our souls.

Trisagion

Prayer to the Holy Trinity

Lord have mercy.(thrice)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Lord's Prayer

Have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us, bewildering any answer, we offer this prayer as the Lord of sin: have mercy on us.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit: The honor of Your prophet, Lord, triumph, Heaven, the Church of the show, Angels rejoice with the people. With prayers, Christ God, rule our belly in the world, let us sing to You: Alleluia.

And now, and always, and forever and ever. Amen: Many of my many, Mother of God, sins, I have resorted to You, Pure, demanding salvation: visit my weak soul and pray to Your Son and our God to give me resignation, even to the fierce deeds, Blessed One.

Lord have mercy, 40 times. And bow, eliko powerfully.

The same prayer of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity: All-Holy Trinity, God and Creator of the whole world, hasten and direct my heart, start with reason and finish good deeds inspired by this book, even though the Holy Spirit will burp the mouth of David, now I want to speak az, unworthy, understanding my own ignorance, falling down, I pray to You, and ask for help from You: Lord, direct my mind and strengthen my heart, not about the verbal speech of the mouth, but to rejoice about the mind of the verbs, and get ready to do good deeds, I am learning, and I say: yes Enlightened by good deeds, I will be a partaker with all Your chosen ones at the judgment of the right hand of You. And now, Vladyka, bless, yes, sighing from the heart, and with my tongue I will sing, saying to this: Come, let us bow down to our Tsar God. Come, let us bow down and bow down to Christ, our King God. Come, let us worship and bow down to Christ Himself, the King and our God.

Just wait a little, until all feelings subside. Then create the beginning not soon, without laziness, with tenderness and a contrite heart. Rtsy quietly and reasonably, with attention, and not struggling, as if to understand the verb with the mind.

It is believed that every Orthodox Christian is obliged to pray for their dead. For this, there are codes of various traditions, rules and dates.

In order to avoid wandering in the rules, conventions and stereotypes with which this matter of love has been enriched for more than 2 thousand years - a prayer for a loved one.

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Orthodox commemoration of the dead

Today, to commemorate the dead, it is customary to read the Psalter - a collection of Old Testament psalms (there are 150 in total). They begin reading on the very first day (or better, immediately after ascertaining the fact of death). You can pray in person - that is, directly at the tomb of the deceased - or in absentia, for example, in a temple or at home. They usually read up to 40 days, they stop at the fortieth. In the future, often practice reading 40 days before the date of death and after, total 80 days. You can read both aloud and silently.

From the video you will learn how prayers help the dead.

This book, which has long passed into the category of Liturgical, since almost half of the texts of the service in churches consist either of its texts, or of imitation of them, is allowed to be read while sitting. This is what is called the "sciatic" book. You can also read while standing. But not lying down. The Holy Fathers, who acquired the Holy Spirit by their relationship with the Heavenly Father (that is, they verified their inner state with God), teach that God does not hear those prayers in which the body is not troubled and the heart does not grieve.

In general, the Psalter is a collection of psalms. A psalm, in turn, is a semi-prayer, semi-poetic text that literally expresses all the possible states of a person who has already begun his relationship with the Heavenly Father. There are several authors whose works have been imprinted in it for centuries. But the main content belongs to the Old Testament king named David, who is best known to us from the battle with Goliath.

However, for God himself, this man was dear for other merits - for his meekness and gentleness, the ability to forgive, not to take revenge on his enemies. After all, these qualities, which we inherit from God, were extremely rare in the cruel times of David. Therefore, the state of mind of this holy man before God is expressed in psalms and sets the reader in an appropriate, peaceful mood. And the soul, full of states and moods consonant with God, is very pleasing to the Heavenly Father, He hears it and responds to its requests and needs. Through this, even the deceased is greatly benefited.

From this video you will learn how to pray for the dead.

The Psalter is divided for the convenience of reading it into 20 chapters, each of which is called "kathisma", it, in turn, includes 3-4 psalms. There is a pious tradition in the first three days before the burial of the deceased, 1 day on any of the indicated days, to read the entire book at the tomb of the deceased. Partially, N.V. Gogol tried to tell about this in his story "Viy". Khoma Brutus fulfills precisely this church obedience: he reads the Psalter at the tomb of the deceased.

Reading scheme of the Psalter

Vladyka Athanasius (Sakharov) devoted many works to help in studying the issue of how it is appropriate to pray according to this divinely inspired book at the tomb of the deceased. He notes in his research that in order for everything to go right, efficiently and without unnecessary difficulties, it is necessary to adhere to some rules. He says that during the funeral reading there is no need to read the prayers that are placed after each kathisma.

They are intended for a simple cell rule (that is, when a person, simply for the sake of praying to God, includes one or more kathismas from the Psalter in his daily prayer rule). During the memorial prayer, the bishop writes, it will be more “corresponding” after each “Glory” (Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit), and after the end of the kathisma, to say a special prayer for the dead. It begins with the words “Remember, Lord our God, in faith and hope…”. And also during the reading, Vladyka notes, it is fitting to make five bows to the earth, and the troparion itself is read three times.

In accordance with the same ancient practice, the reading of the Psalter for the dead is preceded by the reading of the Canon for the one who has presented himself, after which the psalms will begin. When the entire book has been read, the mortuary canon is again laid down. Upon its completion, you can again proceed to the inspired book. And so in a circle throughout the reading of the Psalter for the repose.

How to remember the dead.

Reading order of the psalms

There is an established order for reading the psalter about the deceased. This church liturgical text is usually always placed before the first psalm. If it is not there, then you can turn to the online version, if this is not possible, then you can proceed to the following scheme:

1. We say the opening prayer: “Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen".
2. Then "Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee."
3. And then turn to the invocation of the Holy Spirit for joint prayer with God (prayer is not only a request, but also communication): "King of Heaven ...".
4. After that, you can start reading the kathisma.
5. At each “Glory” (“Glory to the Father ...”), a memorial prayer is read.
6. After its completion and the reading of the prayers after it, they end the prayer with a prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos "It is worthy to eat ...". Since, according to the rules, if at the beginning of the prayer there was an invocation of the Holy Spirit, then it is appropriate to end your communion with the Heavenly Father through a thankful appeal to the Queen of Heaven.

Variants of prayer according to the Psalter for the repose

Sometimes for a one-time, but strong, that is, tangible for the deceased, memorial, there is a tradition (and for good reason) to read one kathisma from the entire book, which, as it was realized through rich church experience, is most suitable for expressing the feelings and moods of the deceased himself.

Such a kathisma, unique and the most extraordinary, beautiful not only in its content, but also in artistic expression, language, is the 17th kathisma. She is not only one of the most beautiful, but also one of the longest of the entire text of the book. The reader of this chapter has the opportunity to truly, albeit relatively briefly remember the dear deceased, work for him (bring to God not only a word, but also an action, work), and the one who prays himself receives great benefit from this for his soul.

Prayer for the dead and the emergence of tradition

As one Christian once said, rules (read - traditions) are needed for those who have not learned to love. The remark is at least correct. After all, if the heart itself does not lead a person to any good action in the name of the deceased, then one of the best options is to imitate in this those who showed their love for the dead from a full heart and received approval from the Lord. Such a person who became, one might say, the founder of the commemoration of the dead was an Old Testament military leader by the traditional Jewish name Judah. The story that is associated with a significant event is recorded in the Old Testament body in the second book of Maccabees (see 12, 39-46).

As you know, when Abraham believed God (which was imputed to him as righteousness forever), the Almighty promised his followers that if they keep his covenant (including not worshiping anyone other than Him), then the Jews will win in all battles, even with a minimum army. As long as His people kept the covenant, their every battle, according to Scripture, was won. And then one day the army of Judah suffered a crushing defeat.

The survivors and the commander himself were in turmoil, alarmed that God had somehow gone back on His word. When, according to the rules, they began to examine the bodies of the dead in order to send some of their belongings to their relatives, the soldiers discovered that many of them carried signs of idol worship. This was the explanation why the victory was for the enemy.

The pious Jews thanked God, who did not hide the truth from them and honored them with His answer. It was then that Judas and the rest of God's faithful stood up to pray for the stumbled dead, so that the Lord would forgive the dead their sins. After praying, Judas appealed to those who remained with a call not to depart from God, who intercedes for them and honorably observes the agreement between Himself and people, in order to avoid such horrific defeats and unnecessary death of people in the future. This act was accepted by the Almighty and highly appreciated. and was "accounted for righteousness" to Judas.

There were other examples of people from the Old Testament when they took care of the dead, confessing the unconditional existence of a future life after the loss of the body:

• Jesus, the son of Sirach, writes in his book of Wisdom that he teaches the need to help the dead as well as those who are on earth, to do good to those living not only here, but also there: “Grace of giving (that is, alms for the deceased material and verbal - prayers) before every living one, but he does not forbid grace over the dead” (7, 36);
• The same author in the indicated book writes: “with the reassurance of the deceased, calm the memory of him, after the exodus of his soul you will be comforted by him” (38, 23);
• The dying Tobit commands his son Tobias: "Distribute your bread at the tomb";
• The Holy Prophet Jeremiah in ch. 16 of his book he calls cursed and outcast from the face of God those who, after death, are not remembered and do not do alms.

Prayer for the deceased 40 days

Many people who do not yet believe, but are in search of truth, are repelled by some specific figures and statements. After all, there are no set deadlines., documentary evidence that, specifically, after such and such a number of times, if you do certain actions, everything will be in order with the soul of a person.

The video will tell you about the commemoration of the dead.

The skepticism of such people is justified and understandable. Indeed, such documents do not exist. However, a person on the path needs to understand one thing: the only way to interact with God, as He himself said, is by faith. You can draw a simple, though far from perfect analogy: to interact, for example, with a magnet, you need metal. This condition. Anyone who wants to begin to interact with the magnet and touch its properties can express his dissatisfaction and disagreement for a long time, but still, if he does not do what is required, the magnet will remain silent.

In order to discover interaction with God, as countless people did, and through approaching God they received some of his properties (to overcome nature, to love with divine love, to heal, to cast out evil spirits, to see the future and see the true state of things), faith is needed. Many examples from the New Testament, where Jesus works miracles, show that the first thing He, as God and the Son of God, looks for in a person is the ability to believe Him and His omnipotence.

You can start by taking on faith some church experience and the experience of people who have already approached God, into a slightly mystical experience. We know about 40 days thanks to Blessed Theodora, a holy woman who had the opportunity posthumously, after she reached paradise, to report what she met on the way from earth to the Kingdom of God. It was she who named this figure - 40 Earth days. That is how much time has passed with us while she overcame this responsible path.

Thanks to the experience of St. Theodora, we know exactly the period that is the most important for the one who was called from the earth into another existence. We know that our constant mental presence through prayer for the called, especially necessary in the first 40 days after the physical death of a person.

Why Read the Psalter

The following arguments are indicative:

• The Psalter is one of the most effective ways to help the deceased. As you know, the free “flight” to their heavenly homeland is hindered by demons - evil spirits that claim to control souls on a par with God.
• The collection of psalms is an expression of the highest qualities of the human soul, which is sanctified by God, united with His Spirit and therefore has a special influence.
• Before the advent of the New Testament, it was the Psalter that was the book that could allow "chastising" a person possessed by evil spirits and freeing him.
• The Psalter allows you to protect the soul ascending to God from evil spirits that injure it, and spiritually support the one who prays, and help him express all his feelings, because this great book reflects almost all the situations that a Christian finds himself in during his life on earth.

Understanding the Psalms

1. First approach. Someone advises reading the Psalter for the dead and for the living, regardless of whether you understand what you are reading or not. The main consideration is that a person does not understand, but crafty spirits understand everything and retreat in fear, because God himself is acting here. After a while, the one who regularly prays, in turn, will eventually begin to understand, because the Lord begins to reveal meaning to a person. However, this happens gradually.
2. Second approach. Others strongly recommend resorting to translations into Russian, writing down incomprehensible words, expressions, terms and using the Church Slavonic dictionary to translate them into Russian. It is advised to read historical information about the creation of any psalm and apply the explanations of the holy fathers and theologians.

You can find similar explanations in the church shop and on useful Christian websites. And also, in order to understand the meaning of each individual psalm, one should study the Holy Scriptures. For example, how to understand the 50th psalm, the second book of Kings will explain to the reader. It explains what its author, King David, experienced before writing it.

To any reader of the Psalter(experienced or inexperienced), it is more fitting to stand like a person praying (at the feet of the coffin of the deceased), if a special extreme does not make him sit down. Negligence in this matter, as in the observance of other pious customs, is offensive both to the sacred rite, blessed by the Holy Church, and to the word of God, which, in case of carelessness, is read as if inconsistent with the intention and feeling of the praying Christian.

Video

From this video you will learn how to read the Psalter for the deceased correctly.

The Psalter occupies a special place among all the books of Holy Scripture. This book was created long before the earthly incarnation of Jesus and belongs to the books of the Old Testament. Of all the parts of the Old Testament, only the Psalter is wholly included in the charter of Christian Church worship.

This book is of particular value. It consists in the image of the soul striving for the Almighty. The Book provides an example of spiritual resistance to earthly temptations and sorrows. According to St. Athanasius the Great, this book contains all human life, all thoughts and movements of the soul. There is not a single feature in human essence that would not be reflected in this work. Every word and every letter The psalters are imbued with the grace of the Holy Spirit.

History of the holy book

This sacred work was loved and revered by the very first Christians. They memorized all the psalms of this book by heart.

In the Christian service to the Lord, this book occupied one of the leading places already in the time of the Apostles. For many centuries, these sacred psalms were performed in all Orthodox monasteries - both male and female. Reading was an obligatory rite, and only those who knew the psalms by heart were admitted to the monasteries.

Among believing Christians, it was considered the greatest alms to order the reading of the psalter. Such grace necessarily helped to gain physical health on earth and contributed to the salvation of the human soul in heaven. . Such a rank was a good direct support for any monastery..

Who benefits from reading the psalter

The blessing of reading Holy Scripture will condescend not only to the one for whom it was ordered, but also to other people:

• To the one who ordered this reading, as he did a good and merciful deed.
• The saint of the monastery, since this is his main support.
• To all the monks who took part in this rite.
• An example of a person who ordered the reading of a psalter can inspire the people around him and strengthen the faith of the person himself.

You can order reading not only for another person, but also for yourself. This is done when you need the support of the Heavenly Father. In addition, in some cases, you can read this book on your own. It is allowed to read the psalter in Russian or Church Slavonic.

Special Reading Rules

The reading of this holy book is a great tradition and is based on a whole set of rules. Their observance is strictly obligatory. The modern Charter of the Orthodox Church provides for the division of the book into 20 sections. Each section is called a kathisma. It is customary to read the Psalms daily in churches during each divine service in the mornings and evenings. For a week, the book of psalms should be read from beginning to end. It is reread twice during the week of Great Lent. The reading of psalms is also included in the rule which is prescribed for the laity.

In modern Orthodoxy, there is a custom of reading by agreement:

Reading the holy book at home

If you decide to start reading at home, do not be afraid to make a mistake and read something wrong. If you go into the process sincerely, with prayer and repentance, it will help correct any inaccuracies. There are several recommendations how to read the psalm for a beginner:

Knowing these simple rules, every believer can bring good both to himself and to his loved ones. After all, the will and spirit of man are strengthened at the same time, and the soul rushes towards the eternal.

Removing damage with the help of psalms

It often happens that outwardly a person is completely healthy and prosperous, but something does not allow him to live and deprives him of peace of mind. Convinced that other practical methods do not help him, a person turns to the temple for help, wanting to get rid of the evil spirit that has taken possession of him.

The best way to remove damage is to read the psalter. The main goal is the expulsion of demons and the return of inner peace and tranquility to a person.

With the help of the Indestructible Psalter, you can get rid of corruption of various types. Many people are completely unreasonably mistrustful of such matters. But our thoughts tend to materialize. Once succumbing to sinful thoughts, a person allows the evil one to take possession of his soul. To deal with such an enemy alone is almost impossible.

In such cases, reading prayers and psalms will not only be useful, but vital. This is the only way to help a person suffering from corruption.

Indestructible Psalter about health

The most important thing for every person is his life and health. Without it, everything else loses its meaning. In those cases when you or your loved ones are in danger of a serious illness or other worldly troubles, it will be very useful to recite the psalms “On Health”. You can order such readings in monasteries. In response to your request, the monks will tirelessly pray for many days that the Lord will grant you or your loved one health and help them cope with sadness and despondency.

You can say such prayers not only in a temple or monastery, but also at home. Any person can turn to the Heavenly Father with sincere and fervent prayer and have the hope of being heard and accepted. However, such conversion requires a strong sincere faith and humility from a person.

Most people in a difficult moment fervently hope for God's help, as they are aware that without this help they cannot cope with earthly misfortunes. For us, turning to heaven is the “last resort”, where we will definitely be heard and receive help and support.

Reading for the dead

In the Orthodox tradition, there is a custom: people turn to clergy or specially trained people with a request to read a psalter over the dead. At the same time, those who ask give alms for the repose of the soul of the deceased.

For those who commemorate, understanding the meaning of Holy Scripture is of no small importance. And for the deceased, such a reading will be evidence that they are loved and remembered. The living can work hard in memory of their departed loved ones, for which they resort to reading the psalter. According to the priest father Alexander Kalinin, this feat of reading will be accepted by the Lord as a sacrifice not only for the departed, but also for those who remember.

In the Orthodox tradition, these prayers are read over the body of the deceased before burial. After burial, one kathisma is read. We advise you to familiarize yourself how to read the psalter for the dead at home:

Thus, those who pray for the deceased can help his soul be freed from earthly sins and achieve peace in heaven.

Another church rite of remembrance is Sorokoust. These prayers are often ordered in churches or monasteries on the day of the remembrance of the deceased. In this case, the monks and priests will commemorate the name of the deceased in prayers for 40 days in a row.

After such prayers, all sins are forgiven a person, and he can find grace. You can order a prayer for the deceased at the same time in several churches.

The psalter of repose is of no small importance not only for the deceased, but also for those who have lost their loved ones. After all, here on earth we can no longer help the departed. We can only turn to the Lord with a prayer so that the soul finds peace and bliss in heaven.

Appeal to the Mother of God

This prayer reading can be held about health both for oneself and for one's relatives and friends. At the same time, they turn to the Most Pure Mother of God with a request for health, since she is closer than all the saints to the Lord.

Valaam Psalter

This is one of the very interesting varieties of church prayer reading. At the same time, the kathismata are performed by the choir of the brethren of the Valaam Monastery, which has won a good reputation for its piety and the abundance of miracles accomplished by God's will. Among the monks of this monastery are only men. Their prayers are gracious and tireless, their chants are very beautiful and harmonious.

The Valaam Psalter is a true work of choral singing art of the Orthodox Church.

The indestructible Psalter is of tremendous importance for all who have accepted the Lord into their hearts and trusted Him. This invisible hand leads believers through life, does not allow them to fall and go astray, giving the human soul the great miracle of Faith.

The reading of the Psalter for the dead has its origin in the most remote antiquity. Serving as a prayer to the Lord for the dead, it brings them great comfort both in itself, as a reading of the word of God, and as testifying to the love of their living brethren for them. It also brings them great benefit, for it is accepted by the Lord as a pleasant propitiatory sacrifice for the cleansing of the sins of those who are commemorated - just as any prayer, any good deed is accepted by Him.

The reading of the Psalter begins at the end of the "Following the Exodus of the Soul." Psalms should be read with tenderness and contrition of the heart, without haste, delving into what is being read with attention. Reading the Psalter by the commemorators themselves brings the greatest benefit: it testifies to the great degree of love and zeal for the commemorated of their living brethren, who themselves personally want to work in their memory, and not replace themselves in labor with others. The feat of reading will be accepted by the Lord not only as a sacrifice for those who are commemorated, but as a sacrifice for those who bring it themselves, those who labor in reading. Any pious believer who has the skills of error-free reading can read the Psalter.

The position of the reader of the Psalter is the position of the one who prays. Therefore, it is more fitting for the reader of the Psalter to stand as a person praying (at the feet of the coffin of the deceased), if a special extreme does not force him to sit down. Negligence in this matter, as in the observance of other pious customs, is offensive both to the sacred rite, blessed by the Holy Church, and to the word of God, which, in case of carelessness, is read as if inconsistent with the intention and feeling of the praying Christian.

When reading the word of God over the body of the deceased, relatives and friends of the deceased should be present. If it is impossible and not always convenient for households and relatives to continuously participate in prayer and the reading of the Psalter, then at least from time to time they need to join their prayer to the prayer of the reader; it is especially appropriate to do this during the reading of the prayer for the dead between the psalms.

In the Apostolic decrees, it is commanded to perform psalmody, readings and prayers for the dead on the third, ninth and fortieth days. But for the most part, the custom was established to read psalms for the dead for three days or all forty days. The three-day reading of the Psalter with prayers, which constitute a special burial rite, for the most part coincides with the time during which the body of the deceased remains in the house.

The Psalter consists of 20 sections - kathisma, each of which is divided into three "Glories". Before the reading of the first kathisma, the preparatory prayers are said, set before the beginning of the reading of the Psalter. At the end of the reading of the Psalter, prayers are said, laid down after reading several kathismas or the entire Psalter. The reading of each kathisma begins with a prayer:

Come, let us worship our King God.

Come, let us bow down and bow down to Christ, our King God.

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

When reading the kathisma for each "Glory" is pronounced:

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, And now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, glory to Thee, O God! (thrice)

Remember, Lord our God, in the faith and hope of the life of the eternally reposed (up to 40 days from the date of death - "newly deceased") your servant , our brother and like a Good and Humanitarian, forgive sins, and consume iniquities, weaken, leave and forgive all his free will sins and involuntary, deliver him eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna, and grant him the communion and enjoyment of Your eternal good, prepared for those who love You: even if you sin, but do not depart from You, and undoubtedly in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Your God in the Trinity glorious, faith, and the Unity in the Trinity and the Trinity in Unity, Orthodox even until his last breath of confession.
The same is merciful to that wake up, and faith, even in Thee instead of deeds, and with Your saints, as if Generous rest: there is no man who lives and does not sin. But Thou art One, apart from all sin, and Thy truth, truth forever, and Thou art the One God of mercies and generosity, and love of mankind, and to Thee we send glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen.

And now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen.

Then the reading of the kathisma psalms continues. At the end of the kathisma it reads:

Trisagion

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Read three times, with the sign of the cross and a bow from the waist.)

Prayer to the Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Lord, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Your name's sake.

Lord have mercy. (thrice)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Lord's Prayer

Our Father, Who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth. Give us our daily bread today; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Troparion the deceased

From the spirits of the righteous who have died, the soul of Your servant, Savior, give rest, keeping me in a blessed life, even with You, Humane

In Thy rest, Lord: where all Thy saints rest, rest also the soul of Thy servant, for Thou alone art the Lover of mankind

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

You are the God who descended into hell and loosed the bonds of the fettered, Thyself and the soul of Thy servant rest.

And now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

One Pure and Immaculate Virgin, who gave birth to God without a seed, pray that his soul be saved.

(Then the prayer laid down at the end of the kathisma is read.):

According to the 1st kathisma

Lord Almighty, Incomprehensible, the beginning of light and superintelligent power, even the Hypostatic Word Father and the only power of Your Spirit is the emitter: merciful for the sake of mercy and inexpressible goodness, do not despise human nature, my sin content, but the Divine lights of Your sacred teachings, the law and the prophets shining to the world, follow but to us that Thy only-begotten Son, good-willed to exalt the flesh and instruct us in the illumination of Thy enlightenment: may Thy ears be heedful to the voice of our prayer, and grant us, O God, in a vigilant and sober heart, the whole night of this life, waiting for the coming of Thy Son and God ours, the judge of all, but not reclining and sleeping, but awake and exalted to the doing of Your commandments, we will find ourselves and in His joy we will live, where we celebrate the unceasing voice, and the inexpressible sweetness of those who see Your face, kindness unexpressed. Yako God is Good and Humanitarian, and we send glory to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever, amen.

According to the 2nd kathisma

Lord Almighty, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Only Begotten Son, give me an undefiled body, a pure heart, a cheerful mind, an unforgotten mind, the invasion of the Holy Spirit, to the acquisition and contentment of the truth in Your Christ: with Him glory befits You, honor and worship, with the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever, amen.

According to the 3rd kathisma

Lord Almighty, the Word of the Father without beginning, Self-perfect God Jesus Christ, for the sake of Thy unapplied mercy, do not separate Your servants, but always rest in them, do not leave me, Thy servant, All-Holy King, but give me, unworthy, the joy of Thy salvation and enlighten bind my mind with the light of the knowledge of Thy Gospel, bind my soul with the love of Thy Cross, adorn my body with Thy passionlessness, die thoughts and keep my feet from creeping, and do not destroy me with my iniquities, Good Lord, but tempt me, O God, and enlighten my heart mine, test me and make my paths clear, and see if the way of iniquity is in me, and turn away from it, and guide me to the path of eternity. You are the Way, and the Truth, and the Life, and we send glory to You with Your Father without beginning and the Most Holy, and the Good, and the Life-giving Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever, amen.

According to the 4th kathisma

To You, Lord, the only Good and Unmemorable, I confess my sins; But, my Lord, Lord, grant me tears of tenderness, the one Blissful and Merciful, as if I beseech Thee with them, be cleansed before the end from all sin: it is a terrible and terrible place for the imam to pass, the bodies parted, and a multitude of gloomy and inhuman demons will shrug, and no one to help accompany or deliver. Thus, I fall down on Your goodness, do not betray those who offend me, let my enemies boast about me, Good Lord, let them say below: Thou hast come into our hands, and Thou hast been betrayed to us. Neither, Lord, forget Thy bounties and repay me according to my iniquities, and do not turn Your face away from me: but Thou, Lord, punish me, both with mercy and bounty. May my enemy not rejoice over me, but quench his rebuke on me and abolish all his action, and give me a relentless path to You, Good Lord: having sinned, I did not resort to another doctor, and did not stretch my hand to a strange god , therefore, do not reject my prayer, but hear me with Your goodness and confirm my heart with Your fear, and may Your grace be on me, Lord, like a fire burning unclean thoughts in me. Thou art, O Lord, a light, more than any light; joy, more than any joy; rest, more than any rest; true life and salvation enduring forever and ever, amen.

According to the 5th kathisma

God the Righteous and Praiseworthy, God the Great and Strong, God the Eternal, hear the prayer of a sinful man at this hour: hear me, promising to hear you in truth calling on you, and do not loathe me, unclean in the mouth and content in sin, the hope of all the ends of the earth and wanderers far. Take up arms and a shield and stand up for my help: pour out your sword and make a stand against those who persecute me. Rebuke the unclean spirit from the face of my madness, and let the spirit of hatred and malice, the spirit of envy and flattery, the spirit of fear and despondency, the spirit of pride and all other malice be absent from my thoughts; and may every kindling and movement of my flesh, composed of the devil’s action, be extinguished, and may my soul and body and spirit be enlightened with the light of Your Divine knowledge: yes, with the multitude of Your bounties, I will achieve the union of faith, perfect in a husband, to the extent of age, and glorify with Angels and by all your saints, your all-honorable and magnificent name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever, amen.

According to the 6th kathisma

We thank Thee, O Lord our God, for all Thy good deeds, even from the first age to the present in us, unworthy, former, about them we know and not know, about the manifest and the unmanifest, even the deeds of the former, and in a word: loving us, as though the Only Begotten Give your Son for us, willing. Make us worthy to be Your love. Give by Your word wisdom and Your fear, inhale strength from Your strength, and if you want or not want to sin, forgive, and do not blame and save our holy soul, and present it to Your Throne, I have a clean conscience, and the end is worthy of Your humanity. And remember, Lord, all those who call on Your name in truth: remember all who are good or opposing us who want to: all are men, and every man is in vain. Therefore, we pray to Thee, O Lord: grant us Thy benevolence and great mercy.

According to the 7th kathisma

Lord, my God, as a Good and Humanitarian, Thou hast done many mercies with me, even if I do not want to see, and what will I repay Your goodness, my Lord, Lord? I thank Your many-sung name, I thank Your inscrutable kindness on me, I thank Your unapplied long-suffering. And from now on, intercede, and help me, and cover me, Master, from everyone, if no one sins before You: You, for the weight of my nature, are crawling, You weigh my madness, You weigh what I have done, even in the knowledge and not in the knowledge, even voluntary and involuntary, even in nights and days, and in the mind, and thoughts, as if God is Good and Humane, cleanse me with the dew of Thy mercy, O Good Lord, and save us for the sake of Thy holy name, in the image of destinies. You are the Light and the Truth and the Life, and we send glory to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever, amen.

According to the 8th kathisma

Lord, Generous and Merciful, Long-suffering and Many-merciful, inspire prayer and listen to the voice of my prayer: do with me a sign for good, guide me on Your path, to walk in Your truth, rejoice my heart, to fear Your Holy Name, and work wonders. You are the One God, and there is nothing like You in boseh, Lord, Strong in mercy, and Good in strength, in a hedgehog to help and comfort, and save all who trust in Your name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and in forever and ever, amen.

According to the 9th kathisma

Master Lord, our God, Who is the only sickness of my soul, and sowing healing, heal me, as if weigh, for the sake of the multitude of Thy mercy and Thy bounty, because of my deeds there is no plaster to apply to her, below oil, below duty, but You, come call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance, have mercy, have mercy, forgive me, tear up the handwriting of many of my and studish deeds and guide me on Your right path, yes, walk in Your truth, I will be able to avoid the arrows of the evil one and I will stand unjudged before Your terrible throne , glorifying and singing Your most holy name forever, amen.

According to the 10th kathisma

Lord our God, Rich in mercy and incomprehensible in bounties, One by nature Sinless, and for the sake of us, apart from sin, being a Man, hear this painful prayer of mine at this hour, as I am poor and wretched from good deeds, and my heart is troubled inside me. You, the Most High King, Lord of heaven and earth, as if all my youth were in sin and walked in the footsteps of the lusts of my flesh, all the laughter was a demon, all the devil followed, take out in thyme of sweets wallow, darkened by the thought from infancy, even Until now, I never wanted to do Your holy will, but I was captivated by all the passions that slander me, laughter and reproach by the demon, never think in my mind, like unbearable anger even on the sinners of Your rebuke, and lying fiery hell. As if from everywhere I fell into despair, and in no way in the feeling of conversion I was, empty and naked from Your friendship. What kind of sin did you not commit? What is the devil's business? What act of cold and fornication have I not performed with advantage and diligence? Remember the mind with carnal defilers, the body with a mixture of scales, the spirit with the composition of defilers, I love every cursed flesh of my flesh and work with sin. And who else does not mourn me, accursed one? Who will not mourn me, the condemned one? I am the only one, Master, your wrath is angry, I am the only one kindling Your anger on me, I am the only one who has done evil before You, having surpassed and defeated all sinners from the ages, incomparably sinful and unforgiven. But you are much more merciful, merciful, benevolent, and you are waiting for human conversion, and I throw myself before Your terrible and unbearable judgment, and as if touching Your most pure feet, from the depths of my soul I cry out to You: cleanse, Lord, forgive, Benefactor, have mercy on my weakness bow down to my bewilderment, heed my prayer and do not stop my tears, accept me who repents, and convert the one who has erred, who turns in volume and prays for forgiveness. You did not put repentance on the righteous, you did not put forgiveness on those who did not sin, but you put repentance on me, a sinner, in them in Your indignation, I stand naked and naked before You, Lord of the Heart, confess my sins: I can’t look and see the height Heavenly, from the weight of my sins we sing. Enlighten the eyes of my heart and give me compunction to repentance, and contrition of heart to correction, and with good hope and true assurance, I will go to the world there, praising and blessing I will take out your all-holy name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever, amen.

According to the 11th kathisma

Shine in our hearts, O Lord of mankind, your incorruptible light of theology, and open our eyes in thought, in your gospel sermons understanding, put fear in us and your blessed commandments, so that carnal lusts are all right, we will go through spiritual life, all, even to your pleasing and wise and active. You are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies, Christ God, and we send glory to You, with Your Father without beginning and the All-Holy, and the Good, and Your Life-giving Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever, amen.

According to the 12th kathisma

Lord my God, the One Good and Humane-loving, the One Merciful and Meek, the One True and Righteous, the One Generous and Merciful our God: may Thy power come upon me, Thy sinful and indecent servant, and may my temple be strengthened by the Gospel of Thy Divine teaching, Master and Lover of mankind, Lover, Kinderhearted, enlighten my wombs and all my souls by Your will. Cleanse me from all malice and sin: keep me undefiled and blameless from all influx and action of the devil, and grant me according to Your goodness, Your understanding, Your wisdom, and in Your desires to live, fear Your fear, even if You do pleasing to my last sighs, as if, by Your inscrutable mercy, keep my body and soul, mind and thoughts, any temple that resists the network is not tempted. My Lord, Lord, cover me with Your mercy, and do not leave me, a sinner, and an unclean, and unworthy servant of Yours: as You are my Protector, Lord, and I will take out my singing about You, and we send glory to You, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever, amen.

According to the 13th kathisma

Holy Lord, Who lives in the highest, and with Your all-seeing eye look at all creation. We bow our souls and bodies to you, and we pray to you, Holy of Holies: stretch out your invisible hand from your holy dwelling, and bless us all: and if we sin against you, willingly and unwillingly, as God is Good and Lover of mankind, forgive us, grant us peace and good Yours. Yours is, to have mercy and save, our God, and we send glory to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever, amen.

According to the 14th kathisma

We thank Thee, Lord God of our salvation, as if you do everything for the good deeds of our life, as if Thou didst give us rest in the past night time, and raised us up from our beds, and placed us in worship of Your honorable and glorious name. The same we pray to Thee, O Lord: give us grace and strength, that we may be able to sing wisely to Thee, and pray unceasingly: and I will look to Thee, the Savior and Benefactor of our souls, with fear and trembling, our salvation is active. Hear, then, and have mercy, O Merciful One, on us: crush our invisible warriors and enemies under our feet: accept even according to the strength of our thanksgiving: give us grace and strength to open our mouths, and teach us Thy justification. As if we were praying, as it befits, we do not know, if not You, Lord, instruct us with Your Holy Spirit. But if you have sinned even up to the present hour, in word, or deed, or thought, willingly or unwillingly, weaken, leave, forgive. If you see iniquity, Lord, Lord, who will stand? As you have purification, you have deliverance. You are the One Holy, Strong Helper, and Defender of our life, and we will bless Thee forever, amen.

According to the 15th kathisma

Master Lord Jesus Christ, You are my Helper, I am in Your hands, help me, do not leave me to sin against You, for I am mistaken, do not leave me to follow the will of my flesh, do not despise me, Lord, for I am weak. You weigh what is useful to me, do not leave me to perish my sins, do not leave me, Lord, do not depart from me, as if I have resorted to You, teach me to do Your will, as You are my God. Heal my soul, for I have sinned Thee, save me for the sake of Thy mercy, for before Thee are all those who are afflicted, and there is no other refuge for me, except Thou, Lord. Let all those who rise up against me and seek my soul to consume it be ashamed, for You are the only Strong One, Lord, in all, and Yours is the glory forever and ever, amen.

According to the 16th kathisma

Holy Lord, Living in the Highest, and with Your all-seeing eye look at all creation, We bow our souls and bodies to You, and we pray to You, Holy of Holies: stretch out Your invisible hand from Your holy dwelling, and bless us all, and forgive us every sin, voluntary and involuntary, in word or deed. Grant us, Lord, tenderness, grant spiritual tears from the soul, for the cleansing of many of our sins, grant Your great mercy on Your world and on us, Your unworthy servants. For blessed and glorified is your name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever, amen.

According to the 17th kathisma

Lord God Almighty and Creator of all, generous Father, and God of mercy, creating man from the earth, and showing him in Your image and likeness, and by this Your magnificent name will be glorified on earth, and torn out because of the transgression of Your commandments, again recreating for the best him in Thy Christ, and elevating him to Heaven: I thank Thee, for thou hast multiplied Thy majesty on me, and hast not betrayed me to my enemy to the end, cast me out looking for the abyss of hell, left me below to perish with my iniquities. Now, O Lord, many-merciful and loving, do not want the death of a sinner, but expect the conversion, and accept: even the overthrown, correct, heal the contrite, turn me to repentance, and correct the downcast, and heal the contrite: remember Your bounty, and even from Your age Forget my incomprehensible goodness and my immeasurable iniquity, even if I have done it in deed and word and thought: allow the blindness of my heart, and give me tears of tenderness to cleanse the filth of my thoughts. Hear, O Lord, listen, Lover of mankind, cleanse, Merciful, and from the torment of the reigning passions in me, free my cursed soul of freedom. And let sin not hold me to anyone, let the demon fight against me below, let him lead me below to his desire, but by Your sovereign hand, his dominion, stealing me, You reign in me, Good and Humane Lord, and all Your being, and let me live the rest according to Your good will. And give me the ineffable goodness of the heart, cleansing, keeping the mouth, the rightness of deeds, humble wisdom, peace of thoughts, the silence of my spiritual strength, spiritual joy, true love, long-suffering, goodness, meekness, unfeigned faith, restraint, restraint, and fulfill all of me good fruits, the gift of your Holy Spirit. And do not raise me up in the middle of my days, below my uncorrected and unprepared soul, delight me, but complete me with Your perfection, and bring me out of this life, as if I had gone through the beginning and power of darkness unhindered, I will see Your grace and I am Your unapproachable glory, unspeakable kindness, with all your saints, in them be sanctified, and glorify your all-honorable and magnificent name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever, amen.

According to the 18th kathisma

Lord, do not rebuke me with Your wrath, but punish me with Your anger. Master Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner, a beggar, a naked, lazy, negligent, slanderous, accursed, fornicator, adulterer, malakius, a sodomist, filthy, prodigal, ungrateful, unmerciful, cruel, a drunkard, burnt by conscience, without personal , impudent, unrequited, unworthy of Your philanthropy, and worthy of all torment, and hell, and torment. And not for the sake of a multitude of my sins, put on a multitude of torments, Deliverer; but have mercy on me, for I am weak, both in soul and flesh, and in mind, and in thought, and in the image of fate, save me, Thy unworthy servant, with the prayers of Our Most Pure Lady, the Theotokos, and all the saints who have pleased you from the ages: as blessed are you in forever and ever, amen.

According to the 19th kathisma

Lord Christ God, even with Your passions healing my passions and healing my ulcers with Your ulcers, grant me, who have sinned much to You, tears of tenderness, dissolve my body from the smell of Your life-giving Body, and delight my soul with Your Honorable Blood from sorrow, with which my adversary drink . Raise my mind to Thee, attracted to the valley, and raise from the abyss of perdition, as if there is no imam of repentance, no imam of compunction, no imam of consoling tears, raising children to their inheritance. Having darkened my mind in worldly passions, I cannot look to You in illness, I cannot warm myself with tears, even love for You, but, Master Lord, Jesus Christ, Treasury of the Good, grant me complete repentance, and a heart that is industrious for Your exaction, grant me grace Yours, and renew in me the images of Your image. Leave Thee, do not leave me, go out to my reckoning, lead to Your pasture, and count me among the sheep of Your chosen flock, raise me with them from the cereal of Your Divine sacraments, with the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother and all Your saints, amen.

According to the 20th kathisma

Lord Jesus Christ my God, have mercy on me, a sinner, and forgive me, Thy unworthy servant, the fir-tree I have sinned through all my life, and even to this day, and if I have sinned like a man, my voluntary sins and involuntary, in deed and word, even in mind and thought, even from co-admiration and inattention, and many of my laziness and neglect. And if I swear by Your name, if I swear, or blaspheme with thought, or whom I reproach, or slander, or grieved, or in anger, or stealing, or fornication, or lying, or secretly poison, or a friend reached me, and despised him, or a brother insulted and grieved, or standing by us at prayer and psalmody, my crafty mind went around crafty, or more lepago enjoyed, or laughing madly, or blasphemous verbs, or conceited, or proud, or I saw vain kindness and deceived from it , or ridiculous mock me. If in the future I neglected my prayer, or I didn’t keep the commandments of my spiritual father, or idle talk, or other crafty things I did, this is all and the most important of these deeds, I remember them below. Have mercy, Lord, and forgive me all, that I may sleep and rest in peace, singing, and blessing, and glorifying Thee, with Your Father without beginning and with the Most Holy, and Good, and Life-giving Your Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.

Reading the Psalms for the living and for the dead 1 chapter
(Is it necessary to read the Psalter?) At present, the reading of the Psalter is not widespread, much less obligatory, for the laity. From this point of view, it can be assumed that the lengthy article I have conceived on reading the Psalter may seem of little interest to those who are not engaged in this practice of reading. But it's not.
Anyone who is briefly familiar with the Psalter in its Slavic version, divided into twenty kathismas, knows that the Psalter contains many of those prayers that every Orthodox must read daily on the morning and evening rule, but only these prayers are more extended. Also, the verses of the psalms carefully permeate the everyday liturgical space.
Therefore, even if someone does not read the Psalter and is not going to do it in the future for a number of reasons (employment, insufficient knowledge of the Slavic language, etc.), when reading this collection of articles, he will still be able to gain (if he wishes) new knowledge not only about the psalms, but and about prayer in general. After all, my site is thematic. First of all, it is dedicated to practice - prayers, prayers and more prayers.
The collection of articles on the reading of the Psalter will deal not only with the texts of the psalms, but also with general prayer states in general. About how it is necessary and how you can correctly commemorate your living and deceased not only in the Psalter, but also in other situations, at Divine services and in everyday life.The prayer life is an EXTREMELY interesting field of knowledge and feelings! And it is extremely painful and spiritually dangerous, if we neglect the experience of those who were engaged in the life of prayer before us.Therefore, this collection of articles of mine can help in the knowledge of not only specific texts and prayers found in the Psalter (about which[ selectively] will be discussed in detail below), but about prayer in general and about correct prayer states in general. After all, the correct prayer states should nourish and fill (the soul and body) of the one praying with Joy from God, but not ruin the soul and not exhaust it spiritually. Therefore, I will place special emphasis not only on the analysis of the meaning of prayers, but also on those spiritual errors that I know.
I would like to point out that Reading the Psalter is not essential for spiritual growth. You can not read the Psalter, but at the same time grow spiritually with the Jesus Prayer or some other prayer, with the blessing of your confessor.
The Psalter is (a kind of) elite reading.
Elite - because not everyone can afford the Psalter and not everyone is given it. Plus, it's not easy to learn. Even I, who have been carefully studying the Psalms since 95, no, no, yes, and I have to (from time to time) look into the consolidated interpretation of the texts of the psalms, with a total volume of almost a thousand pages, in order to more clearly understand for myself this or that verse or its historical aspect.
The Psalter requires daily intense inner work on oneself. Only under this condition will the reading of the Psalter benefit the soul of the reader ... when there is perseverance, when there is a detailed and even meticulous desire to delve into the Psalter, into all its subtleties, into the subtleties of the knowledge of prayers. And these subtleties in the Psalter ... I think there are countless.
So what to read (?) or not to read (?) the Psalter - this question must be decided by a person on his own, in accordance with the internal forces and with the ability (with a skill that is not soon acquired) to pray long and attentively in general. Naturally, the decision to regularly read the Psalter is madewith blessingconfessor or with the blessing of a priest, from whom you confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ more or less regularly.
I really hope that[ selective] reviewing the texts of prayers will not seem boring for those who are not superficially interested in spiritual life.Chapter 2
(Time. Conditions for the Psalter. Use of incense) A person is a very weak and rigidly dependent being on external and internal conditions. He overate, drank a little alcohol, was scattered by empty talk or even empty thought, distracted from the contrition of the spirit for at least an hour or two, and the soul will inevitably reap a sad result ... prayer will suffer significant damage. It will be either difficult or completely impossible to gather oneself and really feel the warmth of the Holy Spirit within oneself.A soul tuned in to prayer must always be tuned in to it.If the soul now prays, then wanders around the universe to no avail, it will not be able to pray correctly. God will not accept her to Himself, because she allows herself to commit adultery from God with the suggestions of fallen spirits, which seem harmless and completely sinless to most people who are unfamiliar with true prayer states.
Yes, to be in constant remembrance of God is an ascetic way of life, even if it is spent in the midst of the world. But if the soul is either towards God, then without Him, and at the same time does not feel like a criminal (since the memory retreats from Christ), then such a frivolously flirting with God soul will NEVER be able to touch the truly blissful world of prayer. And prayer (the Psalter or some other kind of prayer) is, first of all, the highest of blessings for a person.
The soul that really and unimaginatively converses with God cannot but be blessed, because where the Lord is, the bliss of the one with whom the Lord converses will also be obligatory. And if a person’s soul does not experience great bliss and Peace during prayer, it means that something is going wrong in the person’s inner life, it means that it is necessary to look for the reason for the absence of the living Presence of God within oneself with one’s confessor.
Especially if the soul thought about itself that it is so special, better than anyone, condemned someone and so on ... such tricks before God (no matter how inconspicuous they may be a person in himself) MANDATORY and for a long time will deprive the soul of the correct prayer ( and, therefore, painfully repentant) states in general.
But let's leave now the internal obstacles to prayer, about which we can talk a lot. Let's talk briefly only about the external conditions for reading the Psalter.It is imperative to determine for yourself a convenient time to read the Psalter. It is a DEFINITE SIGNIFICANTRESERVED time, and not just saying to oneself: "I will read one (two or three) kathismas now." Those who often read the Psalter know that if you read the Psalms at an accelerated pace, without remembering the names of health and repose (as is traditionally done at parish services), then you can read a kathisma (including the initial prayers before reading the Psalter) in 20-25 minutes. 30, maybe even faster. But that's not my style of reading.
Reading the Psalter (and indeed any prayers in general) hastily can be compared with how if someone ran into an expensive restaurant, grabbed the first thing that came across from the set table and (without paying for what was grabbed) ran out of it. That's what the waiters (read Angels) will be surprised by such a "visitor ..."
Therefore, I determine for myself to read one kathisma in no way less than one hour, so that there is a margin of time for everything.
Why so long?
I will explain this in later chapters of this collection of articles.
In general, the correct reading of the Psalter should take a different time. Time and states of mind will change all the time. Each person (if he decides to consciously read the Psalter) must find for himself that blissful size and form of prayerful reflection that God has determined for him. These rhythms and reflections are different for everyone.
My rhythm of reading the Psalter: measured, sometimes (as necessary) with repetitions and with an OBLIGATORY return to the verse that did not respond in my soul as it should. Reading the Psalter for me is creativity, not slavish duty ... creativity that brings joy to the soul, not languor, not labor and not sorrow. Therefore, for me, an hour of reading the Psalter can last either more than an hour or less. Who cares, but I noticed that it is impossible to read the same prayers in the same way twice. There will always be at least a small, but still traceable difference in internal states, and this is very interesting.
Only at first glance, reading the Psalter is a dull monotonous work.
In fact, it's not like that at all...
Reading the Psalter is a journey to another world, a fascinating, blissful journey, bringing peace to the soul of the one who prays and peace to those for whom they pray, if only the prayer (is done, pronounced by the soul) is in the right direction.
Naturally, it is necessary to create such conditions in your external life so that the time of prayer is not “cut off” by haste.
Reading time can be any.
Even early in the morning, even during the day, even at night. It is important not to be tired.
If you fall down from external or internal fatigue, then it’s better to go to bed and, getting up early, read your plan than to “read” your rule hastily or, falling asleep with your mind (I can’t stand this phrase “read the prayer rule”).
If you do not read the Psalter every day, then this will not bring any benefit, but if you are very tired, skip a day (you can do two, but this is already undesirable), then try to allocate time for fruitful prayer, and not such time when you can no longer stand on your feet in power.
The Psalter does not have to be read standing up. You can (and some people should) read while sitting. Who is more comfortable. Physical fatigue during prayer is not an indicator of its quality. The quality of prayer is in the RIGHT response of the soul, which I will talk about in more detail in later chapters, and not in the fatigue of the body or mind.
If the mind is tired and no longer perceives what is being read, reading should be left for a few minutes (or for half an hour or an hour) and ALWAYS look for conscious reading. You must remember the rule: “If you yourself do not hear your prayers with your heart, then God does not hear them either!”
Well, if there is a separate room for prayer.
Naturally, excessive communication with neighbors must be abandoned for the sake of the Psalter. No idle feasts, no libations to alcohol. All this must be left. And if the soul touches the blessed world of prayer, it will itself leave everything for the sake of closer communion with Christ and His saints.
Once again I will repeat.
The Psalter is a reading for the prayer elite, and Elite is a must-have daily victims for the sake of calling.It is more convenient to burn incense not during the reading of prayers, but before reading, because the burning of incense at home must be carefully monitored. I don't use censer at home because it's inconvenient. It is more convenient to burn incense in a censer, commonly called a "spider". Incense in this type of censer burns quickly enough. It must be remembered that even the highest quality and best incense, as soon as it has darkened from heating and acquired a dark gray (or dark brown) color, it must be removed from the fire as soon as possible.
Instead of incense and a pleasant smell, a chemical reaction will begin, and waste and combustion products harmful to the human body will go into the air. This type of cist works well on a traditional home lamp, if you bend the legs of the censer so that the flame of the lamp, a little at all, does not touch the bottom of the "spider". So incense will burn quickly and efficiently. A little bit of incense is burned, one or two or three pieces before the whole prayer - this is quite enough.

Frankincense does not need to be treated magically.
Frankincense is not for God and not for prayer to become more effective, but for a more correct spiritual mood of a person.
In ancient times, incense was not strictly tied to prayer, but was lit when receiving guests as a sign of respect, which is why it is not a mandatory attribute when reading home prayers. In the church, it is obligatory because it is a tradition.
Chapter 3
(how to commemorate the living and the dead at the reading of the Slavic Psalter)
There are several \one way or another\ established traditions of commemorating the living and the dead in the Psalter. Moreover, there is no single, so to speak, canonical sample. In some cases, they read: on the first "Glory" about the living, on the second about the dead, on the third about the sick and special petitions. Otherwise, they read the Psalter only about the dead. In another, it’s already different, as the priest blesses. Reading order can be seen
Some on odd kathismas read about the dead on the first and third Glory, about the living on the second, on even kathismas they change the order. 17 kathisma some read more about the departed. Traditions may be different, just as the texts of prayers on the "Glories" for the living and for the dead can be different. Here you need to decide for yourself what the soul will incline to, but the main thing in reading is not a “special correct” reading of the order of prayers chosen by someone, but love for prayer in general. You must love to read the Psalter, love to pray for other people (sometimes completely unfamiliar to you). Only then you will read the Psalter for years, only then you will never leave it - because you love prayer.
And how, without love for prayer, can one delve into the voluminous texts of the Psalms?
You just get tired.
Parse each verse, delve into the interpretation of the holy fathers on the Psalter.
All this takes time, a lot of time.
And in order for the soul to sing and respond to each verse of the Psalter in a completely special way, it is also necessary to spend such efforts on oneself, which I will discuss in more detail in the chapters below.
Also commemoration of the dead and the living. This, too, must be loved, and that some experience has been accumulated.
I used to commemorate the entire list of both the living and the deceased on each Glory, or only on the first two, and on the third glory I especially commemorate those who (for some reason) are not included in the commemoration by name. Either I don’t know, or I forgot the name of the person, but there are also those whose names cannot be known to me, but it is necessary to remember them especially. So it seems convenient for me to remember. God knows everyone I pray for. The name is not always important. Moreover, I commemorate in a case convenient for me, not as it is customary, but because it seems more in tune with my soul. And in no case, my opinion, there is no need to rush to chase name after name -IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PRAY without the participation of the heart - this is the way to nowhere ...
After all, each person is unique, each is dear to God, and there is no need to think that your deceased father is somehow more precious to God than a deceased who is completely unfamiliar to you. No. Ideally, you should remember both your father and the stranger with an equal effort of the soul. If this works out...
Take, for example, the reading of commemoration books at the Altar during Great Lent. They will give you four kilograms of commemoratives. You (seemingly obliged) to read them all during the service. Thousands of names... thousands of people you don't know, living and dead. What other separate prayers are there for the living, separate for the departed? You simply won't have time to read them before the end of the liturgy. So you “shuruesh” (almost patter) everyone in a row before the Face and before the Mercy of God, as it turns out.
You pray to Him for Mercy, understanding more clearly that most of the living and deceased men have never been to the temple and will never come ... What kind of “rest with the saints ...” for them? You don't judge anyone. You just pray for everyone \in spiritual poverty\ how can you do it and that's it. You pray because you have such obedience.
At the end of each petition, even at the Liturgy, even at home, at the commemoration, I always read the prayer:“Remember, Lord, all those who have ever been remembered by me and all those whom there is no one to remember!”A very important request for my soul. Big and very strong, this petition always gives an echo in prayers.
So what am I writing about here?
Not about what a good prayer book I am, but about the fact that the Psalter is not magic, but a reasonable measure of creativity and individual approach is possible. Everything is checked for that echo of the soul that prayer itself creates inside you. It is possible and necessary to add personal petitions to the reading order when necessary (about marriage, about moving, about the sick, etc.). Sometimes (when the soul is very tired) it is possible to abbreviate a little (but abbreviations are only in the most difficult cases) some of the established prayers.
Also, the Psalter is not a Liturgy, where only the baptized are commemorated. On it (this is specially negotiated with the confessor), you can also commemorate the unbaptized dead (home prayer for them is not forbidden), you can, and sometimes you need to commemorate the living or deceased Gentiles, atheists and others.
It is not our business to judge who died under what circumstances and in what faith, but the matter of love is to ask God for mercy, including asking for home prayer for those who killed themselves (this type of prayer is also necessarily negotiated with the confessor).The rules of the church do not forbid home prayer for suicides, (with a special petition "If possible, Lord, forgive them"), but it is no longer possible to submit notes about suicides to the Liturgy. Also, you can’t slip the names of suicides into monasteries or monks without special agreement with them.
I remember there was a case in Diveevo. They gave a nun money, a lot of candles, food and other gifts, asked to remember the name of the deceased, but they did not say that it was a suicide. Hidden. So she began to have such strong temptations that she almost went crazy after a couple of weeks of remembering the suicide on the Psalter. Then, when she turned to those who gave commemoration, and when it became clear whom she commemorated, she was forced to refuse such a commemoration, which was too much for her soul, and returned the candles and money.
Addendum to chapter 3
(What does the Lord accept from a person during the commemoration of names on the Psalter and in general always?)
I will cover this topic very briefly. There is no need to think that God accepts from a person something that is not His own ... If God accepts from a person something that He Himself did not inspire, then this will not be beneficial - neither to the one who asks, nor to the one who is asked for .
We do not know how God puts into the mind and feelings of the one who prays those petitions that we ask. And it is not given to us to see where inside of us and in what exactly the Will of God intersects with our will. These intersections with the Will of God within us are a secret from ourselves, but by the consequences of its prayers, the soul can know whether it prays CORRECTLY or not?
If the soul after prayer (even about suicides and non-believers) is in Peace and in Joy in the Lord, it means that she (by the Mercy of God) prayed one way or another with the right directions within herself. And if, after prayers to God, melancholy, despondency falls on the soul, strong internal and external shocks come up, it means that the soul is doing something with an unjustifiably HIGH opinion of itself.
We must not forget that the wrong direction of the soul (which I will talk about in more detail in subsequent chapters) in prayers has killed and crippled many souls, including those in the monastic order.
One must be careful in prayers and look for a non-conflict unity within oneself with the Mercy of God, but a proud prayer - let it be completely canonically correctly read, does more harm to the soul than good.
When praying, remember thatGod doesn't pay the SMALL attention to the words we say, no matter how well we pronounce them, but God looks at the feelings in the heart. Feelings of the heartexpressed without words ) - this is what the Lord accepts and ONLY this.
Therefore, if you ask God to pardon the dead or the living, ask with your heart and ask sincerely. If there is no prayer from the heart, look for it in yourself. Search carefully. And look even more carefully in your everyday life, so that the Pharisaic subtle feeling “I am not like this publican…” arises. Pride and a high opinion of oneself, accepted by the soul at least once a day, will create an inexorable obstacle to any petition, even for the living, even for the departed.
God opposes the proud, and humility is very difficult to find in oneself. It (humility) cannot even be formed in human nature, but only pitiful counterfeits of humility.
Humility is a gift of God, acquired not soon andnot manyamong believers. True humility is a rare gift - a gift capable of making the soul extraordinarily joyful, joyful in God, in God and by the Power of God!
Another short addition to chapter 3
(Psalm… is this serious?)
In 1998, when I was living in solitude in Altai in the village of Barangol, I, by a lucky chance, managed to borrow a book from an icon painter I knew."Explanatory Psalter of the philosopher Efimy Zigaben", printed in leather binding back in pre-revolutionary times.
See her
I fell on this book like a hungry wolf on prey. I studied it up and down until, as it seemed, almost every verse did not understand what it could (one way or another) mean.
And after I studied this voluminous work, for the first time in my life, I began to read the text of the Psalter with an almost complete understanding of the meaning that the Psalter contains.
After I read several complete Psalms in a row, in my house, in February, frosts stood at -25 at night, hundreds of white butterflies began to fly out of the ground (there were earthen floors in the house). Butterflies were not mystical, but real. Where they could come from in my house - I can’t say, but there were so many of them that they noticeably complicated my life. I couldn’t even eat in peace, because they flew into my soup and tea. They just swarmed around the room, and at night the bed was covered in crushed butterflies.
Finally, I could not stand it and began to freeze them in the house and destroy them with what I could. I did not have the patience to have so many of them in my cramped dwelling. Only four days after the fight with them, I got rid of them.
What this phenomenon was, I do not know, but at that time I realized that the conscious reading of the Psalter can awaken inexplicable phenomena in nature.
Chapter 4
(the unity of the soul of the one praying with the souls of the living and the dead who are commemorated. How does this happen?)
If a person would be able to influence the souls of the dead and the living by personal effort of will, then he would be a sorcerer, magician, psychic, yogi, anyone ...
God, in this case, a person will not need at all for real interaction with the other world.
In fact, the success of prayer dependsnot from the magnitude of a person's personal effortsbut from the decision of God.
For real success in prayer, one does not need any special strength of the soul or even the spirit, one does not need any special training of the will (like auto-training or magic), one does not need violence against oneself. Butwe need to be able to merge with that choir of Angels and saints in a STEADY SKILL, who even without us pray day and night before the Almighty for every living and dead soul.
One must be able to pray in unison with the Kingdom of Heaven. HUMILITY is needed...but the proud self-activity of the soul, “Have mercy on this, Lord, at my personal choice, and also on this one too - have mercy!” God will not accept.
This is where many stumble deeply in prayer.
Learn hard lessons in humility...
They seem to be praying, but spiritual things are not arranged in their lives.
There are services.
The rule is read...
From year to year, the commemoration is diligently read, and inside the soul reign: a dull emptiness, doubt about the benefits of one’s prayers and a vague suspicion that something is going on (or maybe it has been going on for a long time 😦 not at all so that it would be useful for a person) .
If the soul prays correctly, it does not doubt the power of those prayers that the Lord Himself puts into it.
This is the “Achilles heel” through which many who pray in our time receive spiritual wounds ... They pray themselves, pray with their soul, pray with their personal efforts, but it should not be so.
One must hear Heaven in oneself and merge with Heaven, one must be able to merge with God Himself in prayer for all those for whom you ask. And then (AND ONLY THEN) God will accept from His - to Himself (“Yours, from Yours, I bring you”), and your soul will daily bathe in the most obvious Bliss of grace (living) in the Mercy of Jesus Christ.
The soul will be filled with joy after EACH of its prayers.
There will be no foolish doubt about whether God accepted (?) your prayers or not?
There will be FULL clarity.
God accepted. Accepted - because you didn’t arrange some amateur monkey (like mystical) “concert” of your soul in front of the Almighty, but asked God along with His Angels, by His Mercy!
This is the main most important secret of the successful prayer of the Orthodox ...
NOT I, but the Lord pray in me, His Grace in me!
After all, the Lord (I especially want to note this here, because it is PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT)… The Lord is the ONLY source of Love and Truth, and a person has NO other choice…
Or he will lift up his prayers for his living neighbors and for the departed (and for himself) according to the Action of God's Grace,
or he will be met with inexorable failure in almost all his prayers.
That is - it is very important to remember when you pray for yourself or for others.
Or the Lord is in you, and you will be accepted, and your soul will be favored by God,
or are you on your own... with a vague uncertainty in your soul...
With a lot of prayer efforts and with the subsequent inexorable doubt, “did God accept my prayers ?!”.
Proper unity with the souls of the living and the dead is possible ONLY by the grace of the Holy Spirit, but not by the method of home-grown (sham-Orthodox) magic.
At the present time, even among the priesthood, one can see a magical attitude towards prayer, rituals, and even liturgy.
The result of those who arrogantly try to get in touch with God, despite their outwardly correct Orthodoxy, is always the same.
Spiritual failure.
Soul languor.
Mass of hard temptations external and internal.
Mental restlessness.
Burnout in prayer and church positions.
Correct prayer does not lead to restlessness, does not lead to doubts and burnout of the soul. It fills the soul right at the time of the prayer itself.
Fills up right away.
It fills without a shadow of a doubt that it is the Lord!!! He is the ONLY CORRECTLY praying in you!
And such a prayer (of the Spirit of God within you), it will no longer be a burden to the soul, but always a great joy and inner pleasure so great that you will WAIT for the hour of prayer with the impatience of a young lover, and this will always happen. For years and decades, the soul will be in LOVE with prayer, because during the time it is performed, the Blessed Lord will enter into it!!!
Unfortunately, this idea in our time is forgotten, neglected and not taken into account by many.
OrThe Lord (the Grace of God) will act within you, and you will BLESS with Him and in Him on all and on any of your prayers (almost always),
or…you stay with yourself... with personal prayer efforts. And then you fall from them into inexorable doubts about your prayers (or, even worse, if the soul falls into conceit about itself, what a great prayer book it has become and close to God). But then, over time, anyway, the soul will become exhausted: it will weaken, burn out, go a little crazy (if it doesn’t learn to humble ALL its personal before God).
Many… very, very many in the faith, for years (and some even for life), INRELIABLY return to the “broken trough” of their souls…
They reap personal barrenness on their prayers, because they are not trained to take into account the simple ...
Or or…

Or The Lord is in you, and blessed will you be.
Or you yourself before the Lord, sadly replenishing the countless ranks of those who are in spiritual seduction.
The boundary between proud prayer and prayer performed according to the Action within you of the Grace of God can be SO thin that it will be impossible for a beginner to draw this boundary within himself even consciously within himself. He, a certain number of years of being in the faith, (involuntarily) will have to pray as he can and as he knows how - that is, practically - blindly.
Believe me, nothing saves you from the fatigue of church life, from the burnout of the soul during prayers: neither the holy dignity, nor the monastic cassock, nor the desire to be honest with God, nor any other efforts. But you need to be able to burn your soul in the Fire of Love, in the Fire of God's Grace and become different.
No matter how difficult and difficult it is, no one has a choice ...
You need to learn to speak the language of your heart, the language of the Angels of God - which are very, very simple and difficult at the same time.
That's when there will be success in prayer and great-big-steady long-term joy of God during your prayers, when the personal feelings of the soul (mostly proud) God Himself - REPLACE within you with His grace.

Chapter 5
(how(?) to teach your soul to hear God in your prayers and pray in blissful unison with the Angels of Heaven (prayer for the echo of Heaven)) In order to understand more clearly where the widespread great stumbling in the spiritual life comes from (unfortunately, the infantile illness of regular reading does not bypass almost any of the Orthodox) and how to get rid of this annoying misunderstanding, let us briefly recall from whom we learn to pray? Do the saints?
No, we do not learn to pray from the saints, but we take an example from those who are nearby, without giving ourselves the trouble (and not being able) to meticulously delve into the inner mechanisms of the action of our prayer. That is, most of us try, one way or another, to imitate church reading at home prayer.
But to pray at home, just as prayers are read in the temple, in my opinion, sooner or later, it will become unreasonable and lead to inevitable self-emptying.
How are prayers read at services?
Clearly, measuredly, not too slow, not too fast, without emphasis on personal prayer experiences. Everything is read “in a row” (that is, we don’t add anything, we don’t subtract anything), we fit into a certain period of time for prayer, and so on.
Why am I raising the topic of the antagonism between temple and home prayer here and now?
Not at all to hint to anyone: “Leave the temple, they serve incorrectly there ...”, no, God forbid, I have never had an inclination to schismatic mentality. Moreover, I myself read prayers in the temple exactly as required by the traditions and charter of the church. After all, the reader must call the worshipers to prayer in the stipulated (tested for centuries) conditions. But at home you are alone. You and God... everything... there is no one else.
And now imagine that you came to visit someone. They took out a book, look only at it, but not at the one you came to, and mumble to yourself, mumble ... without being interested in anything: neither the opinion of the one you came to, nor his reaction to your mumbling, but you keep swiping and swiping on that book , to whom they came only with what is written there and nothing "so to speak, superfluous." It is not supposed to be "superfluous" according to the Orthodox charter. 😦 😦 😦
Is it smart to do so? 😦 😦 😦
The answer is more than obvious for every intelligent person ... After all, they can (for mumbling) even kick us out of the guests. Why not?
But if we consider the situation with prayer, then (to a certain degree of spiritual growth) it is better if someone reads his prayers at home in the temple statutory rhythm - than not at all. And many saints used to read in their cells by statutory reading, but… it’s worth thinking about it… but what good is it if a student, having entered the first grade of a school, remains in first grade until his death?
There is nothing good in this.
So how can you hear the Kingdom of Heaven in yourself? How can one learn to act within oneself with the Heavenly Prayer, that prayer that is in tune with the holy Angels, and not with our erroneous personal idea of ​​what correct prayer is?
Firstly, in prayer, one must ALWAYS remember that God does not accept our words, He does not even pay attention to them, but He looks there - where the praying one should be trained to look in the skill: into the temple of his soul, into that temple , where the sacrament of prayer occurs ALWAYS almost without words. And words, they are only a reflection and an echo of what is happening inside a person.
What's going on there? What happens inside our senses?
That's what's important.
But, one way or another, honestly peering into oneself is not so difficult, it is more difficult to learn to hear the Sky. After all, if a person is not trained to hear Heaven, then how can he merge with His feelings?Chapter 6
(Opening the first page of the Psalter.) Do you know, my soul, that your inner darkness was given to you as a Cross only for this, so that not your fallen light, but the Light of Christ, would shine within you?
Many, many, peering into themselves and seeing in themselves for decades an abundance of darkness and insensitivity, grieve over their weakness. But we should not grieve, but rejoice at the fact that God patiently shows the soul:“do not look for light in yourself, do not look for good, and do not even EXPECT anything good from yourself, and even more so wonderful, but let God be the Light within you.”
This is the proper preparation for any prayer.
In unceasing unceasing PAINFUL sincere sadness about yourself!
Do not leave, my soul, before the beginning of your prayers, not a single place in your soul unmourned. Do not leave, my soul, before the beginning of your prayers, not a single minute of your uncomplaining life. Remember, my soul, that God has a different Court, not at all the same as yours ... Do not even engage in introspection, but simply grieve over your endless falling away from God ... so (or approximately so) he taught me to prepare my soul for a conversation with God and the Angels are my confessor, a blessed prayer book for all.
I open the first page of the Psalter and look at it. As usual, I don’t read any prayers, but I just cry for myself with all the feelings of my soul, with all my heart I grieve for my fall, for that fall that I don’t see, that most people don’t see in themselves, but the Lord CLEARLY sees mine, with my hand, with a wooden stick, I mix incense in a burning censer. Blessed time of silent vision of my sin.
The time before the beginning of the reading of the Psalter, although there are still no words in my mind, but this is already the beginning of my prayer, the beginning of hearing how Heaven is crying for me, how the Angels of God are crying for me, for me - living at a distance from the Face of God .
.
No need to think that the cry of the Angels for your soul is so easy to hear for your soul.
Not at all. If you spent your day in entertainment and allowed yourself not to remember God, then it will be impossible for your soul to hear Heaven, no matter how much you want to.
God can be heard ONLY by those who are trained in the skill to listen to Him ALWAYS. That isonly he will hear Heaven at his prayer, for whom the commandment to love God with all his soul and with all his heart is not abstract words, but the work of his life. The most important thing!

I listen to myself, I listen to the space outside of myself, in habit I listen to that bliss of Heaven that is outside of me. There, there… outside of me 😦 😦 what is called my Home, in the Silence of the Unsilent God. Not even with my mind, but with my very heart, I read the first words of the prayer before starting to read the Psalter: Look, my soul… from the first words of your prayer, the Lord speaks for you. Leave yourself, leave aside your judgments about everything, leave hope in yourself, humble yourself, and place all your hopes with all your heart NOT ON YOURSELF, not on your mind, not on your intellect, not on your personal properties of the soul, but on prayers saints!
If you listen carefully, you can hear the power of the prayers of the saints. The power of their prayers, which is without words. They do not pray in Heaven with earthly words, but ask God there for everything with the feelings of the heart and the ideas of the mind. Heaven doesn't need words. Your ideas and feelings are there - like an open book. Everyone sees everything, and there is nothing hidden from anyone."Through the prayers of our holy fathers..." I repeat (usually) one, two, and three (reading the initial prayer over and over again), I read until EVERY word of the prayer resonates in my heart as a Power, the Power is not mine, but the Power of Heaven. And God forbid that my soul be engaged in writing about the Heavenly within itself!
There is nothing worse than composing "Heavenly" experiences in oneself! The imagination must be rigid and always silent in prayers, but with all the strength of the soul, listen to what the heart feels.“Lord…., Jesus Christ…, our God…, have mercy on us. Amen". Each word has its own Power, the Power of the Silent Non-Silent Sky.
If the soul is trained to hear the power of Heaven, there is nothing easier for it than to feel in itself the bliss of the words: Jesus Christ ... our God ... In every word is Light, in every word is Life.
If my soul hears my Life in the words of the first prayer, then you can begin the Trisagion, begin measuredly, slowly, not as they read in the temple, phrase by phrase, but each word has its own Life. This life in the words of prayers must be able (in habit) to hear. And if the soul is silent, if it does not feel what and to whom it is reading, then such a prayer is no longer a prayer, it is already a burden and condemnation for the soul. Real prayer brings to the soul Light, Peace, Strength, Reliability, Peace and non-verbal (clearly realized BLESSED) singing of the Angels of the saints within you.
If you cannot hear the Light in your soul at your initial prayer, do not rush to begin the Trisagion. Feelings are not ready yet, but listen to yourself and read again (and again): "Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us."Listen to yourself.
Prayer is the ability not to speak before God, even holy words, but the ability to hear Heaven, this is the ability to merge with Heaven without words in the feelings of your heart, mourning for Heaven without words. Prayer is work on yourself, and if you want to read your rule without listening to the voice of your heart, then it would be better if you didn’t pray at all.
The heart is the workshop of your spirit.
There, without words, that mysterious life that God hears in you flows, and your words, words without the participation of the feelings of the heart, God “does not hear”, does not perceive, does not respond to them.
Yes, the human heart is a stone. It is not easy to wake him up, but if the heart is silent, if there is no love in it for those for whom you are praying - why (?) should you pray ... Prayer without love for others, prayer without returning to the words of the prayer until the feelings respond souls for EVERY word you read, this is not a prayer - this is a true inner suicide, leading to bitter pernicious conceit.Chapter 7
(Trisagion) Man, man... Look at you. If you think that you do not consist of skills - you are bitterly mistaken!
Every person is made up of skills.
By repeating something, we strengthen the skill.
He who is accustomed to reading the prayer rule without meticulously painful peering into the feelings of his heart, it will be difficult for him to accustom himself to pray with heartfelt feelings.
The one who has acquired the skill to pray attentively, do not be surprised by what is said, then he CANNOT pray inattentively.
CANNOT forget about God in his prayer.
He will NOT tolerate even the slightest deviation of his thoughts from the holy words he reads."King of Heaven. Trisagion. Our Father."

How sparingly, how faded, how dry, how colorless the abbreviations of holy prayers look in the Psalter (and in many other everyday prayer books).
Hiding, hiding from the uninitiated Living sincere Power of words. It is quickly read what is hastily read at home is tantamount to a CRIMINAL theft from oneself!
This is not how my hermit confessor, a monk, taught me to read my home prayers…“King of Heaven… Comforter”- how much Living Force is in these three words, how much silent bliss is in them ... I remember how I once asked me to translate these first three words of a prayer verbatim "King of Heaven" from the Altai language of Hieromonk Macarius, a native Altaian.“I turn to You, the Great Heavenly Lord, who creates Consolation” - this is how it would be more correct to translate this prayer into Russian.
There is no need to think that those prayers that we read and consider holy are translated perfectly. There is nothing ideal in the earthly language of man, therefore, those who wish to learn how to pray must get the essence of prayer from under their heap of imperfections. If he gets it, he will find the bliss of his soul. Hear the blissful action of the Angels within himself. If he does not bother to find (CLEAR to the soul) bliss in prayers that speak of bliss, he will rob himself.“To the soul of truth, who is everywhere and fulfills everything, the Treasury of the good and the Giver of life” - my soul listens to the immutable truth that God is everywhere, fills everything with Himself, gives life to the entire material and non-material world. The soul feels the power of utterance, but the imagination is silent. It is impossible for the limited imagination to contain the Uncontainable. My body also feels the Power that gives Life. Invisible Cool Light streams over the face, bringing Peace.
If my body, like my heart, feels and experiences the power of prayer, then only it is possible to CONTINUE the secret action of turning to God at home.
Nowhere to rush, nowhere to rush.
Home (cell) prayer is Heaven descended to earth.
The sky is not in a hurry.
Haste for the Sky is also unusual, as darkness is unusual for the Sun.“... come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Blessed, our souls” - not only asks my heart for myself, but for everyone who is in the commemoration book lying in front of me, and for those who are not inscribed there, for the whole world.
If the heart does not ask, if it is silent, I will read a prayer over and over again "King of Heaven" until the heart asks sincerely for itself and for everyone: “come and dwell… cleanse… save…”Sometimes, after distraction or after bustle, I read"King of Heaven according to our Father" thirty minutes or more.
As I already stipulated in the first treglavia, I set at least one hour of time for one kathisma. But it happens that I go through prayers in a row, right away, but this is less common. More often, I repeat, I awaken the soul. I wake up feelings for God until I get a CLEAR echo, the answer that my prayer is (finally) heard, passed, somehow accepted. It is impossible to express this feeling in words, the feeling of undoubted certainty that the prayer HAPPENED. At the same time, the body and soul are filled with pain about themselves and bliss at the same time.
This is how the RIGHT gates to another world are arranged: pain about one's sinfulness, combined with mercy from God. If there is no (leaves, is forgotten, is not felt) pain about one’s sinfulness, then Consolation inexorably leaves, God leaves from the soul that has forgotten, at least for a moment, about its painful repentance."Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us" - each INDIVIDUAL word resonates with Strength, Bliss, Power, Goodness of the One to whom the feelings of the heart turn. And the soul understands that it is not in words, not in words that it calls and attracts the Being of God to itself, but by a different action, a simple, heartfelt, difficult action - only in the first years of its prayers."Glory to the Father" "and to the Son" "and to the Holy Spirit", "and now" "and always (always)" "and forever and ever". "Amen". To each Person of the Holy Trinity, until my heart gives due glory, I will read the words of this prayer SEPARATELY STRONGLY. I will read until the soul absorbs the Power of each of the Persons of God, Inseparably and Inseparably United.
Do we think (?) that prayer is not without reason"Glory Now"- (again this dull depersonalizing abbreviation ... 😦 ) is repeated more often than all other appeals to God in Orthodox prayers. Do we know (?) what calls us to “Glory to the Father,” “and to the Son,” “and to the Holy Spirit,” “and now,” “and forever,” “and forever and ever.”This prayer calls us to FULL ETERNAL obedience to God, so that the soul does not seek goodness in itself either here or in eternity, but seeks goodness ONLY in the Being of God, in His (not in ours and not in anyone’s personal) glory or the truth.
May my soul never read"Glory to the Father" "and to the Son" "and to the Holy Spirit", "and now" "and forever" "and forever and ever"indifferently, hastily, without feeling, without dividing the Persons of God into each, equal to all, worship.
But for the heart to RESPONSE and for there to be an echo of the bliss of this prayer, not only in the heart and feelings, but also in the body.
……………….
How sad that the MOST important (one of the most important prayers to God) is read by many as a duty, as a habitual "Glory Now" in some ways even worn out, beaten up by too frequent SENSITIVE repetition of holy words.
With the CORRECT, SEPARATE unhurried pronunciation of this prayer - how much Light will enter your body and your heart, how much bliss! So, even outside your own rules, you will want to repeat with joy over and over again: “Glory to the Father” “and to the Son” “and to the Holy Spirit”, “and now” “and forever” “and forever and ever” “Amen”. To repeat not as a dull duty, but as a GREAT sweet consolation for all thy senses.
……………..
Read on slowly…“Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Lord, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities"
"For your name's sake. Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy!"Not because I pray to You, Lord, but only for the Honor of Your name, have mercy on everyone for whom I pray ... again and again the Orthodox prayer book reminds the soul of humility.“Our Father, Thou art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in Heaven and on earth. Give us our daily bread today; and leave us (you ask for all) our debts, as we also leave our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (because we ourselves cannot get rid of it, we are not able to. The enemy is stronger than man - this has already been proven ...) ”. “For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever” - I always add this abbreviated, priestly exclamation to all my personal prayers at home, \ after the "Our Father" \ once again reminding myself that only God can save me from crafty evil deeds. At public prayer, in order to avoid temptation, it is not customary to read the priestly exclamation. After all, we have such Orthodox ... just something “not according to the charter” and that’s it ... so they will write down as heretics in a hurry ...
We pass slowly (over and over again, listening more attentively to the revived silence of the heart) to the troparia before reading the Psalter.Chapter 8
(Prayers before reading the Psalter) Glory: “Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, bewildering any answer, we offer this prayer as the Master of sin: have mercy on us” - my attention is especially attracted by the words "any answer is perplexing."My soul tells me that we are talking here about the fact that a person is unable to answer for his sins. He is not even able to understand the depth and perniciousness of the SECRETLY living within each of us sin, but we hope for the Mercy of God.And now: “Many multitudes of my, Mother of God, sins, I ran to Thee, Pure One, demanding (and asking) for salvation: visit my infirm soul and pray to Your Son and our God, give me forgiveness, even to the fellows of the fierce, Bless the United naya".It would seem, and here "fierce"sins?Not all Orthodox are repentant robbers and sadists? But the ferocity of sin lives in every person. It's inevitably simple. Only everyone has his own (almost irresistible) inclinations to one or another vice. Hence the ferocity ... we want to get rid of this or that shortcoming in ourselves, and sin is often stronger than human nature.
After "And now" there is usually a troparion with an appeal to the Mother of God. In all canons (if I read them at home, and not aloud in church) I always add "Holy Mother of God, save us" after the third (or fourth) Theotokos troparion of each song. This appeal is not spelled out in the canons, but for me it is strictly obligatory, because my soul persistently asks for a special intensified personal appeal to the Mother of God after each troparion to Her.
Some petitions can be added from oneself in the canons and psalms, but one should not particularly get involved in independent creativity. Pride will be right there and instead of good, you can harm your soul.
In general, prayer is ALWAYS a crucifixion, ALWAYS a kind of fork at every step of prayer, ALWAYS a test of the soul, in which Satan will try (often doing it secretly from the heart) to pull the soul into pride, into distraction in prayer, into carelessness, into empty daydreaming and in condemnation of neighbors (through the verses of the Psalter it is very convenient for the devil to incline the soul to condemn people, because the Psalter speaks a lot about the vices of man), but far from everything should be understood so literally in the Psalter, but this is not here, but I will tell you in more detail on the specific text of some psalms.Lord have mercy 40 timesPlease understand me correctly… The Psalter is not magic. Can "Lord have mercy" read it here only three times. You can 12. You can 40. You can arbitrarily without counting. Maybe more than forty. That is, how much the soul asks. Not a man for the rule, but a rule for the man. If someone prays a lot, if someone is accustomed to the almost uninterrupted Jesus Prayer, then this extra increase of 40"Lord have mercy" will give almost nothing to the soul ... will not add a sense of closeness to God! In general, one must ALWAYS monitor the soul, if it does not respond to something or protests, this text can be omitted. Mind is needed.
Bows - if they nourish the soul - then they are done. If not, sit down and read the text calmly. It all depends on personal disposition. Bows revive someone to repentance, someone, on the contrary, is distracted from concentration, especially if a person is sick. Also, you need intelligence.“Holy Trinity, God and Creator of the whole world, make haste and direct my heart, start with understanding and finish good deeds, inspired by this book, even now I want to speak az, unworthy, understanding my own ignorance, crouching, I pray to You, and even from You ask for help: Lord, direct my mind and strengthen my heart, not about the words of the mouth to chill, but about the mind of the verbs, rejoice, and prepare for the creation of good deeds, I am learning and say yes Enlightened by good deeds, at the judgment of the right hand of Your country, I will be a partaker with all Your chosen ones. And now, Lord, bless, yes, sighing from the heart, and with my tongue I will sing, saying to this:Do you see the order? You should breathe FIRST with your heart, and only then say with your tongue:“Come, let us worship the King our God.
Come, let us bow down and bow down to Christ, the King of our God.
Come, let us bow down and bow down to Christ Himself, the King and our God.”Once again, listening to the silence within ourselves, we begin the first psalm. If thoughts are distracted, I ALWAYS ensure that the mind does not wander past the readable meaning and feelings. To achieve not distraction (by repeating again and again until the thought becomes pure from extraneous dreams and impurities) is only difficult at first, and then, when the soul gets used to praying purely, you will be surprised yourself - extraneous thoughts will not arise in your prayers. Because Satan, who inspires empty (and apparently harmless) kindly thoughts during prayer, will stop inspiring them, because he will understand that the longer he distracts you from attentive prayer, the longer you will “get stuck” on certain verses. And Satan does not really want to deliver crowns of patience and victories over him to a stubborn person in his attention. Here he is - filthy, with time he will lag behind if he sees that the soul is looking for ULTIMATE clarity in its prayers ALWAYS.
Of course, it is difficult to achieve the utmost clarity of attention in prayer, but if clarity is not achieved, there will be no prayerful joy.

Chapter 9
(1 Psalm) 1 verse Blessed is the man, who does not go to the council of the wicked, and on the path of sinners is not a hundred, and does not sit on the seat of the destroyers ...
The first verse of the first psalm is boundless depth and mystery. Wickedness is when a person lives without thinking about God, without realizing the depth of his fall, forgetting about God. Wickedness is not being sick with your soul that you do not love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind.
In the second verse, a cure for wickedness is given. It is said about the need to ALWAYS in EVERY moment of your life remember the One Who gives strength to your breath. The one who constantly remembers God is promised blessedness (verse 3). Those who evade the tightness of memory in God are predicted to fail in eternity. (See verses 4 and 5) The last (6th) verse of this psalm says that ONLY God knows the path of the righteous, even the righteous themselves cannot know their path to God, but God knows and leads His people along the Path for Him . The path of those who allow themselves to relax and not remember God will “perish”. That is, in eternity - all those who are negligent about their salvation, who do not realize (in their insensitivity) how dangerous it is to forget about their Creator even for a minute - they will destroy themselves in eternity - they will destroy themselves with the CRIMINAL in relation to themselves by the petrification of their soul to God, to A single source of spiritual well-being of a person.
Psalms from the second to the sixth, up to the second "Glory" inclusive, in fact, only deepen and repeat the meaning of the first psalm. The meaning is short and quite simple.
It is said that the majority of people do not submit to the memory of God, do not want to submit to all the severity of God's commandments (and never want to). Prophet David calls people to faith in God, but people do not want to believe as strictly as the Lord Himself requires. The prophet prays for the deliverance of his soul from the spread of wickedness and from the slyness of contemporary society. He asks God for the forgiveness of his sins, for mercy and for his salvation.
Psalms from the first to the sixth is the cry of the soul to God for deliverance from forgetting about God, for deliverance from mixing with a society that has learned to live in the sin of insensitivity to God, this is a call to prayerful loneliness.
“A man of blood” Ps. 5, v. 7 is a murderer. Spilled the blood of another. In a deeper understanding and in a more correct way, when it comes to the murderers and persecutors in the Psalms, these verses are more understood not only by the people who once lived in the time of David, but by the devil himself.
2 verse: “But his will is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he will learn day and night.”
By "day and night" is meant not only the continuity of time and the change of time of day, but also the state of mind. Sometimes our mind sees the Way of God more clearly, sometimes it is not able to understand God at all. This is the “night of the mind”, but even in the night of the mind the soul can learn - by faith (and trust) in God that He always and EVERYTHING does everything right to the highest degree.
“And it will be like a tree planted by the outgoing waters, even if it will bear its fruit in its season, and its leaf will not fall away, and everything that it creates will succeed.
Not so ungodly, not so, but like dust, which the wind sweeps up from the face of the earth.
For this sake the wicked will not be raised for judgment, below the sinner in the council of the righteous.
Verse 6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, and the way of the wicked shall perish.”

The Psalter is a book of laudatory church hymns, the psalms from which are read in different situations by a believer. Excerpts from the church collection are also read at death.

Orthodox commemoration of the dead

In Orthodoxy, it is customary to commemorate deceased relatives on the anniversary of their death and on major church holidays. Prayers for the dead are read on the days allotted for this and subject to the established rules.

The fact that the afterlife exists and the soul of the newly deceased within 40 days independently reaches its destination, passes various tests, was learned thanks to Blessed Theodora. After death, the Saint went to Paradise and got the opportunity to inform those living on Earth about how long it takes the soul after death to get to its destination. In addition to Theodora, the benefits of reading the psalm were shown by the apostles, who prayed for the soul of the Virgin for 3 days and sang prayers from the Psalter near her tomb.

Every person who has lost his loved one needs to read prayers for the repose. It is believed that in this way thoughts of loss recede into the background, and the prayer calms down and tunes in to a future life without the deceased. Prayer is a special language in which a person speaks with God and with those who are in Heaven.

The need to pronounce chants of praise for the departed up to 40 days is considered to be help to the wandering soul, and the more words are said in her honor, the more likely the newly deceased will go to Paradise. In addition, the words from the Psalter, spoken from the heart, help to overcome the difficulties that the deceased faces on the way to their destination.

The Church recommends reading the Psalter for the Dead continuously, starting at the time of a person's death and ending on the 40th day after his death. In special cases, holy words are read 80 days from the date of death of a person. There is an Orthodox custom to read the Psalter in full 3 days after the departure of a relative to another world, and this is recommended to be done before his burial.

You need to start pronouncing holy words near the coffin of the deceased while standing, and finish without his physical presence at home or in the temple. If it is not possible to read the holy book directly over the body, then the relatives of the deceased divide the chapters of the Psalter among themselves and at the appointed time, each in turn proceeds to fulfill the duty assigned to him, observing the continuity of prayer.

The word "Psalter" in translation into Russian from ancient Greek means the name of a musical instrument. This church book consists of 150, or songs, which can be read both in church and at home. The psalms are divided in the book into chapters called "kathismas," each of which contains an almost equal number of hymns.

When a person dies, his relatives, in addition to verbal assistance to the departed, must prepare kutya from wheat and honey and consecrate the dish in the church at the morning service. After that, sweet porridge is fed to those who came to honor the memory of the deceased. In addition, it is recommended to order a magpie in the temple so that the monks pray for the deceased for 40 days.

Why Read the Psalter

It is believed that the words that the Psalter contains for the dead up to 40 days find a response in the soul of the mourner. By reciting chants in the original language, a person tunes in to the same wave with the Higher powers and calms down.

Reading the Holy Book requires observance of order, which organizes the mourner and does not allow him to fall into deep sadness. In addition, a person understands that by his actions he helps the soul of the newly deceased to pass the test and get to Heaven.

Reading scheme of the Psalter

The study of holy texts is a daily ritual of every truly believing Christian. In addition, the texts of the Psalter are used in divine services, and if you read holy songs at home, you can take a direct part in the service, glorifying the powers of heaven together with the priest. The scheme for reading the psalms looks like this:

• on Sunday - psalm 23;
• on Monday - 47;
• on Tuesday - 66;
• on Wednesday - 93;
• on Thursday - 49;
• on Friday - 92;
• on Saturday - 91.

It must be remembered that kathismas are not read in the period from Holy Thursday of Holy Week to St. Thomas Sunday, popularly called "Anti-Pascha". During this period, the study of the Psalter is banned for 10 days.

In order to commemorate a relative or other close person, it is necessary, in addition to reading at least 1 kathisma daily, to adhere to a spiritual fast for 40 days. If the ceremony is performed at home, then it is not necessary to read the prayers written after each chapter. In this case, the ritual of commemoration will proceed correctly.

When reading laudatory hymns at home, you need to remember that after each pronunciation of the glory of the Holy Trinity, you need to read a prayer for the dead. These same words are pronounced at the end of each chapter of the Psalter. When the reading of the holy psalms comes to an end, you need to read the canon for the dead. This order was established in 1973 by the Moscow Patriarchate.

Prayer readings are performed with a lit candle, when thoughts are calmed and tuned in a spiritual way. The holy lines are read in a calm voice, slowly and without interruptions in words and stress. If the emphasis is placed in the wrong place, then the prayer may be interpreted incorrectly, which is undesirable.

Reading order of the psalms

The first rule of psalm reading is the continuity of the event. If it is not possible not to break away when commemorating the deceased, then the church allocates 3, 9 and 40 days, during which the Holy Word must be uttered without fail.

The introductory text for the commemoration of the newly deceased is located before the first chapter of the Psalter. Before each of the 20 chapters of the book, a prayer must be said 3 times, beginning with the words “Come, let us worship ...”, and after each “Glory”, the prayer “Remember, Lord our God ...”, the text of which is placed at the end of “Following the outcome of the soul from body", where the deceased is called by name. When any of the kathismas ends, you need to read "" and troparia for the deceased. The name of the holy songs can be omitted - it will not be a mistake.

If for some reason there is no introductory text in the publication, then before reading the kathisma, you can recite “Through the prayers of our holy fathers” as a keepsake. At the next stage, they read "Glory", and after - "To the King of Heaven." Then they act according to the described scheme.

Kathismas are read while sitting, you need to get up during the glorification of the Lord. If health allows, then the Psalms are studied standing up, which will be additionally counted both for the one who prays and for the deceased. It is forbidden to pronounce holy songs while lying on the bed, because such a position is disrespectful towards the Higher powers and the deceased. It is believed that the soul of the deceased is close to the body for up to 3 days, so it can listen to prayers and psalms.

In addition, the Psalter has long been considered a sacred book that does amazing things. Before the New Testament, with the help of psalms, demons were cast out of the possessed and the soul was cured.

Variants of prayer according to the Psalter for the repose

There is a prayer in the Holy Book, which is considered the most powerful and effective. Kathisma 17 is suitable for both a one-time commemoration and ritual reading for 1.5 months. The clergy note that such a one-time commemoration of the soul of the deceased can replace the reading of the entire Psalter.

17 kathisma, according to many, is a beautiful song that has a beneficial effect not only on the soul of the commemorated, but also on the reader himself. Chapter 17 includes opening and closing prayers and Psalm 118.

Prayer for the dead and the emergence of tradition

The emergence of the tradition of commemorating the dead is rooted in ancient times. People who experienced the loss of relatives or close people, at any opportunity, remembered them and mentally turned to deities and other objects of belief to help the deceased and make it easier for them to find their last resting place.

In Christianity, it is believed that by pronouncing the words for the dead, a person receives consolation and releases the soul of the deceased into another world. Believers know that the one who loves is able to reconcile, but not able to forget, and reading the psalms helps to communicate with Heaven and remember the loss.

The first person who believed in the power of commemoration of the dead is the commander Judas. For the fact that he and his subordinates believed in God, the Creator rewarded their army with invincibility. But somehow the army was defeated, and many soldiers died in the battle. During the burial, Judas saw that many of the dead carried with them figurines of idols that were not associated with Christianity.

In order to direct at least their souls to the Kingdom of God, the commander began to pray, asking the Lord to forgive the ignorance of the soldiers. The Almighty liked such sincerity of Judas, and he forgave the dead, sending their souls to Paradise. It is believed that from that moment the tradition of commemoration of the dead appeared.

Prayer for the deceased 40 days

The importance of prayer for the dead is reported by various Christian sources. Theodora was the first person to tell the living that it takes 40 days to get to the gates of Paradise after death. At the same time, the woman noted that as soon as the living remembered her on Earth, it became easier to overcome the afterlife.

The fact that the soul exists is also reported by modern science, and scientists have even determined the weight of this integral component of a human being - 21 years. In addition, often after death, people dreamed of relatives and asked to pray for them or fulfill requests, which once again proves the fact of the existence of the soul and that it needs the help of the living.

The clergy note that for 1.5 months an invisible substance walks the earth, accompanied by a guardian angel, who shows the deceased his deeds. If during life a person sinned a lot, then active commemoration of him by people will tip the scales of the Supreme Court towards Paradise.

Understanding the Psalms

The text of the psalms that a beginner reads may not be initially clear to him if the study of holy songs takes place in Latin. Some priests are sure that it is possible to read the Psalter without understanding its meaning, which will be revealed later.

Other experts on holy texts recommend studying ritual chants in Russian and only then proceed to reading the holy book in the original language. In each case, attempts to study kathismas are already considered a good deed and will become a plus in the scale of righteous deeds of any person.

The servants of God recommend communicating with the Creator through prayer every day. They note that it is never too late to come to faith, and the inner desire is capable of much. A prayer uttered from the heart will be heard by those to whom it was intended.

The custom of reading the Psalter for the dead goes back to ancient times, reading this undoubtedly brings them great comfort in itself, as reading the word of God, and as testifying to the love for them and the memory of them living brethren. It also brings them great benefit, for it is accepted by the Lord as a pleasant propitiatory sacrifice for the cleansing of the sins of those who are commemorated - just as any prayer, any good deed is accepted by Him.

Psalms should be read with tenderness and contrition of the heart, without haste, delving into what is being read with attention. Reading the Psalter by the commemorators themselves brings the greatest benefit: it testifies to the great degree of love and zeal for the commemorated of their living brethren, who themselves personally want to work in their memory, and not replace themselves in labor with others.

The feat of reading will be accepted by the Lord not only as a sacrifice for those who are commemorated, but as a sacrifice for those who bring it themselves, those who labor in reading.

Of course, one who is capable of this and has certain knowledge appropriate for serving a sacred cause can take over the reading of the Psalter at the tomb of the deceased. The sacrificial impulse of commemorating relatives or friends of the deceased can in many ways, but not in everything, make up for their poor preparedness. In addition, the reading of the Psalter at the tomb should be as continuous as possible, and this requires several successive readers. Therefore, there is a custom to invite for sacred reading people capable of it, adding to this invitation the giving of alms for those who are commemorated. However, in any case, the duty of attention to the word of God and prayer for the soul of the deceased lies not with one reader of the Psalter, but also with the relatives of the deceased.

The very reading of the Psalter for the dead is of two kinds. The first is a purely reading of the Psalter over the coffin of the deceased in the coming days and weeks after his death - for example, until the 40th day.

Reading the God-inspired psalms of David should ideally be a daily private activity for Orthodox Christians, so it is common to combine cell (home) reading of the Psalter with commemoration of the living and the dead - this is another kind of reading of the Psalter with commemoration.

If the Psalter is read only for the deceased, before the first kathisma, the Canon must be read for the one who died. After the canon - "It is worthy to eat .." and further to the end, as indicated in the rank of the private reading of the Canon for the one who died.

This section contains three options for reading the Psalter for the dead in accordance with the tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Unlike others, this version of the reading of the Psalter for the repose of the dead includes only the commemoration of the requiem at each "Glory" kathisma. After reading the kathisma, troparia for the dead and a prayer for repose are given, instead of the usual troparia and prayers of the Psalter. Such a commemoration is called a special one (special, only about repose), often this reading option is used in the first forty days after the death of the deceased. For convenience, all texts are translated "on a row" (without abbreviations).

In this exposition, the Psalter for the Repose of the Dead includes only prayers for repose at each "Glory" of the kathisma. After reading each kathisma, the troparia and prayer of the kathisma from the Psalter are given. With such a reading, the beginning and end of the reading of kathismas remains ordinary, without euphoric troparia. For convenience, all texts are translated "on a row" (without abbreviations).

The most common way to read the Psalter with commemorations of health and repose on each "Glory" kathisma. After reading each kathisma, the troparia and prayer of the kathisma from the Psalter are given. For convenience, all texts are translated "on a row" (without abbreviations). This option is usually read for cell commemoration of living and deceased relatives.

When the psalter is read at the tomb of the deceased, the Priest present first performs the Follow-up on the exodus of the soul and body. After that, the reader begins reading the Psalter

At the end of the entire Psalter, the reader again reads the Canon for the one who died, and after it the reading of the Psalter begins again, and this is repeated throughout the reading of the Psalter for the deceased.

“When reading the Psalter at the tomb of the deceased,” writes Bishop Athanasius (Sakhorov) in his exhaustive study “On the Commemoration of the Dead According to the Rule of the Orthodox Church,” “there is no need to read the troparia and prayers assigned to the usual cell rule in kathismas. It will be more appropriate in all cases , and after each "Glory:", and after the kathisma, read a special memorial prayer. The practice of Ancient Russia consecrated the use in this case of that funeral troparion, with which the cell reading of the funeral canons should end: "Remember, Lord, the soul of your departed servant," moreover during the reading, five prostrations are due, the troparion itself is read three times.According to the same ancient practice, the reading of the Psalter for the repose is preceded by the reading of the Canon for the deceased, after which the reading of the Psalter begins.After reading all the psalms, the funeral Canon is read again, after which the reading of the first begins again kathisma. This order continues throughout the reading of the Psalter for the dead."

Now a slightly different tradition of reading the Psalter at the tomb has also become widespread: according to the first and second "Glory:" kathismas, the prayer "Remember, Lord our God ..." is read, and at the end of the kathisma, the troparia of the dead are read (and not the troparia at the end of this kathisma) and the prayer after the kathisma. This reading order is recommended in the Psalter of the edition of the Moscow Patriarchate (1973) and some other editions.

When reading the Psalter at the grave of the deceased, one should take into account the tradition and each time precede the reading of the 1st kathisma with the reading of the funeral canon.

In conclusion, it remains only to add that it is more fitting for any reader of the Psalter (experienced or inexperienced) to stand like a person praying (at the feet of the coffin of the deceased), if a special extreme does not force him to sit down. Negligence in this matter, as in the observance of other pious customs, is offensive both to the sacred rite, blessed by the Holy Church, and to the word of God, which, in case of carelessness, is read as if inconsistent with the intention and feeling of the praying Christian.

The Order of Reading the Psalms for the Dead

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

(When reading a kathisma for each “Glory” (which reads as “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, And now and forever and forever and ever Amen”), it is pronounced:

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, And now and forever and forever and ever. Amen. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, glory to Thee, O God! (thrice.), Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

(Then a prayer petition is read for the deceased “Remember, Lord our God.”, located at the end of the “Following the Exodus of the Soul”, and the name of the deceased is commemorated on it with the addition (until the fortieth day from the date of death) of the word “newly reposed):

Remember, Lord our God, in the faith and hope of the belly of your eternally reposed servant, our brother [name] and as Good and Lover of mankind, forgive sins, and consume iniquities, weaken, leave and forgive all his voluntary sins and involuntary, deliver him eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna, and grant him the communion and enjoyment of Your eternal good, prepared for those who love You: if you sin, but do not depart from You, and unquestionably in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Your God in the Trinity glorified, faith, and Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity, Orthodox even until his last breath of confession. Be merciful to him the same, and faith, even in Thee instead of deeds, and with Your saints, as if Generous rest: there is no man who lives and does not sin. But Thou art One, apart from all sin, and Thy truth, truth forever, and Thou art the One God of mercies and generosity, and love of mankind, and to Thee we send glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen.

(Then the reading of the kathisma psalms continues. At the end of the kathisma, it is read):

Trisagion Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (It is read three times, with the sign of the cross and a bow from the waist.) Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Lord, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Your name's sake. Lord have mercy. (thrice); Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen

Lord's Prayer Our Father, Who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth. Give us our daily bread today; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

(located at the beginning of the Soul Exodus Follow-up)

From the spirits of the righteous who have died, the soul of Your servant, Savior, give rest, keeping me in a blessed life, even with You, Humane In Your chambers, Lord: where all Your saints rest, give rest to the soul of Your servant, as You alone are the Lover of mankind Glory to the Father and the Son and To the Holy Spirit: Thou art God, descended into hell and loosed the bonds of the fettered, Thyself and the soul of Thy servant rest now and forever and forever and ever. Amen. One Pure and Immaculate Virgin, who gave birth to God without a seed, pray that his soul be saved. Lord have mercy (40 times)

(Then the prayer laid down at the end of the kathisma is read.)

News

Reading the Psalms for the Dead

In the Orthodox Church there is a good custom of reading the Psalter in memory of the deceased. The reading of the Psalter for the dead has its origin in the most remote antiquity. Serving as a prayer to the Lord for the dead, it brings them great comfort both in itself, as a reading of the word of God, and as testifying to the love of their living brethren for them. It also brings them great benefit, for it is accepted by the Lord as a pleasant propitiatory sacrifice for the cleansing of the sins of those who are commemorated - just as any prayer, any good deed is accepted by Him.

Psalms should be read with tenderness and contrition of the heart, without haste, delving into what is being read with attention. Reading the Psalter by the commemorators themselves brings the greatest benefit: it testifies to the great degree of love and zeal for the commemorated of their living brethren, who themselves personally want to work in their memory, and not replace themselves in labor with others. The feat of reading will be accepted by the Lord not only as a sacrifice for those who are commemorated, but as a sacrifice for those who bring it themselves, those who labor in reading. Any pious believer who has the skills of error-free reading can read the Psalter.

In the Apostolic decrees, it is commanded to perform psalmody, readings and prayers for the dead on the third, ninth and fortieth days. But for the most part, the custom was established to read psalms for the dead for three days or all forty days.

Come, let us bow down and bow down to Christ, our King God.

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

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, glory to Thee, O God!(thrice.)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Then the reading of the kathisma psalms continues. At the end of the kathisma it reads:

From the spirits of the righteous who have died, the soul of Your servant, Savior, rest in peace, keeping me in a blessed life, even with You, Humane.

In Thy rest, O Lord: where all Thy saints rest, rest also the soul of Thy servant, for Thou alone art the Lover of mankind.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit:

You are the God who descended into hell and loosed the bonds of the fettered, Thyself and the soul of Thy servant rest.

And now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

One Pure and Immaculate Virgin, who gave birth to God without a seed, pray that his soul be saved.

Then the prayer laid down at the end of the kathisma is read.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding.

Psalter, psalm 3, 5

Among the books of Holy Scripture, the book of Psalter occupies a special place. Written long before the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is the only one of the books of the Old Testament that has completely entered the liturgical charter of the Christian Church and occupies a prominent place in it.

The Psalter consists of one hundred and fifty prayer hymns addressed to God. In ancient times, most of these chants were performed in the temple to the accompaniment of a stringed instrument like a harp. It was called the Psalter. From him these hymns were called psalms. The most famous author of these prayers is King David. He owns most of the psalms, so their collection is also called the Psalter of David.

All books included in the canon of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament are revered as inspired by God, that is, written by pious men under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and are useful for reading. But the book of Psalms is worthy of special veneration, for, according to St. Athanasius the Great, "like a garden, it contains the plantings of all the other books of Holy Scripture." It miraculously combines the doctrine of a pious life, and reminders of the law given by God, and the history of the people of God, and prophecies about the Messiah and his Kingdom, and mysterious indications of the Trinity of God, the mystery of whose existence was hidden from the Old Testament man until the time.

The psalms that prophesy about the promised Savior are striking in the accuracy and clarity of their revelations. “... They pierced my hands and my feet ... They divide my robes among themselves and cast lots for my clothes” - sounds in a psalm written a thousand years before the death of Christ on the Cross. “Those who crucified Him divided His garments, casting lots,” we read in the Gospel.

But the most important and most valuable thing is that it describes and depicts the movements of the human soul, yearning for God. The shackles of sin, like a stone, pull a person to the bottom, into the darkness of hell, but he, overcoming this weight, rushes to the mountain peaks, towards the divine light.

The Holy Spirit, through the lips of the authors of the psalms, said everything that our heart experiences at different moments of life, said it in a way that we could not say. “In the words of this book, all human life, all states of the soul, all movements of thought are measured and embraced, so that nothing more can be found in a person than what is depicted in it,” says St. Athanasius.

The Psalter can be likened to a mirror in which a person cognizes himself, cognizes the movements of his soul. The Psalms, judging by what the soul of a person suffers, teach him how to act in order to heal his weakness.

The one who trusts in God and lives, keeping His commandments, will remain forever, will find salvation and bliss already in earthly life. This is one of the most important spiritual testaments of the Psalter, which helps a person survive the most difficult moments of his life.

Not surprisingly, the favorite book of ancient Christians was the Psalter. They accompanied their whole lives with psalmody, inspiring themselves to the exploits of piety. The psalm was on the lips of both the martyr going to his death and the hermit who retired from the world. Yes, and in everyday life, Christians did not leave the Psalter. “A farmer,” writes Blessed Jerome, following the plow, he sings “Alleluia”; the reaper, covered with sweat, sings psalms, and the vinedresser, cutting off the vine branches with a crooked knife, sings from David.

In the ancient Church there was a custom to memorize all the psalms by heart, so loved and revered this book. Already in apostolic times, the Psalter was especially widely used in Christian worship. In the modern liturgical charter of the Orthodox Church, the Psalter is divided into 20 sections - kathisma. The Psalms are read in the temple daily at every morning and evening service. During the week, the book of Psalms is read in full, and Great Lent is read twice during the week.

As already mentioned, in ancient times, in the Old Testament Church, during worship and prayer, musical instruments were used: percussion - cymbals, wind - pipes and strings - a psalter. But in the Orthodox Church there is no instrumental music, the voice of man-made instruments is not heard. In an Orthodox church, only the voice of a man sounds - this God-creating instrument, renewed by the Holy Spirit and bringing to God "a new song." His vocal cords are the sweetest strings to God's ears, his tongue is the best cymbal. When a person sings or reads psalms, he becomes a mysterious harp, the strings of which are touched by the skillful fingers of the Holy Spirit. And this person can, together with King David, exclaim to God: “How sweet are your words to my throat. More than honey to my lips."

© 2017 Russian Orthodox Church Krefeld

About prayer for the dead. Reading the Psalter until the fortieth day

Having committed the body of the deceased to the earth, the Church does not leave his soul without care. The Holy Liturgy is considered the highest and most useful form of intercession for the deceased:

There is a lot of help for faithful souls, hedgehog for these give to the weak and hedgehog for their souls priests and deacons pray and often perform services, i.e. divine liturgy. St. John Chrysostom, sl. 76

Pious Christians usually ask to do for the deceased St. Liturgy within 40 days from the date of death (Sorokoust). The basis for this forty-day commemoration is the figurative depiction of the fate of the human soul after death in the church legend about ordeals. According to this legend, the soul “ascends” to the throne of God for forty days, passing through the so-called “ordeals”, where it is tested in its sins, and on the 40th day it appears at the judgment of God.

Undoubtedly, a great thing for every Christian is the reading of the Psalms.

No other books glorify God like that, as the Psalter is soul-beneficial: it glorifies God with the angels together, and exalts and sings with a great voice, and the angels imitate, when the demons slander and drive away, and great weeping and plagues creates: for kings and princes and prays to God for the whole world...

John Chrysostom says that a Christian should not, under any circumstances, abandon the singing of psalms:

Une to stop the sun from its course rather than leave the Psalter: it is very useful to eat ...

Reading the Psalter for the Dead

The custom of reading the Psalter for the dead dates back to ancient times. The reading of the Psalms undoubtedly brings great comfort to Christians who have ended their earthly life, and testifies to love and memory. In the old days, reading the Psalter for the dead was considered obligatory. In some cases, the relatives of the deceased themselves read the Psalter. In others, they hired people who read the Psalter after the deceased for forty days, a year or even more. In turn, relatives provided those who read the Psalter for those who had departed to the Lord with housing and food, and sometimes even with money. Women who read the Psalter after the deceased were called canons. Such prayer books are often mentioned in the famous novel by A. Melnikov (Pechersky) “In the Forests and on the Mountains”, dedicated to the life and life of the Trans-Volga Old Believers.

In the preface to the canon for the one who died, it says:

My spiritual father and lord, (name of the rivers). Create with me for the sake of God the last love and mercy of Sitzev. Have mercy on me for God's sake, sing this canon for me, for thirds, for nines, for forties, if it doesn't happen to sing like that, and you on other days, or on one day, but exactly up to forty, three times. If it doesn’t happen, sing tacos, and you on other days, or on one day, but exactly up to the shirts, three times. If you are more than good enough to sing this canon for me, then you will do a great favor for me, and you yourself will receive a great reward from God, rekshago, measure it to the same measure, it will be measured to you, and you will have mercy and mercy, and you, Father Lord, for God's sake have mercy on my sinful soul, pray to the Lord for it, and the Lord our God will measure you for this, and have mercy on you, as if you are merciful ...

In this word, a Christian, who has ended his earthly life, asks his spiritual father to “make the last love”, asks for prayer, for that is the only thing he needs now. However, such a prayer is useful not only for the deceased, it also brings no less benefit to the soul of the one who prays, since this is a great good deed. And at every opportunity, a Christian should pray for his relatives who have already departed to the Lord.

It should be said that before the expiration of 40 days from the moment of the death of a Christian, you need to pray the Psalter, coupled with a prayer follow-up for the deceased person. In the Old Believer tradition, such a following is called the "Canon for the One Who Died (th)". It consists of 9 songs, but the 2nd song is usually missing. Each song of the canon consists of an irmos (the first verse of the song) and troparia (the verses of the song following the irmos).

Scheme of reading the Psalter for the deceased before the fortieth day (Sorokoust)

The seven-bow began. Publican's Prayer "God, merciful..." (3 bows to the belt, if several people pray, then only the elder puts these bows, namely - one who prays).

Song of Jesus: (bow at the waist).

Then the troparion is read, voice, 8 "Beyond the depths of wisdom..."

Glory, and now. Bogorodichen "You have a city and a haven of Imams ..."

Then all 20 kathismas of the Psalter are read, before each kathisma they read "Come, let's bow..." (three times, with bows to the waist). Each kathisma has three "Glory" ("Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever, amen"), and for each "Glory" read "Alleluia. » (three times, with bows to the waist), then read for the deceased troparion three times with bows (the name of the rivers), (bow). (bow). Deliver eternal torment (bow). Make a communicant (tsu) to the Heavenly Kingdom (bow). And create useful things for our souls (bow)».

Scheme for reading the canon for the one who died

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner (us), amen" (bow)

According to the 3rd song, a saddle is read, voice 5th "Peace Savior ..."

According to the 6th song, kontakion is read, voice 8th Peace with the saints.... Ikos “Thou art from the beginning alone immortal…”.

According to the 9th ode of the canon is read “Worthy to eat…” (bow to the earth). Trisagion, and according to our Father. Prayer of Jesus.

"Bless the Father in the name of the Lord."

Chorus “For the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner (us), amen” (bow at the waist)

Vacation "Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God..."

“To the servant (e) of God (her) reposed (s) (name of the rivers), we also create remembrance of him (her): eternal memory, eternal memory, eternal memory.”

Then they pray for the deceased troparion three times with bows “Rest, Lord, the soul of the deceased (s) servant (s) of His (her) (the name of the rivers), (bow). And the fir-tree in this life, like a man, have sinned. You are like a philanthropist God forgive him (th) and have mercy (bow). Deliver eternal torment (bow). Make a communicant (tsu) to the Heavenly Kingdom (bow). And create useful things for our souls (bow)».

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How to read the psalter for the dead

• How to read the psalter for the dead
• How to Pray for the Dead on Easter Week
• How to dress the deceased

The Psalter is a book that is part of the body of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament. It contains 150 psalms (hence the corresponding name), which are prayers to the Lord. King David is considered the author of the psalter, however, some prayer books were compiled by other rulers of ancient Israel.

The Psalter was widely used for use even in apostolic times. In Rus', since ancient times, this Old Testament book has been used as prayer books both in divine services and in home prayer. At present, the services of the Church also include prayers from the hymnal.

In Orthodox culture, there is a pious tradition of reading the hymnal for the dead, in memory of them. The entire Old Testament book is divided into twenty kathismas, a complete reading of it can take up to five hours, so praying for the deceased with the help of this book is a special work of living people in memory of the deceased. The reading of the psalter is performed both by the laity and by the deacons and monks. Any devout Christian can read.

It is customary to read the psalter before the burial of the deceased. It is desirable that prayers last continuously, but in the absence of such an opportunity, one can read at least a few kathismas a day or change readers. In the prayers of the psalter, one can trace the hope of a person for God's mercy, the sacred texts console the loved ones and relatives of the deceased person.

The Psalter can be read for forty days after death, with special attention being paid to the days of commemoration: the ninth and fortieth. In addition, the psalter for the dead can be read on the anniversary of death or on any other day, because prayers to the Lord for the forgiveness of the sins of the dead can be offered by a Christian at any time.

The order of reading the psalter for the dead is simple. In the prayer books, before reading the psalter, special initiatory prayers are laid, after which “Come, let us worship” and the text of the kathisma are read. All kathismas are divided into three "Glories". A feature of reading the psalter for the dead is the addition of a special prayer for the dead on each “slavnik”. Thus, when the reader sees the inscription “Glory” in the text of the kathisma, it should be read as follows:

After this, the reading of the psalms from the kathisma continues. There is a practice according to which, after the prayer for the dead, the Mother of God prayer is pronounced “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice.” On the last third “Glory” only “Glory” “And now”, three times “Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia glory to Thee, O God” and a prayer for the deceased are pronounced. After that, the Lord's Prayer is read, special troparia written at the end of the kathisma, as well as a certain prayer.

The beginning of each new kathisma is again accompanied by the reading “Come let us worship”:

At the end of the reading of the Psalter or several kathismas, special prayers are laid down, published in the prayer book “after reading the Psalter or several kathismas.”

It should be especially noted that if a person does not have the opportunity to read the psalter for the dead in full, one should work at least in reading the 17th kathisma, since it is this part of the psalter that is read at the funeral service (it is used during prayers for the remembrance of the dead).

The position of the worshiper when reading the psalter should be standing. The rest of the people during prayer can sit if they experience physical weakness.

If the psalter is read before the coffin of the deceased, then the reader stands at the feet of the deceased. When reading the psalter, it is customary to light candles or a lampada in front of the icons. During the reading of the psalter, it is necessary to fully concentrate on prayer and turn to the Lord with humility, reverence and pious attention to the sacred texts.