When you wake up, first of all mentally stand before the Lord, fall yourself with the sign of the cross and turn to him with the words: "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen." Such is the covenant of the ancient ascetics to all conscientious Christians - to fulfill the morning rule every day. Optina Hermitage has made a great contribution to the work of prayer. Here, with great zeal and love, the order of the holy fathers is observed. The hearts of the Optina elders are filled with care and love for people, with the desire to save the souls wandering in darkness and bring them to the Creator. The wisdom of Optina Pustyn gave us a great gift - "Prayer for the beginning of the day." Having supplemented the morning prayer rules of Optina Hermitage with the words of the great elders, the prayer book entrusts the care of his soul and worldly existence to God.
Content of the morning rule
If a person's desire to follow the righteous path is sincere, it is necessary to seek protection and guidance in the morning. For this in the morning, right afterawakening, while the brain is still clean and not drowned in a confusion of thoughts, an Orthodox Christian reads morning prayers. The reading order is accepted by the church and the main prayers should be read in full. The list of mandatory texts includes the most powerful prayers that form the basis of a Christian’s prayer book: “Our Father”, “Most Holy Lady”, “Virgin Mother of God”, “Symbol of Faith”, prayer appeals for the he alth of the living and the repose of the dead. Additions to the morning rule are not forbidden. It is desirable that the prayers that a person wishes to add to his ministry be approved by a spiritual mentor.
Prayer testament of the holy Optina elders
The morning rule of Optina Hermitage is carried out according to the canon, where prayers follow in the usual order one after another. However, the wisdom and spiritual purity of the elders of Optina Hermitage allowed them to find the amazingly correct prayer "At the beginning of every day." This morning prayer rule of Optina Pustyn is addressed directly to the Lord, as the prayer of an unreasonable, but trusting and passionately desiring spiritually enlightened child. Entrusting himself to the will of God, the prayer book asks for guidance for correct behavior, protection from possible misfortunes and the blessing of the Lord in all his endeavors.
The words of the prayer are so transparent, pure and filled with clear meaning that even a layman who practically does not know the Old Church Slavonic language, in which the basic canonical morning rules of Optina Hermitage are read, understands every word, every image. Prayer book when reading the "Prayer of the Optinathe elders" is granted the greatest blessing - to speak with God in the words of great saints.
Prayer to the Mother of God in the morning rule
In the morning prayer rules, it is permissible to add prayers that the soul of the prayer book needs at the moment. Prayer addressed to the Mother of God - "Queen", is not a mandatory prayer for every day. Rather, it is intended for exceptional cases when a person is in dire need of help. The text contains an ardent prayer to the human intercessor before the Lord: "You see my misfortune, my sorrow."
The inhabitants of the monastery, reading the morning rule of Optina Hermitage, "Queen" - a prayer to the Mother of God, is pronounced in exceptional cases. Likewise, any conscientious Christian can, at the end of the morning rule, read a prayer, turning to the Mother of God for help. Filling the request for intercession with humility and love, a person will definitely receive what he wants.
