The names of these saints are invariably associated with the creation of Slavic writing and other educational activities. However, they are revered not only for translating the texts of Holy Scripture and creating the alphabet, but also for the fact that they provide all kinds of help and patronize people who pray about it.
Who were these saints?
A prayer is offered to Cyril and Methodius, although the saints did not bear these names from birth. The brothers were named Michael and Konstantin. They were born into a noble family living in the Byzantine city of Thessaloniki. The head of the family, the father of future preachers and educators, was in military service, and their grandfather was a nobleman at the imperial court in Constantinople. Accordingly, the brothers grew up in prosperity, they did not experience needs and received a good education.
The city where the saints spent their childhood was bilingual. On its streets they spoke not only Greek, but also the Thessalonica dialect, that is, the language of the eastern and southern Slavic tribes. Thus, the Slavic speech was familiar to future educators from early childhood.
The brothers received the names of Cyril and Methodius by taking monastic vows. Michael became Methodius, and Constantine, respectively, Cyril. Saints are venerated both in the Western Christian tradition and in the Eastern one. The order of their names in the world is Cyril and Methodius, but during church service the order of mention changes. This is due to the fact that the rank of Methodius was higher than that of his brother.
What do the saints pray for?
Prayer to Cyril and Methodius, as a rule, is related to the topic of education, gaining knowledge or teaching. In other words, they pray to the saints:
- parents concerned about their children's academic success;
- students who are bad at any subject;
- teachers experiencing difficulties in their work.
This specificity is due to the brothers' lifetime activities. Cyril and Methodius not only compiled the alphabet and translated many sacred texts into Slavic, thereby laying the foundation for church services not in the Greek dialect, they were also teachers.
How to pray for teaching help?
Praying to Cyril and Methodius for help in mastering knowledge has been helping to cope with learning difficulties for several centuries. You can turn to the saints in your own words, it is not at all necessary to memorize ready-made texts. However, we must not forget that prayer is not a set of magic words, saying which you can indulge in idleness. Prayer helps to organize yourself, to calm down. In other words, knowledge in the head after prayerdo not appear, turning to the saints only helps to master them.
Prayer to Cyril and Methodius, helping in the teachings, may sound like this:
“Saint teachers, Equal-to-the-Apostles Methodius and Cyril! I ask you for help in teaching, which is difficult. I ask you to endow my mind with insight, strengthen my memory and purify my soul from worries and vain desires. I ask you for help in achieving my goals, for they are good. Help me avoid the temptations of the world, do not let me be distracted by the insignificant, save me from the vain. Amen"
How to pray for children's education?
Of course, the most powerful prayer to Cyril and Methodius is read by mothers who are worried about their children. Every difficulty that a child faces, all his failures are very painfully perceived by parents, causing anxiety, confusion and excitement in their hearts. Prayer addressed to the holy mentors will help to cope with such a condition and, of course, contribute to the success of the child.
Prayer for children Cyril and Methodius can be like this:
“The Enlighteners of God, Methodius and Cyril! Hear me, slave (proper name), comfort and help in earthly concerns. I beg you with humility in my heart and faith in the mercy of our Lord, for the glory of which you brought light to the people of teaching. I ask for your help and guidance for my child (child's name). He cannot master (description of the problem). Direct, holy mentors, clear the mind of the superfluous and empty, endow the memory with strength, and the thought with clarity. Amen"
How to pray to a teacher?
It's not just children and young people who need help with their studies. Educators often experience much more stress than their students. This happens for various reasons. Some get lost in the rapidly changing requirements for education, a large number of teaching aids. Others cannot find a common language with their students, do not understand children and worry about their own inability to interest children in a school subject.
Prayer to Cyril and Methodius will help to cope with this. Example of her text:
“Most holy mentors, teachers Methodius and Cyril! I beg you for help in my work, for I have lost (a) self-confidence. Please guide me, point out where I am wrong and why I am not coping. I beg you, endow my thoughts with clarity, my mind with purity, and my words with intelligibility. I ask you, Methodius and Cyril, for help in a good deed, not for myself, but for my students. Amen"
