Prayer is a conversation between a person and the Lord, a thread that connects the believer with God. In some ways, prayer is akin to visiting a psychotherapist's office, because a person shares in it the most painful, hidden, deeply personal. It is not for nothing that after visiting the temple and saying a prayer in front of the images, people feel a surge of spiritual strength, peace, and confidence in the future.
There are many variants of prayers in Orthodoxy, but each of them is pronounced on a specific occasion. Many of them are, as they say, “on hearing”. For example, it is rare that a person has not heard about the prayer "for he alth." But what exactly this prayer is is not clear to everyone.
About prayer
An individual prayer to the Lord, pronounced during a church service, is a pure litany. It is one of the traditional prayers that make up the liturgy. In the part of the service in which individual petitions are read, far more than one or even two such prayers can be uttered. Accordingly, these petitions affect the duration of the church service.
The special litany at the liturgy is pronounced not only for he alth. This prayer can affect almost any aspect of life that is important to the believer. You can order a reading before serving in any Orthodox parish - a church, a monastery, a chapel, a cathedral.
How does a litany differ from other prayers? The opinion of the priests
The main difference is obvious even to a person who is far from Orthodox culture. It is contained in the title, it is enough just to read it with attention - "a special litany", that is, personal, individual and special, special, thematic. In such a prayer, the believer turns to the Lord purely, that is, on a specific, specific occasion, in connection with the need that has arisen.
According to the priests, one more nuance is an important difference from other prayers. Petitions on the special litany are read by the ministers of the church in the order corresponding to the needs of the believers. That is, the more terrible a person’s problem, the more desperate he is, the sooner his petition will be read. Also, the time devoted to reading depends on the complexity of the problem with which the person turns to the Lord.
For what reasons is such a prayer read?
Of course, you do not need to get into a difficult life situation or wait for something terrible to happen in order to come to church and order such a prayer.
As a rule, a special litany is read in accordance with the following topics:
- he alth;
- reasoning;
- preserving the family;
- instructing children;
- gifting a child;
- help in life;
- protection;
- redemption;
- deliverance.
Prayer can be ordered in connection with other needs. Each such prayer is a request of a person, addressed to God, about what is important for a believer. Of course, there are no restrictions on the reason for asking.
Advice and lamentations from priests
Clergy today are concerned about the attitude of some parishioners to the special litany of he alth. That this is a kind of financial offering, many new believers sincerely believe. By submitting a note and paying the required amount, people believe that their own participation in prayer ends there. Not everyone can even remember what exactly they applied for in the submitted petition.
Church ministers complain about the misunderstanding of the very essence of a special supplication by the newly converted parishioners. Like any other prayer, it cannot be effective without the direct participation of the believer. Special petitions on the special litany will be completely useless for people who are not trying to improve themselves spiritually, make efforts to solve life's problems.
Modern people, according to many clergy, are losing their spirituality or are not at all familiar with this concept. Coming to the temple as if to a supermarket, and buying a place in the liturgy, and sometimes additional petitions on a special litany, one should not expect thatlife circumstances will change. Prayer, even ordered, will not be effective if there is no faith in the soul of a person. In prayer, a person trusts in the Lord, and does not acquire a miracle from him.
Can I pray without submitting a note? On your own?
Questions about whether a special litany can be read or even sung independently, outside the church, the notes for which were purchased in a church shop, are often asked by priests. As a rule, this question worries church-going people who understand the details and intricacies of worship.
Such reading or singing of the litany is not forbidden. Especially in those situations when a person is not able to come to the temple. For example, if we are talking about a disabled person who is unable to move, or about an oncological patient who does not get out of bed. However, in such very difficult circumstances, those close to the one who needs prayer should talk with the priest. The clergy, if necessary, never refuse to visit the faithful and pray with them.
How long should the litany be read?
The effectiveness of prayer depends on the strength with which a believer trusts in it. It is impossible to say how long it takes to read this prayer. In one case, a single reading is sufficient, while in another, months are required.
As a rule, litanies are ordered for twelve liturgies. Many believers claim that petitions on the special litany to Peter and Fevronia are heard much earlier than the twelfth service. However, reading timeindividual. In the event that any questions arise when submitting a note with a petition, you should ask them to the clergyman.
In some situations, if the problem in the believer's life is very difficult, the priests advise a long reading. Sometimes it takes thirty liturgies, forty, or even more. For example, if the one who asks the Lord cares about delivering a loved one from addiction - alcoholism, card games, drug addiction, then, of course, a significant number of readings will be required.
A very important point is the understanding that the effectiveness of prayer does not depend on the number of its repetitions, but on the strength with which the believer hopes for the litany. Repetitions only strengthen the faith of the supplicant, strengthen this person spiritually, give firmness to his intentions.
Do I need to take any action?
After the special litany was ordered, many people feel confused and wonder what they should do now. Maybe something needs to be done, or is it necessary to be present at the reading, to make some kind of vow? These disturbing questions visit people filled with anxiety.
Anxiety, as a rule, arises not because of doubts about the power of the Lord, but because of the lack of information about how to proceed when ordering a prayer service.
The Lord Himself does not require any action from a person. God needs only boundless, unconditional and absolute faith. But the person himself really needs daily actions that strengthenhis spirit and empowering faith.
What to do after ordering a litany?
It is important for a believer to feel his participation in prayer, to express zeal, to join the reading spiritually. If nothing is done, then anxiety begins to absorb the soul, and after it doubts come.
Church officials often advise parishioners to do the following:
- purify and sanctify your own home;
- reflect on daily activities, emotions and compliance with their commandments;
- commemorate the dead by placing a candle in front of the image;
- repent;
- go to the temple.
These are quite simple actions that can fill a person's heart with confidence, peace and tranquility.
Where is the best place to order a prayer reading?
The place where the litany will be read has no special significance. If a person regularly attends a church service, then the reading of the prayer should be ordered in the same church.
But if a person does not go to church, does not pray and, in principle, does not consider himself a deeply religious person, then the choice of place becomes important. In this case, the temple must be "prayed". The spiritual energy of the room itself, in which believers for centuries have asked the Lord for something and praised him, will give strength to prayer.
The best option for choosing a place is a kind of “insight”. As the people say, they brought the legs. This means that a person unconsciously, wandering in thought through the streets, suddenly notices that he has approached the entrance to the temple. Such accidents cannot beignore. You can call such a situation in different ways - a sign from above, an accident, a coincidence, or in some other way. But no matter how a person calls the fact that he was in front of the entrance to the church, one should not pass by this temple. It is in it that the litany should be ordered.
Of course, not always the temple "finds" the person who needs to visit it. Usually, however, the believer himself has to decide on the church, if he wants to order a prayer service or the need for this action.
Although the place does not really matter, we should not forget that most of the temples in our country have completely lost their special aura. Churches have been desecrated for decades. And the need to order a litany, as a rule, arises in very difficult life circumstances. How many will trust the treatment of their disease to an ailing doctor in a hospital devoid of equipment? Probably no one. This example is also true for the church building. A special special prayer should be ordered in a temple that has spiritual energy, and not in one that is recovering from desecration.