Do you know what the gospel is? This is the biography of Jesus Christ, the New Testament. In total, Orthodox Christians have four gospels: from John, from Mark, from Luke and from Matthew. Moreover, the Gospel of John was written somewhat later than the others.
Why do we read the Gospel? To strengthen the soul. Is there a Gospel prayer for neighbor? And in general, how to pray for loved ones? The article is dedicated to just that.
What is the gospel?
In translation from Greek, the word "gospel" means "good news". Indeed, these four books, written by the apostles, bring good news to the world. People are set free and saved from death and sin. The Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, has come into the world.
The gospel tells us about the birth, life, teaching and death of Christ. By His terrible and shameful death, for those times, the Lord saved the human race. Why did He do it? Why did he need it? By great love for people.
The Son of God knew that He would be betrayed. He also knew that he would have to endure betrayal, torment and death. He must have been scared as a common man. It was not for nothing that the Lord prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking the Heavenly Father for deliverance from a terrible fate.
But not as I want, but as You.
How do you need to love to know everything in advance, and still take this step? The Savior knew that he would be betrayed. And he did not refuse the salvation of the human race.
His entire earthly journey is described in the Gospel.
How to read the Gospel?
What are the prayers for neighbor in Orthodoxy? More on this later. Now about the most important thing - reading the Gospel. We offer detailed, so to speak, instructions on this matter.
- The gospel must be on the shelf with Orthodox books and prayer books. It is unacceptable to keep it together with ordinary literature.
- Before you start reading, it is advisable to light a candle in front of the icons.
It all starts with the opening prayer:
Come, let us worship the King of our God;
Come, let us bow down and fall down before Christ the King our God;
Come, let us bow down and fall down before Christ the King himself and our God.
- These prayers are read with a bow from the waist after each of them. That is only three bows.
- After that, we start reading the Gospel. With attention and reverence, reading intowords and trying to understand them.
- After reading the chapter, close the book.
- We overshadow ourselves with the sign of the cross with the words:
Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.
After this, a prayer is carried out for the salvation of neighbors when reading the Gospel. More on that in the next section.
How to pray for others
We read the Gospel. Everyone did the right thing. And now we can read the prayer for our neighbor in our own words. How is it done?
The following words are spoken:
Save, O Lord, and have mercy on Your servants: (names are listed).
After listing the names of those you are praying for, ask for help in your own words.
Important to know
In Orthodoxy, prayers for neighbors are offered only when these neighbors are baptized. That is, you can simply pray for the unbaptized. But praying for them according to the Gospel is not worth it. It is best to consult a priest on this matter. He will give a more accurate answer, is it possible to commemorate unbaptized people in the Gospel.
How we pray for loved ones
In general, every Orthodox Christian is obliged to pray for the he alth and repose of their neighbors every morning. In the prayer book, if you open the section of morning prayers, you can see at the end a prayer for the he alth of your neighbors. More precisely, about he alth and repose, to be precise. In these prayers, our parents, relatives, bosses, mentors and benefactors are commemorated. For them we pray to God.
It is useful to submit notes about he alth and repose at the Liturgy. This is done in the templebefore morning service. Notes can be submitted in the evening, they will be read in the morning. If the note is custom-made, then it is read at the altar and a Particle is taken out for each person. If it is simple, then it does not go to the altar. It is read simply by ministers.
Orthodox prayer for neighbor is a powerful thing if the petitioner prays with faith and with all his heart.
Can I pray for the help of a loved one?
When someone dear to us needs help, we rush to provide it. But what if there is no such possibility? What is impossible for man is possible for God. A prayer for helping your neighbor will surely be heard if you ask from the bottom of your heart.
How to pray? The simplest and most well-known prayer is "Our Father". Do you know one? If not, here is the text:
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.
And ask, persistently ask in your own words for help for a loved one. How to do it? It's simple:
Lord, help Thy servant (name).
Not necessarily that way. As it is in your heart, say so. How do children ask their parents for something? So you and I must run to the Lord and ask. Childishly sincere and trusting.
Prayer for the salvation of the soul
Every Orthodox Christian wants his loved ones to be saved. both alive anddeceased. Is there a prayer for the salvation of the soul of a neighbor? Let's go back to the prayer book. Let's open the section of morning prayers and get to its end. There we will see a prayer for he alth:
Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual father (name), my parents (names), relatives, bosses, mentors, benefactors and all Orthodox Christians.
We read it and remember all our loved ones, we ask for their salvation. As well as when reading the Gospel, we pray for the salvation and mercy of our living loved ones.
As for the dead, in the same prayer book there is a prayer for them:
God rest, Lord, the souls of your departed servants: my parents (names), relatives and all Orthodox Christians.
These two prayers for the neighbor, or rather for the salvation of the souls of others, are the simplest and shortest. For the repose of any Orthodox Christian, you can pray like this:
Remember, Lord our God, in the faith and hope of the belly of the eternal reposed of Your servant, our brother (name), and as Good and Humanitarian, forgive sins, and consume iniquity, weaken, leave and forgive all his free sins and involuntarily, 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 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, Orthodoxy even until the last breath of confession.live and do not sin. But Thou art One, apart from all sin, and Thy righteousness, righteousness 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.
The living and the dead are commemorated while reading the Ps alter. Usually one kathisma is read daily. The kathisma is divided into three glories. The first is read about the he alth of loved ones, the second - about repose, the third - about benefactors, mentors. In general, about all relatives and friends, but not relatives by blood.
Here we will make an amendment: praying according to the Ps alter, as well as according to the Gospel, is possible only for baptized and churched people. Commemoration of suicides, magicians, people leading the wrong way of life is excluded.
Holy Mother of God, save us
The Mother of God is our Helper. And we can resort to Her, asking for help, like to Mom. Pray to Her with an open mind and with all your heart. Prayers to the Mother of God for neighbors are very important. If we feel the need to pray for this or that loved one, then this is what his soul asks for.
Don't be afraid to ask the Virgin Mary for help. Dare and trust in Her mercy.
First Prayer: O Most Holy Lady Lady Mother of God! Raise us, servant of God (names), from the depths of sin and deliver us from sudden death and from all evil. Grant, Madam, peace and he alth to us and enlighten our minds and eyes of the heart, even to salvation, and vouchsafe us, Thy sinful servants, the Kingdom of Thy Son, Christ our God: for His power is blessed with the Father and His Most Holy Spirit.
Prayer two: Holy Virgin, Mother of the Lord, show me, we are poor, and the servants of God (names) of Your ancient mercy: send down the spirit of reason and piety, the spirit of mercy and meekness, the spirit of purity and truth. Hey, Lady Pure! Be merciful to me here and at the Last Judgment. Thou art, Mistress, the glory of heaven and the hope of the earth. Amen.
Third Prayer: Immaculate, Neblazny, Imperishable, Most Pure, Bride of God, Mother of God Mary, Lady of the World and My Hope! Look upon me, a sinner, at this hour, and from Your pure blood unskillfully gave birth to the Lord Jesus Christ, be merciful to me, make Your motherly prayers; That ripe one is condemned and wounded with a weapon of sadness in the heart, wound my soul with Divine love! Togo, in chains and reproach, the highlander mourned, grant me tears of contrition; with the free passage of that to death, the soul was seriously ill, free me from illnesses, but I glorify Thee, worthy of glory forever. Amen.
Fourth Prayer: Zealous intercessor, compassionate Mother of the Lord! I resort to You, accursed and most sinful person above all: heed the voice of my prayer, and hear my cry and groaning. Like my iniquity, having surpassed my head, and I, like a ship in the abyss, I plunge into the sea of my sins. But You, All-good and Merciful Lady, do not despise me, desperate and perishing in sins; have mercy on me, who repents of my evil deeds, and turn my erring, accursed soul to the right path. On You, my Lady Mother of God, I place all my hope. You, Mother of God, save and keep me under Your shelter, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.
Fifth prayer:Most Holy Lady Theotokos, the one pure in soul and body, the one who exceeded all purity, chastity and virginity, the one who completely became the abode of the entire grace of the Holy Spirit, the most immaterial forces here still incomparably surpassed the purity and holiness of soul and body, look at me vile, impure soul and the body of the filthy passions of my life, cleanse my passionate mind, make immaculate and well-order my wandering and blind thoughts, put my feelings in order and guide them, free me from the evil and vile habit that torments me to impure prejudices and passions, stop every sin acting in me, grant sobriety and prudence to my darkened and cursed mind to correct my creeps and falls, so that, freed from sinful darkness, I would be able to boldly glorify and hymn you, the only Mother of the true Light - Christ, our God; because every invisible and visible creature blesses and glorifies you alone with Him and in Him, now, and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
Sixth Prayer: O Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Lord Vyshnyago, Intercessor and Protector of all who resort to You! Look from the height of Your saints on me, a sinner (name), falling to Your pure image; hear my warm prayer and bring it before your Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; implore Him to illuminate my gloomy soul with the light of His Divine grace, may it deliver me from all need, sorrow and illness, may it send me a quiet and peaceful life, bodily and spiritual he alth, may the suffering heart diemine and heal his wounds, guide me to good deeds, cleanse my mind from vain thoughts, teach me the fulfillment of His commandments, save me from eternal torment, and may not deprive me of His Kingdom of Heaven. O Holy Mother of God! You, "Joy of All Who Sorrow", hear me, the mournful; You, called "Assuagement of Sorrow", quench my sorrow as well; You, "Burning Kupino", save the world and all of us from the harmful fiery arrows of the enemy; You, "Seeker of the Lost", do not let me perish in the abyss of my sins. On Tya, according to Bose, all my hope and hope. Be my Intercessor in my temporary life, and about eternal life before Your Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Intercessor. Teach me to serve that with faith and love, but to you, Most Holy Mother of God, Blessed Mary, reverently honor until the end of my days. Amen.
Love your neighbor as yourself
This is the commandment of Jesus Christ. Let's start by answering the question: "Do we love ourselves?" Hardly. For if they loved, they lived in a completely different way. There is such a wonderful phrase: as we live, so we pray. As we pray, so we live.
How do we live? In pursuit of worldly goods. We just don't have enough: money, clothes, food. We strive for more and more, grasping with both hands. And we do not pay attention to our neighbors. We have no patience for them, no compassion, no love.
Is there a prayer for love of neighbor? When love grows cold, then we forget what help and support in relation to others is. With the cooling of love for neighbors, one canpray to the apostle John - the Theologian:
O great apostle, loud-voiced evangelist, most elegant theologian, seer of inexpressible revelations, virgin and beloved confidante of Christ John! Receive us, sinners, who come running under your strong intercession. Ask the All-Generous Lover of mankind Christ our God, even before your eyes His Blood for us, His indecent servants, poured out there, may He not remember our iniquities, but may He have mercy on us and do with us by His mercy: may He grant us he alth of soul and body, all prosperity and abundance, instructing us to turn it to the glory of Him, the Creator, Savior and our God, at the end of our temporal life from merciless torturers in air ordeals, let us deliver us, and so let us reach, with you leading and covering, Jerusalem on the mountain, You have seen his glory in revelation, now you enjoy endless joys. Oh great John! Save all the cities and countries of Christianity, this temple, those who serve and pray in it, from hunger, destruction, cowardly and flood, fire and sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare; deliver us from all misfortune and misfortune, and with your prayers turn away the righteous wrath of God from us, and ask His mercy for us, that together with you we will be able to glorify the most holy name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Or turn to our venerable intercessor, Seraphim of Sarov. This saint is known for his feat. He stood on a rock praying for the people for a thousand days. He ate simple crackers and reached such heights that he fed these crackersbrown bear coming to him.
To anyone who visited the reverend, he addressed "my joy." Let us ask the saint to give us love for our neighbors:
Oh, wonderful Father Seraphim, the great miracle worker of Sarov, quick-obedient helper to all who resort to you! In the days of your earthly life, no one is thin and inconsolable from you when you leave, but for everyone in the sweetness there was a vision of your face and a benevolent voice of your words. To this, the gift of healing, the gift of insight, the gift of weak souls of healing is abundant in you. When God has called you from earthly labors to heavenly rest, no more than your love has ceased from us, and it is impossible to count your miracles, multiplied like the stars of heaven; behold, to all the ends of our earth, you are the people of God and grant them healing. The same and we cry out to you: oh, quiet and meek servant of God, bold to pray to Him, never call on you! Lift up your pious prayer for us to the Lord of strength, may it grant us all that is useful in this life and all that is useful for spiritual salvation, may it protect us from sinful falls and teach us true repentance, in a hedgehog, without fail, enter us into the eternal Kingdom of Heaven, even if you now shine in glory beyond your reach, and there to sing with all the saints the Life-Giving Trinity forever and ever. Amen.
Let's turn to St. Silouan of Athos. The future saint comes from the Tambov province. Born in 1866 to a family of illiterate peasants. From childhood he was hardworking, helping his father in the field. Parents, although they were poor, warmly treated the needy. They were hospitable, sharingsometimes the last. Silouan (in the world Simeon) gravitated towards the monastic life. The father, worried about the haste of his decision, insisted that the future saint try himself in military service. Reverend Silouan agreed. Thoughts about monasticism faded into the background, for his worldly life dragged on.
After the service, the future saint returned home, said goodbye to his family and went to Mount Athos. He lived there for many years, laboring and praying. Reposed in 1938.
O wonderful servant of God, Father Silouan! By the grace given to you by God, pray tearfully for the whole universe - the dead, the living and the future - do not be silent for us to the Lord, who diligently fall to you and tenderly ask for your intercession (names). Move, O all-blessed, to prayer the Zealous Intercessor of the Christian race, the Most Blessed Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, miraculously calling you to be a faithful worker in Her earthly garden, where the chosen one of God is merciful and long-suffering for our sins, they beg God to be, in a hedgehog not to remember our iniquities and iniquities but by the unspeakable goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ, have compassion and save us by His great mercy. She, the servant of God, with the Most Blessed Lady of the World - the Most Holy Abbess of Athos and the holy ascetics of Her earthly lot, ask the saints for the most holy Word of the holy Mount Athos and her God-loving hermit from all the troubles and slanders of the enemy in the world will be preserved. Yes, we deliver the Angels from evil with the Holy Spirit and strengthen us with the Holy Spirit in faith and brotherly love, until the end of the age about the Ones, Saints, Councils and Apostles of the Church, they pray to everyonethe path of salvation is indicated, and the Church on Earth and in Heaven unceasingly glorifies the Creator and Father of Lights, enlightening and illuminating the world in the eternal truth and goodness of God. Ask the people of the whole earth for a prosperous and peaceful life, the spirit of humility and brotherly love, good-nature and salvation, the spirit of the fear of God. May not malice and lawlessness harden human hearts, which can destroy the love of God in men and overthrow them into godly enmity and fratricide, but in the power of Divine love and truth, as if in heaven and on earth, hallowed be the name of God, may His holy will be done in men and may peace and the Kingdom of God reign on earth. So also for your earthly Fatherland - ask for the land of Russia, servant of God, longed-for peace and heavenly blessing, covered in a hedgehog by the all-powerful omophorion of the Mother of God, get rid of hunger, destruction, coward, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare and from all visible enemies and invisible, and thus the most holy house of the Most Blessed Mother of God until the end of the century, he will remain, the Life-Giving Cross by power, and in the love of God, the inexhaustible be affirmed. But for all of us, plunging into the darkness of sins and repentance of warmth, below the fear of God and not having the Lord who loves us immensely, incessantly offending us, ask, about all-blessedness, from our All-Generous God, that with His Almighty divine grace He will visit and revive our souls, and all malice and let the pride of life, despondency and carelessness in our hearts be abolished. We also pray for the hedgehog and us, strengthened by the grace of the All-Holy Spirit and warmed by the love of God, in philanthropy and brotherly love, humblecrucified for one another and for all, to be established in the truth of God and in the grace-filled love of God to be well-strengthened, and son-loving Him draw near. Yes, so, doing His all holy will, in all piety and purity of temporal life, we will shamelessly pass the path and with all the saints of the Kingdom of Heaven and His Lamb marriage we will be honored. To him, from all earthly and heavenly things, may there be glory, honor and worship, with His Beginningless Father, His Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen
This prayer is read, asking for the bestowal of love for one's neighbor. And most importantly, turn to the Lord. Ask Him to grant this love. Treat in faith, cry out in your mind your petition.
How to pray for your neighbor in difficult times?
There are different circumstances in life. And sometimes they affect our loved ones. We cannot always help, but we can pray for relatives who are in a difficult situation.
If a person is your relative, then you can pray for him to the Blessed Virgin Mary:
Blessed Lady, take my family under Your protection. Instill in the hearts of my husband and our children peace, love and non-contradiction to everything good; do not allow anyone from my family to separation and a difficult parting, to premature and sudden death without repentance. And save our house and all of us living in it from fiery ignition, thieves' attack, every evil situation, various insurance and devilish obsession. Yes, and we are together and separately, obviously andWe will secretly glorify Your Holy name always, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen
There is a prayer called "Cry to the Mother of God". Read it:
What to pray to You, what to ask of You? You see everything, you know Itself, look into my soul and give her what she needs. You, who have endured everything, overcome everything, you will understand everything. You, who raised the Child in a manger and accepted Him with Your hands from the Cross, You alone know the whole height of joy, all the oppression of grief. You, who received the whole human race as an adoption, look at me with maternal care. Lead me from the shadows of sin to Your Son. I see a tear that irrigated Your face. It is over me that You shed it, and let it wash away the traces of my sins. Here I have come, I am standing, I am waiting for Your response, oh Mother of God, oh All-Singing, oh Lady! I don't ask for anything, I just stand before You. Only my heart, a poor human heart, exhausted in anguish for truth, I throw at Your clean feet, Lady! May all who call upon You reach the eternal day with You and bow down before You face to face.
And of course, when praying for your neighbor, do not forget to ask for him in your own words and with all your heart.
Praying at home
When loved ones need prayer support, you can take on the feat of reading an akathist for one or another neighbor who especially needs help. Akathists are good because they are read at home.
Which akathist to choose? You can turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pray, for example, before the image of "Joy of All Who Sorrow", "Tenderness", "Guide of Sinners". Important to remember,that the Mother of God is one, despite the abundance of Her icons. And she gives help, but not an icon. Through the icon, the Virgin Mary sends us help.
Love Our Lady of Kazan? Pray to her. In general, you can read an akathist before any icon. The main thing is our faith with which we ask for help.
Do you want to pray to any saint? Please read the Akathist to Matrona of Moscow, Xenia of Petersburg, Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov, Nicholas the Wonderworker. To any saint you especially love.
How best to read an akathist? This is desirable to coordinate with the priest. How he will bless: every other day or every day.
Praying in the temple
Prayer for your neighbor in the temple is good because it is common. Where two or three are gathered in the name of God, there the Lord is with them.
How to pray in the temple? At the Liturgy, the priest commemorates the living and the dead, taking out special particles for them from special breads. You can submit a registered note for loved ones, both living and deceased. This note is read at the altar, and a particle will be taken out for your family.
Or you can just list all your loved ones mentally when there is a prayer. And ask God to help them.
It's good to file for the he alth and repose of Magpie. You can serve prayers for the living, and memorial services for the dead.
No money at all, except for the cheapest candle? Place it in front of the Crucifixion or the icon of the Savior, and pray from the bottom of your heart. God sees all our, even the smallest sacrifices. Ask for help from the bottom of your heart. Turn mentally to the Savior in your own words. It is not necessary to invent something, as lies on the heart,so you say. Make a bow before the Crucifixion or an icon, collect your thoughts and ask, ask, ask.
Who can't submit notes for?
For the unbaptized, first of all. For suicides - in any case. For those who have changed their faith (apostates). For babies killed in the womb, since they are not baptized. For people leading a prodigal lifestyle.
For more details about who can and cannot apply for notes, it is better to ask in the church shop. They will explain how to write them correctly.
Summarizing
In this large and long article, we have analyzed what prayer for one's neighbor is. Let's highlight the main aspects.
- For the he alth of the baptized, believing loved ones, you can pray according to the Gospel and the Psalms.
- You can commemorate the baptized deceased loved ones in the Psalms.
- Seek help to the Blessed Virgin.
- Pray to the saints of God.
- Turn in prayer for your neighbor to our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Don't forget to pray in your own words as well.
- Read, with blessing, akathists. It can be an akathist to the Mother of God or a particularly revered saint.
- Visit the temple, submit notes about the he alth and repose of loved ones, order prayers and magpies, memorial services.
Conclusion
The reader now knows how to pray for their fellowmen. Who to ask for help. Resort to the Lord, the Most Holy Theotokos, the holy saints of the Lord. No time or energy to read prayers? Contact the way you can. Do you want mentally, do you want- aloud. Stand at home in front of the icons, light a candle, pray.
Is it possible to read a prayer or an akathist? Don't neglect her. Prayer is not superfluous. God, seeing our sincerity, will not leave us in trouble.
