Should I ask the Lord to help other people? Of course. And at the same time, you should not be limited to the circle of your relatives, relatives or friends. You can also pray for those who are unfamiliar, even for those who cause hostility.
Is praying for another person a kind of spiritual charity? Many clergy believe so, and draw analogies with the distribution of food, cash and clothing to those in need.
When is it necessary to pray for another person
Of course, there are no restrictions regarding when and how a prayer for another person can be read. You can ask for help not for yourself, but for someone who needs it, from the saints or the Lord under any circumstances. Prayer does not need to wait until a person has trouble. If there is an intuitive desire to ask the Almighty for mercy and help for someone, this should be done without hesitation.
Traditionally, prayer for anothera person is read if there are any problems in his life, discord in the family, misfortune, illness. They also pray for those who are prone to harmful passions - alcoholism, gambling, drug addiction or otherwise. In addition, you need to pray for those who seem to be doing well in life, but the people themselves are far from God, sinful, petty, fussy, angry, swaggering. And of course, you need to pray for people who, due to life circumstances, for example, a serious illness, cannot do this on their own.
What prayers for others are called
Prayer for another person is intercessory. This type of appeal to the saints and the Lord is a kind of supplication.
From time immemorial, intercessory prayers have been lifted up by believers for the well-being and he alth of loved ones and relatives. Mothers asked for their children, wives for their husbands. Often people turned to monks and priests with a request to pray for those who are dear to them.
How such prayers are read
Say such a prayer should be the same as any other. This means that you need to read the text sincerely, from a pure heart, without hidden intentions and without flaunting your action in anticipation of approval or praise. Prayer for loved ones or unfamiliar people is read in the same way as for oneself.
When praying for others, a believer not only takes care of his loved ones or strangers, but also strengthens his own spirit. When a person shows concern not for his own well-being, butthinks about the needs of those who are nearby, he is spiritually cleansed.
A special aura forms around such people, they seem to radiate participation, kindness. In other words, one who remembers in prayers not only about his own needs, gains grace, saves his soul from harmful passions and sins. Of course, if the prayer is sincere.
When it is customary to pray for others in church services
In the Orthodox Church tradition, it is customary to ask John Chrysostom and, of course, St. Basil the Blessed at the liturgies for other people.
At St. Basil's service they ask:
- about priests;
- monk;
- church workers;
- hermits;
- government officials;
- military and law enforcement officials.
Before the revolution, this liturgy was used to pray for the king. At the service of John Chrysostom, it is customary to read out separate petitions. As a rule, priests pray for the he alth of babies, the well-being of families, the return to the bosom of the church of those who have fallen away from it, for everyone whose names are forgotten and, of course, for those in need. Submitting a note in the temple about praying for he alth, the believer will hear a mention of a person close to him in the service of John Chrysostom.
What kind of prayers can be? Text examples
You can pray for the needs and well-being of other people both in your own words and using ready-made texts. When choosing the words of a prayer, it is important to pay attentionattention to nuances such as easy pronunciation and clarity.
The disadvantage of ancient texts is that many of the words mentioned in them have long gone out of everyday use. They are not particularly clear to modern people, in addition, they are quite difficult to remember and pronounce. Accordingly, using such texts, a person involuntarily concentrates not on praying at all, but on whether he pronounces the words correctly and whether he remembers their order correctly. This completely devalues the prayer, effectively turning it into something akin to a magic spell.
Prayer to Nicholas the Wonderworker for another person can be like this: “Nikolai the Pleasant, father! The great intercessor in all the aspirations and worries of the world, delivering from weakness and ailment! I beg you for help not for myself, but for a slave (name of a person). Help him, Nicholas the Wonderworker, father, in all his affairs and undertakings, resolve his worries and endow his mind with clarity, and thoughts with purity. Grant kindness to his heart and breadth to his soul. Strengthen his spirit and deliver him from the intrigues of demons, from the machinations of enemies. Amen"
Prayer for their children, read by mothers to the Mother of God, can be like this: “Blessed Mother of God! As you did not leave me, a slave (proper name), without participation and mercy, so take care of my children. Comfort them in their sorrows and share their joys with them. Don't let me experience sickness and sorrow. Guide my children in the life and save them from all kinds of misfortunes and troubles. Amen"
