When visiting the temple, many parishioners not only put candles in front of the images of the Savior and the saints, but also make church notes about he alth and repose. This is a special form of petition for people before the Lord. Such notes are read by the priest during the liturgy, which is why they have such a grace-filled power. A church note on he alth (a sample is presented in the article) is written according to certain canons.
Secret meaning
Permanent parishioners of temples know that notes on he alth can be submitted for a prayer service or proskomedia (consecration of the Gifts). You can ask the ministers of the church for a sample for writing them or familiarize yourself with it first. During the proskomidia, which is the first part of the liturgy, the clergyman takes out 9 particles from a large prosphora in memory of the Lamb, the Blessed Virgin, the prophets, the apostles, all the saints, as well as the departed and the living. During this sacred ceremony, the priest also reads out the names of the people depicted in the note of he alth. After that, the priest puts the consecrated particles into a chalice (a special bowl for communion) with wine, symbolizing the blood of Christ. For this reason, he alth notes submitted for proskomedia havespecial prayer power.
Similar petitions for granting he alth to relatives and friends can also be submitted for a prayer service. People's names are spoken out loud during prayers.
At the same time, the sample of he alth notes submitted for proskomedia does not differ from those that the priest reads during the prayer service.
Notes about he alth are best served before the Liturgy, so that the servants of the temple have time to pass it to the priest. If this did not work out, people dear to you will be prayed for at the next service.
Orthodox people try to regularly submit notes about the he alth of those who are sick and need help. For such people, you can submit a note for magpie - a prayer for the sick for 40 days.
Prayer for the dead
Equally important are the notes about the repose. To some extent, people who have left this world need more prayerful help than all those who are alive today. After all, no one knows what it is like for them in another, heavenly world. Few have time to confess and take communion, having died from a sudden death. Repose notes are an opportunity to make life easier for the newly deceased in another world completely unknown to us.
Where there are two, there I am
Prayer itself has amazing life-giving power. And where two or more people pray, the Lord himself abides. Therefore, it is so important to submit notes of repose for church services. Just like in the casewith notes on he alth, a parishioner can order a magpie, especially for a newly deceased Christian.
In many temples there is an opportunity to constantly pray for the deceased. This is the so-called note for eternal remembrance.
Who is the church praying for?
The Orthodox Church prays for all sinners, including those who lived in grave sins - fornication, adultery, drunkenness. For the unbaptized, now living, you can also submit notes for individual prayers (for example, to the martyr Huar). It is impossible to write such a petition to the proskomedia - for the consecration of gifts, notes are submitted only with the names of the baptized, faithful to the Lord. History testifies that St. John of Kronstadt prayed even for heterodox Catholics and Muslims, as a result of which they were healed.
You can not submit notes about the unbaptized deceased. After all, this is a kind of violence against the soul of a person who has decided to live outside of Christ. It is also impossible to submit notes about babies who died before they had time to be baptized. You can pray for them in front of the icon, mention the name of the child to yourself during the prayer service. But this does not mean that in another world it will be worse for them. They are angels who have not committed sin, so even unbaptized babies have a special place in Paradise.
Who can't submit notes for?
The exception is suicides - those who refused the gift of God - their lives. Unfortunately, the church does not bury such people and does not pray for them.
Many are outraged by the fact that for the souls of those who deprived others of life, the churchprays and even sings a funeral service, while suicides find themselves outside the grace of God. We need to try to look at this situation from a different, purely Orthodox side: what pushes a person to such a truly courageous act (after all, a sense of self-preservation is inherent in all living on earth)? Usually a person wants to die at the moment when he no longer sees the meaning of his existence. In other words, he is in the deepest depression, or despondency, which is a great sin before the Lord. Those who do not believe in His miraculous power and omnipotence, who rely only on themselves, are discouraged. Thus, a person opposes his, in fact, insignificant essence to the image of the Eternal Lord, who created everything in this world. And since he opposes, it means that he puts himself on a par with the One whom he is simply unworthy because of his sinfulness. And if a person after a committed murder has the opportunity to repent of such a grave sin and suffer many years of penance (obedience to the priest), then the suicide is doomed to eternal torment beyond repentance and humility.
That's why it's so important to be "poor in spirit"; trust in the Lord and His Divine Providence, and not only in their own strength. Man is inherently powerless, and only in the hands of God is his life. Therefore, all life's obstacles and hardships that come our way must be overcome with humility and gratitude. The Lord will never give a man more than he can endure and endure. After all, it is not for nothing that people say that “everything that is done is for the better” and “there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped.”
Sample registered he alth note
Arriving at the temple, in the church shop you need to ask for a sheet for a note. In some churches, these are ready-made forms of he alth notes with empty fields for names. In some churches (for example, rural ones), the parishioner will have to completely fill out the sheet himself. You can ask the ministers of the church for a sample of notes on he alth if you doubt the correctness of its writing.
At the very top, in the center, you need to draw an Orthodox, eight-pointed cross of 3 crossbars. Then the name "About he alth" is written. The line below begins to enter names in the genitive case. The sample he alth notes should contain only those names with which these people were baptized. For example, they will pray for Ivan as for John, for Julia - as Juliana, etc. If a person is currently sick, you can mention this in the note of “sick Matthew”. Children under the age of 7 are referred to as babies (before this age they receive communion without confession, as they are considered sinless).
He alth notes (sample below) containing names
priests should also contain the dignity of a priest, for example, "Priest Peter". Moreover, the names of the clergy should be at the very beginning of the note.
This note should have no more than 10 names. If you wish to pray for the he alth of more people, write their names on separate sheets.
Keep Your Name
It is necessary to correctly indicate the name of the one for whom the clergy and their flock will pray. itshould be the name given to the person at baptism. Usually it coincides with the one we call relatives and friends in everyday life - Alexander, Irina, Vasily, Barbara, etc. But there are names that, under the influence of certain historical events, have acquired a slightly different sound. Sometimes it is difficult to recognize their original appearance - Jan from John, Polina from Appolinarius. Separate names do not occur at all in the Orthodox calendar. In such cases, a person is usually given a name similar in sound, for example, Ruslan will be christened as Roman, Arina will be called Irina in baptism, etc. It is best to first ask your relatives and relatives about their Orthodox name in order to correctly fill out a sample of he alth notes.
How to write a death note?
About the repose is written according to the same pattern with the corresponding name. To mention people who have passed away no later than 40 days, you can use the word "newly deceased." Those who became victims are referred to as "killed."
After all the names they write "with deceased relatives", which means "with other deceased relatives".
Family Book
In those families where the issue of faith and spiritual salvation is especially reverent, special books called commemorative books are often found. They contain the names of living and deceased relatives and relatives, the days of memory of the saints in whose honor they were baptized. Such books are served during worship. You can buy it at any church store. It is necessary to store the commemorative on the lower shelves of the iconostasis - behind the images ornext to candles and liturgical books.
Thus, a note about he alth and repose is an important point in a Christian's concern for his neighbor. Prayer for relatives and loved ones will be heard, because the Lord always stays where two or more people pray for one thing. And you can take samples of notes on he alth and repose from the servants of the temple.
