Reverend Elder Seraphim of Sarov was an extraordinary man of prayer and a humble guardian of God's laws. Until now he is wise teacher and a mentor for many Orthodox laity. His prayer rule acts every minute on those who fulfill it with true zeal, who truly believe in Jesus Christ and the Mother of God. Many prayers are also offered to Seraphim of Sarov himself, so that he will help in overcoming difficulties and protect from various troubles. The days of his memory are celebrated Orthodox Church January 15 - when the priest appeared before the Lord, and August 1 - the day of the discovery of the holy relics.

The childhood of Seraphim of Sarov

The proposed prayer rule was literally developed by the elder himself, who had to endure and endure a lot. And only by the will of God to remain alive. Even the Devil himself once became the tempter of Seraphim of Sarov, but more on that later.

So, Prokhor Moshnin (that was his name in the world) was born on July 19, 1754 (or 1759) in Kursk into the Moshnin merchant family. His father was involved in various construction contracts, including the construction of churches.

Today in Kursk there is a preserved church - Sergiev-Kazansky Cathedral, which the father of Seraphim of Sarov began to build, but he soon died, and his wife took over the management of the church’s construction affairs. Prokhor once found himself at a construction site with his mother and accidentally, through a childish prank, fell from a high bell tower. However, to the surprise of everyone, he remained alive, since God had prepared a completely different fate for him. Today in this temple, in this very place, there is a monument to the Reverend Father Seraphim of Sarov.

Boyhood

From a young age, Prokhor tried to follow the prayer rule for the laity. He often attended church services and learned to read and write. He often read the books Lives of the Saints and the Gospel aloud to his peers. When he became very ill, his mother put his head to the icon of the Sign Holy Mother of God- and the boy received healing from her. Soon, the very young Prokhor wanted to become a novice in a monastery. Birth mother she blessed him and gave him a crucifix, which he never parted with all his life. Today it is kept by the nuns in the Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery.

Monasticism

Soon Prokhor makes a pilgrimage to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. There he receives the blessing of Elder Dosifei to serve and goes to the Holy Dormition. Upon Prokhor's arrival at the monastery, Father Pachomius assigned him a confessor - Elder Joseph. Prokhor fulfilled all his duties with great pleasure and diligence and read the prayer rule with great diligence.

Then, following the example of other monks, he wanted to retire to the forest for this. Elder Joseph blessed him for this.

After some time, the young novice began to suffer from dropsy. The illness did not let him go for a long time, but he did not want to see doctors and completely surrendered to the will of God. And then one night after communion, he saw the Mother of God and She poked him in the side with her staff and the liquid immediately flowed out of it. From that moment Prokhor began to recover.

Enoch

After eight years of staying in the Sarov monastery, Prokhor becomes a monk with the name Seraphim. He began to live in a cell located in the forest not far from the monastery. It was then that he became involved in monastic feats, in particular physical ones, since he wore the same clothes both in summer and in winter. He obtained his meager food in the forest, since he mostly kept a fast. He slept little, spending time in constant prayer and fulfilling the daily prayer rule, rereading the Gospel and patristic writings.

He achieved such spiritual development that at church services he more than once saw Holy Angels helping the ministry. And once I even saw Jesus Christ himself, who entered the image at the Royal Doors. After such visions, Seraphim of Sarov prayed even more intensely. With the blessing of the abbot of the monastery, Father Isaiah, he decides on a new feat - he goes several kilometers into a deserted forest cell. He comes to the monastery to receive communion only on Saturdays.

Tests

At the age of 39 he becomes a hieromonk. Father Seraphim devotes himself almost entirely to prayer and can even lie motionless for a long time. Over time, again with the blessing of the abbot of the monastery, it stopped accepting visitors, the path to it was almost overgrown, only wild animals, whom he loved to treat with bread, could wander there.

The Devil did not like such exploits of Father Seraphim. He decided to send robbers against him, who came to him and began to demand money from the poor old man. These uninvited guests beat Father Seraphim almost to death. He was strong enough to repel them, but decided not to shed blood, since he lived according to the commandments and his faith in the Lord was strong. They did not find any money from him, and therefore, ashamed, they went home. The brethren were simply shocked when they saw the wounded priest. But the elder did not need a doctor, since the Queen of Heaven Herself healed him, Once again appearing to him in a dream.

Hermitage

After several months, Father Seraphim returned to his desert cell. During 15 years of hermitage, he was constantly in the thought of God and for this he was gifted with the gift of clairvoyance and miracles. When the priest became very weak from old age, he returned to the monastery and began to receive visitors, whom he treated with great respect and addressed only as “My Joy.”

It is thanks to Seraphim of Sarov that we have a short prayer rule that gives everyone the opportunity Orthodox Christian always and at any moment be closer to God.

His real brainchild was Diveevsky, the development of which was inspired by the Mother of God herself.

Before his death, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov took communion and, kneeling before his beloved icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness,” departed in peace to the Lord. This happened in 1833.

The canonization of the holy relics of Sarov took place on August 1, 1903. Russian Tsar Nicholas II took part in this process.

Seraphim of Sarov asked his spiritual children to pray tirelessly, believing that they needed prayer like air. He said that you need to pray both in the morning and in the evening, before and after work, and at any time. However, it is difficult for ordinary parishioners to read all the necessary numerous prayers; not everyone has enough time for this task due to the constant bustle and busyness of life. That is why, in order for people to sin less, special short prayer rules of Seraphim of Sarov appeared.

Morning and evening prayer rules

These prayers do not require any special effort or work. But, according to the saint, it is precisely these rules that will become a kind of anchor that reliably holds back the ship of life on the raging waves of everyday problems. By following these rules daily, you can achieve high spiritual development, since prayer is the main essence foundations of Christianity.

The morning prayer rule says that every believer, waking up in the morning, must first cross himself three times and in a certain place in front of the icons read the prayer “Our Father” three times, “Hail Mary” three times and the “Creed” once. And then you can calmly begin your business. During the day, you also need to periodically turn to God with the prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” If there are people around, then say the words: “Lord have mercy.”

Rule of Seraphim of Sarov

And so on until lunch, and before it you need to repeat the morning prayer rule exactly. Reading after lunch short prayer“Blessed Virgin Mary, save me, a sinner.” This prayer must be read periodically until the evening. In solitude from everyone, read “Lord Jesus Christ, Mother of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

At the end of the day, the evening prayer rule is read. The text of his prayers absolutely coincides with the morning ones. And then, having been baptized three times, you can go to bed. This is the prayer rule for beginners from the holy elder Seraphim of Sarov himself.

Designation of prayers

The Lord's Prayer is the word of the Lord, set by Him as a model. The prayer “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice” became the Archangel’s greeting to the Mother of God. The “Creed” prayer is already a dogma.

However, along with these prayers, it is necessary to say others, and it is also necessary to read the Gospel, canons of praise and akathists.

Our wise elder Seraphim advised that if, due to being very busy at work, it is not possible to read prayers with dignity, then this can be done while walking, and during any activity, even lying down. The main thing is to always remember his words: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Prophecies

The perspicacious old man could predict the future. So, he predicted war, revolution and the execution of Nicholas II and his family. He also predicted his own canonization. But the main thing is that he predicted the revival of Russia (starting in 2003), that despite all the severe suffering it would become a great power, since it was her Slavic people became the keeper of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is Russia that will become the world leader, many nations will submit to it, there will not be a stronger and more powerful state on Earth. Everything that Holy Father Seraphim of Sarov predicted certainly came true. And now we can only pray to God and the holy elder, so that this time all his prophecies will come true.

Every believer must be in contact with God every second of his existence. This should be his goal and daily work expressed in prayer. Many holy elders said that every appeal to the Creator should be accompanied by three prayers. The first is read as given by the Almighty, the second as gratitude to the Mother of God, and the third - for support in faith and Christian morals.

In order to make the path to God easier for believers, some holy people created special prayer rules that indicated when and where it was appropriate to read a particular prayer. Also, thanks to this list, one could find out how many times a day it is necessary to contact the Creator. Particular attention was paid to the days of church holidays and sacraments, requiring special spiritual preparation from the laity. The most famous is the prayer rule of Seraphim of Sarov for the laity, which we will tell you about today. In addition to this, in the article we will touch on some additional nuances of turning to God.

Prayerful work of the soul

Christianity takes daily prayer very seriously. The clergy instruct the flock, explaining to them that it is necessary to move towards God in small steps, but without stopping for a minute. You shouldn’t rush into reading immediately after baptism. religious books and actively attend all church services. This way you will not gain spiritual purity, but will only become confused in your feelings and sensations.

It is worth starting your movement towards God by studying the prayer rule, which will help you correctly put into words your spiritual impulse. Moreover, every church minister will say that you need to accustom yourself to prayer. Despite the daily rhythm of life, mood and fatigue, you need to force yourself to turn to God with gratitude and a request for protection. At first it will be quite difficult to do this, but gradually prayer will begin to bring joy and spiritual enlightenment.

At this stage, the believer can already say all the prayers from the prayer rule. And this work gives him an incredible feeling of unity with the Creator, who pushes him to further self-improvement. And over time, prayer begins to evoke such happiness that a special state of peace and tranquility descends on a person. Filled with such sensations, a believer can leave everyday activities in order to immediately turn to God.

It is precisely such religious feelings that push people to go to a monastery, because within its walls prayer takes on a completely different meaning - transformed into a single impulse of several souls, it becomes a real purification. Many holy elders say that it is for prayer that people go to the monastery. It becomes their reward, because with other ideas about God, few people will be able to endure the difficult everyday life of a monastery.

More than once in the article we have used such a phrase as “prayer rule.” Let's look at this church term in more detail.

Prayer rule for the laity: a brief description

Since it is quite difficult for lay people who have just come to faith to accustom themselves to daily prayer, special collections have been compiled that help to correctly calculate their strengths and turn to the Creator with a certain spiritual message.

Prayer rules were not invented overnight. Sometimes they were created by holy elders at the request of the laity, while others appeared in connection with various church rituals. Be that as it may, every Orthodox believer must adhere to certain regulations that allow him to cleanse himself as much as possible from everything worldly and vain in order to open his heart to his Creator.

Prayer rule of Seraphim of Sarov for the laity

It is worth noting that the holy elder considered communication with the Creator to be the first necessity for a Christian. It should be more important to him than food, water and air. No believer can imagine his life without prayer.

The elder himself spent most of his time in this activity and bequeathed such a pastime to his spiritual children. Sometimes he even demanded that his followers pray for many hours every day, and therefore he composed a rule for them to help them with their difficult spiritual work.

Morning

Seraphim of Sarov believed that the new day must be greeted with the sign of the cross and the fulfillment of the morning prayer rule. The elder argued that to pray, a Christian should stand near icons or in another place where nothing would distract him from communication with God.

The morning prayer rule includes three texts. Reading must be done in the following order:

• "Our Father";
• "Virgin Mother of God, rejoice";
• Symbol of faith.

Keep in mind that the first two texts must be read three times, but for the last prayer once is enough. After following the rules, a person can begin his daily activities and responsibilities.

Day

Seraphim of Sarov advised not to forget about the prayer rule during usual activities. In Russian, you can quietly read the Jesus Prayer. This allows you not to be distracted in your thoughts from communication with the Creator and makes it possible to correlate your thoughts with Christian virtues every second.

You should not start your lunch meal without repeating the morning ritual; only after it can you start eating.

Afternoon

According to the precepts of Seraphim of Sarov, an Orthodox believer cannot be distracted from prayer even after dinner. At this time it is better to read:

• “Lord Jesus Christ, through the Mother of God have mercy on me a sinner”;
• "Most Holy Mother of God, save me, a sinner."

The first of these texts is suitable for solitude, when you can completely surrender to turning to the Almighty. But the second one can be read while doing business until going to bed.

Prayers for evening time

Naturally, a Christian cannot calmly fall asleep without devoting time to his God. The evening prayer rule is identical to the morning one; all words must be said when you definitely will no longer be doing business. At the conclusion of the prayer, the believer makes the sign of the cross and can calmly go to bed.

It is interesting that it is customary for Christians to fall asleep only after turning to God, because in a dream a person can finish his life path, and there is nothing worse than appearing before the Creator unprepared. Therefore, believers end every day with prayer and repent of their sins. Only this characterizes the true relationship between the soul and the Almighty.

Communion: features of preparation

Communion is a special procedure that requires great labor and abstinence from the Orthodox. He must approach the sacrament prepared according to all the rules. They include a list of six points, which includes a prayer rule before Communion.

First of all, a Christian must keep himself physically and spiritually clean, and also observe fasting. Usually preparation for the sacrament lasts several days; on the evening before Communion it is necessary to take part in church service, and read a few prayers at night:

• penitential canon;
• prayer canon to the Mother of God;
• canon to the Guardian Angel;
• Follow-up to Holy Communion.

Do not forget that the listed texts are read several times in a row, and the Orthodox believer must be in an even mood and not harbor any grudges against anyone. Only in this state can one come to the sacrament.

Bright Week: the first days of Easter

Many Christians who have recently come to God are interested in the prayer rule for Bright Week. Lay people are often confused in the numerous rituals and ceremonies that accompany this or that church festival.

During this period, Christians must completely change the order of their previous prayers, because the prayer rule for Bright Week includes a fairly wide list of canons and chants. So, on the eve of the holiday (on the night of Easter), Orthodox Christians should read:

• Easter hours;
• "Christ is Risen";
• “Seeing the Resurrection of Christ”;
• Easter troparia;
• "Lord have mercy";
• "Christ is Risen" (again).

Keep in mind that the first song is sung for at least seven minutes. The Orthodox claim that during this time incredible grace descends on them. The second and third prayers are read three times, but the fifth must be said at least forty times.

From Easter to the Ascension of the Lord

Prayer Rule on Easter means to begin and end the day with the troparion of Easter. It is necessary to read it three times, but more times will not be a violation - such is the impulse of your soul in honor of the bright holiday.

Also, the prayer rule for Easter includes the Trisagion. This prayer must be read at least three times.

From Ascension to Trinity

If you are not good at church holidays, then keep in mind that all days from the beginning of Easter to Trinity are considered holidays. Therefore, special prayers are read during this period. Of course, if you start and end your day with the usual appeal to the Almighty out of ignorance, then this will not be a serious deviation from the rules. However, it is best to observe a special prayer rule after Easter.

Each holiday that comes, the order in which the prayers are read changes. We have already covered the period from Easter to Ascension in the previous section. Now we need to talk about the prayer rule after Easter until Trinity.

During this period, which lasts ten days, the troparia to the Mother of God and the “Heavenly King, the Comforter” are not read. There is also a ban on bowing to the ground. Every day the clergy recommend starting with the Trisagion.

Optina elders

Many believers have heard about the prayer rule of the Optina elders. However, not every Christian understands who these holy people are and how effective their advice is in this or that life situation. Therefore, we decided to tell you a little about the Optina elders themselves.

So, Optina Pustyn is one of the most ancient monasteries in Russia. It is located near the Kaluga province, and the first mention of it dates back to the time of Boris Godunov.

Of course, the main value of the monastery were its monks, who quickly began to be called elders. All of them were not ordinary people, but possessed a number of characteristics that, during their lifetime, placed them on the same level as recognized Orthodox saints.

The following characteristics can be safely attributed to the peculiarities of the Optina elders:

• The gift of healing or predicting the future. Almost every one of the elders had some kind of gift received from above. But most often these holy people predicted the future or healed seriously ill people. There are cases when they were even called sorcerers, but all their deeds were only with the blessing of God.
• Faith. Each of the elders stood firmly in faith no matter what happened in his life. This condition was one of the main ones for acceptance into the monastery, because only a true believer can help other people.
• Service. The entire life of the Optina elders was aimed at serving the Creator and the people. For them there was no concept of fatigue; everyone who needed help received it from the monks.
• Repentance for the sins of others. The fact is that the Optina elders took a vow of repentance for all Orthodox Christians in this world. People often came to the monastery for confession, talking about all their sins. The elders spent long hours atone for people’s misdeeds and then let them go with a pure soul and heart.

It is worth noting that people went to Optina Pustyn regardless of their social status and financial situation. And for every misfortune, the elders found words of consolation; they advised many pilgrims on certain prayer rules that turned out to be very effective.

Prayers from the Optina elders

The monks of the Optina Hermitage spent most of their time in prayer. Therefore, they had accumulated a sufficient number of prayer rules, which they shared with pilgrims.

For example, in the morning twenty-seven texts were required to be read. Among them we can especially highlight:

• Trisagion;
• Symbol of faith;
• prayer for the living;
• prayer for the dead;
• prayer to the Holy Trinity.

The Optina elders advised reading prayers once and in any order. The main attribute of turning to God is true faith and thirst for communication with the Almighty. Only in this case will prayer be effective and bring purification.

The monks of the Optina Hermitage shared prayer rules with pilgrims for any occasion. For example, in case of temptation it was necessary to read a psalm to David. And if you cannot attend church services for one reason or another, then you should read the following texts at home during the day:

• morning - twelve psalms, prayer to the Mother of God, daily akathist;
• evening prayer rule - the canon to the Guardian Angel, twelve psalms, chapters from the Gospel, the prayer “Loosen, leave”;
• for the coming sleep - the prayer “Everyday Confession”.

It is interesting that the Optina elders allowed some deviations from these regulations. They believed that, for certain reasons, the laity could become completely immersed in everyday affairs. This may be due to some serious problems or illness. However, after all problems are resolved, a Christian must return to his previous religious behavior and again devote time to communication with the Creator.

Conclusion

We hope that our article will be useful to you and you will be able to choose for yourself some kind of prayer rule that will gradually bring you closer to God. Of course, the prayers we have listed are not the only ones, and if desired, every Christian can find other religious texts, the reading of which will give him a feeling of grace and spiritual joy. Remember that it is this feeling that accompanies your daily appeal to the Almighty that indicates that you are doing the right thing and your prayer is heard. Many Christians consider it work, but in fact there is no greater joy than working with the name of God on your lips and for His glory. Don’t forget about daily prayer in the bustle of everyday life, and perhaps then the Lord will change your life.

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Hieromonk Sergius

Seraphim's rule (3 times “Our Father”; 3 times “Virgin Mother of God...”; 1 time “Creed”) It was intended to pray in individual cases, when for some reason it was not possible to read the full text. That is, as an exception.

In addition, Rev. Seraphim gave it to the Diveyevo sisters, who, being nuns, had the opportunity to visit often - more often than the laity.

- and this especially applies to prayer - is such that if you do not constantly force yourself, there will be no success. says that prayer requires constant self-compulsion, no matter what spiritual state a person is in, i.e. even the saints forced themselves to pray. It is labor that is valuable before. Constancy is important in work.

But there is another side to prayer. When a person constantly forces himself to do it, he suddenly discovers a special inner joy in the practice of prayer, so that at times he wants to give up everything for the sake of prayer. That is why there are people who go to monasteries. They go there for nothing other than prayer. And if prayer did not bring joy, it is unlikely that anyone would be able to stay there.

As for attention, which is truly the soul of prayer, it directly depends on the kind of life a person leads. He who leads an attentive life has attentive prayer. “The reason for the involuntary is arbitrary,” said the Fathers. An attentive life is when a person is attentive to everything that happens to him. First of all - inside him, and then around him: to all thoughts, experiences, desires, intentions. Every desire and every thought is compared with the Gospel: are they pleasing to God? - and leaves in the heart and mind only what is pleasing to God, expelling from there every manifestation of sin. It helps a lot to live an attentive life when a person has a spiritual father and can ask him what to do in a given situation, and can resolve various perplexities regarding spiritual life and external circumstances.

The saints of God were wise people. They understood that it is necessary to accustom a person to a pious life gradually: they do not pour new wine into old wineskins. Therefore, at first they gave their students small rules, and then they demanded greater severity. This is an indispensable law of spiritual life: forgetting what lies behind, reaching forward, as the apostle said.

They commanded short prayers as unceasing prayers so that the mind would not be distracted by many words and would maintain attention. Continuous Prayer is performed during some kind of deed, called obedience in the monastery, and work in the world. These short prayers, performed according to the commandment “pray without ceasing,” should not interfere, therefore, if the work is mental, prayer is abandoned at this time. The home rule was commanded individually, in accordance with the spiritual strength of the student. And worship, sometimes even for the laity, took considerable time. No wonder it was called an all-night vigil. The reductions began in the 19th century. On Mount Athos, services still last 13-14 hours.

In the daily whirlwind, it is difficult for us to carve out a piece of time to talk with the Almighty. But every true believer Christian tries to follow the righteous path, observing the prayer rule of Seraphim of Sarov.

The Monk Seraphim - known in the world as Prokhor, the son of the Kursk merchant Isidor Moshnin - became famous for his Orthodox deeds at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries. While still a novice in Sarov, young Prokhor experienced a severe illness (dropsy), from which the young man was healed, according to him, by the Mother of God herself, who appeared before him at night.

Even then, Prokhor was firm in his decision to serve the Lord, and his miraculous recovery only strengthened his faith.

At the age of 27, the young man became a monk and acquired his famous name Seraphim (Hebrew - “warmer”). Such a selfless monk was worth looking for in Rus'. Seraphim spent all his waking hours in prayer.

After the death of their spiritual superior, Father Pachomius, Seraphim and several other monks went into hermitage - they built a cell far from the bustle of the world and served there in the name of God for more than twelve years. The devil sent many temptations to the hermits, trying to destroy their faith and holiness. But adversity only gave strength to Seraphim and his brothers in sincere worship of the Heavenly Father.

The Mother of God and even the Almighty himself appeared to the monk more than once, and more than once he healed laymen who sought help from deadly ailments. Many prophecies of the holy elder remained as a legacy to descendants. But the main gift to all laity is undoubtedly the prayer rule that Seraphim of Sarov bequeathed to the people.

The covenant spread, according to church descriptions, when a woman came to Father Seraphim and asked how to pray correctly if there was too much work to do and there was absolutely no time to stand before the images and go to church every day. Parishioners repeatedly turned to the reverend with this question. He gave everyone the same instruction - to pray unceasingly from morning until the dead of night - and suggested which prayers were best to read.

Why do you need a prayer rule?

Among the people, the prayer rule is endowed with a special magical meaning. When analyzing how and to whom the rule is useful, it is important to know that there is a short set of prayers that St. Seraphim ordered the faithful to read, and the so-called Theotokos rule, which consists of repeated repetition of the prayer to Mother Theotokos.

Prayer rule of Seraphim of Sarov

“Having awakened from sleep and standing in a chosen place, everyone must protect himself with the sign of the cross and, standing in a chosen place, read that saving prayer that the Lord Himself conveyed to people, that is, “Our Father” (three times), then “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice "(three times) and finally once a symbol of faith. Having done this morning rule, let every Christian go to his work and, while working at home or on the road, should read quietly to himself: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” If people are around you, then, while doing your work, say only with your mind: “Lord, have mercy,” and continue like this until lunch. Before lunch, do the morning rule. After dinner, while doing his work, everyone should read quietly: “Most Holy Theotokos, save me a sinner,” which continues until nightfall. Whenever you happen to spend time in solitude, you need to read: “Lord Jesus Christ, through the Mother of God have mercy on me a sinner,” and When going to bed at night, every Christian must repeat the morning rule, and after it, with the sign of the cross, fall asleep. At the same time, St. the elder spoke, pointing to the experience of the saint. father, that if a Christian adheres to this small rule, as a saving anchor among the waves of worldly vanity, fulfilling it with humility, then he can achieve a high measure of spirituality, for these prayers are the foundation of Christianity: the first is like the word of the Lord Himself and set by Him as a model all prayers, the second one was brought from heaven by the Archangel as a greeting Holy Virgin, Mother of the Lord. The latter contains all the dogmas of faith. Let him who has time read the Gospel, the Apostle, other prayers, akathists, and canons. If it is impossible for someone to follow this rule - a servant, a forced person - then the wise old man advised to follow this rule while lying down, and while walking, and in action, remembering the words of Scripture: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

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In the short version of the rule, three prayers are required to be read: “Our Father”, “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary!”, “Creed”. The texts of the prayers are read in the morning (immediately after sleep) and after supper (before bed) in this order, with the first two being read three times, and the last once.

Before lunch, going about his business, a person quietly says, “Lord, Son of God Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner!” Or he simply constantly repeats the words “Lord, have mercy!” Throughout the second half of the day after mass, it is necessary to make a request in a whisper or in the mind to the Mother of Christ: “Most Holy Theotokos, save me a sinner!”

Don't forget about sign of the cross: before reading the morning and evening rules.

The Theotokos rule is read 150 times a day, every ten is diluted with the most famous prayers: “Our Father” to the Almighty, “Doors of Mercy” to the Mother of God. Everyone who works is not forbidden to say the words of prayers during the work process, on the go. In order not to lose count when reading the Theotokos, you are allowed to use church rosaries, selecting one after 5-10 texts.

Do not neglect bowing. As Seraphim of Sarov said, 200 bows per day should definitely be done. Only those who are completely infirm and not walking are allowed to read the prayer and the Theotokos rules while sitting (lying down), without bowing.

By constantly adhering to the prescriptions of the Rules (standard or Theotokos), a person is able to experience the mystery of faith and come to a righteous life that meets Christian canons. Saint Seraphim understood that only constant prayers and concentration on the correct reading of texts could help to the common man get rid of sinful thoughts, cleanse yourself and find spiritual unity with the Lord. Even prayers said automatically, without giving due meaning to the words, are capable of returning the human soul to holiness and humility.

Evidence of the Value of Prayer

There are thousands of cases known all over the world when a prayer included in the Rule, read at the right time, saved from imminent death or healed from a serious illness.

Divine power protected from troubles, gave hope, helped fulfill cherished desires. History contains a lot of evidence of such events that cannot be called anything other than a miracle.

During the Second World War, soldiers were protected from a stray bullet by the phrase “Lord, have mercy” uttered before battle (although that time was famous for the persecution of the church).

Contemporaries also share a lot of information via the Internet. interesting stories: someone quit drinking and became an athlete after coming to church and studying the prayer rules; for some, higher powers granted the joy of motherhood; others heard the voices of the Saints with instructions on how to change their lives. But all the evidence convinces us that only faith is capable of bestowing grace and working miracles!

Video: Rule of Seraphim of Sarov

Brief prayer rule of Seraphim of Sarov

St. Seraphim of Sarov taught the following prayer rule:

“Rising from sleep, every Christian, standing before St. icons, let him read the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” Three times, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity, then the hymn to the Mother of God “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...”, also Three times and finally the Creed once. Having completed this rule, let everyone go about their work to which they have been assigned or called.

While working at home or on the road somewhere, let him quietly read: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” and if others surround him, then, while doing business, let him say with his mind only: “ Lord have mercy,” and continues until lunch. Just before lunch, let him perform the above morning rule. After lunch, while doing his job, let him read quietly: “Most Holy Theotokos, save me a sinner,” and let him continue this until sleep.

When going to bed, let every Christian read the above morning rule again; after that, let him fall asleep, protecting himself with the sign of the cross.”

For those who, due to various circumstances, cannot follow this small rule, Rev. Seraphim advised reading it in any position: during classes, while walking, and even in bed, presenting the basis for this as the words of Scripture: “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

From book Orthodox holidays[with calendar for 2010] author Shulyak Sergey

January 15 - memory St. Seraphim Sarovsky, the Wonderworker The name of the Venerable Father Seraphim of Sarov is widely famous throughout Rus'. He was born on July 19, 1759 in Kursk in the family of a local merchant Isidor Moshnin and Agafia.; in holy baptism he was named Prokhor. At 7 years old

From the book Nervousness: its spiritual causes and manifestations author Avdeev Dmitry Alexandrovich

August 1 - memory of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, the Wonderworker The name of the Venerable Father Seraphim of Sarov is widely famous throughout Rus'. He was born on July 19, 1759 in Kursk in the family of a local merchant Isidor Moshnin and Agafia.; in holy baptism he was named Prokhor. At 7 years old

From the book Spiritual World author Dyachenko Grigory Mikhailovich

From the book The Path of My Life. Memoirs of Metropolitan Eulogius (Georgievsky), based on his stories by T. Manukhina author Georgievsky Metropolitan Evlogy

5. From the life of Seraphim of Sarov. On August 13, 1786, Seraphim was tonsured a monk, and he was given, without his knowledge, a suitable name chosen by the monastery authorities: Seraphim, which means fiery. In December 1787, he was ordained a hierodeacon. From that day onwards

From the book Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery author Chichagov Seraphim

Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov (Paris)In 1932, when the Gallipolians moved their church from the 15th Arrondismant to the 16th (on rue de la Faisanderie), priest O.P. Biryukov, who soon left the Gallipolians, decided with a group of friends to reopen church in the same place (on rue

Seraphim Sarovsky will help you from the book author Guryanova Liliya Stanislavovna

Life of St. Seraphim, Sarov Wonderworker Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery, 1903 Father Fr. Seraphim entered the Sarov hermitage in 1778, on November 20, on the eve of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the temple and was entrusted with obedience to the elder hieromonk Joseph. His homeland

From the book of Creation author Mechev Sergiy

Spiritual heritage Venerable Seraphim of Sarov. Predictions, prayer rule,

From the book Miracle Power mother's prayer author Mikhalitsyn Pavel Evgenievich

The prayer rule of Seraphim of Sarov The Monk Seraphim of Sarov taught everyone the following prayer

From the book Miraculous and Healing Prayers and Icons of the Holy Trinity, the Savior, Mother of God, venerable saints and saints author Mikhalitsyn Pavel Evgenievich

9. Day of Remembrance of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! We have come today to commemorate the holy saint of God, the Venerable Seraphim, to magnify him as one who fought the world, like a monk. We need to remember on this day that happening in our

From the book Real help in difficult times [Nicholas the Wonderworker, Matrona of Moscow, Seraphim of Sarov] author Mikhalitsyn Pavel Evgenievich

Miracles of St. Seraphim of Sarov Healing at the spring of St. Seraphim and the amazing conversion of her husband to God Dear sisters of the Diveyevo monastery! Allow me to tell you about the healing that I received after bathing in the spring of Father Seraphim. At first

From the book Veneration of the Saints author Mikhalitsyn Pavel Evgenievich

Miracles of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov after his death The glorification of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov was accompanied by a large number of miraculous healings. Here is what evidence there is of this. Here on the very shore of the blessed spring of Father Seraphim

From the author's book

Modern miracles St. Seraphim of Sarov Healing from a tumor Another case of healing at the spring of St. Seraphim occurred with a young man - Oleg Kudryavtsev, living in Cheboksary. He suffered from a headache. Doctors found out on ultrasound

From the author's book

The Life of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov Pious Parents The Venerable Seraphim of Sarov was born on July 19, 1759 (according to other sources - 1754) in ancient Kursk, into the eminent merchant family of Isidore and Agathia Moshnin. In Holy Baptism he was named Prokhor in honor of the Apostle

From the author's book

Rule of Seraphim of Sarov Many, coming to Fr. Seraphim, they complained that they prayed little to God, even leaving the necessary daytime prayers. Some said that they were doing this out of ignorance, others - out of lack of time. O. Seraphim bequeathed the following prayer to such people:

From the author's book

Modern miracles of St. Seraphim of Sarov Healing at the spring of St. Seraphim and her husband’s amazing appeal to God Dear sisters of the Diveyevo monastery! Allow me to tell you about the healing that I received after bathing in the spring of Father Seraphim. IN

From the author's book

Brief Life St. Seraphim, Wonderworker of Sarov St. Seraphim of Sarov (in the world Prokhor Moshnin), a great ascetic of the Russian Church, was born on July 19, 1759. The saint’s parents, Isidore and Agathia Moshnin, were residents of Kursk. Isidore was a merchant and took contracts