*the article was created based on the materials of yantar.ua

Church sacraments are always elevated and symbolic. It is not surprising - because they are called to cleanse the soul of daily bustle and current problems, to bring a person closer to God, to remind believers of the great sacrifice of the Savior, who accepted death for the sake of saving the human race.

However, sacraments have such power only when they are performed with reverence and awe, as well as in accordance with all church canons. Even the simplest sacral act cannot turn into a routine and usual procedure that is carried out almost automatically - it must be meaningful and touching. This is what our article will teach you - it tells you how to properly baptize Orthodox Christians and create a prayer!

Divine Proverbs - history, types, features

Every Christian should strive for the most complete union with God, and the best help in this is prayer. The Catechism calls it "an offering of mind and heart to the Creator." In addition, by pronouncing ikos, tropari and kondaki, a person feels closeness not only to the Savior, but also to other members of the church - heavenly (apostles, ascetics and martyrs) and earthly (patriarchs, metropolitans, bishops, the superior of the parish and his flock). In this way, the prayer connection permeates space and time, allowing one to feel the merciful support and protection of higher powers.

Prayers are very diverse. They are laudatory (that is, they praise the Creator and his incomprehensible craft), grateful, penitent, apologetic. A person can call out to the Lord, begging for deliverance from temptations, the gift of spiritual and earthly goods, the provision of the right path, the healing of illnesses, and the solution of personal or professional problems.

In Orthodoxy, only statutory prayers written by the fathers of the church are recognized. It is believed that Ephraim the Syrian, Macarius of Egypt, John of Damascus, Romanus the Sweetsinger, John Chrysostom and Basil the Great were inspired by the Holy Spirit - it was thanks to divine inspiration that they managed to express the highest love for the Savior and bow to His will in the words of Kontakion and Troparion. Therefore, those who carefully and carefully read the texts composed by reverend theologians, find a heart mood related to their spiritual burning.

How to implement a prayer rule in your home - tips and recommendations

Bowing before the Creator, you should not indulge in extraneous thoughts and concerns. And if it is easy to achieve such concentration in the church - the environment itself helps him there - then it is quite difficult to pray correctly at home. The instructions presented here will help you in this difficult task!

You can talk to the Lord in private or in the presence of the whole family. However, the general prayer is considered more solemn, so it is traditionally performed at the beginning of the festive meal. At other times, every householder is obliged to read ikos and tropari in his room, in front of his personal icon.

Prayer of consent - what is it?

In the Orthodox Church, this is what they call a spiritual practice when several people follow the same prayer rules at the same time, even though these Christians are separated by thousands of kilometers. The same was done in those cases when a man suffered from illness, wandering, persecution, injustice or other life difficulties, and felt unable to cope with the trials sent by the Lord. Then he found like-minded people who took upon themselves the feat of praying for the sufferer. At the same time, bowing before the icons, people asked not for abstract well-being, but for quite concrete things - recovery, increase of funds, cessation of household or work conflicts.

What does such a liturgy look like? As a rule, believers agree to read the Psalter together, one kafism a day. After that, people say the prayer itself, adding various requests to it if necessary. In addition, by agreement, it is possible to study the Gospel, compose akathists and canons, healing and funeral hymns, at the end mentioning the name of the person whose soul they care about.

Such prayers bring great benefit. But in order to avoid temptations when reading them, you should first take a blessing from the priest - it is better if he is the rector of the parish. Describe to him the situation in which you found yourself, name the reasons that prompted you to have a joint conversation with the Lord, and do not forget to list those who will help you in this matter. If your pastor has approved such an undertaking, feel free to start reading the holy texts!