Prayer rule. The prayer rule of Seraphim of Sarov

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

Childhood of Seraphim of Sarov

The proposed prayer rule was literally suffered by the elder himself, who had to endure and endure much. And only by the will of God remain alive. The tempter of Seraphim of Sarov once became even the Devil himself, but more about this later.

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

Today in Kursk, the church is preserved - the Sergiev-Kazan Cathedral, which began to build the father of Seraphim of Sarov, but soon he died, and the leadership of the construction of the church took up his wife. Prokhor once was at the construction site with his mother and accidentally, on a childish prank, fell from a high bell tower. However, surprisingly, he remained alive, since God set a completely different fate for him. Today, in this temple, it is at this place that there stands a monument to St. Seraphim of Sarov.

Adolescence

From a young age, Prokhor tried to fulfill a prayer rule for lay people. He often visited church services, learned to read and write. He frequently read the Lives of the Saints and the Gospel aloud to their peers. When he became very ill, his mother put his head to the icon of the Sign of the Blessed Virgin Mary - and the boy received healing from her. Soon, very young Prokhor wanted to become a novice in the monastery. His own mother blessed him and gave him a crucifix, with which he did not leave his whole life. Today it is kept by nuns in Serafimo-Diveevsky monastery.

Monasticism

Soon Prokhor makes a pilgrimage to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. There he receives the blessing of the elder Dositheus for service and goes to the Holy Assumption Sarov desert. Upon the arrival of Prokhor in the monastery, Pakhomi's father assigned him a confessor-the elder Joseph. Prokhor with great pleasure and diligence fulfilled all his duties and with great zeal read the prayer rule.

Then, following the example of other monks, he wanted to retire into the woods for Jesus' prayer. To this, the elder Joseph was blessed.

After a while, the young novice began to torment the dropsy. The disease 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 day after the sacrament at night he saw the Theotokos with John the Theologian and the Apostle Peter. She poked him in the side with her baton and the liquid from it immediately flowed out. From that moment Prokhor went on to recover.

Enoch

After eight years in the Sarov convent, Prokhor becomes a monk named Seraphim. He began to live in a cell in a forest near the monastery. It was then that he got involved in a monastic feat, in particular a corporal feat, because he wore clothes the same as in the summer, that in the winter. His meager subsistence he had earned himself in the woods, since he basically kept a fast. He slept little, spending time in constant prayer and fulfilling the daily prayer rule, rereading the Gospel and the patristic writings.

He reached such a spiritual development that he often saw church services in the church services assisting the service of the Holy Angels. And once he even saw Jesus Christ himself, who entered the image at the Royal Gates. After such visions, Seraphim of Sarov prayed even more intensely. With the blessing of the abbot of the monastery of Father Isaiah, he decides on a new feat - he leaves for several kilometers to a forest desert cell. He comes to the monastery only on Saturdays.

Testing

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

Such feats of Father Seraphim did not like the Devil. He decided to send robbers on 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 fight back, but decided not to shed blood, because he lived according to the commandments, his faith in the Lord was strong. Money they did not find, and therefore, ashamed, they left home. The brothers were shocked when they saw the wounded father. But the doctor was not needed for the old man, since the Queen of Heaven herself healed him, once again appearing to him in a dream.

Empanelity

After a few months, Father Seraphim returned to his deserted cell. For 15 years of asceticism, he was constantly in Bogomysliya and for that he was gifted with the gift of foresight and miracles. When the old father greatly weakened, he returned to the monastery and began to receive visitors, to whom he treated with great respect and spoke only "Joy".

It is thanks to Seraphim of Sarov that we have a short prayer rule that enables every Orthodox Christian to always be closer to God at any moment.

His real brainchild was the Diveevo Convent, whose development was inspired by the Mother of God herself.

Before his death, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov communed and, kneeling before his beloved icon of the Virgin, "Tenderness", departed peacefully to the Lord. This happened in 1833.

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

The prayer rule of Seraphim of Sarov

His spiritual children Seraphim of Sarov asked to pray tirelessly, believing that prayer is necessary to them as air. He said that you must pray 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, this is not the case for everyone and time will suffice because of the constant worldly fuss and employment. That's why, so that less people sin, and there were special short prayer rules of Seraphim of Sarov.

The morning and evening prayer rule

These prayers do not require any special effort and hard work. But, according to the saint, these rules will become an anchor, reliably restraining the ship of life on the raging waves of everyday problems. Daily fulfilling these rules, you can achieve a high spiritual development, since it is prayer is the main essence of the foundation of Christianity.

The morning prayer rule says that every believing person, waking up in the morning, must first cross himself three times and in a certain place before the icons, three times to read the prayer "Our Father", three times "Theotokos, rejoice" and once "The Symbol of Faith". And then you can calmly start your business. During the day, too, we must periodically turn to God with prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." If around people, then say the words: "Lord have mercy."

Rule of Seraphim of Sarov

And so before dinner, and before him exactly the morning prayer rule should be repeated. After dinner, a short prayer is read, "Blessed Virgin Mother of God, save me a sinner." This prayer should be read periodically until the evening. In seclusion 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 prayers. And then, three times christened, you can go to bed. This is the prayer rule for beginners from the most holy elder Seraphim of Sarov.

Designation of prayers

The prayer "Our Father" is the word of the Lord, placed by Him in the pattern. Prayer "Virgin Mary, rejoice" became the greeting of the Archangel to the Theotokos. Prayer "The Symbol of Faith" is a dogma.

However, along with these prayers, it is necessary to pronounce others as well as to read the Gospel, the laudatory canons and the akathists.

Our wise elder Seraphim advised, if because of the strong employment at work there is no possibility to adequately read the prayers, then this can be done when walking, and in any case, even lying down. The main thing is always to remember his words: "Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Prophecies

A wise old man could predict the future. So, he predicted the war, the revolution and the shooting of Nicholas II and his family. He also predicted his canonization. But most importantly, he predicted the revival of Russia (beginning in 2003), that, with all the severe suffering, she will become a great power, since it was her Slavic people who became the custodians 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. All that St. Seraphim of Sarov had predicted would surely come true. And now we can only pray to God and the holy old man, so that this time all his prophecies will be fulfilled.