A Prayer Rule

A Prayer Rule*

Trisagion Prayers:   In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, glory to You! * O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who are everywhere present and fill all things; Treasurer of Blessings and Giver of life, come and dwell within us, and cleanse us from every blemish, and save our souls, O blessed One! * Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us! [3] * Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. * O most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; O Lord, cleanse us of our sins; O Master, forgive our transgressions; O Holy One, come to us and heal our infirmities, for Your Name's sake. * Lord, have mercy! [3]     Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. * Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.      For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.  Amen.  * Lord, have mercy. [12]   Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. * Come, let us worship God our King! Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ, our King and our God! Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ Himself, our King and our God!

Psalm 50:   HAVE MERCY ON ME, O God, according to Your great mercy; and according to the multitude of Your compassions blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You only have I sinned and done this evil before You, that You might be justified in Your words, and prevail when You are judged.
For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother bear me. For behold, You have loved truth; the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom You have made clear to me. You shall sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be made clean; You shall wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. You shall make me to hear joy and gladness; the bones which have been humbled shall rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and with Your governing Spirit establish me. I shall teach transgressors Your ways and the ungodly shall turn back to You. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, who are the God of my salvation; my tongue shall rejoice in Your righteousness. O Lord, You shall open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise. For if You had desired sacrifice, I would have given it; with whole-burnt offerings You shall not be pleased. A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a heart that is broken and humbled God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, in Your good pleasure to Zion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then shall You be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with oblation and whole-burnt offerings. Then shall they offer bullocks upon Your altar.

The Creed:   I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. Light of light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; consubstantial with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and of the Virgin Mary, and was made man. He was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And the third day He arose again, according to the Scriptures. And He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who together with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, Who spoke through the prophets. In one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I profess one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life in the world to come. Amen.

Then 5 or 10 prostrations (or bows if we are not able) saying/using the Jesus Prayer,

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.

We pray either for ourselves, our loved ones, or those with whom we are at enmity We cross ourselves each time and say the prayer as we bow to the ground with our forehead quickly touching the floor.

Then, for at least 5 or 10 minutes, we audibly but quietly say the Jesus Prayer, either standing or kneeling (but preferably not sitting). See note 1 below.

Then we say prayers from the Prayer Book/Prayers for Communion/Prayers of Intercession for others, etc.

Then we read a chapter from the Gospels and from a small portion of Orthodox spiritual reading.  See note 2 below.

Then, if desired, this MORNING prayer:    I thank You, O Lord, that You have again shown me the Light of a new day. O Lord, allow me to greet the coming day in peace.  Help me in all things to rely upon Your holy will.  In every hour of the day, reveal Your will to me.  Bless my dealings with all who surround me.  Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul, and with the firm conviction that Your will governs all.  In what I do and say, guide my thoughts and feelings. In unexpected events, do not let me forget that all things are sent by You.  Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without making others bitter or embarrassing them.  Give me the strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day and everything that it will bring.  Direct my will, teach me to pray, pray Yourself in me.  Amen.

Or this EVENING prayer:   O Eternal God and King of all creation, Who has kept me safe until this hour, forgive me all the ways I have sinned today in deed, word, and thought. Cleanse, O Lord, my transgressions and faults and make me a Temple for the Holy Spirit. Vanquish the enemies, both bodily and bodiless that fight against me, and keep and deliver me from the vain thoughts and evil desires which tempt me. Receive my prayers in Your great mercy. Shine into my heart the Light of the Holy Spirit. Grant me to live according to Your commandments. Teach me to do Your will for You are my God. O Lord, I thank You for all the things that You have brought me this day and I commend it all into Your hands, trusting that through Your mercy all things will turn out for the good and my salvation. Grant me, also, as I go to sleep, rest for my body and soul, and preserve me from the passions of the flesh and the influences of dark and evil spirits. Amen. 

Then:   You are truly deserving of glory, O Birth-giver of God, the ever-blessed and most pure Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who as a Virgin gave birth to God the Word, true Birth-giver of God, we magnify you!

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Lord have mercy. (3x)

Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.

Through the prayers of Your most pure Mother, my holy Guardian Angel, my patron saint N. and of all Your saints, have mercy on us and upon Your world.

O Lord, into Your hands I commit my spirit. Amen.

Adapted from “A Prayer Rule” in Acquiring the Mind of Christ: Embracing the Vision of the Orthodox Church by Archimandrite Sergius (Bowyer), St. Tikhon’s Monastery Press, 2015.

NOTES: 

*A prayer rule must not and cannot be said in the car, but rather alone, in front of the icons and the Gospel, preferably with a lit candle and, if possible, the room lights dimmed. It is important to remember that we will never have time for God but rather must make time for God, for the “Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matt. 11:12). The best time to pray is in the morning or in the evening, when it is darker. Also, when using a rule of prayer we must be flexible and do what works for us; our goal is to maintain the connection with God and cultivate a real relationship, not just fulfill our ‘rule’ of prayer.

(1) Tempo can vary: if we are distracted, then we pray quickly; if we are relaxed, slowly. The Jesus Prayer is not a mantra or vain repetition. The words are a profoundly meaningful confession by which we begin our dialogue with God in fulfillment of the Lord’s words: “Whatever you ask in my Name, that I will do” (John 14:13).

(2) We need to read the words of our Lord every day, at least one chapter. A consecutive reading of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John throughout the year greatly aids us in understanding and doing God’s will.