Prayer of Detention of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Prayers for every need. The Detention Prayer is very “strong”, but...

"Prayer of Detention"

The “Prayer of Detention” (for its text, see) has become widespread in recent years among both churchgoers and people far from the Church. The “Prayer of Detention” is recommended to be used to “detain the devil in his actions, and also as a prayer of deliverance from all human malice, envy and meanness.” Among the people, the “Prayer of Detention” is popular as a “strong remedy” that helps in case of problems at work (for example, the threat of dismissal), and in general in various difficult life circumstances.

The “Prayer of Detention” has significant similarities with canonical (church) prayers. However, many Orthodox authors speak critically of it. They point out that the "Detention Prayer" includes petitions that are contrary to the commandments of the Gospel, and also draw attention to the dubious origin of this prayer.

Indeed, not every text that looks like a church prayer, containing an appeal to God and the Most Holy Theotokos, mentioning saints, etc., can be considered a prayer.

For example, the Church rejected the so-called apocryphal (or non-canonical, “false”) prayers that were in circulation among the people: “Cyprian’s Prayer”, “Prayer from the shakes”, “Prayer for all diseases”, “Dream of the Virgin Mary”, etc. I. Karatygin wrote about prayers of an apocryphal nature: “These prayers are sometimes more reminiscent of forms of superstitious conspiracies than prayers sanctified by the Church, and generally contain indications of apocryphal beliefs and are distinguished by concepts that are not at all in harmony with the clear church idea of Christianity.” I. Ya. Porfiryev noted that “just as in the apocrypha, fictions of popular imagination and ancient mythical traditions of pagan antiquity are constantly mixed with the true ideas ... of sacred history, so in apocryphal prayers, among the appeals to the Savior, the Mother of God, angels and saints, ideas from folk beliefs and superstitions."

No matter how similar a text may be to church prayers, it cannot be recognized as a prayer if its content diverges from the teachings of the Church and includes elements of folklore and superstition.

"The water in the clouds is dark"

When reading the “Prayer of Detention,” one is struck by the mixture of Church Slavonic and Russian language styles in its text ( all the plans around me about my relocation, dismissal; all our good undertakings and desires; destroy the inhabitants of the village where she lived). In prayer requests the vocative case is used ( God; Lady; Archangel Michael), then nominative ( Venerable Great Elius; Blessed Lawrence).

In the text of the “Prayer of Detention,” a sentence may break off mid-sentence ( And You, great and formidable guardian, Archangel Michael, cut with a fiery sword all the desires of the enemy of the human race and all his minions who want to destroy me). Other sentences, on the contrary, seem to have “lost” the beginning ( With the prayer of Elisha the prophet, he once struck the Syrians, delaying them, and healed them again; And may all our good undertakings and desires be fulfilled). Apparently, the first part and sentences beginning with the words “and now” and “so and now” have been “lost” ( And now delay and slow down until the right time all the plans around those standing around me about my displacement, dismissal, removal, expulsion; So now, destroy the evil desires and demands of all those who condemn me, stop the lips and hearts of all those who slander, are angry and growl at me, and all who blaspheme and humiliate me; So it is now,).

The “Prayer of Detention” lacks the doxology usual for many canonical prayers (despite the fact that the text of the prayer contains the petition: therefore let my mouth not be silent to reprove the wicked and glorify the righteous and all your wondrous works).

The text of the “Prayer of Detention” contains phrases whose meaning is obscure: delay and slow down until the right time all the plans around those standing around me about my displacement, dismissal, removal, expulsion; Now stop all the plans of my enemies, who want to drive me out of this city and destroy me. It is not clear here why the enemies’ plans for the destruction of a person or his expulsion need only be suspended and delayed until the time comes, and not completely destroy. Elsewhere it is said that the evil desires and demands of all those who condemn it just needs to be destroyed. This inconsistency may indicate that the text of the prayer was compiled hastily.

As L. Medvedeva notes, carelessness in expressions can be imagined on some popular Internet forum, “where people write casually, throwing words around without much trepidation.” But “it’s sad when texts that claim to be sacred turn out to be illiterate.” After all, “for a text that aspires to a high status, a single comma can be significant (remember the resolution “You cannot hang pardon”)”...

The publishers of the “Prayer of Detention” cite that its source is a collection of prayers by Elder Pansophius of Athos, dating back to 1848. However, there is no information about where this collection is stored, whether it was published, or whether it was mentioned in church literature of the 19th century. , whether its content was approved by the clergy, etc. However, the peculiarities of the language and style of the “Prayer of Detention” do not allow us to date it to the mid-19th century. We can judge the prayers compiled in the 19th century, for example, by the prayers of the Kyiv hieroschemamonk Parthenius (Krasnopevtsev), St. Philaret (Drozdov), and others. And can it be considered that they correspond to the needs of the Athonite monk of the mid-19th century? such concerns of the subject of the “Prayer of Detention” as fear of dismissal from work, expulsion from hail and concern for safety this house, all those who live in it, and all its property?

Thus, in the case of the “Prayer of Detention,” we are dealing with an attempt to pass off a careless “remake” as a relatively ancient text, sanctified by the authority of the Holy Mount Athos.

“Hate your enemy”?

Noteworthy is the confidence of the subject of the “Prayer of Detention” in his own righteousness and his lack of repentant feelings. In the text of the prayer there is not a word about repentance, not a single request for deliverance from sins.

Meanwhile, the feeling of repentance is the basis of all types of Christian deeds, including prayer. Repentance inextricably accompanies faith in Christ; Without repentance, a Christian cannot succeed in any virtue. As Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) pointed out, true prayer is possible only among those Christians whose hearts are filled with a feeling of repentance. Prayer must come “from a heart filled with poverty of spirit; from a contrite and humble heart." If repentance is not placed at the basis of prayer, if it has not become “the soul and goal of prayer,” then the one praying is in danger of being exposed to delusion. “Everyone who strives to ascend to the marriage of the Son of God, not in pure and bright wedding garments, arranged by repentance, but directly in rags, in a state of self-delusion and sinfulness, is cast out into utter darkness: into demonic delusion,” wrote Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov).

“If we are attentive to our sins, we will not look at the sins of our neighbor,” said the Monk Abba Moses. “Whatever temptation you may be in,” Abba Or taught, “do not complain about anyone but yourself, and say: this happened to me because of my sins.” The absence of a sense of repentance, insensibility of one’s own sinfulness, on the contrary, entails condemnation of one’s neighbors. A person begins to see in them the source of his everyday failures. This is clearly illustrated by the example of the “Prayer of Detention.” It is around those standing, that is, neighbors - along with evil spirits - that the subject of prayer declares to be a source of problems and a threat to himself and his property.

The subject of the prayer considers himself to be suffering from demonic spells and in need of protection from the wiles of Satan, asks to protect his house from insurance. Wherein demonic spells And all the devil's plans and intrigues are aimed at annoy praying and destroy him and property his.

The “Prayer of Detention” was composed on behalf of a person who considers himself surrounded on all sides by enemies not only invisible, but also visible. The subject of the prayer scrupulously lists the actions of the latter. Enemies condemn his, slander, malice, roar, blaspheme, humiliate and despise his. Those standing around are hatching plans for relocation, dismissal, displacement praying Moreover, the enemies want expel his from this city and destroy. With so many enemies, plotting dirty deeds, it is not surprising that the person praying fears for his life and for the safety of his cells, houses and safety commons. The prayer speaks, in particular, about the desire to protect the house from fiery ignition, thieves' attack.

The person praying also considers his enemies to be enemies of God ( all the opposing forces and all those who blaspheme the name of God and despise me).

What fate, according to the subject of the “Prayer of Detention,” do his many ill-wishers deserve?

Plans around those standing about moving, dismissal, removal, expulsion the person praying should be delayed, delayed and suspended. The evil desires and demands of all those who condemn must be destroyed the mouth and hearts of all those who slander, malign, roar, blaspheme and humiliate- blocked. Enemies cannot even be allowed draw near to this house, despising need to be held behind the fence of the house. The subject of the prayer asks the Lord: bring spiritual blindness into the eyes of all those who rebel against me and my enemies.

So, the “Prayer of Detention” contains a wish for evil to enemies. Thus, she violates the commandment of Christ the Savior: “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who offend you and persecute you” (). “Christ the Savior teaches us such love that embraces all people without distinction: “But I say to you: love” every person, no matter who he is, love “your enemies”, those who do you harm, whether this person same faith with you or not; “Bless those who curse you” - say only good things about them, wish them only good things, but that’s not enough - “do good to those who hate you.” If your enemy is in some kind of trouble, rush to his aid; if he is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink... “And pray for those who use you and persecute you,” for all those who offend, revile you, and harm you. Have pity on them: they themselves do not know, do not understand that they are taught to do evil to you by the father of all evil - the devil. Pray for them, so that the Heavenly Father does not leave them in the power of the devil. Have pity on them: these are unhappy, sick people; they are hurting themselves more than they are hurting you. They harm you temporarily, but themselves forever. Pray for them, they are your best benefactors: whoever persecutes and offends you eases your punishment for your sins. Whoever insults or reviles you gives you an opportunity to look into your own heart; everyone look there, and you will see what kind of reptiles, passions, live there... Until you break the bread, you do not see its rottenness, but break it and you will see that it is all rotten. The same thing happens with our hearts: while no one touches you, you think that you are free from anger towards your neighbor, but if they say an offensive word to you, look how this anger boils in your heart. Pray for your enemies: without them you would not be able to see your uncleanness, and those who are unclean in heart will not see God.”

Saint John Chrysostom exhorted his listeners to imitate the Lord, Who, being crucified, prayed for His crucifiers. “But how can I, you say, imitate the Lord? If you want, you can; if this were impossible, then He would not have said: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (); if it were impossible for a person to imitate Him, then Paul would not have said: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (). However, if you do not want to imitate the Master, then imitate a slave like you - I’m talking about Stephen, who was the first to open the doors of martyrdom: he imitated the Master, because just as the Master, hanging [on the cross] among those who crucified Him, prayed for the crucifiers, so did this slave, being among those stoning him, when everyone threw him and he took on clouds of stones, then, not paying attention to the suffering they caused, he said: “Lord! do not impute this sin to them” ()... Do you want to see others, not only in the New, but also in the Old Testament, who did the same thing [saying a prayer for their enemies]? This is especially surprising when those who were not commanded to love their enemies, but to extort an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and to take revenge on equals for equals, reached apostolic heights. Listen to what Moses says, at whom the Jews often threw stones: “Forgive them their sin, and if not, then blot me out of Your book, in which You wrote” (). Do you see how each of the righteous people preferred the safety of others to their own salvation? You have not sinned in anything: why do you want to participate in their punishment? I, he says, do not feel happy when others suffer... Samuel the prophet was so offended, despised and humiliated by the Jews that God wanted to console him. Listen carefully, I exhort you. God told him: “They did not reject you, but they rejected Me” (). What about the one who was humiliated, humiliated, despised, insulted? Listen to what he says: “I will not allow myself to sin before the Lord to stop praying for you” (). He considered it a sin not to pray for enemies. Let there not be such a sin with me, he says, as not to pray for you. Do you see how each of the righteous tried to follow the Lord in this wonderful deed?.. What excuse will we have when everyone who lived in both the New and Old Testament encourages us to pray for our enemies, and we will not try with everything do this with care?.. It is much more important to pray for enemies than for friends; Praying for our friends does not benefit us as much as praying for our enemies. Listen to Christ, who says: “For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t tax collectors do the same” ()? Therefore, when we pray for friends, we are still no better than publicans; and if we love our enemies and pray for our enemies, then we will be like God in human strength.”

Saint John Chrysostom pointed out: “When we ask for something against our enemies, then not only are we not heard, but we also insult God.” The Lord “says: “Forgive your debtors” (see: ), and you call on Him Himself, who commands you to forgive, against your enemies. What could be worse than such madness?.. How can you receive forgiveness of your own sins when you ask God to punish the sins of others? “When someone prays against enemies or against people who have done him some kind of harm, then these are not the words of a person, but of the devil. In fact, if an oath is from the devil, ... then it is obvious that prayer against enemies comes from him.”

Patriarch Kirill, speaking about love for enemies, encourages us to think about the fact that “our enemy is not necessarily the bearer of untruth. Most often, we consider ourselves to be the bearers of good and truth, and we certainly identify everyone who is in conflict with us with untruth and evil. But it may turn out that this is not the case at all. For our own view of good and evil can turn out to be very subjective, and our personal enemy may at the same time not be the enemy of God. Therefore, we should remember that before the face of the King of Heaven, all people are equal. The rain sent from the Lord waters both the righteous and the sinners, and the sun shines equally on both. For every person is a child and creation of God, beloved by the Heavenly Father. And if we try to look at human relations from this angle, then perhaps our haters will turn out to be not such enemies to us after all. But then, in relationships with these people, anger and enmity will clearly not be the best means of fairly resolving the conflict and establishing the truth.”

The “Prayer of Detention” is dominated by a spirit of rancor. Truly church prayers are permeated with the spirit of love. Thus, the Church has given us prayers “On the increase of love and the eradication of hatred and all malice” and “On those who hate and offend us.” And, of course, they do not contain misanthropic requests for guidance spiritual blindness to the eyes of enemies.

A Christian must strive to completely surrender his life to the will of God. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) wrote: “We must wander with Christ, suffer with Him, endure crucifixion, taste death, be buried, resurrect and ascend. I wish this for you and for myself: why I say with you this true, consoling prayer, filled with spiritual intelligence: “Lord! Do Your will over us and grant us to think, feel, and act according to Your will. We ask this one thing from You, in this one thing we conclude all our desires and prayers." As St. Theophan the Recluse noted, in the absence of obedience to the will of God, “the prayer will have the following meaning: whether you like it or not, Lord, give it; or according to the saying “Take it out and put it down.”

It is precisely the lack of submission to the will of God that is felt in the “Prayer of Detention.” The subject of prayer is alien to surrendering himself to the will of God, but he considers himself entitled to ask for the fulfillment of desires: and may all our good undertakings and desires be fulfilled. But among these desires there are some that are not at all pious ( bring spiritual blindness into the eyes of all those who rebel against me and my enemies).

It is not the salvation of the soul that occupies the attention of the subject of the “Prayer of Detention,” but everyday concerns: concern for the safety of property (property in the terminology of the “Prayer of Detention”), the desire to defend one’s well-being and “rightful” place in life in the fight against “enemies.” But “what is the use of physical well-being when the state of mind is bad”?

About “demonic spells”

Among the people, the “Prayer of Detention” is perceived as a “prayer against damage,” that is, as protection from harmful witchcraft. The word “damage” itself is not in the text of the “Prayer of Detention”. But, as far as one can understand, it is harmful witchcraft that is meant in prayer under demonic spells aimed at annoy subject of prayer and destroy him and property his ( And you, all the saints of the Russian land, with the power of your prayers for me, dispel all the demonic spells, all the devil’s plans and intrigues - to annoy me and destroy me and my property).

Regarding the “demonic spells” the following must be said. “Of course, demonic temptations are a reality that every person faces. But the temptation lies not in the fact that demonic machinations interfere with our everyday well-being,” but in the fact that demons do not cease to incline people to evil. But evil spirits do not influence a person with the help of magic (“charms”)!

“In comparison with Divine existence, the activity of evil is illusory and imaginary: the devil has no power where God does not allow him to act, or, in other words, he acts only within those boundaries within which God allows him.” As St. John of Damascus wrote, demons “have neither power nor strength in relation to anyone unless they receive permission from God to carry out the purposes of His economy.” And although demons “are allowed to attack a person, they do not have the power to act violently with anyone, for it is up to us to withstand the attack or not.” The devil does not force us to sin. “He could not,” points out St. John Chrysostom, “convince Job, despite countless temptations, to utter even one blasphemous word; from here it is clear that it is in our power to follow or not to follow his advice, and that we do not tolerate any violence or tyranny from him.” “When the devil sees,” St. John Chrysostom also notes, “that we are awake and sober, then, thinking how in vain he will work, he moves away from us and hides”...

“The possession of demons or other methods of their influence on a person are never carried out outside of the Divine will (), writes M. S. Ivanov. “Therefore, popular beliefs that recognize the undivided power of one person over another when causing damage are deeply erroneous.” “The Church does not believe that a person can be corrupted. A person can only spoil himself. If he lives a sinful life, if he commits mortal sins, if he does not fight his bad habits, he can ruin himself and ruin the lives of the people around him,” says Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev) of Volokolamsk.

What is the “power” of prayer?

The text of the “Prayer of Detention” is usually preceded by the remark: “The power of these prayers lies in their concealment from the ears and eyes of men, in their secret working.” This warning raises many questions. What kind of “secret action” are we talking about? Why is “secret working” and “hiding from the hearing and sight of men” inherent in this particular prayer, and not in others? By whom, when and on what basis was this established?.. It is only clear that not on the basis of church tradition, which is unknown to the “Prayer of Detention”.

Often a note is added to the “Prayer of Detention”: “Read only with the blessing of the confessor.” The reason why the above prayer can only be read with the blessing of the confessor is also not indicated.

However, the purpose of such notes is clear - they should form in the reader the idea that this is supposedly a “particularly powerful” prayer. There is even an idea among the people that the “Prayer of Detention” can only be read in particularly difficult life circumstances (apparently, so as not to “abuse” the “power of prayer”).

But the division of prayer texts into more or less effective (“strong”) is generated not by the church, but by a superstitious and magical attitude towards prayer.

In the mythical-magical worldview, the supernatural world seems to be subordinate to “some mysterious force, which the “initiates” strive to master.” Therefore, what is important is not faith, not trust in the mercy of God, but “knowledge of the rules, following which you can subjugate higher powers.”

One of the “instruments of influence” on supernatural forces is a sacred text. Magical perception endows the sacred text with the ability of “automatic” action, similar to that expected from an amulet or any magical rite. For example, according to the apocryphal “Prayer to Michael the Archangel the Terrible, the Governor of the Heavenly Powers,” “if a person reads this prayer on any given day and on that day the devil does not touch him, a kindly person is tempted by laziness in his heart, or if a person dies from this life, then there is no control over his soul will take strength." According to another apocrypha, “The Dream of the Mother of God,” “whoever writes this dream down on a list, or takes it by heart, in that house the Lady rests with three angels, that house will be saved and preserved, and will be pardoned: from fire, from flame, from a thief, from a robber , from a sorcerer and from a porter, from illness, from sorrow and from all sorts of infirmities. Whoever reads this dream three times a day, holds it on his head and wears it clean, that person will receive salvation from God.” Thus, to achieve the desired result, you only need to use the sacred word “correctly”.

Christianity understands prayer as an appeal to the free will of the Divine, as a petition for God's mercy. The prayer text is “not magic words, the correct reproduction of which gives a guaranteed result. This is a request, a cry that can be heard, or maybe rejected by those to whom it is addressed. So a wise parent, hearing a child’s cry, does not necessarily immediately fulfill any of his requests...”

Therefore, the “power” of prayer lies not in words and not in “hiding from the hearing and sight of men.” Saint Theophan the Recluse wrote: “Strength is not in the words of prayer, but in the spiritual mood - the fear of God and devotion to God, and in constant attention to God, and in His mental standing.” “The power of prayer is a broken spirit, a contrite and humble heart.” Since true prayer is “the turning of the mind and heart to God,” it is therefore necessary to “always pray from the heart, not just utter prayer words, but from the heart bring out sighs of prayer to God; these constitute prayer itself.”

“Prayer of Detention” and magical texts

Let us note some features that bring the “Prayer of Detention” closer to magical texts (spells and apocryphal prayers).

Since ancient times, the creators of apocryphal monuments have sought to attribute their works to the authorship of one or another revered person. The apocryphal Gospels (“Gospel of Thomas”, “Gospel of Philip”, “Gospel of Bartholomew”) were presented as the works of the apostles, the apocryphal “Prayer of Cyprian” was attributed to the Hieromartyr Cyprian, Bishop of Antioch of Pisidia (October 2/15), etc. our days The “Prayer of Detention” is attributed to its origin from the collection of prayers of the Athonite elder Pansophius.

In the “Prayer of Detention,” just as in conspiracies and apocryphal prayers, there is a conviction in the effectiveness of harmful witchcraft and the belief that this witchcraft can be countered with the help of magic (in this case, by reading or storing a magical text).

The main motive of the prayer we are considering is the motive of detention, holding, slowing down, that is, stopped or suspended movement. According to the thoughts of the subject of prayer, just as they were once detained Syrians, waters, movement of the Sun and Moon, so it should be now all plans are delayed and slowed down enemies. Mouths and hearts enemies must be blocked, the eyes of enemies must be aimed spiritual blindness. Examples from Scripture and the lives of saints are used in the Detention Prayer to justify ill-will toward “enemies.” The subject of the prayer refers to episodes from life in order to justify his desire to see enemies frozen in place ( may the Holy Power stop them in the place where it overtakes them), held motionless ( And You, Reverend Father Poplie of Syria, who once with your unceasing prayer kept the demon motionless for ten days and unable to walk either day or night, now around my cell and this house (my) keep behind its fence all the resisting forces and all those who blaspheme the name of God and despising me).

In general, the purpose of the “Prayer of Detention” is to create a magical “protection”, a barrier to the actions of “enemies”. Magic texts have the same goal.

Various conspiracies were designed to “neutralize” enemies (bosses, judges, etc.). Enemies, according to the conspiracy texts, must freeze motionless, lose speech and vision: “As the stars darken from the violent wind, so would my adversary’s heart and lips darken; and just as a dead man became numb, so my adversary would be numb and would not be able to speak against me; and just as a dead man does not look at the light, so my adversary would not be able to look at me and speak against me.” “I, the servant of God (name of the rivers), go to service, am protected by light and girded with stars. Just as the Mother of God rejoices and rejoices in the Lord God, so would the rulers rejoice and rejoice at me, God’s servant Nikita, without raising their hands and not dissolving their lips.” “Holy Mother of God, with Your holy angels, help me, your sinful servant (name of the river), and stop the lips of my adversary, so that they may not speak evil against me.”

The subject of the conspiracy has no desire to surrender himself to the will of God. But there is a desire to command “higher powers”, to put them at one’s service, to force them to “work” for oneself.

The performer of the conspiracy, as it were, protects himself with a magic circle of heavenly powers:

Nikola is in the head,
Our Lady at feet
On the right is John the Evangelist,
On the left is a friend of Christ,
There is a wonderful cross above me
Seventy-seven miles.

Heavenly forces must protect a person “around and around”: “Send, Lord, to my aid the heavenly commanders, Michael and Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel, cherubim and seraphim and all the heavenly power, and all the Archangel and angelic troops with flaming weapons, with cover shouted Yours, and, O Lord, send with them the heavenly forces help and strength, Thy right hand, and also send, O Lord, Thy holy robe, so that You may clothe us with Your honorable robe, and guide us on the path of truth, so that they may stand around and around everyone us servants of God throughout the whole world through Your strength and help and intercession, like pillars of steadfastness, and they will establish immovable walls from earth to heaven.” “Christ is cutting down the city near me, God’s servant named, on all four sides, three walls are iron, the fourth is stone, Christ covers the city with the sky, closes the locks with five spokes, the key throws into the blue sea.”

It is characteristic that in the “Prayer of Detention” the prayers of the saint should protect the house like a magic circle ( And You, the venerable great Elius of Egypt, who once fenced the place of your disciple’s settlement in a circle with the sign of the cross, commanded him to arm himself with the name of the Lord and from now on not to be afraid of demonic temptations. Protect my house, in which I live, in the circle of your prayers and save it from fiery ignition, thieves' attacks and all evil and insurance). In other words, in the “Prayer of Detention” an episode from the life of St. Elius of Egypt is rethought in the categories of mythological and magical consciousness.

Conspiracies and apocryphal prayers can begin with an appeal to one person and end with a petition to another. For example, the apocryphal “Prayer to Michael the Terrible Archangel, the Governor of the Heavenly Forces” begins with an appeal to the Lord, and continues with petitions to the Archangel Michael. The “Prayer of Detention” also begins with an appeal to the Lord, but then follows petitions to the saints, to the Archangel Michael and to the Most Holy Theotokos.

The “Prayer of Detention” has similarities with magical texts and a focus on earthly well-being, concern for the safety of property. Thus, the protection and increase of “possessions” and “acquisitions” is an important function of the “Prayer of Cyprian”: “I drive away all evil - evil people and crafty demons from the servant of God (imrek) and from all his possessions, amen”, “I conjure and bind and I curse all the evil spirits and the eyes of evil people and the neighbors of those near and far and all the sorceries of evil people from the servant of God (name of the rivers) and from his house and from all his acquisitions, and as you multiplied the wealth of the second Job, so Lord God multiply your domestic life with your strength and He came to His servant (he said) to him who had this prayer”; “Let your servant (the name of the rivers) and all the house and all its possessions be preserved.”

Biblical motifs used in the beginning of the “Prayer of Detention” ( Merciful Lord, You once through the mouth of the servant of Moses, Joshua, delayed the movement of the Sun and Moon all day long, until the people of Israel took revenge on their enemies. With the prayer of Elisha the prophet, he once struck the Syrians, delaying them, and healed them again. You once told the prophet Isaiah: behold, I will return back ten steps the shadow of the sun that passed along the steps of Ahaz, and the sun returned ten steps along the steps on which it descended. You once, through the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel, closed the abysses, stopped the rivers, and held back the waters. And You once stopped the mouths of the lions in the den through the fasting and prayer of Your prophet Daniel.), similar to those found in the “Prayer of Cyprian”. According to the latter, unclean spirits are driven away from a person and “from his house”: “Joshua and the hundred sun and moon prayed the same prayer; and Elijah prayed the same prayer and held the sky; and the prayer that Daniel the prophet prayed and stopped the mouth of the lion; and the three fathers Ananias, Azariah, and Misail prayed with the same prayer, extinguishing the fire of the cave and turning it into cool dew; with the power of holding and taming the waves of the sea" (mentioned in the "Prayer of Cyprian" and "Prayer of Elisha").

Summing up

Even if we delete the most odious passages from the “Prayer of Detention” (e.g. bring spiritual blindness into the eyes of all those who rebel against me and my enemies), it will still not turn into a church prayer, because the worldview that gave birth to the “Prayer of Detention” is fed from non-church sources.

In relation to church prayers, the “Prayer of Detention” is an “anti-prayer.” For example, instead of self-condemnation and repentance for our own sins, we find in the text of the “Prayer of Detention” a verbose enumeration of the sins of our neighbors - “enemies”, according to the subject of the prayer. Instead of forgiving “those who hate and offend us”, the “Prayer of Detention” contains a request for their punishment (to bring spiritual blindness into the eyes of enemies), instead of humbly surrendering oneself to the will of God - a demand for the fulfillment of desires (and may all our good undertakings and desires be fulfilled) .

Thus, the “Prayer of Detention” can be classified as apocryphal prayers: like them, the “Prayer of Detention” comes into conflict with Orthodox dogma, in particular, with the church’s understanding of the purpose and essence of prayer.

You once, through the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel, closed the abysses, stopped the rivers, and held back the waters.

And You once stopped the mouths of the lions in the den with the fasting and prayer of Your prophet Daniel.

And now delay and slow down until the right time all the plans around those standing by me about my displacement, dismissal, removal, expulsion.

So now, destroy the evil desires and demands of all those who condemn me, block the lips and hearts of all those who slander, are angry and growl at me, and all who blaspheme and humiliate me.

So now, bring spiritual blindness into the eyes of all those who rise up against me and against my enemies.

Didn't you tell the Apostle Paul: Speak and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will harm you.

Soften the hearts of all those who oppose the good and dignity of the Church of Christ. Therefore, let my mouth not be silent to reprove the wicked and glorify the righteous and all your wondrous works. And may all our good undertakings and desires be fulfilled.

To you, righteous women and prayer books of God, our daring intercessors, who once with the power of their prayers restrained the invasion of foreigners, the approach of haters, who destroyed the evil plans of people, who stopped the mouths of lions, now I turn with my prayer, with my petition.

And You, the venerable great Elius of Egypt, who once fenced the place of your disciple’s settlement in a circle with the sign of the cross, commanded him to arm himself with the name of the Lord and from now on not to be afraid of demonic temptations. Protect my house, in which I live, in the circle of your prayers and save it from fiery ignition, thieves’ attacks and all evil and insurance.

And you, Reverend Father Poplie of Syria, who once with your unceasing prayer for ten days kept the demon motionless and unable to walk either day or night; Now, around my cell and this house (my) keep behind its fence all the opposing forces and all those who blaspheme the name of God and despise me.

And You, reverend virgin Piama, who once with the power of prayer stopped the movement of those who were going to destroy the inhabitants of the village where she lived, now stop all the plans of my enemies who want to expel me from this city and destroy me: do not allow them to approach this house, stop them with the power of prayer his: “Lord, Judge of the Universe, You, who are displeased with all unrighteousness, when this prayer comes to You, may the Holy Power stop them at the place where it befalls them.”

And You, blessed Lawrence of Kaluga, pray to God for me, as having the boldness to intercede before the Lord for those suffering from the wiles of the devil. Pray to God for me, may He protect me from the wiles of Satan.

And You, Reverend Vasily of Pechersk, perform your prayers of prohibition over those who attack me and drive away all the machinations of the devil from me.

And you, all the saints of the Russian land, with the power of your prayers for me, dispel all the demonic spells, all the devil’s plans and intrigues - to annoy me and destroy me and my property.

And You, great and formidable guardian, Archangel Michael, cut off with a fiery sword all the desires of the enemy of the human race and all his minions who want to destroy me. Stand inviolably on guard over this house, all those living in it and all its property.

And You, Lady, not in vain called the “Indestructible Wall”, be for all those who are hostile against me and plotting dirty tricks on me, truly a kind of barrier and an indestructible wall, protecting me from all evil and difficult circumstances.

Notes

Lovesaik.

Ancient Patericon, pp. 238-240.

Lovesaik.

Kiev-Pechersk Patericon.

– a big prayer, but very strong. In case of any trouble from people, it is recommended to read.
The “Prayer of Detention” has recently gained wide popularity among both churchgoers and people far from the Orthodox faith. It is recommended to read the “Prayer of Detention” in order to “detain the devil in his actions, and also as a prayer of deliverance from all human malice, envy and meanness.” Among believers, the “Prayer of Detention” is known as a “powerful remedy” that helps in solving problems at work and other difficult life situations.

Merciful Lord, You once through the mouth of the servant Moses, Joshua the son of Nun, delayed the movement of the Sun and Moon all day long while the people of Israel took revenge on their enemies. With the prayer of Elisha the prophet, he once struck the Syrians, delaying them, and healed them again.
You once told the prophet Isaiah: behold, I will return back ten steps the shadow of the sun, which passed along the steps of Ahaz, and the Sun returned ten steps along the steps on which it descended. You once, through the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel, closed the abysses, stopped the rivers, and held back the waters. And You once stopped the mouths of the lions in the den through the fasting and prayer of Your prophet Daniel.
And now delay and slow down until the time is right all the plans around me about my removal, dismissal, displacement, expulsion. So now, destroy the evil desires and demands of all those who condemn me, block the lips and hearts of all those who slander, are angry and growl at me and all who blaspheme and humiliate me. So now bring spiritual blindness into the eyes of all those who rise up against me and against my enemies.
Didn't you tell the Apostle Paul: Speak and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will harm you. Soften the hearts of all those who oppose the good and dignity of the Church of Christ. Therefore, let not My mouth be silent to reprove the wicked and glorify the righteous and all Your wondrous works. And may all our good undertakings and desires be fulfilled. To you, the righteous and prayer books of God, our daring representatives, who once, by the power of their prayers, restrained the invasion of foreigners, the approach of the haters, who destroyed the evil plans of people, who blocked the mouths of lions, now I turn with my prayer, with my petition.
And You, the venerable great Elius of Egypt, who once fenced the place of your disciple’s settlement in a circle with the sign of the cross, commanded him to arm himself with the name of the Lord and from now on not to be afraid of demonic temptations. Protect my house, in which I live, in the circle of Your prayers and save it from fiery ignition, thieves’ attacks and all evil and fear.
And You, Reverend Father Poplie of Syria, who once with your unceasing prayer kept the demon motionless for ten days and unable to walk either day or night; Now, around my cell and this house, keep behind its fence all the opposing forces and all those who blaspheme the name of God and those who despise me.
And You, reverend virgin Piama, who once with the power of prayer stopped the movement of those who were going to destroy the inhabitants of the village where she lived, now stop all the plans of my enemies who want to expel me from this city and destroy me: do not allow them to approach this house, stop them with the power of prayer his: “Lord, Judge of the Universe, You, who are displeased with all unrighteousness, when this prayer comes to You, may the Holy Power stop them at the place where it befalls them.”
And You, blessed Lavrenty of Kaluga, pray to God for me, as having the boldness to intercede before the Lord for those suffering from the wiles of the devil. Pray to God for me, may He protect me from the wiles of Satan.
And You, Reverend Vasily of Pechersk, perform your prayers of prohibition over those who attack me and drive away all the devil’s machinations from me.
And you, all the Holy Lands of Russia, with the power of your prayers for me, dispel all the demonic spells, all the devilish plans and intrigues - to annoy me and destroy me and my property.
And You, great and formidable guardian, Archangel Michael, cut with a fiery sword all the desires of the enemy of the human race and all his minions who want to destroy me. Stand inviolably on guard over this house, all those living in it and all its property.
And You, Lady, not in vain called the “Indestructible Wall”, be for all those who are hostile against me and plotting dirty tricks on me, truly a kind of barrier and an indestructible wall, protecting me from all evil and difficult circumstances.

God bless!

The “Prayer of Detention” (for its text, see the “Appendix”) has become widespread in recent years among both churchgoers and people far from the Church. The “Prayer of Detention” is recommended to be used to “detain the devil in his actions, and also as a prayer of deliverance from all human malice, envy and meanness.” Among the people, the “Prayer of Detention” is popular as a “strong remedy” that helps in case of problems at work (for example, the threat of dismissal), and in general in various difficult life circumstances.

Believers often ask clergy about how to read the Prayer of Detention, and in what cases it is necessary to turn to it. It is known that not all church ministers approve of this prayer, which is why it is so important to obtain their blessing before reading it.

In a conversation with the priest, you must definitely tell why the choice fell on the Prayer of Detention. As a rule, clergy are not so strict with believers. They simply talk about why this prayer does not seem Christian to many, but if people do not change their minds about reading it, they give a blessing.

One of the most famous modern prayers is the Prayer of Detention. It should be read in cases where a person needs the help of the Almighty in some life situation. In addition, such an appeal to God helps protect a person from evil people and the machinations of the devil himself. Many noted that after reading the prayer to them...

No need to read them. This “prayer of detention” is dubious. “Before the “prayer” itself there is an explanation: “The power of these prayers lies in concealment from the ears and eyes of men, in its secret action.” In fact, in “hiding from hearing and sight,” witchcraft and evil seek strength, and the power of Orthodox prayers lies in love for God and neighbors. “For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed, because they are evil; but he who does righteousness comes to the light, so that his deeds may be revealed, because they are done in God” (John. , 3:20-21).

The essence of the prayer of detention can be expressed as follows: “Lord! Enemies and spiteful critics are everywhere! I put up with them for a long time, but now, Lord, grant them so that they won’t bother me again!” . Here is a quote from this “delay”:

“And now delay and slow down until the time is right all the plans around those standing around me about my removal, dismissal, removal, expulsion.
So now, destroy the evil desires and demands of all those who condemn me, stop the mouths and hearts of all those who slander, malice and...

Hello Irina!

The prayer of detention has recently appeared in Orthodox prayer books. It dates back to 1848. Experienced confessors do not advise resorting to this prayer, especially without the blessing of a priest, since the phrases and wishes contained in it are closer in spirit to the cruelty of the Old Testament than to the spirit of Christian prayer. It is also confusing that this prayer must be read secretly. Any prayer of a Christian should not be ostentatious, and especially feigned mystery here looks strange. All the more strange is the basis for such mystery: “the whole power of this prayer lies in its mystery.” This argument is closer to the pagan, magical understanding of prayer. In general, I advise you to refrain from reading this prayer, at least until you have a personal conversation with an experienced confessor. There are enough other soul-saving prayers in Orthodoxy.

Sincerely, Archpriest Mikhail...

Replies to letters from readers

I have observed several times in churches that during divine services women stand on the left and men on the right, and women approach for anointing strictly after the men. Why is such a division by gender necessary? If it is necessary, why do most modern parishes not observe it?

Antonina

The dean of the Krasnogorsk church district, Archpriest Konstantin Ostrovsky, answers: The customs that the author of the letter asks about actually exist in some church communities (for example, among co-religionists, and not only among them), and in ancient times, as far as I heard, they were widespread everywhere. I guess that made sense.

Men and women stood at a distance from each other so as to be less distracted by each other. And the custom of women standing to the left of men and approaching the anointing and communion after the men, I think, was determined by the symbolic understanding of the male sex as the eldest and the right side also as, in a sense, the eldest and...

The Prayer of Detention has appeared recently in Orthodox prayer books. Such a prayer was first mentioned back in 1848. Experienced church ministers do not recommend reading such a prayer, especially without the blessing of a clergyman.

What if you dream of reading a prayer of detention?

This is due to the fact that the prayer of “Detention” contains wishes and phrases that are close in spirit to the cruelty of the Old Testament, which is why it differs from ordinary Orthodox prayer. How to pronounce the Detention Prayer correctly? It must be read in secret. In general, any prayer should not be read for show, but the mystery here is absurd. It is believed that the power of the Detention Prayer lies in its mystery. This meaning of prayer is closer to the pagan or magical understanding.

Review of the book “Spiritual Shield. Prayer of detention and other prayers honored in adversity and sorrow"

"Prayer of Detention"

Good evening. Father, please tell me when can I read a prayer for detention? Is it a blessing, or should it not be read at all? What kind of prayer is this, what does it contain?

This is some kind of modern innovation, which fundamentally does not contain anything evil. There is no temptation or evil here. The word “detention” indicates that, as we read in the litiya: “Deliver us from all evil that is moving towards us” - something is moving towards us, and we are trying to hold back, delay, ward off trouble from ourselves and those we love , about whom we worry. People, in order to pray more powerfully, agree on prayer, because one is one, and “Where two or three are gathered in My Name,” says Christ, “there am I in the midst of them.” Therefore, people agree to pray for someone or for something for someone, and at the same hour, together or separately, they try to read prayer texts dedicated to a specific request. Everything that is here is, in principle, the beginning of the Gospel. Agree...

This prayer was compiled by Elder Pansophius of Athos, 1848, as a prayer to arrest the devil in his actions, and also as a prayer of deliverance from all human malice, envy and meanness. This prayer is recommended for daily reading by devotees of piety. The elder wrote: “The power of these prayers lies in their concealment from human hearing and sight, in their secret action.”

Prayer shield “Protection of the house through monastic prayer. The prayer is very powerful and must be read after reading the morning or evening prayer rules.
It is a powerful weapon against evil spirits. Therefore, it is necessary to use prayer extremely carefully and carefully. It is not for nothing that in the prayer books where the Prayer of Detention is placed, there is a significant warning - “Read the prayer only with the blessing of the Spiritual Father.” (But Parkhomenko K. says that some...

Larisa wrote:

In what cases is the prayer of detention read and why is it necessary to take a blessing to read it?

To be honest, I have no idea about this prayer, and I treat it as an apocryphal work.
When I decided to answer you like this, I thought that I was probably showing my incompetence, but when I tried to find an adequate site where the priest would answer such a question, I found the same thing that I wrote myself:

One of the priests in our city believes that prayers of detention (which are read in difficult life situations and are included in some prayer books) are supposedly some kind of delusion and should not be prayed with.

Is it so? These prayers helped me personally when I was once slandered at work and could have been fired, but the Lord had mercy...
Elena
church singing, education (student)
Bratsk, Irkutsk region

Answer (priest abbot)

What is a prayer of detention, I do not know and do not understand, and in ...

Fragment of the TK-Spas program “Russian Hour” dated 2011-05-16 Questions from viewers are answered about ...

http://upsoape.beecricket.com/57160607_mozhno_li_chitat_molitvu_zaderzhaniya_38.shtm

http://www.tald-blag.kz/node/3000

The Prayer of Detention is a large prayer, but very powerful. In case of any trouble from people, it is recommended to read.
The “Prayer of Detention” has recently gained wide popularity among both churchgoers and people far from the Orthodox faith. It is recommended to read the “Prayer of Detention” in order to “detain the devil in his actions, and also as a prayer of deliverance from all human malice, envy and meanness.” Among believers, the “Prayer of Detention” is known as a “powerful remedy” that helps in solving problems at work and other difficult life situations.

Prayer of Detention

The prayer of detention has recently become incredibly popular and has become widespread among churchgoers, and even those who consider themselves far from the Orthodox Church. This type of prayer can be read in order to deter evil in any manifestation, and you can also use it to protect against human malice, meanness, envy, and aggression.

People fell in love with this prayer because it is a powerful tool that helps, first of all, with problems at work, in the family, love relationships, health, and many other life circumstances.

If you want to properly protect yourself from the forces of evil, as well as the people who spread it, then, for example, the prayer for the detention of Elder Pansophius of Athos will be perfect for you.

"Detention" Prayers

You know how interesting it is, we all recently discussed who completely follows the morning and evening rules. And many wrote that sometimes they are just so tired that they completely fail to follow these rules. For this reason, we study prayers that are not included in these rules with pleasure and are very upset when they tell us “NOT!”
So it turns out that there is NOT A PENNY OF HUMILITY in US in all of us.
We must pray for the priests who patiently fiddle with us like capricious children.
What we demand from our children and others, I’m talking about OBEDIENCE, we ourselves…….
Someone rightly said, “Start with yourself.....!”
Oh, how difficult it is to obey someone else when you have a mustache yourself for so many years.

http://azbyka.ru/tse...11_9n-all.shtml

But why in our time are the voices of the priesthood full of anxiety heard more and more often about those praying? Sincerely wanting to turn to the Lord, our intercessor and Savior in various sorrows, illnesses and needs, out of ignorance people...

The All-Ukrainian Benevolent Fund “Dobro Obednuya” collects voluntary donations. Please transfer the cash to the representative of the fund - Kartkovy Rakhunok to Privatbank 5168 7572 6331 3340

What does the prayer of detention mean? In what cases is it read?

One of the effective prayers that serves to protect against the evil that comes from people is "Prayer of Detention".

Its name speaks for itself - to delay evil. What kind of evil? Wishes, envy, aggression, hatred, bad plans and thoughts, unpleasant encounters, and also specific practical actions - the evil eye, damage, curses.

Naturally, every sane person will understand that prayer alone cannot do it. For comprehensive protection from all kinds of evil, an integrated approach is needed. And this prayer should become one of the COMPONENT parts in this comprehensive approach.

But by resorting to this prayer, you can, from a slight negativity, weaken the evil messages that come from other people.

And in order to get a greater effect from working with prayer, I will advise strengthening this prayer by using (reading together with the “Prayer of Detention”) two other things - to choose from. This is an akathist before the icon of the Mother of God “Seven Arrows”. Or - an akathist in front of the icon of the Mother of God “The Unbreakable Wall”. Or, in a short version - prayers in front of these icons.

The combination of the main prayer - “Prayer of Detention” with an akathist (prayer) in front of one of these icons will allow you to obtain an enhanced protective effect.

So, there are three options for working with prayer.

The first, simplest one is to read only the “Prayer of Detention”

The second, of medium strength, is the reading of the “Prayer of Detention” and a prayer to one of the icons of the Mother of God.

The third, of great power, is the reading of the “Prayer of Detention” and an akathist to one of the icons of the Virgin Mary.

Important! When choosing any of the options, you should first read the “Our Father” prayer once.

Detention Prayer:

Merciful Lord, You once through the mouth of the servant Moses, the son of Nun, delayed the movement of the Sun and Moon all day long while the people of Israel took revenge on their enemies. With the prayer of Elisha the prophet, he once struck the Syrians, delaying them, and healed them again.

You once told the prophet Isaiah: behold, I will return back ten steps the shadow of the sun, which passed along the steps of Ahaz, and the Sun returned ten steps along the steps on which it descended. You once, through the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel, closed the abysses, stopped the rivers, and held back the waters. And You once stopped the mouths of the lions in the den through the fasting and prayer of Your prophet Daniel.

And now delay and slow down until the time is right all the plans around me about my removal, dismissal, displacement, expulsion. So now, destroy the evil desires and demands of all those who condemn me, block the lips and hearts of all those who slander, are angry and growl at me and all who blaspheme and humiliate me. So now bring spiritual blindness into the eyes of all those who rise up against me and against my enemies.

Didn't you tell the Apostle Paul: Speak and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will harm you. Soften the hearts of all those who oppose the good and dignity of the Church of Christ. Therefore, let not My mouth be silent to reprove the wicked and glorify the righteous and all Your wondrous works. And may all our good undertakings and desires be fulfilled. To you, the righteous and prayer books of God, our daring representatives, who once, by the power of their prayers, restrained the invasion of foreigners, the approach of the haters, who destroyed the evil plans of people, who blocked the mouths of lions, now I turn with my prayer, with my petition.

And You, the venerable great Elius of Egypt, who once fenced the place of your disciple’s settlement in a circle with the sign of the cross, commanded him to arm himself with the name of the Lord and from now on not to be afraid of demonic temptations. Protect my house, in which I live, in the circle of Your prayers and save it from fiery ignition, thieves’ attacks and all evil and fear.

And You, Reverend Father Poplie of Syria, who once with your unceasing prayer kept the demon motionless for ten days and unable to walk either day or night; Now, around my cell and this house, keep behind its fence all the opposing forces and all those who blaspheme the name of God and those who despise me.

And You, blessed Lavrenty of Kaluga, pray to God for me, as having the boldness to intercede before the Lord for those suffering from the wiles of the devil. Pray to God for me, may He protect me from the wiles of Satan.

And You, Reverend Vasily of Pechersk, perform your prayers of prohibition over those who attack me and drive away all the devil’s machinations from me.

And you, all the Holy Lands of Russia, with the power of your prayers for me, dispel all the demonic spells, all the devilish plans and intrigues - to annoy me and destroy me and my property.

And You, great and formidable guardian, Archangel Michael, cut with a fiery sword all the desires of the enemy of the human race and all his minions who want to destroy me. Stand inviolably on guard over this house, all those living in it and all its property.

God bless!

Prayer before the icon of the Mother of God “Seven Arrows”

O who will not please Thee, O Blessed Virgin, who will not sing of Thy mercy to the human race. We pray to you, we ask you, do not leave us perishing in evil, dissolve our hearts with love and send your arrow to our enemies, may our hearts be wounded by peace against those who persecute us. If the world hates us - You extend Your love to us, if the world persecutes us - You accept us, give us the blessed strength of patience - to endure the trials that happen in this world without grumbling. Oh, Lady! Soften the hearts of evil people who rise up against us, so that their hearts do not perish in evil - but pray, O Blessed One, Thy Son and our God, may he pacify their hearts with peace, but let the devil - the father of evil - be put to shame! We, singing Thy mercy towards us, the evil, the indecent, will sing to Thee, O Most Wonderful Lady of the Blessed Virgin, hear us at this hour, those who have contrite hearts, protect us with peace and love for each other and for our enemies, eradicate from us all malice and enmity, let us sing to You and Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: Alleluia! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Akathist before the icon of the Mother of God “Seven Arrows”

Kontakion 1

To the chosen Virgin Mary, who is higher than all the daughters of the earth, the Mother of the Son of God, who gave Him the salvation of the world, we cry with tenderness: look at our many-sorrowful life, remember the sorrows and illnesses that you endured, like our earthly-born, and do with us according to Your mercy call T:

Ikos 1

The angel who announced the Nativity of the Savior of the world to the shepherd of Bethlehem, and with him many heavenly powers, praised God, singing: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” But you, Mother of God, who had no place to lay your head, no place in the monasteries, gave birth to Your Firstborn Son in a den and, having wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, laid Him in a manger; thereby recognizing the sorrow of Your heart, crying out to You:

Rejoice, You who warmed Your beloved Son with Your breath

Rejoice, thou who hast wrapped the Eternal Child in swaddling clothes.

Rejoice, Thou who nourished the Bearer of the universe with Thy milk;

Rejoice, you who turned the den into the sky.

Rejoice, thou who hast become the throne of a cherub;

Rejoice, thou who remained the Virgin at the Nativity and after the Nativity.

Rejoice, much-sorrowful Mother of God, transforming our sorrow into joy.

Kontakion 2

Seeing the Eternal Child, the midwife lying in the manger, the shepherds of Bethlehem came and bowed to Him and spoke about the verb spoken to them by the Angel about the Childhood, and Mariam kept all these verbs in Her heart; and after seven days Jesus was circumcised according to the law of Israel, as a man of eight days; Glorifying Your humility and patience, O Mother of God, we sing to the eternal God: Alleluia.

Ikos 2

Having a mind established in God and observing the law of the Lord, on the fortieth day, when the days of purification were fulfilled, Jesus ascended to Jerusalem, His parents, in order to set Him before the Lord and give a sacrifice for Him according to what was spoken in the Law of the Lord; We cry out to You:

Rejoice, you who brought the Creator of the universe to the temple of Jerusalem to fulfill the law;

Rejoice, you were joyfully welcomed there by Elder Simeon.

Rejoice, One Pure and Most Blessed among women;

Rejoice, O Thy Cross, adorned with sorrows, and carried in humility.

Rejoice, you who disobeyed the will of God in no way;

Rejoice, you who have shown the image of patience and humility.

Rejoice, vessel filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Rejoice, much-sorrowful Mother of God, transforming our sorrow into joy.

Kontakion 3

You were strengthened by the power from above, Mother of God, when you heard the words of Elder Simeon saying: “Behold, this One is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and is a sign that can be contradicted, and a weapon will pierce your very soul, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” "; and great sorrow pierce the heart of the Mother of God, and cry out in sorrow to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 3

Having the desire to destroy the Child, the ambassador Herod killed all the children who were in Bethlehem and its borders from two years ago and below, according to the time of the hedgehog's experience from the wise men and behold, according to the command of God given through an Angel in a dream to the elder Joseph, fleeing the entire holy family to Egypt and remained there seven years until the death of Herod. With the same emotion we cry out to Ti:

Rejoice, you who bore all the hardships of the journey;

Rejoice, for all the idols fell in the land of Egypt and were unable to endure the strength of Your Son.

Rejoice, you who remained with the wicked pagans for seven years;

Rejoice, you who came to Nazareth with the Eternal Child-Youth and with Your Betrothed.

Rejoice, you who lived in poverty with Elder Joseph the treemaker;

Rejoice, you who spent all your time in labor.

Rejoice, much-sorrowful Mother of God, transforming our sorrow into joy.

Kontakion 4

The storm of sorrow overcame the Most Pure Mother, but those returning from Jerusalem did not find the Child Jesus on the way. For this reason, she returned seeking Him, and after three days found Him in the church, sitting among the teachers and listening to them and asking them questions. And his Mother spoke to Him: “Child, what have you done to us? Behold Your Father and I have sorely sought You?” And he said to him: “What is the source of Me, don’t you know that in those who are My Father’s essence is worthy of being Me”; and His Mother kept all these words in her heart, crying out to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 4

Having heard the Mother of God, as Jesus passed through all of Galilee, teaching in their congregations, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing every ailment and every ulcer among the people, and the rumor went out throughout all Syria and brought to Him those who were sick with various illnesses and passions, possessed and demons, and paralyzed and healing them. But You, Mother of God, leading the prophecies, grieved in your heart, knowing that the hour would soon come when Your Son would sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world. We also please You, long-suffering Mother of God, crying out:

Rejoice, you who gave your Son to serve the Jewish people;

Rejoice, sorrowful at heart, but submissive to the will of God.

Rejoice, you who saved the world from the flood of sin;

Rejoice, you who have erased the head of the ancient serpent.

Rejoice, you who offered yourself a living sacrifice to God;

Rejoice, the Lord is with you, O Blessed One.

Rejoice, much-sorrowful Mother of God, transforming our sorrow into joy.

Kontakion 5

Preaching the Kingdom of God on earth, Jesus denounced the pride of the Pharisees, who imagined themselves to be righteous. Tis, listening to His parables, understood what He was saying about them, and sought His yat, but was afraid of the people, because they had His prophet; Knowing all this, the Mother of God grieved for her beloved Son, fearing lest they kill Him, crying out in grief: Alleluia.

Ikos 5

Having seen the resurrection of Lazarus from the Jews, he went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done, and Caiaphas, the bishop, spoke this year: “We have no choice but to let one man die for the people, and not the whole tongue perish”; from that day they took counsel, that they might kill Him; We cry out to You, Most Pure One:

Rejoice, you who gave birth to the Savior of the world;

Rejoice, our salvation is the main thing.

Rejoice, pre-chosen from birth as the Mother of our Savior;

Rejoice, Mother of God, doomed to suffering.

Rejoice, Blessed One, who has become the Queen of Heaven;

Rejoice, I will take you out to pray for us.

Rejoice, Much-sorrowful Mother of God, transforming our sorrow into joy.

Kontakion 6

First a preacher of the word of God, later a traitor - Judas Iscariot, one of the two ten Apostles, went to the bishop to betray his Teacher; When they heard it, they were very happy and promised to give him pieces of silver; But you, Mother of God, grieving for your beloved Son, cried out to the mountain God: Alleluia.

Ikos 6

The last supper was celebrated by the disciples of Christ, and at it the Teacher bore his mind, thus showing an image of humility, and saying to them: “Only from you will betray Me, the one who eats with Me.” We, with compassionate grief for the Mother of God, cry out to Her:

Rejoice, Mother of God, weary of heartache;

Rejoice, all who endured much sorrow in this vale.

Rejoice, you who found peace in prayer;

Rejoice, joy to all who mourn.

Rejoice, quenching of our sorrows;

Rejoice, you who save us from the mire of sin.

Rejoice, much-sorrowful Mother of God, transforming our sorrow into joy.

Kontakion 7

Although the Lord Jesus Christ wanted to show His love for the human race at the Last Supper, blessing and breaking bread, He gave His disciple and apostle the words: “Take, eat, this is My Body”; and having received the cup and given praise, he gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you, this is My Blood of the New Testament, which was shed for many for the remission of sins.” Giving thanks to the merciful God for His ineffable mercy towards us, we sing to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 7

The Lord showed a new sign of His mercy to His disciples, when He promised to send them the Comforter of the Spirit of Truth, Who comes from the Father and will testify about Him. To you, the Mother of God, twice sanctified by the Holy Spirit, we cry:

Rejoice, dwelling place of the Holy Spirit;

Rejoice, all-bright devil.

Rejoice, vast village of God the Word;

Rejoice, you who produced Divine beads.

Rejoice, through Thy Nativity, who opens the doors of heaven to us;

Rejoice, you who have shown us a sign of God’s mercy.

Rejoice, much-sorrowful Mother of God, transforming our sorrow into joy.

Kontakion 8

It is strange and regrettable for us to hear that Judas Iscariot betrayed his Teacher and Lord with a kiss, and Spira and the captain and the servants of the Jews brought Jesus and bound Him, and led Him to the high priest Annas first, then to Caiaphas the bishop. The Mother of God, awaiting the mortal counsel of Her beloved Son, cried out to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 8

All the Jews took Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetor to Pilate, saying that He was a villain. Pilate, having questioned Him, told them that not a single person found guilt in Him; we cry out to Ti:

Rejoice, heart tormented by grief, who had;

Rejoice, you who shed tears for your Son.

Rejoice, you who endured everything without complaining, as a servant of the Lord;

Rejoice, you who groan and weep.

Rejoice, Queen of Heaven and earth, who accepts the prayers of Her servants.

Rejoice, much-sorrowful Mother of God, transforming our sorrow into joy.

Kontakion 9

All generations bless Thee, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, the Lady and Mother of our Savior, who brought joy to the whole world with her Nativity, who later had great sorrow, seeing her beloved Son mocked and beaten and betrayed to death, but we bring tender singing to Thee, The Most Pure One, singing to Almighty God: Alleluia.

Ikos 9

The branches of many things will not be able to utter all the suffering You have endured, our Savior, when the warriors wove a crown of thorns on Your head and put on a scarlet robe, saying: “Hail, King of the Jews”; and Biyahu Ty on the cheeks. We, Mother of God, recognizing Your suffering, cry out to You:

Rejoice, You nourished Him with Your milk, having seen Him tormented;

Rejoice, thou who hast ripened with crimson and a crown of thorns.

Rejoice, you who suffered through His suffering;

Rejoice, having seen Him abandoned by all His disciples.

Rejoice, having been condemned by His unrighteous judges.

Rejoice, much-sorrowful Mother of God, transforming our sorrow into joy.

Kontakion 10

To save Jesus, Pilate spoke to the Jews: “It is a custom for us, that I will release one to you, so do you want to release to you the King of the Jews?” They all cried out, saying: “Not Him, but Barrabas!” Singing the mercy of God, who gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross, that He might redeem us from eternal death, we cry to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

Be a wall and fence for us, Lady, who are exhausted from sorrow and illness. You yourself suffered, hearing the Jews crying: “Crucify Him!” Now hear us crying to You:

Rejoice, Mother of Mercy, who takes away every tear from the fiercely suffering;

Rejoice, you who give us tears of tenderness.

Rejoice, you who save perishing sinners;

Rejoice, shameless intercession of Christians.

Rejoice, thou who deliverest us from passions;

Rejoice, you who give joy to the broken heart.

Rejoice, much-sorrowful Mother of God, transforming our sorrow into joy.

Kontakion 11

We offer all-congratulatory singing to the Savior of the world, I went to His free suffering and carried my Cross to Calvary upon Him; standing at the Cross of Jesus His Mother, Mary of Cleopas and Mary Magdalene. Jesus, seeing the Mother and the disciple standing, loving him, said to His Mother: “Woman, behold Your Son!” Then the verb to the student: “Behold Thy Mother!” And from that hour the disciple went home. You, Mother of God, seeing your Son and Your Lord tormented on the Cross, cried out to the Highlander God: Alleluia.

Ikos 11

“My Light, Eternal God and Creator of all creatures, Lord, how did you endure the passions on the Cross?” - The Pure Virgin weepingly said about Your strange Christmas: “My son, I was exalted above all mothers, but, alas for Me, now seeing You crucified, my womb is on fire”; We shed tears, we cry out to You attentively:

Rejoice, deprived of joy and joy;

Rejoice, you who freely saw the suffering of Your Son on the Cross.

Rejoice, Thy beloved child who matured in the wounded;

Rejoice, O Lamb, see Thy Child as a Lamb to be led to the slaughter.

Rejoice, you who saw the Savior of mental and physical ulcers covered with ulcers.

Rejoice, Thou who hast ripened Thy Son risen from the dead.

Rejoice, much-sorrowful Mother of God, transforming our sorrow into joy.

Kontakion 12

Grant us grace, O All-Merciful Savior, who gave up Your Spirit on the Cross and accepted the handwriting of our sins. “Behold, My good Light, My God was extinguished on the Cross,” the Virgin lamented. - “Try, Joseph, to approach Pilate and ask to remove Your Teacher from the tree. Having seen You wounded without glory, naked on the tree, My Child, a weapon passed through My soul, according to the prophecy of the righteous Simeon,” - see the Mother of God, crying out: Alleluia.

Ikos 12

Singing Thy mercy, O Lover of Mankind, we bow to the riches of Thy mercy, O Lord. “Though You saved Thy creation, Thou didst lift up death,” said the Most Pure One, but by Thy resurrection, O Savior, have mercy on us all, but we call upon Thy Most Pure Mother with tenderness:

Rejoice, dead, visibly lifeless, of the most blessed Lord;

Rejoice, thou who kissed the body of Thy beloved Son.

Rejoice, Thou didst bear forth the naked and wounded dead of Thy Light;

Rejoice, Thou who betrayed Thy Light to the grave.

Rejoice, thou who hast wrapped the new shroud around His Body;

Rejoice, you who saw Him risen.

Rejoice, much-sorrowful Mother of God, transforming our sorrow into joy.

Kontakion 13

O All-Singing Mother, exhausted from sorrow at the Cross of Your Son and God, listen to our sighs and tears and deliver from sorrow, illness and eternal death all who trust in Your ineffable mercy and cry out to God: Alleluia.

Prayer before the icon of the Mother of God “The Unbreakable Wall”

Oh, our gracious Lady Theotokos, Ever-Virgin, accept from us this song of gratitude and offer up to our Creator and Creator your warm prayers for us unworthy, may He, the Merciful, forgive us all our sins, evil and unclean thoughts, nasty deeds. Oh, Most Holy Lady, have mercy and send down a gift according to each need: heal the sick, comfort the sorrowing, bring the lost to reason, protect the infants, raise and teach the young, encourage and instruct men and wives, support and warm the old, be with us both here and in life eternal Wall, Indestructible, deliver us from all troubles and misfortunes and from eternal torment, and always singing Your Motherly love, we praise with all our hearts Your Son, with His Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

Akathist before the icon of the Mother of God “The Unbreakable Wall”

Kontakion 1

Chosen from all generations to the Mother of God and the Queen, before Her most pure image, the Indestructible Wall called, we offer thanksgiving praise to You, O Blessed One. You, who have incomprehensible power and unspeakable love, save us from all our troubles and sorrows, and let us call to You:

Ikos 1

A representative angel was quickly sent from God to You, Most Pure One, to bring You worldwide joy, as You conceived God the Word, the Savior of the world, from the Holy Spirit in Your womb. We, leading the fulfillment of this annunciation, believe that the Lord, Most Blessed One, has shown You with an Indestructible Wall and protected us from all sin, troubles and misfortunes. For this sake, let us please Thee, Mother of God, and joyfully cry out:

Rejoice, for the Lord is with You and You with us;

Rejoice, for in Cana of Galilee you appeared as a representative to Your Son for the people.

Rejoice, for with Your omophorion you cover the faithful wider than the clouds;

Rejoice, for with Your grace you wipe away the tears of the suffering.

Rejoice, for You lift up Your hands to protect us from all defilement;

Rejoice, for according to Your word you are now and ever blessed.

Rejoice, Mother of God, Indestructible Wall, our Intercessor and consolation.

Kontakion 2

The visionary prophets, with their clever minds, combed through Your grace-filled appearance, proclaimed the Nativity in the flesh from You of the Son of God, and having known all the fulfillment of the prophetic prophecies, they reverently cried out to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 2

Having a blessed mind, Jacob, Moses, David and many others depicted Your wonderful Nativity and the mystery of Your Ever-Virginity in words, visions, and dreams. We, unable to comprehend the full power of prophetic broadcasts, from the depths of our believing hearts sing to You with love:

Rejoice, high Ladder, uniting earth with Heaven;

Rejoice, O God, who appeared on earth, who bore in Your womb and, like the Burning Bush, remains incorruptible.

Rejoice, luminous Cloud, from Him the Lord of all, like rain on the fleece, descending to the earth;

Rejoice, as the Life-Giving Source, who kindles the hunger and thirst for eternal truth in people.

Rejoice, Christ, who has contained the manna of life in His womb and saturates our souls with the bread of immortality;

Rejoice, wonderful Rod, adorning the flowers of the virtues of the faithful.

Rejoice, Mother of God, Indestructible Wall, our Intercessor and consolation.

Kontakion 3

The power of the Most High autumn of Thee, the Most Pure One, having made Thee the Mother of the Lord, and after Thy Nativity abides abundantly in Thee, Mother of God. Rejoicing at such God's good will towards You, all, praising the Savior of the world, cry out to Him joyfully: Alleluia.

Ikos 3

Having in Yourself abundantly the grace of God, You, Most Immaculate One, have given Your entire life to good cares for Your Son and the Lord, keeping all His words in Your heart. We, sinners, remembering Your sorrowful life on earth, give You the following praises:

Rejoice, thou who gave birth to the Lord of the universe in a wretched den;

Rejoice, you who fled to Egypt from the lawless Herod with Your Son.

Rejoice, you who sought Your Son with great sorrow in Jerusalem during the days of Easter;

Rejoice, you who have contemplated hatred and envy of Your Son from His enemies with a sorrowful heart.

Rejoice, you who crucified Him with your Mother’s heart, when you contemplated His suffering and death on the Cross;

Rejoice, having found your son in John the Theologian, according to the word Jesus.

Rejoice, Mother of God, Indestructible Wall, our Intercessor and consolation.

Kontakion 4

Our Russian country has been repeatedly tested by the storm of invasion of foreigners, and in difficult trials our fathers have cried out for help to the Blessed Virgin Mary. That, like the Indestructible Wall, by His intercession at the Throne of His Son and God, graciously sends down His power, and with the hope of the Mother of God’s help, the people of Russia drive out the hordes of the enemy from the Russian borders. For this reason, praising the Mother of God, we joyfully sing to the Lord: Alleluia.

Ikos 4

The whole world hears and knows how the Most Holy Theotokos kindles courage in the hearts of the Russian people, and gives strength for exploits and defense of the fatherland, fights against foreigners, and sends Her gracious help to the entire Russian army. Confessing our faith and the miraculous intercession of the Queen of Heaven in the days of the war invasions on our land, we thus sing to the Most Gracious One:

Rejoice, help to the Russian people against their enemies;

Rejoice, blessed reinforcement from our land for the expulsion of foreigners.

Rejoice, secret admonition and wisdom for the leaders of the Russian army;

Rejoice, shame on the haters of the human race.

Rejoice, terrible Punisher who kindled the flame of enmity;

Rejoice, invincible Helper of all who care for the peace of the whole world.

Rejoice, Mother of God, Indestructible Wall, our Intercessor and consolation.

Kontakion 5

Thou art the God-bearing star, O Ever-Blessed One, who has appeared to all those wandering in the darkness of passions and vices, for through Thy admonition many grave sinners turn away from lawless deeds and resort to God with repentance, crying out to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 5

Seeing the death of many souls into the power of sin and defilement by Satan, the Most Merciful Lady, out of indescribable love for the human race, advances them to help, turns them away from the disastrous path and instructs them on the path of salvation. Rejoicing at the wondrous mercy of the Queen of Heaven, all the faithful say this:

Rejoice, you who show us all the path of salvation;

Rejoice, forbidding pride and anger to rule our hearts.

Rejoice, strict admonition to gluttons and drunkards;

Rejoice, strong motivation for the lazy and weak-willed.

Rejoice, you who lead those who live in fornication to repentance;

Rejoice, sinners who come to You with faith, speedy correction.

Rejoice, Mother of God, Indestructible Wall, our Intercessor and consolation.

Kontakion 6

Preachers of miracles revealed by Your icons, our pious fathers, saved by You, Mother of God, and delivered from troubles and misfortunes. In the same way, thanking God, who has bestowed such a good Intercessor on the human race, all silent lips sing to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 6

The light of Your ineffable goodness, O Blessed One, shines forth to all those who grieve, weep, to all of us in temptation, for through our tearful prayers You, the Mother of God, grant us miraculous deliverance from troubles. Although we have no words worthy of praising Thee for Thy mercy towards all, with sinful lips we exclaim to Thee in tenderness:

Rejoice, you who transform our sorrows and tears into joy;

Rejoice, O Merciful Helper to those who suffer from temptation.

Rejoice, saving our houses from fire and other destruction;

Rejoice, you who protect the faithful from thieves and evil people.

Rejoice, destroyer of the slander and intrigues of our enemies;

Rejoice, conquering the fear of death and sudden death in our souls.

Rejoice, Mother of God, Indestructible Wall, our Intercessor and consolation.

Kontakion 7

Although the All-Merciful Lord showed His Divine love for us unworthy, giving us Your Mother of God icon, called the Indestructible Wall, and seeing miracles from the holy icon, all people with faith and hope for Your miraculous help with tenderness cry out to the Source of miracles, the Lord: Alleluia.

Ikos 7

A new testimony that is always inherent in You, Most Pure One, of the grace and miraculous powers the Creator showed to us, always Your wondrous image, depicted on the altar wall of the ancient St. Sophia Cathedral in the city of Kyiv, was preserved intact for nine centuries, for the hordes of filthy enemies of the Orthodox faith did not dare to damage this gracious image, protected by Your power. Truly, this holy icon appears to us, sinners and mourners, as an unbreakable wall, inspiring all the faithful to cry out to you:

Rejoice, clothed in a tunic shining with heavenly light;

Rejoice, thou who by the lifting of Thy most pure hands manifests unceasing prayer for the whole world.

Rejoice, for you have not damaged Your honorable image and the length of centuries;

Rejoice, for this image remains in all its glory even after the invasion of the power of the enemy.

Rejoice, for in this way the hearts of those praying are reverently touched;

Rejoice, for the grace-filled power inherent in this image of Yours frightens the demons.

Rejoice, Mother of God, Indestructible Wall, our Intercessor and consolation.

Kontakion 8

It is strange for non-believers to hear that You, Mother of God, have special care for babies. We, remembering the words of our Lord, said: leave the children to come to Me, for such is the Kingdom of God, we confess with firm faith that You, Most Holy Virgin, protect babies and their mothers with Your love, and we cry to Your Son: Alleluia.

Ikos 8

With all your heart, Queen of the world, offer up prayers for all of God’s creatures to Your Son, as the Mother according to the flesh of the Son of God, You comfortably accommodate in Your soul the sorrows and labors of mothers. For this reason, as the Mother of the Infant Jesus, we sing to You:

Rejoice, faithful Helper and refuge of childbearing mothers;

Rejoice, protection and strength of infants.

Rejoice, quenching maternal sorrows;

Rejoice, preserving every age of infancy.

Rejoice, good Teacher of pious mothers in raising children;

Rejoice, O children helpless in illness to the Healer.

Rejoice, Mother of God, Indestructible Wall, our Intercessor and consolation.

Kontakion 9

Every angelic and human nature sings of Your ever-virgin purity, Most Immaculate, for this sake we honor You, as the vigilant Guardian of the purity of virgins, the purity of widows, the chastity of young men; and we entrust every age of people to You, that You may preserve them in holiness, singing to Your Son: Alleluia.

Ikos 9

Superstitious spirits cannot contain in their hearts the truth of Your, Mother of God, Ever-Virginity. We, who believe in the power of the incomprehensible mystery, reverently praise Thee:

Rejoice, for the Bridegroom, redder than all the sons of men, desired Your red and bright kindness;

Rejoice, for this Bridegroom has united virginity and Christmas in You.

Rejoice, all-wise Teacher of immaculate virginity;

Rejoice, thou who preservest pious widows in celibacy.

Rejoice, teaching pure virgins and widows to work for the glory of Christ for the good of their neighbors;

Rejoice, thou who hast helped all who are able to embrace the path of chastity.

Rejoice, Mother of God, Indestructible Wall, our Intercessor and consolation.

Kontakion 10

Wanting to save Your people from the falls of sin, You, Lady, vigilantly guard the holiness of an honest marriage and command those who are in marriage to keep the commandments of the Lord: to raise their children according to God and to accustom them to acts of mercy. Giving thanks to God, who has given us such a wise Teacher, we sing to Him with all our hearts: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

You are the Wall and Guardian of pious Christian families, the Most Holy Virgin, who wisely instruct believers in marriage, how to accept the good yoke and preserve fidelity to each other until death. For this reason, we, rejoicing in Your care for a good Christian marriage, say with tenderness to You:

Rejoice, blessing of honest marriage;

Rejoice, you who teach spouses how to live according to the teachings of Christ and the apostles.

Rejoice, you who bring love and like-mindedness into the hearts of those living in marriage;

Rejoice, protector of family ties.

Rejoice, good Guardian of the domestic Church;

Rejoice, formidable accuser of violators of adultery.

Rejoice, Mother of God, Indestructible Wall, our Intercessor and consolation.

Kontakion 11

All-contrite singing is brought to Ti, Most Blessed One, by the entire Christian race, seeing Thee as the all-powerful Prayer Book for the whole world. You, Mother of God, accept the prayers of the young, and do not despise the prayers of the weak elders and old women, instruct the young in good deeds for salvation, and remind the elders of their imminent transition to the afterlife. For this reason, praying to the Lord to grant us all the memory of death, we cry to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 11

The teaching of Christ the Savior about the life of the future century is an edifying and luminous luminary in our sinful life. But You, All-Merciful One, kindle in our hearts the gracious desire to be cleansed from sins by repentance and to decorate our lives with good deeds. Rejoicing in Your care for us, so that we may receive eternal salvation, we cry out to You with tears of tenderness:

Rejoice, you who show great love for the infirm elders;

Rejoice, faithful people who want to end their lives in piety, O All-Good Helper.

Rejoice, elderly parents, abandoned by their children, receiving under Your honest roof;

Rejoice, O terrible Punisher, such cruel children who neglect their elders.

Rejoice, reminding us all of the terrible Second Coming of Christ;

Rejoice, warm prayer book for the souls of the departed faithful servants of God.

Rejoice, Mother of God, Indestructible Wall, our Intercessor and consolation.

Kontakion 12

Divine grace clearly abides in Your miraculous icon, worthily and righteously for our consolation called the Indestructible Wall. Pouring out our joys and sorrows before this icon, we pray to You, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, do not forsake us with Your intercession, but we cry out to the Lord with gratitude for You: Alleluia.

Ikos 12

Singing Your powerful intercession for the whole world, remembering the miracles You showed through Your holy icon, the Indestructible Wall, we pray to You, the zealous Intercessor: be our country's unceasing Helper, beseech Your Son, who fulfills Your prayers, to establish throughout the world the peace desired by the peoples, and all They will gratefully praise Tysitsa:

Rejoice, gladdened by the appearance of Your Son and His Resurrection;

Rejoice, in Your immortal Dormition You joyfully betrayed Your soul into His hands.

Rejoice, strengthening good shepherds on their way of the cross;

Rejoice, invisible help to those who lead the monastic life.

Rejoice, protecting this temple and those who pray in it with Your grace;

Rejoice, unchanging Protection and Indestructible Wall for our Fatherland.

Rejoice, Mother of God, Indestructible Wall, our Intercessor and consolation.

Kontakion 13

O All-Singing Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, accept now this small prayer, protect us from sins and all kinds of defilement, deliver us from the troubles and needs that befall us, save us from despondency and despair, human slander, unbearable diseases, and through Your prayers we may take the path of salvation Eternal, let us sing with gratitude to Your Son: Alleluia.

Stanislav Kucherenko

People fell in love with this prayer because it is a powerful tool that helps, first of all, with problems at work, in the family, love relationships, health, and many other life circumstances.

Prayer of Detention

“Merciful Lord, You once through the mouth of the servant of Moses, Joshua, delayed the movement of the Sun and Moon all day long, until the people of Israel took revenge on their enemies. With the prayer of Elisha the prophet, he once struck the Syrians, delaying them, and healed them again. You once told the prophet Isaiah: behold, I will return back ten steps the sun's shadow, which passed along the steps of Ahazov, and the sun returned ten steps along the steps along which it had descended. You once, through the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel, closed the abysses, stopped the rivers, and held back the waters. And You once stopped the mouths of the lions in the den through the fasting and prayer of Your prophet Daniel. And now delay and slow down until the right time all the plans around those standing by me about my displacement, dismissal, removal, expulsion. So now, destroy the evil desires and demands of all those who condemn me, block the lips and hearts of all those who slander, are angry and growl at me, and all who blaspheme and humiliate me. So now, bring spiritual blindness into the eyes of all those who rise up against me and my enemies .Didn’t you tell the Apostle Paul: Speak and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will harm you. Soften the hearts of all those who oppose the good and dignity of the Church of Christ. Therefore, let not My mouth be silent to reprove the wicked and glorify the righteous and all Your wondrous works. And may all our good undertakings and desires be fulfilled. To you, righteous women and prayer books of God, our daring intercessors, who once with the power of their prayers restrained the invasion of foreigners, the approach of haters, who destroyed the evil plans of people, who stopped the mouths of lions, now I turn with my prayer, with my petition. And You, the venerable great Elius of Egypt , who had once fenced off the place of his disciple’s settlement in a circle with the sign of the cross, commanded him to arm himself with the name of the Lord and from now on not be afraid of demonic temptations. Protect my house, in which I live, in the circle of your prayers and save it from fiery ignition, thieves’ attacks and all evil and insurance. And you, Reverend Father Poplie of Syria, once with your unceasing prayer for ten days you kept the demon motionless and unable to walk day or night; Now around my cell and this house (my) keep behind its fence all the opposing forces and all those who blaspheme the name of God and despise me. And You, reverend virgin Piama, who once with the power of prayer stopped the movement of those who were going to destroy the inhabitants of the village where she lived, now stop everything the plans of my enemies, who want to drive me out of this city and destroy me: do not allow them to approach this house, stop them with the power of your prayer: “Lord, Judge of the Universe, You, who are displeased with all unrighteousness, when this prayer comes to You, let the Holy The power will stop them where it overtakes them." And You, blessed Lawrence of Kaluga, pray to God for me, as having the boldness to intercede before the Lord for those suffering from the wiles of the devil. Pray to God for me, may He protect me from the wiles of Satan. And You, Rev. Vasily of Pechersk, perform your prayers of prohibition over those who attack me and drive away all the wiles of the devil from me. And you, all the saints of the Russian land, with the power of your prayers for me, dispel all the demonic spells, all the devil’s plans and intrigues - to annoy me and destroy me and my property. And you, great and formidable guardian, Archangel Michael, cut off with a fiery sword all the desires of the enemy the human race and all its minions who want to destroy me. Stand indestructibly on guard over this house, all those living in it and all its property. And You, Lady, not in vain called the “Unbreakable Wall”, be for all those who are hostile against me and plotting dirty tricks on me, truly a kind of barrier and an indestructible wall protecting me from all evil and difficult circumstances."

Despite the fact that his prayer, as Orthodoxy claims, has some similarities with canonical prayers, there are some differences. The fact is that some such prayers include petitions, and Orthodox believers find this to be a contradiction to the commandments of the Gospel and are not sure of the origin of her words.

In any case, if you want to protect yourself, your family and other loved ones from manifestations of the forces of evil, it is an excellent tool in this matter. An Orthodox prayer aimed at stopping evil is available on the Internet, where you can not only read it, but also listen to it without problems.

Let's consider some nuances of prayer

The prayer of detention has some features that bring it closer to magical texts, for example, conspiracies, apocryphal prayers.

It, just like conspiracies and apocryphal prayers, contains a conviction in the existence and effectiveness of harmful witchcraft, the belief that witchcraft can be resisted with the help of magic (by magic is meant the text of the prayer). The main motive of prayer is detention, holding, slowing down, which reflects a stop, suspension of movement.

The thought of the subject of the prayer is the fact that just as the waters, the Syrians, and the movement of the moon and sun were once delayed, so now the heavenly forces can slow down or delay the plans of the enemies. The subject of the prayer also refers to episodes from life, in order to justify the desire to see the forces of all evil in a frozen state. In short, the text indicates that the purpose of prayer is to create magical protection, barriers, armor for any actions of enemies.

Detention Prayer Help Believers use prayer from the prayer book at the moment when they feel a threat to their existence, anticipate trouble, a natural disaster.

But keep in mind that the texts from the prayer book are not magic, and they will not act instantly. The believer turns to God, entrusting his fate to him and asking for intercession, rather than himself becoming equal to the Creator.

You can also read the prayer when you anticipate the emergence of any everyday problems, if your boss has changed at work, when tension in communication with loved ones increases, and a feeling of uncertainty arises with your significant other.

Unfortunately, this prayer also contains lines that ask believers to punish the forces of evil and to bring spiritual blindness to the eyes of their enemies. You need to understand that the Christian religion presupposes a humble surrender of oneself to God's will. However, you can independently correct some parts of the prayer and read it calmly, cutting out passages that you think may not coincide with your idea of the Orthodox faith.

Features of reading a prayer

Before thinking about how to correctly read detention prayers, a believer needs to establish a relationship with the Lord and read the prayer book. One prayer, especially if read without appropriate spiritual preparation, will not help in any way.

It is hardly possible to imagine a situation where a person who has sinned all his life, treated the people around him unkindly, suddenly read one prayer and his life immediately improved. Understand that only when God recognizes you as his child, when you follow him, are imbued with unshakable faith, only then can you expect his condescension.

If you are confident in your faith, then the text of the Orthodox prayer will help you no matter where you read it.

You can pray at home, read prayers within the walls of the church, using a prayer book, the main thing is that your words come from the heart. Do not rush to turn to heavenly powers before you understand the meaning of each word. Be sincere, trust God with all your innermost secrets, and he will never deprive you of his attention, he will listen, guide you on the true path, and protect you from all evil.

Video: Prayer of Detention

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Prayer of Detention of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Prayers for every need. The Detention Prayer is very “strong”, but...

"Prayer of Detention"

Notes

What if you dream of reading a prayer of detention?

Review of the book “Spiritual Shield. Prayer of detention and other prayers honored in adversity and sorrow"

"Prayer of Detention"

Prayer of Detention