The order of reading the psalter about the living. Attacks while reading the Psalter

General reading rules

Despite the fact that the Psalter is often read not only at divine services, but also at home, there is still no regulation for this reading. However, certain rules for the private reading of the Psalter have nevertheless developed.

Before reading the Psalter, it is customary to light a candle or lamp (if it is not necessary to do so on the road).

Then pronounce the required words in this case. After reading them, begin reading the kathisma.

When reading, you should not place emphasis on words incorrectly (considered a sin) and indulge in excessive passion. The names of the psalms are not readable.

If possible, reading should be done while standing, however, if standing is difficult, then sitting is also allowed: in such cases you need to get up during the reading of the “Glories” and the prayers with which the reading of the Psalter or kathisma begins and ends.

But how many kathismas to read at a time or per day is not established by the rules. According to priest Anthony Ignatiev: “It seems to me that reading is most acceptable when you do not depend on the volume of what you read, i.e. are not required to read kathisma or two a day. If you have time and a spiritual need for prayer, you begin reading from where you left off last time, making a bookmark.”

At the end of the reading of the kathisma, the troparia and prayers placed at the end must be said. Then - prayers after reading several kathismas or the entire Psalter.

Remember that if you do not accept some kind of vow or permanent addition to the generally accepted rule, you do not need to take a blessing from your confessor. However, if by reading the Psalter you impose on yourself some special permanent prayer rule or some kind of vow, then the blessing of a priest for reading is obligatory.

Priest Vladimir Shlykov explains why this is necessary:

“Before you take upon yourself any prayer rules, you need to consult with your confessor or the priest with whom you regularly confess. Having assessed your life situation and the degree of spiritual success, the priest will bless (or not bless) you to read. It often happens that a person takes on an unbearable burden, and as a result he has spiritual problems. If you pray obediently and with blessings, then such problems can be avoided.” “The priest is a conductor of God’s grace. Therefore, when they take a blessing, they apply it not to the hand of the priest, but to the Hand of the Lord. Let's say we want to receive God's blessing, but how will we know whether He blessed or not? For this, the Lord left a priest on earth, gave him special power, and the grace of God descends on believers through the priest. In addition, during personal communication, you will be able to ask the priest all your questions about what you are taking the blessing for. And the priest will advise what will be useful for you. You can only give general advice via the Internet, but you can only receive grace, as well as hear something specific from the priest, only in church.”

Prayers for health and peace on Slavy

Quite common is the practice of commemorating the living and the dead, as well as making special petitions.

Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual father (name), my parents (names), relatives (names), bosses, mentors, benefactors (names) and all Orthodox Christians.

About the dead (about the deceased) on the third (after the words “Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit”):

Rest, O Lord, the souls of your departed servants (names) and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.

If desired, between 20 and 21 the prayer “Lord, have mercy!” You can say a personal prayer for those closest to you, for the most essential things.

Rules for reading the Psalter for the dead

Since ancient times, Orthodox Christians have had a tradition of reading the Psalter over the body of the deceased before his burial and after, in memory of the deceased. Apostolic decrees command the reading of the Psalter for the departed on the third, ninth and fortieth day, but in practice the psalms are more often read either three or forty days, continuously, with breaks only during memorial services and funeral lithiums.

The reading of the Psalter for the departed begins after the “Sequence of the departure of the soul from the body.” The psalms are read with tenderness and contrition of heart, slowly, and carefully delving into what is being read. It is not customary to sit while reading, an exception is made only for seriously ill people.

First, the prescribed “Prayers before starting to read the Psalms” are read.

Then the psalms themselves, at each Glory of which it is said:

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, glory to Thee, O God! (three times)

Remember, O Lord our God, in faith and hope the eternal life of the one who passed away (up to 40 days from the date of death - “newly deceased”) Your servant [or: Thy servant], our brother [or: our sister] [name] and as he is Good and Lover of Mankind, he forgives sins and consumes untruths, weaken, forsake and forgive him with all his will [or: her] sins and involuntary, deliver him [or: yu] eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna, and grant him [or: her] communion and enjoyment of Your eternal good things, prepared for those who love You: even if you sin, do not depart from You, and undoubtedly in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, God glorify You in the Trinity, faith, and the Unity in the Trinity and the Trinity in Unity, Orthodox even to his last breath confession.

In the same way, be merciful to him [or: to that] and have faith in You instead of deeds, and with Your saints as You give generous rest: for there is no man who will live and not sin. But You are the One besides all sin, and Your righteousness is righteousness forever, and You are the One God of mercies and generosity, and love for mankind, and to You we send glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

And now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen.

Then, the prayers laid down after reading several kathismas or the entire Psalter for the departed:

Trisagion

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Read three times, with the sign of the cross and bow from the waist.)

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

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.

Lord have mercy. (three times)

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

Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Troparia deceased

From the spirits of the righteous who have passed away, give rest to the soul of Your servant, O Savior, preserving it in the blessed life that belongs to You, O Lover of Mankind.

In Thy chamber, O Lord: where all Thy saints rest, give rest also to the soul of Thy servant, for Thou art the only Lover of mankind.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

You are God, Who descended into hell and loosed the bonds of the bound, May You Himself and the soul of Your servant give rest.

And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

One Pure and Immaculate Virgin, who gave birth to God without a seed, pray for the salvation of his soul.

Lord have mercy (40 times).

And the prayer laid down at the end of kathisma.

According to priest Alexander Kalinin: “Reading the psalter for the departed undoubtedly brings them great consolation - both in itself, as reading the word of God and as a testimony of the love for them and the memory of their living brethren. It also brings them great benefit, since it is accepted by God as a pleasant propitiatory sacrifice for the cleansing of the sins of those remembered: just as in general every prayer, every good deed is accepted by Him.”

The Psalter is a book of sacred hymns or psalms, most of which were written by King David at the instigation of the Holy Spirit. In each psalm we see the pain, joy, confusion or triumph that the Great Psalmist experienced when he created these sacred texts.

Psalms have been used in worship since Old Testament times. And in our time at services we hear choral singing or reading psalms. The reading of the Psalter in church is regulated by the Typicon - the liturgical charter.

Reading the Psalter at home

In the Orthodox Church there is a good tradition of reading the Psalter privately (at home). The Holy Book is read either by agreement - several believers, reading the entire Psalter per day, or individually, by kathisma (section of the Psalter) per day. By taking upon himself the rule of diligently and carefully reading the Psalter at home, a Christian accomplishes a small feat; it is both difficult and at the same time brings great peace to the soul.

There is no rule for reading the Psalter at home. But over time, certain rules have developed, the implementation of which is desirable.

• Without the blessing taken from the priest, you cannot begin to read the psalter.
• Before reading begins, a candle or lamp is lit. The fire does not light up when reading only if you are currently on the road.
• Following the advice of St. Seraphim of Sarov, one must read the Psalter out loud, quietly. This makes it easier to perceive the sacred text not only with the mind, but also with the ear. “Give joy and gladness to my hearing” (Ps. 50:10).
• You can't put stress on words incorrectly. It is a sin. Incorrect placement of accents changes the meaning of the word and distorts the phrase.
• If it is difficult to stand, then you are allowed to read the Holy Book while sitting. It is necessary to get up when “Glory” and prayers are read, with which the reading of the Psalter or kathisma begins and ends.
• When following the rule, one should not indulge in excessive passion. Let the reading be a little monotonous, devoid of theatricality.
• There is no need to read the titles of the psalms.
• Do not be discouraged because at first it is not clear what the psalms say. Gradually the beauty of ancient texts is revealed, and their meaning becomes clear.

Order of reading the Psalter at home

• First, “Prayers before starting to read the Psalter” are read.
• The Psalter is divided into twenty kathismas, which are divided into parts by three Glories. At Slavy, when reading the Psalter at home, the living and the departed are remembered.
• After reading the kathisma, it is obligatory to read the troparions and prayers.
• The Psalter ends with the reading of “Prayers after reading several kathismas or the entire Psalter.”
• You should not be afraid of making a mistake in something or reading something incorrectly, not according to the regulations. Sincere repentance and gratitude for everything will make prayer alive, regardless of any mistakes.

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:

There is no need to take a special blessing from the priest to read the Psalter. The Church blessed us for this: be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs(Eph.5:18-19).

The name of this sacred book was transferred to the Slavic and Russian Bible from the Septuagint ( Psalterion). Word Psalter comes from the Greek name of a stringed musical instrument, the playing of which among the ancient Jews accompanied the performance of most psalms - a song in honor of the Lord. Among the Jews, the collection of psalms was called Sefer tehillim (Book of Praises). There was another name - Sefer tefillot (Book of Prayers).

The inspired book of Psalms contains, as it were, an abbreviated expression of the entire Holy Scripture in the form of prayerful and reverent chants. According to St. Ambrose of Milan: “The law commands, history teaches, prophecies foretell the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, moral teaching edifies and convinces, and the Book of Psalms combines all this, and is a kind of complete treasury of human salvation.” Also, St. Athanasius the Great writes about the spiritual wealth of the Psalter: “In it, as in paradise, is planted everything that is contained in parts in other sacred books, and everyone who reads it can find in it everything that is necessary and useful for him. It clearly and in detail depicts all human life, all states of spirit, all movements of the mind, and there is nothing in a person that it does not contain. Do you want to repent and confess, are you beset by sorrow and temptation, are you being persecuted, despondency and anxiety have taken possession of you, or are you enduring something like that? Do you strive for virtue and success in it and see that the enemy is hindering you? Do you want to praise? give thanks and praise the Lord? - in the divine psalms you will find instructions for all this" ( Epistle to Marcellus). Saint Basil the Great names the psalms spiritual incense: “The psalm is the silence of souls, the dispenser of peace; he calms rebellious and agitated thoughts; it softens the irritability of the soul and disciplines intemperance. The psalm is a mediator of friendship, unity between distant people, reconciliation of those at war. For who can still consider as an enemy the one with whom he raised one voice to God? Therefore, psalmody gives us one of the greatest benefits - love - by inventing corporate singing instead of a knot to unity and bringing people into one consonant face. The psalm is a refuge from demons, entry under the protection of Angels, a weapon in night insurance, repose from daytime labors, safety for babies, decoration in a blooming age, comfort for the elderly, the most decent decoration for wives.
The psalm inhabits the deserts, makes the marketplaces healthy. For newcomers this is the beginnings of learning, for those who succeed it is an increase in e denia, for the perfect - affirmation; this is the voice of the Church" ( Discourse on the first part of the first psalm).

These statements of the holy fathers explain why the Psalter has occupied a special place in it from the first days of the life of Christ’s Church. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, by His example, sanctified the liturgical use of the Psalter, concluding the last supper with the disciples by singing the psalms: And having sung, they went to the Mount of Olives(Matthew 26:30).

The most important feature of Easter celebrations was singing hallel, What means: praise God! They consisted of psalms of praise from 112 to 117. At the end they sang great hallel- Psalm 135.

Following their Divine Teacher, the holy apostles also glorified God by singing psalms. This is what they commanded us: Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly with all wisdom; teach and admonish one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord(Col. 3:16).

The Psalter is the strongest weapon of an Orthodox Christian. According to legend, demons fear the Psalter like fire. The book consists of 151 psalms. They are divided into 20 kathismas, each of which has three glory. The author of the Psalter is King David. Many argue what type of word “psalter” is, or more precisely, how to correctly change it by case. We will talk about this below. Church ministers believe that it is not so important how a person pronounces this word, the main thing is that he understands its meaning.

What is the Psalter

The answer to the question posed is partially given above. As the priests say, the Psalter is the Holy Scripture in abbreviation. This expression is somewhat exaggerated; the book was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and is used in church services.

Where did the name come from

When the Psalter is read, we will tell you a little later. The book received its name from the stringed musical instrument that was played during the singing of psalms.

Masculine or feminine

The title of this unique book can be written in two ways: Psalter and Psalter. The second is considered obsolete and is now used extremely rarely. Some people and even reputable publications believe that the word “psalter” is feminine. They are right, but only in relation to the musical instrument. The book of King David was “assigned” (so to speak) the masculine gender. This is exactly how the word “psalter” is needed when we are talking about a collection of psalms.

When is the Psalter read? Be patient, we will get to this issue soon. For now, let's talk about interesting points related to the Old Testament book:

• In numerous Russian monasteries the Inexhaustible Psalter is read. This means that there is no break in reading, it is 24/7. The monks or nuns of the monastery have their own hours for reading the Psalter. Replacing each other, they read all the psalms during the day.
• From midnight to three o'clock in the morning is a special time. It is believed that Heaven is open for prayer, but evil spirits do not sleep. These hours are the most dangerous, as demons can appear in person. The Psalter is read by schemamonks, monks or zealous monks. Novices are not allowed to see it during this time period.
• Laymen are not recommended to read the Psalter after midnight. To do this, you need to take a blessing from your confessor.

Why read

Why read the Psalter when there are prayers and akathists? The fact is that they are our appeal to God, and the Psalter is His word to us. By reading this book, a person joins the company of angels praising God. He is in body on earth, in spirit in heaven, next to them. The book consists of prayers of thanksgiving, repentance and petition. She is an assistant in the fight against unclean spirits. It is enough to read the Psalter daily to avoid numerous temptations.

Reading at home

• The woman covers her head with a scarf and puts on a skirt. The man remains bareheaded, wearing trousers and a shirt.
• A lamp or candle is lit in front of the icons.
• Having crossed himself three times, the Christian begins to read the Psalter.
• After each glory, you need to cross yourself and list the names of your living relatives, deceased ones, as well as Orthodox friends and acquaintances.
• At the end of reading, you need to thank the Lord and close the book.

Who can't be read for?

• Unbaptized and suicides.
• Psychics, magicians, esotericists.
• Possessed.
• Militant atheists.

About health

When do ordinary people read the Psalter? It is advisable that a pious Christian read one kathisma daily. The first and third glory are read, commemorating the health of relatives, friends, acquaintances and loved ones. This is done like this:

• After the first glory they say three times: “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Glory to Thee, O God!” After this, the names of all baptized relatives are listed.
• The situation is the same with the third glory. There is only a list of baptized friends, acquaintances, benefactors, and those who once helped the reader.

About repose

The deceased really need prayer. The living can pray for themselves on their own; the dead are deprived of this opportunity. They can only rely on the prayers of those who remain on earth. When reading the Psalter for the dead:

• On the first night after death.
• For 40 days, while the deceased is newly appointed.
• Every day for all deceased relatives, friends and acquaintances (baptized).

How to read on the first night

There were times when the dead were not sent to the morgue. They stayed at home. Near them they read the Psalter all night. Now times have changed, relatives are busy with funeral efforts, the dead man is in the morgue, and the reading of the Psalter has been forgotten.

Having given the body of a deceased relative to the morgue, an Orthodox person is obliged to read the Psalter from it in absentia. You need to read the entire book overnight. Of course, the deceased must be a baptized person who during his lifetime was not interested in magic, esotericism, or heretical teachings.

Kathisma No. 17

For 40 days after the death of a relative, Christians read the 17th kathisma on him. It is very long, but you need to read it completely. It's easy and takes 20 minutes. To make it easier for the reader to navigate, we will give a hint. This is Psalm 118, one of the longest.

Daily Remembrance

When the Psalter is read daily, the second glory is reserved for the remembrance of the departed. Relatives, friends, acquaintances, benefactors - all those who were baptized in Orthodoxy respected the teachings of the Lord and His Church.

Prayers before reading

When the Psalter is read, we found out. Before starting this action, it is necessary to offer prayers to God. Their texts are given below. The prayers are offered without distorting certain words, so they may seem complicated. However, this is exactly how they are pronounced by church ministers.

Prayers before reading the Psalter

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything, Treasure of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, ours.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy us (Thrice)

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us, Lord, cleanse our sins, Master, forgive our iniquities, Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Your name’s sake.

God, have mercy. (Thrice)

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

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Troparion:

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, bewildered by any answer, we offer this prayer to You as the Lord of sinners. Have mercy on us.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

More honorable than Thy prophet, O Lord, is the triumph, the heavens of the Church are shown, with men the angels rejoice, through his prayers, O Christ God, rule our lives in peace, that we may sing to Thee. Halleluia!

And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O Mother of God, many of my sins, I have come to You, O Pure One, demanding salvation, visit my weak soul, and pray to Your Son and our God to give me the forgiveness that I have yah fierce, One Blessed One.

Lord have mercy (40 times). And bows according to strength.

Prayer to the Holy Life-Giving Trinity

All-Holy Trinity, God and Creator of the whole world, hasten and direct my heart, to begin with understanding and to finish the good works of these God-inspired books, even the Holy Spirit, the mouth of David I am rotting, and now I want to say I, unworthy, understanding my ignorance, falling down and praying to You, and I ask for help from You: Lord, guide my mind and strengthen my heart, not about the words of the cold, but about the mind of the words to rejoice, and get ready to do good deeds, even I feel and say. May I be enlightened by good deeds, and at the judgment of the right hand of Your land I will be a partaker with all Your chosen ones. And now, Vladyka, bless, yes, sighing from the heart, and with my tongue I will sing, the verb sitse.

Come, let us worship our King To God. (Bow)

Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ, our King To God. (Bow)

Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and God to ours. (Bow)

Prayers after reading

When reading the Psalter, do not forget to thank God afterwards. The texts of the prayers look like this:

It is worthy to eat as the truly blessed Thee, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and the Mother of our God. We magnify Thee, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison, the Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption.

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

God, have mercy. (Thrice)

Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, by the power of the Honest and Life-giving Cross, and the holy heavenly powers of the incorporeal, and venerable and God-bearing fathers Ts of ours, and the holy prophet David, and all the saints, have mercy and save me, a sinner, for I am good and Lover of humanity, amen.

Some particularly zealous believers condemn those who read this holy book while sitting. However, there are no strict rules on this matter. The Psalter is allowed to be read while sitting. Any priest will tell you this. In monasteries, while obedient to reading the Inexhaustible Psalter, the monks sit in front of the icons. Memorials also read this book in this position. They pray to God and do not think that they are not being reverent enough.

To be convinced of this, it is enough to attend the Divine Service. When the Psalter is read, people sit on chairs and benches located in the temple.

How to read the Psalter in church

Are lay people allowed to read the Psalter in church? Yes, but only with the blessing of a priest or abbot, depending on the location of the person. If a layman is in an ordinary church, then he can be blessed by a priest, and in a monastery - by the abbot.

Independent reading of the Psalter in church is unacceptable. For this there are altar servers, novices, monks and monks.

FAQ

Becoming a member of the Church of Christ, neophytes greedily absorb information related to it. They ask naive questions, trying to become an Orthodox Christian and delve into church life. In this subsection we present the most common questions:

• Is it possible to read the Psalter in Russian? Priest Vladimir (Shlykov) says that in the Russian translation it is read only in order to understand the meaning of what is written. You need to pray in Church Slavonic.
• What to do if you don’t understand what’s written? How to read the Psalter if the desire to do so disappears? Hieromonk Victorin advises reading a book with a translation into Russian. This way the meaning of what is written will be clear, and it will be easier to switch to Church Slavonic later. Let us add that older priests recommend not giving up reading the Psalter in Church Slavonic when its meaning is unclear. If a person does not understand something, but says it, demons still run away from him. They know well what is written even without translation (according to the teaching of the priests).
• Where can I buy the Psalter? In any church shop.
• Is it possible to listen to the Psalter if there is no opportunity to read it? Yes, this is not prohibited in some cases, for example, when we are talking about a seriously ill, exhausted person.

Conclusion

Now we have an idea of ​​the book that King David once wrote. The article describes in detail when the Psalter is read. We indicated who can and cannot be mentioned during reading, and introduced you to how to prepare for the process. You found out where the Psalter is read, what psalms need to be said in this or that case. If you decide to purchase and study this book in order to turn to God with its help, then you must understand the main thing - it is not so important whether you read the psalms sitting or standing. It is much more important that you do this according to the dictates of your soul.

Order of reading the Psalms

The liturgical regulations for reading the Psalter are stipulated in Chapter 17 of the Typikon. In general, Orthodox worship basically consists of the Psalter. The psalms are the core, the foundation of the service. There is not a single service in the daily liturgical cycle that does not use psalms; in almost all sequences of the Trebnik, texts from the Psalter are used.

Along with the reading of kathismas at Vespers, Matins and the Lenten Hours, psalms are used separately in divine services (for example, the Hours are based on three psalms) and verses from them (prokeemny, chants to stichera).

During the week in churches, the Psalter must be read in full once, during the period of Great Lent, twice a week.

For the laity, the Psalter has become an indispensable book in home prayer. There are no special instructions here on how to read the Psalter at home, but the general rules are similar to the liturgical ones. The Psalter is read with prayers for health and the repose of the departed, especially during periods of fasting.

Charter for reading the Psalter...

In difficult life situations, a person often turns to faith. And then he may have many difficulties regarding traditions and rules. And one of the frequent questions is how to correctly read the Psalter to the Lord and the Mother of God.

How to read the Psalter about health correctly?

The Psalter contains poems and prayers that are read on a variety of occasions. About health The Psalter is read in case of a serious illness - one’s own or a loved one’s. An important condition is the presence of faith. If you believe in the power of prayer, it will definitely help.

Before you begin to read the Psalter about health, you must read special preliminary prayers. Those who do not know them can read the Lord's Prayer, which will replace them. A priest can indicate prayers for health more precisely, but to alleviate mental illnesses, psalms 4, 7, 27, 55, 56 and 108 are most often read, for severe headaches - 56, 79, 125, 128, to improve hearing and vision - 5 , 58, 99, 122. For…

How to read the Psalter

Among the books of Holy Scripture, the book of Psalms occupies a special place. Written long before the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is the only book of the Old Testament that was entirely included in the liturgical charter of the Christian Church and occupies a prominent place in it.

The special value of the Psalter is that it depicts the movements of the human soul striving for God, giving a high example of prayerful resistance to sorrows and temptations and praising God. “In the words of this book, all human life, all states of the soul, all movements of thought are measured and embraced, so that beyond what is depicted in it nothing more can be found in a person,” says St. Athanasius the Great. The grace of the Holy Spirit, penetrating every word of the Psalter, sanctifies, cleanses, supports the one praying with these sacred words, drives away demons and attracts Angels.

The first Christians deeply revered and loved the Psalter. They learned all the psalms by heart. Already in apostolic times...

In Orthodox ascetic practice, there is still a pious custom of reading the Psalter by agreement, when a group of believers separately from each other reads the entire Psalter in one day. At the same time, everyone reads one kathisma assigned to him at home, privately and...

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Question to the priest

Number of entries: 16441

Good afternoon Some time ago I dreamed of my mother’s death several times, after the last such dream my mother died (a month ago). Now I dream that my husband is dying (I have dreamed about this twice already). I also often dream that my mother seems to have come to life. I don't understand anything. Help me understand what all this is about. What should I do??? I'm very worried about my husband.

Dear Mary, do not be afraid of dreams, but trust all your fears to the Lord God in prayer. Since you began to worry about your husband, pray especially for him, it’s good to read the Holy Gospel. God bless you!

Priest Sergius Osipov

Hello, priests! I want to thank you, and in your person the entire Orthodox priesthood, for your invaluable help and blessed work! Glory to the Lord for his care for people with your hands and words! A question. In my prayer book...

Pray for one another (James 5:16).

The Psalter is a sacred book of psalms, or Divine hymns, written down by King David at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Reading the Psalter attracts the help of Angels, blots out sins, and saturates the soul with the breath of the Holy Spirit.

The method of praying according to the Psalter is much more ancient than the Jesus Prayer or reading akathists. Before the advent of the Jesus Prayer, in ancient monasticism it was customary to read the Psalter in one’s mind (to oneself) by heart, and some monasteries accepted only those who knew the entire Psalter by heart. In Tsarist Russia, the Psalter was the most widespread book among the population.

In Orthodox ascetic practice, there is still a pious custom of reading the Psalter by agreement, when a group of believers separately from each other reads the entire Psalter in one day. At the same time, everyone reads one kathisma assigned to him at home, privately...

Good afternoon Please tell me what prayers to read at the 3 Glories in the Psalter, when about living, deceased relatives, about a deceased father, and what prayer for him? Best regards, Tatiana.

In the Orthodox tradition there is no single model for reading the Psalms for the living and the dead. Among the traditional approaches, the following options are worth noting:

1. At all kathismas, according to the first glory (in the text it looks like “Glory:”), prayers are read for health, according to the second - for repose, according to the third - prayers for someone you want to pray for, for example, for a sick person or a traveler, or the newly deceased, depending on prayer needs;

2. On the odd kathisma - according to the first and third glory they pray for health, according to the second - for peace. On even-numbered kathismas it’s the other way around. 17 Kathisma is usually read about repose.

When the text of the psalter says “Glory:”, we read:

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

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory...

In the Orthodox Church there is a good custom of reading the Psalter in memory of the deceased. The reading of the Psalter for the dead has its origins in the most distant antiquity. Serving as a prayer to the Lord for the dead, it brings them great consolation both in itself, as reading the word of God, and as testifying to the love of their living brothers for them. It also brings them great benefit, for it is accepted by the Lord as a pleasant propitiatory sacrifice for the cleansing of the sins of those remembered - just as every prayer and every good deed is accepted by Him.

The Psalms should be read with tenderness and contrition of heart, slowly, and carefully delving into what is being read. The greatest benefit comes from reading the Psalms by those who commemorate them: it testifies to the great degree of love and zeal for those commemorated by their living brethren, who themselves personally want to work in their memory, and not replace themselves in work with others. The Lord will accept the feat of reading not only as a sacrifice for those remembered, but as a sacrifice for those who bring it, the workers themselves...

— The Psalter is the sacred book of psalms, or Divine hymns. The author of the Psalter is King David. At least most of the psalms are his. These are his experiences, experience of communication with God, repentance, joy, gratitude, reflections, prophecies about the coming Messiah. Since Old Testament times, the Psalter has been sung during worship. Psalms were sung.

And today the Psalter is often used during worship; we hear some psalms sung in chorus, some read. The reading of the Psalter in church is regulated by the liturgical regulations. The entire liturgical circle of services is connected with this book of Holy Scripture. Certain kathismas are read at services. It takes a week to read it completely. And during Great Lent - even twice. When reading at home, there are strict instructions on how to read, it is much more important to tune in to prayer. This, I think, is the therapeutic effect...

“Praise God in His saints, praise Him in strengthening His power.

Praise Him according to His strength, praise Him according to the abundance of His majesty.

Praise Him with the trumpet, praise Him with the psaltery and the harp.

Praise Him in the tympanum and face, praise Him in the strings and organs.

Praise Him with the cymbals of good will, praise Him with the cymbals of shouting.

Let every breath praise the Lord.”

Psalm 150

If once, at a difficult, difficult moment in life, you began to read the Psalter, felt how it became a healing plaster, a healing balm for your ailing soul, you will never be able to leave such, blessed by the name of King David, offering prayers to the Lord . For a Christian, the Psalter is the most precious book of the Old Testament and one of the most beloved collections of prayers.

St. Ambrose of Milan writes: “In all Scripture the grace of God breathes, but in the sweet song of the psalms it breathes primarily.” In grief, in feeling...

Rev. Macarius of Optina writes about the need for spiritual warfare for salvation:

“The point [of salvation] is not just to go to church and sit down at the hoop, but to look after your heart and destroy passions: pride, self-love, vanity, anger, rage, malice, gluttony, lust of the flesh, etc.; This is precisely what our spiritual warfare consists of - to resist passions, to destroy them with the help of God.

“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, and against the authorities, and against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12); likewise, “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,” but spiritual, “capable of destroying the strongholds of the enemy” (2 Cor. 10:4), about which St. also writes. Apostle: “For this reason take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the day of cruelty” (Eph. 6:13) ... He commands you to gird yourself with the truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, put on your nose the clothing of the gospel of peace, take on the shield of faith, in which all things are possible quench the arrows of the evil one, and receive the helmet of salvation, and...

The Psalter for health and peace is read according to the following rule:
Before reading each kathisma, those prayers that were written before the 1st kathisma are read. In the kathisma itself, after the 1st and 2nd *Glory*, we read a prayer for health: “Save, Lord, and have mercy on (names) all Orthodox Christians. Amen." After the 3rd *Glory* we read a prayer for repose: “Rest, O Lord, the souls of your departed servants (names), and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, grant them the Kingdom and the communion of Your eternal good things and Your endless pleasure of life. Amen."

Now, sequentially: we open the Psalter and read: Let it be reasonable, as befits an individual to sing the Psalter.
Blessed be our God, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. ...
Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
Heavenly King...
Trisagion: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (thrice).
Holy Trinity...
…

If you read at home, a rigid sequence constructed by someone is not necessary. It is better to stick to the order you define.
Hallelujah! (3p), Glory to You, God!” "Lord have mercy! (3p) - in this sequence - this is the usual reading on Slava. Of course you can! This is a prayer, and not some kind of mantra that should sound like this and nothing else. ...

For those who believe in God, in his help to us, it is necessary to read the psalms (besides, Great Lent is now underway), thanks to which we get closer to our creator, attract angels to us, and get rid of acquired sins. But for those who do not know what the Psalter is, we will try to give an answer for beginners, in addition, we will tell you how to read the Psalter correctly.

What is the Psalter

The Psalter is a book from the Old Testament that consists of 150 songs (or psalms). Psalms or songs are intended to pour out one's emotions about all the trials of a person's life (death, birth, illness). At this time, the Psalter is used for worship. Before reading the Psalter and the psalms contained in it, you need to understand the content, structure of these religious songs and the book as a whole.

In a general literary sense, the Psalter is written according to all the rules of Jewish poetry, that is, the simultaneously colorful and amazing text of the song conveys all the power...

Reading the Psalter for the Dead

From the book “Rest With the Saints” - Published with the blessing of Bishop Longin of Saratov and Volsk

See: Afanasy (Sakharov), bishop. On the commemoration of the dead according to the Charter of the Orthodox Church. St. Petersburg, 1995. pp. 198–200.- Comp.

The custom of reading the Psalter for the dead dates back to ancient times. In our country, the Psalter is read at the tomb of deceased laymen. In some places there are special readers who are either invited to the house of the deceased for continuous reading of the Psalter, for example, for 40 days or even a whole year, or in their own home they read the Psalter at the request of the relatives of the deceased. In many Orthodox monasteries, the so-called vigilant day-night reading about the living and the dead is performed. With this reading of the Psalter, in addition to the usual troparions and prayers for each kathisma, a special prayer is added at each “Glory”, after which the names of the deceased are remembered. (When reading the Psalter simultaneously for the living and the departed, the commemoration of both is performed on the “Glories” in turn: one at a time -...

Use of the Psalter

Psalms, as sacred songs, were mostly written for temple worship in ancient Israel. Each psalm has its own story, its own special reason for writing. In the Christian church, the Psalter has also become the main book of worship; believers sing and pray in a new way by reading the psalms, seeing in them an indication of the love of God revealed through Jesus Christ. Church experience determines for many psalms a special prayer purpose, in particular psalms read during illness.

Psalms about healing

The most famous psalm read in the church and related to bodily recovery is Psalm 102. The general idea of ​​​​this psalm, which begins with the words “bless my soul the Lord,” is that a person proclaims the greatness of God and his mercy and generosity to all areas of human life . In particular, the psalm contains the following lines: “He forgives all your sins, heals all your ailments, saves life from destruction...

A collection of prayers and poems from the Old Testament, consisting of 150 verses, which glorifies the name of the Most High, is called the Psalter, and hymns and psalms in church during services are read from this book. The good custom of reading the Psalter about the dead and the living has been going on since time immemorial; at this time, believers regain comfort for the deceased and rejoice with the living, lifting up words with love to the Lord. Reading the word of God is considered a merciful sacrifice intended for cleansing from earthly sins, and prayer is considered one of the good earthly deeds. Historians believe that many psalms originate from the times of David and Solomon, some were written later, closer to modern times.

To receive the help of the Almighty, get rid of sins and acquire helpers on earth in the form of Angels, you need to read psalms daily that glorify God and his power. The psalter is used in worship, for example, at matins psalms of praise are sung (148-150), and during other...