A. Shilov "Sister of Mercy"
It is a known fact that attacks occur when reading any prayer, and not just when reading the Psalter. And under no circumstances should you give up. The Lord Himself calls us to arm ourselves with prayer! And don’t be discouraged if there are obstacles!
One must always pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1).
Yes, often during prayer various obstacles and temptations arise. But is it worth reducing our zeal? Is this what the Lord calls us to do? No!
In the world you will have tribulation; but take heart: I have overcome the world (John 16:33).
We will also be ready for various attacks and repel them! These arguments seem relatively new, but they are the greatest wisdom! Simply, speaking frankly, many are accustomed to various enemy attacks, but attacks when reading the Psalter are special and the enemy is especially armed. Abba Markell also said:
“Believe me, children, nothing outrages, disturbs, irritates, hurts, destroys, offends and arms the demons and the culprit of evil himself - Satan - against us so much as a constant exercise in psalmody. All Holy Bible It is useful and reading it causes a lot of trouble for the demon, but nothing crushes him to the same extent as the Psalter. By practicing psalmody, we, on the one hand, offer a prayer to God, on the other, we curse the devil.”
Therefore, if you don’t immediately believe that there is something special here, then you need to believe the words of the great ascetics, in particular, I cited the words of Abba Marcellus.
Attacks when reading the Psalter are of various kinds: both obvious and hidden. And a novice person is usually subject to one kind of attack. As a rule, a person who is firmly established in faith is attacked by more insidious attacks, since the demons veil their struggle and the person can completely ignore all their machinations. And even some great saints made mistakes, but then repented. Now I will briefly give a short overview of attacks during prayer on the Psalms.
Explicit attacks (in brief):
1. Attacks through neighbors are one of the most common. Slander, insults, swearing, etc. But all this is caused by demons.
2. Intensification of prodigal warfare. There may be a particularly fierce struggle here, but, as a rule, this struggle does not begin immediately. At first, time is given to strengthen one’s reading skills, and then this struggle becomes especially intense. And if at first the demons use their main forces during the day, then with great claims and hatred, they conduct mainly night attacks. They want to break a person, but here you need to be patient and cry more diligently to the Lord. But usually such abuse does not happen so often, but if you read the Psalter for someone intensively at night. We clearly see this in the lives of the saints, how demons armed themselves against them.
More subtle attacks:
1. A very frequent attack is a diversionary maneuver. Those. demons try to prevent a person from reading, so that he misses a day, then two, and then the person logs out of the system altogether. Then suddenly an old acquaintance will call, then suddenly they will invite you somewhere, then suddenly they will offer additional workload, but so that there is no energy left for reading, etc. All this is done in order to knock a person out of rhythm.
2. A person becomes sleepy and begins to yawn.
From Ladder:
“When there is no psalmody, then despondency does not appear; and the eyes that were closed from drowsiness during the rule open as soon as it is over.”
It is very easy to verify this spiritual law for yourself. This especially happens during the first stages of reading. The person begins to yawn, his eyes suddenly become closed, and a certain relaxation appears. It would seem, what treachery, how difficult it is to resist the demonic machinations! With God's help this is possible! And, besides, it is important to understand that demons, using such a large arsenal of various attacks, implicitly show how great the prayer power of the Psalter is. If it were just an ordinary prayer, then they would not have armed themselves so easily!
3. Another common wiles of the enemy are vanity and pride. A person suddenly begins to think that he is somehow special, that he is reading the Psalter. He thinks that others don’t read, but I do. Of course, here the demon of pride is already putting his machinations into action. And it is very important to repel this particular attack. Here you need to overcome this with humility and repentant prayer. And don’t think that this is nothing. Such a great saint as St. Simeon the Stylite almost fell into the hands of the devil when demons disguised as angels wanted to take him to heaven as the second Elijah. But even in his early youth he memorized the entire Psalter, read it constantly, became a miracle worker and a great man of prayer, and the demons still roared like a lion, although they swallowed his soul forever. And if not for God’s intercession, everything could have ended badly. In general, it should be noted that the demons of pride and vanity especially try to disarm a person who is established or even successful to some extent. This idea is confirmed by many saints and elders.
At this point I will also add about vanity.
Vanity is a great parasite that eats up the fruits, including the Psalter prayer. Very important rule: “Do not tell others how many kathismas you read and who you commemorate.” This feat of mercy and prayer should be kept secret, except to one’s confessor. The secrets of virtue please God. Moreover, in general, without need, there is no need to particularly spread the fact that you are reading the Psalter - let it be in secret:
So, when you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that people may glorify them. Truly I tell you: they are already receiving their reward (Matthew 6:2)
St. John Chrysostom quoted numerous fragments of Holy Scripture by heart, but he did this not naturally out of vanity, but to strengthen his preaching. It's like an exception. In general, it is not advisable to flaunt your knowledge.
The Psalter rightfully occupies its own special niche, at least in Orthodoxy. After all, this book is fully presented in the liturgical charter. This article addresses the issue of reading the Psalter at home, as well as a number of other important issues on this topic.
Sample Prayer
The special significance of the Psalter lies in the diversity of human feelings, spiritual aspirations, and praises of the Creator. One of the theologians once said that there is no feeling in a person that would not be reflected in the psalms. Reading this holy book is a beneficial activity for a Christian, as it gives him many examples of true spirituality. In the texts of the psalms one can find a huge number of examples of repentant prayer.
Psalter in Orthodox worship and traditions
This book is a collection of several hundred psalms - a kind of spiritual hymns, a significant number of which were written by the Old Testament king David.
These texts were used in church services even before the birth of Christ. The rules for reading psalms during Orthodox services, namely the calendar plan for their singing, are stipulated in a special book called “Typikon”.
In addition to church reading, there is also a long-standing Orthodox tradition of reading the Psalter outside church walls, with family or close friends. This kind of reading is called cell reading. How to read the Psalter correctly at home? This question has been considered more than once by various Orthodox theologians, and saints have repeatedly mentioned reading the holy book in their written works. There is a strong opinion that before you engage in such reading, you need to receive the blessing of a confessor or simply a priest who has already for a long time confesses those who want to start reading.
Psalter in Russian
In worship only the Church Slavonic version of this is used sacred text. Despite this, there are translations into modern Russian. To the question: “Is it possible to read the Psalter in Russian?” - priests usually answer something like this: “During a church service, such reading is unacceptable, since, according to Orthodox tradition, church services should be conducted only in Church Slavonic. However, during private readings, the use of Russian-language text is not prohibited.”
There is no specific charter that would regulate how to correctly read the psalter at home. Nevertheless, over the long history of this tradition, certain stable rules, which are purely advisory in nature. That is, it is desirable to observe them, but some of them may not be fulfilled due to certain life circumstances.
Unwritten rules
For example, it is recommended to read the Psalter with a lit lamp. But what if a person is traveling and does not have this at hand? lighting fixture? Then this rule can be safely ignored. Because the only rule in this godly work that must always be followed, or at least try to adhere to it, is thoughtful, attentive reading, similar to reading prayers.
Another rule states that it is necessary to try to avoid mistakes in stress when reading Church Slavonic words. It can also be interpreted in two ways. Of course, the clergyman, being a professional, must read the Psalter with minimal distortion of pronunciation norms. But for common man The main thing here, again, is not how you read, but whether you read at all. This means that living, sincere prayer is the main purpose of reading.
In liturgical publications, the Psalter consists of special parts called kathismas. Each of which, in turn, is divided by Glories: parts during which prayer takes place for the deceased, and prayer for the health of living people.
Before the reading of the Psalter begins and after its completion, special prayers are said, which, like troparia, are also required to be said after the completion of each kathisma.
Another important question on this topic is as follows: “How to read the Psalter correctly at home: out loud or silently?” Priest Vladimir Shlykov answers this question as follows. He says that reading this sacred text can also be done silently. However, many holy fathers recommended, if possible, to try to do this out loud. For example, St. Ignatius speaks of the benefits of saying psalms.
He writes that reading aloud accustoms a person to attentive prayer and increases understanding of the text.
Church reading of the holy book
Read for the dead and the living, the Psalter is often heard in monasteries and other churches. Such church reading can be ordered, thereby helping the soul loved one. This care can be provided to both living and dead people, about future fate which the person ordering this reading cares about. In addition, such prayers can be useful not only to the one for whom they are praying, but also to the one who performed this benefactor - ordered the reading. You just need to firmly remember the words of Christ: “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”
Reading the Psalter for deceased relatives and friends
First of all, you need to remember that reading cannot always be done: during Easter week reading stops. However, this prohibition is not strict, since the “Handbook for a Clergyman” says that if a person died on these days, then reading can be done on it.
When reading the Psalter for the deceased, it is most convenient to use the liturgical version of the holy book, where kathismas are indicated. During the Glory, during such a reading, a prayer for repose should be said.
Priests say they are often asked questions like these:
- How to read the Psalter of Repose at home?
- Is it possible to read the Glory in turn: for the dead and for the living?
Most often you can hear a positive answer to these questions from the priest.
How to read the Psalter about health correctly?
Accordingly, if the psalms are read for healthy people, then at Slava you need to say a prayer for health.
One more rule regarding Slava. If a person wants to learn how to correctly read the Psalter about the living at home, then he must accustom himself to stand up while reading the Slavs. While reading the rest of the text of this holy book, the reader is allowed to sit in a sitting position. Only seriously ill people can not stand up during Glory, as, indeed, during church services. This standing up during the reading of the Glories is necessary, because during it the worshipers demonstrate their love and respect that they show to the Lord God.
Quite often the following question arises: how to correctly read the Psalter for children? There are no special rules here. The Psalter is read for children in the same way as for adults.
If we are talking about teaching children to read the Psalter, then it is important to teach children to understand this sacred book from early childhood, explaining to them the meaning of individual incomprehensible fragments. The mindless reading of sacred texts by children must be prevented. This also applies to adults. Therefore, many priests and theologians recommend taking on the reading of feasible parts of the Psalter. You should not continue reading when your attention has already wandered. Such reading can only “anger” God. That is, reading in such a manner leads to the fact that a person begins to treat this tradition in a pagan way, attaching importance not to prayer, but only to the fact of performing the ritual.
As for the various practices of home reading of the Psalter, there are a huge variety of them. You can read either alone with yourself or together with other people. In Orthodox literature, there are also reading techniques in which the kathismas of the Psalter are divided among a group of people into an equal or unequal number of texts.
Finally
Despite the fact that many holy fathers recommend reading the Psalter thoughtfully, some of them also say that one should not be embarrassed if the meaning of what is being read is not always accessible to the reader. There is also an opinion that even if the reader does not understand the meaning, then his very intention to glorify the Lord by reading the psalms is good. Therefore, you should not be discouraged if you are not always able to read the sacred text flawlessly and with deep understanding.
Information for beginners
1. To understand worship, you need to know the psalms
The Psalter is a book of the Old Testament on which all Orthodox worship is actually based. All services use psalms in large quantities. For example, at the beginning of Vespers, Psalm 103 is sung, and at the beginning of Matins, six psalms are read: 3, 37, 62, 87, 102, 142. At liturgy (or at mass), Psalms 102 and 145 are sung. And these are only the most obvious examples.
2. If you buy an edition of the Psalms, everything you need will already be there
There are 150 psalms in the Psalter, and they are divided into 20 groups called kathismas. Each kathisma is divided into three more parts, between which are inserted short prayers. Usually, editions of the Psalter already have all the divisions and the introductory and intermediate prayers are printed, which is convenient. In principle, such publications are easy to Google.
3. You can’t stop in front of a difficult text.
What may not be included in the purchased Psalter are explanations and translations of the text. Psalms are ancient spiritual poetry. Because of the poetic expressions and the special style and rhythm that you need to “get into,” the psalms are initially very difficult to perceive when listening and reading. It is often difficult to understand what a place means in Church Slavonic. You can figure it out difficult places using Russian translation or interpretations of the holy fathers. The most known interpretations– Basil the Great, John Chrysostom and Athanasius the Great.
4. You can read the Psalter at home in the same way as it is read in church
The Psalter is read in its entirety at services every week. At Vespers one kathisma is read, and at Matins two kathismas are read. On Saturday evening a new week begins and a new round of reading the Psalms begins, so the first kathisma is always read, and at Sunday matins the second and third kathismas are always read. It turns out that the reading scheme is like this:
Saturday (vespers): kathisma 1
Sunday: 2.3
Monday: 4, 5, 6
Tuesday: 7, 8, 9
Wednesday: 10, 11, 12
Thursday: 13, 14, 15
Friday: 19, 20, 18
Saturday: 16, 17
5. The main thing: The Psalter is a book that is good to pray through
And the holy fathers highly recommend doing this. You can read individual psalms or kathismas at home, adding short prayers at the beginning and between parts of the kathisma, just as they do in church. They are usually already in publications (see point 2).
At first:
Come, let us worship our King God. (Bow)
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. (Bow)
Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. (Bow)
In the middle:
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, glory to You, O God! (3 times).
Lord, have mercy (3 times).
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
You can follow the reading cycle that is completed during the week and read those kathismas that are prescribed on this day of the week: the first two are read in the morning, the third in the evening. Or learn your favorite psalms and remember them throughout the day, following the example of many saints who knew the entire Psalter by heart.
There is also advice to remember individual verses from the psalms for the same purposes.
For example, Ps.117 verses 10-11:
All the nations have gone after me, and in the name of the Lord I have resisted them.
bypassed me, and in the name of the Lord you resisted them
(that is: all the nations, going around, surrounded me, but I resisted them in the name of the Lord)
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. “My hearing brings joy and gladness” (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 necessary to read troparia 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.
HOW TO READ THE PSALMS... Pray for one another (James 5:16). The Psalter is a sacred book of psalms, or Divine hymns, recorded 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 determined for him at home, privately, and remembers the names of those who pray with him by agreement. The next day, the Psalter is read in its entirety again, with everyone reading the next kathisma. If someone fails to read the kathisma assigned to him one day, it is read the next day plus the next one in order. So during Lent the entire Psalter is read at least 40 times. One person cannot achieve such a feat. Tips for beginners 1. To read the Psalter, you must have a burning lamp (or candle) at home. It is customary to pray “without a light” only on the road, outside the home. 2. Psalter, on the advice of Rev. Seraphim of Sarov, it is necessary to read aloud - in an undertone or more quietly, so that not only the mind, but also the ear, listens to the words of the prayer (“Give joy and gladness to my hearing”). 3. Special attention You should pay attention to the correct placement of stress in words, because a mistake can change the meaning of words and even entire phrases, and this is a sin. 4. You can read the psalms while sitting (the word “kathisma” translated into Russian means “that which is read while sitting”, in contrast to the word “akathist” - “not sitting”). You need to get up when reading the opening and closing prayers, as well as during the “Glories”. 5. The psalms are read monotonously, without expression, slightly intoned - dispassionately, because Our sinful feelings are unpleasant to God. Reading psalms and prayers with theatrical expression leads a person to a demonic state of delusion. 6. One should not be discouraged or embarrassed if the meaning of the psalms is not clear. The machine gunner does not always understand how the machine gun fires, but his task is to hit enemies. Regarding the Psalter, there is a statement: “You don’t understand - the demons understand.” As we mature spiritually, the meaning of the psalms will also be revealed. Prayers before reading kathisma In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee! Heavenly King. Trisagion according to Our Father. Come, let us worship our King God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. Then another kathisma is read, remembering the names on each “Glory”. On “Glories” Where the kathisma is interrupted by the mark “Glory”, the following prayers are read: Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, glory to You, O God! (3 times). Lord, have mercy (3 times). Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Save, Lord, and have mercy on the Patriarch (name of the rivers), then the name of the ruling bishop and the names on the list are remembered, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and with their holy prayers forgive and have mercy on me, unworthy! (After this prayer, you can bow to the ground, depending on the zeal of the believer). On the first and second “Glory” names of health are remembered, on the third Glory - names of repose: “Rest, O Lord, the souls of Thy servants who have fallen asleep (according to the list) and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them Thy Kingdom of Heaven! » (and prostrations). And now, and forever, and forever and ever. Amen. And then - the following psalms. After the third “Glory”, the troparia and prayers written in the next kathisma are read. The prayer “Lord, have mercy” is read 40 times - on the fingers or rosary. Sometimes, at will, between the second and third tens (between 20 and 21 of the prayer “Lord, have mercy!”), a personal prayer of the believer is said for the closest people, for the most vital. After reading the kathisma It is worthy to eat and final prayers _____________________________________ Read the Psalter, the Apostle, the Gospel - everything is here. Whoever reads the Psalter at night with two kathismas goes through the whole Psalter. It is more valuable to read the Psalter out loud, silently if necessary. Raise the nightly Psalter - pray for yourself and those you don’t know to the seventh generation. Daytime is also valuable. Just as leaves fall from a tree in autumn, so do sins from a person reading the Psalter. Read the 17th kathisma - pray away your sins and the sins of your relatives to the 7th generation. Be sure to read the 17th Kathisma on Friday evening. Read the 17th kathisma for the deceased every day. Pray for the Kingdom of Heaven. ☦ Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikiy _____________________________ One ninety-year-old old woman said that on the fortieth day after her death, a familiar psalm-reader appeared to her in a dream. During her life, she helped him with housework: she washed floors, dishes, and laundry. He said sadly: “Why do you pray so little, but for us there is no better help than reading the Psalter." ☦ The story of a village priest ______________________________ My husband and I lived alone, but there was no peace and silence in the house. I did not give in to my husband, and he, in turn, proved that he was right, and so it went on for a long time. Finally I got tired of all this and decided to behave differently. My husband will say an offensive word to me, I feel like I’m starting to get irritated, so I take the Psalter and start reading. The husband will make a little noise, then become silent. And so, little by little, peace and quiet settled in our house. I came to the temple, my father passed by, stopped next to me and said: “I wish it would have been like this a long time ago!” ☦ From the book “Biography of the elder schema-abbot Savva. With love in the Lord, your D.O.S.”, M., 1998. ___________________________________ “The seventeenth kathisma is the basis of the Psalter, it must be read in its entirety, it is indivisible... Remember the seventeenth kathisma! So that the seventeenth kathisma should be read every day! You cannot read it in the evening, that means during the day, on the road, anywhere, but the seventeenth kathisma must be read daily. This is your spiritual savings book, this is your capital for your sins. At the ordeals, the seventeenth kathisma will already be protected for you". Some people think that the 17th kathisma is read only when it is her turn and there is no other way. This is not entirely true. It is good to read it every day and many pious lay people do so. - This is a great help for the deceased! ☦ Elder Schema-nun Antonia ________________________________ The elder advised those who have relatives who smoke to read Psalm 108 every day for the smoker. If a relative dies (spiritually) - read the Psalter and Akathist to the Mother of God “Seeking the Lost.” The demon fights strongly for a man, he said, seven times stronger than for a woman, because a man is the image of God (meaning that the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth in a male image and the first man was Adam). - To complaints the priest answered: - Read the Psalter! - Father, there are big quarrels in the family. - Read the Psalter. - Father, there’s trouble at work. - Read the Psalter. I wondered how this could help? But you start reading - and everything works out. ☦ Jerome (Sanaksarsky) ________________________________ - The Psalter drives away evil spirits. St. Barsanuphius of Optina said that every Orthodox Christian needs to read at least the Glory a day. I want to say that St. Alexander, the head of the monastery of the Never-Sleeping, introduced the Rite of the Never-Sleeping Psalter in the monasteries. It is very well written about him in the Cheti-Minea. Some spiritual giants read the entire Psalter a day on an ongoing basis. Like, for example, Simeon the Divnogorets, Parthenius of Kiev, and others. Ephraim the Syrian speaks of the psalms, so that they are constantly on our lips. This is such a sweetness - sweeter than honey and honeycombs. The law of the Lord is good to us more than thousands of gold and silver. I have loved Your commandments more than gold and topaz (Psalm 119, 127). Indeed, you read it and cannot be moved. This is wonderful! Not everything is clear when reading. But Ambrose Optinsky says that understanding comes with time. Open my eyes, and I will understand the wonders of Your law (Psalm 119:18). Let us really hope that our spiritual eyes will be opened. Priest Andrey Uglov
People come to faith in different ways. The Lord is leading someone long years through illness and sorrow, I am an example of this, faith comes into someone like an awl, here it is appropriate to cite my husband as an example. There are also those who believe as long as it’s good for them, for them faith and the church are like an assistant in all matters, and as soon as a streak of bad luck begins, a test of faith for strength, people, without any regret, leave forever or for the time being, that’s how God decides . For beginners taking their first steps in faith, which is what I was, everything seems so complicated and simple at the same time. The difficulty is that you don’t know a lot, but the “simplicity” is that reading, for example, psalms or prayers, seemed completely “not difficult,” thank God everyone is literate. True, the Old Church language is not entirely understandable, but that’s okay, but what a help for my deceased relatives, whom I dreamed of every night, without saying anything, but the vague feeling that they were asking for prayers did not leave me. My first experience of reading the psalter will remain forever in my memory. Having “consulted” not even with the parish priest, but simply with a familiar parishioner G., I firmly decided for myself that I would read the psalter, especially since G.’s words stuck in my head, “very effective remedy" Beginners always trust unconditionally those words that come from “knowledgeable parishioners.” Now, after more than thirteen years of my difficult journey in faith, I see my mistakes, and G.’s mistakes..., but then everything seemed simple and very doable. But without the blessing of a priest, it is better not for an unchurched person to start reading the psalter, especially about the departed. Why “not new” to the faith G. did not know this is still unclear to me to this day. But then my decision was ironclad and I didn’t even pay attention to the phrase that “they will interfere with me.” No one will disturb me, I thought then, I will put my boys (husband and son) to bed, and the silence of the night will only help me. Every day, according to kathisma, I will cope, but it was not there... The second hour of the night, the first psalm is behind, the second begins... In the silence of the night, if anyone managed to notice the extraordinary audibility and the distance of four floors separating my apartment from the entrance the door on the first floor seemed insignificant, so while continuing to read the psalms, I heard the entrance door slam. My mind automatically flashed, “strange, who could it be?” The Germans are a disciplined people; you rarely see anyone on the street at ten o’clock in the evening, and at two o’clock in the morning this was completely inexplicable. Without looking up from reading, at the same time I thought, it turns out that this is not as easy as it seemed and the shuffling sounds on the railings mixed with a man’s rough grumbling did not particularly alarm me, but they became louder and louder until blows from fists were heard at my door male hands. And here I went cold... A terrible fear..., the understanding of the words “that you will be disturbed” and the awareness of “who will disturb you”, instantly formed a clear picture. The knocks on the door became stronger, the uninvited guest was breaking in as if it were his own home, and the inarticulate grumbling and discontent was expressed louder and louder. The husband did not wake up, but his frightened son looked out from another room. I wouldn't be afraid, it was completely impossible to explain. I waved my hand at him to go to sleep and put my finger to my mouth, indicating “quiet” to him. The door to the bedroom closed behind my son. I was recovering from the terrible numbing fear sitting on the sofa, without even getting up and not expressing a desire to look at the uninvited guest through the peephole. I don’t know how many minutes passed, but the sounds outside the door died down.... Strangely enough, I didn’t hear any more sounds in the entrance, I didn’t hear the door opening, I didn’t hear any of the neighbors, I didn’t hear any more dissatisfied male wheezing, I didn’t hear a retreating uninvited guest. I just understood that I wouldn’t be able to continue reading because of this terrible numbness. No, I didn’t refuse to read the psalter, but I no longer wanted to read the psalms at night. And during daylight hours, whenever I started reading the psalter, I was “disturbed.” There were also phone calls, with “we got in the wrong place”, there were some rustling noises, as if something was falling, or my men unexpectedly returned, considering that they had just left. It’s hard to remember now, but they interfered specifically and purposefully. Still, 150 psalms were read by me, with a prayer request for my family. After so many years, having already read many good spiritual books and teachings of spirit-bearing fathers, having some little prayer experience of my own, I realized how difficult it is to pray and what real prayer is, but the demons definitely tremble in the psalms, even if you don’t understand anything about them , but demons understand well. Maybe this explains the presence of psalms in all church services, and in monasteries the incessant psalter sounds around the clock. group admin.
Many Orthodox Christians read the Psalter (this can be several psalms or more). In addition, there is a pious custom when a person reads kathisma and during the Slavas remembers health and repose. And this can already be considered an additional prayer load. This kind of commemoration is very effective. In many monasteries, the Indefatigable Psalter is read and commemoration of both health and repose takes place. But private commemoration on the Psalter also has its temptations. Let's give a brief overview.
When we pray for someone, we should understand perfectly well that there will be revenge from the enemy, there will be temptation, and we must always be ready to repel the blow! My son! If you begin to serve the Lord God, then prepare your soul for temptation (Sir. 2:1).
Simply praying for others is powerful. Prayer on the Psalter is especially bold and has special power. St. Ambrose of Optina says that any prayer is stronger than the psalm word. And therefore, time goes special help For those for whom we pray, there are special attacks. Demons seem to take their percentage from our good deeds. If we bring little benefit to others, then there are usually small temptations. If we want to live a life pleasing to God, and even more so to help our neighbors, then demons especially rebel against such a person. We must understand this and be prepared for temptations and not take on excessive feats, including when we're talking about about reading the Psalter.
Attacks can be of various types. If a person is already elderly, then usually this is a product of anger and irritation in a person, attacks from neighbors. If a person is young and mature, then when commemorating others in the Psalter, demons very often raise the most severe fornication against a person. At the same time, they try to produce bad night dreams. If the person who commemorates the Psalter prays fervently, then spiritual warfare usually occurs at night, when demons use various intrigues, which the saints and elders speak about in such detail.
In any case, when remembering others on the Psalter, regular communion and confession, participation in the sacraments are necessary - all this gives strength to a person and allows him to resist devilish attacks.
Moreover, it is good to take the blessing of a priest to read the Psalter for your neighbors - this will give additional strength and will already protect this person.
If there are no obvious attacks, then the following may occur. A person reads the Psalter for others and feels tired and does not have the strength or desire to read additional psalms, without remembering others. This is also from the evil one, since he deliberately causes such fatigue. What causes this fatigue? Usually this is due to excessive prayer load. A person remembers others and wastes energy. And it often happens that a person has a huge list of names, remembers everyone, gets tired and still does not understand where it all comes from.
Naturally, this is obvious. Very often this is due to excessive prayer load! One experienced priest expressed the idea that if a person is not yet very strong (and this is the majority), then 10 names are already enough. He also warned that those whom you commemorate may take up arms against you, it’s just that the demons will raise abuse against you also through those for whom you pray, and you need to be prepared for this. In any case, it is advisable to consult on this matter with a priest who knows your spiritual structure.
It is important that there is no spiritual exhaustion from excessive prayer load. It’s one thing to simply read the Psalter and quite another to remember someone. Moreover, if a person is just beginning to read the Psalter, then it is not advisable to immediately take the list and remember others, especially if there is no corresponding spiritual strength. This is not very desirable, as it can break a person. It is very easy to find yourself unprepared for a new excessive prayer load! It’s good at first to simply read the psalms, delving into the meaning, studying them, and only then, over time, think about intense remembrance.
Abba Markell also warned: “Believe me, children, nothing outrages, worries, irritates, hurts, destroys, insults and arms the demons and Satan himself, the culprit of evil, against us so much as constant exercise in psalmody. All Holy Scripture is useful, and reading it causes a lot of trouble for the demon, but nothing crushes him as much as the Psalter.”
And further. If anyone is going to read the Psalter at night, then they must definitely take the blessing here and think about it many times. This should not be done under any circumstances if a person is just beginning to spiritual life or is just beginning to read the Psalter. This is a very important warning. It’s just that prayer on the Psalter is especially powerful. At night, any prayer has multiple power. Many saints and elders write about this. But we should also not forget that there are multiple attacks. And here is a simple example of what happened to a man who decided to read the Psalter for others without permission, and, moreover, by refusing to obey.
From the teachings of St. Barsanuphius of Optina:
“The elder warned one young nun not to be self-confident. But soon she herself volunteered to read the Psalter in church for the deceased and refused the cooperation of other nuns. At midnight she felt afraid, started to run and caught her clothes in the door. In the morning she was found on the floor in a nervous fever. They had to put her in a hospital, where she stayed for a year and returned with a gray head.”
This is also due to the fact that for the newly deceased man is walking particularly strong fight.
But, in general, we can conclude that:
1. Prayer is great work, and especially prayer on the Psalms.
3. When remembering your loved ones, it is highly advisable to take a blessing for this.
4. It's important not to do long lists which may create excessive prayer load. Signs: tiredness, weariness, reluctance to read additional psalms. In general, prayer for loved ones is extremely useful.
Confess your faults to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed: the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16).
When we pray for others, we show our love. And true, unfeigned, sacrificial love is so pleasing to God! I give you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, so you also love one another (John 13:34).
5. Remembering others at night is an extremely dangerous thing and can create many temptations.
If a person really thinks about this, then it is simply necessary to consult a priest or confessor about this.
Reading the Psalter is very important. It is also important to be prepared to repel possible temptations and not take on excessive feats.
It would be good to read the Psalter in order, according to kathisma, for example, at certain times. It contains prayers, instructions of consolation, for various occasions and states of mind. With other... readings, it may be inconvenient to read two kathismas every day all the time. If you read one slowly, quietly listening to the spirit of the Psalmist, and something that touches your heart more closely, try to remember at the right moment after reading, the work will not be in vain before the Lord.
St. Filaret of Moscow
Pray for one another (James 5:16).
The Psalter is a sacred book of psalms, or Divine hymns, recorded 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 determined for him at home, privately, and remembers the names of those who pray with him by agreement. The next day, the Psalter is read in its entirety again, with everyone reading the next kathisma. If someone fails to read the kathisma assigned to him one day, it is read the next day plus the next one in order.
So during Lent the entire Psalter is read at least 40 times. One person cannot achieve such a feat.
Tips for beginners
1. To read the Psalter, you must have a burning lamp (or candle) at home. It is customary to pray “without a light” only on the road, outside the home.
2. Psalter, on the advice of Rev. Seraphim of Sarov, it is necessary to read aloud - in an undertone or more quietly, so that not only the mind, but also the ear, listens to the words of the prayer (“Give joy and gladness to my hearing”).
3. Particular attention should be paid to the correct placement of stress in words, because a mistake can change the meaning of words and even entire phrases, and this is a sin.
4. You can read the psalms while sitting (the word “kathisma” translated into Russian means “that which is read while sitting”, in contrast to the word “akathist” - “not sitting”). You need to get up when reading the opening and closing prayers, as well as during the “Glories”.
5. The psalms are read monotonously, without expression, slightly intoned - dispassionately, because Our sinful feelings are unpleasant to God. Reading psalms and prayers with theatrical expression leads a person to a demonic state of delusion.
6. One should not be discouraged or embarrassed if the meaning of the psalms is not clear. The machine gunner does not always understand how the machine gun fires, but his task is to hit enemies. Regarding the Psalter, there is a statement: “You don’t understand - the demons understand.” As we mature spiritually, the meaning of the psalms will also be revealed.
Prayers before reading kathisma
In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee! Heavenly King.
Trisagion according to Our Father.
Come, let us worship our King God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God.
Then another kathisma is read, remembering the names on each “Glory”.
On "Slava"
Where the kathisma is interrupted by the mark “Glory”, the following prayers are read:
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, glory to You, O God! (3 times).
Lord, have mercy (3 times).
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Save, Lord, and have mercy on the Patriarch (name of the rivers), then the name of the ruling bishop and the names on the list are remembered, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and with their holy prayers forgive and have mercy on me, unworthy! (After this prayer, you can bow to the ground, depending on the zeal of the believer).
On the first and second “Glory” names of health are remembered, on the third Glory - names of repose: “Rest, O Lord, the souls of Thy servants who have fallen asleep (according to the list) and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them Thy Kingdom of Heaven! » (and prostrations).
And now, and forever, and forever and ever. Amen.
After the third “Glory”, the troparia and prayers written in the next kathisma are read. The prayer “Lord, have mercy” is read 40 times - on the fingers or rosary.
Sometimes, at will, between the second and third tens (between 20 and 21 of the prayer “Lord, have mercy!”), a personal prayer of the believer is said for the closest people, for the most vital.
After reading the kathisma
It is worthy to eat and closing prayers
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Read the Psalter, the Apostle, the Gospel - everything is here. Whoever reads the Psalter at night with two kathismas goes through the whole Psalter. It is more valuable to read the Psalter out loud, silently if necessary. Raise the nightly Psalter - pray for yourself and those you don’t know to the seventh generation. Daytime is also valuable. Just as leaves fall from a tree in autumn, so do sins from a person reading the Psalter.
Read the 17th kathisma - pray away your sins and the sins of your relatives to the 7th generation. Be sure to read the 17th Kathisma on Friday evening. Read the 17th kathisma for the deceased every day. Pray for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikios
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One ninety-year-old woman said that on the fortieth day after her death, a familiar psalm-reader appeared to her in a dream. During her life, she helped him with housework: she washed floors, dishes, and laundry. He said sadly: “Why do you pray so little, but for us there is no better help than reading the Psalter.”
The story of a village priest
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My husband and I lived alone, but there was no peace and silence in the house. I did not give in to my husband, and he, in turn, proved that he was right, and so it went on for a long time.
Finally I got tired of all this and decided to behave differently. My husband will say an offensive word to me, I feel like I’m starting to get irritated, so I take the Psalter and start reading. The husband will make a little noise, then become silent. And so, little by little, peace and quiet settled in our house.
I came to the temple, my father passed by, stopped next to me and said: “I wish it would have been like this a long time ago!”
From the book "Biography of the elder schema-abbot Savva. With love in the Lord, your D.O.S.", M., 1998.
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“The seventeenth kathisma is the basis of the Psalter, it must be read in its entirety, it is indivisible... Remember the seventeenth kathisma! So that the seventeenth kathisma is read every day! If you cannot read it in the evening, it means during the day, on the road, anywhere, but the seventeenth kathisma must be read daily ". This is your spiritual savings book, this is your capital for your sins. At the ordeals, the seventeenth kathisma will already be in defense for you." Some people think that the 17th kathisma is read only when it is her turn and there is no other way. This is not entirely true. It is good to read it every day and many pious lay people do so. - This is a great help for the deceased!
Elder schemanun Antonia
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The elder advised those who have relatives who smoke to read Psalm 108 every day for the smoker. If a relative dies (spiritually) - read the Psalter and Akathist to the Mother of God “Seeking the Lost.” The demon fights strongly for a man, he said, seven times stronger than for a woman, because a man is the image of God (meaning that the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth in a male image and the first man was Adam).
The priest responded to complaints:
Read the Psalter!
Father, there are big quarrels in the family.
Read the Psalter.
Father, there's trouble at work.
Read the Psalter.
I wondered how this could help? But you start reading - and everything works out.
Jerome (Sanaksarsky)
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The Psalter drives away evil spirits. St. Barsanuphius of Optina said that every Orthodox Christian needs to read at least the Glory a day. I want to say that St. Alexander, the head of the monastery of the Never-Sleeping, introduced the Rite of the Never-Sleeping Psalter in the monasteries. It is very well written about him in the Cheti-Minea. Some spiritual giants read the entire Psalter a day on an ongoing basis. Like, for example, Simeon the Divnogorets, Parthenius of Kiev, and others. Ephraim the Syrian speaks of the psalms, so that they are constantly on our lips. This is such a sweetness - sweeter than honey and honeycombs. The law of the Lord is good to us more than thousands of gold and silver. I have loved Your commandments more than gold and topaz (Psalm 119, 127). Indeed, you read it and cannot be moved. This is wonderful! Not everything is clear when reading. But Ambrose Optinsky says that understanding comes with time. Open my eyes, and I will understand the wonders of Your law (Psalm 119:18). Let us really hope that our spiritual eyes will be opened.
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HOW TO GET FREEDOM FROM DEMONIC POWERS
“Many ascetics, for example, the righteous father Nikolai Ragozin. Or for example, the Blessed Elder Pelagia - the Ryazan ascetic - advised to read Psalm 26 more often to protect against dark forces. Blessed Polyushka said: “Whoever reads this psalm at least three times a day will travel among sorcerers like on a tank" - this is such a figurative expression. Blessed Polyusha also advised that if a person is possessed by an unclean spirit or has practiced witchcraft - that is, demons rape this person - then it is very useful to take a blessing from a good priest and within 40 days Read Psalm 26 40 times a day. Of course, this is a great feat, but many people receive healing through this. This psalm, according to Blessed Polyushka, has enormous power. This is the most powerful psalm in the entire Psalter."
Priest Andrey Uglov
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After the Lord's Prayer, read this Troparion, tone 6:
Have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us, bewildered by any answer, we offer this prayer to You as the Master of sin: have mercy on us.
Glory: The honor of Thy prophet, O Lord, is a triumph, Heaven shows the Church, with men the Angels rejoice. By your prayers, O Christ God, guide our belly in peace, so that we may sing to You: Alleluia.
And now: My many and many sins, Mother of God, I have come running to You, O Pure One, demanding salvation: visit my weak soul and pray to Your Son and our God to grant me forgiveness for the evil deeds, O Blessed One. Lord have mercy, 40 times. And bow down, so powerfully.
The same 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 reason and finish the good works of these God-inspired books, even the Holy Spirit will regurgitate the mouth of David, which I now want to say, I, unworthy, understanding my own ignorance, falling down, I pray to Thee, and ask You for help: Lord, guide my mind and confirm my heart, not about the words of the lips of this cold, but about the mind of those who say, rejoice, and prepare to do good deeds, even as I learn, and I say: yes good deeds enlightened, at the judgment of the right hand of Thy land I will be a partaker with all Thy chosen ones. And now, Vladyka, bless, and, sighing from my heart, I will sing with my tongue, saying to my face: Come, let us worship our King God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God.
