One day in 1983, having arrived at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and visiting F., I found two men from Moldova with him. One of them was called Mosh-Vasily. He was telling F about something with feeling. I realized that we're talking about about some matter and that F. is trying to help this person.
We met. Over tea, someone said words from some psalm. Mosh-Vasily picked them up and read this psalm to the end by heart, then calling out its number, which I was very surprised by. Seeing my surprise, he said that he knew the Psalter almost by heart and that this happened out of necessity. Mosh-Vasily told me his story.
He is from a small village in Moldova. Not long ago he and his adult daughter were very ill. He could not stay on his feet for a long time (no more than half an hour), he was very tired and was disabled, because... I couldn’t really do anything due to constant malaise. Doctors, wherever he was treated and to whomever he turned, could not help, they only recognized him as incapable of work and gave him a disability. The daughter was also disabled and received disability back in adolescence. She also experienced constant malaise, and sometimes she could suddenly forget everything and could not remember anything from what surrounded her, i.e. She was also mentally unstable. When he was able, he took his daughter to the luminaries of science and to Moscow and other medical centers in the country, but to no avail.
Having tried all the remedies that medicine could give, and having achieved nothing, he began to turn to the help of the church. I began to attend services and pray. Due to his illness, he was unable to complete the entire service, but he tried as best he could. One of the parishioners, during a conversation with him, told him about a perspicacious elder from some monastery (I think, the village of Alexandrovka). He and his daughter went there. After carefully listening to their complaints, the elder said that he was giving them obedience: one psalm a day from the Psalter. And when they left, the elder said after them that the Psalter would heal them. Father and daughter took the elder’s words seriously and religiously read one psalm a day. They knew the Russian language poorly, but they could not get the Psalter in their native Moldavian language, so they read the psalms in Russian with great difficulty.
A year later, they could already read the psalter in Russian freely, but the special joy was that they began to feel better. Mosh-Vasily could already do something around the house, and his daughter could help her mother. A year later they were already so healthy that they turned to doctors with a request to remove them from disability. They were sent to a medical commission and, indeed, were found to be completely healthy.
“Look at me, Nikolai,” he told me, “isn’t it hard to believe now that I was a complete invalid, unable to stand on my feet for more than half an hour? But, here, I just came from a service in the Lavra, where I stood on my feet for more than three hours and - at least, as if nothing had happened, I can now work and, if necessary, stand on my feet for as long as necessary. I am quite healthy.” Mosh-Vasily was tall and powerfully built.
“Now I work as a machine operator and driver, support my family and help others. After such a miracle that I experienced myself, I was fired up with the idea, by all means, to find the Psalter on native language and multiply it for yourself and your loved ones, and for those who will need it. But the Psalter has enormous power! But wherever I looked for it, no one had a copy from which I could make a copy. They were either very shabby or had missing pages. I traveled all over Moldova and finally I found one priest who, having heard my story, lent me his copy for a while so that I could make a copy of it. Time is running out. I have to return the Psalter soon, but I’m having trouble getting it reproduced. No matter who I contacted, everyone said that it was almost impossible. Finally, here, through F.’s friends and other people, I managed to get to a printing house in Moscow and they are ready to print it for me, but officially they do not have the right to fulfill orders of less than five hundred copies. This is the information they told me there today and now I don’t know what to do. It costs about five thousand rubles, and I can only get two thousand. If you sell a cow or something from the farm, there won’t be enough money,” said Mosh-Vasily with contrition.
(For reference: In the USSR, photocopying was carried out in special bureaus controlled by the KGB. Copying required special permission. Copying texts with religious content was punishable by imprisonment and confiscation of property).
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, and does not stand in the way of sinners, and does not sit in the seats of the destroyers, but his will is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he learns day and night. And he will be like a tree planted by the waters that come out. ..and whatever he does will prosper" (Ps. 1:1-3).
“When reading the Psalter, a special angel is attached. The Church Slavonic Psalter has over the Russian... the advantage that it contains eternal depth and heavenly mysteries that cannot be explained in words. The Psalter angel stands at the right hand and tells the heart the meaning of the words read, even if they cannot be explained with the mind. I I didn’t understand many of the words, but the Angel explained their meaning.
The Church Slavonic reading is much higher than the Synodal translation of the Psalter (into Russian). The Psalter is a heavenly book, not an earthly one, and its language is inexplicable, otherworldly. The Church Slavonic was translated by the Holy Spirit and was revealed to the elders. But the Russian translation does not have those mystical heights. The Psalter in Russian has almost no power in warfare. Demons are not afraid of her.
Pray more often according to the Psalter, at least several kathismas a day, from three to seven. A wondrous world will appear in your heart.
(The Saints) did not part with the Psalter and defeated the hordes of the enemy and Satan himself. If only you knew how Satan fears the Psalter and what a barrier the Psalter weaves for the prayer book! Amphilochius taught us that he lost power as soon as the reading of the Psalter stopped... In the house of Amphilochius, the Psalter was read around the clock. And the elder said: I lose peace when the reading of the Psalter stops. The Psalter constituted a special world for him. He conveyed his love for the Psalter and the secret of its action in the invisible battle against the action of the spirits of evil to his true disciples.
The Church Slavonic Psalter is so great that (the ascetic), having joined it, never parted with it as with his sword in full armor. And the spiritual Orthodox, in contrast to the worldly and useless, worthless, valued and knew the power of the Psalter and did not leave it and were blissful in its sweetness.
The angel, says the Queen, assigned for monastic deeds, reads the Psalter together with the ascetic and rejoices unspeakably, sees heavenly thrones while reading the Psalter with his ward and reveals the mystical meaning of the Psalter, many times greater than any verbal meaning - ascending through the eternal book of life.
Without Church Slavonic speech, the prayer structure of Orthodoxy is impossible. I held the Psalter close to my heart, just as the Mother of God holds the book of life close to Her breast, and did not part with it. The Psalter was my mother and mentor, and my abbess, and my guardian angel, and my cell attendant, and my friend, and the Gospel, and the Lord. Without the Psalter I was like without eyes and like without hands.
I lost the Psalter, the devil stole it, brought special thieves, and the Psalter suddenly disappeared. But I shouted to the Lord without getting up from my knees. And one day I saw the Psalter returned. The Psalter was at hand. The lost Psalter was returned to me. It was during one of my wanderings in Ukraine in Krivoy Rog.
There is no need to inquire into the specific meanings of this divine book. They surpass human understanding and say much more than a person in the present can understand with his sinful cup and insignificant misery of knowledge of God, and inability to truly know God.
I always knew that the Psalter is a mirror of the Book of Life. I read the heavenly Psalter. I've been reading it forever. I composed by reading the Psalter what the inhabitants of heaven contemplate before the throne of God. I loved the Psalter along with the Gospel and wondered how the miracle of the Psalter was not revealed to people: they are carried away by secular, spiritual, patristic books, but no one knows the sweetness of the psalter... And I thanked my teacher Amphilochius, who gave me the seals of the psalter’s bliss.
When you read the Psalter by candlelight with emotion in Church Slavonic, the celestial Holy Rus' immediately joins in the reading. And the quiet voice of the prayer book is heeded by hosts of ascetics.
The Psalter is the largest cover. I had a psalter house, and I hid in the Psalter from sorcerers, from persecutors and from enemies... The Lord will erect a psalter tabernacle over the ascetic, and nothing is afraid of him. And without the psalm tabernacle - blows one after another and defenselessness, even if he lived in a golden mansion and was surrounded by a thousand neighbors, armed warriors.
What kind of protection and what kind of help from the Psalter is known only to those who have learned its honey-mouthed verbs. The Psalter will tell you more than all the books written since the creation of the world. If you neglect the Psalter, you will not know even a hundredth part of what the Lord wants to reveal to you.
I cried already at the first “Blessed is the man”, I could not hold back my tears... Blessed is the man who delights himself with the lyre of psalms, singing to the Lord a song of thanksgiving and praise on David’s harp.
The psalter tablet, like a thin plate, captures the state of the heart of the prayer book. The Psalter joins the celestials of the Kingdom to the golden altar and unites the hearts of all who pray through it.
The musical structure of the Psalter is equal to the angels, heavenly, and exceeds the masterpieces of the greatest composers written from time to time. And the psalter shield in battle with the demonic world is not comparable with any other prayer, including exortic prayer for expulsion.
This book was written by the Holy Spirit, and it is not blessed to divide it into different authors, like other books of the Bible. Whoever grounds their meaning thinks humanly and the grace of the Holy Spirit is taken away from him. The Holy Scriptures must be approached with the fear of God and trembling, and not with rational investigation. The elders were never interested in who wrote the Bible at what time, whether Isaiah was the first and the second, but they listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit on the pages of the Holy Scriptures and unspeakably delighted their ears.
IN Holy Scripture there is not a single word that is not from the Holy Spirit. If there are any errors interspersed, the angel teaches them not to notice and read as it should be. If you start Scientific research, you will lose grace and ruin the treasury. The Lord loves the simple and pure in heart, meek and humble in disposition. Those who don’t know (magic), she smiled. Magic spells emanate from sorcerers, and those with little experience fall into their snares and often die.
In addition to regular and consistent reading of the Psalter, write individual verses, especially your favorite ones, think about them, write them out, sing them.
In the Psalter, reliquary grace is more fragrant than the church antimension with moshas. Psalter - Garden of Gethsemane. The Most Holy Virgin, sending me to you, said: “The Rosary has plunged many into delusion. Teach them the Psalms, My beloved.”
The Rosary is a preparation for the grace of the psalms. Through the Rosary they learned secrets that could not be known otherwise and prepared themselves for the royal psalter table. If Catholics and their saints knew the Church Slavonic Psalter, many of them would become its zealous adherents and leave the rosary. If your beloved Louis Grignon de Montfort once read, as I did, the Psalter followed from beginning to end, he would write an enthusiastic treatise about it and would not part with it.
Take advantage of this great gift of the Russian land, the gift of its saints. It is not without reason that they say: be faithful to the Orthodox shrine, and whoever wants to enter the Kingdom, acquire the psalter prayer and the Holy Spirit in it. I did not know a single priest or ascetic who received the second grace of the Holy Spirit without the Psalter. Three were holy fools and, due to illiteracy, did not read the Psalter, but went through great deeds and persecutions.
Behind this Church Slavonic there is an immaterial, silent Psalter - the Psalter from the Kingdom. Treasure in every verse of the psalter! A thousand years will not be enough to hug them. Truly, a book from eternity.
The ascetic is informed of the heavenly music of the Psalter while reading it in Church Slavonic.
Is it possible to compare even one morning prayer with the breadth and depth of the psalter? The morning rule is read daily. Why not daily perform the most beautiful (117) of the psalms, like the prayers in the monastic rule?
The basis of Orthodox services is the Psalter, and without love for the Psalter, without instillation of the Church Slavonic Psalter, without its seals, these services are closed. The Psalter itself is a service of services. By doing it in different ways, you can spend the whole day in prayer - the second most important after liturgical.
There is no state of mind that would not be reflected in the Psalter, and there is no question that the Psalter would not resolve. In her is the all-perfect fullness of the presence of God. The Psalter is fragrant in all worlds and is the favorite book not only of people, but of all creation (birds, invisible spirits...). The Psalter is compiled according to the architectural canons of the book of creation. It contains the pillars of wisdom that lie at the foundation of the universe.
In heaven there is a sphere of psalm bliss. The Psalter is read in it in Church Slavonic, but is seen and comprehended in heavenly images. Entering this sphere, I saw with my own eyes and empathized with every verse that I knew in earthly days. King David, King Solomon, the ancient prophets and judges dwell in this wondrous sphere, and many saints visit it, tired of their labors on the cross, and linger in it for a long time, receiving untold consolations.”
(Archbishop John:) “Each psalm has its own secrets and seals. When an angel opens the world of this psalm, it is impossible to get out of it, you want to create it again and again, endlessly. The psalter flows into eternity, like the river of paradise...
Without the Psalter, the life of an ascetic is meager. Pitiful crumbs from the table of His prayer. Psalter - abundant bread, wine and oil. It is an inscrutable sweetness to put every verse and word of the Psalter in your heart, like the Word of the Lord himself.
Mother wants us to fold the Psalter in our hearts, like an invisible, fragrant scroll, so that in the temple of the heart, on its altar, the mysterious Psalter will rest. There is no internal temple without the Psalter established on the altar. The Psalter is imprinted on the heart, like the word of the Lord. Just as the Blessed Virgin listened to the Lord in her earthly days, with the same charismatic hearing Mother wants us to listen to the words of the Psalter. This is the voice of the Groom, the voice of the Holy Spirit, consolation for the bride, irreplaceable, incomparable.”
St. Euphrosyne: “The Holy Spirit will reveal to you countless ways of creating the Psalter. If you collect images of its reading in Egypt, Greece, Russia by the hermits of Alexandria and Athos, it is impossible to count them. To each monastery, to each city, the Lord gave his own image of the creation of the Psalter. Some they read in a chant, others repeated verses, others sang the Psalter silently, others sang antiphonally, others included them in church services, others included them in night singing and monastic passages, others blessed the singing of the Psalter monotonously and gracefully, others admiringly and magnificently...
The Psalter refines the spiritual ear and fills the heart with the grace of God. Like a censer, it smells fragrant in the inner temple.
Once in heaven I heard the Psalter - it was written by a skete ascetic, a recluse - not in Russian, but in some eastern, Egyptian or ancient Arabic language. The angel who was guiding me translated immediately, and every word was clear and intelligible to me... And so I listened to it - I couldn’t tear myself away. I have never heard such beauty of the creation of the Psalter anywhere else. Angels flew from the heavenly spheres to listen to this ascetic praying on the Psalter.
The departed love the Psalter so much that at the sound of it, their wounds immediately heal and droplets of oil appear on them. The souls of the aborted stop screaming and fall silent, resting for the duration of the creation of the Psalter.
The heavenly ranks consider it their duty from time to time to listen to psalter prayer as the perfect system of glorifying God, given for Adam, God’s creation.
For a sick person, if the Psalter is read with his name mentioned, the Psalter acts like a balm on a wound, sharp pain passes and the wound subsides.
There are sins that can only be prayed for through the psalter; they require such a long period of washing and cleansing. There are sins that the ascetic is neither able to see nor to repent of, but the prayer of the psalms reaches them and washes them away.
The ascetic of the psalms takes on a heavy burden, since the demons of the one who is healed through the sedate psalter prayer fall upon him. I was constantly beaten and for many years attacked by tempting spirits of those whom I begged in the psalter prayer, whom I healed and rescued from the abyss.
He who has not learned either prayer or the psalter's abuse is still a spiritual child, even though he could quote the Gospel by heart in different languages.
Read the psalms with childlike spontaneity and rejoice as if they were composed just now, in front of you. Have each one separately on the prayer table and give each one your attention.
Icon in hospital ward, if the Church Slavonic Psalter is read before it, it secretly smells fragrant and becomes as if alive for the sick.
In places of confinement, the Book of Psalms will transform the prison into an oasis of the Kingdom.
To whomever I sign the reading of the psalter prayer, he will not leave it, like a virgin from midnight prayer, stocked with lighted lamps and oils. The Psalter is the very oil for the lamp from the parable of the Lord, necessary for the wise virgin. The reading of the Psalter, performed during moshas, is an introduction to the secrets of the eternal world, a presentation of the true image of faith, prayer, asceticism and priesthood. There is nothing more important for today. And then the Lord will show.”
August-September 1998
(Quoted from the collection “The World of Saints”, N1, M., “New Holy Rus'”, November, 1998, 2nd ed., revised, p. 2, 10-15)
For information - About Euphrosyne, see: Dvorkin A.L. "Sectology", ed. 2002, p. 601: "...at the end of her life she declared herself the fourth hypostasis of the Trinity and predicted her resurrection on the 40th day."
I trust Dworkin less than the author of this book.
“Of all the effective methods that I have practiced, the method of hesychasm is the most effective in achieving abundance. It is very simple: every day you read aloud the psalms (one kathisma) in the Old Church Slavonic language and money and other material benefits go through the roof for you, and you don’t need think about it." The Psalter is a small book, part of the Old Testament. The Psalter contains psalms and songs of praise to the Lord and King David. It takes about 20 minutes to read the Psalter a day."
I will not go into detail and describe the miraculous power of the psalter; there is a lot of information about it on the Internet. You can briefly look at the following quotes:
"
One person says:
- I read, I read the Psalter, but I don’t understand anything. So I figure I'd be much better off putting this book on the shelf.
And the elder answers him:
- No, don't.
- Why? I do not understand anything!
- Yes, the demons understand. They understand what is being said about them, they cannot bear it and run away. Consequently, by reading the Psalter we drive away demons from ourselves... ( Venerable Optina Elder Barsanuphius)
Book of Psalms... there is a common treasury of good teachings and carefully searches for what benefits everyone. She heals the old wounds of the soul, and gives quick healing to the recently wounded, and restores the painful, and supports the undamaged; in general, as much as possible, it destroys the passions that are under control in human life. different types dominate souls.
Saint Basil the Great."
- Only the 1st kathisma is read per day in order:
The next day is the 2nd kathisma, prayers after reading the kathisma.
20th day – 20th kathisma, prayers after reading kathisma, prayers after reading the Psalter
and again exactly the same
21st (1st day) – Prayers before reading the Psalter, 1st kathisma, prayers after reading kathisma
The next day is the 2nd kathisma, prayers after reading the kathisma.
Etc.
- Read at the same time, at least approximately. In the morning or evening. Before bedtime the better, which are sometimes shown in a dream and key events that should happen in the near future are remembered. It's easier to read in the morning.
- You must read every day, without skipping days. Soon, circumstances may arise that prevent you from reading every day, but you need to find the strength in yourself and set yourself a rule - read every day. It is better to read them inattentively, but every day.
- You can read to yourself (for more advanced ones), but for beginners it is better to do it out loud or in a whisper. The good thing about reading aloud is that you don’t have to think about it.
- You don’t need to think too hard or repeat other people’s intonations. Here it is important to just do the job, and over time, then, you will begin to know how to do the right intonations - business teaches business.
- Read in Old Church Slavonic.
- Smoking, drinking alcoholic drinks, coffee and tea interfere with work, so you should not smoke or drink an hour before reading.
- About Prayers before or after reading kathismas.
Trisagion: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (3 times)” then: “Glory to the Father and the Son and..., now... amen”
Holy Trinity.
Most Holy Trinity, Lord, have mercy on us, cleanse our sins, Master, forgive our iniquities, Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for your name’s sake.
Be sure to repeat “Lord, have mercy” 40 times so as not to lose track of counting on your fingers. She folded the little finger of her left hand and read it 3 times, then folded the ring finger of her left hand and 3 more times. Walk through the fingers and it will be 30. Bend back the left little finger and 3 more times, bend the left ring finger - 3 times, bend the left middle one - 3 times, and then just 1 time. You won't lose count. And 40 times has its meaning.
results
“Intentions and desires are fulfilled, in the material sense (they already exist in a person, and this practice acts as a catalyst), and by miracles and natural events, and often from people with whom there is no desire to communicate.
There are no terms in the Psalms. In hesychasm there is the concept of “the angel of the psalm” - here a person surrenders to their care and does not care what he needs - it all comes and in abundance" Hesychast King
Psalter
Majority Orthodox prayer books are written in Russian letters, and the words in them are simply ancient
Here are links to the Psalter:
http://arhsobor.narod.ru/psaltir.html#molitva0
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 doesn’t 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 full 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 dead 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 assigned to 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 is read every day! You won’t be able to 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. 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.
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, 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.
The Psalter is not read during the period from Maundy Thursday of Holy Week to Thomas Week (anti-Easter). During these ten days, all reading of the Psalter is canceled, both in churches and privately. In all other cases, the Psalter is read by the laity.
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, in a slightly chanting manner - 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.
In cell readings, it is customary to divide kathismas into three Glories. Before and after kathisma, special prayers are read.
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 Your departed servants (according to the list) and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them Your 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 final prayers.
About reading the Psalter
Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikiy: “Read the Psalter, the Apostle, the Gospel - everything is here. Whoever reads the Psalter at night with two kathismas goes for the entire 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 even 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."
The story of a village priest: “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.”
From the book “Biography of the elder schema-abbot Savva. With love in the Lord, your D.O.S.” (M., 1998): “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!”
Elder schema-nun Antonia: “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 be read every day! You won’t be able to read it in the evening, which 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 Jerome (Sanaksarsky) 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.
Priest Andrey Uglov: After the prayer ‘Our Father’, 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, begin with reason and finish these good works of God-inspired books, even the Holy Spirit will vomit the lips of David, which I now want to say, I, unworthy, understanding my ignorance, falling down and praying to Thee, and asking for help from You: Lord, guide my mind and strengthen my heart, not about the words of the mouth of this cold, but about the mind of those who say to 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.
HOW TO GET FREEDOM FROM DEMONIC POWERS
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.
Many ascetics, for example the righteous father Nikolai Ragozin. Or, for example, Blessed Elder Pelagia, a Ryazan ascetic, advised to read Psalm 26 more often to protect against dark forces. Blessed Porlyushka said: “Whoever reads this psalm at least three times a day will ride among the sorcerers like on a tank” - that’s a figurative expression. Blessed Porlyushka 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 read Psalm 26 40 times a day for 40 days. Of course, this is a great feat, but many people receive healing through this. This psalm, according to Blessed Porlyushka, has enormous power. This is the most powerful psalm in the entire Psalter.
Additional Information:
Text of the Psalter in Church Slavonic in civil script with parallel translation - https://www.molitvoslov.com/psaltir
A Psalter for Every Need, compiled according to the advice and instructions of the holy fathers - https://www.molitvoslov.com/text154.htm
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