How should we pray?

Private prayer | Family prayer | Mass prayer: Church

Praise | Yield | Ask | Repent

Praise:

Hallowed be the Name of our Father in heave; for thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever.

Yield:

Thy kingdom Come, Thy will be done (on earth as it is in heaven).

Ask:

Give us this day our daily bread; Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

Repent:

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us

In what order do we pray?

Cross Ourselves

Begin by saying: "In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; One God, Amen" Make the sign of the cross.

Daily Prayers

Say the Daily Prayers: I Cross my Face, In the Name of the Holy Trinity, We Thank You Lord, Our Father, By the Salutation of St. Gabriel, The Creed, Glory to the Father, I Bow to the Father, Holy Holy Holy, Peace be unto You, The Exaltation of St. Mary.

Then..

1st) Praise the Lord 2nd) Thank Him for everything -family, health..etc 3rd) Humbly admit we are sinners, ask for forgiveness & make our personal request.

At the End

Conclude with Lord's Prayer, Salutation of St. Gabriel, Cross ourselves. Some say Glory to God, His Virgin Mother, and His Precious Cross.

When do we pray?

Prayer is constantly remembering God, in every work that we do. Not simply a structure or set of rules we follow. But that through these guidances we may become one with our Creator. In Mind, in Body, in Heart, in Spirit.

At the 3rd Hour: 9 AM

The trial of the Lord by Pilot, the Lords ascension & Pentecost. The creation of Eve. Commemoration of all women. Daniel prayed to God, The Annunciation of St. Gabriel to St. Mary. Our Lord was chastised before Pontius Pilate.

At the 6th Hour: 12 pM

Satan is active in deceiving people. Christ was crucified at the 6th Hour. We believe that this is the time that Adam left Paradise. This is the time that our Lord was crucified on the cross to bring Adam back. We pray to receive the power of the Cross.

At the 9th Hour: 3 PM

Our Lord gave His life on the Cross finishing His work. Our guardian angels present our work to God.

At the 1st Hour: 6 AM

Psalm 5:3-
Upon rising from bed we glorify God for bringing us from darkness (night) to light (day). Adam was created. We pray for God to perfect us in His image. Also the time in which our Lord was taken to Pilot's court.

Midnight: 12 AM

At this hour, our Lord was born, baptized, and rose from the dead. Also why we begin Liturgy for Fasika at midnight saying Christ is risen.

At the 12th Hour: 9 PM

Time which Christ prayed at Gethsemane, and encouraged the apostles to pray. (Matt 26:36) Prayer of thanksgiving since God has allowed us to complete the working hours of the day.

At the 11th Hour: 5 PM

Joseph & Nicodemus brought down Jesus' body from the Cross. Evening is the symbol of the 2nd Advent At this time being present in the church has a big value because the 600 angels guarding it switch with another 600 angels, so 1200 angels are present in the church at this time.

By the death of martyrs religion has been defended, faith increased, the Church strengthened; the dead have conquered, the persecutors have been overcome. So, too, David rejoiced in prophecy at the departure of his own soul, saying: ‘Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.’ ” + St. Ambrose of Milan

What is the PURPOSE of Prayer?

The PURPOSE = to have COMMUNION with God & to be made capable of accomplishing His will. *Source: OCA

Definition

Sometimes prayer is defined as dialogue with God, in the Orthodox church, a more ancient & traditional definition of prayer calls it the LIFTING of the MIND & HEART to GOD, the standing in His presence, the constant AWARENESS & REMEMBRANCE of His name, His existence, His power, & His LOVE.

Walking in God's Presence

This is the kind of prayer which is also called "WALKING in the Presence of God"

In the Orthodox church all prayer is Trinitarian, we also pray to the saints asking--as our helpers, intercessors & fellow members of the church who are already glorified with God in His presence.

Repetition

Prayer is NOT merely repeating the words of prayers.

Saying prayers is NOT the same as praying.

Prayer that is private should be done briefly, regularly, without many words, with trust in God that He hears, & with the willingness to do what God shows us to do. (Matt 5:5-15; Luke 11 & 18; John 14-17)

The Saints

The PROS of the Virtues

Humble, meek, forgiving & kind. Wouldn't the prayer of someone who is already save have a great benefit to us? We ask our family members to pray for us, why not the saints?

Foremost among the saints and the first among the mere humans who are glorified in God's kingdom is the Theotokos, the Queen of Heaven, our Lady St. Mary. We also pray to the holy angels to plead before God.

Relationship with Christ

Asking for the saints intercessions is like calling on a pro football quarterback coach to coach you on passing. Or an olympic gymnast to help you land a backspring.

The saints are the pros of prayer, repentance, charity, virtue, & love--not of their own accord, but by the grace they have been granted in their relationships with Christ.

We do not treat saints as objects of worship, nor worthy of so. We worship the Triune God, & together with a great cloud of witnesses.

3 Ways to Commemorate a Saint

1. Light a candle. To remember the light they gave "in the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven." Matt 5:16

2. Give to the poor in their name. "And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." (Matt 10:42)

3. Sing a mezmur declaring their deeds and victories OR Read about their life of devotion to God.

Prayer Bodily positions:

-Kneeling (Acts 9:40)
-Lying with the face downward [Prostrating] (Matt 26:39)
-Standing (Matt 6:5)
-Raising one's hands (Psalm 28:2)

While praying you should NOT:

  1. Talk with any person

  2. Interrupt others when they are praying (wait until they finish)

  3. Do Not cease prayers if interrupted by another unless it an emergency (if someone is trying to interrupt you use your fingers or hands in a stop --hold on-- posture for the other person)