Prayer
How Orthodox Christians pray, and how to begin.
Orthodox Church of St Cuthbert and St Bede, Providence Row, Durham City, DH1 1RS
Prayer in the Orthodox Church
Words, times and a place
Orthodox prayer is less about feelings than about being faithfully present before God. The tradition gives us words when we have none of our own, set times to say them, and a way of standing before God. Kept steadily over years, this changes a person more than any single moment of inspiration.
At the heart of this tradition is hesychia, an inner stillness in which the mind is gathered and guarded. It is not only for monks; anyone willing to keep a rule can grow into it. Personal prayer and the Church’s services support one another, and neither is complete on its own.
The Jesus Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Begin tonight
How to pray
You need a quiet corner, an icon if you have one, and five minutes. This is what to do, in order.
Stand
Face your icon, or east if you have none. Light a candle or a lamp if you can. Standing is the Orthodox posture for prayer; sit if you need to.
Make the sign of the Cross
Three times, with a small bow each time. It marks the start of prayer as surely as it marks the end.
Say the opening prayers
From your prayer book: O Heavenly King, the Trisagion prayers and the Lord's Prayer. Every Orthodox rule begins with these, so they soon come by heart.
Say the Jesus Prayer
Slowly, on a prayer rope or your fingers: ten times to begin with, thirty-three when it is familiar. Attention will wander. Notice, and return to the words.
Pray for others by name
The living first, then the departed. A short list, said every day, is the heart of a rule.
Close
The sign of the Cross once more, and a moment of silence before you turn to the day, or to sleep.
Every day
A rule of prayer
A rule is simply a fixed pattern you keep every day. Start with a length you can honestly manage, and let it grow.
For beginners, or anyone starting again.
Morning
- Light a candle and make the sign of the Cross
- The opening prayers: O Heavenly King, the Trisagion, the Lord's Prayer
- Psalm 50
- One morning prayer from the prayer book
Evening
- The opening prayers
- One evening prayer from the prayer book
- A short look back over the day, asking forgiveness for what went wrong
These are common patterns, not requirements. The right rule is the one agreed with a priest who knows your circumstances.
Advice for beginners
- Begin small. Two minutes every morning and evening for a month will do more than an hour attempted once and dropped.
- Pray at set times rather than when you feel like it.
- Keep the same place: a corner with an icon becomes a place of prayer by use.
- Expect your attention to wander. Notice, come back and continue.
- Ask Fr Justin for a rule suited to your circumstances.
The daily pattern
A day of prayer
Orthodox prayer follows the day: set prayers in the morning and evening, grace at meals, and the Jesus Prayer in between.
On rising
Morning prayers
Before the day begins: light a candle if you have one, stand before an icon, and say the morning prayers from the prayer book.
Length: 5 to 15 minutes
Through the day
The Jesus Prayer
Repeated quietly at any point in the day, while walking, waiting or working. A prayer rope helps keep count and keep attention.
Length: Any moment
At meals
Grace before and after
A short prayer before eating and thanks afterwards. The Fathers call the home a little church, and this is its simplest service.
Length: A minute
Before sleep
Evening prayers
The evening prayers, a brief look back over the day, and forgiveness asked for what went wrong in it.
Length: 5 to 15 minutes
The tradition
Forms of prayer
- Morning and Evening Prayers
- The foundation of Orthodox personal prayer: a short set sequence said on rising and before sleep. Having set prayers means that on the days you least feel like praying, the rule carries you.
- The Jesus Prayer
- Repeated quietly, often with a prayer rope. It is the prayer of the hesychast tradition and the easiest to carry into an ordinary day.
- Akathists
- Hymns of praise sung standing, to Christ, the Mother of God or a saint, made up of repeated greetings. Longer and more festive than the daily prayers, and often said in thanksgiving.
- The Paraklesis
- A service of supplication to the Theotokos, offered in sickness, danger or distress. Parishes commonly serve it through the first fortnight of August, before the Feast of the Dormition.
- Canons of Repentance
- Hymns of repentance, belonging especially to Great Lent. The best known is the Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete, which passes through the whole of Scripture, holding up each figure as a mirror to the soul.
- Before and After Communion
- Set prayers of preparation and thanksgiving around receiving the Eucharist. Preparation for Communion is taken seriously in Orthodoxy, and these prayers are its usual form.
The texts
Prayer books
We have not printed the prayers here on purpose: a prayer book in your hands is far better than a screen. The Church Stall next to the church keeps several, and any of the clergy will gladly recommend one on a Sunday, or lend you a copy to start with.