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St. Seraphim of Sarov Rule of Prayer

The great prayer of the Church, following the Divine Liturgy, is, of course, the Book of 150 Psalms. So interwoven are these prayers in the great liturgical texts that St John Chrysostom did not hesitate to remark that St David, King and Prophet, was everywhere commemorated and present throughout the feasts and festivals of the Church. The Psalter is sung liturgically once each week in our Church, and twice each week during Lent. It is the basis of personal prayer as well and it was not surprising to find individuals who knew the Psalter by heart. St. John the Ukrainian Kozak and Confessor spent his days in Turkish captivity praying the psalms which he knew by heart.

The practice soon developed, however, to develop �substitutes� for the Psalter to allow people who could not read or who were otherwise very busy to pray according to the pattern of the Church�s liturgy. Priests and monastics who were traveling, for example, could fulfill their daily obligations of prayer, when necessary, by fulfilling a private rule of repeated prayers.

One of the earliest of these �psalter-substitutes� or �little psalters� involved the repetition of the Our Father and O Virgin Theotokos prayers 150 times each.

To keep count, people tied 50 or 150 knots on a cord that they carried about with them. St. Basil the Great himself prescribed the making of prayer-ropes or �komvoschinia� with 100 knots divided every 25 with a divider bead or knot for the saying of prescribed numbers of the Jesus Prayer to replace the Divine Office and also the Psalter (one would have had to say the Jesus Prayer 6,000 times instead of the Psalter).

In the West, prayer-chains with beads were soon developed with beads organized into groups of ten, divided with a larger bead (called the �gaudies�). And the very word �bead� or �bede� came from the old English word for �prayer� (and �beg� comes from the same root). The group of ten beads recalled the ten-stringed musical instrument of the psalter itself on which King David played when he sang his psalms.

With all the interest in the life of St. Seraphim of Sarov last year and this, a number of his prayer rules have been published, his own very strict cell-rule for praying the psalms and his unique prayer rule for laity.

His �Rule of the Mother of God� consists of reciting 150 O Virgin Theotokos divided up into groups of ten. Each group is followed Our Father and by the prayer, Open the door, which he insisted was important to include along with a special prayer for a particular intention. St Seraphim also kept a book in which he listed all sorts of miraculous healings of people who prayed this rule faithfully every day.

O Virgin Theotokos, Rejoice, Mary full of grace; the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, for thou has borne the Savior of our souls.

Open the door of thy loving-kindness, O blessed Mother of God, that we who put our hope in thee may not perish. Through thee, may we be delivered from adversities, for thou art the salvation of all Christian people.

At the great Diveyevo monastery, the nuns continue to recite this prayer rule as they walk in procession around the perimeter of their monastery three times. They actually sing it out loud during important feast-days associated with the Icon of the Mother of God �Joy of all Joys� that was St Seraphim�s cell-icon and on feasts of St Seraphim himself. St. Seraphim taught that this prayer rule was revealed to an Eastern monk in the Thebaid in Africa in the 8th century.

On Mount Athos, novice monks especially are urged to practice reciting 150 "O Virgin Theotokos"es with a prostration to the ground at the end of each prayer. The same is practiced with "Our Father"s. St. Seraphim Zvezdinsky performed the Rule of the Mother of God every day, and; when he performed it he prayed for the whole world, embracing in is this Rule whole life of the Queen of Heaven. He gave one of his spiritual children the task of copying a plan which he included his prayer to the Ever Virgin Mary. Here it is:

First decade: Let us remember the birth of the Mother of God. Let us pray for mothers, fathers, and children.

Second decade: Let us the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin and Mother of God. Let us pray for those who have lost their way and fallen away from the church.

Third decade: Let us remember the Annunciation of the Blessed Mother of God�let us pray for the soothing of sorrows and the consolation of those who grieve.

Fourth decade: Let us remember the meeting of the Blessed Virgin with the righteous Elizabeth. Let us pray for the reunion of the separated, for those whose dear ones or children are living away from them or missing.

Fifth decade: Let us remember the Birth of Christ. Let us pray for the rebirth of souls, for new life in Christ.

Sixth decade: Let us remember the Feast of the Purification of the Lord, and the words uttered by St. Simeon: "Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also" (Luke 2:35). Let us pray that the Mother of God will meet our souls at the hour of our death, and will contrive that we receive the Holy Sacrament with our last breath, and will lead our souls through the terrible torments.

Seventh decade: Let us remember the flight of the Mother of God with the God-Child into Egypt. Let us pray that the Mother of God will help us avoid temptation in this life and deliver us from misfortunes.

Eighth decade: Let us remember the disappearance of the twelve-year old boy Jesus in Jerusalem and the sorrow of the Mother of God on this account. Let us pray, begging the Mother of God for the constant repetition of the Jesus Prayer.

Ninth decade: Let us remember-the miracle performed in Cana of Galilee, when the Lord turned water into wine at the words of the Mother of God: "They have no wine" (John 2:3). Let us ask the Mother of God for help in our affairs and deliverance from need.

Tenth decade: Let us remember the Mother of God standing at the Cross of the Lord, when grief pierced through her heart like a sword. Let us pray to the Mother of God for the strengthening of our Souls and the banishment of despondency.

Eleventh decade: Let us remember the Resurrection of Christ and ask the Mother of God in prayer to resurrect our souls and give us a new courage for spiritual feats.

Twelfth decade: Let us remember the Ascension of Christ, at which the Mother of God was present. Let us pray and ask the Queen of Heaven to raise up our souls from earthly and worldly amusements and direct them to striving for higher things.

Thirteenth decade: Let us remember the Upper Room and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and the Mother of God. Let us pray: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me" (Psalm 50).

Fourteenth decade: Let us remember the Assumption of the Blessed Mother of God, and ask for a peaceful and serene end.

Fifteenth decade: Let us remember the glory of the Mother of God, with which the Lord crowned her after her removal from earth to heaven. Let us pray to the Queen of Heaven not to abandon the faithful who are on earth but to defend them from every evil, covering them with her honoring and protecting veil.

Modified and adapted 12-29-07 from <http://www.angelfire.com/planet/parastos/seraphimrule2.html>

THE FIVE PRAYERS
From the times of the Apostles, Christians of all ages, when entering upon a task, began it with prayer, and the end of it they also hallowed with prayerful thanksgiving to the Lord, in Whom we live and move and have our being. And let us do the same, beloved reader.

But not having the gift of effectual prayer, let us recall and commit to memory what once was offered to the Lord by the grace of the Holy Spirit out of the inspired heart of the great Russian man of prayer, our father among the Saints, Dimitri, Metropolitan of Rostov and Yaroslav.

I am sure that for you, as for me, in offering to your attention "The Tale of The Five Prayers" the work of the great Bishop, it will be both welcome and useful, especially in the view of the wonderful promises which it contains. So hear this tale, my beloved reader.

You will not blame me for offering you in this Tale something new - it is not mine, and not new, but only fundamentally and completely forgotten, forgive me that I have disturbed the dust of ages: but this dust is holy ...

***

One of the holy fathers, standing in prayer and being in ecstasy, heard the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ speaking to the Immaculate and Holy Mother of God, His Mother, saying to her:
"Tell me, My Mother, which were the greatest of your sufferings, when you lived in the world, which you suffered for My sake?"

The Immaculate One replied:

"My Son and God, five times I have endured my greatest suffering for you:

First, when I heard from the Prophet Simeon that you were to be killed;

Second, when I looked for you in Jerusalem, and did not see you for three days;

Third, when I heard that you were seized and bound by the Jews;

Fourth, when I saw you on the Cross crucified between the robbers;

Fifth, when I saw you placed in the Tomb."

And the Lord said to her:

"I tell you. My Mother, whoever reads every day each of your sufferings with My prayer, i.e. 'Our Father,' for the first suffering I will give the knowledge of his sins and sorrow for them; for the second, I will give the forgiveness of all his sins; for the third, I will restore to him the virtues lost through sin; for the fourth, I will refresh him at death with my Divine Body and Blood; for the fifth, I will appear to him Myself at his death, and receive his soul into eternal life. Amen."

***

After this vision of the Holy Father, the following prayers were added by St. Dimitri:

At the beginning of the five prayers:

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

"Glory to Thee, Christ my God, that Thou hast not destroyed me a sinner, with my sins, but even till now hast borne -with my sin." [Bow]

Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep me this day without sin. Grant, O Lord, that I may not anger Thee, my Creator, in thought, word or deed, but that all my actions, counsels and thoughts may be to the glory of Thy Holy Name." [Bow]

"God be merciful to me, a sinner, throughout my whole life. In my passing and after death, forsake me not." [Bow]

Falling low on the earth, say:

"Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, accept me, dead in mind and soul, accept me, a sinful prodigal, impure in soul and body. Take from me all shameless enmity and resistance, and turn not Thy Face from me, O Lord, nor say: I know not who thou art. But hear the voice of my prayer: save me, for Thou hast a wealth of compassion and desirest not the death of a sinner. I will never leave Thee nor depart from Thee, my Creator, till Thou hearest me and givest me forgiveness of all my sins, through the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother, the intercession of the honorable Bodiless Powers of Heaven, of my holy and glorious Guardian Angel, of Thy Forerunner and Prophet, the Baptist John, of the God-speaking Apostles, of the holy and victorious martyrs, of our Reverend and God-fearing fathers, and all Thy Saints, have mercy and save me, a sinner."

Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of good gifts and Giver of Life, come and abide in us, and cleanse us of all impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us. (thrice)

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

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, wash away our sins, O Master, pardon our transgressions. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy Name's sake.

Lord, have mercy. (3 times.)

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

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Virgin Mother of God, rejoice, Mary full of grace; the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, for thou hast borne the Saviour of our souls.

First Prayer
"O merciful Mother, Virgin Mary, I thy sinful and unprofitable servant, remembering thy suffering on hearing from the Prophet Simeon of the merciless murder of thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, offer thee this prayer and the Angelic Salutation. Accept it in honor and memory of thy suffering, and pray thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to grant me the knowledge of my sins and sorrow for them." [Bow]

Second Prayer
Our Father .. . Virgin Mother ...
"O Divinely-blessed and Immaculate Maiden, Mother and Virgin, accept from me, thy sinful and unprofitable servant, this prayer and the Angelic Salutation, in honor and memory of thy suffering when thou didst lose thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Temple, and for three days didst not see Him. Pray and beg of Him the forgiveness and remission of all my sins, O only Blessed One." [Bow]

Third Prayer
Our Father .. . Virgin Mother ...
"O Mother of Light, most blessed Virgin Mother of God, accept from me, thy sinful and unprofitable servant, this prayer and the Angelic Salutation, in honor and memory of thy suffering on hearing that thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, had been seized and bound. Pray Him to restore to me the virtues lost through sin, that I may magnify thee, O Most Pure One, for ever." [Bow]

Fourth Prayer
Our Father ... Virgin Mother ...
"O Fountain of Mercy, Virgin Mother of God, accept from me, thy sinful and unprofitable servant, this prayer and the Angelic Salutation, in honor and memory of thy suffering when thou didst see thy GOD, our Lord Jesus Christ, on the Cross between the robbers. Pray Him, O Lady, to grant me the gift of His mercy in the hour of my death, and to refresh me with His Divine Body and Blood, that I may glorify thee, my Defender, for ever." [Bow]

Fifth Prayer
Our Father .. . Virgin Mother . ..
"O my Hope, Most Pure Virgin, Mother of God, accept from me, thy sinful and unprofitable servant, this prayer and the Angelic Salutation, in honor and memory of thy suffering when thou didst see thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, placed in the Tomb. Pray Him, O Lady, to appear to me in the hour of my death, and to receive my soul into eternal life. Amen." [Bow]

Retrieved 8 January 2008
<http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/prayerbook/main.htm>

Retrieved on 8 January, 2008

Dr. Alexander Roman
<http://www.unicorne.org/Orthodoxy/hiver2004/prayer.htm>

There are a number of devotions that are shared by both East and West and have been for centuries before the two parted ways after 1054 AD. Among these is the Psalter of the Mother of God or "rosary" as it has come to be known in the West.

In fact, Western saints like Alan des Roches, Louis de Montfort and Dominic preferred to call the recitation of 150 "Hail Mary's" together with meditations the "Psalter of Our Lady."

St Seraphim of Sarov, whose 250th anniversary of birth is being celebrated in Kursk and elsewhere in Ukraine and Russia right now, was very devoted to the Psalter or Rule of Prayer of the Mother of God. He recited it daily and expected his spiritual children to recite it daily as well.

At Diveyevo monastery in Russia, there is a ditch or canal that runs around the perimeter of the monastery where the nuns walk daily, reciting that rule of prayer and they sing it on important feast-days. St Seraphim taught them that the Mother of God herself revealed to him that she walks that canal daily. The great and holy Elder kept a book in which he wrote various miracles that occurred by the daily fulfillment of this rule of prayer.

St Seraphim taught that this prayer was revealed to a monk of the Thebaid in the 8th century during a vision of the Mother of God and that all Christians used to recite it daily ever since. He also taught that the daily praying of this rule was more important than any other prayer to the Mother of God such as canons or akathists in procuring her blessing and protection on our lives.

There were some Orthodox saints that used the "Hail Mary" or "Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos" prayer in place of the Jesus prayer, in other words they recited it continually. One Elder who did this was named, the "Elder of the Theotokos."

This prayer is a summation of the New Testament and a hymn of praise of the Divine Incarnation of our Lord, God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It begins by praising the Mother of God and then moves to the praise of the Fruit of her womb, the Lord Jesus. To pray this prayer often, and especially in the rule of prayer known in the West as the "rosary" is to enter into special union with Christ, God the Word-made-Flesh, and through Him, with the Holy Trinity.

The Eastern Orthodox Church developed prayer ropes that were divided into decades and St Seraphim of Sarov himself used a Lestovka, still used today by the Old Believers of Russia and Ukraine, that had 150 small "steps" divided every ten with a larger "step" or "babotchka."

But one may use the more readily available rosary beads and Roman Catholics still make the "cord rosary" which is the Western prayer rope made of Celtic knots. Western rite Orthodox use rosary beads and Orthodox Christians in the Carpathians, in Greece and elsewhere use wooden beads as well. It really matters not!
The "Hail Holy Queen" is used by Western rite Orthodox and there are those who use the Fatima prayer which is but a version of the Jesus Prayer. There is no reason why you should not continue to use those prayers!

The Holy Fool-for-Christ's sake, St Procopius of Ustiug in Russia was a German convert to Orthodoxy. After his repose in the Lord, the church authorities found his psalter that he always recited. They discovered that it was his old Latin Psalter, arranged in accordance with Roman tradition!

In addition, many Eastern Orthodox saints adopted Western forms of prayer such as St Dmitri of Rostov. He, and others of the "Kyivan Baroque" period of Orthodox church history, not only prayed the "rosarium" or Rule of Prayer of the Mother of God daily. He also prayed the Hail Mary at the turn of every hour, and even at night he got up out of bed every hour as the clock chimed to recite this prayer! He had a great devotion to the "Joys and Sorrows" of the Most Holy Virgin Mary and his devotion continues in the "Tale of the Five Prayers" that is even found in the Jordanville prayerbook that is online.

As a matter of fact, I've found Slavonic Orthodox translations of the Western rosary, the Little Office of the Virgin Mary (also used by Western Orthodox), the Psalter of Our Lady by St Bonaventure and the "Fifteen Prayers of St Brigitte." The western Scapular of Mt Carmel was also popular among the Orthodox of that time period and, to this day, there is a miraculous Orthodox icon of Our Lady of Mt Carmel, as noted in the book on icons by Prof. Poselianin ("Bogomater"), that is venerated in the Ukrainian town of Horodyschenske called the Mother of God of the Scapular or "Shkaplirna Bozha Maty!"

n fact, the original icon of Our Lady of Mt Carmel that is in the Cathedral of Naples (also called "Our Lady of Naples" or the "Brown Madonna" or "La Bruna") is a beautiful Byzantine icon and I have a poster-size copy of this icon

So please do get yourself another pair of beads or a prayer rope divided into decades and also a small decade "tenner" that you can carry with you throughout the day to ensure that you get through the full 15 decades daily that is the Orthodox tradition.

I like the practice of adding some words to every decade's "Hail Mary's" that reflect the mystery that is being considered. If you go to this website

<www.montfortmissionaries.com [montfortmissionaries.com]> and click on "Share your Thoughts," scroll down to my letter of September 24, 2003 where I've indicated an Orthodox set of mysteries and a method of reciting them. One may use the same outline to meditate on the mysteries as accepted in the West and also on the "Stations of the Cross" that Orthodox Christians in western Ukraine and elsewhere also practice devotion to. (The Ukrainian Orthodox Saint Tikhon Zadonsky had a life-size representation of a form of the Way of the Cross in his cell!).

And may the Most Holy Mother of God bless you in your endeavour!

The Rosary and Orthodoxy

Retrieved on 8 January 2008
<http://www.westernorthodox.com/rosary.html>

From The Walsingham Way (Vol. II, No. I, Fall 1999), a newsletter of Western Orthodox spirituality published by the Orthodox Christian Society of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Some people have asked why the Orthodox don�t pray the Rosary as Roman Catholics and some other non-Orthodox do. Others object to Orthodox praying the Rosary since, in their view, this is not an Orthodox devotion, but peculiar to Roman Catholicism.

In hope of shedding some light on the subject, we publish the following letter of Father Alexander Gumanovsky, a spiritual son of Father Zosima, who was himself a spiritual son of St. Seraphim of Sarov. Fr. Alexander begins his letter with a quote from Fr. Zosima:

�I forgot to give you a piece of advice vital for salvation. Say the 0 Hail, Mother of God and Virgin one hundred and fifty times, and this prayer will lead you on the way to salvation. This rule was given by the Mother of God herself in about the eighth century, and at one time all Christians fulfilled it. We Orthodox have forgotten about it, and St. Seraphim has reminded me of this Rule. In my hands I have a hand-written book from the cell of St. Seraphim, containing a description of the many miracles which took place through praying to the Mother of God and especially through saying one hundred and fifty times the O Hail, Mother of God and Virgin. If, being unaccustomed to it, it is difficult to master one hundred and fifty repetitions daily, say it fifty times at first. After every ten repetitions say the Our Father once and Open unto us the doors of thy loving-kindness1. Whomever he spoke to about this miracle-working Rule remained grateful to him�

The elder Zosima greatly valued and loved Bishop Seraphim Zvezdinsky and always spoke of him as that saintly Bishop. Bishop Seraphim Zvezdinsky performed the Rule of the Mother of God every day, and; when he performed it he prayed for the whole world, embracing in is this Rule whole life of the Queen of Heaven.

He gave one of his spiritual children the task of copying a plan which he included his prayer to the Ever Virgin Mary. Here it is:

First decade: Let us remember the birth of the Mother of God. Let us pray for mothers, fathers, and children.

Second decade: Let us the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin and Mother of God. Let us pray for those who have lost their way and fallen away from the church.

Third decade: Let us remember the Annunciation of the Blessed Mother of God�let us pray for the soothing of sorrows and the consolation of those who grieve.

Fourth decade: Let us remember the meeting of the Blessed Virgin with the righteous Elizabeth. Let us pray for the reunion of the separated, for those whose dear ones or children are living away from them or missing.

Fifth decade: Let us remember the Birth of Christ. Let us pray for the rebirth of souls, for new life in Christ.

Sixth decade: Let us remember the Feast of the Purification of the Lord, and the words uttered by St. Simeon: Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also (Luke 2:35). Let us pray that the Mother of God will meet our souls at the hour of our death, and will contrive that we receive the Holy Sacrament with our last breath, and will lead our souls through the terrible torments.
Seventh decade: Let us remember the flight of the Mother of God with the God-Child into Egypt. Let us pray that the Mother of God will help us avoid temptation in this life and deliver us from misfortunes.

Eighth decade: Let us remember the disappearance of the twelve-year old boy Jesus in Jerusalem and the sorrow of the Mother of God on this account. Let us pray, begging the Mother of God for the constant repetition of the Jesus Prayer.

Ninth decade: Let us remember-the miracle performed in Cana of Galilee, when the Lord turned water into wine at the words of the Mother of God: They have no wine (John 2:3). Let us ask the Mother of God for help in our affairs and deliverance from need.

Tenth decade: Let us remember the Mother of God standing at the Cross of the Lord, when grief pierced through her heart like a sword. Let us pray to the Mother of God for the strengthening of our Souls and the banishment of despondency.

Eleventh decade: Let us remember the Resurrection of Christ and ask the Mother of God in prayer to resurrect our souls and give us a new courage for spiritual feats.

Twelfth decade: Let us remember the Ascension of Christ, at which the Mother of God was present. Let us pray and ask the Queen of Heaven to raise up our souls from earthly and worldly amusements and direct them to striving for higher things.

Thirteenth decade: Let us remember the Upper Room and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and the Mother of God. Let us pray: Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me (Psalm 51).

Fourteenth decade: Let us remember the Assumption of the Blessed Mother of God, and ask for a peaceful and serene end.

Fifteenth decade: Let us remember the glory of the Mother of God, with which the Lord crowned her after her removal from earth to heaven. Let us pray to the Queen of Heaven not to abandon the faithful who are on earth but to defend them from every evil, covering them with her honoring and protecting veil.

After every decade Bishop Seraphim prayed his own prayers, which he revealed to no one, so that only the Lord and the Queen of Heaven knew these prayers. Thus, we can see that the Rosary is a completely Orthodox form of devotion to our Lady.

Those who follow the Western tradition should follow one of the standard forms, i.e. the opening consisting of the Sign of the Cross followed by the Lord�s Prayer; or O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise and the Glory be� followed by the Lord�s Prayer and the Angelic Salutation (three times). After this, either five or fifteen decades (each preceded by the appropriate mystery) are recited; and after the decades, the conclusion consisting of the Regina Coeli and the appropriate collect.

Those who follow the Eastern tradition could very easily follow the form cited above, ending with the hymn, It is truly meet to call thee blessed.

What is essential is to daily seek the intercessions of the Mother of God, so that in drawing closer to her, we may be drawn closer to her Son, our Savior, Jesus, with whom she now reigns eternally in Heaven.

The Full text of the prayer is:
Open unto us the door of thy loving-kindness, O blessed Mother of God, in that we set our hope on thee, may we not go astray; but through thee may we be delivered from all adversities, for thou art the salvation of all Christian people.

I personally still do Angelus. Also, I've decided to Byzantinise the 'Three O'Clock Prayer":

<Glory to Thy Passion, O Lord.

Thy Cross we worship, O Master.... x3

Glory to Thy Long-Suffering, O Lord.>

I've been doing this for a while, except that for the Pentecost period, I've replaced it with the Paschal Troparion, with the usual 'Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee' before and after. That's just my own invention though...

Benedicite!

A beautiful tradition!