Post by Theotokos on Jul 23, 2005 19:33:07 GMT -5
What is known in the West as the Hail Mary,
is in one of its oldest forms in Orthodoxy,
"O Hail Mother of God and Virgin,
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 given birth to the
Savior of our souls."
The "O Hail Mother of God and Virgin . . ." is prayed not just in
the Rosary, but at every hour of the twenty-four in each day.
The praying of the "O Hail Mother of God and Virgin. . ." in
conjunction with other prayers or in a prayer system, is more
properly known as The Rule of the Mother of God. It was given by
the Mother of God herself in about the eighth century (the seven
hundreds), and at one time all Christians fulfilled it. ...
The Rule of the Mother of God is that the "O Hail Mother of God and
Virgin. . ." is to be recited through praying to the Mother of God,
and saying the "O Hail Mother of God and Virgin. . ." one hundred
fifty times daily. If it is difficult to recite it one hundred
fifty times a day, say it fifty times at first.
After every ten repetitions, say the "Our Father" once, and the
"Open unto us the door of thy loving kindness, . . ."
Before each decade is a prayerful remembrance of an event in Our
Savior's Life, in the life of the queen of Heaven, as given below.
After every decade is prayed special, private prayers.
The beloved Blessed Bishop Seraphim's prayers
before each decade are given below, followed by the prayers of one
of his pupils, a nun, for the prayers after every decade. (St.
Seraphim never revealed his private prayers after each decade to
anyone. The tenth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth decade
"after" prayers are reconstructed, the originals being incomplete,
out of order, or lost.)
Before the first decade:
Let us remember the birth of the Mother of God:
pray for mothers, fathers, and children.
After the first decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
save and preserve your servants
(names of parents, relatives, friends),
increase their faith and repentance,
and when they die give them rest with the saints
in your eternal glory.
Before the second decade:
Let us remember 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.
After the second decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
save and preserve and unite or re-unite
to the Holy Orthodox Church your servants who have lost
their path and fallen away (names).
Before the 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.
After the third decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
soothe our sorrows and send consolation
to your servants who are grieving and ill (names).
Before the 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
who are living away from them or who are missing.
After the fourth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
unite your servants who are separated.
Before the fifth decade:
Let us remember the Birth of Christ:
let us pray for the rebirth of souls,
for new life in Christ.
After the fifth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
grant unto us (me) who have been
baptized in Christ, to be clothed in Christ.
Before the sixth decade:
Let us remember the feast of the Purification of the Lord,
and he words uttered by St. Simon:
'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.
After the sixth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
let me receive the Holy Sacrament with my last breath,
and lead my soul yourself through the terrible torments.
Before the 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.
After the seventh decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
lead me not into temptation in
this life and deliver me from misfortunes.
Before the 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.
After the eighth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
grant to me the unceasing Jesus Prayer.
Before the 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.
After the ninth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
help me in all my affairs and
deliver me from every need and sorrow.
Before the 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.
After the tenth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
strengthen my soul and banish my despair.
Before the 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.
After the eleventh decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
resurrect my soul and give me
constant readiness for spiritual feats.
Before the 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.
After the twelfth decade
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
deliver me from worldly thoughts
and give me a mind and heart striving
towards the salvation of my soul.
Before the thirteenth decade:
Let us remember the Upper Room
and the descent of the Holy Spirit
upon 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.'
[Ps. 50(51).12-13].
After the thirteenth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
make me a clean temple in which
God's Holy Spirit will ever dwell.
Before the fourteenth decade:
Let us remember the Assumption
of the Blessed Mother of God, and
ask for a peaceful and serene end.
After the fourteenth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
grant me a peaceful and serene end.
Before the 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,
and 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
honorable protecting veil.
After the fifteenth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
preserve me from every evil and
cover me with your honorable protecting veil.
Thus, in the Rule of the Mother of God, for each decade one:
first prays the before prayer; then prays
"O Hail Mother of God and Virgin,
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 given birth to the Savior of our souls,"
ten times; and at the end of the tenth time, prays,
"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 evil.
Amen."[/size]
then prays:
"Open unto us the door of thy loving kindness,
O Blessed Mother of God;
in that we set our hope on thee, we may not go astray;
but through thee we may be delivered from all adversities.
For thou art the salvation of all Christian people."
then prays the after prayer (although some pray the after prayer
before the Our Father, and some pray it between the Our Father and
the Open unto us).
As stated above, in following this RULE, one also is encouraged to
also pray the "O Hail Mother of God . . . on every hour of the
twenty-four in each day. Also, the after prayers are designed to be
an intentional offering up of the decade and the associated
prayers; an offering from the prayer.
[correcting tags]
is in one of its oldest forms in Orthodoxy,
"O Hail Mother of God and Virgin,
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 given birth to the
Savior of our souls."
The "O Hail Mother of God and Virgin . . ." is prayed not just in
the Rosary, but at every hour of the twenty-four in each day.
The praying of the "O Hail Mother of God and Virgin. . ." in
conjunction with other prayers or in a prayer system, is more
properly known as The Rule of the Mother of God. It was given by
the Mother of God herself in about the eighth century (the seven
hundreds), and at one time all Christians fulfilled it. ...
The Rule of the Mother of God is that the "O Hail Mother of God and
Virgin. . ." is to be recited through praying to the Mother of God,
and saying the "O Hail Mother of God and Virgin. . ." one hundred
fifty times daily. If it is difficult to recite it one hundred
fifty times a day, say it fifty times at first.
After every ten repetitions, say the "Our Father" once, and the
"Open unto us the door of thy loving kindness, . . ."
Before each decade is a prayerful remembrance of an event in Our
Savior's Life, in the life of the queen of Heaven, as given below.
After every decade is prayed special, private prayers.
The beloved Blessed Bishop Seraphim's prayers
before each decade are given below, followed by the prayers of one
of his pupils, a nun, for the prayers after every decade. (St.
Seraphim never revealed his private prayers after each decade to
anyone. The tenth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth decade
"after" prayers are reconstructed, the originals being incomplete,
out of order, or lost.)
Before the first decade:
Let us remember the birth of the Mother of God:
pray for mothers, fathers, and children.
After the first decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
save and preserve your servants
(names of parents, relatives, friends),
increase their faith and repentance,
and when they die give them rest with the saints
in your eternal glory.
Before the second decade:
Let us remember 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.
After the second decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
save and preserve and unite or re-unite
to the Holy Orthodox Church your servants who have lost
their path and fallen away (names).
Before the 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.
After the third decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
soothe our sorrows and send consolation
to your servants who are grieving and ill (names).
Before the 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
who are living away from them or who are missing.
After the fourth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
unite your servants who are separated.
Before the fifth decade:
Let us remember the Birth of Christ:
let us pray for the rebirth of souls,
for new life in Christ.
After the fifth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
grant unto us (me) who have been
baptized in Christ, to be clothed in Christ.
Before the sixth decade:
Let us remember the feast of the Purification of the Lord,
and he words uttered by St. Simon:
'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.
After the sixth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
let me receive the Holy Sacrament with my last breath,
and lead my soul yourself through the terrible torments.
Before the 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.
After the seventh decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
lead me not into temptation in
this life and deliver me from misfortunes.
Before the 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.
After the eighth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
grant to me the unceasing Jesus Prayer.
Before the 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.
After the ninth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
help me in all my affairs and
deliver me from every need and sorrow.
Before the 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.
After the tenth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
strengthen my soul and banish my despair.
Before the 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.
After the eleventh decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
resurrect my soul and give me
constant readiness for spiritual feats.
Before the 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.
After the twelfth decade
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
deliver me from worldly thoughts
and give me a mind and heart striving
towards the salvation of my soul.
Before the thirteenth decade:
Let us remember the Upper Room
and the descent of the Holy Spirit
upon 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.'
[Ps. 50(51).12-13].
After the thirteenth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
make me a clean temple in which
God's Holy Spirit will ever dwell.
Before the fourteenth decade:
Let us remember the Assumption
of the Blessed Mother of God, and
ask for a peaceful and serene end.
After the fourteenth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
grant me a peaceful and serene end.
Before the 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,
and 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
honorable protecting veil.
After the fifteenth decade:
Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God,
preserve me from every evil and
cover me with your honorable protecting veil.
Thus, in the Rule of the Mother of God, for each decade one:
first prays the before prayer; then prays
"O Hail Mother of God and Virgin,
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 given birth to the Savior of our souls,"
ten times; and at the end of the tenth time, prays,
"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 evil.
Amen."[/size]
then prays:
"Open unto us the door of thy loving kindness,
O Blessed Mother of God;
in that we set our hope on thee, we may not go astray;
but through thee we may be delivered from all adversities.
For thou art the salvation of all Christian people."
then prays the after prayer (although some pray the after prayer
before the Our Father, and some pray it between the Our Father and
the Open unto us).
As stated above, in following this RULE, one also is encouraged to
also pray the "O Hail Mother of God . . . on every hour of the
twenty-four in each day. Also, the after prayers are designed to be
an intentional offering up of the decade and the associated
prayers; an offering from the prayer.
[correcting tags]