Principles of Prayer

Father Our O, in Heaven, Who art,

Your (Thy) Name Hallowed Thy Kingdom come,

Thy Will In Heaven As Be done

Likewise On Earth Be done

Daily Bread Our Give Us This Day

Wrongdoings Our Forgive For Us

We They Who Wrong us Forgive As We

Towards Temptation Lead Not

Evil Deliver But

Kingdom For Thine and is

The Power Glory Forever and Forever

Amen

PSALM 150

Praise Ye the Lord

Praise God in His sanctuary

Praise Him in His firmanent of His power

Praise Him for his mighty acts

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet

Praise Him with the psaltery and harp

Praise Him with the timbrel and dance

Praise Him with the stringed instruments and organs

Praise Him upon the loud cymbals:

Praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals.

Let every thing that has breath praise the Lord.

PRAISE YE THE LORD.

(1) Private prayer is said at home and at any appropriate place. Every home should have a private Altar set up just for Prayers. It is a solemn prayer made to God privately by shutting the room so as not to be seen and heard by anyone, and lifting your heart to his Creator to be seen and heard by Him alone. ~ (Matt. 6 : 6- 13) A Husband and wife should pray at the appointed times, preferably in a separate room. But if either one is an unbeliever, then the one faithful should pray alone.

(2) Family prayer is a prayer offered by all members of the family together.

For this the prayer of Cornelius the Centurian will be an example. (Acts 10 : 2 - 6)

(3) Public prayer is a prayer to be said by the clergy and the laity, men and women,

old and young gathered together in the church and in all convenient places.

It states in the Old Testament that the faithful used to go to the temple and pray.

(1 Sam.1 :19 -13, Ps.121, Lk. 18:10)

Also in the New Testament, the apostles and their followers used to pray in the

upper room and at the house of Mary, St. Mark's Mother, which served as the first

Christian gathering. They also gathered at the church of Antioch (Acts 1 :14, 25, 3: 1, 12 :12,

13 : 1 -3)

According to this our church has rules that the clergy and laity together praise the Lord in prayer, hymn, liturgy, horology (Saatat). Saatat is conducted throughout the year in monasteries and big churches, on Sundays and holidays. Saatat is also performed for the dead during the night.

There is also Saatat for the day time. It is said daily at every hour during the time of fast.

~ Cantillation (Hymn) is a song performed in union by the clergy with prayer sticks, sistrums and drums.

(see photo's at top of this page)

The hymn of Lent is sung without sistrums and drums; it's sung with prayer sticks only.

All Christians should pray, and if they don't know how,

it is fundamental that they learn how and when to pray.

+ When one prays, he should stand up. (raise up in the manner of Christ's prayer). Stand erect on two feet without leaning on a pole or the wall as a support. (Psalm 5 : 3)

+ He should grid himself; as the Lord has said, " Let your loins be girded", (Luke 12 : 35), wearing clothes down over the shoulders and round the waist; which means also spiritual girt or concentration of mind.

+ He should face toward the East, for this is the direction Christ will appear in His second coming. If there is a church, then Pray faceing the Church. ~ He should not move his eyes looking around to the right or left or think strange thoughts. He should pray with open hands, stretching the hands, and lifting up the heart.

+ You may begin and end prayer by prostrating yourself once or thrice, especially when there is mention of the adoration of God, and do the same at the end of the prayer, because once is the symbol of Oneness and three times is the symbol of the Trinity.

He should kneel down and prostrate himself after the manner of Our Lord Eeysus Kristos,

who prayed kneeling and prostrating Himself on the night of His Passion.

Monks and some of the Faithful prostrate themselves 36 times in each prayer's time, 252 for one day.

There are others who go beyond this, it depends on the requirements and the strength and the will of the individual. It is especially mandatory for all Christians to kneel and prostrate themselves hundreds of times, especially during Passion Week. On Good Friday the faithful spend the whole day in church prostrating to their physical limit.

~ ~ ~ However prostrating is prohibited on the Feast days of Our Lord and the Virgin Mariam, after receiving Holy Communion, and on the Sundays 55 days after Easter, and on Pentecost.

+ At the beginning and closing of prayer, he should make the Sign of the Cross by crossing his body with the pointing finger from forehead downward and from left to right. By doing this he chases away the devil. The sign from forehead downward marks the descending of our Lord Christ from Heaven to earth. From left to right indicates that Christ exalted from low degree to glory and brought us to paradise. While crossing your body, it is essential to remember Christ's suffering.

+ When you pray you should concentrate your mind and heart on the Lord. You should pray humbly and silently. The Lord said, " when thou prayest thou shall not be like the hypocrites; for they love to pray standing in the corner of the streets that they may be seen by men. Use not vain repetition as the heathen do, for they think they shall be heard for their much speaking. But when thou prayest, pray to thy Father in secret, and thy Father which see in secret shall reward you openly" ( Matt. 6 :5 - 15).

+ Whosoever prays while prostrating once or thrice,

shall make the sign of the cross crossing their body and say first :

I cross my face and all over my body with the sign of the cross.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, One God.

Secondly; He crosses himself saying "Lord pity us, Lord spare us, Lord have

Mercy upon us, and Bless us, Amen."

Thirdly; in crossing himself 3 times, praying and prostrating should say the

prayer "Glory to the Father, Glory to the Son, and the Holy Spirit, both now

and forever, and ever, world without end, Amen." (Refer to "Daily Prayers" page)

I believe and offer my supplications unto the Holy trinity.

I denounce Satan in the sight of the Holy Mother Orthodox Church.

And in the presence of the Virgin Maryam whom is Zion for ever and ever. Amen

The words of the prayer must always be based in the Holy Scriptures, including the Lord's Prayer, but during repentance the creed must also be used. The Psalms of David are recited every day and night. The reason is that there are hundreds of passages suitable for glorification of God.

~ In the morning, Psalm 63 is recommended, for it says : " Oh God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee . . .

~ In the evening, Psalm 141 is recommended, for it says : " Let my prayers be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Then the Lords Prayer (clergymen must always pray the Prayer of Daniel the Prophet ~ Daniel 9 : 3 - end )

See " Daily Prayers " page on this site for complete daily prayers in sequence.

1st we say "Our Father who art in Heaven, followed by the Psalms, next the prayer of our Lady Mariam (magnificant) is recited, the creed, (prayer of confession), and at the last The Lord's Prayer including Virgin Mariam Prayer.

All prayers should end with The Lord's Prayer and Prayer of the Virgin Mariam again, then .....

Kyrie ~ Eleison is said 41 times at the end of prayers. (My Lord have Mercy)

or you can say : Ig-zee-'o tesahalene 41 ( "Lord have mercy upon us" )

When praying you should not talk with any person interrupting your prayer. However, if you are faced with

a serious problem that forces you to interupt your prayer, you should say the Lord's Prayer and talk.

When you are finished talking, then resume your prayer at the point where you stopped.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen.

Ig-zee-'o tesahalene ( "Lord have mercy upon us" )

Prayer : Humble and earnest communion with God, to glorify Him, for the purpose of seeking some blessing, for confessing sin or

for acknowledging mercies received.

Prayer is a word by which man communicates with his Creator in Faith, thanking and beseaching Him for the forgiveness of his sin,

(Fetha Nagast 14: 528

For prayer there ia a particular time and place.

The time during which the clergy and the laity go to church are mornings and evenings.

Canonical Hours of Prayer

Prayers are said 7 times a day (Psalm 118 : 164)

+ In the morning, + at the 3rd hour, + at noon, + at the 9th hour,

+ at sunset, + at bedtime, + and at midnight. ( see also "DAILY PRAYERS." )

The faithful and the clergy must go to church every morning and evening.

But in the remaining hours they can pray wherever they are. (Fetha Nagast 14)

There are hundreds of other prayers conducted on different occasions for different purposes.

~ Prayers for Monks and Monk / Priests who leave their home and join monastic life are

not limited, because they pray almost 24 hours per day.

~ Other prayers are, at the table before and after food, prayers for those about to journey

by land or sea, + before we enter or leave our house, the Lords Prayer is sufficient.

~ There are prayers in times of suffering, distress, danger, thanksgiving, for those in prison, for peace of country and the world, for each other, prayer the priests pray for remission of sins of the faithful, prayer for barren women that they may conceive. This prayer is done after the manner of Hannah, the mother of Samuel who prayed for a child and it was granted after which her whole household prayed in thanksgiving. In general the church prays for the whole world,

therefore, it has several Prayer Books.

Principles of How to Pray Privately and Publicly

There are 3 kinds of prayers :

(1) Private prayer (2) Family prayer (3) Public prayer

Sistrum used in church service.The design has remained exactly the same for centuries.

~ Liturgical Prayer ~

This has 3 parts

(1) The Preparatory Service

(2) The Eucharist

(3) The Holy Liturgy

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has

14 Anaphora's by which it celebrates the Holy Communion (see "church history" page)

~ Prayer of Litany ~

This is a prayer which we pray to God to alter his wrath with mercy his anger with patience.

This prayer is also conducted whenever there is drought, plague, war and when chastisement is manifested.

~ Prayer for the Dead ~

Prayer for the dead is a prayer offered to God that the dead might be released from the bondage of sin. The church orders that prayer for the dead should be conducted.

This prayer enables the deceased to receive forgiveness of sin, mercy, and rest for the soul.

For the righteous it brings grace upon grace and joyous life.

It is through prayer that the dead and the living communicate.

The living pray for the dead and the dead for the Living.

(Enoch 12 : 34), because their souls are alive.

(Matt. 22 : 31- 32)

Prayers for the dead should be conducted both at the Church for this is consecrated ground and at the burial places and offering should be presented for them. For the sake of Christians and Martyrs who died in Christ, gather in the Church without wickedness, and pray the Psalms of David.

Our Church prays and presents a Psalm of Praise for the dead

from the moment of death up to the laying down in the grave,

from home up to the grave.

~ Commemoration Prayers for the Dead ~

These are from the day of death up to 1 year and beyond.

Arrangements are made between the family and the church remaining required prayers.

(1) On the day of death, a funeral service is held all night at their house and continued until the burial hour.

(2) On the 3rd day

(3) On the 7th day

(4) On the 12th day

(5) On the 30th day

(6) On the 40th day

(7) On the 80th day

(8) On the 6th Month

(9) Then 1 year after the day of death.

The Church orders that on these days prayer should be conducted,

incense should be burned, offerings should be given, and alms offered.

~ ~ ~ At the 1 year, a special memorial prayer service and a grand feast mark the anniversary of the death and each year afterward. Ttraditionally all Clergy, relatives, and friends, gathers at the Church with offerings on behalf of the deceased and also gathers at the burial site with prayers and burn incense for the special occasion ~ ~ ~

THE ORDER OF GIVING ALMS ( Helping the poor and Hungry)

Alms giving are among the most important religious deeds.

The basis is " Give your bread to the hungry, bring the homeless poor into your house, don't be indifferent to the hungry in your house, blessed are those who have compassion". (Isssiah 58 : 6 -8 / Matt. 5 : 7)

Alms should be given without knowledge of a second person.

As Our Lord said, " Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing". (Matt. 6 : 1 - 4 )

~ Alms giving is above all good deeds

~ Alms giving paves the way to perfection (Matt. 19 : 21- 22)

~ Alms are given to the needy in the form of money, clothing, food and your time.

Our Lord Christ said in the gospel of Matthew (6 : 1- 4) alms are given without

expecting any benefit or return from the needy.

Kyrie ~ Eleison / Kyrie ~ Eleison / Kyrie ~ Eleison / Kyrie ~ Eleison / Kyrie ~ Eleison / Kyrie ~ Eleison / Kyrie ~ Eleison /

Kyrie ~ Eleison / Kyrie ~ Eleison / Kyrie ~ Eleison / Kyrie ~ Eleison / Kyrie ~ Eleison / Kyrie ~ Eleison

~ My Lord have Mercy ~

PRAISE YE THE LORD.