Prayer

ONE aspect of Christian life is prayer. There are many ways to pray and many kinds of prayers.

The 14 Stations - a pictorial walk through the Passion of Christ. Prayers for the walk are in development.

Prayers for the Faithful Departed followed by Communion Prayer with the Saints from St. Mark's Parish November 2004 Lion newsletter.

The Jesus Prayer - The Prayer of the Heart

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

On Practicing the Jesus Prayer by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov (from the Orthodox Christian Information Center)
Prayer ropes made by the Nuns of St. Paisius Serbian Orthodox Monastery. Prayer ropes are helpful in keeping track of the number of times of praying. This website includes wool prayer ropes, wrist prayer ropes with semi-precious stones, and cord prayer ropes.
The Way of the Pilgrim is a Russian Orthodox classic book about a pilgrim who travels seeks the meaning of St. Paul's message of unceasing prayer and discovers the Jesus Prayer.

The Rosary

The Rosary and Orthodoxy from The Walsingham Way newsletter
A Scriptural Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Lancelot Andrewes Press
Rosaries from Monastery Greetings. Monastery Greetings is a helpful place to shop since it helps gather products from monasteries, religious communities, and hermitages to help sell their items.

The Lord's Prayer

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.

Article on The Lord's Prayer from Wikipedia. This article has many links, references, and The Lord's Prayer in different languages.

Hail Mary

Mother of God and Virgin, hail, Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, for thou hast given birth to the Saviour of our souls.

Wikipedia article on Hail Mary

Prayer of St. Benedict - (one version)

Gracious and holy Father, grant us the intellect to understand You, reason to discern You, diligence to seek You, wisdom to find You, a spirit to know You, a heart to mediate upon You. May our ears hear You, may our eyes behold You, and may our tongues proclaim you. Give us grace that our way of life may be pleasing to You, that we may have the patience to wait for You and the perseverance to look for you. Grant us a perfect end - Your Holy presence, a blessed resurrection and life everlasting. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of St. Benedict - (another version)

O gracious and holy Father, give us wisdom to perceive Thee, intelligence to understand Thee, diligence to seek Thee, patience to wait for Thee, eyes to behold Thee, a heart to meditate upon Thee, and a life to proclaim Thee. Through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.

A prayer for the new year

O Immortal Lord God, who inhabits eternity, and has brought us to the beginning of another year. Pardon, we humbly beseech Thee, our transgressions in the past, and graciously abide us all the days of our life; guard and direct us in all trails and temptations, that by Thy blessing we may grow in grace as we grow in years, and at the last may finish our course with joy. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred let us sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that we may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen

Prayer of St. Basil the Great

O God and Lord of the Powers, and Maker of all creation, Who, because of Thy clemency and incomparable mercy, didst send Thine Only-Begotten Son and our Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind, and with His venerable Cross didst tear asunder the record of our sins, and thereby didst conquer the rulers and powers of darkness; receive from us sinful people, O merciful Master, these prayers of gratitude and supplication, and deliver us from every destructive and gloomy transgression, and from all visible and invisible enemies who seek to injure us. Nail down our flesh with fear of Thee, and let not our hearts be inclined to words or thoughts of evil, but pierce our souls with Thy love, that ever contemplating Thee, being enlightened by Thee, and discerning Thee, the unapproachable and everlasting Light, we may unceasingly render confession and gratitude to Thee: The eternal Father, with Thine Only-Begotten Son, and with Thine All-Holy, Gracious, and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer of St. Columba

Let me bless almighty God, whose power extends over sea and land, whose angels watch over all.

Let me study sacred books to calm my soul: I pray for peace, kneeling at heaven's gates.

Let me do my daily work, gathering seaweed, catching fish, giving food to the poor.

Let me say my daily prayers, sometimes chanting, sometimes quiet, always thanking God.

Delightful it is to live on a peaceful isle, in a quiet cell, serving the King of kings.

Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian

O Lord and Master of my life, cast away from me the spirit of laziness, idle curiosity, love of power and vain talk. But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of moderation, humility, patience and love.
Yes, Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brothers and sisters.
For You are blessed forever. Amen.

Prayer of St. Patrick

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection unto reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The brightness of the moon,
The splendour of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of earth,
The compactness of rocks.

I bind to myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.

I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.

Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort, [i.e., at home]
Christ in the chariot seat, [i.e., travelling by land]
Christ in the boat [i.e., travelling by water]

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.