Despondency and despair are mortal sins, decadence imposed by demonic offspring. If you succumb to weakness and let these feelings into you, you can lose faith and even fall into madness. If a person lives in sin for a long time, only an appeal to the Mother of God can save him. The Most Holy Theotokos provides intercession to all those in need through the image of “Unexpected Joy” imprinted on the icon of the same name.
In what cases do they turn to “Unexpected joy”?
The icon “Unexpected joy” is famous for its miraculous history, however, true believers do not perceive it as something extraordinary, since grace and humanity, supported by appropriate gifts, are usual for the Mother of God. The parable underlying the plot of the image refers to the strong prayer of the Virgin, which is able to overcome the impossible, including God's righteous anger. In order for the request reflected in the prayer to come true, you must necessarily repent of all sins.
The name of the icon gives the right to ask her for help in the most hopeless situations. At the image they pray for such things as:
- Healing from deadly ailments;
- Pacification of family feud;
- Infertility;
- Search for your second half;
- Successful marriage.
Where to start a prayer?
If a black stripe has come in life that has dragged on for a long period, resort to prayer as soon as possible. To get what you want, make it a habit to follow a simple rule, but do it regularly. When it is difficult to independently understand the canons, seek the advice of a spiritual mentor or other clergyman to gain confidence in the correctness of your undertaking. With the blessing, it will be easier to perform the work of prayer, you can resist demons trying to get a soul and drag them to the side of darkness.
The prayer “Unexpected joy” begins with the deduction of an akathist (full text here) Remember that simply pronouncing prayer words and passing them through yourself are two different things. It is necessary to clear conscience: you cannot pray without relieving your soul of sinful deeds that could anger the Almighty. Before prayer, be sure to confess and partake. Orthodoxy teaches that a prayer uttered in isolation from contact with the church does not gain full force.
What to pray for?
Prayer is a universal way of communicating with higher powers. Turning to heaven, think: should the request really be voiced? Will this not be a temptation or an obstacle to a righteous life? To eliminate doubts, recite the prayer “Unexpected joy”, adding, if possible, to each new phrase the words “If the will of God is so”.
When you receive a blessing from the clergyman, order a prayer icon. In the process of praying, leave aside all the hardships and problems that torment the soul, and pay attention to the meaning of the spoken text. Its canonical version has a specific task - to direct the mind of a parishioner to the root of the essence and reveal its unrepentant sins.
In the Christian religion, akathists attach to the rule of prayer and read in a suitable place, the best of which, without a doubt, is the church. If you decide to read the akathist in the temple, guess the time so that it does not fall on the service, otherwise you will interfere with the rest of the parishioners.
Akathist to the prayer "Unexpected Joy" in its structure contains 12 icos and 13 kondakaswho, in poetic form, glorify the Virgin and narrate a parable that serves as the plot for the icon. There are no specifically formulated requests. The prayer itself is read in order to appeal with a petition for the granting of a happy marriage, childbearing, healing from infertility.
Prayer of the Mother of God "Unexpected joy"
How to read the prayer to the image of the Mother of God? The prayer of the icon "Unexpected joy" should be attached to the akathist. It can be read on a separate basis: in this case, the person pronouncing prayer words must relate himself to the image of the sinner from the parable, who lived unrighteously, but prayed to the Mother of God day and night. Holy prayer text voluminous, it includes many requests related to different areas of life. The one who reads it, prays not only for himself, but also for all the afflicted.
Prayer is pronounced in Church Slavonic. It is important to observe the correct punctuation and accentuation. At first it seems that it’s extremely difficult to understand its essence, but daily reading will help to fully reveal the meaning of prayer (the whole prayer can be download here).
If you undertook to read “Unexpected Joy” every day or on Sundays for a certain period of time, you should not derogate from this word.
How else can you pray for “Unexpected joy”?
The icon can be addressed both in the temple and at home. The first method is preferable from the point of view of the church, as it involves the entry of a parishioner into a special religious mood, necessary for the ritual. But if you say a prayer or an akathist alone with yourself, there is nothing reprehensible in this. You can read them to yourself, while in transport, while on the road - the main thing is to have the appropriate attitude. The short Akathist of the Mother of God “Unexpected joy” exists in several forms. They are simple enough; they are easy to memorize.
The first Akathist expresses humility before the holy face:
“Not the imams of other help, not the imams of other hope unless You, Mistress, help us! We hope in You and praise Thee, Thy be Esma slaves, let us not be ashamed. "
The second akathist asks for mercy and deliverance from misfortune:
“The blessed Mother of God opened our doors to us, hoping that we would not perish, but that we might rid ourselves of the troubles of thee, you save the salvation of Christian birth.”
Saying the third akathist, offer thanks to the Mother of God:
“Virgin Mary, rejoice, Grace Mary, the Lord be with you! Blessed are you in women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, as if the Savior had given birth to our souls. ”
Where to make a pilgrimage for prayer?
Making a pilgrimage to the holy image, the believer is filled with special grace, which is difficult to achieve when praying for a list. To see the icon, visit the following places:
- Orthodox parish temple in honor of Elijah the Ordinary - located in Moscow, in Obydensky Lane. The icon stored here was delivered from the Sokolniki Church of the Resurrection of Christ in 1944;
- Temple dedicated to the icon, in Marina Grove (Moscow, st. Sheremetyevskaya, 33);
- The temple, erected in honor of the image, in the village of Pushkarkalocated at the Diveevsky monastery;
- Transcarpathian Monastery in the village of Kolochava (Ukraine).
When organizing a pilgrimage trip, do not forget to clarify whether your chosen places are open for access to visit. Show due respect to the ministers of the temple and listen to their recommendations.
