Daily prayers

In the course of the day we perform other short prayers as well, namely: the sevenfold daily prayer, the prayers before and after eating, before and after work, before and after study, and the Jesus Prayer.

a) The sevenfold prayer

With the blessing of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, from the feast of the Nativity in 1989 onward we perform a short prayer seven times a day. These prayers are said at 6 and at 9 in the morning, at 12 and at 3 in the daytime, at 6 and at 9 in the evening and at 12 at night. Their text is sold in the churches.

Much has been said about the importance of these prayers, and it is written in their introduction; here we shall only add that every Christian, each as they are able, should take part in them and should not refuse this prayer and blessing for one reason or another. It may be that it is hard for a person to perform them in full; it may be that they cannot get up early in the morning, or cannot go to bed late, or that they forget about them in the daytime; but when they can, when they remember, let them read at least one of them. And if they do so, this prayer will little by little become a habit, and then, with God's help, perhaps they will not forget it and will manage to perform it in full.

b) Everyday prayers

In the course of the day we offer other short prayers too — before and after eating, before and after work, before and after study. All these prayers, and other short prayers as well, are written in the prayer book under the heading “Everyday prayers.”

We should add that before eating, after saying the prayer, we sign the food with the cross in the air, with three fingers of the right hand joined and two bent: first above, then below, then to our left and last to our right.

Before a light meal, before taking fruit, before drinking water, we do not say the prayer in full, but sign ourselves with the cross and sign the food with the cross as well.

Likewise, if a person is busy all day — doing household work, for instance — they say the prayer for the beginning of a task (and likewise for its end) once, and not before each particular action.

c) The Jesus Prayer

A Christian should repeat the Jesus Prayer always. It is said thus:

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

It may be repeated in any state: sitting and lying down, eating or travelling, in hardship or in ease.

This prayer has a history of two thousand years; the apostles already repeated it. A mystical meaning is laid up in it. In the words of the holy fathers, it conveys to us the whole content of the Christian faith. If there were nothing else, the very calling upon the name of the Lord — the name of Jesus — has the greatest power.

For us the frequent repetition of this prayer is a remembrance of God, Who keeps us from committing sin and defends us from visible and invisible enemies.