Varies between the chapel or our icon corner.Our respondents answered in this way (and evidently the location varies by night for some families):Ĩ% of respondents’ families pray elsewhere than the options we gave. Of those that do pray together at bedtime, we asked where their family gathers for prayer. Only 4% of those surveyed answered that their family does not pray together at bedtime. The survey we conducted last summer asked participants about including prayer at bedtime. Bedtime prayers offer the opportunity for the soul to be at peace, and are thus a great way to begin a restful night.
They give us the opportunity to review our day, ask forgiveness for sins we have committed, renew our focus on God, entrust ourselves and our loved ones to His care while we sleep, and thank Him for his kindness and mercy through the day just finished. Prayers should be part of our family’s bedtime routine. It is so important that we model this in our own lives as well as teach it to our children. Therefore we must include prayer in all parts of our day, including at bedtime. HippolytusĪs we can see from the Church fathers’ quotes (and, better yet, from their lives!) prayer is a vital part of our Orthodox Christian life. “Pray also before your body rests on the bed.” St. If prayer precedes your work and if, when you rise from your bed, your first movements are accompanied by prayer, sin can find no entrance to attack your soul.” ~ St Ephrem the Syrian
When you are able, bend your knees, when you cannot, make intercession in your mind, ‘at evening and at morning and at midday’. “Whether you are in church, or in your house, or in the country whether you are guarding sheep, or constructing buildings, or present at drinking parties, do not stop praying.
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