Seven prayer stops during the day

God’s Word says: “Seven times a day…” (Ps 119:164). Both the Old- and New-Testament Tradition present a daily prayer rhythm. This rhythm was kept by St Paul and the Apostles. Similarly, St Basil emphasized the need for moments of prayer throughout the day in the life of every Christian. Unfortunately, nowadays Christians do not have the daily rhythm of communion with God.

Why stop seven times? The number seven is symbolic but it is good to take it practically. Above all, we stop to avoid acting on our own, because when a person does not stop to be mindful of God’s presence, they act only on their feelings and reason, which are not always in harmony with God’s will.

Besides self-will every man sins by hedonism – that is, laziness, indulgence in pleasures, overindulgence in eating, drinking or leisure, and addictions such as alcohol, drugs and sexual immorality. Another way in which sin manifests itself is through the tendency to automatically criticize and judge people and God. In their fallen nature, every person is self-willed, a hedonist, and a critic. Admitting and realizing this is painful, especially in specific cases.

The fundamental relationship with God is based on repentance – that is, acknowledging one’s guilt before God, asking for forgiveness and receiving it. This is all expressed in a short prayer that begins with the sign of the cross, the word ‘Ephphatha!’ – ‘Be opened’ – and the confession: “I am self-willed, I am a hedonist, I am a critic.” Then I pray: ‘Marana tha – Come, Jesus!’ (1Cor 16:22) and call on the holy name of Jesus in whom is our salvation. In spirit, I stand beneath Christ’s cross and look at His five wounds, from which His blood flowed to cleanse my sins.

Repeating the name ‘Jesus’ three times intensifies our plea. This short prayer is a prayer of perfect contrition, which we will need most of all in the hour of our death. Essentially, it is a repeated emphasis on the name ‘Jesus’, combined with spiritual contemplation of His five wounds. “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21) That name is Jesus, or Yehoshua in Aramaic. The next part expresses that Jesus is my Lord. The Israelites reminded themselves several times a day (see Deu 6:9f) of the first and greatest commandment: ‘Shema, Israel’ (Israel means ‘God’s warrior’), ‘you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.’ What helped them to remember this commandment was an inscription on the doorposts of the house, a bracelet and a headband. What is the true essence of love for God? Jesus expresses it with the condition: ‘…whoever loses his soul for My sake and the Gospel’s…’ (Mk 8:35; cf. Lk 14:33). In practical terms, this means that a person stands before God in faith, entrusting all their worries and fears to Him and fully trusting in His omnipotence and love. This is a practical preparation for a happy death, expressed in Jesus’ words: ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ (Lk 23:46)

Although sins are forgiven through perfect contrition, the wounds of the soul remain. The healing process involves accepting suffering, illness and humiliation patiently. In essence, it is purgatory on earth. However, if we follow Christ, we are spared purgatory after death.

Let us recall a penitential practice from the past. For sins relating to the occult, a penance of seven years of bread and water was prescribed. Anyone who consulted a fortune-teller to predict the future was subject to this punishment. Similarly, anyone who sought healing from someone who used occult practices was subject to this penalty. This category also includes dependence on horoscopes. Today, this penalty also applies to those who have received an mRNA vaccine containing genetic material extracted from the tissue of children who were brutally killed after being prematurely removed from their mothers’ wombs.

Given the circumstances today, it is almost impossible to observe a seven-year penance of bread and water. However, you can instead observe a seven-year penance in which you pause seven times a day to mourn your sin against God’s first commandment. When you pray, ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner!’, these words will not be mindless, but will come from the depths of your heart, born of a sense of guilt and lamentation for your past. Should you die suddenly after doing this, you will enter directly into God’s glory and the infinite happiness for which your spirit longs, without passing through purgatory.

Text of the prayer stop:

Ephphatha!

I am self-willed and selfish; I do not seek God’s will, but my own.

I am a hedonist; I seek pleasure even at the cost of sin.

I am a critic; I condemn others, yet I do not see my own guilt, nor do I want to admit it.

The hidden metastasis of original sin’s impact and my lack of repentance are dragging my soul towards eternal damnation.

Marana tha! Come, Jesus!

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner! (5x)

Shema Israel! You shall love God!

Jesus, my God, I love You with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my strength. Now I lose my soul for Your sake and the Gospel’s. (After the words, ‘Shema Israel, you shall love God!’, the confession follows: ‘Jesus, my God, I love You with all my heart…’ As I say these words, I place my right hand on my heart. Then, when I say ‘with all my soul’, I also place my left hand on my chest. When I say ‘with all my strength’, I clasp my hands together, bending my right hand into a fist, and placing my left hand on the outside of it. When I say, ‘Now I lose my soul’, I open my palms and, at the words ‘for Your sake’, I raise my right hand slightly upwards. At the words ‘and the Gospel’s’, I lower my hands to my chest. These gestures help us to internalize and live out the first commandment.)

Word of life: …………… (changes every two weeks)

Amen.

Our first prayer stop after waking up, which is usually before 6:00 a.m., takes the place of the first biblical hour of the day. This is followed by the other biblical hours: the third hour (9:00 a.m.), the sixth hour (12:00 noon), and the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.).

At the prayer stop when we get up, we first pray the basic structure of the prayer stop.

Then we turn to Jesus with the question: ‘Jesus, where are You?’ and repeat Jesus’ answer according to Matthew 28:20: ‘I am with you!’ ‘I believe!’

‘Jesus, You are with me.’ (4×)

Then we continue: ‘Jesus, You said: I am in you.’ ‘I believe!’

‘Jesus, You are in me.’ (4×)

Finally, we say: ‘Amen, amen,’ and make the sign of the cross.

We pray the same way before going to sleep.

9:00

The prayer stop at 9:00 a.m. again includes the basic prayer. Immediately after the word of life, we invoke the Holy Spirit by repeating seven times: ‘Send the Holy Spirit upon us,’ and finally we say: ‘I receive the same Spirit whom the apostles received on the day of Pentecost.’ We then quietly utter the holy name ‘Ye-ho-shu-aa-aa-aa-aa-aa,’ and place our hands in the orans position (hands raised to shoulder height, bent at the elbows, with the forearms lifted upward).

The second way is as follows: While saying ‘Ye-ho-shu-aa-aa-aa-aa-aa,’ we make the traditional gestures. At ‘Ye-ho-shu’, I raise my hands. At the first ‘aa’, I reflect: ‘God, You created me.’ At the second ‘aa’, I reflect: ‘By Your cross You redeemed me,’ and I make the sign of the cross. Then I raise my hands again, and at the third, fourth, and fifth ‘aa’, I consciously receive for this day the same Holy Spirit whom the apostles received on the day of Pentecost. We conclude the prayer stop simply by saying ‘Amen,’ and making the sign of the cross.

If most people pray these prayer pauses at work, at school, or in similar settings, the gestures do not have to be made. However, if we are in a place where we are free to make the gestures, then we do observe them.

12:00

At the 12:00 noon prayer pause, the basic structure again remains the same. After the word of life, we say ‘Amen’ and then immediately pray the Angelus. We commemorate Christ’s Incarnation through the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary.

15:00

At the 3:00 p.m. prayer pause, the basic structure again remains the same. When we have finished the word of life, we say ‘Amen’ and then add: ‘Through baptism you were immersed into Christ’s death.’ We then repeat four times: ‘Through baptism I was immersed into Christ’s death.’ Finally, we say ‘Amen’ and make the sign of the cross.

18:00

At the 6:00 p.m. prayer pause, the basic structure again remains the same. After we have finished the word of life, we say ‘Amen’. Immediately afterward, we bring to mind our specific problem. Then, with faith, we pray to each of the Saviour’s wounds: ‘Jesus, I trust in You.’ (Three times for each wound, making a total of fifteen times.) Finally, we say ‘Amen, amen,’ and make the sign of the cross.

21:00

At the 9:00 p.m. prayer pause, the basic structure again remains the same. After we have finished the word of life and said ‘Amen’, we receive the blessing. Our priests and bishops impart it toward the four directions of the world.

The prayer stop before going to sleep is the same as the prayer stop after getting up. Those who go to bed immediately after the 9:00 p.m. may pray the final prayer stop after receiving the blessing.

These prayer stops contain the fundamental truths of the faith, and they also give us an opportunity to reflect on them, even if only briefly. Otherwise, the spirit of the world – the spirit of materialism and constant busyness – does not allow a person to pause even once during the day. Although we do not insist on observing the exact times, it is good to keep them whenever possible. When that is not possible, we pause as close as we can before or after the appointed time.

Pausing for a brief prayer every three hours, as the Lord Jesus and the apostles also did, is a spiritual means for the salvation of souls in these apocalyptic times. The poison of original sin secretly draws souls toward eternal condemnation. In this earthly life, each person decides whether to allow this evil to work within them or whether to accept the salvation that God has given us in Jesus. Whoever receives Jesus and perseveres to the end will be saved. Whoever rejects Jesus, the Saviour, and follows his own path – the path of falsehood and self-deification – will be eternally condemned. There are many false paths. There is no other way to salvation except through Jesus.

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