Prayer For The New Year

[Revnitel]

"Christ our Lord, You who provide the rains
and fruitful seasons, and hear the prayers
of those who humbly seek You,
accept also our requests about our needs
and concerns and deliver us
from worry, danger and sin.
Your mercies are as abundant as Your works.
Bless all our activities, direct our steps by
Your Holy Spirit, and forgive' our shortcomings.
Lord, bless the year with Your goodness
and make it a year of grace
for all of us. Amen."

[Barbara]

Amen !

Thoughtful of you, Revnitel, to post this lovely prayer ---

[Matthew]

Yes, Amen! Thanks for the prayer.

[Barbara]

I hope everyone would be able to find this prayer and say it to bring about a New Year
aligned with God's Will.

You know, I hear so many people making "resolutions". But what are those
compared with PRAYING regularly a SIMPLE PRAYER like this
which encompasses -- everything !

Instead of "In 2013, I vow to give up candy...or drinking expresso..."

Look at the gulf that yawns between the 2 approaches, one
God-centered,
the other finite and man-centered.

[joasia]

Actually the true new year is September 1st by the Church calendar. We shouldn't even bother with this sensationalism of resolutions at this time. The prayer posted mentions: fruitful seasons. And a beautiful prayer it is. The dead of winter doesn't provide bearing fruit. Even in the Mediterranean areas. I think this prayer was meant for the beginning of Autumn when the harvest was ready.

Resolutions are a worldly concept which replaces spiritual works of repentance. Since people don't have Jesus Christ as their focus, then they need to replace it with a concept that mimics virtues. Why? Because all our souls know the truth about God, but most will mask it with other concepts...this is prelest (delusion). And they will create holidays to satisfy their prelest views.

In Orthodoxy, resolutions translate to repentance. We should live it every day, not just at a certain period of time. I will certainly vouch for that. But, in the world, it is reduced to a concept which only lasts a month.

[Matthew]

Actually the true new year is September 1st by the Church calendar. We shouldn't even bother with this sensationalism of resolutions at this time. The prayer posted mentions: fruitful seasons. And a beautiful prayer it is. The dead of winter doesn't provide bearing fruit. Even in the Mediterranean areas. I think this prayer was meant for the beginning of Autumn when the harvest was ready.

Resolutions are a worldly concept which replaces spiritual works of repentance. Since people don't have Jesus Christ as their focus, then they need to replace it with a concept that mimics virtues. Why? Because all our souls know the truth about God, but most will mask it with other concepts...this is prelest (delusion). And they will create holidays to satisfy their prelest views.

In Orthodoxy, resolutions translate to repentance. We should live it every day, not just at a certain period of time. I will certainly vouch for that. But, in the world, it is reduced to a concept which only lasts a month.

Excellent point, Joanna. You picked up on the idea that it was from September. I missed that. And about resolutions being a replacement for true repentance, again, excellent analysis. Thank you.

[Revnitel]

Actually, resolution imples exercising ones free will to do something. Repentance is predicated on resolve, resolution, our free will. It is never compelled.