Prayer for deliverance from the coronavirus pandemic

Prayer, whether of a eucharistic or supplicatory nature, is a fundamental aspect of the spiritual life of the Orthodox Christian. It is another type of communication with God. It is the secret conduit that connects man with his Creator. Man, especially in times of trials and tribulations, needs to commune with God, to seek divine intervention where human powers prove powerless to overcome obstacles.

Prayer, according to Saint John of the Ladders, in its quality (its essence) is communion and union with God, while in its action it is the constitution of the world, the atonement of God, the mother of tears but also the daughter, the forgiveness of sins, a bridge that passes temptations, a barrier to sorrow, a halt to spiritual wars, the work of Angels, the nourishment of all incorporeal beings, the future joy, an immense work, a source of virtues, a messenger of gifts, an invisible advance, food for the soul, illumination of the mind, an axe that cuts through despair, proof of hope in God, redemption from sorrow, wealth of monks, treasure of hesychasts, reduction of anger, mirror of advance, presentation of spiritual measures, manifestation of the spiritual state, revelation of the "...a sign of glory. Prayer for the one who truly prays is a court and a criterion and a step of the Lord before the future step."

Today, when man, who lives in fear of death and tries to adapt his daily life while being threatened by an enemy invisible to the naked eye, the need for prayer, for man's communication with the source of life, the Life-Giver Christ, becomes necessary for man's spiritual, but also physical health. At this time in particular, the prayerful elevation of the Fathers of the Church, those who dedicated their lives to the Lord, becomes more intense. Through prayer, the Fathers of the Church and especially the Athonite Fathers participate in the suffering of all humanity and sympathize with it as integral members of the world, but without a secular mindset.

Throughout this pandemic, the Vatopedi fathers pray daily after the end of the Divine Eucharist before the icon of Christ the Life-Giver and the Mother of God veneration of the Holy Belt of the Theotokos for the deliverance of the world from the threat of the coronavirus epidemic and all infectious diseases.

On Sunday morning at the Holy Great Monastery of Vatopedi, after the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Abbot of the Monastery of Elder Ephraim and the Brotherhood around him felt once again the need to intensify and strengthen their prayers and supplications to the Lady Theotokos, the Ephor of Mount Athos, so that as an ambassador to the Lord, she may accept the requests in favor of the entire world.

In the Old Testament book of Sirach, the holy author characteristically advises the reader to honor and respect the physician because the Lord made him and the healing he gives comes from God. At the same time, however, he calls on the believer to pray to the Lord and, ultimately, if it is in his best interest, he will heal him either by the hands of the physician or through divine intervention.

The Athonite fathers, as well as the other monks and nuns throughout the Orthodox world, come and supplement our own weakness and lack of faith, they supplement our own deficient rule through their prayer to the Lord.

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