A Powerful Guide for Friday Prayers and Blessings

1. Understanding the Crucifixion

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is one of the most pivotal events in Christian history, as detailed in all four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death by crucifixion by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate—a method of execution reserved for the most heinous criminals, highlighting the severity of the punishment Jesus endured. Fasting on Friday, a practice that dates back to the very foundation of the Church as highlighted in the Didache, serves as a solemn commemoration of this profound sacrifice. This ancient tradition invites us to reflect deeply on the suffering Christ endured for our salvation.

Didache: The Apostles Teaching on fasting and prayers (pdf) - orthodoxfasting.com

Discover the Didache (PDF), an early Christian text revealing ancient fasting and prayer practices, and explore how they compare to today.

orthodoxfasting.com

Jesus' crucifixion occurred at Golgotha, also known as the Place of the Skull, outside the walls of Jerusalem. The Gospels recount how Jesus was mocked, beaten, and forced to carry His cross. Despite the immense physical and emotional agony, He forgave those who crucified Him, saying, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). His sacrifice on the cross serves as the ultimate act of love and redemption, offering salvation to all who believe.

2. Why Commemorate this Day?

Fasting on Fridays has deep roots in Christian tradition, dating back to the early Church as described in the Didache, an ancient Christian text. The Didache, also known as "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles," instructs early Christians to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, setting a precedent for this practice. The Bible also emphasizes fasting as a means of spiritual discipline and closeness to God.

The Orthodox Church has maintained this tradition for centuries, recognizing the profound spiritual benefits it offers. Commemorating the crucifixion through fasting serves several important purposes:

Spiritual Discipline: Fasting strengthens our spiritual resolve, teaching us self-control and helping us to focus more on prayer and our relationship with God.

Reflecting on Our Own Lives: Fasting encourages us to examine our actions, attitudes, and spiritual state. It is a time for introspection, allowing us to acknowledge our sins and seek forgiveness.

Becoming More Christ-Like: By denying ourselves physical comforts, we are reminded of Jesus' sacrifice and are inspired to emulate His virtues of humility, love, and compassion.

3. A Day of Hope and Renewal

Although the crucifixion is a somber event, it ultimately leads to the resurrection, offering hope and new life to all believers. The Friday fast reminds us that even in moments of suffering and despair, God's love and redemption are ever-present. By fasting, we strip away the distractions of daily life and focus on spiritual renewal, allowing us to emerge with a strengthened faith and a clearer sense of purpose. This day calls us to renew our commitment to living a Christ-centered life, filled with love, compassion, and forgiveness. The physical hunger we experience during fasting serves as a reminder of our deeper spiritual hunger for God's presence. This practice helps us develop empathy for those who suffer and encourages us to act with greater compassion and love towards others.

The Friday fast is a profound opportunity to reflect on our own spiritual journey and seek growth and renewal in our faith. By remembering the day when humanity's sins led to the crucifixion of the Son of God, we are inspired to confront our own failings and strive for a deeper connection with God. This powerful tradition helps us navigate our spiritual lives with humility and grace, encouraging us to live more Christ-like lives marked by love, compassion, and forgiveness. Through fasting, we honor Jesus' sacrifice, draw closer to God, and cultivate the virtues that lead to a truly Christian life.

🙌 Embracing Sacrifice: Drawing Strength from Christ

As we reflect on Fridays, it's a time to truly connect with the sacrifice that Christ Jesus made for us. This isn’t just about acknowledging His suffering; it’s about asking for the strength to face our own challenges with faith and determination, knowing that we are never alone in our struggles.

Lord, uphold my soul, and deliver it from confusion, doubt, and wavering, and strengthen it in faith. Drive all attacks away from me and cut off my sinful and blind self-will. Grant me the strength to commend myself, my soul and body, my obstacles, the present, the future, those near to my heart, and all my neighbors unto thine all-holy and all-wise will. And therefore may thy will ever be announced unto me. Amen

Through this prayer, we find the courage to face life’s difficulties, trusting in God's all-knowing will and His ability to guide us through every obstacle.

❤️ Fostering Compassion and Empathy: Praying for Others

Friday is a powerful day to reflect on the love and forgiveness that Christ showed us. It’s a chance to extend that same compassion to others, even to those who have hurt us. Through prayer, we can learn to let go of grudges and ask for God’s grace to fill the hearts of those who need it most.

Prayer for enemies and those who grieve you

I pray thee, Lord, especially for those who have offended me in any way, or have sorrowed me, or done me some other evil: do not punish them on account of me, a sinner, but instead pour out thy grace upon them.

This prayer helps us to release any bitterness and to ask God to bless those who may have wronged us, fostering a spirit of true Christian love and forgiveness.

🛡️ Strengthening Our Resolve Against Sin: Seeking God’s Protection

In our journey of faith, resisting temptation and staying true to God’s path is crucial. Friday prayers are a moment to seek divine protection against the trials that might come our way, and to ask for the strength to bear them with a grateful heart.

Prayer for deliverance from temptation, by St. Simeon The New Theologian

Master and Lord, do not allow any temptation or sorrow or sickness which is beyond my strength to come upon me, but rather deliver me from them, or else grand me the might to bear them with thanksgiving.

This prayer reminds us that with God’s help, we can overcome the challenges that test our faith, and find strength even in our weakest moments.

🌱 Deepening Our Relationship with God: Opening Our Spiritual Eyes

Fridays offer a special opportunity to deepen our spiritual awareness. As we pray, we ask God to open our eyes to His light, guiding us on the right path and helping us to walk in His truth.

A prayer for the opening of my spiritual eyes, by St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David. Be merciful, O Jesus, Son of God. Let my spiritual eyes be opened, that I might behold thy light and walk in accordance with thee.

By seeking spiritual clarity through prayer, we open ourselves to God’s wisdom, allowing His light to lead us in our daily lives.

✝️ Reflecting on the Passion of Christ: Remembering His Ultimate Sacrifice

As we reflect on Fridays, we remember the Passion of Christ—His journey to the cross and the love that held Him there. This reflection deepens our faith, reminding us of the ultimate sacrifice that was made for our salvation.

​A prayer to inherit heaven, by St. Tikhon of Zadonsk:

With my flesh I worship thine Ascension into heaven, and I pray to thee, my Lord, raise my mind from what is earthly to that which is on high,  my infirmity, and make up for what is lacking and small in me, leading me heavenward unto a good and saving end, unto thee who art in heaven, which is our true home, our fatherland, inheritance, property, wealth, honor, glory, comfort, joy, and eternal blessedness. Amen.

This prayer helps us lift our thoughts from the earthly to the heavenly, keeping our focus on the eternal home that Christ has prepared for us through His sacrifice.

🙏 Cultivating Gratitude: Recognizing God’s Goodness

Fridays are also a time to reflect on the many blessings we have received. Through prayer, we express our gratitude for God’s goodness and the countless ways He has provided for us.

Te Deum - A Hymn of Thanksgiving of Saint Ambrose of Milan

We praise thee, O God : we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee : the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud : the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubin and Seraphin : continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy : Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty : of thy glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles : praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the Prophets : praise thee.
The noble army of Martyrs : praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world : doth acknowledge thee;
The Father : of an infinite Majesty;
Thine honourable, true : and only Son;
Also the Holy Ghost : the Comforter.
Thou art the King of Glory : O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son : of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man : thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death :
thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God : in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come : to be our Judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants :
whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy Saints : in glory everlasting.

This hymn of thanksgiving reminds us to continuously acknowledge and praise God for His unending goodness and mercy in our lives.

🕊️ Seeking Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Mending Our Hearts

Friday prayers provide a moment to seek God’s forgiveness and to reconcile with Him and others. It’s a time to humble ourselves, to repent, and to ask for a renewed heart.

Prayer for the Gift of Repentance

O Almighty Master and Lord, Creater of all, father of compassion and God of mercy, who didst fashion man from the earth and didst show him to be created according to thine image and likeness, that thereby thy majestic Name might be glorified on earth, and who, when he had been uprooted by the violation of thy commandment, didst fashion him anew and yet better in thy Christ, and didst lead him up to heaven: I thank thee that thou hast not given me over utterly to mine enemies, which seek to cast me down to be lost in hell, nor hast left me to perish with mine iniquities. 

Now, therefore, O greatly merciful Lord, who lovest that which is good, who desirest not the death of the sinner, but awaitest his conversion and dost accept it, who settest aright them that have been cast down, and healest the broken: turn even me unto repentance, set me aright who have been cast down, and heal me who am broken; be thou mindful of thy compassions and thine incomparable goodness which have been unto us from of old, and forget my countless iniquities which I have committed by thought, word, and deed; remove the blinders of my heart, and grant me tears of remorse for the cleansing of my vile thoughts. Hearken, O Lord, and attend, O Lover of mankind; cleanse me, O Compassionate One, and free my wretched soul from the tyranny of the passions which reign within me. And let sin have no more hold over me, nor let the warring demon prevail against me, neither let him lead me to do his will; but with thy mighty hand, O thou who hast rescued me from his dominion, do though reign within me, O good Lord who lovest mankind; and be thou well pleased that I be wholly thine, and that I live henceforth in accordance to thy will. 

And by thine ineffable goodness grand me cleansing of heart, a guard over my mouth, uprightness of activity, a humble mind, peace of thought, serenity of the powers of my soul, spiritual joy, true piety, long-suffering, goodness, meekness, unfeigned love, steadfast temperance; and fill me with every good fruit, through the gift of thy holy spirit, and bring me not to the mid-point of my days unprepared, neither snatch away my unrepentant soul, but perfect me with thy perfection, and thus lead me up from this present life, that, having passed through the principalities and powers of darkness without hindrance, even I may, through thy grace, behold the ineffable beauty of thine unapproachable glory, with all thy saints, in whom thy most honorable and majestic Name hath been glorified and sanctified, together with thy Son and tine all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Through this prayer of repentance, we open ourselves to God’s healing, allowing Him to cleanse our hearts and guide us back to His loving embrace.

🕊️ Honoring the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ: Showing Our Gratitude

On Fridays, we take the time to honor the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, expressing our deep gratitude for His love and mercy. This simple yet profound prayer is a way to keep our hearts aligned with His sacrifice.

The Jesus Prayer

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a Sinner.

This prayer keeps us grounded in the reality of Christ’s sacrifice, reminding us to live each day in a way that honors His love and grace.

🏡 Strengthening Family Bonds: Praying for Your Loved Ones

Fridays are a special time to lift up our families in prayer, seeking God's protection, peace, and blessings for those we hold dear. Praying for our family members, whether they are near or far, allows us to entrust them to God's loving care and to ask for His guidance and grace in their lives.

A prayer for my family to the Mother of God

Most blessed Lady, take my family under thy protection, plant peace in the hear of my (wife, husband, parents, children, sibling, etc.) and plant there also a love and obedience to everything good, and let none of my family be given over to separation or bitter division, nor to incurable afflictions, nor to untimely or sudden death. Protect our house and all of us living in it from fiery conflagration, attack of thieves, and every evil treat, terror, addiction, or delusion, so that, together and apart, in open and in secret, we might glorify and praise thy holy name, now and ever and unto ages of ages, Amen. 

By praying for our families, we invite God's protection and peace into their lives, ensuring that our loved ones are surrounded by His love and guided by His grace in all they do.

🌅 Preparing for the Weekend with a Grateful Heart: Entering Peacefully

As we approach the weekend, Friday prayers help us to enter it with a peaceful and grateful heart. It’s a moment to reflect on the past week and to ask for God’s guidance in the days ahead.

Prayer against the passions and the spirits of darkness

O God righteous and praised, O God great and mighty, O God who transcendest time: hearken unto the entreaty of a sinful man at this hour! Hearken unto me, O thou who hast promised to hear them that call upon thee in truth, and do not loathe me whose lips are unclean and who am held fast in sin, O thou hope of all the ends of the earth and of them that wander afar off. Lay hold of shield and buckler, and come to my help; draw forth thy sword, and stop the way against them that persecute me; fend off the unclean spirits from the face of my mindless folly, and may there be divorced from my thought the spirit of hatred and remembrance of evil, the spirit of jealousy and falsehood, the spirit of fear and despondency, the spirit of pride and of every evil, and may every burning and movement of my flesh brought about by the activity of the devil be extinguished, and may my soul and my body and spirit be enlightened by the light of the divine knowledge of thee; that through the multitude of thy compassions I may attain unto the unity of the faith, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of Christ; and with the angels and all thy saints I glorify thy most honorable and majestic Name, of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

This prayer prepares us to face the weekend with peace, knowing that God’s protection and guidance are with us as we continue our journey of faith.