Prayer to save family

Who Are the Holy Martyrs Gurias, Samonas, and Abibus, and Why Should One Order an Akathist?

The martyrs and confessors Gurias, Samonas, and Abibus are ancient Christian saints who lived during a time of brutal persecution against the faith. They were subjected to torture for refusing to worship the pagan emperors as gods. After their martyrdom, people began visiting their burial site, praying for help—and their prayers were always answered. One well-known miracle associated with these saints tells of a man who, at their tomb, swore an oath to his fiancée’s mother, promising to love and never harm her daughter, Euthymia, in marriage. However, after they traveled to his homeland, the truth was revealed—he was already married, and Euthymia was enslaved. She endured great suffering, including the loss of her child, until she cried out in prayer to the holy martyrs, the witnesses of her promised union. Miraculously, she was delivered from her misfortune. Even today, the holy martyrs Gurias, Samonas, and Abibus are known for their intercession in preserving families and protecting them from misfortune. Their prayers help those facing betrayal, hardship, and broken family ties, making their Akathist a powerful supplication for family well-being and protection.

Family Prayer for Well-Being

This Akathist is a prayer for the family and its well-being. A true family is a reflection of paradise on earth, yet the enemy of mankind constantly wages war against strong and pious unions. Only God’s power and the intercession of the saints help build and preserve harmonious and loving relationships within the family. The holy martyrs fervently intercede before God for peace and the growth of love between spouses, asking Him to grant them family happiness and strengthen their marital bonds.

How to Pray for the Preservation of the Family? A Prayer Against Family Conflicts

This Akathist is a prayer for protecting the family from divorce. According to the testimonies of those who have prayed, the holy patrons of marriage help save families from discord. People turn to them in prayer seeking guidance for spouses, the return of a husband or wife to the family, and the restoration of harmony. No prayer goes unheard. Quarrels and conflicts in the family cease when a spirit of humility, peace, and prayer prevails. The holy saints of God help spouses reconcile and restore their family life, while those who pray the Akathist often find themselves transformed, rediscovering marital happiness and unity.

We pray fervently for family well-being and enlightenment on Fridays in 2:30, 8:30, 14:30 or 20:30 Moscow time.

O holy and glorious martyrs of Christ, Saints Gurias, Samonas, and Abibus, who with steadfast faith and unshakable courage endured torments for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ! You who now stand before His divine throne, intercede for us, sinners, that we may be strengthened in faith and love. Protect us from all evil, guide us in the path of righteousness, and grant us peace of soul. O blessed saints, you who have been revealed as mighty intercessors for those in distress, hear our prayers and deliver us from dangers, seen and unseen. Through your holy prayers, may we be made worthy of eternal life and the kingdom of heaven. Amen.

Prayer for the reconciliation of spouses

We also pray to the Mother of God "Softening of evil hearts" for peace in the family, against resentment and pride on Wednesdays in 2:30, 8:30, 14:30 and 20:30 Moscow time.

O much sorrowing Mother of God, more highly exalted than all other maidens, according to thy purity and the multitude of thy suffering endured by thee on earth: Hearken to our sighs and soften the hearts of evil men, and protect us under the shelter of thy mercy. For we know no other refuge and ardent intercessor apart from thee, but as thou hast great boldness before the One who was born of thee, help and save us by thy prayers, that without offence we may attain the Heavenly Kingdom where, with all the saints, we will sing the thrice-holy hymn to One God Almighty in the Trinity, always now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer for Enlightenment

We also pray to Archangel Michael for protection from the actions of the evil one and for admonition, especially on Mondays in 2:00, 8:00, 14:00 and 20:00 Moscow time.

O holy and great Archangel of God Michael, first among the angels that stand before the inscrutable and transcendent Trinity, overseer and guardian of the human race, who with thine armies didst crush the head of the most-proud Morning Star in Heaven and dost ever put to shame his evil and cunning on earth, to thee do we flee with faith and to thee we pray with love; be thou an invincible shield and a firm bulwark of the Holy Church and our homeland, protecting them with thy lightning-bearing sword from all enemies, both visible and invisible. Be thou a guardian angel, a most wise counselor and helper of Orthodox Christians, of our country, bringing them from the throne of the King of kings enlightenment and power, joy, peace, and consolation. Be thou the chief captain and companion in arms of our Christ-loving armed forces, crowning them with glory and victory over adversaries, that all who oppose us may know that God and His holy angels are with us. And leave not without thy help and protection, O Archangel of God, also us who glorify thy holy name today; for behold, even though we be great sinners, nevertheless we desire not to perish in our iniquities, but rather to turn to the Lord and be quickened by Him unto good works. Illumine, therefore, our minds with the light of God's countenance, which continually shineth on thy lightning-like forehead, that we may understand what the good and perfect will of God is concerning us, and know all that which we ought to do, and that which we ought to despise and abandon. Strengthen through the Grace of the Lord our weak will and feeble state, that, made firm in the law of the Lord, we may henceforth cease to be tossed to and fro by earthly thoughts and the lusts of the flesh, enticed away, like senseless children, by the quickly-perishing beauties of this world, foolishly forgetting the eternal and heavenly for the sake of the corruptible and earthly. Above all these things, do thou ask for us from on high a true spirit of repentance, unfeigned sorrow before God and contrition for our sins, that we may spend the number of days that remain to us of this transitory life not in gratifying our senses and in slavery to our passions, but in wiping out the evil things we have done by tears of faith and heartfelt contrition, by struggles of purity and holy deeds of mercy. And when the hour of our end and liberation from the bonds of this body of clay draweth nigh, O Archangel of God, leave us not defenseless against the spirits of evil in the upper air, who are accustomed to hinder the ascent of man's soul on high, that guarded by thee we may attain without hindrance those most glorious dwelling-places of Paradise, where there is neither sorrow, nor sighing, but life everlasting, and be vouchsafed to behold the most radiant countenance of our all-beneficent Lord and Master, fall down with tears at His feet, in joy and compunction shouting aloud: Glory to Thee, our most dear Redeemer, Who, because of Thy great love for us unworthy ones, hast been pleased to send Thine angels in the service of our salvation! Amen.

The undying Psalter

Round-the-Clock Prayerful Protection with the Words of the Ancient Prayer Book of the Old Testament – Psalm 90 from the Psalter.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. ‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.’