Book Description

The Prayer Rule of the Theotokos has come down to us through the notebook of the great 19th Century Russian Orthodox saint and mystic, Seraphim of Sarov. He prayed this beautiful prayer everyday. It is recorded in the writings of a spiritual son of St. Seraphim, Father Zosima, that this Rule was originally revealed by Our Blessed Lady in the 8th Century, but it came into disuse and was all but forgotten for hundreds of years before Seraphim made it known again. The practice of reciting the Angelic Salutation, "Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos..." 150 times, after the pattern of the Psalter, dates back to at least the 4th Century when the monks of the Egyptian Thebaid are said to have prayed in this way. The Prayer Rule as prayed by Saint Seraphim includes beautiful, full-color iconographic illustrations for each of the fifteen mysteries of the Rule. The introductory prayers for each mystery are those of St. Seraphim, himself. The concluding prayers for each mystery were written by a nun who was a disciple of the saint.