St. Arsenios of Cappadocia: BLESSING-PSALTER
THE SAINT PACHOMIUS ORTHODOX LIBRARY
This document is in the public domain. Copying it is encouraged.
THE PSALTER AS A BOOK OF NEEDS, according to the usage of St.
Arsenios of Cappadocia, as transmitted by the Athonite Elder
Paisios, translated for the St. Pachomius Library by Vassilios
Kollias, edited by Karen Rae Keck.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Saint Arsenios used to use the Psalms for
blessings, especialy when there was no prescribed blessing for a
particular occasion. Here in Part One is the correspondence
between the psalms and different occasions. The original Greek
list can be found in -O Geron Paisios- by the Hieromonk
Christodoulos, Agion Oros, 1994. In Part Two, we have provided a
(rather poor) index; perhaps someone else would care to fashion a
better.
Apart from all religious considerations, this "Book of Needs" is a
fascinating portrait of village life in Anatolia at the beginning
of the Twentieth Century: whether it reflects more the "longue
duree" of Byzantine history or the particular difficulties of St.
Arsenios' time we do not feel well enough informed even to
speculate. There is certainly no idealization of rural conditions
here: particularly noteworthy is the extreme concern for
alleviating psychological as well as physical pain, and the
mention of what we would nowadays call "post-traumatic stress
disorder".
To us, at least, the exact reasoning behind the saint's choice of
a particular psalm for a given need is not always obvious; perhaps
this is by design, to encourage close reflection on the words.
Orthodoxy is not magic, and a document like this one is not an
endorsement of "peasant superstition"; it is rather a channel
through which the Love of God can enter into every aspect of human
society.
PART ONE: A LIST OF PSALMS FOR USE AS BLESSINGS, ARRANGED BY ORDER
IN THE PSALTER:
[IMPORTANT NOTE: The FIRST number is the number of the psalm in
the Greek Septuagint Bible. The SECOND number is the number of the
psalm found in the Masoretic text and in most English language
Bibles, such as the King James!]
1 (1) When a tree or a vine is planted, so that it may bring forth
fruit.
2 (2) So that God illumines those who go to meetings and councils.
3 (3) So that badness goes away from people, so that they do not
torment unjustly their fellows.
4 (4) So that God heals the sensitive people who fell ill from
depression because of the behaviour of hard-hearted people.
5 (5) So that God heals the wounded eyes that were bitten by a bad
person.
6 (6) So that God frees the person who has been under a spell.
7 (7) For those who got damaged from fear, from the terrors and
the intimidations of bad people.
8 (8) For those who are hurt by demons or by perverse people.
9 (9 & 10) So that the demons stop tormenting you in sleep or with
fancies during the day.
10 (11) For hard-hearted couples that argue and divorce (when the
hard-hearted man or woman torments their sensitive wife or
husband).
11 (12) For mentally ill people who have badness and harm others.
12 (13) For those who suffer from their liver.
13 (14) For a terrible demon, continually three times a day for
three days.
14 (15) So that robbers or thieves change their mind and return
having done no harm, and having repented.
15 (16) So that the key is found when it is lost.
16 (17) For a grave and unjust accusation, three times a day for
three days.
17 (18) When there is an earthquake or other natural disaster, or
devastating rain with lightning.
18 (19) So that women give birth successfully.
19 (20) For the couples who for medical reasons cannot have
children, so that God heals them and that they do not divorce.
20 (21) So that God softens the hearts of the rich and they give
alms to the poor.
21 (22) So that God contains the fire, so that no big harm
happens.
22 (23) So that God makes milder the very rebellious children that
bring sorrow to their parents.
23 (24) So that the door opens when the key is lost.
24 (25) For people who temptation troubles a lot and so brings
continual problems into their lives, making them lose their peace
and complain.
25 (26) When somebody asks something good from God so that He
gives it without the person getting harmed.
26 (27) So that God protects the peasants from the enemy army, so
that they do not harm the people or their fields.
27 (28) So that God heals those who suffer from illnesses of
nervous or mental origin.
28 (29) For those that the sea makes sick and who are afraid of
the rough sea.
29 (30) For those that are in danger far away, in the territory of
barbarous and unbelieving people, so that God guards them and
illumines the people there to become peaceful and to come to know
God.
30 (31) So that God gives enough grain and fruit when the weather
is not good for agriculture.
31 (32) So that the travelers find their way when they are lost
and suffering from it.
32 (33) So that God reveals the truth to those who were unjustly
imprisoned, and so that they are set free.
33 (34) For those on the edge of death, when they are tormented by
demons. Or, for the enemy army when it brings danger and enters
the borders with ominous intentions.
34 (35) So that God frees the good people from the traps of the
bad people, who take advantage of the people of God.
35 (36) So that animosity disappears completely after arguments
and misunderstandings.
36 (37) For people badly wounded by criminals.
37 (38) When the jaws have pain coming from rotten teeth.
38 (39) So that the people who are abandoned and depressed find
work, so that they stop being in sorrow.
39 (40) So that the love between employer and employee comes back
when there has been exchange of heavy words.
40 (41) So that women give birth with success when the child comes
prematurely into the world.
41 (42) For young people when they get ill from falling in love,
and one person gets wounded and is in sorrow.
42 (43) So that the people get free from the prisons of an enemy
nation.
43 (44) So that God reveals the truth to couples when there has
been a misunderstanding, so that they come into mutual peace and
love again.
44 (45) For those who suffer from heart or kidneys.
45 (46) For the young people that the enemy because of envy
prevents from making a family (i.e. from getting married).
46 (47) So that the employee or the employer find peace, when the
employee leaves offended by the employer, and so that the employee
finds work.
47 (48) When gangs of criminals go robbing and grave disasters are
happening: to be continually read for 40 days.
48 (49) For those who do a dangerous job.
49 (50) So that the people who are far from God repent and return
to God and are saved.
50 (51) When, because of our sins and in order to correct us,
comes the punishment of God (epidemics of illness and deaths for
people or animals).
51 (52) So that the hard-hearted masters repent and become
compassionate and do not torment the people.
52 (53) So that God blesses the nets and they get filled with
fish.
53 (54) So that God illumines the rich people that have bought
slaves so that they free them.
54 (55) So that the name of a family that had been unjustly
accused is restored.
55 (56) For sensitive people, whose souls have been wounded by
their fellows.
56 (57) For those people who suffer headaches coming from big
sorrow.
57 (58) So that things come in a helping way for those who work
with good intention, so that God prevents every perverse action of
demons or crooked people.
58 (59) For those that cannot speak, that God gives them the
ability to speak.
59 (60) So that God reveals the truth when a whole group of people
is unjustly accused.
60 (61) For those that have trouble in their work either because
of laziness or because of fear.
61 (62) So that God relieves from troubles the person who is weak,
so that he is not dominated by the urge to complain.
62 (63) So that fields and trees bring forth fruit when the water
is limited.
63 (64) When a person is bitten by a dog or wolf that had rabies.
(He was also for giving them blessed water to drink).
64 (65) So that merchants prosper, so that they do not speak too
much and take advantage of simple people.
65 (66) So that the evil one does not bring obstacles in the homes
and cause families to be in sorrow.
66 (67) So that the places where hens are raised are blessed.
67 (68) So that the women whose pregnancies fail manage to endure
and become healthy.
68 (69) When there is severe rain and the rivers overflow, taking
with them people and houses.
69 (70) For sensitive people that get sad from little things and
come to despair, that God gives them strength.
70 (71) For deserted people who become uninteresting to others
[lit. "boring"] because of the devil's envy and come to despair,
that they may find mercy and healing from God.
71 (72) So that God blesses the gatherings of the new agricultural
production that the peasants bring home.
72 (73) So that the criminals repent.
73 (74) So that God protects the peasants that work in their
fields when the enemy have surrounded the village.
74 (75) So that the barbarous employer becomes peaceful and does
not torment his fellow human beings, the empoloyees.
75 (76) For a mother who is scared during her giving birth, so
that God gives her braveness and protects her.
76 (77) When there is no mutual understanding between parents and
children, that God illumines them, so that the children listen to
the parents and the parents show love.
77 (78) So that God illumines those who lend so that they do not
press their fellows for their debt, and so that they are
compassionate.
78 (79) So that God protects the villages from the robbing and
stealing of the enemy army.
79 (80) So that God cures a person whose face gets swollen and all
his head is in pain.
80 (81) So that God takes care of the poor who are in need and
sorrow and are depressed because of poverty.
81 (82) So that people buy the products of the peasants, so that
the peasants are not sad and depressed.
82 (83) So that God prevents the bad people who want to do
murders.
83 (84) So that God preserves all that is kept in the house, and
the animals, and the products of the producers.
84 (85) So that God heals those who were wounded by robbers and
moreover got psychologically damaged from terror.
85 (86) So that God saves the world when plague comes and people
die.
86 (87) So that God extends the lives of those members of the
family that are still urgently needed by the rest of the family.
87 (88) So that God protects all those who have no protector and
are suffering from hard-hearted fellows.
88 (89) So that God gives strength to those who easily fall sick
and are physically weak, so that they can work without getting
tired and depressed.
89 (90) So that God brings rain when there is a drought, or that
the wells bring forth water again if they have stopped doing so.
90 (91) So that the devil disappears when he appears in front of a
person and brings him terror.
91 (92) So that God gives prudence to people so that they progress
spiritually.
92 (93) So that God protects the ship when it is in great danger
at sea. (He was also for throwing blessed water at the four
corners of the ship).
93 (94) So that God illumines the disorderly people who cause
problems to the nation and bring commotion to the people, causing
trouble by disorder and divisions.
94 (95) So that no spells cause couples to start finding reasons
for arguments and fights.
95 (96) So that God gives to the deaf people the ability to hear.
96 (97) So that spells go away from people.
97 (98) So that God gives comfort for those who are in sorrow so
that they stop being depressed.
98 (99) So that God blesses and gives grace to those young people
who want to leave everything and follow God. [I do not know how
successful is my translation here. To my Greek ear the exact
phrase that is used would make me think of people who follow the
monastic life but I am not sure. --Trans.]
99 (100) So that God blesses and makes real the desires of the
people that are in accordance with His will.
100 (101) So that God gives graces and talents to the good and
simple people.
101 (102) So that God blesses the people who hold offices of power
so that they help the people with kindness and understanding.
102 (103) So that the monthly flow of blood comes to a woman when
it is delayed.
103 (104) So that God blesses the possessions of the people that
they are not sad and depressed, but glorify God.
104 (105) So that people repent and confess their sins.
105 (106) So that God gives illumination to people so that they do
not move away from the way to salvation.
106 (107) So that God gives the woman who could not give birth the
ability to do so.
107 (108) So that God humbles the enemies, so that they change
their bad intentions.
108 (109) So that God cures the epileptics. Or, so that God has
mercy on those who accuse unjustly and they repent.
109 (110) So that the younger have respect for the older.
110 (111) So that the unjust judges repent and judge justly the
people of God.
111 (112) So that God protects the soldiers when they go to war.
112 (113) So that God gives blessings to the poor widow, so that
she pays her debts and is saved from going to prison.
113 (114 & 115) So that God cures the mentally retarded children.
114 (116:1-9) So that God gives blessings and comfort to the sad
poor little children, so that they are not looked down upon by the
children of the rich and consequently feel depressed.
115 (116:10-19) So that God cures the horrible passion of lying.
116 (117) So that families keep unity and love and glorify God.
117 (118) So that God humbles the barbarians when they surround
the village and bring fear, and that He reverses their bad
intentions.
118 (119) So that God shatters the barbarians and humbles their
action when they slay innocent women and children.
119 (120) So that God gives patience and forbearance to those
people who have to live together with crooked and unjust people.
120 (121) So that God protects the slaves from the hands of the
enemy so that they are not mutilated before they are set free.
121 (122) So that God cures those who suffer from the "evil eye".
122 (123) So that God gives eyesight to the blind and cures the
eyes that are in pain.
123 (124) So that God protects people from snakes, so that they do
not bite.
124 (125) So that God protects the fields of the just people from
the bad people.
125 (126) So that God cures the people who suffer from continual
headaches.
126 (127) So that God brings peace to a family when there are
arguments.
127 (128) So that the badness of the enemy never approaches the
homes, and that there is the peace and blessing of God in the
family.
128 (129) So that God cures the people who suffer from migraines,
or, so that God shows mercy to the hard and indiscreet people who
bring sorrow to the sensitive.
129 (130) So that God gives braveness and hope to those who start
a new job and do not know it well yet, so that they do not find
extreme difficulty in their work.
130 (131) So that God gives repentance and comfort with hope to
people so that they are saved.
131 (132) So that God shows pity to the world when because of our
sins there are continual wars.
132 (133) So that God illumines the nations and they become
friendly and the people find peace.
133 (134) So that God protects people from every danger.
134 (135) So that people concentrate at the time of prayer and
their mind is united with God.
135 (136) So that God protects the immigrants when they abandon
their homes and leave so that they are saved from the barbarians.
136 (137) So that God brings steadiness to the person with
unsteady character.
137 (138) So that God illumines the masters of the place so that
people's requests are treated with understanding.
138 (139) So that God stops the temptation of sensitive people by
blasphemous thoughts.
139 (140) So that God makes peaceful the head of the family who
has a very difficult character and brings suffering to all the
family.
140 (141) So that God makes peaceful the barbarian master of a
place who torments his fellows.
141 (142) So that God makes peaceful the rebel who is doing bad;
then even if he is a Kurd he becomes a lamb. [St. Arsenios was
living in Asia Minor. Kurds, who were often soldiers, had a
reputation among other ethnic groups for being brutal fighters. --
Trans.]
142 (143) So that God protects the mother throughout the pregnancy
so that she does not loose the child.
143 (144) So that God pacifies the people when they are in unrest
so that no civil war happens.
144 (145) So that God blesses the work of people so that it is
well accepted by God.
145 (146) So that God stops the flow of blood from people who
suffer from it.
146 (147:1-11) So that God heals the people who have been bitten
and wounded in the jaws by bad people.
147 (147:12-20) So that God brings peace to the wild animals so
that they do not harm people or farm produce.
148 (148) So that God makes the weather appropriate so that people
have plenty and glorify God.
[These were from St. Arsenios. The following to are from Fr.
Paisios of the Holy Mountain.]
149 (149) From gratefulness and thankfulness to God for His many
kindnesses and for the plenitude of His love, that knows no limit
and bears with us.
150 (150) So that God gives happiness and comfort to our sad
brothers and sisters who are in far places, and to those of our
brothers and sisters who are sleeping and are even farther away.
Amen.
------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
PART TWO: TOPICAL INDEX
[IMPORTANT NOTE: Only the Septuagint psalm number is given in this
index.]
AGRICULTURE: 1, 26, 30, 50, 52, 62, 66, 71, 83, 124, 147, 148
ANIMALS, Unfriendly: 63, 123, 147
CHILDREN: 22, 76, 109, 113, 114
DEATH AND DEPARTED: 33, 150
DISASTERS: 17, 21, 30, 50, 62, 68, 85, 89
HEALTH, Physical: 5, 12, 28, 36, 37, 44, 56, 58, 63, 79, 86, 88,
95, 102, 108, 122, 125, 128, 145, 146
HEALTH, Psychological: 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 24, 27, 41, 55, 56, 60, 61,
69, 70, 80, 81, 84, 97, 100, 103, 128, 136, 138
HEALTH, Women's: 18, 19, 40, 67, 75, 106, 142, 145
LAW AND GOVERNMENT: 14, 16, 32, 36, 47, 51, 59, 72, 82, 84, 93,
101, 108, 110, 137, 140, 141, 143
MAGIC AND DEMONS: 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, 33, 57, 65, 90, 94, 96, 121
PEACE AND WAR: 26, 33, 42, 73, 78, 93, 107, 111, 117, 118, 120,
127, 131, 132, 135, 140, 141, 143
PEACE (among friends and family): 10, 19, 22, 35, 41, 43, 45, 54,
65, 76, 86, 94, 109, 116, 126, 127, 139
PROPERTY: 14, 15, 23, 47, 83, 103, 124
PROTECTION: 9, 13, 34, 47, 48, 57, 90, 133
SOCIAL CONCERNS: 20, 32, 35, 38, 51, 53, 59, 77, 80, 81, 87, 93,
101, 110, 112, 113, 114, 119, 124, 137, 140
SPIRITUALITY: 3, 9, 24, 25, 29, 49, 50, 57, 72, 91, 98, 99, 100,
104, 105, 108, 115, 119, 130, 134, 136, 149
TRAVEL AND EMIGRATION: 28, 29, 31, 92, 135, 150
WORK: 2, 38, 39, 46, 48, 51, 52, 57, 60, 64, 74, 81, 83, 100, 101,
103, 129, 137, 140,144
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++
The St. Pachomius Orthodox Library, Nativity of the Forerunner
1995
Have mercy, O Lord, upon Thy servants the Hieromonk Christodoulos,
the
translator Vassilios, and Karen.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++
THE END, AND TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
+
-------------------------------------------------------
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-------------------------------------------------------
This document is in the public domain. Copying it is encouraged.
THE PSALTER AS A BOOK OF NEEDS, according to the usage of St.
Arsenios of Cappadocia, as transmitted by the Athonite Elder
Paisios, translated for the St. Pachomius Library by Vassilios
Kollias, edited by Karen Rae Keck.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Saint Arsenios used to use the Psalms for
blessings, especialy when there was no prescribed blessing for a
particular occasion. Here in Part One is the correspondence
between the psalms and different occasions. The original Greek
list can be found in -O Geron Paisios- by the Hieromonk
Christodoulos, Agion Oros, 1994. In Part Two, we have provided a
(rather poor) index; perhaps someone else would care to fashion a
better.
Apart from all religious considerations, this "Book of Needs" is a
fascinating portrait of village life in Anatolia at the beginning
of the Twentieth Century: whether it reflects more the "longue
duree" of Byzantine history or the particular difficulties of St.
Arsenios' time we do not feel well enough informed even to
speculate. There is certainly no idealization of rural conditions
here: particularly noteworthy is the extreme concern for
alleviating psychological as well as physical pain, and the
mention of what we would nowadays call "post-traumatic stress
disorder".
To us, at least, the exact reasoning behind the saint's choice of
a particular psalm for a given need is not always obvious; perhaps
this is by design, to encourage close reflection on the words.
Orthodoxy is not magic, and a document like this one is not an
endorsement of "peasant superstition"; it is rather a channel
through which the Love of God can enter into every aspect of human
society.
PART ONE: A LIST OF PSALMS FOR USE AS BLESSINGS, ARRANGED BY ORDER
IN THE PSALTER:
[IMPORTANT NOTE: The FIRST number is the number of the psalm in
the Greek Septuagint Bible. The SECOND number is the number of the
psalm found in the Masoretic text and in most English language
Bibles, such as the King James!]
1 (1) When a tree or a vine is planted, so that it may bring forth
fruit.
2 (2) So that God illumines those who go to meetings and councils.
3 (3) So that badness goes away from people, so that they do not
torment unjustly their fellows.
4 (4) So that God heals the sensitive people who fell ill from
depression because of the behaviour of hard-hearted people.
5 (5) So that God heals the wounded eyes that were bitten by a bad
person.
6 (6) So that God frees the person who has been under a spell.
7 (7) For those who got damaged from fear, from the terrors and
the intimidations of bad people.
8 (8) For those who are hurt by demons or by perverse people.
9 (9 & 10) So that the demons stop tormenting you in sleep or with
fancies during the day.
10 (11) For hard-hearted couples that argue and divorce (when the
hard-hearted man or woman torments their sensitive wife or
husband).
11 (12) For mentally ill people who have badness and harm others.
12 (13) For those who suffer from their liver.
13 (14) For a terrible demon, continually three times a day for
three days.
14 (15) So that robbers or thieves change their mind and return
having done no harm, and having repented.
15 (16) So that the key is found when it is lost.
16 (17) For a grave and unjust accusation, three times a day for
three days.
17 (18) When there is an earthquake or other natural disaster, or
devastating rain with lightning.
18 (19) So that women give birth successfully.
19 (20) For the couples who for medical reasons cannot have
children, so that God heals them and that they do not divorce.
20 (21) So that God softens the hearts of the rich and they give
alms to the poor.
21 (22) So that God contains the fire, so that no big harm
happens.
22 (23) So that God makes milder the very rebellious children that
bring sorrow to their parents.
23 (24) So that the door opens when the key is lost.
24 (25) For people who temptation troubles a lot and so brings
continual problems into their lives, making them lose their peace
and complain.
25 (26) When somebody asks something good from God so that He
gives it without the person getting harmed.
26 (27) So that God protects the peasants from the enemy army, so
that they do not harm the people or their fields.
27 (28) So that God heals those who suffer from illnesses of
nervous or mental origin.
28 (29) For those that the sea makes sick and who are afraid of
the rough sea.
29 (30) For those that are in danger far away, in the territory of
barbarous and unbelieving people, so that God guards them and
illumines the people there to become peaceful and to come to know
God.
30 (31) So that God gives enough grain and fruit when the weather
is not good for agriculture.
31 (32) So that the travelers find their way when they are lost
and suffering from it.
32 (33) So that God reveals the truth to those who were unjustly
imprisoned, and so that they are set free.
33 (34) For those on the edge of death, when they are tormented by
demons. Or, for the enemy army when it brings danger and enters
the borders with ominous intentions.
34 (35) So that God frees the good people from the traps of the
bad people, who take advantage of the people of God.
35 (36) So that animosity disappears completely after arguments
and misunderstandings.
36 (37) For people badly wounded by criminals.
37 (38) When the jaws have pain coming from rotten teeth.
38 (39) So that the people who are abandoned and depressed find
work, so that they stop being in sorrow.
39 (40) So that the love between employer and employee comes back
when there has been exchange of heavy words.
40 (41) So that women give birth with success when the child comes
prematurely into the world.
41 (42) For young people when they get ill from falling in love,
and one person gets wounded and is in sorrow.
42 (43) So that the people get free from the prisons of an enemy
nation.
43 (44) So that God reveals the truth to couples when there has
been a misunderstanding, so that they come into mutual peace and
love again.
44 (45) For those who suffer from heart or kidneys.
45 (46) For the young people that the enemy because of envy
prevents from making a family (i.e. from getting married).
46 (47) So that the employee or the employer find peace, when the
employee leaves offended by the employer, and so that the employee
finds work.
47 (48) When gangs of criminals go robbing and grave disasters are
happening: to be continually read for 40 days.
48 (49) For those who do a dangerous job.
49 (50) So that the people who are far from God repent and return
to God and are saved.
50 (51) When, because of our sins and in order to correct us,
comes the punishment of God (epidemics of illness and deaths for
people or animals).
51 (52) So that the hard-hearted masters repent and become
compassionate and do not torment the people.
52 (53) So that God blesses the nets and they get filled with
fish.
53 (54) So that God illumines the rich people that have bought
slaves so that they free them.
54 (55) So that the name of a family that had been unjustly
accused is restored.
55 (56) For sensitive people, whose souls have been wounded by
their fellows.
56 (57) For those people who suffer headaches coming from big
sorrow.
57 (58) So that things come in a helping way for those who work
with good intention, so that God prevents every perverse action of
demons or crooked people.
58 (59) For those that cannot speak, that God gives them the
ability to speak.
59 (60) So that God reveals the truth when a whole group of people
is unjustly accused.
60 (61) For those that have trouble in their work either because
of laziness or because of fear.
61 (62) So that God relieves from troubles the person who is weak,
so that he is not dominated by the urge to complain.
62 (63) So that fields and trees bring forth fruit when the water
is limited.
63 (64) When a person is bitten by a dog or wolf that had rabies.
(He was also for giving them blessed water to drink).
64 (65) So that merchants prosper, so that they do not speak too
much and take advantage of simple people.
65 (66) So that the evil one does not bring obstacles in the homes
and cause families to be in sorrow.
66 (67) So that the places where hens are raised are blessed.
67 (68) So that the women whose pregnancies fail manage to endure
and become healthy.
68 (69) When there is severe rain and the rivers overflow, taking
with them people and houses.
69 (70) For sensitive people that get sad from little things and
come to despair, that God gives them strength.
70 (71) For deserted people who become uninteresting to others
[lit. "boring"] because of the devil's envy and come to despair,
that they may find mercy and healing from God.
71 (72) So that God blesses the gatherings of the new agricultural
production that the peasants bring home.
72 (73) So that the criminals repent.
73 (74) So that God protects the peasants that work in their
fields when the enemy have surrounded the village.
74 (75) So that the barbarous employer becomes peaceful and does
not torment his fellow human beings, the empoloyees.
75 (76) For a mother who is scared during her giving birth, so
that God gives her braveness and protects her.
76 (77) When there is no mutual understanding between parents and
children, that God illumines them, so that the children listen to
the parents and the parents show love.
77 (78) So that God illumines those who lend so that they do not
press their fellows for their debt, and so that they are
compassionate.
78 (79) So that God protects the villages from the robbing and
stealing of the enemy army.
79 (80) So that God cures a person whose face gets swollen and all
his head is in pain.
80 (81) So that God takes care of the poor who are in need and
sorrow and are depressed because of poverty.
81 (82) So that people buy the products of the peasants, so that
the peasants are not sad and depressed.
82 (83) So that God prevents the bad people who want to do
murders.
83 (84) So that God preserves all that is kept in the house, and
the animals, and the products of the producers.
84 (85) So that God heals those who were wounded by robbers and
moreover got psychologically damaged from terror.
85 (86) So that God saves the world when plague comes and people
die.
86 (87) So that God extends the lives of those members of the
family that are still urgently needed by the rest of the family.
87 (88) So that God protects all those who have no protector and
are suffering from hard-hearted fellows.
88 (89) So that God gives strength to those who easily fall sick
and are physically weak, so that they can work without getting
tired and depressed.
89 (90) So that God brings rain when there is a drought, or that
the wells bring forth water again if they have stopped doing so.
90 (91) So that the devil disappears when he appears in front of a
person and brings him terror.
91 (92) So that God gives prudence to people so that they progress
spiritually.
92 (93) So that God protects the ship when it is in great danger
at sea. (He was also for throwing blessed water at the four
corners of the ship).
93 (94) So that God illumines the disorderly people who cause
problems to the nation and bring commotion to the people, causing
trouble by disorder and divisions.
94 (95) So that no spells cause couples to start finding reasons
for arguments and fights.
95 (96) So that God gives to the deaf people the ability to hear.
96 (97) So that spells go away from people.
97 (98) So that God gives comfort for those who are in sorrow so
that they stop being depressed.
98 (99) So that God blesses and gives grace to those young people
who want to leave everything and follow God. [I do not know how
successful is my translation here. To my Greek ear the exact
phrase that is used would make me think of people who follow the
monastic life but I am not sure. --Trans.]
99 (100) So that God blesses and makes real the desires of the
people that are in accordance with His will.
100 (101) So that God gives graces and talents to the good and
simple people.
101 (102) So that God blesses the people who hold offices of power
so that they help the people with kindness and understanding.
102 (103) So that the monthly flow of blood comes to a woman when
it is delayed.
103 (104) So that God blesses the possessions of the people that
they are not sad and depressed, but glorify God.
104 (105) So that people repent and confess their sins.
105 (106) So that God gives illumination to people so that they do
not move away from the way to salvation.
106 (107) So that God gives the woman who could not give birth the
ability to do so.
107 (108) So that God humbles the enemies, so that they change
their bad intentions.
108 (109) So that God cures the epileptics. Or, so that God has
mercy on those who accuse unjustly and they repent.
109 (110) So that the younger have respect for the older.
110 (111) So that the unjust judges repent and judge justly the
people of God.
111 (112) So that God protects the soldiers when they go to war.
112 (113) So that God gives blessings to the poor widow, so that
she pays her debts and is saved from going to prison.
113 (114 & 115) So that God cures the mentally retarded children.
114 (116:1-9) So that God gives blessings and comfort to the sad
poor little children, so that they are not looked down upon by the
children of the rich and consequently feel depressed.
115 (116:10-19) So that God cures the horrible passion of lying.
116 (117) So that families keep unity and love and glorify God.
117 (118) So that God humbles the barbarians when they surround
the village and bring fear, and that He reverses their bad
intentions.
118 (119) So that God shatters the barbarians and humbles their
action when they slay innocent women and children.
119 (120) So that God gives patience and forbearance to those
people who have to live together with crooked and unjust people.
120 (121) So that God protects the slaves from the hands of the
enemy so that they are not mutilated before they are set free.
121 (122) So that God cures those who suffer from the "evil eye".
122 (123) So that God gives eyesight to the blind and cures the
eyes that are in pain.
123 (124) So that God protects people from snakes, so that they do
not bite.
124 (125) So that God protects the fields of the just people from
the bad people.
125 (126) So that God cures the people who suffer from continual
headaches.
126 (127) So that God brings peace to a family when there are
arguments.
127 (128) So that the badness of the enemy never approaches the
homes, and that there is the peace and blessing of God in the
family.
128 (129) So that God cures the people who suffer from migraines,
or, so that God shows mercy to the hard and indiscreet people who
bring sorrow to the sensitive.
129 (130) So that God gives braveness and hope to those who start
a new job and do not know it well yet, so that they do not find
extreme difficulty in their work.
130 (131) So that God gives repentance and comfort with hope to
people so that they are saved.
131 (132) So that God shows pity to the world when because of our
sins there are continual wars.
132 (133) So that God illumines the nations and they become
friendly and the people find peace.
133 (134) So that God protects people from every danger.
134 (135) So that people concentrate at the time of prayer and
their mind is united with God.
135 (136) So that God protects the immigrants when they abandon
their homes and leave so that they are saved from the barbarians.
136 (137) So that God brings steadiness to the person with
unsteady character.
137 (138) So that God illumines the masters of the place so that
people's requests are treated with understanding.
138 (139) So that God stops the temptation of sensitive people by
blasphemous thoughts.
139 (140) So that God makes peaceful the head of the family who
has a very difficult character and brings suffering to all the
family.
140 (141) So that God makes peaceful the barbarian master of a
place who torments his fellows.
141 (142) So that God makes peaceful the rebel who is doing bad;
then even if he is a Kurd he becomes a lamb. [St. Arsenios was
living in Asia Minor. Kurds, who were often soldiers, had a
reputation among other ethnic groups for being brutal fighters. --
Trans.]
142 (143) So that God protects the mother throughout the pregnancy
so that she does not loose the child.
143 (144) So that God pacifies the people when they are in unrest
so that no civil war happens.
144 (145) So that God blesses the work of people so that it is
well accepted by God.
145 (146) So that God stops the flow of blood from people who
suffer from it.
146 (147:1-11) So that God heals the people who have been bitten
and wounded in the jaws by bad people.
147 (147:12-20) So that God brings peace to the wild animals so
that they do not harm people or farm produce.
148 (148) So that God makes the weather appropriate so that people
have plenty and glorify God.
[These were from St. Arsenios. The following to are from Fr.
Paisios of the Holy Mountain.]
149 (149) From gratefulness and thankfulness to God for His many
kindnesses and for the plenitude of His love, that knows no limit
and bears with us.
150 (150) So that God gives happiness and comfort to our sad
brothers and sisters who are in far places, and to those of our
brothers and sisters who are sleeping and are even farther away.
Amen.
------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
PART TWO: TOPICAL INDEX
[IMPORTANT NOTE: Only the Septuagint psalm number is given in this
index.]
AGRICULTURE: 1, 26, 30, 50, 52, 62, 66, 71, 83, 124, 147, 148
ANIMALS, Unfriendly: 63, 123, 147
CHILDREN: 22, 76, 109, 113, 114
DEATH AND DEPARTED: 33, 150
DISASTERS: 17, 21, 30, 50, 62, 68, 85, 89
HEALTH, Physical: 5, 12, 28, 36, 37, 44, 56, 58, 63, 79, 86, 88,
95, 102, 108, 122, 125, 128, 145, 146
HEALTH, Psychological: 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 24, 27, 41, 55, 56, 60, 61,
69, 70, 80, 81, 84, 97, 100, 103, 128, 136, 138
HEALTH, Women's: 18, 19, 40, 67, 75, 106, 142, 145
LAW AND GOVERNMENT: 14, 16, 32, 36, 47, 51, 59, 72, 82, 84, 93,
101, 108, 110, 137, 140, 141, 143
MAGIC AND DEMONS: 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, 33, 57, 65, 90, 94, 96, 121
PEACE AND WAR: 26, 33, 42, 73, 78, 93, 107, 111, 117, 118, 120,
127, 131, 132, 135, 140, 141, 143
PEACE (among friends and family): 10, 19, 22, 35, 41, 43, 45, 54,
65, 76, 86, 94, 109, 116, 126, 127, 139
PROPERTY: 14, 15, 23, 47, 83, 103, 124
PROTECTION: 9, 13, 34, 47, 48, 57, 90, 133
SOCIAL CONCERNS: 20, 32, 35, 38, 51, 53, 59, 77, 80, 81, 87, 93,
101, 110, 112, 113, 114, 119, 124, 137, 140
SPIRITUALITY: 3, 9, 24, 25, 29, 49, 50, 57, 72, 91, 98, 99, 100,
104, 105, 108, 115, 119, 130, 134, 136, 149
TRAVEL AND EMIGRATION: 28, 29, 31, 92, 135, 150
WORK: 2, 38, 39, 46, 48, 51, 52, 57, 60, 64, 74, 81, 83, 100, 101,
103, 129, 137, 140,144
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++
The St. Pachomius Orthodox Library, Nativity of the Forerunner
1995
Have mercy, O Lord, upon Thy servants the Hieromonk Christodoulos,
the
translator Vassilios, and Karen.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++
THE END, AND TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
+
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