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Prayers

The prayer for the newly baptized

A priest’s prayer from the Orthodox baptism service, set for the eighth day after a baptism. The Russian prayer book also gives it for the anniversary of a baptism.

Picture: Marie Ellenrieder, The Baptism of Lydia, 1861

The words of the prayer

Plain English

You gave Your servant (name)freedom from sins through holy baptism,and granted them the life of a new birth.You Yourself, Master and Lord,be pleased to light up their heart alwayswith the light of Your face.Keep the shield of their faithsafe from every snare.Keep the robe of incorruption that they put onclean and spotless on them,and keep unbroken in themthe spiritual seal of Your grace.Be merciful to them and to usin the abundance of Your compassion.

For blessed and glorified is Your most honored and majestic name,of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,now and ever, and for ever and ever. Amen.

You gave me, Your servant,freedom from sins through holy baptism,and granted me the life of a new birth.You Yourself, Master and Lord,be pleased to light up my heart alwayswith the light of Your face.Keep the shield of my faithsafe from every snare.Keep the robe of incorruption that I put onclean and spotless on me,and keep unbroken in methe spiritual seal of Your grace.Be merciful to me and to usin the abundance of Your compassion.

For blessed and glorified is Your most honored and majestic name,of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,now and ever, and for ever and ever. Amen.

Traditional wording, 1906

O Thou Who, through holy Baptism, hast given unto Thy servant remission of sins,and hast bestowed upon him (her) a life of regeneration:Do Thou, the same Lord and Master,ever graciously illumine his (her) heart with the light of Thy countenance.Maintain the shield of his (her) faith unassailed by the enemy.Preserve pure and unpolluted the garment of incorruptionwherewith Thou hast endued him (her),upholding inviolate in him (her), by Thy grace, the seal of the Spirit,and showing mercy unto him (her) and unto us,through the multitude of Thy mercies.

For blessed and glorified is Thine all-honourable and majestic Name,of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,now, and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic of the Russian prayer book, with Isabel Hapgood’s 1906 translation beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: Isabel F. Hapgood, Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church, 1906.

Hapgood’s “unassailed by the enemy” names an enemy, as the Greek does. The Church Slavonic printed here has no such word, so the plain English says “safe from every snare”.

When it is said

The service books set it for the eighth day after a baptism. The newly baptized is brought back to church, and the priest says this prayer as he loosens their belt and robe.

The Russian prayer book gives the same prayer for the anniversary of a baptism. A godparent might pray it for a godchild that day, or anyone for themselves.

Where it comes from

No author known

A prayer from the baptism service

It comes from the Orthodox baptism service in the Euchologion, the priest’s service book, and no author is named. The Great Euchologion printed in Venice in 1862 has it in Greek, among the prayers for the eighth day.

Isabel F. Hapgood, Service Book, 1906: Holy Baptism, the ablution; Euchologion to Mega, Venice 1862

The robe and the seal

Right after the baptism, the priest dresses the newly baptized in a robe and says they are “clothed with the robe of righteousness”. He then anoints them with chrism, saying each time, “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.” This prayer asks God to keep that robe clean and that seal unbroken.

Isabel F. Hapgood, Service Book, 1906: Holy Baptism and Chrismation

The Scripture in it

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Galatians 3:27 Echoed All who are baptized into Christ have put on Christ, the robe the prayer asks God to keep clean.

Many ask, “Who can show us the good?” Shine the light of Your face upon us, O LORD.

Psalm 4:6 Echoed The light of the Lord’s face shining on His people.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Ephesians 6:16 Echoed Paul’s shield of faith.

And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit …

Ephesians 1:13 Echoed Believers sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.

In Church Slavonic

Избавле́ние грехо́в святы́м креще́нием рабу́ Твоему́ (рабе́ Твое́й) дарова́вый,

и жи́знь па́ки рожде́ния ему́ (ей) пода́вый,

Сам, Влады́ко Го́споди,

просвеще́нием лица́ Твоего́ се́рдце его́ (ея́) озаря́ти вы́ну благоволи́;

щит ве́ры его́ (ея́) ненаве́тен соблюди́;

нетле́ния оде́жду, е́юже оде́яся, нескве́рну в нем (ней) и небла́знену сохрани́,

неруши́му в нем (ней) духо́вную печа́ть благода́ти Твоея́ соблюда́я,

ми́лостив ему́же (ейже) и нам быва́я, по мно́жеству щедро́т Твои́х.

Я́ко благослови́ся и просла́вися пречестно́е и великоле́пое и́мя Твое́,

Отца́ и Сы́на и Свята́го Ду́ха, ны́не и при́сно и во ве́ки веко́в. Ами́нь.

From the Russian prayer book on azbyka.ru, “On the anniversary of baptism”.

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