“Softening Evil Hearts”: Two Versions of Russian Kindness. The image of “softening evil hearts” and “seven-shot”

Difficult periods often arise in a person’s life, and there is simply not enough strength to cope with all the adversities and problems. In such situations, many turn to Higher powers for help. The prayer of the Mother of God “Softening” has enormous power. evil hearts" She helps people cope with both physical and mental problems. It is customary to pronounce it in front of an icon that has the same name.

The icon depicts the Mother of God holding seven swords in her hands, symbolizing the most important and deadly human sins. The swords are arranged like this: three on the right and left sides, and one pointing down. There is also a very similar icon called “Seven Arrows”. It also depicts the Virgin Mary with swords, but she has them arranged differently: on one side there are three, and on the other four. The “Softening of Hearts” icon is a reflection of the intense suffering that the Mother of God experiences for her Son throughout her life. Therefore, seven swords were chosen, since this number symbolizes the completeness of something, in this case suffering.

Prayer “Softening Evil Hearts”

Prayers in front of this image help you admit your mistakes and atone for them.

What else does the prayer to the Mother of God “Softening Evil Hearts” help with:

1. The main purpose of this image is to rid a person of bad thoughts and committing various atrocities.
2. It allows you to protect yourself and protect your home from the arrival of people with bad intentions. That is why it is recommended to have the “Softening Evil Hearts” icon in your home.
3. The prayer to the icon “Softening Evil Hearts” is also read when conflicts and misunderstandings arise in relationships with loved ones. Many people know that the Mother of God is the main protector of the family hearth. Prayer requests They help her return harmony, love and warmth to the family. It is worth noting that they help both in relationships between spouses and in tandem between parents and children.

In the Orthodox prayer book you can also find the Mother of God “Softening of Evil Hearts,” which has enormous power. It can be read not only to praise the Mother of God, but also in difficult situations when you need help and support.

Prayer is not simple dialing words and for it to reach the Higher Powers, it is necessary to take into account some rules of pronunciation. First of all, this concerns sincerity, since the words spoken must come from the heart. Equally important is unshakable faith in God and his powers.

1. It is best to say the words in front of the icon, kneeling or sitting at the table. Required image can be found in any church store. It is also recommended to light candles in front of the icon.
2. It is important that when communicating with By higher powers nothing distracted, and this applies not only to external stimuli, but also to one’s own thoughts. The focus should be solely on prayer.
3. It is best if there is a cross on the body while saying the prayer, and women are also recommended to wear a scarf on their heads.
4. You need to start by saying the Lord’s Prayer three times, don’t forget after each time.
5. It is best to read prayers in the morning and it is worth doing it every day.

Remember that you should not expect help with requests that are associated with any benefit or self-interest. You should not ask and punish enemies or other people. Such requests always remain unanswered. It is important that a person repents of his sins and cleanses himself of all the burden on his soul.

Theology used sacred poetic images to describe mental forces that do not have an image, meaning our mind, taking care of its inherent and akin ability to rise from the earthly to the heavenly and adapting its mysterious sacred images to its concepts.

Saint Dionysius the Areopagite.
"On the Heavenly Hierarchy"

“Softening Evil Hearts”... There is so much hope in the name of this icon - the hope that one day truth will triumph on earth, that people will become kind and merciful, and will begin to love each other. And how difficult it is in our cruel world, and sometimes only the sight of someone else’s suffering can soften our own evil heart...

This icon is also called “Simeon’s Prophecy.” As the Evangelist Luke narrates, the righteous elder Simeon the God-Receiver was predicted by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. And when the parents, on the fortieth day after the birth of the Baby, brought Him to the Jerusalem Temple, Simeon came there “by inspiration”, took the Baby in his arms (hence the nickname God-Receiver) and said famous words, with which every Vespers service has since ended and is known as the Prayer of St. Simeon the God-Receiver: “Now Thou releasest Thy servant, O Master, according to Thy word, in peace...” Afterwards he blessed St. Joseph and the Most Pure Mother of the Savior and turned to Mary with the same Simeon’s prophecy: “Behold, this One is destined for the fall and rebellion of many in Israel and for the subject of controversy, and a weapon will pierce Your own soul, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Just as Christ is pierced with nails and a spear, so the soul of the Most Pure One will be struck by some “weapon” of sadness and heartache when She sees the suffering of the Son; Afterwards, the hitherto hidden thoughts (about the Messiah) of people who will have to make a choice will be revealed: they are with Christ or against Him. This interpretation of Simeon’s prophecy became the subject of several “symbolic” icons of the Virgin Mary. All those who come to them with prayer feel that when the heart is softened, mental and physical suffering is alleviated, and they realize: when they pray before these images for their enemies, then their hostile feelings soften, giving way to mercy, internecine warfare and enmity subside.

The image of “Softening Evil Hearts” apparently comes from Southwestern Rus', however historical information Unfortunately, there was never anything about him; it is not even known where and when the icon appeared. The Most Pure “Softening of Evil Hearts” is written with swords stuck into Her heart - three on the right and left, one on the bottom. The number "seven" in Holy Scripture usually means the completeness, redundancy of something, and in this case - the fullness and vastness of that grief, sadness and “heart disease” that the Mother of God experienced during Her earthly life. Sometimes the Eternal Child is also written on the lap of the Most Pure Virgin.

The celebration of this image takes place on the Sunday of All Saints (on the first Sunday after Trinity).

Another miraculous image, the icon, is also very close to the “Softening of Evil Hearts” Mother of God"Seven-shot" The only difference between them is that on the “Seven Shot” the swords are written differently - three on the right side of the Most Pure One and four on the left, and her celebration takes place on August 13, according to the old style.

“Semistrelnaya” is of North Russian origin: it resided in the Church of St. John the Theologian on the banks of the Toshni River, which, not far from Vologda, flows into the river of the same name. A peasant from Kadnikovsky district suffered from lameness for many years, and no one could help him. But one day, in a subtle dream, a certain voice commanded him to find the image of the Most Pure Mother in the bell tower of the Theological Church, where the old icons were kept, and to pray before it for healing. The peasant asked several times to be allowed into the bell tower, but they did not believe his words. Only the third time they allowed him to climb the bell tower. It turned out that the icon, covered with rubbish and dirt, served as a step on a staircase, and the bell ringers walked on it as if on a simple board. Horrified by the involuntary blasphemy, the clergy washed the icon and served a prayer service in front of it, after which the peasant received healing. Many more years passed, generations changed, they began to forget about this miracle, but in 1830 the Vologda province, like most of European Russia, suffered a terrible cholera epidemic. During it, the shrines from Toshni were transferred to Vologda and placed in the “cold” (summer) church of Dmitry Prilutsky on Navoloka - in the Vologda Zarechye, to the right of the main city bridge. Then the Christ-loving residents of Vologda turned to the “Semistrelnaya” and, together with other shrines, surrounded it with a solemn religious procession around the city. Cholera retreated as suddenly as it had come. According to legend, this image was more than five hundred years old, however, the features of the painting and the fact that it was painted on canvas pasted onto a board indicate its much later origin - apparently, this copy was made in the 18th century from the original image that has not reached us. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Vologda from cholera, the townspeople ordered and placed in the Demetrius Church a list with the “Seven Shot”, from which miracles also began to occur over time. Worship here stopped in 1930 and resumed on July 13, 2001, but there was no shrine left in the temple.

During the Great Patriotic War in the south Voronezh region, in the area known as Belogorye (from the chalk cliffs on the right bank of the Don near the city of Pavlovsk), there were Italian mountain rifle units who fought on the side of the Nazis. In the second half of December 1942, soldiers from the platoon of Lieutenant Giuseppe Perego found the icon “Softening Evil Hearts” in a house destroyed by bombing, which they gave to their military priest, chaplain Father Policarpo from Valdagna. According to local residents, this icon came from the cave Resurrection Belogorsk monastery near Pavlovsk. The Italians called her “Madonna del Don” (“Madonna of the Don”; this image should not be confused with Our Lady of the Don). After the Ostrogozh-Rossoshan offensive Soviet troops in January 1943, the remnants of the defeated Italian corps left our country. Chaplain Policarpo took the “Madonna of the Don” with him to Italy, where a chapel was built especially for her in Mestre (mainland Venice), which still remains a place of mass pilgrimage for relatives and friends of Italian soldiers who died in Russia.

Finally, another miraculous icon of a similar type was in the cathedral of the city of Zhizdra in the southwest of the Kaluga province, near the Bryansk lands, and was known as “Passionate” or “And a weapon will pierce your very soul,” as it was listed in the cathedral inventory. She was also celebrated on August 13 - on the same day as the “Seven Arrow” and the much more widespread “Passion” icon of a completely different type (the original miraculous image was located in the Moscow Passion Monastery; on it, near the face of the “Hodegetria”, two Angels with instruments of the passion were depicted of the Lord - with a cross, a sponge and a spear). In contrast to such passionate ones, on the Zhizdrinsk icon the Most Pure One is written in a prayerful position; With one hand She supports the Child lying at Her feet, and with the other she covers Her chest from seven swords aimed at it.

Troparion, tone 4

Soften our evil hearts, Mother of God, and extinguish the misfortunes of those who hate us, and resolve all the tightness of our soul, for looking at Your holy image, we are touched by Your suffering and mercy for us and we kiss Your wounds, but we are horrified by the arrows of ours, who torment You. Do not let us, O Compassionate Mother, perish in our hard-heartedness and from the hard-heartedness of our neighbors, for You are truly the Softener of evil hearts.

Prayer

O many-spirited Mother of God, Higher than all the daughters of the earth, in Your purity and in the multitude of sufferings You have transferred to the earth, accept our much-painful sighs and keep us under the shelter of Your mercy. For you know of no other refuge and warm intercession, but since you have the boldness to be born of You, help and save us with Your prayers, so that we may without stumbling reach the Kingdom of Heaven, where with all the saints we will sing praises in the Trinity to the One God, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.

26 / 08 / 2005

The plot of this icon, which comes from “Simeon’s Prophecy,” is often associated with another icon, the “Seven Shot”. The difference with the “Softening of Evil Hearts” lies in the composition of the icon: on the “Softening...” icon, three arrows are written on the right and left and one on the bottom, and on the “Semistrelnaya” icon – three on the right side and four on the left.

The “Seven Shot” icon came from the Russian North, from the Vologda region. Its first location is the St. John the Theological Church on the banks of the Toshni River, which flows not far from Vologda, a tributary of the river whose name the city bears. According to legend, this icon is more than half a century old, but, in all likelihood, it is more late list from the original, since it was painted on canvas pasted onto a board, which is typical of icon painting techniques that arose around the 18th century, and the original image was lost.

The legend about the acquisition of the original image is as follows. A certain peasant who lived in the Kadnikovsky district of the Vologda region suffered from an incurable lameness for many years. One day he dozed off and through his slumber he heard a voice that told him to find the image of the Mother of God in the bell tower of that same St. John the Theological Church. Three times the peasant asked to allow him to climb the bell tower and pray in front of that image, since dilapidated icons were kept there, but they did not believe him and only the third time they allowed him to climb. And then, stumbling, he looked at his feet and saw the image of the Mother of God on a staggered step that was then accidentally turned over! It turned out that once upon a time, in a blasphemous manner, one of the steps of the staircase was made from the board on which the icon was painted. From year to year, priests and bell ringers climbed along it, stepping on the image of the Most Pure One, which was turned face down when embedded in the staircase.

The icon was dirty and covered with debris. The church servants were horrified by such sacrilege, took the icon out of the stairs, cleaned it and placed it in the church with prayers. The peasant also prayed heartily before her and received healing of his illness.

If we continue the conversation about the contemporary discovery of one of the copies of the icon “Softening Evil Hearts,” then we know an event that occurred during the Great Patriotic War in the south of Voronezh, in Belogorye, which is so named for the white limestone rocks on the right bank of the Don, where, as It is known that the allied Italian troops of the fascist coalition fought. In December 1942, soldiers from a platoon of one of the mountain rifle units found the icon “Softening Evil Hearts” in a bombed house, which was given to Chaplain 1 named Policarpo from Valdagna.

As the residents of these places said, the icon previously belonged to the cave Voskresensky Belogorsk monastery near Pavlovsk, which is not far from Voronezh. The Italians called it "Madonna del Don" - "Madonna of the Don", but this icon has nothing in common with the image known as Our Lady of the Don. In January 1943, Italian troops were defeated. Father Policarpo took this icon with him when he retreated to his homeland, where a chapel was built for it in Mestre - on the mainland of Venice. Relatives and loved ones of Italian soldiers killed in Russia during the Great Patriotic War have been coming here for many years.

An icon of the same type is known in the southwest of Kaluga province; it was located in the city of Zhizdra. According to the cathedral inventory, its name contains the words from “Simeon’s prophecy”: “And a weapon will pierce your very soul,” and its celebration also takes place on August 13/26. Here is another spelling option: unlike the “Softening Evil Hearts” and “Seven Arrow” icons, on this icon the Mother of God supports the Child lying at Her feet with one hand, and with the other she covers her chest from the seven swords aimed at Her.

What a miracle happened

Many years have passed since the miraculous discovery of the icon, its version of the “Seven Shot” in the Vologda region, and people began to forget about this event. However, in 1830, a cholera epidemic began in the Vologda province, which wiped out a huge number of residents. The shrine was then moved to Vologda to the summer church of Dmitry Prilutsky on Navolok. Orthodox Vologda residents carried the icon in a religious procession around the city, and the epidemic stopped as suddenly as it began.

In memory of the miraculous end to the terrible epidemic, the residents of Vologda ordered new list from the miraculous icon, which was placed in the Demetrius Church, and miracles of healing also began to occur from it.

A century later, in 1930, for obvious reasons, services in the church ceased. When they resumed in 2001, the miraculous icon was no longer there. Perhaps the time will come when this icon will again appear to the world, which should remember that our intolerance, our eternal search for reasons for petty and major discord is nothing more than a quarrel between brothers and sisters in front of the bright face of the common Mother, who eternally prays for us to Her Son. ...

Miracles of the Icon of the Mother of God “Softening Evil Hearts” in Our Time

Currently there is myrrh-streaming icon Mother of God “Semistrelnaya” in the Church of the Archangel Michael at the clinics on Devichye Pole (Moscow, metro stations “Sportivnaya”, “Frunzenskaya”).

In June 2008, the image of the Mother of God “Softening Evil Hearts” was brought for some time from Moscow to Ryazan. The face of the Most Pure One, witnesses said, was covered with fragrant streams of the world. Earlier, in 2004, the miraculous icon was brought to the Tolga monastery, and there, during the service of prayers, it exuded fragrant myrrh, the fragrance of which also spread throughout the entire temple.

During the icon's stay in the Tolga convent, miraculous phenomena also occurred. For example: a certain parishioner with tears of joy in her eyes told about the miraculous conversion of her beloved daughter to God. “My daughter,” she said, “attended the New Generation sect for several years.” She got angry when I told her about the Tolga monastery and the miraculous icon. Still, I persuaded her to visit Tolgsky convent. When she first visited the monastery, she remained indifferent, and did not pay attention to the icons and shrines at all. By the grace of the Queen of Heaven, I managed to persuade her to go to the Tolga Monastery, when the icon of the Mother of God “Softening Evil Hearts” was there. The miraculous myrrh-streaming image had an amazing effect on my daughter. She seemed to slowly come to her senses and suddenly said: “Mom, but I’m not baptized.” After which she was baptized and began to go to Orthodox Church. I am very grateful to the Mother of God for this great miracle, as She returned to me the love and understanding of my daughter. I would like to donate the most precious thing I have, my wedding ring, to decorate this wondrous, miraculous icon. Golden ring" With these words she finished her story and gave the guardians of the icon her jewel, which now adorns the image “Softening Evil Hearts”” 2.

“An amazing story happened to me with the icon of the Mother of God “Softening Evil Hearts,” says the author of the project “Icons of the 21st Century” Kristina Kondratyeva. – Yuri Kuznetsov wrote it for one woman at the request of her daughter. The icon was ordered for a certain date, but was painted earlier. Icons have their own deadlines... By chance, the icon was very quickly transferred to me in Moscow. Since my schedule is quite busy, I didn’t have time for two days or forgot to look at it. And then on the third day I remembered. And the mood at that moment was worse than ever. It happens... I open the package, see the icon and... Tears flow! And with them came the thorn that had been aching in my heart. And my soul became so light and light that at that very moment I decided that I really needed this icon. The image is written as if the Mother of God is saying: “Why are you doing this? It’s not necessary.” And he doesn’t seem to ask for anything, doesn’t reproach, but the heart itself seems to soften. And most importantly - anger, anger, resentment - everything passes. All that remains is... but in fact there is nothing left, only peace. This image says it all. Look at him, and you will feel everything, and words will be superfluous. This is truly “softening of evil hearts”..."

Meaning of the icon

No matter which of the icons that go back in terms of events to “Simeon’s prophecy”, we would not talk about, the great significance of this icon lies in the fact that it is the call of the Mother of God herself to mercy. Experienced great measure maternal suffering on her earthly path, the Most Pure One suffers even today. She took the human race into adoption, but this race cannot be reconciled within itself. Moreover, he seeks and finds more and more new reasons for wars, discord, unfriendliness, intolerance, forms of confrontation, sometimes completely ridiculous. This touching and tragic image of the suffering Mother of all was sent to people in the hope that they, having seen with their own eyes how She suffers, having given up Her innocent Son for Crucifixion, who went to execution for the sake of atonement for the sins of mankind, will stop and think.

What is actually happening? Humanity received atonement for sins through His Crucifixion, but did not cease to cherish its vices. And every offense, every action that is provoked by an evil feeling, an unkind thought, turns those same arrows, or in other images - swords, in the chest of our very first Intercessor before God, causing pain to a loving heart Mothers. And She, as we remember, is still ready to pray to the Son for each of us who resorts to Her holy intercession. And if you think about it deeper, longer, before Her icon “Softening Evil Hearts”, then you can believe that these thoughts will be reborn into feelings that can soften the hardest souls.

_______________________________
1 Chaplain - a Catholic priest accompanying troops on military campaigns
2 Example taken from the website of the newspaper “Royal Doors”, No. 4, 2005; http://bogolub.narod.ru

Theology used sacred poetic images to describe mental forces that do not have an image, meaning our mind, taking care of its inherent and akin ability to rise from the earthly to the heavenly and adapting its mysterious sacred images to its concepts.

Saint Dionysius the Areopagite.
"On the Heavenly Hierarchy"

“Softening Evil Hearts”... There is so much hope in the name of this icon - the hope that one day truth will triumph on earth, that people will become kind and merciful, and will begin to love each other. And how difficult it is in our cruel world, and sometimes only the sight of someone else’s suffering can soften our own evil heart...

This icon is also called “Simeon’s Prophecy.” As the Evangelist Luke narrates, the righteous elder Simeon the God-Receiver was predicted by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. And so, when the parents, on the fortieth day after the birth of the Child, brought Him to the Temple of Jerusalem, Simeon also came there “by inspiration,” took the Child in his arms (hence the nickname God-Receiver) and uttered the famous words with which since then every Vespers service and famous like the Prayer of Saint Simeon the God-Receiver: “Now dost thou dismiss Thy servant, O Master, according to Thy word, in peace...” Afterwards he blessed St. Joseph and the Most Pure Mother of the Savior and turned to Mary with the same Simeon’s prophecy: “Behold, this One lies to fall and against the rebellion of many in Israel and the subject of controversy, and a weapon will pierce your own soul, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Just as Christ is pierced with nails and a spear, so the soul of the Most Pure One will be struck by some “weapon” of sadness and heartache when She sees the suffering of the Son; Afterwards, the hitherto hidden thoughts (about the Messiah) of people who will have to make a choice will be revealed: they are with Christ or against Him. This interpretation of Simeon’s prophecy became the subject of several “symbolic” icons of the Virgin Mary. All those who come to them with prayer feel that when the heart is softened, mental and physical suffering is alleviated, and they realize: when they pray before these images for their enemies, then their hostile feelings soften, giving way to mercy, internecine warfare and enmity subside.

The image “Softening Evil Hearts” apparently comes from Southwestern Rus', but, unfortunately, there has never been any historical information about it; it is not even known where and when the icon appeared. The Most Pure “Softening of Evil Hearts” is written with swords stuck into Her heart - three on the right and left, one on the bottom. The number “seven” in the Holy Scriptures usually means the completeness, redundancy of something, and in this case, the fullness and vastness of the grief, sadness and “heart disease” that the Mother of God experienced during Her earthly life. Sometimes the Eternal Child is also written on the lap of the Most Pure Virgin.

The celebration of this image takes place on the Sunday of All Saints (on the first Sunday after Trinity).

Another miraculous image is very close to “Softening Evil Hearts” - the “Seven Arrow” icon of the Mother of God. The only difference between them is that on the “Seven Shot” the swords are written differently - three on the right side of the Most Pure One and four on the left, and her celebration takes place on August 13, according to the old style.

“Semistrelnaya” is of North Russian origin: it resided in the Church of St. John the Theologian on the banks of the Toshni River, which, not far from Vologda, flows into the river of the same name. A peasant from Kadnikovsky district suffered from lameness for many years, and no one could help him. But one day, in a subtle dream, a certain voice commanded him to find the image of the Most Pure Mother in the bell tower of the Theological Church, where the old icons were kept, and to pray before it for healing. The peasant asked several times to be allowed into the bell tower, but they did not believe his words. Only the third time they allowed him to climb the bell tower. It turned out that the icon, covered with rubbish and dirt, served as a step on a staircase, and the bell ringers walked on it as if on a simple board. Horrified by the involuntary blasphemy, the clergy washed the icon and served a prayer service in front of it, after which the peasant received healing. Many more years passed, generations changed, this miracle was already forgotten, but in 1830, the Vologda province, like most of European Russia, suffered a terrible cholera epidemic. During it, the shrines from Toshni were transferred to Vologda and placed in the “cold” (summer) church of Dmitry Prilutsky on Navoloka - in the Vologda Zarechye, to the right of the main city bridge. Then the Christ-loving residents of Vologda turned to the “Semistrelnaya” and, together with other shrines, surrounded it with a solemn religious procession around the city. Cholera retreated as suddenly as it had come. According to legend, this image was more than five hundred years old, however, the features of the painting and the fact that it was painted on canvas pasted onto a board indicate its much later origin - apparently, this copy was made in the 18th century from the original image that has not reached us. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Vologda from cholera, the townspeople ordered and placed in the Demetrius Church a list with the “Seven Shot”, from which miracles also began to occur over time. Worship here stopped in 1930 and resumed on July 13, 2001, but there was no shrine left in the temple.

During the Great Patriotic War, in the south of the Voronezh region, in an area known as Belogorye (from the chalk rocks on the right bank of the Don near the city of Pavlovsk), Italian mountain rifle units fought on the side of the Nazis. In the second half of December 1942, soldiers from the platoon of Lieutenant Giuseppe Perego found the icon “Softening Evil Hearts” in a house destroyed by bombing, which they gave to their military priest, chaplain Father Policarpo from Valdagna. According to local residents, this icon came from the cave Resurrection Belogorsk Monastery near Pavlovsk. The Italians called her “Madonna del Don” (“Madonna of the Don”; this image should not be confused with Our Lady of the Don). After the Ostrogozh-Rossoshansky offensive of Soviet troops in January 1943, the remnants of the defeated Italian corps left the borders of our country. Chaplain Policarpo took the “Madonna of the Don” with him to Italy, where a chapel was built especially for her in Mestre (mainland Venice), which still remains a place of mass pilgrimage for relatives and friends of Italian soldiers who died in Russia.

Finally, another miraculous icon of a similar type was in the cathedral of the city of Zhizdra in the southwest of the Kaluga province, near the Bryansk lands, and was known as “Passionate” or “And a weapon will pierce your very soul,” as it was listed in the cathedral inventory. She was also celebrated on August 13 - on the same day as the “Seven Arrow” and the much more widespread “Passion” icon of a completely different type (the original miraculous image was located in the Moscow Passion Monastery; on it, near the face of the “Hodegetria”, two Angels with instruments of the passion were depicted of the Lord - with a cross, a sponge and a spear). In contrast to such passionate ones, on the Zhizdrinsk icon the Most Pure One is written in a prayerful position; With one hand She supports the Child lying at Her feet, and with the other she covers Her chest from seven swords aimed at it.

Troparion, tone 4

Soften our evil hearts, Mother of God, and extinguish the misfortunes of those who hate us, and resolve all the tightness of our soul, for looking at Your holy image, we are touched by Your suffering and mercy for us and we kiss Your wounds, but we are horrified by the arrows of ours, who torment You. Do not let us, O Compassionate Mother, perish in our hard-heartedness and from the hard-heartedness of our neighbors, for You are truly the Softener of evil hearts.

Prayer

O Long-suffering Mother of God, Higher than all the daughters of the earth, in Your purity and in the multitude of sufferings You have endured on earth, accept our much-painful sighs and keep us under the shelter of Your mercy. For you know of no other refuge and warm intercession, but since you have the boldness to be born of You, help and save us with Your prayers, so that we may without stumbling reach the Kingdom of Heaven, where with all the saints we will sing praises in the Trinity to the One God, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.

Having come into this world, into this incarnation, everyone lives their own life, but there are moments when we understand that not everything is going well and smoothly for us. We wonder - why is this happening?

Enemies who wish evil may also appear. And very often we pray to the Lord to help us understand such situations and turn to prayers and icons.

One of strongest prayers is the prayer “softening evil hearts”, which helps with illnesses - mental and physical. They pray in front of the icon “Softening Evil Hearts”, also known as “Simeon’s Prophecy” or “Seven Arrows”, which confirms with its name the prophecies of Simeon the God-Receiver of the Mother of God, who lived a righteous life. Presumably, his image is initially considered to have come from Southwestern Rus' more than five hundred years ago, but there is no exact information about the birth of the icon.

In the icon, the heart of the Mother of God is presented with pierced swords - three on the right, three on the left and one below, thereby confirming the entire measure of the sadness of her earthly existence.

The seven-shot icon is close and identical in image to the icon “Softening Evil Hearts”, differing in the writing of swords - there are three swords on the right side of the Mother of God, and four on the left.

The swords depicted on the icon are also interpreted as the 7 deadly sins, and one must pray for the softening of evil hearts before the image of the Mother of God in atonement for these sins.

Examples of healing

Believers venerate this icon, which confirms its power in healing from all kinds of ailments. This is how a peasant from the Vologda province suffering from lameness was healed. Treatment and healers could not help him, and the voice he heard during sleep directed him to the bell tower of the Ionian Theological Church, where the icon of the Mother of God was located. Thanks to persistent searches, the icon was found upside down in the form of a staircase board. After bringing the image into proper form, a prayer service was served in front of it, and a miracle happened - the sick peasant was healed, and there were many such examples later.

This miraculous icon, surrounded by a religious procession around Vologda, the cholera epidemic was stopped in 1830, justifying people’s hopes and giving even more faith in it. One of them is also the veneration of the healing icon of Italian believers. History tells how in the years Patriotic War Italian mountain rifle soldiers serving in a unit in Belogorye - the south of the Voronezh region - came across the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary and handed it over to Father Policarpo, who served as the military priest of the unit.

According to eyewitnesses, the icon formerly belonged to the Resurrection Belogorsk Monastery. The Italians called her the “Don Madonna,” and upon returning to her homeland, Father Policarpo brought her with him to a chapel specially built for her, which receives all those mourning the Italians who died in Russia.

Let Faith into your soul

The Orthodox Church of Rus' considers them representatives of the same type of execution of icons and, accordingly, the days of their veneration were united - August 13, according to the new style on August 26, and on the week of All Saints. It is then that the spoken prayer is considered especially effective.

That is why they recommend turning to an Angel with a pure heart and a bright soul to soften evil hearts. Pray only if you believe. If doubt has crept into your heart, then prayer should be postponed altogether until it is again filled with pious desires.

A sincere prayer to soften evil hearts, said in front of the icon, improves family relationships, protects from anger and mental irritation, from attacks by enemies - the request will always be heard.

Prayer for the icon “Softening Evil Hearts”

“O long-suffering Mother of God, Higher than all the daughters of the earth, in Your purity and in the multitude of sufferings You have brought to the earth, accept our much-painful sighs and keep us under the shelter of Your mercy. Do You know of no other refuge and warm intercession, but as one who has the boldness to be one of You? born, help and save us with your prayers, so that we may without stumbling reach the Kingdom of Heaven, where with all the saints we will sing praises to the one God in the Trinity, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen."

It is best to light a church candle. In this way you will improve your concentration and also make the face on the icon seem alive. Even scientists note that visualization helps to fulfill dreams, and in particular, soften evil hearts.