Evening prayers are the crowning of the day: a few minutes in which we give thanks, ask forgiveness, forgive in turn and entrust sleep and our home to God. The Holy Fathers call the evening “the time of reckoning” — the only moment when the day can be brought to a good close, whatever it has been like.
The short evening prayer rule (10 minutes)
1. The beginning
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
through the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother
and of all Your saints, have mercy on me. Amen.
2. Thanksgiving
I thank You, Lord, for today:
for everything that was good, for everything that taught me something
and for everything I do not yet understand.
3. Asking forgiveness
Forgive me, Lord, for the wrongs I know
and those I do not know.
Those who have hurt me, I forgive with all my heart.
Release them all from the prison of my resentment.
4. Entrusting
Into Your hands, Lord, I entrust this night,
my sleep, my home and all my loved ones.
Watch over everyone who sleeps
and bring them to a new morning. Amen.
5. The ending
An Our Father, a Hail Mary, the Guardian Angel Prayer and — for those who want full protection for their home — Psalm 90.
Why the habit is worthwhile
- It cleanses the soul before sleep: resentment left unaddressed in the evening becomes insomnia at night;
- Evening forgiveness prevents evil from taking root: “Do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26);
- It protects the home: many recite Psalm 90 “over the home”, facing east;
- It turns falling asleep into an act of trust, rather than exhaustion.
Frequently asked questions
I fall asleep during prayer — is that bad? On the contrary: monks call it “falling asleep in prayer”. Repeating it in your mind upon waking during the night is an old hesychast practice.
Can I also say the evening prayers for those in my home? Yes, especially for children — the Romanian tradition of “prayer over children” is precisely this: in the evening, the parent also says the prayer to the children's guardian angel.
Read also
Psalms for the evening
The psalms traditionally read in the evening: Psalm 4, Psalm 90 and Psalm 140 (“Lord, I have cried to You”). The complete text of all 151 psalms: The Psalter — the complete list.
