Church Prayers, Hymns, Services

Akathist Glory to God for All Things: Every flower is fragrant through the power of the Holy Spirit . . .

Akathists, Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
Flower

Every flower is fragrant through the power of the Holy Spirit, in a delicate flow of aroma and tenderness of color; the beauty of the Great contained in what is small. Praise and honor to God, Who gives life, Who spreads forth the meadows like a flowering carpet, Who crowns the fields with golden ears of wheat and azure basilisks, and the soul – with the joy of contemplation.

Let us rejoice and sing to Him: Alleluia.

+ Akathist Glory to God for All Things, Kontakion 3

St. Ephraim of Nea Makri: Prayers for Deliverance from Addictions

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Prayers to Saints, St. Ephraim of Nea Makri / By
st-ephraim-of-nea-makri

Prayers to the Holy Martyr St. Ephraim of Nea Makri, who intercedes on behalf of those with addictions to alcohol and drugs. Read more here and here.

+++++++

O Holy Martyr Ephraim, look with compassion upon my distress and, as thou didst deliver the young man from his cruel addiction, so also pray for me that our Lord and Saviour, for Whom thou didst witness unto death, may deliver my soul from captivity to Satan. For I am in cruel bondage and suffering because of my weakness and sinfulness. Beseech our merciful Lord that, as He didst lead the Hebrews forth from slavery in Egypt and called His people out of Babylon, as He delivered the youth from the demon, and freed the daughter of the Canaanite woman, and healed the woman taken in adultery and restored the Samaritan woman, that He may also set me free and deliver me from the demon of addiction***. I confess that I have fallen into this evil through my own slothfulness and weakness, but have mercy and pray for me, O saint and martyr of God.

A short prayer to be said continually by one who is struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol***:
O Lord, Jesus Christ, through the prayers of Thy Holy Martyr Ephraim, have mercy on me and deliver me from this cruel bondage.

***Note: that this could potentially be changed based on whatever one’s specific need might be, e.g. depression, disease, passion, etc.

Read more from OCQ about overcoming addictions and passions.

Matins of the Ecclesiastical New Year: Bless the crown of the year with Thy goodness . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
jesus-blessing-creation

O Word of the Father from before the ages, Who, being in the form of God, broughtest creation into being out of nothing; Thou Who hast put the times and seasons in Thine own power: Bless the crown of the year with Thy goodness; give peace unto Thy churches, victory unto Thy faithful hierarchs, fruitfulness unto the earth, and Great Mercy unto us.

+ Matins of the Ecclesiastical New Year, Tone 3

Kneeling Vespers of Pentecost — Prayer 1

Pentecostarion, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers / By
pentecost-2

O pure and blameless Lord, Who art without beginning, invisible and incomprehensible, unchangeable, immeasurable, and unbounded, Who art without evil and alone immortal, who dwellest in the unapproachable light, Maker of heaven and earth and the seas and all that was created therein, Who grantest to all their petitions before asking, to Thee we pray and of Thee we ask, O philanthropic Master, the Father of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and of the ever-virgin Mary, the noble Theotokos; Who first didst teach by word, and then gave testimony in deed while bearing the saving Passion, teaching us Thine unworthy, sinful, and miserable servants, to offer Thee our supplications with bent head and knee, for our sins and human ignorance.

Wherefore, O most merciful and philanthropic Lord, hear us on whatever day we call upon Thee, and especially on this day of Pentecost, whereon, after our Lord Jesus Christ had ascended into heaven and sat on Thy right hand, O God and Father, He sent down the Holy Spirit to his Disciples, the holy Apostles, Who alighted on each of them and filled them all with His inexhaustible and divine grace; and they did speak in strange tongues, prophesying Thy great deeds. Hear us who beseech Thee, and remember us, wretched and condemned. Deliver us from the (sinful) captivity of our souls by Thy loving intercession. Accept us, who kneel down before Thee and cry out: we have sinned. From birth, from the womb of our mother – we are Thine, O Lord – Thou art our God. But as our life passes in vanity, we have therefore been stripped of thine aid, and have become silent. Yet do we trust in Thy compassion and cry unto Thee. Remember not the sins of our youth and ignorance; cleanse us of our secret sins. Reject us not in our old age, and forsake us not when our strength fails. Before we return to the earth, prepare us to return to Thee. Measure our lawlessness with a measure of Thy generosity, and erect against our many transgressions a bottomless abyss of these generosities.

Look down from the height of Thy holiness upon Thy people who stand and await from Thee abundant mercy. Visit us with Thy goodness and deliver us from the force of Satan and preserve our life with Thy holy and solemn laws. Commit Thy people unto a faithful guardian angel. Gather us all unto Thy kingdom. Forgive those who put their trust in Thee, relinquish us and them from sin. Purify us by the operation of Thy Holy Spirit and remove from us the wiles of the adversary.

Blessed art Thou, Lord, Almighty Master, who illuminest the day with the light of the sun and the night with the glow of the moon, Who hast made us worthy to pass the course of the day and draw near to the onset of the night; hear our petitions and those of all Thy people. Forgive us all our sins, both voluntary and involuntary, and accept our evening supplications and send down the multitude of Thy mercies and compassions upon Thy people. Protect us with Thy holy angels. Arm us with the weapons of Thy truth. Envelop us with Thy righteousness. Preserve us by Thy power, and deliver us from every oppression and from every conspiracy of the cunning one. Grant us that this evening and the approaching night and all the days of our life may be perfect, holy, peaceful, sinless, without doubt and vain imaginings, by the intercessions of the holy Theotokos and all the saints who have done Thy will from the beginning of time.

St. Thomas Sunday Nocturns: Pilot my wretched soul . . .

Uncategorized, Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
last-judgement-3

“Pilot my wretched soul, O pure one, and have compassion upon it, for because of a multitude of offenses it is slipping into the pit of perdition, O all-immaculate one; and at the fearful hour of death do thou snatch me away from every torment and from the demons which will accuse me.”

From St. Thomas Sunday, Nocturns, Canon of the Trinity, Ode 6 Theotokion, HTM Pentecostarion, p. 71

Orthodox Pentecostarion

Lenten Triodion: Let us sing the praises of the Cross, made from three kinds of wood . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
icon-lot-watering-cypress-pine-cedar

Let us sing the praises of the Cross, made from three kinds of wood* as a figure of the Trinity; and, venerating it with fear, let us raise our cry, as we bless, praise and exalt Christ above all for ever.

* Cypress, pine and cedar: cf. Isa 60:13 (Sept.).

— Lenten Triodion (in English, “Lenten Triodion Supplement”), Tuesday in the Fourth Week of Great Lent, Troparion from the Matins Canon, Ode 8.

Lenten Triodion: Let us venerate the Cross of the Lord . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
icon-cross

Let us venerate the Cross of the Lord, offering our tender affection as the cypress, the sweet fragrance of our faith as the cedar, and our sincere love as the pine.; and let us glorify our Deliverer who was nailed upon it. Let us venerate the Cross of the Lord, offering our tender affection as the cypress, the sweet fragrance of our faith as the cedar, and our sincere love as the pine; and let us glorify our Deliverer who was nailed upon it.*

* A reference to the three kinds of wood from which the Cross was made; cf. Isa. 60:13 (Sept.).

— Wednesday Matins of the Fourth Week of Lent, Ode 7, Lenten Triodion

Lenten Triodion: Rejoice, divine Cross, formed from three different kinds of wood . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
icon-cross

Rejoice, divine Cross, formed from three different kinds of wood: on thee One of the Trinity was nailed in the flesh. He has delivered us who were prisoners in the abyss of godlessness, and we exalt Him above all for ever.*

Receiving power and strength through the Cross, the disciples of the Word set free those held fast in bitter bondage by the evil one, and they sing in praise: We exalt Thee above all for ever.

Woe is me! How fearful shall be that judgement seat on which Thou shalt sit, O Word, and shalt reveal to me my hidden deeds, exposing before all my want of feeling! But since, O Christ, Thou art by nature full of love, spare me then.

* Isa. 60:13 (Sept.).

— Ode 8, Matins,  Fourth Thursday of Lent, Lenten Triodion

Lenten Triodian: Worshiping Thee, O Christ our God, with cedar, pine, and cypress . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
icon-lot-watering-cypress-pine-cedar

Worshiping Thee, O Christ our God, with cedar, pine and cypress, The Church cries out to Thee: At the prayers of the Theotokos, grant victory to our rulers and have mercy upon us. [Isa. 60:13 (Sept.)]

Exalt ye the Lord our God: and worship at His footstool, for He is holy.

O Christ my God, nailed for my sake to the Cross, in Thy love accept my praise and vigils.

— Sessional Hymns of the Cross (Tone 7), Matins, Fourth Wednesday of Lent

Aposticha, Vespers on the evening of the Sunday of the Last Judgement: Through greed we underwent the first stripping . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Lenten Triodion / By
icon-expulsion-from-paradise-2

Through greed we underwent the first stripping, overcome by the bitter tasting of the fruit, and we became exiles from God. But let us turn back to repentance and, fasting from the food that gives us pleasure, let us cleanse our senses on which the enemy makes war. Let us strengthen our hearts with the hope of grace, and not with foods which brought no benefit to those who trusted in them. Our food shall be the Lamb of God, on the holy and radiant night of His Awakening: the Victim offered for us, given in communion to the disciples on the evening of the Mystery, who disperses the darkness of ignorance by the Light of His Resurrection.

— Aposticha, Vespers on the evening of the Sunday of the Last Judgement, Lenten Triodion, p. 166

Four Stichera at the Praises, Matins, Meatfare Sunday: I think upon that day and hour when we shall all stand naked . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Lenten Triodion / By
last-judgement-3

I think upon that day and hour when we shall all stand naked, like men condemned, before the Judge who accepts no man’s person. Then shall the trumpet sound aloud and the foundations of the earth shall quake, the dead shall rise from the tombs and all shall be gathered together from every generation. Then each man’s secrets will be manifest before thee: and those that have never repented shall weep and lament, departing to the outer fire; but with gladness and rejoicing the company of the righteous shall enter into the heavenly bridal chamber.

How shall it be in that hour and fearful day, when the Judge shall sit on his dread throne! The books shall be opened and men’s actions shall be examined, and the secrets of darkness shall be made public. Angels shall hasten to and fro, gathering all the nations. Come ye and hearken, kings and princes, slaves and free, sinners and righteous, rich and poor: for the Judge comes to pass sentence on the whole inhabited earth. And who shall bear to stand before his face in the presence of the angels, as they call us to account for our actions and our thoughts, whether by night or by day? How shall it be then in that hour! But before the end is here, make haste, my soul, and cry: O God who only art compassionate, turn me back and save me.

Daniel the prophet, a man greatly beloved, when he saw the power of God, cried out: “The court sat for judgment, and the books were opened.” Consider well, my soul: dost thou fast? Then despise not thy neighbor. Dost thou abstain from food? Condemn not thy brother, lest thou be sent away into the fire, there to burn as wax. But may Christ lead thee without stumbling into his kingdom.

Let us cleanse ourselves, brethren, with the queen of the virtues: for behold, she is come, bringing us a wealth of blessings. She quells the uprising of the passions, and reconciled sinners to the Master. Therefore let us welcome her with gladness, and cry aloud to Christ our God: O risen from the dead, who alone art free from sin, guard us uncondemned as we give thee glory.

— Four Stichera at the Praises, Matins, Meatfare Sunday, Lenten Triodion, pp. 164-165

Four Stichera at the Praises, Matins, Saturday before Meatfare: Come, brethren, before the end, and let us all look upon our clay . . .

Uncategorized, Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Lenten Triodion / By
icon-adam-created-3

Come, brethren, before the end, and let us all look upon our clay, upon the infirmity and meanness of our nature. Let us behold our end, and the organs of the vessel of our flesh. Let us see that man is dust, food for worms, and corruption; that our bones grow dry, and have no breath of life within them. Let us gaze on the tombs. Where is man’s glory? Where his outward beauty? Where is the eloquent tongue? Where the noble brow, and where the eye? All is dust and shadow. Therefore, Saviour, spare us all.

Why does man deceive himself and boast? Why does he trouble himself in vain? For he is earth, and soon to the earth he will return. Why does the dust not reflect that it is formed from clay, and cast out as rottenness and corruption? Yet though we men are clay, why do we cling so closely to the earth? For if we are Christ’s kindred, should we not run to him, leaving all this mortal and fleeting life, And seeking the life incorruptible, Which is Christ himself, the illumination of our souls?

Thou hast formed Adam with thine hand, O Saviour, and set him on the border between incorruption and mortality; thou hast made him share in life through grace, freeing him from corruption and translating him to the life that he enjoyed at first. Give rest, O Master, to thy servants thou hast taken from us; may they dwell with the righteous in the choir of thine elect; write their names in the book of life; raise them with the sound of the Archangel’s trump, and count them worthy of thy heavenly Kingdom.

Christ is risen, releasing from bondage Adam the first-formed man and destroying the power of hell. Be of good courage, all ye dead, for death is slain and hell despoiled; the crucified and risen Christ is King. He has given incorruption to our flesh; he raises us and grants us resurrection, and He counts worthy of his joy and glory all who, with a faith that wavers not, have trusted fervently in him.

— Four Stichera at the Praises, Matins, Saturday before Meatfare, Lenten Triodion, p. 139

Sessional hymn, Matins, Cheesefare Monday: The gateway to divine repentance has been opened . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
jesus

The gateway to divine repentance has been opened: let us enter eagerly, purified in our bodies and observing abstinence from food and passions, as obedient servants of Christ who has called the world into the heavenly Kingdom. Let us offer to the King of all a tenth part of the whole year, that we may look with love upon His Resurrection.

— Sessional hymn, Matins, Cheesefare Monday

Sticheria 6 on “Lord I Call,” Vespers of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
entrance-of-the-theotokos-4

Anna the all-praised cried out rejoicing: “Receive O Zachariah, her whom God’s Prophets proclaimed in the Spirit, and bring her into the holy Temple, there to be brought up in reverence, that she may become the divine throne of the Master of all, His palace and resting place and dwelling filled with light!”

— Sticheria 6 on “Lord I Call,” Vespers of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple

St. John of Damascus: It was right that the eyewitnesses and minsters of the Word should see the Dormition . . .

St. John of Damascus, Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
dormition-4

“It was right that the eyewitnesses and minsters of the Word should see the Dormition of His Mother according to the flesh, even the final mystery concerning her:  hence, they might be witnesses not only to the Ascension of the Saviour but also it to the translation of her who gave Him birth. Assembled from all parts obey divine power, they came to Sion, and sped on her way to heaven the Virgin who is higher than the cherubim.”

+ St. John of Damascus, Lity Tone One for the Feast of Dormition

Quoted from The Life of the Virgin Mary, the Theotokos

The Synodikon of Orthodoxy: To them who do not accept with a pure and simple faith and with all their soul and heart the extraordinary miracles . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Councils & Canons / By
all-saints

To them who do not accept with a pure and simple faith and with all their soul and heart the extraordinary miracles of our Saviour and God and of the Holy Theotokos who without stain gave birth to Him, and of the other saints, but who attempt by sophistic demonstration and words to traduce them as being impossible, or to misinterpret them according to their own way of thinking, and to present them according to their own opinion,

Anathema! Anathema! Anathema!

+ The Synodikon of Orthodoxy

Bridegroom Matins: As the sinful woman was bringing her offering of myrrh . . .

Uncategorized, Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Holy Week / By
jesus-

As the sinful woman was bringing her offering of myrrh,
the disciple was scheming with lawless men.
She rejoiced in pouring out her precious gift.
He hastend to sell the precious one.
She recognized the Master, but Judas parted from Him.
She was set free, but Judas was enslaved to the enemy.
How terrible his slothfulness!
How great her repentance!
O Savior, who didst suffer for our sakes,
grant us also repentance, and save us.

+ Praise Verses of Bridegroom Matins of Holy Wednesday

Bridegroom Matins: Hymn of Cassia

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Holy Week / By
jesus-harlot-washing-feet

The woman had fallen into many sins, O Lord,
yet when she perceived Thy divinity,
she joined the ranks of the myrrh-bearing women.
In tears she brought Thee myrrh before Thy burial.
She cried, “Woe is me!
For I live in the night of licentiousness,
shrouded in the dark and moonless love of sin.
But accept the fountain of my tears,
O Thou who didst gather the waters of the sea into clouds.
Bow down Thine ear to the sighing of my heart,
O Thou who didst bow the heavens in Thine ineffable condescension.
Once Eve heard Thy footsteps in paradise in the cool of the day,
and in fear she ran and hid herself.
But now I will tenderly embrace those pure feet
and wipe them with the hair of my head.
Who can measure the multitutde of my sins,
or the depth of Thy judgements, O Savior of my soul,
Do not despise Thy servant in Thine immeasurable mercy.

+ Hymn of Cassia (Tone 8) of Bridegroom Matins of Holy Wednesday

Bridegroom Matins: Oh, the wretchedness of Judas! . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Holy Week / By
betrayal-by-judas-2

Oh, the wretchedness of Judas!
He saw the harlot kiss the footsteps of Christ,
but deceitfully he contemplated the kiss of betrayal.
She loosed her hair while he bound himself with wrath.
He offered the stench of wickedness instead of myrrh,
for envy cannot distinguish value.
Oh, the wretchedness of Judas!
Deliver our souls, from this, O God.

+ Praise Verses of Bridegroom Matins of Holy Wednesday

Holy Unction: . . . As often as thou fallest arise, and thou shalt be saved . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Holy Week / By
jesus-3

O God great and supreme, Who art adored by all created beings, Fountain of Wisdom, Abyss of Goodness in very truth unfathomable, and Sea illimitable of loving-kindness: do Thou, the same Master who lovest mankind, the God of things eternal and of wonders, to the understanding of Whom none among men by taking thought can attain, look down and hear us, Thine unworthy servants, and wheresoever in Thy great Name we shall bring this Oil, send Thou down the gift of thy healing, and remission of sins: and heal him (her) , in the multitude of Thy mercies. Yea, O Lord Who art easy to be entreated; Who alone art merciful and lovest mankind; Who repentest Thee of our evil deeds; Who knowest how that the mind of man is applied unto wickedness, even from his youth up; Who desirest not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn again and live; Who for the salvation of sinners didst become incarnate, yet still remain in God, and didst Thyself become a created being for the sake of thy creatures; Thou hast said: I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; Thou didst seek the wandering sheep; Thou didst diligently seek out the lost piece of silver, and having found it, Thou didst say: He that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out; Thou didst not abhor the sinful woman who washed Thy precious feet with her tears; Thou didst say: As often as thou fallest arise, and thou shalt be saved; Thou art He who didst say: There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repenteth. Do Thou, O tender-hearted Master, look down from the height of Thy sanctuary, overshadowing us sinners, Who are also Thine unworthy servants, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, at this hour, and take up Thine abode in thy servant, N., who acknowledgeth his (her) iniquities, and draweth near unto Thee in faith; and accepting him (her), cleanse him (her) make him (her) pure from every sin; and abiding ever present with him (her), preserve him (her) all the remaining years of his (her) life; that, walking ever in Thy statues, he (she) may in no wise again become an object of malignant joy to the Devil; and Thy Holy Name may be glorified in him (her).

For Thy property it is to show mercy and to save us, O Christ-God; and unto Thee do we ascribe glory, together with they Father who is from every lasting, and Thine all-holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

+ Second Priest’s Prayer in the Office of Holy Unction

Bridegroom Matins: Judas loves money with his mind. . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Holy Week / By
betrayal-by-judas

Judas loves money with his mind.
The impious one moves against the Master.
He wills and plans the betrayal.
Receiving darkness, he falls from the light.
He agrees to the price and sells the priceless one.
A payment for the deeds the wretch gains hanging and a terrible death.
From his lot deliver us, O Christ God, granting remission of sins to those who celebrate Thine immaculate passion with love.

+ Kathisma Hymn (Tone 8) of Bridegroom Matins of Holy Tuesday

Bridegroom Matins: Behold, the Bridegroom comes at midnight . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Holy Week / By
bridegroom

Behold, the Bridegroom comes at midnight, and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching; and again, unworthy is the servant whom He shall find heedless. Beware, therefore, O my soul, do not be weighed down with sleep, lest you be given up to death and lest you be shut out of the Kingdom. But rouse yourself crying: Holy, holy, holy, art Thou, O our God. Through the Theotokos, have mercy on us.

+ Troparion of Bridegroom Matins

Canon of St. Andrew: With all eagerness and love thou didst run to Christ . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Andrew of Crete / By
st-mary-of-egypt-2

To St. Mary of Egypt: With all eagerness and love thou didst run to Christ, abandoning thy former way of sin. And being nourished in the untrodden wilderness, thou didst chastely fulfill His divine commandments.

+ The Great Canon of St. Andrew, Song 2 Wed

Text of the Canon
Read the Life of St. Mary of Egypt

Canon of St. Andrew: You have emulated the hated Esau, my soul . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers / By
st-andrew-of-crete-3

You have emulated the hated Esau, my soul, and have given up your birthright of pristine beauty to your supplanter, and you have lost your father’s blessing, and have been tripped up twice in action and knowledge. Therefore, O wretch, repent now. [Genesis 25:31; 27:37]

Esau was called Edom for his extreme passion of madness for women. For ever burning with incontinence and stained with pleasures, he was named Edom which means a red-hot sin-loving soul. [Genesis 25:30]

+ The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, Tue 4.3-4
Text of the Canon

Canon of St. Andrew: I have been anxiously concerned only about outward adornment . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Andrew of Crete / By
st-andrew-of-crete-4

Having preferred a possessive and pleasure-loving life to spiritual poverty, O Savior, I am now harnessed with a heavy yoke.

I have adorned the idol of my flesh with the many-colored clothing of shameful thoughts, and I am condemned. [1 John 5:21]

I have been anxiously concerned only about outward adornment, and have neglected the inner temple made in the image of God. [I Peter 3:3-4]

+ The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, Tue 2.5-7
Text of the Canon

Canon of St. Andrew: . . . the transformed pharisees, publicans and adulterers are seizing it ahead of you.

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers / By
st-andrew-of-crete-2

Christ became man and called to repentance robbers and harlots. Repent, my soul! The door of the Kingdom is already open, and the transformed pharisees, publicans and adulterers are seizing it ahead of you. [Matthew 21:31; 11:12]

+ The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, Mon 9.5
Text of the Canon

Canon of St. Andrew: When the Lord had fasted for forty days in the wilderness . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers / By
jesus-5

When the Lord had fasted for forty days in the wilderness, He at last became hungry, showing His human nature. Do not be despondent, my soul, if the enemy attacks you, but let him be beaten off by prayer and fasting. [Matthew 4:1-11; 17:21; Mark 9:29]

+ The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, Mon 9.8
Text of the Canon

Canon of St. Andrew: I have stained the coat of my flesh, and soiled what is in Thy image and likeness . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Andrew of Crete / By
jesus

I have stained the coat of my flesh, and soiled what is in Thy image and likeness, O Savior.

I have darkened the beauty of my soul with passionate pleasures, and my whole mind I have reduced wholly to mud.

+ The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, Mon 2.5-6
Text of the Canon

Canon of St. Andrew: The end is drawing near . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Andrew of Crete / By
last-judgement-2

The end is drawing near, my soul, is drawing near! But you neither care nor prepare. The time is growing short. Rise! The Judge is near at the very doors. Like a dream, like a flower, the time of this life passes. Why do we bustle about in vain? [Matthew 24:33; Psalm 38:7]

Come to your senses, my soul! Consider the deeds you have done, and bring them before your eyes, and pour out the drops of your tears. Boldly tell your thoughts and deeds to Christ, and be acquitted.

+ The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, Mon 4.2-3
Text of the Canon

Canon of St. Andrew: There has never been a sin or act or vice in life that I have not committed . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Andrew of Crete / By
st-andrew-of-crete-5

There has never been a sin or act or vice in life that I have
not committed, O Savior. I have sinned in mind, word and
choice, in purpose, will and action, as no one else has ever
done.

Therefore I am condemned, wretch that I am, therefore I am
doomed by my own conscience, than which there is nothing
in the world more rigorous. O my Judge and Redeemer Who
knowest my heart, spare and deliver and save me, Thy servant.

+ The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, Mon 4.4
Text of the Canon

Canon of St. Andrew: Thou art the good Shepherd . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Andrew of Crete / By
jesus-good-shepherd

Thou art the good Shepherd; seek me, Thy lamb, and neglect not me who have gone astray. [John 10:11-14]

Thou art my sweet Jesus, Thou art my Creator; in Thee, O Savior, I shall be justified.

I confess to Thee, O Savior, I have sinned, I have sinned against Thee, but absolve and forgive me in Thy compassion.

+ The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, Mon 3.5-7
Text of the Canon

Canon of St. Andrew: Where shall I begin to lament the deeds of my wretched life? . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Anthony of Optina / By
st-andrew-of-crete

Where shall I begin to lament the deeds of my wretched life? What first-fruit shall I offer, O Christ, for my present lamentation? But in Thy compassion grant me release from my falls.

Come, wretched soul, with your flesh, confess to the Creator of all. In future refrain from your former brutishness, and offer to God tears in repentance.

+ The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, Mon 1.1-2
Text of the Canon

St. John Chrysostom: For the value of fasting consists not in abstinence from food, but in withdrawing from sinful practices . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. John Chrysostom / By
st-john-chrysostom-71-197x300

For the value of fasting consists not in abstinence from food, but in withdrawing from sinful practices; since he who limits his fasting only to an abstinence from meats, is one who especially disparages it. Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works! Is it said by what kind of works? If you see a poor man, take pity on him! If you see in enemy, be reconciled to him! If you see a friend gaining honour, envy him not! If you see a handsome woman, pass her by! For let not the mouth only fast, but also the eye, and the ear, and the feet, and the hands, and all the members of our bodies.

Let the hands fast, by being pure from rapine and avarice. Let the feet fast, by ceasing from running to the unlawful spectacles. Let the eyes fast, being taught never to fix themselves rudely upon handsome countenances, or to busy themselves with strange beauties. For looking is the food of the eyes, but if this be such as is unlawful or forbidden, it mars the fast; and upsets the whole safety of the soul; but if it be lawful and safe, it adorns fasting. For it would be among things the most absurd to abstain from lawful food because of the fast, but with the eyes to touch even what is forbidden.

Do you not eat flesh? Feed not upon lasciviousness by means of the eyes. Let the ear fast also. The fasting of the ear consists in refusing to receive evil speakings and calumnies. ‘You shall not receive a false report,’ it says. Let the mouth too fast from disgraceful speeches and railing. For what does it profit if we abstain from birds and fishes; and yet bite and devour our brethren? The evil speaker eats the flesh of his brother, and bites the body of his neighbour. Because of this Paul utters the fearful saying, ‘If you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another.’ [Galatians 5:15]

+ St. John Chrysostom, Homily 3,  On the Statues

Also available very cheaply in a Kindle version that can be read with the free Kindle reading app.

Homilies on the Statues

St. John of Kronstadt: As the Searcher of hearts, the Lord knows that men are liable to very frequent trespass . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. John of Kronstadt / By
st-john-of-kronstadt-10

“‘If he trespass against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to you, saying, I repent; you shall forgive him’ (Lk. 17:4).

As the Searcher of hearts, the Lord knows that men are liable to very frequent trespass, and that, having fallen, they often rise up again; therefore He has given us the commandment to frequently forgive trespasses, and He Himself is the first to fulfill His holy word. As soon as you say from your whole heart, ‘I repent,’ you will be immediately forgiven.”

+ St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ [paperback]  or  [hardback]

St. Peter of Damaskos: If we are not willing to sacrifice this temporal life, or perhaps even the life to come, for the sake of our neighbor . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Peter of Damascus / By
st-peter-of-damascus

“God says, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might’ (Deut. 6:5); yet how much have the fathers said and written – and still say and write – without equaling what is contained in that single phrase? For, as St Basil the Great has said, to love God with all your soul means to love nothing together with God; for if someone loves his own soul, he loves God, not with all his soul, but only partially; and if we love ourselves and innumerable other things as well, how can we love God or dare to claim that we love Him? It is the same with love of one’s neighbor. If we are not willing to sacrifice this temporal life, or perhaps even the life to come, for the sake of our neighbor, as were Moses and St. Paul, how can we say that we love him? For Moses said to God concerning his people, ‘If Thou wilt forgive their sins, forgive; but if not, blot me as well out of the book of life which Thou hast written’ (Ex. 32:32 LXX); while St. Paul said, ‘For I could wish that I myself were severed from Christ for the sake of my brethren’ (Rom. 9:3). He prayed, that is to say, that he should perish in order that others might be saved — and these others were the Israelites who were seeking to kill him.”

+ St. Peter of Damaskos, “Book I: A Treasury of Divine Knowledge,” The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 3)

St. Isaac the Syrian: A Prayer of Repentance

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Isaac the Syrian / By
st-isaac-the-syrian-6

“At the door of Your compassion do I knock, Lord; send aid to my scattered impulses which are intoxicated with the multitude of the passions and the power of darkness. You can see my sores hidden within me: stir up contrition—though not corresponding to the weight of my sins, for if I receive full awareness of the extent of my sins, Lord, my soul would be consumed by the bitter pain from them. Assist my feeble stirrings on the path to true repentance, and may I find alleviation from the vehemence of sins through the contrition that comes of Your gift, for without the power of Your grace I am quite unable to enter within myself, become aware of my stains, and so, at the sight of them be able to be still from great distraction.”

+ St. Isaac the Syrian, from The Prayers of St. Isaac the Syrian

St. Seraphim of Sarov: . . . The Lord revealed to me that their souls were having difficulty . . .

Uncategorized, Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Needs Source, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Seraphim of Sarov / By
st-seraphim-of-sarov-4

“Two nuns passed on. Both had been abbesses. The Lord revealed to me that their souls were having difficulty getting through the aerial toll-houses. Three days and nights, I, a lowly sinner, prayed and begged the Mother of God for their salvation. The goodness of the Lord, through the prayers of the Most Holy Mother of God, finally had mercy upon them. They passed the aerial toll-houses and received forgiveness of sins.”

— St. Seraphim of Sarov

Prayer of St. Eustratius: And now, O Master, let Thy hand shelter me, and let Thy mercy come upon me . ..

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
jesus-e1387485125643

”And now, O Master, let Thy hand shelter me, and let Thy mercy come upon me; for my soul is troubled and in distress at its departure from my wretched and defiled body. May the evil counsel of the adversary never overtake it and bind it in darkness through the sins which I have committed in this life, whether in knowledge or in ignorance. Be merciful unto me, O Master, and let not my soul see the dark forms of the evil demons, but may Thy bright and shining Angels receive it. Give glory to Thy holy name, and by Thy might lead me unto Thy divine judgment seat. When I am being judged, may the hand of the prince of this world not seize me and snatch me, a sinner, into the depths of hades; but do Thou stand by me, and be unto me a Savior and Helper, for these present bodily torments are a joy to Thy servants.”

– Prayer of St. Eustratius, Saturday Midnight Office

Small Compline: The Supplicatory Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
theotokos-8

O undefiled, untainted, uncorrupted, most pure, chaste Virgin, Thou Bride of God and Sovereign Lady, who didst unite the Word of God to mankind through thy most glorious birth giving, and hast linked the apostate nature of our race with the heavenly; who art the only hope of the hopeless, and the helper of the struggling, the ever-ready protection of them that hasten unto thee, and the refuge of all Christians: Do not shrink with loathing from me a sinner, defiled, who with polluted thoughts, words, and deeds have made myself utterly unprofitable, and through slothfulness of mind have become a slave to the pleasures of life. But as the Mother of God Who loveth mankind, show thy love for mankind and mercifully have compassion upon me a sinner and prodigal, and accept my supplication, which is offered to thee out of my defiled mouth; and making use of thy motherly boldness, entreat thy Son and our Master and Lord that He may be pleased to open for me the bowels of His lovingkindness and graciousness to mankind, and, disregarding my numberless offenses, will turn me back to repentance, and show me to be a tried worker of His precepts. And be thou ever present unto me as merciful, compassionate and well disposed; in the present life be thou a fervent intercessor and helper, repelling the assaults of adversaries and guiding me to salvation, and at the time of my departure taking care of my miserable soul, and driving far away from it the dark countenances of the evil demons; lastly, at the dreadful day of judgment delivering me from torment eternal and showing me to be an heir of the ineffable glory of thy Son and our God; all of which may I attain, O my Sovereign Lady, most holy Theotokos, in virtue of thine intercession and protection, through the grace and love to mankind of thine only begotten Son, our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, to Whom is due all glory, honor and worship, together with His unoriginate Father, and His Most Holy and good and life creating Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

— Small Compline: The Supplicatory Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos

Theotokian: We ever give thee thanks and magnify thee, O pure Theotokos . ..

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
theotokos-3

“We ever give thee thanks and magnify thee, O pure Theotokos; we venerate and praise thy childbearing, O full of grace, and we call upon thee without ceasing: Save us, merciful Virgin, in thy love; deliver us from the fearful scrutiny which we must undergo before the demons, and in the hour of our examination suffer not thy servants to be put to shame.”

— Theotokian in the 1st Kathisma hymns at the Matins of Cheesefare Saturday; Triodion Supplement, p. 58

Stichera for the Dead: Woe is me! How great a struggle the soul endures at its parting from the body. . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
last-judgement

“Woe is me! How great a struggle the soul endures at its parting from the body. Woe is me! How many tears it sheds, but there is none to pity it. Turning to the angels, it supplicates in vain; stretching out its hands to men, it finds no one to help. Therefore, my beloved brethren, reflecting on the shortness of our life, let us ask Christ to give rest to the departed and to grant our souls great mercy.”

— Stichera for the Dead sung at Tone Two Friday evening Vespers, Triodion p. 144

Prayer of Intercession to the Holy Guardian Angel

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
guardian-angel-3

“O Angel of Christ, my holy Guardian and Protector of my soul and body, forgive me all my sins of today. Deliver me from all the wiles of the enemy, that I may not anger my God by any sin. Pray for me, sinful and unworthy servant, that thou mayest present me worthy of the kindness and mercy of the All-holy Trinity and the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ, and of all the Saints. Amen.”

— Evening Prayers

Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angel

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
guardian-angel-3

“Holy Angel of Christ, I fall down and pray to thee, my holy Guardian, given me from holy Baptism for the protection of my sinful body and soul. By my laziness and bad habits, I have angered thy most pure light, and have driven thee away from me by all my shameful deeds, lies, slanders, envy, condemnation, scorn, disobedience, brotherly-hatred, grudges, love of money, adultery, anger, meanness, greed, excess, talkativeness, negative and evil thoughts, proud ways, dissolute madness, having self-will in all the desires of the flesh.

O my evil will, which even the dumb animals do not follow! How canst thou look at me or approach me who am like a stinking dog? With what eyes, O Angel of Christ, wilt thou look at me so badly snared in evil deeds? How can I ask forgiveness for my bitter, evil and wicked deeds, into which I fall every day and night, and every hour? But I fall down and pray, O my holy Guardian: pity me, thy sinful and unworthy servant (Name). Be my helper and protector against my wicked enemy, by thy holy prayers, and make me a partaker of the Kingdom of God with all the Saints, always, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.”

— From the Jordanville Prayerbook

St. Nektarios: A Prayer to the Immaculate Virgin

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Nektarios of Aegina / By
theotokos-quick-to-hear

A Prayer To the Immaculate Virgin

Take away from me, O Virgin, the fetters of sin,
of my lusts and other transgressions:
the terrible carelessness and the overcaring,
the evil curiosity and the talkativeness,
the useless incontinence and the haughtiness,
the negligence, the drunkenness and the lack of mercy,
the bad desires, the terrible impurity,
the extravagance, the darkness,
the great insensitivity.

Take away the tendency to say jokes,
the enjoyment, the prodigality.

The laughter of immorality and every evil.

Give me, O maiden, fasting,
carefulness, vigilance and perfect obedience.

Give me carefulness in all
and acute discernment,
silence, order and holy patience.

Grant to me, O Lady, eagerness to work
and to attain my perfection,
and zeal for virtues and exercise.

Keep, O most-holy One,
my soul, my heart and my mind
in holiness and guard it in virginity.

— St. Nektarios
Translated by Nikolaos S. Hatzinikolaou

Prayer to the Guardian Angel

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By
guardian-angel

“O holy angel that standeth by my wretched soul and my passionate life, forsake not me a sinner, nor shrink from me because of mine intemperance. Give no place for the cunning demon to master me through the violence of my mortal body, strengthen my poor and feeble hand, and guide me in the way of salvation. Yea, O holy angel of God, guardian and protector of my wretched soul and body, forgive me all wherein I have offended thee all the days of my life; and if I have sinned during the past night, protect me during the present day, and guard me from every temptation of the enemy, that I may not anger God by any sin. And pray to the Lord for me, that He may establish me in His fear, and show me, His servant, to be worthy of His goodness. Amen.”

— From the Morning Prayers

Hymn of the Resurrection: Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By

Leave a reply

“Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless one. We venerate Thy cross, O Christ, and Thy holy Resurrection we praise and glorify. For Thou art our God, and we know none other than Thee. We call on Thy name. O come, all ye faithful, let us venerate Christ’s holy Resurrection. For behold, through the cross joy hath come into all the world. Ever blessing the Lord, we praise his Resurrection: for by enduring the cross, he hath slain death by death.”

— Having Beheld the Resurrection of Christ, sung after the Gospel Reading of Sunday Matins

Prayer before the Gospel: Illumine our Hearts . . .

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By

Leave a reply

“Illumine our hearts, O Master Who lovest mankind, with the pure light of Thy divine knowledge. Open the eyes of our mind to the understanding of Thy gospel teachings. Implant also in us the fear of Thy blessed commandments, that trampling down all carnal desires, we may enter upon a spiritual manner of living, both thinking and doing such things as are well-pleasing unto Thee. For Thou art the illumination of our souls and bodies, O Christ our God, and unto Thee we ascribe glory, together with Thy Father, Who is from everlasting, and Thine all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.”

— Prayer read silently by the priest before the reading of the Gospel

St. John Chrysostom: Paschal Homily

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services, St. John Chrysostom / By
resurrection-3

If anyone is devout and a lover of God, let him enjoy this beautiful and radiant festival.

If anyone is a wise servant, let him, rejoicing, enter into the joy of his Lord.

If anyone has wearied himself in fasting, let him now receive his recompense.

If anyone has labored from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let him keep the feast.

If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; for he shall suffer no loss. If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near without hesitation. If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour, let him not fear on account of his delay. For the Master is gracious and receives the last, even as the first; he gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, just as to him who has labored from the first. He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first; to the one he gives, and to the other he is gracious. He both honors the work and praises the intention.

Enter all of you, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and, whether first or last, receive your reward. O rich and poor, one with another, dance for joy! O you ascetics and you negligent, celebrate the day! You that have fasted and you that have disregarded the fast, rejoice today! The table is rich-laden; feast royally, all of you! The calf is fatted; let no one go forth hungry!Let all partake of the feast of faith.

Let all receive the riches of goodness.

Let no one lament his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed.

Let no one mourn his transgressions, for pardon has dawned from the grave.Let no one fear death, for the Saviour’s death has set us free.

He that was taken by death has annihilated it! He descended into hades and took hades captive! He embittered it when it tasted his flesh! And anticipating this Isaiah exclaimed, “Hades was embittered when it encountered thee in the lower regions.” It was embittered, for it was abolished! It was embittered, for it was mocked! It was embittered, for it was purged! It was embittered, for it was despoiled! It was embittered, for it was bound in chains!

It took a body and, face to face, met God! It took earth and encountered heaven! It took what it saw but crumbled before what it had not seen!

“O death, where is thy sting? O hades, where is thy victory?

”Christ is risen, and you are overthrown!

Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!

Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!

Christ is risen, and life reigns!

Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb!

For Christ, being raised from the dead, has become the First-fruits of them that slept.

To him be glory and might unto ages of ages. Amen.

Scroll to Top