Orthros with Canon of St. Andrew of Crete

(Truncated for parish use)

Priest: Blessed is our God, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

Choir: Amen.

Reader: Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who are everywhere present and fills all things, Treasury of blessings and source of life: Come and abide in us, and cleanse us of every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3X)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our transgressions. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Your name's sake.

Lord, have mercy. (3X)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Priest: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

Choir: Amen.

Reader: Lord, have mercy. (12X)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. O come, let us worship God our King. O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ our King and God. O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and God.

(Psalm 19)

May the Lord hear you on the day of affliction; may the name of the God of Jacob shield you. May He send you help from His sanctuary and aid out of Zion. May He remember all your sacrifices and fatten your whole-burnt offerings. May He grant you your heart's desire and fulfill your every wish. We will rejoice in your deliverance and be magnified in the name of God. The Lord grant all your requests. Now I know that the Lord has saved His anointed one. He will hear him from His holy heaven. The salvation of His right hand is with great power. They trust in chariots, they trust in horses; but we will call upon the name of the Lord our God. They tripped and fell; we arose and stood up. O Lord, save the king, and hear us whenever we call upon You.

(Psalm 20)

O Lord, the king shall rejoice in Your strength, and greatly delight in Your deliverance. You granted him his soul's desire, and did not deny the plea of his lips. You anticipated him with Your goodness' blessings; You set a crown of precious stone upon his head. He asked You for life, and You gave him length of days for ever and ever. Great is his glory because of Your salvation. You will give him glory and majesty. For You will grant him Your blessings for ever and ever. You will gladden him with the joy of Your presence. For the king hopes in the Lord, and in the mercy of the Most High, he shall not waver. May Your hand be found punishing all Your enemies, Your right hand find all those who hate You. You will make them burn as in a blazing furnace when You appear to them. In His wrath the Lord will confuse them utterly, and fire shall consume them. You will destroy their crops from the earth, and their seed from among the sons of men. For they plotted evil against You: they devised plans that they could not fulfill. For You will put them to flight, and their remnant You will punish. Be exalted, O Lord, in Your power: with song and psaltery we will praise Your mighty deeds.

Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3X)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our transgressions. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Your name's sake.

Lord, have mercy. (3X)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Priest: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

Reader: Amen.

O Lord, save Your people and bless Your inheritance, grant victory to Orthodox Christians over their adversaries, and by Your Cross preserve Your inheritance.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

You who were lifted on the cross voluntarily, O Christ our God, bestow Your tender compassions upon Your new community to which You gave Your name. Make our faithful leaders glad in Your power, granting them the victories against their adversaries. May they have that alliance which is Yours, the shield of peace, the trophy invincible.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O awesome and unshamable Protection, O good and praiseworthy Mother of God, do not despise our petitions; make firm the community of the Orthodox; save those whom you have called to rule; grant them victory from heaven, for you gave birth to God and are truly blessed.

Priest: Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy, we pray You, hear us and have mercy.

Reader: Lord, have mercy. (3X) (after each petition)

Priest: Again we pray for His Eminence, our Metropolitan (name), His Eminence our archbishop (name) His Grace our Bishop (name) and our entire brotherhood in Christ.

Priest: Again we pray for our Country of the United States of America, its civil authorities and all the pious people.

Priest: Again we pray for all our brothers and sisters and for all Christians.

Priest: For You are a merciful God and love mankind, and to You we send up glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Reader: Amen. In the name of the Lord, Father bless.

Priest: Glory to the holy, consubstantial, life-giving and undivided Trinity, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Reader: Amen.

Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace, and good will to man. (3X)

Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. (2X)

(Psalm 3)

Lord, why are they so many that afflict me? Many are they who rise up against me. Many say to my soul, "There is no salvation for him in his God." But You, O Lord, are my helper, my glory: the one who lifts up my head. With my voice I cried to the Lord, and He heard me from His holy mountain. As for me, I lay down and slept. I arose, for the Lord will help me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people arrayed against me all around. Arise, O Lord. Save me, O my God. For You have stricken all who hated me without cause; You have shattered the sinners' teeth. My salvation was from the Lord; and Your blessing was upon Your people. As for me, I lay down and slept. I arose, for the Lord will help me.

(Psalm 37)

O Lord, rebuke me not in Your anger, neither chasten me in Your wrath. For Your arrows are stuck fast in me; and You have brought down Your hand against me. There is no healing in my flesh because of your wrath. There is no peace in my bones because of my sins. For my iniquities have risen higher than my head; they have weighed upon me like a heavy burden. My sores are smelly and festering, because of my folly. I am exhausted and completely bent over; I went all day with a downcast face. For my loins were filled with delusions; and now there is no healing in my flesh. I afflicted and humbled myself exceedingly; I roared from the groaning of my heart. O Lord, now all my desire is before You, and my groaning is not hidden from You. My heart is troubled, my strength has left me; even the light of my eyes is not with me. My friends and my companions approached and stood up against me; those closest to me stood at a distance. And those who were after my soul pressed me; and those who wished me ill spoke lies and plotted intrigues all day long. But I was like a deaf man and did not hear, and as one mute who opens not his mouth. And I became like a man who cannot hear and who has no rebuttals in his mouth. For I hoped in You, O Lord. You will hear, O Lord my God. I said: Let my enemies never gloat over me. When my feet were shaken they spoke proudly against me. I am prepared for scourges, and my anguish is before me always. For I shall confess my iniquity and tend to my sin. But my enemies are alive and stronger than I am, and those who hate me without cause are multiplied. Those who render me evil for good slandered me because I pursued goodness. Forsake me not, O Lord my God, depart not from me. Attend to helping me, O Lord of my salvation. Forsake me not, O Lord my God, depart not from me. Attend to helping me, O Lord of my salvation.

(Psalm 62)

O God my God, at dawn I rise to you. My soul thirsts for you; how my flesh longs for you, in this desolate, trackless and waterless land. Thus would I appear before You in the sanctuary. So now, to see Your power and Your glory. Your mercy is better than lives; therefore my lips will praise You. So will I bless You in my life, and in Your name will I lift up my hands. Let my soul be filled with it as with suet and rich food, and joyful lips will praise your name. As I lay on my couch remembering You, throughout the early watches I meditated on You. For You have become my helper; and I will exult in the shelter of Your wings. My soul clings to You, and Your right hand has helped me. But they sought my life to no avail; they shall go to the lowest depths of the earth. They shall be given over to the sword; they shall be portions for foxes. But the king shall rejoice in God, and all who swear by him shall be praised, for the mouth of them that spoke unjustly has been stopped. Throughout the early watches I meditated on You. For You have become my helper; and I will exult in the shelter of Your wings. My soul clings to You, and Your right hand has helped me.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Glory to You, O God. (3X)

Lord, have mercy. (3X)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

(Psalm 87)

Lord God of my salvation, day and night I cried out to You. Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my supplication. For my soul has been filled with evils, and my life has come close to Hades. I have been counted with those who go down into the pit. I have become like a man with no help, I who am free am among the dead. I have become like the corpses of the slain that lie in the grave, whom You remember no longer, and who were pushed away by Your hand. They laid me in a very deep pit, in dark places and in the shadow of death. Your anger came down hard on me, and You brought down on me all Your turmoils. You stood my acquaintances afar off from me. They made me an abomination to themselves. I was handed over and I did not try to escape. My eyes weakened from poverty. I cried to You all day, O Lord, I spread out my arms to You. Will you work wonders for the dead? Or will physicians resuscitate them that they may give thanks to You? Will anyone recount Your mercy in the grave, and Your truth in perdition? Will Your wonders be known in the darkness, and Your justice in a plot that is forgotten? I, too, have cried out to You, O Lord, and my prayer will reach You at dawn. Why, Lord, do You still reject my soul? Why do You turn Your face from me? I am poor and in hardships from my youth. I was exalted, and then I was humbled and became destitute. Your wrath went through me; Your terrors disturbed me. They encircled me like water the whole day; they surrounded me all together. You distanced from me friend and neighbor and my acquaintances, because of my misery. Lord God of my salvation, day and night I cried out to You. Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my supplication. 5

(Psalm 102)

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all the blessings that He renders to you. For He is gracious about all your iniquities, He is the healer of all your infirmities: The redeemer of your life from corruption, who in His mercy and tender love awards you a crown. For He fulfills your desire for good things. And your youth like that of an eagle will be made new again. For all who have been treated unjustly the Lord performs deeds of mercy and judgement. To Moses did He make known His ways, to the sons of Israel the things that He has willed. The Lord is compassionate and merciful, longsuffering and very merciful. He will not maintain His anger nor will He forever keep His wrath. Not according to our iniquities has He dealt with us, neither has He rewarded us according to our sins. For as great as the height of heaven is from the earth, so the Lord has maintained His mercy to the same extent on those who go in fear of Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our iniquities from us. As a father has compassion upon his sons, so the Lord has compassion on those who go in fear of Him; for He himself knows how we were formed, He remembered that we are dust. As for man, like the grass are his days; like a flower of the field, so shall he blossom. For breath has pervaded him, then he will be no more, and he will no longer know his place. But the mercy of the Lord is from age to age, from now and to eternity, on those who go in fear of Him. And His justice is upon the sons of sons, on the ones who keep His testament and who remember His commandments to perform them. The Lord in heaven has prepared His throne, and His kingly rule has dominion over all things. Bless the Lord, all you His angels, who are powerful in strength, performing His word, when you hear the sound of His words. Bless the Lord, all you His angelic hosts, His ministers who perform His will. Bless the Lord, O all you works of His, in every place of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul. In every place of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

(Psalm 142)

O Lord, hear my prayer, give ear to my supplication in Your truth. Hear me in Your righteousness. And enter not into judgment with Your servant; for before You no one living will be justified. The enemy pursued my soul. He lowered my life to the ground. He set me in darkness like those long dead. My spirit became despondent with me; my heart was agitated within me. I remembered the days of old. I meditated on all your deeds; I pondered the works of your hands. I have spread out my arms to You; my soul thirsts for You like parched land. Quickly hear me, O Lord; my spirit has become faint. Turn not your face away from me, lest I become like those who go down into the pit. Let me hear of Your mercy in the morning, for I have hoped in You. Show me, Lord, the way in which I should walk, for I have lifted up my soul to You. Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord; to You have I fled for refuge. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Your good Spirit will guide me on level ground. You will quicken me, O Lord, for Your name's sake. In Your righteousness You will bring my soul out of affliction. And in Your mercy, You will exterminate my enemies. And You will destroy all those who afflict my soul, for I am Your servant. Hear me, O Lord, in Your righteousness. And enter not into judgment with Your servant. Hear me, O Lord, in Your righteousness. And enter not into judgment with Your servant. Your good Spirit will guide me on level ground. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 6

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Glory to You, O God. (3X)

Priest: In peace, let us pray to the Lord.

Faithful: Lord, have mercy. (repeated after each petition)

Priest: For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.

• For the peace of the whole world, the good estate of the holy churches of God, and the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.

• For this holy house and for those who enter with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.

• For our Metropolitan, His Eminence (name), for our Archbishop His Eminence (name), our Bishop His Grace (name) for the venerable priesthood, the diaconate in Christ, for all the clergy and people, let us pray to the Lord.

• For our president, all civil authorities, and the armed forces, let us pray to the Lord.

• For this city, for every city and country, and for the faithful who dwell therein, let us pray to the Lord.

• For seasonable weather, abundance of the fruits of the earth, and peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.

• For travelers by sea, land and air, for the sick, the suffering, the captive, and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

• That we may be delivered from all wrath, danger and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.

• Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and preserve us, O God, by Your grace.

Priest: Calling to remembrance our most holy, most pure, most blessed, glorious Lady Birthgiver of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and all our whole life unto Christ our God.

Faithful: To You, O Lord.

Priest: For unto You is due all glory honor, and worship: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

Chanters: Amen.

Priest: Alleluia In the 4th tone. My spirit seeks You early in the morning, O God, for Your commandments are a light upon the earth.

Chanters: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Priest: Learn righteousness, ye that dwell on earth.

Chanters: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Priest: The wrath of God shall fall upon a disobedient people.

Chanters: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Priest: Bring more evils upon them, O Lord, bring more evils upon them that are glorious on earth.

Chanters: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

(then the hymns to the Trinity in tone 4)

Daring to offer the hymn of Your noetic ministers, we mortals say: Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O our God; through the intercessions of Your Holy Apostles, and Saint Nicholas, have mercy upon us.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Like the ranks of angels in heaven, yet standing in fear as men upon earth, we offer a victorious hymn unto You, O Good One: Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O our God; through the intercession of all Your saints have mercy on us.

Both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

To Your unoriginate Father, and to You, O Christ God, and to Your Most-Holy Spirit, daring like the Cherubim to glorify, we say: Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O our God; through the Birthgiver of God, have mercy on us.

And the reader may read the 8th Kathisma of the Psalter.

You have made Your disciples, O Christ, as lights that shine to the ends of the earth, and by preaching You they illumine our souls. Through them You have made dark the error of idolatry and enlightened the world with the teachings of the true Faith. At their intercessions save our souls.

verse: Their voice is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.

Just as Moses by the strength of Your right hand, O Master, let Israel through the red Sea out of bondage and drowned Pharaoh in the waves, so have Your wise disciples by their miracles forced a passage through the sea of bitter godlessness and guided the people unto You, O Word without beginning, who alone loves mankind.. 8

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

We acknowledge that the Word of the Father, Christ our God, has taken flesh from you, O Virgin Birthgiver of God. you alone are pure; you alone are blessed: therefore, we sing your praises without ceasing and we magnify you.

Hear the 1st half of the life of St. Mary of Egypt may be read.

Following this the 50th psalm is read:

(Psalm 50)

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy; and according to the multitude of Your compassions blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my iniquity, and my sin is continually before me. Against You only have I sinned and done this evil before You, that You might be justified in Your words, and prevail when You are judged. For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother bear me. For behold, You have loved truth; the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom You have made clear to me. You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be made clean; You will wash me and I will be made whiter than snow. You will make me to hear joy and gladness; the bones that have been humbled will rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and with Your governing spirit establish me. I will teach transgressors Your ways and the ungodly will turn back to You. Deliver me from blood- guiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation; my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. O Lord, You will open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. For if You had desired sacrifice, I would have given it; with whole burnt offerings You will not be pleased. A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a heart that is broken and humbled God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, in Your good pleasure to Zion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then will You be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with oblation and whole-burnt offerings. Then will they offer bullocks upon Your altar.

Following the 9th ode of the Great Canon,

we continue orthros with the hymn of light, in tone 4:

O You Who shine light upon Your world, cleanse my soul that is in darkness from every sin, through the prayers of Your apostles and St. Nicholas, O Lord, and save me.

O You Who shine light upon Your world, cleanse my soul that is in darkness from every sin, through the prayers of Your saints, O Lord, and save me.

O You Who shine light upon Your world, cleanse my soul that is in darkness from every sin, through the prayers of the Birthgiver of God, O Lord, and save me.

And we read the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete with prostrations 9

Where shall I begin to weep for the actions of my wretched life? What first-fruit shall I offer, O Christ, in this my lamentation? But in Your compassion grant me forgiveness of sins.

Have mercy on me O God, have mercy on me. (after each section with a prostration)

Come, wretched soul, with your flesh to the Creator of all. Make confession to Him„ and abstain henceforth from your past brutishness; and offer to God tears of repentance. I have rivaled in transgression Adam the first-formed man, and I have found myself stripped naked of God, of the eternal Kingdom and its joy, because of my sins. Woe to you, miserable soul! How like the first Eve you are! For you have looked in wickedness and were grievously wounded; you have touched the tree and rashly tasted the deceptive food. Instead of the visible Eve, I have the Eve of the mind: the passionate thought in my flesh, showing me what seems sweet; yet whenever I taste from it, I find it bitter. Adam was justly banished from Eden because he disobeyed one commandment of Yours, O Savior. What then shall I suffer, for I am always rejecting Your words of life? By my own free choice I have incurred the guilt of Cain's murder. I have killed my conscience, bringing the flesh to life and making war upon the soul by my wicked actions. O Jesus, I have not been like Abel in his righteousness. Never have I offered You acceptable gifts or godly actions, a pure sacrifice or a life unblemished. Like Cain, O miserable soul, we too have offered, to the Creator of all, defiled actions and a polluted sacrifice and a worthless life; and so we also are condemned. As the potter molds the clay, You have fashioned me, giving me flesh and bones, breath and life. But accept me in repentance, O my Maker and Deliverer and Judge. I confess to You, O Savior, the sins I have committed, the wounds of my soul and body, which murderous thoughts, like thieves, have inflicted inwardly upon me. Though I have sinned, O Savior, yet I know that You are full of loving-kindness. You chastise with mercy and are fervent in compassion. You see me weeping and run to meet me, like the Father calling back the Prodigal Son. From my youth, O Savior, I have rejected Your commandments. Ruled by the passions, I have passed my whole life in heedlessness and sloth. Therefore I cry to You O Savior, even now at the end: Save me. I lie as an outcast before Your gate, Reject me not, O Savior: cast me not away from Your presence: Take from me the heavy yoke of sin and in Your compassion grant me remission of sins.

As the Prodigal, O Savior, I have wasted the substance of my soul in riotous living, and I am barren of the virtues of holiness. In my hunger I cry: O compassionate Father, come quickly out to meet me and take pity on me I am the man who fell among thieves, even my own thoughts; they have covered all my body with wounds, and I lie beaten and bruised. But come to me, O Christ my Savior, and heal me. The Priest saw me first, but passed by on the other side; the Levite looked on me in my distress, but despised my nakedness. O Jesus, sprung from Mary, do You come to me and take pity on me.. O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of all, take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Your compassion grant me remission of sins I fall down, Jesus, at Your feet: I have sinned against You, be merciful to me. Take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Your compassion grant me tears of compunction. Enter not into judgment with me, bringing before me the things I should have done, examining my words and correcting my impulses. But in Your mercy overlook my sins and save me, O Lord almighty. O Savior. In my old age cast me not down empty into hell; but, before the end comes, in Your love grant me remission of sins. It is time for repentance: to You I come, my Creator. Take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Your compassion grant me remission of sins. , As the Prodigal, O Savior, I have wasted the substance of my soul in riotous living, and I am barren of the virtues of holiness. In my hunger I cry: O compassionate Father, come quickly out to meet me and take pity on me

Choir: Glory be to the Father... .

Trinity beyond all being, worshipped in Unity, take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Your compassion grant me tears of compunction.

Choir: Both now...

Theotokion

O Birthgiver of God, the hope and protection of those who sing your praises, take from me the heavy yoke of sin and, pure Lady, accept me in repentance.

CANTICLE TWO

(Irmos) Attend, O heaven, and I shall speak and sing in praise of Christ, who took flesh from a Virgin and came to dwell among us.

Attend, O heaven, and I shall speak; give ear, O earth, to the voice of one who repents before God and sings His praise. Look upon me in compassion, O God, with Your merciful eye, and accept my fervent confession. More than all men have I sinned; I alone have sinned against You. But as God take pity on Your creation, O Savior. I am surrounded by the storm of sin, O compassionate Lord. But stretch out Your hand to me, as once You did to Peter. I offer to You, O merciful Lord, the tears of the Harlot. Take pity on me, O Savior, in Your compassion. With the lusts of passion I have darkened the beauty of my soul, and turned my whole mind entirely into dust. I have torn the first garment that the Creator wove for me in the beginning, and now I lie naked. I have clothed myself in the torn coat that the serpent wove for me by his counsel, and I am ashamed. I looked upon the beauty of the tree and my mind was deceived; and now I lie naked and ashamed. All the ruling passions have ploughed upon my back, making long furrows of wickedness. Sin has stripped me of the robe that God once wove for me, and it has sewn for me garments of skin. I am clothed with the raiment of shame as with fig leaves, in condemnation of my self- willed passions. I am clad in a garment that is defiled and shamefully bloodstained by a life of passion and self-indulgence. I have stained the garment of my flesh, O Savior, and defiled that which was made in Your image and likeness. I have fallen beneath the painful burden of the passions and the corruption of material things; and I am hard pressed by the enemy. Instead of freedom from possessions, O Savior, I have pursued a life in love with material things; and now I wear a heavy yoke. I have adorned the idol of my flesh with a many-colored coat of shameful thoughts, and I am condemned. I have cared only for the outward adornment, and neglected that which is within - the tabernacle fashioned by God. With my lustful desires I have formed within myself the deformity of the passions and disfigured the beauty of my mind. I have discolored with the passions the first beauty of the image, O Savior. But seek me, as once You did seek the lost coin, and find me. Like the Harlot I cry to You: I have sinned, I alone have sinned against You. Accept my tears also as sweet ointment, O Savior. Like the Publican I cry to You: Be merciful, O Savior, be merciful to me. For no child of Adam has ever sinned against You as I have sinned.

Like David, I have fallen into lust and I am covered with filth; but wash me clean, O Savior, by my tears. I have no tears, no repentance, no compunction; but as God do You Yourself, O Savior, bestow them on me. I have lost the beauty and glory with which I was first created; and now I lie naked and ashamed. Lord, Lord, at the Last Day shut not Your door against me; but open it to me, for I repent before You. Give ear to the groaning of my soul, and accept the tears that fall from my eyes: O Savior, save me. O Lover of mankind, who desires that all men shall be saved, in Your goodness call me back and accept me in repentance 'See now, see that I am God': give ear, my soul, to the Lord as He cries to you. Forsake your former sin, and fear Him as your judge and God. To whom shall I liken you, O soul of many sins? Alas! to Cain and to Lamech. For you have stoned your body to death with your evil deeds, and killed your mind with your disordered longings. Call to mind, my soul, all who lived before the Law. You have not been like Seth, or followed Enos or Enoch, who was translated to heaven, or Noah; but you are found destitute, without a share in the life of the righteous. You alone, my soul, have opened the windows of the wrath of your God, and you have flooded, as the earth, all your flesh and deeds and life; and you have remained outside the Ark of salvation. 'I have slain a man to my grief and wounding', said Lamech, 'and a young man to my hurt'; and he cried aloud lamenting. Do you not tremble then, my soul, for you have defiled your flesh and polluted your mind. Ah, how I have emulated Lamech, the murderer of old, slaying my soul as if it were a man, and my mind as if it were a young man. With sensual longings I have killed my body, as Cain the murderer killed his brother. Skillfully have you planned to build a tower, O my soul, and to establish a stronghold for your lusts; but the Creator confounded your designs and dashed your devices to the ground. I am wounded and smitten: see the enemy's arrows, which have pierced my soul and body. See the wounds, the open sores and the injuries, I cry to You; see the blows inflicted by my freely-chosen passions. Roused to anger by their transgressions, the Lord once rained down fire from heaven and burnt up the men of Sodom. And you, my soul, have kindled the fire of Gehenna, and there to your bitter sorrow you shall burn. Know and see that I am God, searching out men's hearts and punishing their thoughts, reproving their actions and burning up their sins; and in My judgment I protect the orphan and the humble and the poor. 13

Choir: Glory be to the Father... .

O Trinity uncreated and without beginning, O undivided Unity : accept me in repentance and save me, a sinner. I am Your creation, reject me not; but spare me and deliver me from the fire of condemnation.

Choir: Both now...

Theotokion

Most pure Lady, Mother of God, the hope of those who run to you and the haven of the storm-tossed: pray to the merciful God, your Creator and your Son, that He may grant His mercy even to me.

CANTICLE THREE

(Irmos) O Lord, upon the rock of Your commandments make firm my wavering heart, for You alone are Holy and Lord.

The Lord, my soul, once rained down fire from heaven and consumed the land of Sodom. O my soul, flee like Lot to the mountain, and take refuge in Zoar before it is too late. Flee from the flames, my soul, flee from the burning heat of Sodom, flee from destruction by the fire of God. I confess to You, O Savior; I have sinned, I have sinned against You. But in Your compassion absolve and forgive me. I alone have sinned against You, I have sinned more than all men; reject me not, O Christ my Savior. You are the Good Shepherd: seek me, the lamb that has strayed, and do not forget me. You are my beloved Jesus, You are my Creator; in You shall I be justified, O Savior. God the Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. For me You are the Fountain of life and the Destroyer of death; and from my heart I cry to You before the end: I have sinned, be merciful to me and save me. I have followed the example, O Savior, of those who lived in wantonness in the days of Noah; and like them I am condemned to drown in the flood. I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned against You; be merciful to me. For there is no sinner whom I have not surpassed in my offences. O my soul, you have followed Ham, who mocked his father. You have not covered your neighbor’s shame, walking backwards with averted face. 14

Flee, my soul, like Lot, from the burning of sin; flee from Sodom and Gomorrah; flee from the flame of every brutish desire. Have mercy, O Lord, have mercy on me, I cry to You, when You come with Your angels to give to every man due return for his deeds. O my wretched soul, you have not inherited the blessing of Shem, nor have you received, like Japhet, a spacious domain in the land of forgiveness. O my soul, depart from sin, from the land of Haran, and come to the land that Abraham inherited, which flows with incorruption and eternal life. You have heard, my soul, how Abraham in days of old left the land of his fathers and became a wanderer: follow him in his choice. At the oak of Mamre the Patriarch gave hospitality to the angels, and in his old age he inherited the reward of the promise. You know, O my miserable soul, how Isaac was offered mystically as a new and unwonted sacrifice to the Lord: follow him in his choice. You have heard - O my soul, be watchful! - how Ishmael was driven out as the child of a bondwoman. Take heed, lest the same thing happen to You because of your lust. O my soul, you have become like Hagar the Egyptian: your free choice has been enslaved, and you have as your child a new Ishmael, stubborn willfulness. You know, my soul, the ladder that was shown to Jacob, reaching up from earth to heaven. Why have you not provided a firm foundation for it through your godly actions? Follow the example of Melchizedek, the priest of God, the King set apart, who was an image of the life of Christ among men in the world. Do not look back, my soul, and so be turned into a pillar of salt. Fear the example of the people of Sodom, and take refuge in Zoar. Reject not, O Master, the prayer of those who sing Your praises, but in Your loving- kindness be merciful and grant forgiveness to them that ask with faith.

Choir: Glory be to the Father... .

O simple Unity praised in Trinity of Persons, uncreated Nature without beginning, save us who in faith worship Your power.

Choir: Both now... .

Theotokion

O Mother of God, without knowing man you have given birth within time to the Son, who was begotten outside time from the Father; and, strange wonder! you give suck while still remaining Virgin.

CANTICLE FOUR

(Irmos) The prophet heard of Your coming, O Lord, and he was afraid : how You were to be born of a Virgin and revealed to men, and he said : 'I have heard the report of You and I was afraid.' Glory to Your power, O Lord.

O righteous judge, despise not Your works; forsake not Your creation. I have sinned as a man, I alone, more than any other man, O You who loves mankind. But as Lord of all You have the power to pardon sins. The end draws near, my soul, the end draws near; yet you do not care or make ready. The time grows short, rise up: the Judge is at the door. The days of our life pass swiftly, as a dream, as a flower. Why do we trouble ourselves in vain? Awake, my soul, consider the actions which you have done; set them before your eyes, and let the drops of your tears fall. With boldness tell Christ of your deeds and thoughts, and so be justified. No sin has there been in life, no evil deed, no wickedness, that I have not committed, O Savior. I have sinned as no one ever before, in mind, word and intent, in disposition, thought and act. For this I am condemned in my misery, for this I am convicted by the verdict of my own conscience, which is more compelling than all else in the world. O my judge and Redeemer, who knows my heart, spare and deliver and save me Your servant. The ladder which the great Patriarch Jacob saw of old is an example, O my soul, of approach through action and of ascent in knowledge. If then you do wish to live rightly in action and knowledge and contemplation, be made new. In privation Jacob the Patriarch endured the burning heat by day and the frost by night, making daily gains of sheep and cattle, shepherding, wrestling and serving, to win his two wives By the two wives, understand action and knowledge in contemplation. Leah is action, for she had many children; and Rachel is knowledge, for she endured great toil. And without toil, O my soul, neither action nor contemplation will succeed. Be watchful, O my soul, be full of courage like Jacob the great Patriarch, that you may acquire action with knowledge, and be named 'Israel', 'die mind that sees God'; so shall you reach by contemplation the innermost darkness, and gain great merchandise. The great Patriarch had the twelve Patriarchs as children, and so he mystically established for you, my soul, a ladder of ascent through action, in his wisdom setting his children as steps, by which you can mount upwards. You have rivaled Esau the hated, O my soul, and given the birthright of your first beauty to the supplanter; you have lost your father's blessing and in your wretchedness been twice supplanted, in action and in knowledge. Therefore repent now. 16

Esau was called Edom because of his raging lust for women; burning always with unrestrained desires and stained with sensual pleasure, he was named 'Edom', which means the red heat of a soul that loves sin. You have heard, O my soul, of Job justified on a dung-hill, but you have not imitated his fortitude. In all your experiences and trials and temptations, you have not kept firmly to your purpose but have proved inconstant. Once he sat upon a throne, but now he sits upon a dung-hill, naked and covered with sores. Once he was blessed with many children and admired by all, but suddenly he is childless and homeless. Yet he counted the dung-hill as a palace and his sores as pearls. I have defiled my body, I have stained my spirit, and I am all covered with wounds: but as physician, O Christ, heal both body and spirit for me through repentance. Wash, purify and cleanse me, O my Savior, and make me whiter than snow. Your Body and Your Blood, O Word, You have offered at Your Crucifixion for the sake of all: Your Body to refashion me, Your Blood to wash me clean; and You have given up Your spirit, O Christ, to bring me to Your Father. O Creator, You have worked salvation in the midst of the earth, that we might be saved. You were crucified of Your own will upon the Tree; and Eden, closed till then, was opened. Things above and things below, the creation and all peoples have been saved and worship You. May the Blood from Your side be to me a cleansing fount, and may the water that flows with it be a drink of forgiveness. May I be purified by both, O Word, anointed and refreshed, having as chrism and drink Your words of life. I am deprived of the bridal chamber, of the wedding and the supper; for want of oil my lamp has gone out; while I slept the door was closed; the supper has been eaten; I am bound hand and foot, and cast out. A man of great wealth and righteous, abounding in riches and cattle, clothed in royal dignity, in crown and purple robe, job became suddenly a beggar, stripped of wealth, glory and kingship. If he who was righteous and blameless above all men did not escape the snares and pits of the deceiver, what will you do, wretched and sin-loving soul, when some sudden misfortune befalls you? As a chalice, O my Savior, the Church has been granted Your life-giving side, from which there flows down to us a twofold stream of forgiveness and knowledge, representing the two covenants, the Old and the New. The time of my life is short, filled with trouble and evil. But accept me in repentance and call me back to knowledge. Let me not become the possession and food of the enemy; but do You, O Savior, take pity on me. Now I speak boastfully, with boldness of head; yet all to no purpose and in vain. O righteous judge, who alone are compassionate, do not condemn me with the Pharisee; but grant me the abasement of the Publican and number me with him. 17

I know, O compassionate Lord that I have sinned and violated the vessel of my flesh. But accept me in repentance and call me back to knowledge. Let me not become the possession and food of the enemy; but do You, O Savior, take pity on me. I have become mine own idol, utterly defiling my soul with the passions, O compassionate Lord. But accept me in repentance and call me back to knowledge. Let me not become the possession and food of the enemy; but do You, O Savior, take pity on me. I have not hearkened to Your voice, I have not heeded Your Scripture, O Giver of the Law. But accept me in repentance and call me back to knowledge. Let me not become the possession and food of the enemy; but do You, O Savior, take pity on me.

Choir: Glory be to the Father. . . .

Undivided in Essence, unconfused in Persons, I confess You as God: Triune Deity, one in kingship and throne; and to You I raise the great thrice-holy hymn that is sung on high.

Choir: Both now... .

Theotokion

You gave birth and are a virgin, and in both you remain by nature inviolate. He who is born makes new the laws of nature, and the womb brings forth without travail. When God so wills, the natural order is overcome; for He does whatever He wishes.

CANTICLE FIVE

(Irmos) From the night I seek You early, O Lover of mankind : give me light, I pray You, and guide me in Your commandments, and teach me, O Savior, to do Your will.

In night have I passed all my life: for the night of sin has covered me with darkness and thick mist. But make me, O Savior, a son of the day. In my misery I have followed Reuben's example, and have devised a wicked and unlawful plan against the most high God, defiling my bed as he defiled his fathers. I confess to You. O Christ my King: I have sinned. I have sinned like the brethren of Joseph, who once sold the fruit of purity and chastity. As a figure of the Lord, O my soul, the righteous and gentle Joseph was sold into bondage by his brethren; but you have sold yourself entirely to your sins. O miserable and wicked soul, imitate the righteous and pure mind of Joseph; and do not live in wantonness, sinfully indulging your disordered desires. Once Joseph was cast into a pit, O Lord and Master, as a figure of Your Burial and Resurrection. But what offering such as this shall I ever make to You? 18

You have heard, my soul, of the basket of Moses: how he was borne on the waves of the river as if in a shrine; and so he avoided the bitter execution of Pharaoh's decree. You have heard, wretched soul, of the midwives who once killed in its infancy the manly action of self-control: like great Moses, then, be suckled on Wisdom. O miserable soul, you have not struck and killed the Egyptian mind, as did Moses the great. Tell me, then, how will you dwell through repentance in the wilderness empty of passions? Moses the great went to dwell in the desert. Come, seek to follow his way of life, my soul, that in contemplation you may attain the vision of God in the bush. Picture to yourself, my soul, the rod of Moses striking the sea and making hard the deep by the sign of the Holy Cross. Through the Cross you also can do great things. Aaron offered to God fire that was blameless and undefiled, but Hophni and Phinehas brought to Him, as you have done, my soul, strange fire and a polluted life. In my soul and body, O Master, I have become like Jannes and Jambres the magicians of cruel Pharaoh; my will is heavy and my mind is drowned beneath the waters. But do You come to my aid. Woe is me! I have defiled my mind with filth. I pray to You, O Master: wash me clean in the waters of my tears and make the garment of my flesh white as snow. When I examine my actions, O Savior, I see that I have gone beyond all men in sin; for I knew and understood what I did; I was not sinning in ignorance. Spare, O spare the work of Your hands, O Lord. I have sinned, forgive me: for You alone are pure by nature, and none save You is free from defilement. You who are God, O Savior, was for my sake fashioned as I am. You have performed miracles, healing lepers, giving strength to the paralyzed, stopping the issue of blood when the woman touched the hem of Your garment. O wretched soul, do as the woman with an issue of blood: run quickly, grasp the hem of the garment of Christ; so shall you be healed of your afflictions and hear Him say, Your faith has saved you. O my soul, do as the woman who was bowed to the ground. Fall at the feet of Jesus, that He may make you straight again: and you shall walk upright upon the paths of the Lord. You are a deep well, O Master: make springs gush forth for me from Your pure veins, that like the woman of Samaria I may drink and thirst no more; for from You flow the streams of life. O Master and Lord, may my tears be unto me as Siloam: that I also may wash clean the eyes of my soul, and with my mind behold You, the pre-eternal Light.

Choir: Glory be to the Father... .

We glorify You, O Trinity, the one God. Holy, holy, holy, are You : Father, Son and Spirit, simple Essence and Unity, worshipped forever. 19

Choir: Both now...

Theotokion

O Virgin inviolate and Mother who have not known man, from You has God, the Creator of the ages, taken human flesh, uniting to Himself the nature of men.

CANTICLE SIX

(Irmos) With my whole heart I cried to the all-compassionate God: and He heard me from the lowest depths of hell, and brought my life out of corruption.

I offer to You in purity, O Savior, the tears of mine eyes and groanings from the depths of my heart, crying: 'I have sinned against You, O God; be merciful to me.' Like Dathan and Abiram, O my soul, you have become a stranger to Your Lord; but with all your heart cry out, 'Spare me', that the earth may not open and swallow You up. Raging as a maddened heifer, O my soul, you are become like Ephraim. As a hart from the nets rescue then your life, gaining wings through action and the mind's contemplation.' O my soul, the hand of Moses shall be our assurance, proving that God can cleanse a life full of leprosy and make it white as snow. So do not despair of yourself, though you are leprous. The waves of my sins, O Savior, have returned and suddenly engulfed me, as the waters of the Red Sea engulfed the Egyptians of old and their charioteers. Like Israel before thee, you have made a foolish choice, my soul; instead of the divine manna you have senselessly preferred the pleasure-loving gluttony of the passions. The swine's meat, the flesh-pots and the food of Egypt you have preferred, my soul, to the food of heaven, as the ungrateful people did of old in the wilderness. O my soul, you have valued the wells of Canaanite thoughts more than the veined Rock, Jesus, the Fountain of wisdom from which flow the rivers of divine knowledge. When Your servant Moses struck the rock with his rod, he prefigured Your life-giving side, O Savior, from which we all draw the water of life. Like Joshua the son of Nun, search and spy out, my soul, the land of your inheritance and take up your dwelling within it, through obedience to the law. Rise up and make war against the passions of the flesh, as Joshua against Amalek, ever gaining the victory over the Gibeonites, your deceitful thoughts. O my soul, pass through the flowing waters of time like the Ark of old, and take possession of the land of promise: for God commands you.

As You have saved Peter when he cried out, 'Save me', come quickly, O Savior, before it is too late, and save me from the beast. Stretch out Your hand and lead me up from the deep of sin. I know You as a calm haven, O Lord, Lord Christ: come quickly, before it is too late, and deliver me from the lowest depths of sin and despair. O Savior, I am the coin marked with the King's likeness, which You have lost of old. But, O Word, light Your lamp, Your Forerunner, and seek and find again Your image.

Have mercy on me O God, have mercy on me. (after each troparion) Rise up and make war against the passions of the flesh, as Joshua against Amalek, ever gaining the victory over the Gibeonites, your deceitful thoughts.

Choir: Glory be to the Father... .

'I am the Trinity, simple and undivided, yet divided in Persons, and I am the Unity, by Nature one', says the Father and the Son and the divine Spirit.

Choir: Both now... . Theotokion

Your womb bore God for us, fashioned in our shape. O Birthgiver of God, pray to Him as the Creator of all, that we may be justified through your intercessions.

Kontakion TONE SIX

My soul, O my soul, rise up ! Why are you sleeping? The end draws near, and soon you shalt be troubled. Watch, then, that Christ our God may save you, for He is everywhere present and fills all things.

CANTICLE SEVEN

(Irmos) We have sinned, we have transgressed, we have done evil in Your sight; we have not kept or followed Your commandments. But reject us not utterly, O God of our fathers.

I have sinned, I have offended, I have set aside Your commandments; for in sins have I progressed and to my sores I have added wounds. But in Your compassion have mercy upon me, O God of our fathers. The secrets of my heart have I confessed to You, my Judge. See my abasement, see my affliction, and attend to my judgment now; and in Your compassion have mercy upon me, O God of our fathers. When Saul once lost his father's asses, in searching for them he found himself proclaimed as king. But watch, my soul, lest unknown to yourself you prefer your animal appetites to the Kingdom of Christ. 21

David, the forefather of God, once sinned doubly, pierced with the arrow of adultery and the spear of murder. But you, my soul, are more gravely sick than he, for worse than any acts are the impulses of your will. David once joined sin to sin, adding murder to fornication; yet then he showed at once a twofold repentance. But you, my soul, have done worse things than he, yet you have not repented before God. David once composed a hymn, setting forth, as in an icon, the action he had done; and he condemned it, crying: 'Have mercy upon me, for against You only have I sinned, O God of all. Do You cleanse me.' When the Ark was being carried in a cart and the ox stumbled, Uzzah did no more than touch it, but the wrath of God smote him. O my soul, flee from his presumption and respect with reverence the things of God.

You have heard of Absalom, and how he rebelled against nature; you know of the unholy deeds by Which he defiled his father David's bed. Yet you have followed him in his passionate and sensual desires. Your free dignity, O my soul, you have subjected to your body; for you have found in the enemy another Ahitophel, and have agreed to all his counsels. But Christ Himself has brought them to nothing and saved You from them all. Solomon the wonderful, who was full of the grace of wisdom, once did evil in the sight of heaven and turned away from God. You have become like him, my soul, through your accursed life. Carried away by sensual passions, he defiled himself. Alas! The lover of wisdom became a lover of harlots and a stranger to God. And you, my soul, in your mind have imitated him through your shameful desires. O my soul, you have rivaled Rehoboam, who paid no attention to his father's counselors, and Jeroboam, that evil servant and renegade of old. But flee from their example and cry to God: I have sinned, take pity on me. By deliberate choice, my soul, you have incurred the guilt of Manasseh, setting up the passions as idols and multiplying abominations. But with fervent heart emulate his repentance and acquire compunction. Alas, my soul! You have rivaled Ahab in guilt. You have become the dwelling-place of fleshly defilements and a shameful vessel of the passions. But groan from the depths of your heart, and confess your sins to God. Heaven is closed to you, my soul, and a famine from God has seized you: for you have been disobedient, as Ahab was to the words of Elijah the Tishbite. But imitate the widow of Zarephath, and feed the prophet's soul. Elijah once destroyed with fire twice fifty of Jezebel's servants, and he slew the prophets of shame, as a rebuke to Ahab. But flee from the example of both of them, my soul, and be strong.

My days have vanished as the dream of one awaking: and so, like Hezekiah, I weep upon my bed, that years may be added to my life. But what Isaiah will come to you, my soul, except the God of all. I fall before You, and as tears I offer You my words. I have sinned as the Harlot never sinned, and I have transgressed as no other man on earth. But take pity on Your creature, O Master, and call me back. I have discolored Your image and broken Your commandment. All my beauty is destroyed and my lamp is quenched by the passions, O Savior. But take pity on me, as David sings, and 'restore to me Your joy'. Turn back, repent, and uncover all that you have hidden. Say unto God, to whom all things are known: You alone know my secrets, O Savior; 'have mercy on me', as David sings, 'according to Your mercy'.

Choir: Glory be to the Father... .

O simple and undivided Trinity, O holy and consubstantial Unity : You are praised as Light and Lights, one Holy and three Holies. Sing, O my soul, and glorify Life and Lives, the God of all.

Choir: Both now... . Theotokion

We praise you, we bless you, we venerate you, O Mother of God : for you have given birth to One of the undivided Trinity, your Son and God, and you have opened the heavenly places to us on earth. CANTICLE EIGHT

(Irmos) The hosts of heaven give Him glory ; before Him tremble cherubim and seraphim ; let everything that has breath and all creation praise Him, bless Him, and exalt Him above all forever.

I have sinned, O Savior, have mercy on me. Awaken my mind and turn me back; accept me in repentance and take pity on me as I cry: against You only have I sinned; I have done evil, have mercy on me. Riding in the chariot of the virtues, Elijah was lifted up to heaven, high above earthly things. Reflect, my soul, on his ascent. With the mantle of Elijah, Elisha made the stream of Jordan stand still on either side: but in this grace, my soul, you have no share, by reason of your greed and uncontrolled desires. Elisha once took up the mantle of Elijah, and received a double portion of grace from the Lord: but in this grace, my soul, you have no share, by reason of your greed and uncontrolled desires. 23

The Shunammite woman gladly entertained the righteous Prophet: but in your house, my soul, you have not welcomed stranger or traveler; and so you shalt be cast out weeping from the bridal chamber. O wretched soul, always you have imitated the polluted thoughts of Gehazi. Cast from you, at least in your old age, his love of money. Flee from the fire of hell, turn away from your wickedness. You have followed Uzziah, my soul, and have his leprosy in double form; for your thoughts are wicked, and your acts unlawful. Leave what you have, and hasten to repentance. O my soul, you have heard how the men of Nineveh repented before God in sackcloth and ashes. Yet you have not followed them, but are more wicked than all who sinned before the Law and after. You have heard, my soul, how Jeremiah in the muddy pit cried out with lamentations for the city of Zion and asked to be given tears. Follow his life of lamentation and be saved. Jonah fled to Tarshish, foreseeing the conversion of the men of Nineveh; for as a prophet he knew the loving-kindness of God, but he was jealous that his prophecy should not be proved False. My soul, you have heard how Daniel stopped the mouths of the wild beasts in the lions' den; and you know how the Children with Azarias quenched through their faith the flames of the fiery furnace. All the names of the Old Testament have I set before you, my soul, as an example. Imitate the holy acts of the righteous and flee from the sins of the wicked. O righteous judge and Savior have mercy on me and deliver me from the fire that threatens me, and from the punishment that I deserve to suffer at the Judgement. Before the end comes, grant me remission through virtue and repentance. Like the Thief I cry to You, 'Remember me'; like Peter I weep bitterly; like the Publican I call out, 'Forgive me, Savior'; like the Harlot I shed tears. Accept my lamentation, as once You have accepted the entreaties of the woman of Canaan. O Savior, heal the putrefaction of my humbled soul, for You are the one Physician; apply plaster, and pour in oil and wine works of repentance, and compunction with tears. Like the woman of Canaan, I cry to You, 'Have mercy on me, Son of David.' Like the woman with an issue of blood, I touch the hem of Your garment. I weep as Martha and Mary wept for Lazarus. As precious ointment, O Savior, I empty on Your head the alabaster box of my tears. Like the Harlot, I cry out to You, seeking mercy: I bring my prayer and ask to receive forgiveness. No one has sinned against You as I have; yet accept even me, compassionate Savior, for I repent in fear and cry with longing: Against You alone have I sinned; I have transgressed, have mercy on me. 24

Spare the work of Your own hands, O Savior, and as shepherd seek the lost sheep that has gone astray. Snatch me from the wolf and make me a nursling in the pasture of Your own flock. When You sit upon Your throne, O merciful Judge, and reveals Your dread glory, O Christ, what fear there will be then! When the furnace burns with fire, and all shrink back in terror before Your judgment-seat.

Choir: We bless the Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Father without beginning, coeternal Son, and loving Comforter, the Spirit of righteousness; Begetter of the Word of God, Word of the eternal Father, Spirit living and creative: O Trinity in Unity, have mercy on me.

Choir: Both now

Theotokion

As from purple silk, O undefiled Virgin, the spiritual robe of Emmanuel, His flesh, was woven in your womb. Therefore we honor you as Birthgiver of God in very truth.

CANTICLE NINE

(Irmos) Conception without seed; nativity past understanding, from a Mother who never knew a man; childbearing undefiled. For the birth of God makes both natures new. Therefore, as Bride and Mother of God, with true worship all generations magnify you.

My mind is wounded, my body has grown feeble, my spirit is sick, my speech has lost its power, my life is dead; the end is at the door. What shalt you do, then, miserable soul, when the judge comes to examine your deeds? I have put before you, my soul, Moses' account of the creation of the world, and after that all the recognized Scriptures that tell You the story of the righteous and the wicked. But you, my soul, have followed the second of these, not the first, and have sinned against God. The Law is powerless, the Gospel of no effect, and the whole of Scripture is ignored by you; the prophets and all the words of the righteous are useless. Your wounds, my soul, have been multiplied, and there is no physician to heal you. I bring you, O my soul, examples from the New Testament, to lead You to compunction. Follow the example of the righteous, turn away from the sinful; and through prayers and fasting, through chastity and reverence, win back Christ's mercy.

Christ became man, calling to repentance thieves and harlots. Repent, my soul: the door of the Kingdom is already open, and Pharisees and publicans and adulterers pass through it before you, changing their life. Christ became a child and shared in my flesh; and willingly He performed all that belongs to my nature, only without sin. He set before you, my soul, an example and image of His condescension. Christ saved the Wise Men and called the Shepherds; He revealed as martyrs a multitude of young children; He glorified the Elder and the aged Widow. But you, my soul, have not followed their lives and actions. Woe to You when you are judged! The Lord fasted forty days in the wilderness, and at the end of them He was hungry, thus showing that He is man. Do not be dismayed, my soul: if the enemy attacks you, through prayer and fasting drive him away. Christ was being tempted; the devil tempted Him, showing Him the stones that they might be made bread. He led Him up into a mountain, to see in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. O my soul, look with fear on what happened; watch and pray every hour to God. The Dove who loved the wilderness, the Lamp of Christ, the voice of one crying aloud, was heard preaching repentance; but Herod sinned with Herodias. O my soul, see that you are not trapped in the snares of the transgressors, but embrace repentance. The Forerunner of grace went to dwell in the wilderness, and Judaea and all Samaria ran to hear him; they confessed their sins and were baptized eagerly. But you, my soul, have not imitated them. Marriage is honorable, and the marriage-bed undefiled. For on both Christ has given His blessing, eating in the flesh at the wedding in Cana, turning water into wine and revealing His first miracle, to bring you, my soul, to a change of life. Christ gave strength to the paralyzed man, and he took up his bed; He raised from the dead the young man, the son of the widow, and the centurion's servant; He appeared to the woman of Samaria, and spoke to you, my soul, of worship in spirit. By the touch of the hem of His garment, the Lord healed the woman with an issue of blood; He cleansed lepers and gave sight to the blind and made the lame walk upright; He cured by His word the deaf and the dumb and the woman bowed to the ground, to bring you, wretched soul, to salvation. Healing sickness, Christ the Word preached the good tidings to the poor. He cured the crippled, ate with publicans, and conversed with sinners. With the touch of His hand, He brought back the departed soul of Jairus' daughter. The Publican was saved and the Harlot turned to chastity, but the Pharisee with his boasting was condemned. For the first cried, 'Be merciful', and the second, 'Have mercy on me'; but the third said, boasting, 'I thank You, O God', and the other words of madness.

Zacchaeus was a publican, yet he was saved; but Simon the Pharisee went astray, while the Harlot received remission and release from Him who has the power to forgive sins. O my soul, gain His mercy. O wretched soul, you have not acted like the Harlot, who took the alabaster box of precious ointment, and anointed with tears and wiped with her hair the feet of the Lord. And He tore in pieces the record of her previous sins.' You know, O my soul, how the cities were cursed to which Christ preached the Gospel. Fear their example, lest you suffer the same punishment. For the Master likened them to Sodom and condemned them to hell. Be not overcome by despair, O my soul; for you have heard of the faith of the woman of Canaan, and how through it her daughter was healed by the word of God. Cry out from the depth of your heart, 'Save me also, Son of David', as she once cried to Christ. O Son of David, with Your word You have healed the possessed: take pity on me, save me and have mercy. Let me hear Your compassionate voice speak to me as to the thief: 'Verily, I say unto you, you shalt be with Me in Paradise, when I come in My glory.' A thief accused You, a thief confessed Your Godhead: for both were hanging with You on the Cross. Open to me also, O Lord of many mercies, the door of Your glorious Kingdom, as once it was opened to Your thief who acknowledged You with faith as God. The creation was in anguish, seeing You crucified. Mountains and rocks were split from fear, the earth quaked, and hell was despoiled; the light grew dark in daytime, beholding You, O Jesus, nailed in the flesh. Do not demand from me worthy fruits of repentance, for my strength has failed within me. Give me an ever-contrite heart and poverty of spirit, that I may offer these to You as an acceptable sacrifice, O only Savior. O my judge who dost know me, when You come again with the angels to judge the whole world, look upon me then with Your eye of mercy, and spare me; take pity on me, Jesus, for I have sinned more than any other man.

Reader: Let every breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest. To You, O God is due our song. Praise Him, all you His angels; praise Him, all you His hosts. To You, O God is due our song. Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you stars and the light. Praise Him, heavens of heavens, and water above the heavens; let them praise the name of the Lord; For He spoke and they came to be; He commanded and they were created. He established them forever, and forever and ever; He has set an ordinance, which shall never pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, you dragons and all abysses, Fire, hail, snow, and ice, blast of tempest that perform His word, The mountains and all the hills, fruitful trees and all you cedars. The beasts and all the cattle, creeping things and winged birds, Kings of the earth, and all peoples, princes and all the judges of the earth, 27

Young men and virgins, elders with the younger; let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted. Thanksgiving to Him is on the earth and in heaven; and He shall exalt the horn of His people. This is the hymn for all His saints, for the sons of Israel and for the people who approach Him. Sing to the Lord a new song; sing His praises in the congregation of the saints. Let Israel be glad in Him who made him, and let the sons of Zion exult in their King. Let them praise His name in the dance; with the timbrel and the psaltery let them sing to Him. For the Lord takes pleasure in His people and He shall exalt the meek with salvation. The saints shall boast in glory, and shall rejoice upon their beds. The exaltations of God shall be in their throat, and in their hands shall be two-edged swords. To do vengeance among the nations, and reproofs among the peoples, To bind their kings with fetters and their nobles with iron manacles, To do in them the written judgment. This glory shall be to all His saints. Praise God for His saints, praise Him for the firmament of His power. Praise Him for His mighty acts, praise Him in proportion to the magnitude of His greatness. Praise Him with sound of trumpet, praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with timbrel and dance, praise Him with strings and flute. Praise Him with tuneful cymbals, praise Him with cymbals of jubilation. Let every breath praise the Lord.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Priest: To You is due glory, O Lord our God, and to You we send up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages.

Reader: Amen.

Priest: Glory to You, Who have shown us the light

(The Small Doxology)

Reader: Glory in the highest to God; His peace is on earth, and His good pleasure in mankind. We praise You, we bless You, we worship You, we glorify You, we give thanks to You for Your great glory. Lord King, heavenly God, Father, Ruler over all; Lord, only- begotten Son, Jesus Christ; and You, O Holy Spirit. Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us, You that take away the sins of the world. Accept our supplication, You that sit at the right hand of the Father, and have mercy on us. For You alone are holy, You alone are Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen. Every day I will bless You, and Your name will I praise to eternity, and forever and ever. Lord, You have been our refuge from generation to generation. I said: Lord, have mercy on me. Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You. Lord, I have fled to You. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we shall see light. Continue Your mercy to those who know You.

Vouchsafe, O Lord, this day, that we be kept without sin. Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Your name forever. Amen. Let Your mercy be on us, O Lord, as we have set our hope on You. Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your statutes. Blessed are you, O Master; give me to understand Your statutes. Blessed are You, O Holy One; enlighten me with Your statutes. O Lord, Your mercy is forever. Despise not the works of Your hands. To You is due praise; to You is due song; to You

28 is due glory; to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Deacon: Let us complete our morning prayer unto the Lord.

Chanters: Lord, have mercy. (after each petition)

Deacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and preserve us, O God, by Your grace.

Deacon: That the whole evening may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us ask of the Lord.

Chanters: Grant this, O Lord. (after each petition)

Deacon: An angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask of the Lord.

Deacon: Pardon and remission of our sins and offences, let us ask of the Lord.

Deacon: All things good and profitable for our souls, and peace for the world, let us ask of the Lord.

Deacon: That we may complete the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance, let us ask of the Lord.

Deacon: A Christian ending to our life, painless, blameless, peaceful, and a good defense before the dread judgment seat of Christ, let us ask.

Deacon: Calling to remembrance our most holy, most pure, most blessed, glorious Lady Birthgiver of God and Ever-Virgin Mary with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and all our life unto Christ our God.

Chanters: To Thee, O Lord.

Priest: For You are a good God, and the Lover of mankind, and unto You we send up glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

Chanters: Amen.

Priest: + Peace be unto all.

Chanters: And to Your spirit.

Deacon: Let us bow our heads unto the Lord.

Chanters: To You, O Lord.

Priest: O Holy Lord, who dwells on high and regards the humble of heart, and with Your all-seeing eye beholds all creation, unto You have we bowed the neck of our soul and body, and we entreat You, O Holy of holies. Stretch forth Your invisible hand from Your holy dwelling-place, and bless us all. And if in anything we have sinned, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, forgive us, inasmuch as You are a good God and love mankind, vouchsafing unto us Your earthly and heavenly good things. For Yours it is to show mercy and to save us, O our God, and unto You we send up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Reader: Amen.

And we sing the Aposticha, in tone 8:

Into the ambushes of thieves, you have fallen, O my soul, and you are sorely wounded, delivered through your own sins into the hands of enemies without reason. But while you still have time, cry out with compunction: O hope of the hopeless, life of the despairing, raise me up, O Savior, and save me.

Verse: We were filled in the morning with Your mercy, O Lord, and we rejoiced and were glad.

In all our days, let us be glad: for the days wherein You humbled us, for the years wherein we saw evils. And look upon Your servants, and upon Your works, and guide their sons. Into the ambushes of thieves, you have fallen, O my soul, and you are sorely wounded, delivered through your own sins into the hands of enemies without reason. But while you still have time, cry out with compunction: O hope of the hopeless, life of the despairing, raise me up, O Savior, and save me.

Verse: And let the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us: prosper the works of our hands, O prosper the work of our hands.

Putting on the breastplate of the Faith and armed with the Sign of the Cross, you showed yourselves courageous fighters. Bravely you resisted tyrants and cast down the delusions of the devil; and you were rewarded with a victor’s crown. Ever intercede on our behalf, for the salvation of our souls.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O all-pure Virgin Birthgiver of God, accept the supplications of your servants, and pray without ceasing that we may be given peace and the remission of our sins.

Priest: It is good to confess to the Lord, and to sing unto Your name, O Most High; to proclaim Your mercy in the morning and Your truth by night.

Reader: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3X)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our transgressions. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Your name's sake.

Lord, have mercy. (3X)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Priest: For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

Chanters: Amen.

Reader: Standing in the temple of your glory, we think ourselves in heaven, O Birthgiver of God. you who are the gate of heaven, open unto us the door of your mercy

Lord, have mercy. (40X)

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim: without defilement you gave birth to God the Word: true Birthgiver of God, we magnify you.

In the name of the Lord, Father, bless!

Priest: Blessed is He Who is, Christ our God, now, ever, and unto the ages of ages.

Reader: Amen. O heavenly King, uphold our leaders, strengthen the Faith, calm the nations, give peace to the world. Protect this city, grant to our departed fathers and brethren that they may dwell with the righteous and accept us in repentance and confession: for You are good and love mankind.

Priest: O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power and idle talk. (Prostration)

But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to Your servant. (Prostration)

Yea, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother, for blessed are You, unto ages of ages. (Prostration)

Priest: Glory to You, O Christ, our God, our Hope, glory to You!

Chanters: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Lord, have mercy (3X), Father, bless!

Priest: May Christ, our True God, through the intercessions of our immaculate Lady Birthgiver of God and Ever-Virgin Mary: of the holy glorious and all-praised apostles; of the holy, glorious and victorious martyrs; of (the saint of the temple and of the day);of the Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God Joachim and Anna; and of all Your saints; have mercy on us and save our us, forasmuch as He is good and the Lover of mankind.

Choir: Amen.