The Great Canon of St Andrew

Ode 1: the irmos, sung twiceHe became my helper and protector, to save me.This is my God, and I will glorify Him,my father’s God, and I will exalt Him,for He has been greatly glorified.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Where shall I begin to weepover the deeds of my wretched life?What first fruits, O Christ,shall I bring to this lament of mine?But since You are compassionate,grant me forgiveness of my sins.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Come, my wretched soul, with your body,and confess to the Creator of all.From now on turn away from your old foolishness,and bring God tears of repentance.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have matched Adam, the first man made,in his disobedience,and I find myself stripped bare of God,of the everlasting kingdom and its delight,because of my sins.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Alas, my wretched soul!Why have you become like the first Eve?You looked in the wrong way and were bitterly wounded.You touched the tree,and rashly tasted the food that went against all reason.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Instead of an Eve whom eyes could see,an Eve of the mind has risen up in me:the thought in my flesh that is full of passion.It shows me what is sweet,but what it gives me to swallow is always bitter.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Adam was rightly driven out of Eden,because he did not keep one commandment of Yours, O Savior.Then what will I suffer,for I am always setting aside Your words of life?

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.By my own choice I have taken on Cain’s guilt of murder.I have murdered my soul’s conscience.I gave life to my flesh,and by my evil deeds I made war against my soul.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O Jesus, I have not been like Abel in his righteousness.I have never brought You gifts You could accept:no godly deeds, no pure sacrifice,no life without blame.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Like Cain, my wretched soul,we too have brought the Creator of allfilthy deeds, a sacrifice full of faultsand a useless life, all at once.And so we too have been condemned.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Like a potter You shaped the clay into a living being,and gave me flesh and bones,breath and life.But, O my Maker, my Redeemer and my Judge,accept me as I repent.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I tell You, O Savior, the sins I have done,and the wounds of my soul and my body.Murderous thoughts, like robbers,have left those wounds inside me.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have sinned, O Savior,yet I know that You love mankind.When You strike, You strike with compassion,and Your heart is warm with pity.You see me weeping and run to me,like the father who called his prodigal son back.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I lie thrown down at Your doors, O Savior,even if only now, in my old age.Do not throw me away into Hades with empty hands,but before the end comes,since You love mankind,grant me forgiveness of my sins.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have wasted all I had, O Savior, in reckless living,and now I am empty of godly virtues.Starving, I cry out:“Father of mercies, hurry to meet meand have pity on me.”

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I am the man who fell among robbers,and the robbers are my own thoughts.They have wounded me all over,and I am covered in bruises.But come and stand by me Yourself,O Christ the Savior, and heal me.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.A priest saw me first and passed by on the other side.The Levite saw me in my sufferingand looked away from me as I lay naked.But You, Jesus, Who rose like the dawn from Mary,come and stand by me and have pity on me.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O Lamb of God, You take away the sins of all.Take from me the heavy yoke of sin,and since You are compassionate,give me tears of heartfelt sorrow.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.This is the time for repentance.I come to You, the One Who shaped me.Take from me the heavy yoke of sin,and since You are compassionate,give me tears of heartfelt sorrow.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Do not loathe me, O Savior;do not cast me away from Your face.Take from me the heavy yoke of sin,and since You are compassionate,grant me forgiveness of my sins.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My failings, O Savior, the ones I meant and the ones I did not mean,the ones seen and the ones hidden,the ones I know and the ones I do not know:forgive them all, for You are God.Be merciful to me, and save me.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.From my youth, O Savior,I have paid no heed to Your commandments.I have spent my whole life ruled by my passions,careless and lazy.So I cry to You, O Savior:even at the end, save me.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have spent the wealth of my soul on sin,and now I am empty of godly virtues.Starving, I cry out:“You Who pour out mercy, hurry to meet meand have pity on me.”

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I fall down before You, Jesus.I have sinned against You; be merciful to me.Take from me the heavy yoke of sin,and since You are a compassionate God,accept me as I repent.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Do not bring me into judgment,laying out the things I should have done,searching out my wordsand calling my impulses to account.But in Your compassion overlook the evil I have done,and save me, O Almighty One.

To St Mary of EgyptHoly one of God, pray for us.Give me your shining grace,granted from God’s care on high,to escape the darkness of the passionsand to sing with an eager heartthe delightful story of your life, O Mary.

Holy one of God, pray for us.You bowed to Christ’s holy lawsand came to Him,leaving behind the wild urges of pleasure.With deep reverence you gained every virtueas if they were all one.

To St Andrew of CreteSaint of God, pray for us.By your prayers, Andrew,rescue us from shameful passions,and make us sharers now in Christ’s kingdom,we who sing your praise with faith and love,O renowned saint, we pray you.

To the Holy TrinityGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.O Trinity beyond all being,worshiped as One,take from me the heavy yoke of sin,and since You are compassionate,give me tears of heartfelt sorrow.

To the Mother of GodNow and ever, and for ever and ever. Amen.O Mother of God, the hope and protectionof those who sing your praise,take from me the heavy yoke of sin,and since you are our pure lady,accept me as I repent.

Ode 2: the irmos, sung twiceListen, O heaven, and I will speak,and I will sing the praise of Christ,Who came to dwell among usin flesh taken from a virgin.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Listen, O heaven, and I will speak.Earth, hear a voicethat repents before Godand sings His praise.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O God my Savior,look on me with Your merciful eye,and accept my earnest confession.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have sinned more than all people;I alone have sinned against You.But since You are God, O Savior,have pity on Your creation.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.A storm of evils surrounds me,O compassionate Lord.But stretch out Your hand to me too,as You did to Peter.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O merciful One, I too bring before Youthe tears of the harlot.Be merciful to me, O Savior,in Your compassion.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have stained the garment of my flesh,and I have soiled, O Savior,what was made in Your image and likeness.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have darkened the beauty of my soulwith the pleasures of the passions,and I have turned my whole mindentirely into dust.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Now I have torn my first robe,the one my Maker wove for me in the beginning,and so I lie naked.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have put on a torn garment,which the serpent wove for me by his advice,and I am ashamed.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I looked at the beauty of the tree,and my mind was deceived.Now I lie naked, and I am ashamed.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.All the masters of evilhave plowed upon my back,and drawn out their wickedness against me.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have lost the beauty I was first created with,and my splendor.Now I lie naked, and I am ashamed.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Sin has stripped me of the robe I had before,the robe that God had woven,and has sewn garments of skin for me too.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I am wrapped in the clothing of shameas in fig leaves,to expose the passions I chose by my own free will.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I am dressed in a garment that is spottedand shamefully stained with bloodby the flow of a life of passionand love of pleasure.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have stained the garment of my flesh,and I have soiled, O Savior,what was made in Your image and likeness.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have fallen under the pain of the passionsand the decay of material things,and so the enemy now crushes me.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I chose a life that loves things and possessionsover a life of owning nothing, O Savior,and now I wear the heavy yoke.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have decked out the statue of my fleshin the many-colored robe of shameful thoughts,and I am condemned.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have taken care over outward looks alone,and neglected the dwelling within methat God had shaped.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.By my urges for pleasureI gave shape to the ugliness of the passions,and I have ruined the beauty of my mind.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.With the passions, O Savior,I have smeared the beauty of the image I once bore.But seek me out, as once You sought the lost coin,and find me.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Like the harlot I cry to You:“I have sinned, I alone have sinned against You.”O Savior, accept my tears tooas fragrant oil.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Like David, I have slipped into lustand I am covered in mud.But wash me clean too, O Savior,with my tears.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Like the tax collector I cry to You:“Be merciful, O Savior, be merciful to me.”For no one born of Adamhas sinned against You as I have.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have no tears, no repentance,no sorrow of heart.O Savior, since You are God,give them to me Yourself.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Lord, Lord, when that time comes,do not shut Your door on me,but open it to me as I repent before You.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O Lover of mankind,You want all people to be saved.Call me back, and since You are good,accept me as I repent.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Hear the groans of my soul,and accept the drops that fall from my eyes.O Lord, save me.

To the Mother of GodO spotless Mother of God,O virgin, you alone are praised by all:plead earnestly that we may be saved.

Ode 2, second part: the irmosSee, see that I am God,Who rained down mannaand made water spring from the rockfor My people in the desert long ago,by My right hand alone and by My strength.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.“See, see that I am God.”Hear the Lord as He cries out, my soul.Tear yourself away from your former sin,and fear Him as the One Who will try you,as your Judge and your God.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Who have you become like, my soul so full of sin?Alas, like Cain of old and like Lamech.You have stoned your body to death with evil deeds,and killed your mind with urges that go against reason.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have passed by all who lived before the Law,and you have not become like Seth.You did not follow Enosh,nor Enoch, who was taken away, nor Noah.Instead you have been found poor,with no share in the life of the righteous.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.You alone, my soul,have opened the floodgates of your God’s anger.You have flooded all your flesh, your deeds and your lifeas the earth was flooded,and you have stayed outside the saving ark.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Lamech cried out in lament:“I have killed a man for wounding me,and a young man for striking me.”But you do not tremble, my soul,though you have dirtied your fleshand stained your mind.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Oh, how I have copied Lamech, the killer of old!I have killed my soul as he killed the man,my mind as he killed the young man,and my body as Cain the murderer killed his brother,by my urges for pleasure.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.You schemed, my soul, to build a towerand set up a fortress for your desires,but the Creator confused your plansand smashed your devices to the ground.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I am wounded, I am struck.See the enemy’s arrowsthat have pierced my soul and my body all over.See the wounds, the sores, the maiming:they cry aloud of the blowsdealt by the passions I chose for myself.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Once the Lord rained down fire from the Lordand burned up the lustful wickedness of Sodom.But you, my soul, have lit the fire of hell,and in it you will burn bitterly.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Know and see that I am God.I search hearts and punish thoughts,I expose deeds and burn up sins,and I give justice to the orphan,the lowly and the poor.

To St Mary of EgyptHoly one of God, pray for us.Sinking in a deep sea of evils, Mary,you stretched out your hands to the merciful God.And as He did for Peter,He lovingly stretched out a helping hand to you,seeking your return in every way.

Holy one of God, pray for us.With all your heart and longingyou ran to Christ,turning from your old road of sin.You were fed in the pathless desert,and kept His holy commandments in purity.

To St Andrew of CreteSaint of God, pray for us.Let us see, my soul, let us seethe love of our God and Master for mankind.So before the end,let us fall down before Him with tears and cry:“Through Andrew’s prayers, O Savior, have mercy on us.”

To the Holy TrinityGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.O Trinity without beginning and uncreated,O undivided Unity,accept me as I repent,and save me, for I have sinned.I am Your creation: do not overlook me,but spare me and rescue mefrom the fire of condemnation.

To the Mother of GodNow and ever, and for ever and ever. Amen.O spotless lady, Mother of God,hope of those who run to youand harbor of those caught in the storm,by your prayers ask the merciful One,your Creator and your Son,to be gracious to me too.

Ode 3: the irmosO Christ, make Your Church firmon the unshakable rock of Your commandments.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Long ago the Lord rained down fire from the Lordand burned up the land of Sodom.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Escape to the mountain, my soul, as Lot did,and get safely to Zoar in time.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Flee the blaze, my soul,flee the burning of Sodom,flee destruction by God’s fire.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I confess to You, O Savior:I have sinned against You beyond measure.But since You are compassionate,release me and forgive me.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I alone have sinned against You,I have sinned more than all.O Christ the Savior, do not disregard me.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.You are the Good Shepherd:seek me, the lamb,and do not overlook me, for I have wandered.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.You are sweet Jesus,You are the One Who shaped me.In You, O Savior, I will be made righteous.

To the Holy TrinityHoly Trinity, O God, have mercy on us.O God, Trinity and Unity,save us from error,from temptations and from troubles.

To the Mother of GodRejoice, womb that held God!Rejoice, throne of the Lord!Rejoice, mother of our Life!

Ode 3, second part: the irmos, sung twiceO Lord, my heart is shaken:make it firm on the rock of Your commandments,for You alone are holy and Lord.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have You as my spring of life,You Who destroy death,and from my heart I cry to You before the end:“I have sinned; be merciful to me and save me.”

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have copied, O Savior,those who lived in lewdness in Noah’s time,and I have inherited their sentence:to sink in the flood.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned against You;be merciful to me.For there is no one among people who has sinnedwhom I have not outdone in my failings.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have copied Ham,who shamed his father.You did not cover your neighbor’s shameby walking backward with your face turned away.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Wretched soul, you have not inherited Shem’s blessing,nor have you received, like Japheth,a broad estate in the land of forgiveness.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Come out of the land of Haran, my soul,the land of sin.Come to the land that flows with incorruptionand life without end,the land that Abraham inherited.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.You have heard, my soul,how Abraham long ago left the land of his fathersand became a wanderer.Copy his choice.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.At the oak of Mamre the patriarchwelcomed the angels as guests,and in his old age he wonthe prize of the promise.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My wretched soul, you know that Isaacwas a new kind of sacrifice,offered whole to the Lord in a mystical way.Copy his choice.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.You have heard how Ishmael was driven outas the child of a slave girl.Stay alert, my soul,and watch that nothing like it happens to youthrough your lust.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have become like Hagar the Egyptian of old.Your will has been made a slave,and you have given birth to a new Ishmael:self-will.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you know of Jacob’s ladder,shown reaching from earth to heaven.Why have you not had godlinessas a firm footing?

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Copy the priest of God,the king who stood alone,the likeness of Christ’s lifeamong people in the world.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Do not turn back, my soul,and become a pillar of salt.Let the example of Sodom frighten you;escape up to Zoar.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Like Lot, my soul, flee the burning of sin.Flee Sodom and Gomorrah,flee the flame of every desirethat goes against reason.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I cry out to You: “Have mercy, O Lord, have mercy on me,”when You come with Your angelsto repay all people as their deeds deserve.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O Master, do not reject the prayerof those who sing Your praise.Have pity, O Lover of mankind,and grant forgiveness to those who ask in faith.

To St Mary of EgyptHoly one of God, pray for us.O mother, I am caught in the surgeand the high waves of my failings.Bring me through safely now yourself,and lead me into the harbor of godly repentance.

Holy one of God, pray for us.Holy one, bring a humble plea nowto the compassionate Mother of God,and by your prayers open to methe doors that lead to God.

To St Andrew of CreteSaint of God, pray for us.O Andrew, bishop of Crete,by your prayers grant me toorelease from my debts,for you are the finest guideinto the mysteries of repentance.

To the Holy TrinityGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.O simple, uncreated Unity,Nature without beginning,praised in a Trinity of Persons,save us who worship Your might in faith.

To the Mother of GodNow and ever, and for ever and ever. Amen.O Mother of God, without knowing a manyou gave birth in time to the Son,Who is from the Father outside time.A strange wonder!You nursed Him and remained a virgin.

The irmos againO Lord, my heart is shaken:make it firm on the rock of Your commandments,for You alone are holy and Lord.

Ode 4: the irmos, sung twiceThe prophet heard of Your coming, O Lord,and he was afraid,for You were to be born of a virginand shown to mankind.And he said: “I have heard the report of You, and I was afraid.Glory to Your power, O Lord.”

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Do not overlook Your works;do not disregard what You have made, O righteous Judge.I alone have sinned, as a man,more than any man, O Lover of mankind.But as Lord of all You have the powerto forgive sins.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.The end is drawing near, my soul,it is drawing near, and you do not care;you are not getting ready.The time is short: get up!The Judge is near, at the very door.Like a dream, like a flower,the time of our life runs by.Why do we trouble ourselves for nothing?

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Come to your senses, my soul.Think over the deeds you have done,and set them before your eyes,and let the drops of your tears fall.Tell Christ your deeds and your thoughts openly,and be made righteous.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.There has never been a sin in this life,no deed and no evil,that I have not committed, O Savior,in mind and word and will,in intention, in judgment and in act.I have sinned as no one else ever has.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.This is why I have been condemned,this is why I, wretched as I am, have been sentencedby my own conscience,and nothing in the world is more forceful than conscience.O my Judge, my Redeemer, You Who know me,spare me, rescue me, and save me in my misery.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.The ladder that the great one among the patriarchs saw long agois a sign for you, my soul:a sign of climbing by what you doand rising by what you know.So if you want to live by action,by knowledge and by contemplation,be made new.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Out of need the patriarch bore the scorching heat of the dayand endured the frost of the night.Day after day he paid for what was stolen,shepherding, wrestling, serving,so as to bring home his two wives.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Understand the two wives, I tell you,as action and as knowledge in contemplation:Leah as action, for she had many children,and Rachel as knowledge, for she cost much toil.For without toil, my soul,neither action nor contemplation will ever be achieved.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Keep watch, my soul.Prove yourself, like the great one among the patriarchs,so that you may gain action joined with knowledge,and be named “a mind that sees God,”and reach in contemplation the innermost darkness,and become a great merchant.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.When the great one among the patriarchs fathered the twelve patriarchs,he set up for you, my soul, in a mystical way,a ladder for climbing by action.In his great wisdom he laid down his sons as its rungs,and their footings as the steps to climb.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have copied Esau, the hated one,and sold the birthright of your first beautyto the one who tripped you up.You have lost your father’s blessing,and wretched as you are, you have been tripped up twice,in action and in knowledge.So repent now.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Esau was called Edombecause of his wild lust for women.Always on fire with lack of self-controland stained by pleasures,he was named Edom,which means the heat of a soul that loves sin.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have heard of Jobmade righteous on the dung heap,but you have not copied his courage.You have not held firm to your purposein all you have learned and known and been tested by,but you have been shown to have no endurance.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.The man who once sat on a thronenow sits naked on a dung heap, covered with sores.The man who had many children and was admired by allis suddenly childless and without a home.Yet he counted the dung heap a palaceand his sores pearls.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.He was clothed in royal rank,with a crown and a purple robe,a man of great possessions and a righteous man,loaded with wealth and flocks.Suddenly he became poor,and was shorn of his wealth, his glory and his kingdom.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.If he was righteous and blameless above all,and still did not escape the traps and pits of the deceiver,what will you do, my wretched soul, you who love sin,if something you never expected falls on you?

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My body is filthy, my spirit is stained,I am covered in sores.But since You are a physician, O Christ,heal them both for me through repentance.Bathe me, cleanse me, wash me,and make me, O my Savior, purer than snow.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.When You were crucified for all, O Word,You gave Your Body and Your Blood:Your Body to make me new,Your Blood to wash me clean.You gave up Your spirit, O Christ,to bring me to Your Father.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O merciful One, You worked salvationin the middle of the earth, so that we might be saved.Of Your own will You were crucified on the tree,and Eden, once shut, was opened.Things above and things below,the whole creation and all the nations,are saved, and they worship You.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Let the Blood from Your side be a font for me to wash in,and the water of forgiveness that flowed with itbe my drink,so that I may be cleansed by both,anointed and drinking, O Word,with Your words of life as my oil and my drink.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I am stripped of the bridal hall,stripped of the wedding and the supper too.My lamp has gone out for lack of oil.The bridal chamber was closed while I slept.The supper has been eaten,and I have been bound hand and foot and thrown outside.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.The Church has Your life-giving side as her cup,O our Savior,and from it a double stream has poured out for us,of forgiveness and of knowledge,as a figure of the two covenants together,the old and the new.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.The time of my life is short,full of trouble and of wickedness.But take me back as I repent,and call me back to true knowledge.Let me not become the property or the food of the enemy.O Savior, have pity on me Yourself.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Now I talk big, and my heart is bold,but for nothing and in vain.Do not condemn me along with the Pharisee.Rather give me the humility of the tax collector,O righteous Judge, You Who alone are merciful,and count me with him.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I know, O merciful One, that I have sinnedand disgraced the vessel of my flesh.But take me back as I repent,and call me back to true knowledge.Let me not become the property or the food of the enemy.O Savior, have pity on me Yourself.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have become my own idol,fouling my soul with the passions.But take me back as I repent,and call me back to true knowledge.Let me not become the property or the food of the enemy.O Savior, have pity on me Yourself.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have not listened to Your voice;I have disobeyed Your Scripture, O Lawgiver.But take me back as I repent,and call me back to true knowledge.Let me not become the property or the food of the enemy.O Savior, have pity on me Yourself.

To St Mary of EgyptHoly one of God, pray for us.Holy one, you lived in the bodya life as if you had no body,and you have truly received very great grace from God.Protect those who honor you in faith.So we beg you:by your prayers set us free from every kind of trial.

Holy one of God, pray for us.You were carried down into the depths of great wrongs,but you were not held there.With a better mind you ran up,beyond all expectation,to the very highest virtue in what you did,and you astonished even the angels, Mary.

To St Andrew of CreteSaint of God, pray for us.Andrew, glory of the fathers,as you stand before the Trinity, God above all,do not forget to plead for us in your prayers,so that we may be set free from punishment,we who call on you with love as our holy protector,O pride of Crete.

To the Holy TrinityGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.I confess You as God,undivided in being and unconfused in Persons,the one Godhead in Trinity,sharing one kingship and one throne.I cry out to You the great hymnsung three times in the highest.

To the Mother of GodNow and ever, and for ever and ever. Amen.You give birth and you stay a virgin,and through both you remain a virgin by nature.The One born of you makes the laws of nature new,and your womb conceives without the pains of labor.Where God wills, the order of nature is overcome,for He does whatever He wishes.

Ode 5: the irmos, sung twiceI rise early to You while it is still night:O Lover of mankind, give me light, I pray,and guide me too in Your commandments,and teach me, O Savior, to do Your will.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have always lived my life in the night,for the night of sin has become darkness to meand a thick fog.But make me, O Savior, a son of the day.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Wretch that I am, I have copied Reuben.I have carried out a lawless and wicked planagainst God Most High,and defiled my own bed as he defiled his father’s.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I confess to You, O Christ the King:I have sinned, I have sinned,like Joseph’s brothers long ago,who sold the fruit of purity and self-control.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.The righteous soul, the gentle one,was handed over and sold into slavery by his own brothers,as a figure of the Lord.But you, my soul, have sold yourself whollyto your own evils.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My wretched and worthless soul,copy Joseph, righteous and pure in mind,and do not run wild with urges that go against reason,always breaking the law.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Joseph once lived in a pit, O Master and Lord,as a figure of Your burial and Your rising.But what will I ever offer You like that?

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.You have heard, my soul, of Moses’ basket,carried on the water, on the river’s waves,as if in a chamber long ago,escaping the cruel deed Pharaoh had decreed.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Wretched soul, you have heard of the midwiveswho once killed the manly work of self-controlwhile it was still a baby.Now, like Moses the great, be nursed on wisdom.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Wretched soul, you have not struck down and killedthe Egyptian mind, as Moses the great did.Tell me, then: how will you go through repentanceto live in the desert that is empty of passions?

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Moses the great lived in the deserts.Come then, my soul, copy his way of life,so that you too may come to see in contemplationGod appearing in the bush.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Picture, my soul, the staff of Mosesstriking the sea and making the deep stand firm,a figure of the holy Cross.Through the Cross you too can do great things.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Aaron offered fire to God,spotless and pure.But Hophni and Phinehas, like you, my soul,brought to God a filthy life, foreign to Him.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O Lord, I have become hard of heart like cruel Pharaoh,a Jannes and a Jambres in soul and body,a mind sunk beneath the waters.But help me.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Wretch that I am, my mind is mired in the mud.Wash me, O Master, I beg You,in the bath of my tears,and make the robe of my flesh white as snow.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.When I search through my deeds, O Savior,I see that I have outdone everyone in sin,for I sinned knowing what I did,not in ignorance.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Spare, O Lord, spare the one You made.I have sinned; forgive me,for You alone are pure by nature,and no one but You is free from stain.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Though You are God, You took my form for my sake.You showed wonders:You healed lepers and made the paralyzed strong,and, O Savior, You stopped the bleeding woman’s flow of bloodwhen she touched the edge of Your cloak.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Wretched soul, copy the woman who bled:run and take hold of the edge of Christ’s cloak,so that you may be set free from your afflictionsand hear Him say: “Your faith has saved you.”

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, copy the woman bent double to the ground.Come, fall at the feet of Jesus,so that He may straighten you,and you will walk upright on the paths of the Lord.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Though You are a deep well, O Master,let streams gush out for me from Your spotless veins,so that, like the Samaritan woman,I may drink and never thirst again,for You pour out rivers of life.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O Master and Lord, let my tears be my pool of Siloam,so that I too may wash the eyes of my heartand see You with my mind,the Light that was before the ages.

To St Mary of EgyptHoly one of God, pray for us.Blessed one, with a love beyond compareyou longed to bow down before the wood of the Cross,and your longing was granted.Make me worthy too, then,to reach the glory above.

Holy one of God, pray for us.You crossed the stream of the Jordanand found rest that knows no pain,escaping the pleasure of the flesh.Rescue us from it too,holy one, by your prayers.

To St Andrew of CreteSaint of God, pray for us.Wise Andrew, best of shepherds,chosen above others,with great longing and with fear I beg youthat by your prayers I may find salvationand eternal life.

To the Holy TrinityGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.O Trinity, we glorify You, the one God.Holy, holy, holy are You,the Father, the Son and the Spirit,simple Being and Unity,worshiped for ever.

To the Mother of GodNow and ever, and for ever and ever. Amen.O virgin mother, untouched, who never knew a man,God, Who created the ages,clothed Himself from you in my human clay,and joined human nature to Himself.

Ode 6: the irmos, sung twiceI cried out with my whole heartto the merciful God,and He heard me from the lowest depths of Hades,and brought my life up from decay.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O Savior, I sincerely bring Youthe tears of my eyesand groans from deep within,as my heart cries out:“O God, I have sinned against You; be merciful to me.”

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have turned away from your Lord,like Dathan and Abiram.But cry out “Spare me!”from the lowest depths of Hades,so that the earth does not open and cover you.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, like a heifer gone wild,you have become like Ephraim.Save your life as a deer escapes from the nets,taking wing by action,by the mind and by contemplation.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, the hand of Moses will convince usthat God can whiten and cleansea life struck with leprosy.So do not despair of yourself,even if you have become a leper.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O Savior, the waves of my failingshave turned back, as in the Red Sea,and suddenly covered me,as they once covered the Egyptiansand their chariot captains.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have made an ungrateful choice,as Israel did long ago.Senselessly you have preferredthe greedy, pleasure-loving appetite of the passionsto the manna God gave.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have preferred pork,the pots of meat and the food of Egyptto the food of heaven,like the ungrateful people in the desert long ago.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have valued the wellsof Canaanite thoughtsabove the rock with its gushing spring,which like a bowl of wisdom pours outstreams of the knowledge of God.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.When Moses Your servant struck the rock with his staff,he foreshadowed Your life-giving side, O Savior,from which we all draw the drink of life.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, search out and spy out,like Joshua the son of Nun,what the land of your inheritance is like,and settle in it by keeping the law well.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Rise up and make war on the passions of the flesh,as Joshua did against Amalek,and always overcome the Gibeonites,your deceitful thoughts.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Cross the flowing stream of time, my soul,as the ark once crossed,and take hold of that land of the promise:God commands it.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.As You saved Peter when he cried out,hurry, O Savior, and save me.Rescue me from the beast:stretch out Your handand bring me up from the depths of sin.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I know You as a calm harbor,O Master, Master Christ.Hurry, then, and rescue mefrom the bottomless depths of sin and of despair.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I am the royal coin, O Savior,that You lost long ago.But light Your forerunner as a lamp, O Word,and search for Your image, and find it.

To St Mary of EgyptHoly one of God, pray for us.To put out the blaze of the passions, Mary,you always poured out streams of tearsfrom a soul on fire.Share their grace with me too,your servant.

Holy one of God, pray for us.By the highest way of life on earth, mother,you gained a heavenly freedom from the passions.So by your prayers pleadfor those who sing your praise to be rescued from the passions.

To St Andrew of CreteSaint of God, pray for us.Andrew, I know you as shepherd and bishop of Creteand as one who prays for the whole world,and I run to you and cry:“Father, pull me out of the depths of sin.”

To the Holy TrinityGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.“I am a Trinity, simple and undivided,divided in Persons,and I am a Unity, one in nature,”say the Father, the Son and the divine Spirit.

To the Mother of GodNow and ever, and for ever and ever. Amen.Your womb gave birth to God for us,taking our form.O Mother of God, plead with Himas the Creator of all,that by your prayers we may be made righteous.

The irmos againI cried out with my whole heartto the merciful God,and He heard me from the lowest depths of Hades,and brought my life up from decay.

The kontakionMy soul, my soul, arise!Why are you sleeping?The end is drawing near,and you will be troubled.So come to your senses,that Christ God may spare you,Who is everywhere presentand fills all things.

The oikosWhen the devil saw Christ’s house of healing standing open,and health pouring out of it for Adam,he suffered, he was struck,and he wailed as one in danger.He cried out to his friends:“What shall I do to the Son of Mary?The One from Bethlehem is killing me,He Who is everywhere presentand fills all things.”

The BeatitudesIn Your kingdom remember us, O Lord, when You come into Your kingdom.O Christ, when the thief on the crosscried out to You, “Remember me,”You made him a citizen of Paradise before anyone else.Make me too, unworthy as I am,worthy of his repentance.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.My soul, you hear of Manoah long ago,who saw God in a visionand then received from his barren wifethe fruit of the promise.Let us copy his godliness.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.My soul, you have copied Samson’s carelessness,and the glory of your deeds has been shorn off,for through love of pleasure you betrayed to the foreignersyour pure and blessed life.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.The man who once beat the foreigners with a donkey’s jawbonewas found to be the prey of passionate lust.My soul, do not copy him:escape his deeds and his slackness.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.Barak and Jephthah, the army commanders,were chosen as judges of Israel,and with them Deborah, who had a man’s courage.My soul, take courage from their brave deedsand be made strong.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.My soul, you know the courage of Jael,who once drove a stake through Siseraand brought about salvation.You hear of the tent peg:through it the Cross is pictured for you.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.My soul, offer a sacrifice worthy of praise.Bring your deeds as a daughterpurer than Jephthah’s,and slaughter the passions of the fleshas an offering to your Lord.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.My soul, think of Gideon’s fleece:receive the dew from heaven,and bend down like a deer and drinkthe water that flows from the Lawwhen its letter is wrung out.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.My soul, for lack of senseyou have brought on yourself the sentence of Eli the priest,for you have let the passions do their lawless work in you,as he let his children do theirs.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every evil thing against you because of Me.My soul, in the time of the judgesa Levite carefully divided his wifeamong the twelve tribes,so as to make public the hateful, lawless deed of Benjamin.

Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.When Hannah, who loved purity, prayed,her lips moved in praise,but her voice was not heard.Yet, barren as she was,she gave birth to a son worthy of her prayer.

Remember us, O Lord, when You come into Your kingdom.Hannah’s child, the great Samuel,was counted among the judges.Ramathaim brought him up in the house of the Lord.My soul, follow his zeal,and judge your own deeds before those of others.

Remember us, O Master, when You come into Your kingdom.David, chosen to be king,was anointed king with the horn of holy oil.So you, my soul, if you want the kingdom above,anoint yourself with your tears as with oil.

Remember us, O Holy One, when You come into Your kingdom.O merciful One, have mercy on the one You formed.Pity the work of Your hands,and spare all who have sinned,and me too, who more than allI have disregarded Your commands.

To the Holy TrinityGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.In begetting and in going forth, both without beginning:I worship the Father Who begot,I glorify the Son Who was begotten,I sing the praise of the Holy Spirit,Who shines out together with the Father and the Son.

To the Mother of GodNow and ever, and for ever and ever. Amen.We worship your Son, born beyond nature,O Mother of God,and we do not divide His glorybetween His natures,for He is one in Personand confessed as two in His natures.

Ode 7: the irmos, sung twiceWe have sinned, we have broken the law,we have done wrong before You.We have not kept or donewhat You commanded us.But do not give us up for ever,O God of our fathers.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have sinned, I have done wrong,and I have set aside Your commandment,for I have gone further and further in sins,and I have added wound to my bruises.But since You are compassionate, have mercy on me Yourself,O God of our fathers.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have confessed the secrets of my heartto You, my Judge.See how low I have been brought,see my distress,and attend now to my judgment.Since You are compassionate, have mercy on me Yourself,O God of our fathers.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, when Saul once lost his father’s donkeys,he found a kingdom along the wayand was proclaimed king.But watch that you do not, without noticing,put your animal appetitesbefore the kingdom of Christ.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, David, the forefather of God, once sinned twice over:he was shot with the arrow of adulteryand caught by the spear of murder and its penalty.But you are sick with what is worse than deeds:the urges of your will.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.David once joined one lawless act to another,for he mixed adultery with murder,yet at once he showed a double repentance.But you, my soul, have done worse thingsand have not repented before God.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.David once wrote a hymn, as if painting an icon,and set it up as a monument.In it he exposed the deed he had done, crying:“Have mercy on me,for against You alone have I sinned, God of all.Cleanse me Yourself.”

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.When the ark was being carried on a cartand the young ox stumbled,Uzzah only touched it,and he felt the anger of God.My soul, flee his presumption,and treat holy things with proper reverence.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.You have heard how Absalomrose up against nature.You know the unholy deedsby which he dishonored the bed of his father David.Yet you have copied his passionate urgesand his love of pleasure.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have made your free dignitya slave to your body.You found the enemy to be a second Ahithophel,and you went along with his plans.But Christ Himself has scattered them,so that you may be saved from them all.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Solomon the wonderful,who was full of the grace of wisdom,once did what was evil before Godand turned away from Him.My soul, by your cursed lifeyou have made yourself like him.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Dragged away by the pleasures of his passions,he was made filthy.Alas! The lover of wisdombecame a lover of harlots and a stranger to God.And you, my soul, have copied him in your mindwith shameful indulgence.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have matched Rehoboam,who ignored his father’s advice,and with him Jeroboam,the wicked servant who rebelled long ago.But flee from copying them, and cry to God:“I have sinned; have pity on me.”

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have matched Ahab in his filth.Alas! You have become a lodging house for the stains of the fleshand a shameful vessel of the passions.But groan from your depths,and tell God your sins.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, heaven has been shut against you,and a famine from God has seized you,since you once disobeyed the words of Elijah the Tishbite,as Ahab did.But become like the woman of Zarephath,and feed the prophet’s soul.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.By your own choice, my soul,you have heaped up the crimes of Manasseh,setting up the passions as idols that God hates,and adding offense to offense.But copy his repentance with all your heart,and gain sorrow of heart.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I fall down before You,and I bring You my words like tears.I have sinned as the harlot never sinned,and I have broken the law as no one else on earth.But have pity, O Master, on the one You made,and call me back.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I have smeared Your imageand corrupted Your commandment.All my beauty has gone dark,and my lamp has been put out by the passions, O Savior.But have pity and give me back the joy,as David sings.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Turn back, repent,uncover what is hidden,and say to God, Who knows all things:“You alone know my secrets, O Savior.Have mercy on me Yourself,as David sings, according to Your mercy.”

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My days have faded awaylike the dream of someone waking up.So like Hezekiah I weep on my bedfor years to be added to my life.But what Isaiah will come to stand by me, my soul,except the God of all?

To St Mary of EgyptHoly one of God, pray for us.By crying out long ago to the spotless Mother of God,you drove back the raging of the violent passionsthat pressed upon you,and you put to shame the enemy who had tripped you up.Now give help in troubleto me too, your servant.

Holy one of God, pray for us.Holy one, ask Christ now on behalf of His servants,Christ Whom you loved, Whom you longed for,for Whose sake you wore down your flesh,that He may be gracious to us alland grant a peaceful lifeto those who worship Him.

To St Andrew of CreteSaint of God, pray for us.Father, by your prayers set me firmon the rock of faith,walling me in with the holy fear of God.Andrew, give me repentance now, I beg you,and rescue me from the snare of the enemieswho are hunting for me.

To the Holy TrinityGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.O simple, undivided Trinity,holy Unity of one being:the Trinity is praised as Lights and Light,as three Holies and one Holy, God.My soul, sing and glorifythe Life and the Lives, the God of all.

To the Mother of GodNow and ever, and for ever and ever. Amen.We sing your praise, we bless you,we bow down before you, O Mother of God,for you gave birth to One of the undivided Trinity,the Son and God,and you have opened heavento us who are on earth.

Ode 8: the irmos, sung twiceHe Whom the armies of heaven glorify,before Whom the cherubim and the seraphim tremble:all that has breath, all creation,sing His praise, bless Him,and exalt Him above all for ever.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O Savior, have mercy on me, for I have sinned.Wake up my mind to turn back.Accept me as I repent,and have pity on me as I cry:“I have sinned against You: save me.I have broken the law: have mercy on me.”

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Elijah the charioteer climbed into the chariot of the virtuesand was carried up as if to heaven,high above the things of earth.My soul, think about his going up.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Once, through Elisha,the stream of the Jordan stood still on this side and thatat the touch of Elijah’s cloak.But you, my soul, have had no share in this grace,because of your lack of self-control.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.When Elisha once took up Elijah’s cloak,he received a double grace from the Lord.But you, my soul, have had no share in this grace,because of your lack of self-control.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, the woman of Shunem once gladly welcomedthe righteous man as her guest.But you have taken no one into your house,no stranger and no traveler.So you will be thrown out of the bridal chamber, weeping.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Wretched soul, you have always copiedthe filthy mind of Gehazi.Push away his love of money, at least in your old age.Flee the fire of hellby turning away from your evils.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have copied Uzziah,and you have his leprosy in you twice over,for your thoughts are wrongand your deeds are lawless.Let go of what you hold,and run to repentance.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have heard how the people of Ninevehrepented before God in sackcloth and ashes.You have not copied them,but you have been shown more foolish than allwho stumbled before the Law and after it.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have heard of Jeremiah in the muddy pit,crying out laments over the city of Zionand asking for tears.Copy his life of lament, and you will be saved.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Jonah ran away to Tarshish,for he knew ahead of time that the people of Nineveh would turn back.As a prophet he knew God’s compassion,and so he was jealousthat his prophecy should not be proved false.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you have heard how Daniel in the pitshut the mouths of the wild beasts.You know how the young men with Azariahput out by faith the flame of the burning furnace.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, I have brought before youall the people of the Old Testament as an example.Copy the God-loving deeds of the righteous,and flee the sins of the wicked.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O righteous Judge and Savior, have mercy on me,and rescue me from the fireand from the threat of the judgmentI justly deserve to face.Release me before the endthrough virtue and repentance.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Like the thief I cry out to You: “Remember me.”Like Peter I weep bitterly.Like the tax collector I call out: “Release me, O Savior.”Like the harlot I shed tears.Accept my lament,as You once accepted the woman of Canaan’s.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O Savior, the only physician,heal the rot of my lowly soul.Lay a soothing dressing on me,and oil and wine:works of repentance,sorrow of heart with tears.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.I too copy the woman of Canaan,and cry out to the Son of David: “Have mercy on me.”I touch the edge of Your cloaklike the woman who bled,and I weep as Martha and Mary wept over Lazarus.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O Savior, I pour out on Your headthe alabaster jar of my tears like fragrant oil.I cry to You like the harlot who sought mercy.I bring You my prayer,and I ask to receive forgiveness.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Though no one has sinned against You as I have,still accept me too, O compassionate Savior,as I repent in fear and cry out with longing:“Against You alone have I sinned;I have broken the law; have mercy on me.”

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O Savior, spare the one You formed,and like a shepherd seek the lost sheep that has wandered.Snatch me from the wolf,and make me a lambin the pasture of Your flock.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.O Christ, when You sit as Judge, compassionate as You are,and show Your fearful glory,oh, what fear there will be then,when the furnace burnsand all shrink back in terrorfrom Your judgment seat that no one can bear!

To St Mary of EgyptHoly one of God, pray for us.The Mother of the Light that never setsgave you light and set you free from the darkness of the passions.So now that you have received the grace of the Spirit,Mary, give light to those who faithfully praise you.

Holy one of God, pray for us.Mother, when the godly Zosimassaw in you a truly new wonder,he was astonished,for he saw an angel in a body.He was filled with amazement,and sang the praise of Christ for ever.

To St Andrew of CreteSaint of God, pray for us.Andrew, honored glory of Crete,since you can speak boldly to the Lord, I beg you:plead that by your prayers I may now find releasefrom the chains of lawlessness,O teacher, glory of the holy.

To the Holy TrinityWe bless the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.O Father without beginning,O Son, without beginning with Him,O good Comforter, the upright Spirit;Father Who begot God’s Word,Word of the Father Who has no beginning,Spirit living and creating:O Trinity and Unity, have mercy on me.

To the Mother of GodNow and ever, and for ever and ever. Amen.O spotless one, as if dyed in purple,the spiritual robe of Emmanuel, His flesh,was woven within your womb.So we honor you as Mother of Godin very truth.

The irmos againWe praise, we bless and we worship the Lord.He Whom the armies of heaven glorify,before Whom the cherubim and the seraphim tremble:all that has breath, all creation,sing His praise, bless Him,and exalt Him above all for ever.

Ode 9: the irmos, sung twiceThe birth from a conception without seedcannot be explained.The pregnancy of a mother who knew no manleft her untouched,for God’s birth makes natures new.So we, all generations, magnify you with right faith,as the mother who is the bride of God.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My mind is wounded, my body has grown weak,my spirit is sick, my speech has lost its strength,my life is dead, and the end is at the door.So, my wretched soul, what will you dowhen the Judge comes to search out what you have done?

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, I have set before you Moses’ account of the making of the world,and after it all the accepted Scripture,which tells you of the righteous and the unrighteous.You have copied the second, my soul, not the first,and sinned against God.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.The Law has grown weak, the Gospel does nothing,and you have neglected all of Scripture.The prophets have lost their strength,and so has every word of the righteous.Your wounds, my soul, have multiplied,and there is no physician to heal you.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, I set before you examples from the New Testament,to lead you to sorrow of heart.So copy the righteous and turn away from sinners,and win Christ’s mercywith prayers and fasts,with purity and modesty.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Christ became manand called thieves and harlots to repentance.Repent, my soul: the door of the kingdom is already open,and Pharisees and tax collectors and adulterersare seizing it ahead of you as they change their lives.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Christ became man and shared my flesh.By His own will He went through all that belongs to our nature,except sin,showing you, my soul, a pattern and a pictureof how low He came down.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Christ saved the wise men,called the shepherds together,made crowds of infants into martyrs,and glorified the old man and the aged widow.My soul, you have not copied their deeds or their life.Woe to you when you are judged!

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.The Lord fasted forty days in the desert,and afterward He was hungry,showing that He was human.My soul, do not lose heart if the enemy attacks you:drive him awaywith prayer and fasting.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Christ was tempted.The devil tempted Him,showing Him the stones to make them bread,and he took Him up a mountainto see all the kingdoms of the world in an instant.My soul, fear what happened there:stay alert, and pray to God every hour.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.The turtledove that loves the desert rang out,the voice of one crying out,the lamp of Christ, preaching repentance.Herod broke the law, and Herodias with him.My soul, watch that you are not caughtin the snares of the lawless,but embrace repentance.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.The forerunner of grace lived in the desert,and all Judea and Samariaheard and ran to him,and confessed their sinsand were eagerly baptized.But you, my soul, have not copied them.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Marriage is honorable, and the marriage bed is undefiled,for Christ blessed them both long ago,eating in the flesh at the wedding in Cana,turning water into wine,and showing His first wonder,so that you, my soul, might be changed.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Christ made the paralyzed man strongso that he picked up his bed.He raised the young man who had died, the widow’s son,and the centurion’s servant.And when He showed Himself to the Samaritan woman,He painted for you, my soul, the picture of worship in spirit.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.The Lord healed the woman who bledby the touch of the edge of His cloak.He cleansed lepers.He gave light to the blind and set the lame upright.He healed by His word the deaf, the mute,and the woman bent double to the ground,so that you, my wretched soul, might be saved.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.As He healed diseases,Christ the Word brought good news to the poor.He healed the crippled,ate with tax collectors and talked with sinners,and by the touch of His handHe brought back the soul of Jairus’ daughterafter it had left her.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.The tax collector was saved,the harlot turned to a pure life,and the boasting Pharisee was condemned.For the first said “Be merciful,”and the second “Have mercy on me,”but the third boasted, crying “O God, I thank You”and the rest of his foolish words.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Zacchaeus was a tax collector, yet he was saved.Simon the Pharisee went wrong,and the harlot received release and forgivenessfrom the One Who has power to forgive sins.My soul, hurry to copy her.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My wretched soul, you have not copied the harlot.She took the alabaster jar of fragrant oiland anointed the feet of the Lord with tearsand wiped them with her hair,and He tore up for her the record of her old crimes.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, you know how the citiesto which Christ gave the Gospel were cursed.Fear their example, so that you do not become like them,for the Master compared them to the cities of Sodomand condemned them down to Hades.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My soul, do not despair and so prove worse than the woman of Canaan,for you have heard of her faith,through which her little daughter was healed by the word of God.Cry out to Christ from the depths of your heart, as she did:“Son of David, save me too.”

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Son of David, You healed the possessed with a word:have pity on me, save me, have mercy.Speak to me the compassionate wordsYou spoke to the thief:“Truly I tell you, you will be with Me in Paradisewhen I come in My glory.”

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.One thief accused You, one thief confessed You as God,for both were hanging on crosses with You.O You Who are full of compassion,open the door of Your glorious kingdom to me too,as You did to Your faithful thief,who knew You as God.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Creation was gripped with distresswhen it saw You crucified.Mountains and rocks split apart with fear,the earth shook, Hades was stripped bare,and the light grew dark in the daytimewhen it saw You, Jesus, nailed in the flesh.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.Do not demand from me fruits worthy of repentance,for my strength has failed within me.Give me a heart that is always brokenand poverty of spirit,so that I may bring these to Youas a sacrifice You accept, O only Savior.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.My Judge, You Who know me,You will come again with the angelsto judge the whole world.Then look on me with Your merciful eye and spare me.Have pity on me, Jesus,for I have sinned more than all humankind.

To St Mary of EgyptHoly one of God, pray for us.By your strange way of life you astonishedall the ranks of angels and the gatherings of mortals,for you lived as if you had no bodyand rose above nature.So, Mary, as if bodiless,you walked on the Jordan with your feet and crossed it.

Holy one of God, pray for us.Holy mother, ask the Creator to be graciousto those who praise you,that we may be rescued from harmand from the troubles that attack us on every side,so that, rescued from temptations,we may never stop magnifying the Lord Who glorified you.

To St Andrew of CreteSaint of God, pray for us.Honored Andrew, thrice-blessed father,shepherd of Crete,never stop praying for those who sing your praise,that we who faithfully honor your memorymay be rescued from all wrath and distress,from ruin and from failings beyond count.

To the Holy TrinityGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.Let us glorify the Father,let us exalt the Son,let us worship the divine Spirit in faith:the undivided Trinity, one in being,Light and Lights, Life and Lives,giving life and light to the ends of the earth.

To the Mother of GodNow and ever, and for ever and ever. Amen.Guard your city, all-pure Mother of God,for in you she reigns in faith,and in you she is made strong.Winning through you,she puts every trial to flight,strips her enemies of their spoils,and governs those under her rule.

The irmos againThe birth from a conception without seedcannot be explained.The pregnancy of a mother who knew no manleft her untouched,for God’s birth makes natures new.So we, all generations, magnify you with right faith,as the mother who is the bride of God.