When it is said
Pray it when anger has hold of you and you cannot calm down.
It is short enough to pray in the moment, under your breath, before you say anything.
Where it comes from
Author by tradition
Who was St Tikhon?
St Tikhon of Zadonsk lived in Russia from 1724 to 1783. He became a monk when he was 34 years old and was later made Bishop of Voronezh. After a little under seven years as bishop he retired to the monastery of Zadonsk, where he lived until he died. The Russian Orthodox Church made him a saint in 1861.
Where the prayer is found
A Russian prayer book prints it among St Tikhon’s prayers for calming a raging soul and taming the passions. A shorter prayer of his comes just before it, also in the Canaanite woman’s words. In that one he asks to be fed like a dog with the crumbs that fall from the table of Christ’s servants.
Azbyka’s prayer book, “Rare prayers of great Russian saints”
What the words mean
Why the Canaanite woman?
In Matthew 15:21-28 a Canaanite mother begs Jesus to heal her daughter. When He says it is not right to toss the children’s bread to the dogs, she answers, “Yes, Lord,” and says that even the dogs eat the crumbs from their master’s table. Jesus praises her faith and heals her daughter. The prayer borrows her cry and her “Yes, Lord”, then asks for a place at the table itself.
The Scripture in it
And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”
The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
“Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.
In Church Slavonic
Поми́луй мя́, Го́споди, Сы́не Бо́жий, Сы́не Дави́дов по пло́ти, я́коже поми́ловал еси́ ханане́ю:
душа́ моя́ зле́ бесну́ется гне́вом, я́ростию, по́хотию зло́ю и про́чими па́губными страстьми́.
Го́споди!
Помози́ мне́, вопию́ Тебе́, не на земли́ ходя́щему, но одесну́ю Отца́ на небесе́х седя́щему.
Е́й, Го́споди!
Да́ждь мне́ се́рдце ве́рою и любо́вию после́довати Твоему́ смире́нию, бла́гости, кро́тости и долготерпе́нию, да и в ве́чном Твое́м Ца́рствии сподо́блюся причаща́тися трапе́зы рабо́в Твои́х, и́хже избра́л еси́.
Ами́нь.