The Great Canon is read in full on Thursday in the fifth week of Great Lent. In 2022, however, according the Julian Calendar the Annunciation falls on this Thursday. So, in the Russian Orthodox Church we are reading the Great Canon on Monday evening (Tuesday Matins), because the feast of the Annunciation cannot be moved.
NOTE: The Great Canon is chanted in Tone Six. Only at the words “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me” do we make one prostration. For all other verses, we make no prostrations.
ODE ONE
He is my Helper and Protector, and hath become my Salvation. This is my God and I will glorify Him, the God of my fathers and I will exalt Him, for gloriously has He been glorified. (REPEAT)
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 Thy compassion grant me forgiveness of sins.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Come, wretched soul, with thy flesh to the Creator of all. Make confession to Him, and abstain henceforth from thy past brutishness; and offer to God tears of repentance.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Woe to thee, miserable soul! How like thou art to the first Eve! For thou hast looked in wickedness and was grievously wounded; thou hast touched the tree and rashly tasted the deceptive food.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Adam was justly banished from Eden because he disobeyed one commandment of Thine, O Savior. What then shall I suffer, for I am always rejecting Thy words of life?
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
By my own free choice have I 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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O Jesus, I have not been like Abel in his righteousness. Never have I offered Thee acceptable gifts or godly actions, a pure sacrifice or an unblemished life.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
As the potter molds the clay, Thou hast fashioned me, giving me flesh and bones, breath and life. But accept me in repentance, O my Maker and Deliverer and Judge.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I confess to Thee, O Savior, the sins I have committed, the wounds of my soul and body, which murderous thoughts, like thieves, have inflicted inwardly upon me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Though I have sinned, O Savior, yet I know that Thou art full of loving-kindness. Thou dost chastise with mercy and art fervent in compassion. Thou dost see me weeping and dost run to meet me, like the Father calling back the Prodigal Son.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I lie as an outcast before Thy gate, O Savior. In my old age cast me not down empty into hell; but, before the end comes, in Thy love grant me remission of sins.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy 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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on 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 Thou come to me and take pity on me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of all, take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Thy compassion give me tears of compunction.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
It is time for repentance: to Thee I come, my Creator. Take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Thy compassion give me tears of compunction.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Reject me not, O Savior; cast me not away from Thy presence. Take from me the heavy yoke of sin and in Thy compassion grant me remission of sins.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
All mine offenses, voluntary and involuntary, manifest and hidden, known and unknown, do Thou forgive, O Savior, for Thou art God; be merciful and save me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
From my youth, O Savior, I have rejected Thy commandments. Ruled by the passions, I have passed my whole life in heedlessness and sloth. Therefore I cry to Thee, O Savior, even now at the end: Save me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 giver of mercy, come quickly out to meet me and take pity on me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I fall down, Jesus, at Thy feet: I have sinned against Thee, be merciful to me. Take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Thy compassion, O God, accept me in repentance.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Enter not into judgment with me, bringing before me the things I should have done, examining my words and correcting my impulses. But in Thy mercy overlook my sins and save me, O Lord almighty.
FOR SS. MARY AND ANDREW IN TONE SIX
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
Grant me the light of grace, from God’s providence on high, so that I may flee from the darkness of the passions and sing fervently the joyful tale of thy life, O Mary.
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
Bowing before the divine laws of Christ, thou hast drawn near to Him, forsaking the unbridled longings of sensual pleasure; and in the fear of God thou hast gained all the virtues as if they were one.
Holy Father Andrew, pray to God for us.
Through thine intercessions, O Andrew, deliver us from shameful passions and, we pray thee, make us now partakers of Christ’s Kingdom; for with faith and love we sing thy praises.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Trinity beyond all being, worshipped in Unity, take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Thy compassion grant me tears of compunction.
Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
O Theotokos, the hope and protection of those who sing thy praises, take from me the heavy yoke of sin and, pure Lady, accept me in repentance.
ODE TWO
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. (REPEAT)
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Attend, O Heaven, and I shall speak; give ear, O earth, to the voice of one who repents before God and sings His praise.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Look upon me, God my Savior, with Thy merciful eye, and accept my fervent confession.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
More than all men I have sinned; I alone have sinned against Thee. But as God take pity on Thy creation, O Savior.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I am surrounded by the storm of sin, O compassionate Lord. But stretch out Thine hand to me, as once thou hast to Peter.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I offer to Thee, O merciful Lord, the tears of the Harlot. Take pity on me, O Savior, in Thy compassion.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
With the lusts of passion I have darkened the beauty of my soul, and turned my whole mind entirely into dust.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have torn the first garment that the Creator wove for me in the beginning, and now I lie naked.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have clothed myself in the torn coat that the serpent wove for me by his counsel, and I am ashamed.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I looked upon the beauty of the tree and my mind was deceived, and now I lie naked and ashamed.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
All the ruling passions have ploughed upon my back, making long furrows of wickedness.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have lost the beauty and glory with which I was first created; and now I lie naked and ashamed.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Sin has stripped me of the robe that God once wove for me, and it has sewed for me garments of skin.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I am clothed with the raiment of shame as with fig leaves, in condemnation of my self-willed passions.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I am clad in a garment that is defiled and shamefully bloodstained by a life of passion and self-indulgence.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have stained the garment of my flesh, O Savior, and defiled that which was made in Thine image and likeness.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have fallen beneath the painful burden of the passions and the corruption of material things; and I am hard pressed by the enemy.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Instead of freedom from possessions, O Savior, I have pursued a life in love with material things, and now I wear a heavy yoke.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have adorned the idol of my flesh with a many-colored coat of shameful thoughts, and I am condemned.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have cared only for the outward adornment, and neglected that which is within—the tabernacle fashioned by God.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
With my lustful desires I have formed within myself the deformity of the passions and disfigured the beauty of my mind.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have discolored with the passions the first beauty of the image, O Savior. But seek me, as once Thou hast sought the lost coin, and find me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Like the Harlot I cry to Thee: I have sinned, I alone have sinned against Thee. Accept my tears also as sweet ointment, O Savior.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Like David, I have fallen into lust and I am covered with filth; but wash me clean, O Savior, by my tears.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Like the Publican I cry to Thee: Be merciful, O Savior, be merciful to me. For no child of Adam has ever sinned against Thee as I have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have no tears, no repentance, no compunction; but as God do Thou Thyself, O Savior, bestow them on me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Lord, Lord, at the Last Day shut not Thy door against me; but open it to me, for I repent before Thee.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O Lover of mankind, who desirest that all men shall be saved, in Thy goodness call me back and accept me in repentance.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Give ear to the groaning of my soul, and accept the tears that fall from mine eyes; O Lord, save me.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
O Theotokos undefiled, Virgin alone worthy of all praise, intercede fervently for our salvation.
ODE TWO, PART II
See now, see that I am God, who rained down manna in the days of old, and made springs of water flow from the rock, for my people in the wilderness, by My right hand and by My power alone. (REPEAT)
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
‘See now, see that I am God’: give ear, my soul, to the Lord as He cries to thee; forsake thy former sin, and fear Him as thy Judge and God.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
To whom shall I liken thee, O soul of many sins? Alas! To Cain and to Lamech. For thou hast stoned thy body to death with thine evil deeds, and killed thy mind with thy disordered longings.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Call to mind, my soul, all who lived before the Law. Thou hast not been like Seth, or followed Enos or Enoch, who was translated to Heaven, or Noah; but thou art found destitute, without a share in the life of the righteous.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou alone, O my soul, hast opened the windows of the wrath of thy God, and thou hast flooded, as the earth, all thy flesh and deeds and life; and thou hast remained outside the Ark of salvation.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
‘I have slain a man to my grief and wounding,’ said Lamech, ‘and a young man to my hurt’; and he cried aloud lamenting. Dost thou not tremble then, my soul, for thou hast defiled thy flesh and polluted thy mind?
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Skillfully hast thou planned to build a tower, O my soul, and to establish a stronghold for thy lusts; but the Creator confounded thy designs and dashed thy devices to the ground.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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, that cry out to God against the blows inflicted by my freely chosen passions.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Roused to anger by their transgressions, the Lord once rained down fire from Heaven and burnt up the men of Sodom. And thou, my soul, hast kindled the fire of Gehenna, and there to thy bitter sorrow thou shalt burn.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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, the humble and the poor.
FOR SS. MARY AND ANDREW IN TONE SIX
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
Sunk in the abyss of wickedness, O Mary, thou hast lifted up thine hands to the merciful God. And, as to Peter, in His loving-kindness He stretched out His hand to thee in help, seeking in every way thy conversion.
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
With all eagerness and love hast thou run to Christ, turning from thy former path of sin, finding thy food in the trackless wilderness, and fulfilling in purity the commandments of God.
Holy Father Andrew, pray to God for us.
Let us see, O my soul, let us see the love of our God and Master for mankind; and before the end comes, with tears let us fall down before Him, crying: At the prayers of Andrew, O Savior, have mercy upon us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O Trinity uncreated and without beginning, O undivided Unity: accept me in repentance and save me, a sinner. I am Thy creation, reject me not; but spare me and deliver me from the fire of condemnation.
Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Most pure Lady, Mother of God, hope of those who run to thee and the haven of the storm-tossed: pray to the merciful God, thy Creator and thy Son, that He may grant His mercy even to me.
ODE THREE
Upon the unshaken rock of Thy commandments, O Christ, make firm Thy Church. (REPEAT)
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The Lord, my soul, once rained down fire from Heaven and consumed the land of Sodom.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O my soul, flee like Lot to the mountain, and take refuge in Zoar before it is too late.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Flee from the flames, my soul, flee from the burning heat of Sodom, flee from destruction by the fire of God.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I confess to Thee, O Savior: I have sinned, I have sinned against Thee. But in Thy compassion absolve and forgive me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I alone have sinned against Thee, I have sinned more than all men; reject me not, O Christ my Savior.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou art the Good Shepherd: seek me, the lamb that has strayed, and do not forget me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou art my beloved Jesus, Thou art my Creator; in Thee shall I be justified, O Savior.
God the Holy Trinity, have mercy on us.
O God, Trinity in Unity, save us from error and temptation and distress.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, Womb that held God! Hail, throne of the Lord! Hail, Mother of our Life!
ODE THREE, PART II
O Lord, upon the rock of Thy commandments make firm my wavering heart, for Thou alone art holy and Lord. (REPEAT)
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
For me Thou art the Fountain of life and the Destroyer of death; and from my heart I cry to Thee 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 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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned against Thee; be merciful to me. For there is no sinner whom I have not surpassed in my offenses.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O my soul, thou hast followed Ham, who mocked his father. Thou hast not covered thy neighbor’s shame, walking backwards with averted face.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O wretched soul, thou hast not inherited the blessing of Shem, nor hast thou received, like Japhet, a spacious domain in the land of forgiveness.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou hast heard, my soul, how Abraham in days of old left the land of his fathers and became a wanderer: follow him in his choice.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
At the oak of Mamre the Patriarch gave hospitality to the angels, and in his old age he inherited the reward of the promise.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou knowest, O my miserable soul, how Isaac was offered mystically as a new and unwonted sacrifice to the Lord: follow him in his choice.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou hast 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 thee because of thy lust.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O my soul, thou hast become like Hagar the Egyptian: thy free choice has been enslaved, and thou hast borne as thy child a new Ishmael, stubborn willfulness.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou knowest, my soul, the ladder that was shown to Jacob, reaching up from earth to Heaven. Why hast thou not provided a firm foundation for it through thy godly actions?
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Turn back, wretched soul, and lament, before the fair-ground of life comes to an end, before the Lord shuts the door of the bridal chamber.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Have mercy, O Lord, have mercy on me, I cry to Thee, when Thou comest with Thine angels to give to every man due return for his deeds.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Reject not, O Master, the prayer of those who sing Thy praises, but in Thy loving-kindness be merciful and grant forgiveness to them that ask with faith.
FOR SS. MARY AND ANDREW IN TONE SIX
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
I am held fast, O Mother, by the tempest and billows of sin: but do thou keep me safe and lead me to the haven of divine repentance.
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
O holy Mary, offer thy prayer of supplication to the compassionate Theotokos, and through thine intercessions open unto me the door that leads to God.
Holy Father Andrew, pray to God for us.
Through thy prayers grant even to me forgiveness of trespasses, O Andrew, Bishop of Crete, best of guides, leading us to the mysteries of repentance.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O simple Unity praised in Trinity of Persons, uncreated Nature without beginning, save us who in faith worship Thy power.
Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
O Mother of God, without knowing man thou hast given birth within time to the Son, who was begotten outside time from the Father; and—strange wonder!—thou givest suck while still remaining Virgin.
ODE FOUR
The prophet heard of Thy coming, O Lord, and he was afraid: how Thou was to be born of a Virgin and revealed to men and he said: I have heard the report of Thee and I was afraid. Glory to Thy power, O Lord. (REPEAT)
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O righteous Judge, despise not Thy works; forsake not Thy creation. I have sinned as a man, I alone, more than any other man, O Thou Who lovest mankind. But as Lord of all Thou hast the power to pardon sins.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The end draws near, my soul, the end draws near; yet thou dost 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?
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Awake, my soul, consider the actions which thou hast done; set them before thine eyes, and let the drops of thy tears fall. With boldness tell Christ of thy deeds and thoughts, and so be justified.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 knowest my heart, spare and deliver and save me in my wretchedness.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 thou dost wish to live rightly in action and knowledge and contemplation, be thou made new.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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. For without toil, O my soul, neither action nor contemplation will succeed.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Be watchful, O my soul, be full of courage like Jacob the great Patriarch, that thou mayest acquire action with knowledge, and be named Israel, ‘the mind that sees God’; so shalt thou reach by contemplation the innermost darkness and gain great merchandise.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The great Patriarch had the twelve Patriarchs as children, and so he mystically established for thee, my soul, a ladder of ascent through action, in his wisdom setting his children as steps, by which thou canst mount upwards.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou hast rivaled Esau the hated, O my soul, and given the birthright of thy first beauty to the supplanter; thou hast lost thy father’s blessing and in thy wretchedness been twice supplanted, in action and in knowledge. Therefore repent now.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Esau was called Edom because of his raging love 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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou hast heard, O my soul, of Job justified on a dung-hill, but thou hast not imitated his fortitude. In all thine experiences and trials and temptations, thou hast not kept firmly to thy purpose but has proved inconstant.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
If he who was righteous and blameless above all men did not escape the snares and pits of the deceiver, what wilt thou do, wretched and sin-loving soul, when some sudden misfortune befalls thee?
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have defiled my body, I have stained my spirit, and I am all covered with wounds: but as physician, Christ, heal both body and spirit for me through repentance. Wash, purify, and cleanse me, O my Savior, and make me whiter than snow.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thy Body and Thy Blood, O Word, Thou hast offered at Thy Crucifixion for the sake of all: Thy Body to refashion me, Thy Blood to wash me clean; and Thou hast given up Thy spirit, O Christ, to bring me to Thy Father.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O Creator, Thou hast worked salvation in the midst of the earth, that we might be saved. Thou wast crucified of Thine own will upon the Tree; and Eden, closed until then, was opened. Things above and things below, the creation and all the peoples have been saved and worship Thee.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
May the Blood from Thy 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 Thy words of life.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
As a chalice, O my Savior, the Church has been granted Thy 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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 Thou, O Savior, take pity on me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Now I speak boastfully, with boldness of heart; yet all to no purpose and in vain. O righteous Judge, Who alone art compassionate, do not condemn me with the Pharisee; but grant me the abasement of the Publican and number me with him.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 Thou, O Savior, take pity on me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have become mine own idol, utterly defiling my soul with the passions. But accept me in repentance and call me back to knowledge. Let me not become the possession and food of the enemy; but do Thou, O Savior, take pity on me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have not hearkened to Thy voice, I have not heeded Thy 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 Thou, O Savior, take pity on me.
FOR SS. MARY AND ANDREW IN TONE SIX
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
Thou hast lived a bodiless life in the body, O holy Mary, and thou hast received great grace from God. Protect us who honor thee with faith and, we entreat thee, deliver us by thy prayers from every trial.
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
Thou wast brought down into an abyss of great iniquity, yet not held fast within it: but with better intent thou hast mounted through action to the height of virtue, past all expectation: and the angels, O Mary, were amazed at thee.
Holy Father Andrew, pray to God for us.
O Andrew, renowned among the fathers, glory of Crete, as thou standest before the Trinity supreme in Godhead, in thy prayers do not forget to ask that we may be delivered from torment; for we call upon thee with love as our advocate in Heaven.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Undivided in Essence, unconfused in Persons, I confess Thee as God: Triune Deity, one in kingship and throne; and to Thee I raise the great thrice-holy hymn that is sung on high.
Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Thou givest birth and art a virgin, and in both thou remainest 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.
ODE FIVE
From the night I seek Thee early, O Lover of mankind; give me light, I pray Thee, and guide me in Thy commandments, and teach me, O Savior, to do Thy will. (REPEAT)
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 father’s.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I confess to Thee, O Christ my King: I have sinned; I have sinned like the brethren of Joseph, who once sold the fruit of purity and chastity.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
As a figure of the Lord, O my soul, the righteous and gentle Joseph was sold into bondage by his brethren; but thou hast sold thyself entirely to thy sins.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O miserable and wicked soul, imitate the righteous and pure mind of Joseph; and do not live in wantonness, sinfully indulging thy disordered desires.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Once Joseph was cast into a pit, O Lord and Master, as a figure of Thy Burial and Resurrection. But what offering such as this shall I ever make to Thee?
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou hast 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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou hast 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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O miserable soul, thou hast not struck and killed the Egyptian mind, as did Moses the great. Tell me, then, how wilt thou go to dwell through repentance in the wilderness empty of passions?
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Moses the great went to dwell in the desert. Come, seek to follow his way of life, my soul, that in contemplation thou mayest attain the vision of God in the bush.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Picture to thyself, my soul, the rod of Moses striking the sea and making hard the deep by the sign of the Holy Cross. Through the Cross thou also canst do great things.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Aaron offered to God fire that was blameless and undefiled, but Hophni and Phinehas brought to Him, as thou hast done, my soul, strange fire and a polluted life.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
In my soul and body, O Lord, 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 Thou come to my aid.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Woe is me! I have defiled my mind with filth. But I pray to Thee, O Master: wash me clean in the waters of my tears, and make the garment of my flesh white as snow.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Spare, O spare the work of Thine hands, O Lord. I have sinned, forgive me: for Thou alone art pure by nature, and none save Thee is free from defilement.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou who art God, O Savior, wast for my sake fashioned as I am. Thou hast performed miracles, healing lepers, giving strength to the paralyzed, stopping the issue of blood when the woman touched the hem of Thy garment.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O wretched soul, do as the woman with an issue of blood: run quickly, grasp the hem of the garment of Christ, so shalt thou be healed of thine afflictions and hear Him say: Thy faith has saved thee.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O my soul, do as the woman who was bowed down to the ground. Fall at the feet of Jesus, that He may make thee straight again; and thou shalt walk upright upon the paths of the Lord.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou art a deep well, O Master: make springs gush forth for me from Thy pure veins, that like the woman of Samaria I may drink and thirst no more; for from Thee flow the streams of life.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O Master and Lord, may my tears be unto me as Siloam: that I also may wash clean the eyes of my heart, and with my mind behold Thee, the pre-eternal Light.
FOR SS. MARY AND ANDREW IN TONE SIX
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
O blessed saint, with a love beyond compare thou hast longed to venerate the wood of the Cross, and thy desire was granted. Make me also worthy to attain the glory on high.
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
Crossing the stream of the Jordan, thou hast found peace, escaping from the deadening pleasures of the flesh. Deliver us also from them, holy Mary, by thine intercessions.
Holy Father Andrew, pray to God for us.
Best of shepherds, chosen above all others, O wise Andrew, with great love and fear I beseech thee: through thine intercessions may I receive salvation and eternal life.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
We glorify Thee, O Trinity, the one God. Holy, holy, holy, art Thou: Father, Son, and Spirit, simple Essence and Unity, worshipped forever.
Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
O Virgin inviolate and Mother who has not known man, from thee has God, the Creator of the ages, taken human flesh, uniting to Himself the nature of men.
ODE SIX
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. (REPEAT)
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I offer to Thee in purity, O Savior, the tears of mine eyes and groanings from the depths of my heart, crying: ‘I have sinned against Thee, O God; be merciful to me.’
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Like Dathan and Abiram, O my soul, thou hast become a stranger to thy Lord; but from the lowest depth of hell cry out, ‘Spare me’, that the earth may not open and swallow thee up.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Raging as a maddened heifer, O my soul, thou art become like Ephraim. As a hart from the nets rescue then thy life, gaining wings through action and the mind’s contemplation.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O my soul, the hand of Moses shall be our assurance, proving how God can cleanse a life full of leprosy and make it white as snow. So do not despair of thyself, though thou art leprous.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Like Israel before thee, thou hast made a foolish choice, my soul; instead of the divine manna thou hast senselessly preferred the pleasure-loving gluttony of the passions.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The swine’s meat, the flesh-pots and the food of Egypt thou hast preferred, my soul, to the food of Heaven, as the ungrateful people did of old in the wilderness.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O my soul, thou hast valued the wells of Canaanite thoughts more than the veined Rock, Jesus, the Fountain of Wisdom from which flow the rivers of divine knowledge.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
When Thy servant Moses struck the rock with his rod, he prefigured Thy life-giving side, O Savior, from which we all draw the water of life.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Like Joshua, the son of Nun, search and spy out, my soul, the land of thine inheritance and take up thy dwelling within it, through obedience to the Law.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Rise up and make war upon the passions of the flesh, as Joshua against Amalek, ever gaining the victory over the Gibeonites, thy deceitful thoughts.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 thee.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
As Thou hast 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 Thine hand and lead me up from the deep of sin.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I know Thee 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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O Savior, I am the coin marked with the King’s likeness, which Thou hast lost of old. But, O Word, light Thy lamp, Thy Forerunner, and seek and find again Thine image.
FOR SS. MARY AND ANDREW IN TONE SIX
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
Thy soul on fire, O Mary, thou hast ever shed streams of tears, to quench the burning of the passions. Grant the grace of these thy tears to me also, thy servant.
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
Through the perfection of thine earthly life, O Mother, thou hast gained a heavenly freedom from the sinfulness of passion. In thine intercessions pray that this same freedom may be given to those who sing thy praises.
Holy Father Andrew, pray to God for us.
Shepherd and bishop of Crete, intercessor for the inhabited earth, to thee I run, O Andrew, and I cry: Deliver me, father, from the depths of sin.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
‘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.
Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Thy womb bore God for us, fashioned in our shape. O Theotokos, pray to Him as the Creator of all, that we may be justified through thine intercessions.
KONTAKION OF THE GREAT CANON IN TONE SIX
My soul, O my soul, rise up! Why art thou sleeping? The end draws near and soon thou shalt be troubled. Watch, then, that Christ thy God may spare thee, for He is everywhere present and fills all things.
ODE SEVEN
We have sinned, we have transgressed, we have done evil in Thy sight; we have not kept or followed Thy commandments. But reject us not utterly, O God of our fathers. (REPEAT)
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have sinned, I have offended, and I have set aside Thy commandments, for in sins have I progressed, and to my sores I have added wounds. But in Thy compassion have mercy upon me, O God of our fathers.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The secrets of my heart have I confessed to Thee, my Judge. See my abasement, see my affliction, and attend to my judgment now; and in Thy compassion have mercy upon me, O God of our fathers.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 thyself thou prefer thine animal appetites to the Kingdom of Christ.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
David, the forefather of God, once sinned doubly, pierced with the arrow of adultery and the spear of murder. But thou, my soul, art more gravely sick than he, for worse than any acts are the impulses of thy will.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
David once joined sin to sin, adding murder to fornication; yet then he showed at once a twofold repentance. But thou, my soul, hast done worse things than he, yet thou hast not repented before God.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 Thee only have I sinned, O God of all. Do Thou cleanse me.’
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on 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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou hast heard of Absalom, and how he rebelled against nature; thou knowest of the unholy deeds by which he defiled his father David’s bed. Yet thou hast followed him in his passionate and sensual desires.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thy free dignity, O my soul, thou hast subjected to thy body; for thou hast found in the enemy another Ahitophel, and hast agreed to all his counsels. But Christ Himself has brought them to nothing and saved thee 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 evil in the sight of Heaven and turned away from God. Thou hast become like him, my soul, by thine accursed life.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Carried away by sensual passions, he defiled himself. Alas! The lover of wisdom became a lover of harlots and a stranger to God. And thou, my soul, in mind hast imitated him through thy shameful desires.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O my soul, thou hast 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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Alas, my soul! Thou hast rivaled Ahab in guilt. Thou hast become a dwelling-place of fleshly defilements and a shameful vessel of the passions. But groan from the depths of thy heart, and confess thy sins to God.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Heaven is closed to thee, my soul, and a famine from God has seized thee: for thou hast been disobedient, as Ahab was to the words of Elijah the Tishbite. But imitate the widow of Zarephath, and feed the Prophet’s soul.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
By deliberate choice, my soul, thou hast incurred the guilt of Manasseh, setting up the passions as idols and multiplying abominations. But with fervent heart emulate his repentance and acquire compunction.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I fall before Thee, and as tears I offer Thee my words. I have sinned as the Harlot never sinned, and I have transgressed as no other man on earth. But take pity on Thy creature, O Master, and call me back.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have discolored Thine image and broken Thy commandments. 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 Thy joy.’
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Turn back, repent, uncover all that thou hast hidden. Say unto God, to whom all things are known: Thou alone knowest my secret, O Savior; ‘have mercy on me’, as David sings, ‘according to Thy mercy.’
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
My days have vanished as a 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 me, O my soul, except the God of all?
FOR SS. MARY AND ANDREW IN TONE SIX
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
Raising thy cry to the pure Mother of God, thou hast driven back the fury of the passions that violently assailed thee, and put to shame the enemy who sought to make thee stumble. But give thy help in trouble now to me also, thy servant.
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
He Whom thou hast loved, O mother, whom thou hast desired, in Whose footsteps thou hast followed; He it was Who found thee and gave thee repentance, for He is God compassionate. Pray, O Mary, to Him without ceasing, that we may be delivered from passions and distress.
Holy Father Andrew, pray to God for us.
Set me firmly on the rock of faith, O father, though thine intercessions; fence me round with fear of God, O Andrew; grant repentance to me now, I beseech thee, and deliver me from the snare of the enemies that seek my life.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O simple and undivided Trinity, O holy and consubstantial Unity: Thou art praised as Light and Lights, one Holy and three Holies. Sing, O my soul, and glorify Life and Lives, the God of all.
Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
We praise thee, we bless thee, we venerate thee, O Mother of God: for thou hast given birth to One of the undivided Trinity, thy Son and God, and thou hast opened the heavenly places to us on earth.
ODE EIGHT
The hosts of Heaven give Him glory: before Him tremble the cherubim and seraphim; let everything that has breath and all creation praise Him, bless Him and exalt Him above all forever. (REPEAT)
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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: I have sinned against Thee, save me; I have done evil, have mercy on me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Riding in the chariot of the virtues, Elijah was lifted up to Heaven, high above earthly things. Reflect, O my soul, on his ascent.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
With the mantle of Elijah, Elisha made the stream of Jordan stand still on either side: but in this grace, my soul, thou hast no share, by reason of thy greed and uncontrolled desires.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Elisha once took up the mantle of Elijah, and received a double portion of grace from the Lord: but in this grace, my soul, thou hast no share, by reason of thy greed and uncontrolled desires.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The Shunammite woman gladly entertained the righteous Prophet: but in thy house, my soul, thou hast not welcomed stranger or traveler; and so thou shalt be cast out weeping from the bridal chamber.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O wretched soul, always thou hast imitated the unclean thoughts of Gehazi. Cast from thee, at least in thine old age, his love of money. Flee from the fire of hell, turning away from thy wickedness.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou hast followed Uzziah, my soul, and hast his leprosy in double form: for thy thoughts are wicked, and thine acts unlawful. Leave what thou hast, and hasten to repentance.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O my soul, thou hast heard how the men of Nineveh repented before God in sackcloth and ashes. Yet thou hast not followed them, but art more wicked than all who sinned before the Law and after.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou hast 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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
My soul, thou hast heard how Daniel stopped the mouths of the wild beasts in the lions’ den; and thou knowest how the Children with Azarias quenched through their faith the flames of the fiery furnace.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
All the names of the Old Testament have I set before thee, my soul, as an example. Imitate the holy acts of the righteous and flee from 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 deliver me from the fire that threatens me and from the punishment that I deserve to suffer at the Judgment. Before the end comes, grant me remission through virtue and repentance.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Like the Thief I cry to Thee: ‘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 Thou hast accepted the entreaties of the woman of Canaan.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O Savior, heal the putrefaction of my humbled soul, for Thou art the one Physician; apply plaster and pour in oil and wine—works of repentance and compunction with tears.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Like the woman of Canaan I cry to Thee, ‘Have mercy on me, Son of David.’ Like the woman with an issue of blood, I touch the hem of Thy garment. I weep as Martha and Mary wept for Lazarus.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
As precious ointment, O Savior, I empty on Thine head the alabaster box of my tears. Like the Harlot, I cry out to Thee, seeking Thy mercy: I bring my prayer and ask to receive forgiveness.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
No one has sinned against Thee as I have; yet accept even me, compassionate Savior, for I repent in fear and cry with longing: Against Thee alone have I sinned; I have transgressed, have mercy on me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Spare the work of Thine 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 Thine own flock.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
When Thou sittest upon Thy throne, O merciful Judge, and revealest Thy dread glory, O Christ, what fear there will be then! When the furnace burns with fire, and all shrink back in terror before Thy judgment-seat.
FOR SS. MARY AND ANDREW IN TONE SIX
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
The Mother of the Light that never sets illumined thee and freed thee from the darkness of the passions. O Mary, who hast received the grace of the Spirit, give light to those who praise thee with faith.
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
The holy Zosimas was struck with amazement, O Mother, beholding in thee a wonder truly strange and new. For he saw an angel in the body and was filled with astonishment, praising Christ unto all ages.
Holy Father Andrew, pray to God for us.
Since thou hast boldness before the Lord, O Andrew, honored renown of Crete, I beseech thee, intercede that I may find deliverance from the bonds of iniquity through thy prayers, O teacher, glory of holy monks.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the 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.
Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
As from purple silk, O undefiled Virgin, the spiritual robe of Emmanuel, His flesh, was woven in thy womb. Therefore, we honor thee as Theotokos in very truth.
ODE NINE
Conception without seed; nativity past understanding, from a Mother who never knew a man; child-bearing undefiled. For the birth of God makes both natures new. Therefore, as Bride and Mother of God, with true worship all generations magnify thee. (REPEAT)
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 thou do, then, miserable soul, when the Judge comes to examine thy deeds?
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have put before thee, my soul, Moses’ account of the creation of the world, and after that all the recognized Scriptures that tell thee the story of the righteous and the wicked. But thou, my soul, hast followed the second of these, not the first, and hast sinned against God.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The Law is powerless, the Gospel of no effect, and the whole of Scripture is ignored by thee; the prophets and all the words of the righteous are useless. Thy wounds, my soul, have been multiplied, and there is no physician to heal thee.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I bring thee, O my soul, examples from the New Testament, to lead thee 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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 thee, my soul, an example and image of His condescension.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 thee, changing their life.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 thou, my soul, hast not followed their lives and actions. Woe to thee when thou art judged!
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 thee, through prayer and fasting drive him away.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 thou art not trapped in the snares of the lawless, but embrace repentance.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The Forerunner of Grace went to dwell in the wilderness, and Judea and all Samaria ran to hear him; they confessed their sins and were baptized eagerly. But thou, my soul, hast not imitated them.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 the water into wine and revealing His first miracle, to bring thee, my soul, to a change of life.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 thee, my soul, of worship in spirit.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 thee, wretched soul, to salvation.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 Thee, O God’, and other words of madness.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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. Make haste, O my soul, to follow her example.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O wretched soul, thou hast 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.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou knowest, O my soul, how the cities were cursed to which Christ preached the Gospel. Fear their example, lest thou suffer the same punishment. For the Master likened them to Sodom and condemned them to hell.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Be not overcome by despair, my soul; for thou hast 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 thy heart, ‘Save me also, Son of David’, as she once cried to Christ.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O Son of David, with Thy word Thou hast healed the possessed: take pity on me, save me and have mercy. Let me hear Thy compassionate voice speak to me as to the thief: ‘Verily, I say unto thee, thou shalt be with Me in Paradise, when I come in My glory.’
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
A thief accused Thee, a thief confessed Thy Godhead: for both were hanging beside Thee on the Cross. Open to me also, O Lord of many mercies, the door of Thy glorious Kingdom, as once it was opened to Thy thief who acknowledged Thee with faith as God.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The creation was in anguish, seeing Thee crucified. Mountains and rocks were split from fear, the earth quaked, and hell was despoiled; the light grew dark in the daytime, beholding Thee, O Jesus, nailed in the flesh.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
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 Thee as an acceptable sacrifice, O only Savior.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O my Judge who dost know me, when Thou comest again with the angels to judge the whole world, look upon me then with Thine eye of mercy and spare me; take pity on me, Jesus, for I have sinned more than any other man.
FOR SS. MARY AND ANDREW IN TONE SIX
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
By thy strange way of life thou hast struck all with wonder, both the hosts of angels and the gatherings of mortal men; for thou hast surpassed nature and lived as though no longer in the body. Like a bodiless angel thou hast walked upon the Jordan with thy feet, O Mary, and crossed over it.
Holy Mother Mary, pray to God for us.
O holy Mother, call down the gracious mercy of the Creator upon us who sing thy praises, that we may be set free from the sufferings and afflictions that assail us; so without ceasing, delivered from temptations, we shall magnify the Lord who has glorified thee.
Holy Father Andrew, pray to God for us.
Venerable Andrew, father thrice-blessed, shepherd of Crete, cease not to offer prayer for us who sing thy praises; that we may be delivered from all danger and distress, from corruption and sin, who honor thy memory with faith.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Trinity in one Essence, Unity in three Persons, we sing Thy praises; we glorify the Father, we magnify the Son, we worship the Holy Spirit, truly one God by nature, Life and Lives, Kingdom without end.
Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Watch over Thy city, all-pure Mother of God. For by thee she reigns in faith, by thee she is made strong; by thee she is victorious, putting to flight every temptation, despoiling the enemy and ruling her subjects.
IRMOS OF THE NINTH ODE IN TONE SIX
Conception without seed; nativity past understanding, from a Mother who never knew a man; child-bearing undefiled. For the birth of God makes both natures new. Therefore, as Bride and Mother of God, with true worship all generations magnify thee.
