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CANON OF REPENTANCE To our Lord Jesus Christ
Song 1. Tone 6. Eirmos: When Israel walked on
foot in the sea as on dry land, on seeing their pursuer Pharaoh drowned, they
cried: Let us sing to God a song of victory. Have
mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. Troparia: Now
I, a burdened sinner, approach Thee, my Lord and God. But I dare not raise my
eyes to Heaven. I only pray, saying: Give me, O Lord, the sense to weep
bitterly over my deeds. Have
mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. O
woe is me, a sinner! Wretched am I above all men. There is no penitence in me.
Give me, O Lord, tears to weep bitterly over my deeds. Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: Foolish,
wretched man, you are wasting your time in idleness! Think of your life and
turn to the Lord God, and weep bitterly over your deeds. Now
and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Theotokion: Most pure Mother of
God, look upon me, a sinner, and deliver me from the snares of the devil, and
guide me to the way of repentance, that I may weep bitterly over my deeds. Song 3. Eirmos: There is none holy as
Thou, O Lord my God, Who hast exalted the power of Thy faithful, O Good One,
and strengthened us on the rock of Thy confession. Have
mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. Troparia: When
the thrones are set at the dread judgment, then the deeds of all men will be
exposed. Then alas for the sinners sent to torment! And knowing that, my soul,
repent of your evil deeds. Have
mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. The
righteous will rejoice, but the sinners will weep. Then no one will be able to
help us, but our deeds will condemn us. Therefore, before the end dawns, repent
of your evil deeds. Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: Woe
is me, a great sinner, who have defiled myself by my deeds and thoughts. Not a
tear-drop do I have, because of my hard-heartedness. Now raise yourself from
the earth, my soul, and repent of your evil deeds. Now
and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Theotokion: Lo, thy Son calls, O
Lady, and teaches us what is good. But, sinful as I am, I always flee from the
good. But do thou, O merciful one, have mercy on me, that I may repent of my
evil deeds. Lord,
have mercy. (Thrice). Sedalion,
tone 6:
I think of the awful day and weep over my evil deeds. How shall I answer the
Immortal King? How shall I, a prodigal, dare to look at the Judge? O gracious
Father, Only-Begotten Son, and Holy Spirit, have mercy on me. Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the
ages of ages. Amen. Theotokion: Bound now with many
chains of sins, and inhibited by cruel passions, I have recourse to thee, my
salvation, and cry: Help me, O Virgin, Mother of God. Song 4. Eirmos: Christ is my power, my
God and my Lord, the holy Church divinely sings, crying with a pure mind,
keeping festival in the Lord. Have
mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. Troparia: Broad
is the way here and conducive to indulging in pleasures, but how bitter it will
be on the last day when the soul is separated from the body! Beware of
pleasures, man, for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Have
mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. Why
do you wrong the poor? Why do you withhold the wage of the hired servant? Why
do you not love your brother? Why do you run after pride and lust? And so, stop
these things, my soul, and repent for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: O
thoughtless man! How long will you busy yourself like a bee, accumulating your
fortune? For it will perish like dust and ashes soon. But seek rather the
Kingdom of God. Now
and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Theotokion: O Lady, Mother of God,
have mercy on me, a sinner. Strengthen me in the virtues and keep me safe, lest
sudden death take me by surprise. And bring me, O Virgin, to the Kingdom of
God. Song 5. Eirmos: Illumine with Thy
divine light, I pray, O Good One, the souls of those who with love rise early
to pray to Thee, that they may know Thee, O Word of God, as the true God, Who
recalls us from the darkness of sin. Have
mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. Troparia: Remember,
wretched man, how you are enslaved to lies, calumnies, theft, infirmities, wild
beasts and fears, on account of your sins. O my sinful soul, is that what you
have desired? Have
mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. My
members tremble, for with all of them I have sinned: with my eyes in looking,
with my ears in hearing, with my tongue in speaking evil, and by surrendering
the whole of myself to hell. O my sinful soul, is that what you have desired? Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: Thou
didst receive the prodigal and the robber who repented, O Saviour, and I alone
have succumbed to sinful sloth and have become enslaved to evil deeds. O my
sinful soul, is this what you have desired? Now
and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Theotokion: Wonderful and speedy
helper of all men, help me. Mother of God, unworthy as I am, for my sinful soul
desires that. Song 6. Eirmos: Beholding the sea of
life surging the flood of temptations, I run to calm haven, and cry to Thee:
Raise up my life from corruption, O Most Merciful One. Have
mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. Troparia: I
have lived my life wantonly on earth and have delivered my soul to darkness.
But now I implore Thee, O merciful Lord, free me from this work of the enemy
and give me the knowledge to do Thy will. Have
mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. Who
does such things as I do? For just like a swine lying in the mud, so I serve
sin. But do Thou, O Lord, pull me out of this vileness and give me the heart to
do Thy commandments. Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: Rise,
wretched man, to God and, remembering your sins, fall down before your Creator,
weeping and groaning, for He is merciful and will grant you to know His will. Now
and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Virgin
Mother of God, protect me from evil visible and invisible, O immaculate one,
and accept my prayers and convey them to thy Son, that He may grant me the
sense to do His will. Lord,
have mercy. (Thrice). Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the
ages of ages. Amen. Kontakion: O my soul, why do you
become rich in sins? Why do you do the will of the devil? On what do you set
your hope? Stop these things and turn to God with tears, and cry: O Merciful
Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. Oekos: Think, my soul, of the
bitter hour of death and the awful judgment of your God and Creator. For
terrible Angels will seize you, my soul, and will lead you into the eternal
fire. And so, before your death, repent and cry: O Lord, have mercy on me, a
sinner. Song 7. Eirmos: An Angel made the
furnace throw dew on the holy Children. But the command of God consumed the
Chaldeans and prevailed upon the tyrant to cry: Blessed art Thou, O God of our
fathers. Have
mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. Troparia: Do
not hope, my soul, for corruptible wealth, and for what is unjustly collected.
For you do not know to whom you will leave it all. But cry: O Christ our God,
have mercy on me, who am unworthy. Have
mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. Do
not trust, my soul, in your physical health, and in your quickly-passing
beauty. For you see that the strong and the young die. But say: O Christ our
God, have mercy on me, who am unworthy. Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: Remember,
my soul, eternal life and the Heavenly Kingdom prepared for the saints, and the
outer darkness and the wrath of God for the evil, and cry: O Christ our God,
have mercy on me, who am unworthy. Now
and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Theotokion: Fall down, my soul,
before the Mother of God, and pray to her; for she is quick to help those who
repent. She prays to Christ, her Son and our God, and has mercy on me who am
unworthy. Song 8. Eirmos: Thou didst make flame
sprinkle the Saints with dew, and didst burn the sacrifice of a righteous man
with water. For Thou alone, O Christ, dost do all as Thou willest. Thee we
exalt throughout all ages. Have
mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. Troparia: How
can I not weep when I think of death? For I have seen my brother lying in his
coffin, inglorious and hideous. What, then, do I expect? And what do I hope
for? Only grant me, O Lord, repentance before my end. (2) Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: I
believe that Thou wilt come to judge the living and the dead, and all will
stand in order, old and young, lords and princes, priests and virgins. Where
shall I find myself? Therefore I cry: grant me, O Lord, repentance before my
end. Now
and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Theotokion: Most pure Mother of
God, accept my unworthy prayer and preserve me from sudden death; and grant me
repentance before my end. Song 9. Eirmos: It is impossible for
men to see God, upon Whom the orders of Angels dare not gaze. But through thee,
O all-pure one, did the Word incarnate appear to men, and with the Heavenly
Hosts we magnify Him, and thee we call blessed. Have
mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. Troparia: I
now have recourse to you, holy Angels, Archangels, and all the Heavenly Hosts
who stand at the throne of God: pray to your Creator that He may save my soul from
eternal torment. Have
mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. Now
I turn to you with tears, holy patriarchs, kings and prophets, apostles and
holy prelates, and all Christ's elect: help me at the judgment, that He may
save my soul from the power of the enemy. Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: Now
I lift my hands to you, holy martyrs, hermits, virgins, righteous and all the
saints, who pray to the Lord for the whole world, that He may have mercy on me
at the hour of my death. Now
and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Theotokion: O Mother of God, help
me who have strong hope in thee; implore thy Son that He may place me on His
right hand, unworthy as I am, when He sits to judge the living and the dead.
Amen. Prayer after the Canon Lord
Christ our God, Who hast healed my passions through Thy Passion, and hast cured
my wounds through Thy wounds, grant me who have sinned greatly against Thee
tears of compunction. Transform my body with the fragrance of Thy life-giving
Body, and sweeten my soul with Thy Holy Blood from the bitterness with which
the foe has fed me. Lift up my downward looking mind to Thee, and take it out
of the pit of perdition, for I have no repentance, I have no compunction, I
have no consoling tears, which uplift children to their heritage. My mind has
been darkened through earthly passions, I cannot look up to Thee in pain. I
cannot warm myself with tears of love for Thee. But, O Lord Jesus Christ,
Treasury of good gifts, give me thorough repentance and a diligent heart to
seek Thee; grant me Thy grace, and renew in me the lineaments of Thy image. I
have forsaken Thee - do not forsake me! Come out to seek me; lead me up to Thy
pasturage and number me among the lambs of Thy chosen flock. Nourish me with
them on the grass of Thy Holy Mysteries, by the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother
and all Thy saints. Amen.
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