MORNING PRAYERS

My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me. Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt (Matt 26:36).

On arising from sleep, stand before the holy icons with reverence and fear of God; make the sign of the sign of the Cross and say:

IN the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Then the introductory prayers:

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

Heavenly King, O Comforter, the Spirit of truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, O Treasury of every good and Bestower of life: come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Good One.

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

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, be gracious unto our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy Name’s sake.

Lord, have mercy. (3)

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

OUR Father, Which art in the Heavens, hallowed by Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory; both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

(Or:)

People: Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Then the following Troparia to the Holy Trinity:

AS we arise from sleep, we fall down before Thee, O Good One, and we cry unto Thee with the hymn of the Angels, O Mighty One: Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou, O God. Through the Theotokos, have mercy on us.

Glory. (Abbreviation meaning say, Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;)

HAVING Raised me from bed and from sleep, O Lord, enlighten my mind and my heart, and open Thou my lips that I may praise Thee, O Holy trinity. Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou, O God. Through the Theotokos, have mercy on us.

Both now.

OF a sudden the Judge shall come, and the deeds of each shall be laid bare. But let us cry out with fear in the midst of the night: Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou, O God. Through the Theotokos, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy. (3)

And the following prayer:

AS  I rise from sleep I thank Thee, O Holy Trinity, for because of Thy great goodness and long-suffering Thou wast not wroth with me, the slothful and sinner, nor didst Thou destroy me in mine iniquities, but didst show Thy wonted love for man, and when I was prostrate in despair, Thou didst raise me to keep the morning watch and glorify Thy dominion. And now enlighten Thou the eyes of my mind, open my mouth to meditate on Thy words and to understand Thy commandments, and to do Thy will, and to chant unto Thee in heartfelt confession, and praise Thine All-holy Name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

O come, let us worship and fall down before our King and God.

O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and God.

O Come, let us worship and fall down before Him, Christ the King and our God.

PSALM 50

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

THE CREED

I BELIEVE in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not made; being of one essence with the Father; by Whom all things were made;
Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from the Heavens, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man;
And was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried;
And arose again on the third day according to the Scriptures;
And ascended into the Heavens, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father;
And shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead; Whose Kingdom shall have no end;
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Give of life; Who proceedeth from the Father; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spake by the Prophets;
In One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead,

And the life of the ages to come. Amen.

A PRAYER OF SAINT BASEL THE GREAT

THEE do we bless, Thou most High God and Lord of mercy, Who ever workest with us deeds great and unfathomable, glorious and extraordinary, whereof there is no number; Who hast given unto us sleep for rest from our infirmity, and for repose of our much-toiling flesh. We thank Thee that Thou hast not destroyed us in our iniquities, but hast shown Thy wonted love for man, and though we  were prostrate in despair, Thou hast raised us up to glorify Thy dominion. Wherefore, we beseech Thine incomparable goodness: Enlighten the eyes of our understanding and raise our mind form the heavy sleep of slothfulness. Open our mouth and fill it with Thy praise, that we may be able undistracted to sing and chant and give thanks unto Thee, Who art God glorified in all and by all, the beginningless Father, with Thine Only-begotten Son, and Thine All-holy and good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Most glorious, Ever-virgin, blessed Theoto-kos present our prayer to thy Son ad our God, and pray that through thee He would save our souls.

My hope is the Father, my refuge the Son, my shelter the Holy Spirit. O Holy Trinity, glory be to Thee.

Unto thee do I commit mine every hope, O Mother of God; guard me under thy shelter.

IT is truly meet to call thee blest, the Theotokos, the ever-blessed and all-immaculate, and Mother of our God. More honourable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, thee who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word, the very Theotokos, thee do we magnify.

FORGIVE them that hate us and do us wrong, O Lord; do good unto them that do good unto us. To our brethren and kinsmen, grant their requests that are unto salvation and life everlasting. Visit them that be in sickness, and grant them healing. Pilot them that be at sea. Accompany them that journey. Be Thou the ally of Orthodox Christians. Unto them that minister and show mercy unto us, grant forgiveness of sins. Upon them that have enjoined us, the unworthy, to pray for them, have mercy, according to Thy great mercy. Remember, O Lord, all our fathers and brethren who have gone to their rest before us, and grant them rest where the light of Thy countenance shineth. Remember, O Lord, our brethren, the captives, and deliver them from every misfortune. Remember, O Lord, them that bring oblations and do good works    in Thy holy churches, and grant them their requests that are unto salvation and life everlasting. Remember, O Lord, us also, Thy humble and sinful and unworthy servants, and enlighten our mind with the light of Thy knowledge, and lead us in the path of Thy commandments; by the intercessions of Thine all-immaculate Mother, our Lady the Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary, and of all Thy Saints, for blessed art Thou unto all ages of ages. Amen.

THE PARYER OF SAINT EPHRAIM THE SYRIAN

This prayer is said during the Holy and Great Fast, except on Saturdays and Sundays.

O Lord and Master of my life, a spirit of idleness, curiosity, ambition, and idle talk give me not. (prostration)
But a spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love, bestow upon me Thy servant. (prostration)
Yes, O Lord King, grant me to see mine own failings and not to condemn my brother; for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen. (prostration)

Then we make twelve bows, after which we repeat the concluding verse of the prayer:

Yes, O Lord King, grant me to see mine own failings and not to condemn my brother; for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen. (prostration)

And at the last, say:

Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Source: Holy Transfiguration Monaster

Related posts:

1. In Celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, the Winter Pascha

Orthodox and non-Orthodox Catholic Christians are invited to read and take to heart this archpastoral message of Metropolitan Jonah, an Episcopalian convert to the Faith of our Fathers. All will be edified by this message of love. The Feast of the Nativity is celebrated by the most traditional Orthodox Catholic Christians on December 25 according to the ancient Christian calender, the Julian Calendar, which is 13 days behind the new Gregorian (new) Calendar. Being 13 days behind the new calender means December 25 comes on January 7.  A meditative reading of His Beatitude’s letter will edify your heart and soul.

Yours truly

Archpastoral Message of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah for the Nativity of Christ 2009

Posted 12/25
To the Very Reverend and Reverend Clergy,
Monastics, and Faithful of
The Orthodox Church in America

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

We rejoice in the coming of the Savior, the Advent of the Son of God into this broken world. His Nativity anticipates and prefigures His Second and Glorious Coming again in the flesh, not clothed in the swaddling bands of humility, for but a few years; but in the radiant vesture of the Kingdom to reign forever.

For us Orthodox Christians, the Nativity of Christ is the Winter Pascha, and our celebration is rooted in the liturgical life of the Church; the world’s “Xmas” hymns go on and on, oblivious, rather intentionally, to the point of the celebration. While we enjoy the worldly celebration, the family time, the gifts and giving, these are empty if we miss the central celebration itself: the services of the Nativity, culminating in receiving the Holy Mysteries. We can have Christmas without the Nativity, as does the world; but for Christians the Feast of the Nativity is Christmas!

We pray and fast to prepare ourselves for forty days before Christmas not only to be obedient to the Church, but to prepare ourselves to receive the Mystery of Communion. Will this Christmas be unto salvation, discerning and receiving His Body–that same Body born of Mary and laid in the Manger, the Son of God who has taken flesh and likened himself to us, so that He might liken us to Himself? Or do we judge ourselves, unaware or oblivious to the Mystery of Christ’s assumption of our nature. We pray and fast to open our spiritual eyes, so that we can see Christ, discern Christ, know Christ–not just as a historical figure who taught nice things, but as God who has come and will come again.

The traditional Christmas carols talk about Baby Jesus lying in the manger. Let us contemplate this mystery during this season, a mystery that at that time only His Mother really understood: that this little infant, no different than any other, would become the Savior of the world, and redeem mankind, indeed all of creation, from death. What infinite potential, the potential of a man fulfilling the Divine Likeness, and manifesting God in His flesh, was invested in that little child. Who would have thought that a child born in the most destitute poverty and anonymity would become the criterion of judgment for the whole world?

We can also contemplate this same mystery in the life of every child. Who knows what the destiny of that child will be? Who can tell if he or she will become a point of hope for the whole world? That same infinite potential, the potential for deification, the potential for a life transfigured by God, the potential for a life that will bring joy and peace, or beget such a child?

The Feast of the Nativity is not only the contemplation of God taking human flesh. It is also the great celebration of humanity, that God so loved as to become one of us, that through that One, joy and peace and salvation may be given to the whole world. Let us treasure the life of every child, who is the image of Christ born of the Virgin, and remember the great calling which he or she, and each of us, has in God. Let us also remember that the ultimate fulfillment of that calling is found in the transformation of our very flesh, in which God became incarnate, that having become man for our sake, He enables us to partake of His Divinity on that glorious day of His coming again in the flesh.

With love in the Newborn Lord,

+JONAH
Archbishop of Washington
Metropolitan of All America and Canada

Source: Orthodox Church in America

Related posts:

1. Christmas in Rome. The Pope’s Tale of the Crèche
2. “God’s sign is that he makes himself small, he becomes a child”