ODE 7

Irmos: We have sinned, transgressed, done wrong before Thee. We have not

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Theotokion: We praise thee, we bless thee, we venerate thee, O Mother of God: for thou hast given birth to Christ God, One of the undivided Trinity, and hast opened the Heavens to us on earth.

Theotokion: We praise thee, we bless thee, we venerate thee, O Mother of God: for thou hast given birth to Christ God, One of the undivided Trinity, and hast opened the Heavens to us on earth.

watched or done as Thou hast commanded us. But do not give us up utterly, O God of our fathers. Refrain: Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

Irmos: We have sinned, transgressed, done wrong before Thee. We have not

Theotokion: We praise thee, we bless thee, we venerate thee, O Mother of God: for thou hast given birth to Christ God, One of the undivided Trinity, and hast opened the Heavens to us on earth. NOW, THE THREE-ODE CANON CONTINUES (The Troparia and Refrains are chanted by the Reader — without bows or prostrations):

I have sinned, I have transgressed, and I have rejected Thy commandments, for in sins have I progressed and have added sores to my wounds. But in Thy compassion have mercy on me, O God of our fathers. I have confessed to Thee the secrets of my heart, O my Judge. See my humility and behold my affliction, and consider now my condemnation. But in Thy compassion have mercy on me, O God of our fathers. Once, when Saul went searching for his father’s lost herds he found himself proclaimed as king. Be watchful, O my soul, lest while searching for thine animal desires thou shouldst overlook the Kingdom of Christ. David, the forefather of God, once sinned doubly, O my soul; being pierced with the arrow of adultery and struck with the spear of murder’s

Irmos: We have sinned, transgressed, done wrong before Thee. We have not

remorse. But thou, my soul, art more gravely ill than he, for worse than any acts are the urgings of thy will. David once joined sin to sin when he mixed adultery with murder; 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. David once composed a hymn, setting forth, as in an icon, all the evils he had done; and he condemned them, crying, ‘Have mercy on me, for against Thee only have I sinned, O God of all, cleanse me!’ Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. To the Trinity: O Trinity, simple and undivided, consubstantial and of One Nature. We praise Thee, Light and Lights, One Holy and Three Holies, God the

Irmos: We have sinned, transgressed, done wrong before Thee. We have not

Trinity! Sing, O my soul, and glorify the Life of Lives, the God of all. Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Irmos: We have sinned, transgressed, done wrong before Thee. We have not

watched or done as Thou hast commanded us. But do not give us up utterly, O God of our fathers. Refrain: Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

When the Ark of the Covenant was being carried in a cart and one of the oxen stumbled, Uzzah only touched it, and yet he experienced the wrath of God. Flee from his presumption, O my soul, and respect with reverence the things of God. Thou hast heard of Absalom, and how he rebelled against nature; thou knowest of his wicked deeds and how he defiled his father David’s bed; yet thou hast followed him in his passionate and sensual desires. Thy free dignity hast thou enslaved to thy body. O my soul, for thou hast found in the enemy another Ahithophel and hast become an accomplice to his designs. But Christ Himself has shattered his bonds so that thou mayest be saved. Solomon the wonderful was full of grace and wisdom, yet he too,

committed evil in the sight of Heaven and turned away from God; and thou, my wretched soul, have followed him, by thine accursèd life. Carried away by his sensual passions, he defiled himself, Alas! Solomon

the lover of wisdom became a lover of harlots and estranged himself from God.

And thou, my soul hath imitated him through thy shameful desires. Thou hast taken the example, O my soul, of Rehoboam who would not listen to his father’s counselors, and of Jeroboam, that evil and apostate servant. But flee from their example and cry aloud: I have sinned, O God, take pity on me. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. To the Trinity: O Trinity, simple and undivided, consubstantial and of One Nature. We praise Thee, Light and Lights, One Holy and Three Holies, God the Trinity! Sing, O my soul, and glorify the Life of Lives, the God of all. Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Theotokion: We praise thee, we bless thee, we venerate thee, O Mother of God:

for thou hast given birth to Christ God, One of the undivided Trinity, and hast opened the Heavens to us on earth. 17

watched or done as Thou hast commanded us. But do not give us up utterly, O God of our fathers. Refrain: Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

Of thine own free will hast thou deliberately amassed the sins of Manasseh, by setting up thy passions as idols and multiplying abominations. But fervently emulate his repentance now, and be truly sorry for thy sins.

Thou hast rivaled Ahab in his defilements, O my soul, and alas, thou hast become a palace of pollution and a shameful vessel of the passions. But sigh from

the depths of thy heart, and confess all thy sins to God.

Heaven is closed to thee, O my soul, and a famine from God has seized thee; for thou hast been as disobedient as Ahab to the words of Elijah the Tishbite. But be thou like the widow of Zarephath, and provide for the Prophet’s soul. Elijah once destroyed by fire one hundred of Jezebel’s servants when he destroyed her shameful prophets as a reproof against Ahab. Oh, flee their example, my soul, and be thou made strong. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. To the Trinity: O Trinity, simple and undivided, consubstantial and of One Nature. We praise Thee, Light and Lights, One Holy and Three Holies, God the Trinity! Sing, O my soul, and glorify the Life of Lives, the God of all.

watched or done as Thou hast commanded us. But do not give us up utterly, O God of our fathers. Refrain: Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

My days have vanished like a dream of one awaking. Therefore, like Hezekiah, I weep while lying on my bed, that years may be added to my life. But what Isaiah will come to me, O soul, except the God of all? I fall down before Thee, and as tears I offer Thee my words: I have sinned like the Harlot, and transgressed as no one else on earth; but take pity on me Thy creature, O Master, and call me back to Thee. I have buried Thine image and have broken Thy commandment. All my beauty is destroyed and my lamp is gone out because of all my sins. But do Thou as David sings, ‘take pity on me, O Savior, and restore me to Thy joy’. Turn back, repent, and uncover all that thou hast hidden. Come and say unto God, to Whom all things are known: Thou alone knowest all my secrets, O

Savior, ‘have mercy on me’, as David sings, ‘according to Thy mercy’. Venerable Mother Mary, pray to God for us. To St Mary of Egypt: By raising thy cry to the Most-pure Theotokos, thou hast driven back the fury of the passions that had violently assailed thee, putting to shame the enemy that tempted thee. But grant thy help to me, thy servant, in this, my time of trouble. Venerable Mother Mary, pray to God for us. To St Mary of Egypt: Pray to Him Whom thou hast loved, pray to Him Whom thou hast desired, and for Whose sake thou hast exhausted thy flesh, O

Venerable Mary; pray to Christ for us, thy servants, that He may show mercy on us all, and grant peace to those who worship Him. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. To the Trinity: O Trinity, simple and undivided, consubstantial and of One Nature. We praise Thee, Light and Lights, One Holy and Three Holies, God the Trinity! Sing, O my soul, and glorify the Life of Lives, the God of all. Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Theotokion: We praise thee, we bless thee, we venerate thee, O Mother of God: for thou hast given birth to Christ God, One of the undivided Trinity, and hast opened the Heavens to us on earth.

watched or done as Thou hast commanded us. But do not give us up utterly, O God of our fathers. Refrain: Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

1. I have sinned, I have transgressed, and I have rejected Thy commandments, for in sins have I progressed and have added sores to my wounds. But in Thy compassion have mercy on me, O God of our fathers. 2. I have confessed to Thee the secrets of my heart, O my Judge. See my humility and behold my affliction, and consider now my condemnation. But in Thy compassion have mercy on me, O God of our fathers. 3. Once, when Saul went searching for his father’s lost herds he found himself proclaimed as king. Be watchful, O my soul, lest while searching for thine animal desires thou shouldst overlook the Kingdom of Christ. 4. David, the forefather of God, once sinned doubly, O my soul; being pierced with the arrow of adultery and struck with the spear of murder’s

remorse. But thou, my soul, art more gravely ill than he, for worse than any acts are the urgings of thy will. 5. David once joined sin to sin when he mixed adultery with murder; 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. 6. David once composed a hymn, setting forth, as in an icon, all the evils he had done; and he condemned them, crying, ‘Have mercy on me, for against Thee only have I sinned, O God of all, cleanse me!’ 7. When the Ark of the Covenant was being carried in a cart and one of the oxen stumbled, Uzzah only touched it, and yet he experienced the wrath of God. Flee from his presumption, O my soul, and respect with reverence the

things of God. 8. Thou hast heard of Absalom, and how he rebelled against nature; thou knowest of his wicked deeds and how he defiled his father David’s bed; yet thou hast followed him in his passionate and sensual desires. 9. Thy free dignity hast thou enslaved to thy body. O my soul, for thou hast found in the enemy another Ahithophel and hast become an accomplice to his designs. But Christ Himself has shattered his bonds so that thou mayest be saved. 10. Solomon the wonderful was full of grace and wisdom, yet he too, committed evil in the sight of Heaven and turned away from God; and thou, my wretched soul, have followed him, by thine accursèd life. 11. Carried away by his sensual passions, he defiled himself, Alas!

Solomon the lover of wisdom became a lover of harlots and estranged himself from God. And thou, my soul hath imitated him through thy shameful desires. 12. Thou hast taken the example, O my soul, of Rehoboam who would not listen to his father’s counselors, and of Jeroboam, that evil and apostate servant. But flee from their example and cry aloud: I have sinned, O God, take pity on me. 13. Thou hast rivaled Ahab in his defilements, O my soul, and alas, thou hast become a palace of pollution and a shameful vessel of the passions. But sigh from the depths of thy heart, and confess all thy sins to God. 14. Elijah once destroyed by fire one hundred of Jezebel’s servants when he destroyed her shameful prophets as a reproof against Ahab. Oh, flee

their example, my soul, and be thou made strong. 15. Heaven is closed to thee, O my soul, and a famine from God has seized thee; for thou hast been as disobedient as Ahab to the words of Elijah the Tishbite. But be thou like the widow of Zarephath, and provide for the Prophet’s soul.

16. Of thine own free will hast thou deliberately amassed the sins of Manasseh, by setting up thy passions as idols and multiplying abominations. But fervently emulate his repentance now, and be truly sorry for thy sins. 17. I fall down before Thee, and as tears I offer Thee my words: I have sinned like the Harlot, and transgressed as no one else on earth; but take pity on me Thy creature, O Master, and call me back to Thee. 18. I have buried Thine image and have broken Thy commandment. All my beauty is destroyed and my lamp is gone out because of all my sins. But do Thou as David sings, ‘take pity on me, O Savior, and restore me to Thy joy’. 19. Turn back, repent, and uncover all that thou hast hidden. Come

and say unto God, to Whom all things are known: Thou alone knowest all my secrets, O Savior, ‘have mercy on me’, as David sings, ‘according to Thy mercy’. 20. My days have vanished like a dream of one awaking. Therefore, like Hezekiah, I weep while lying on my bed, that years may be added to my life. But what Isaiah will come to me, O soul, except the God of all? Venerable Mother Mary, pray to God for us. To St Mary of Egypt: By raising thy cry to the Most-pure Theotokos, thou hast driven back the fury of the passions that had violently assailed thee, putting to shame the enemy that tempted thee. But grant thy help to me, thy servant, in this, my time of trouble. Venerable Mother Mary, pray to God for us.

To St Mary of Egypt: Pray to Him Whom thou hast loved, pray to Him Whom thou hast desired, and for Whose sake thou hast exhausted thy flesh, O Venerable Mary; pray to Christ for us, thy servants, that He may show mercy on us all, and grant peace to those who worship Him. Venerable Father Andrew, pray to God for us. To Saint Andrew: Firmly establish me on the rock of faith through thine intercessions, O Venerable Father; fortify me with fear Divine, and grant me repentance now, I implore thee, O Andrew, and deliver me from the snares of

the enemies that seek after my life.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. To the Trinity: O Trinity, simple and undivided, consubstantial and of One Nature. We praise Thee, Light and Lights, One Holy and Three Holies, God the Trinity! Sing, O my soul, and glorify the Life of Lives, the God of all. Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

THREE-ODE CANON

(FIRST CANON)