Prayer of St. Symeon the New Theologian

Prayer of St. Symeon the New Theologian

From sullied lips, 
From an abominable heart,

From an unclean tongue,

Out of a polluted soul,

Receive my prayer, O my Christ.

Reject me not,

Nor my words, nor my ways,

Nor even my shamelessness,

But give me courage to say

What I desire, my Christ.

And even more, teach me

What to do and say.

I have sinned more than the harlot

Who, on learning where Thou wast lodging,

Bought myrrh,

And dared to come and anoint

Thy feet, my Christ,

My Lord and my God.

As Thou didst not repulse her

When she drew near from her heart,

Neither, O Word, abominate me,

But grant me Thy feet

To clasp and kiss,

And with a flood of tears

As with most precious myrrh

Dare to anoint them.

Wash me with my tears

And purify me with them, O Word.

Forgive my sins

And grant me pardon.

Thou knowest the multitude of my evil-doings,

Thou knowest also my wounds,

And Thou seest my bruises.

But also Thou knowest my faith,

And Thou beholdest my willingness,

And Thou hearest my sighs.

Nothing escapes Thee, my God,

My Maker, my Redeemer,

Not even a tear-drop,

Nor part of a drop.

Thine eyes know

What I have not achieved,

And in Thy book

Things not yet done

Are written by Thee.

See my depression,

See how great is my trouble,

And all my sins

Take from me, O God of all,

That with a clean heart,

Trembling mind

And contrite spirit

I may partake of Thy pure

And all-holy Mysteries

By which all who eat and drink Thee

With sincerity of heart

Are quickened and deified.

For Thou, my Lord, hast said:

"Whoever eats My Flesh

And drinks My Blood

Abides in Me

And I in Him."

Wholly true is the word

Of my Lord and God.

For whoever partakes of Thy divine

And deifying Gifts

Certainly is not alone,

But is with Thee, my Christ,

Light of the Triune Sun

Which illumines the world.

And that I may not remain alone

Without Thee, the Giver of Life,

My Breath, my Life,

My Joy,

The Salvation of the world,

Therefore I have drawn near to Thee

As Thou seest, with tears

And with a contrite spirit.

Ransom of my offences,

I beseech Thee to receive me,

And that I may partake without condemnation

Of Thy life-giving and perfect Mysteries,

That Thou mayest remain as Thou hast said

With me, thrice-wretched as I am,

Lest the tempter may find me

Without Thy grace

And craftily seize me,

And having deceived me, may seduce me,

From Thy deifying words.

Therefore I fall at Thy feet

And fervently cry to Thee:

As Thou receivedst the Prodigal

And the Harlot who drew near to Thee,

So have compassion and receive me,

The profligate and the prodigal,

As with contrite spirit

I now draw near to Thee.

I know, O Saviour, that no other

Has sinned against Thee as I,

Nor has done the deeds

That I have committed.

But this again I know

That not the greatness of my offences

Nor the multitude of my sins

Surpasses the great patience

Of my God,

And His extreme love for men.

But with the oil of compassion

Those who fervently repent

Thou dost purify and enlighten

And makest them children of the light,

Sharers of Thy Divine Nature.

And Thou dost act most generously,

For what is strange to Angels

And to the minds of men

Often Thou tellest to them

As to Thy true friends.

These things make me bold, my Christ,

These things give me wings,

And I take courage from the wealth

Of Thy goodness to us.

And rejoicing and trembling at once,

I who am straw partake of fire,

And, strange wonder!

I am ineffably bedewed,

Like the bush of old

Which burnt without being consumed.

Therefore with thankful mind,

And with thankful heart,

And with thankfulness in all the members

Of my soul and body,

I worship and magnify

And glorify Thee, my God,

For Thou art blessed,

Now and throughout the ages.

More PRAYERS goo.gl/X5fjGJ

the boldness to pray

to the Comforter,
as St Symeon the New Theologian, that great devotee of the Divine Beauty, exclaimed with unrivalled lyricism:
"Come, true light. Come, eternal life. 
Come, hidden mystery. 
Come, unnameable treasure. 
Come, reality beyond any speech. 
Come, person beyond all comprehension. 
Come, unceasing exultation. 
Come, impenetrable light. 
Come, unfailing hope of the saved. 
Come, lifter up of the fallen. 
Come, resurrection of the dead. 
Come, Almighty, for Thou dost unceasingly create, 
transfigure, and change all things by Thy will alone. 
Come, invisible one that none can touch or feel. 
Come, for Thy name fills our hearts with desire 
and is always on our lips; but Who Thou art 
and what Thy nature is, we cannot say or know. 
Come, unique one in one. 
Come, for Thou Thyself art the desire within me. 
Come, my breath and my life. 
Come, comfort of my lowly soul.
..."