Andrew of Crete
Irmos: A Helper and Protector hath He become for me unto salvation; this is my God, and I will glorify Him, the God of my father, and I will exalt Him; for gloriously hath He been glorified.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
From my youth, O Deliverer, I have set at nought Thy commandments, and have passed my life wholly in passion, heedlessness and slackness; therefore I cry to Thee: save me now at least, O Sweet One.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Cast me not down into hell, O Saviour, who lie fallen before Thy gates, though it be in old age; but before my death, in Thy love for mankind, grant me forgiveness of transgressions.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
My riches, O Christ, I have wasted in prodigality, and I am empty of good fruits; and now, starving, I cry: O Father of mercies, make haste and save me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Wounded by the robbers, my thoughts, and wholly beset by them, I am he whose pains have multiplied; O Christ my King, I pray Thee, heal me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The priest disregarded me and passed me by, and the Levite left me in my woes; but do Thou, who camest forth from Mary the Theotokos, stand by me and have mercy on me.
O venerable mother Mary, pray to God for us.
Grant me the grace of radiance from the divine providence on high, that I may escape the darkness of the passions, and fervently sing of thy life, O Mary, and of thy good labours.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O Trinity beyond being, worshipped in one Godhead, take from me now the heavy burden of sin, and as Thou lovest mankind, grant me tears of repentance.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Theotokos, hope of all who sing to thee, take from me now the heavy burden of sin, and as thou lovest mankind, grant me tears of repentance.
Irmos: Attend, O heaven, and I will speak, and I will praise Christ, who came from the Virgin for our sake.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Like David I have been wounded by sin and am full of defilement; wash me also with tears, O Deliverer.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have neither tears nor repentance nor compunction: do Thou, as God, grant me these.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have lost my first-created goodness and my beauty, and I lie naked and ashamed.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Shut not Thy door upon me then, O Lord, O Lord, but open it to me who repent.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Give ear to the groans of my soul, and accept the tears of my eyes, O Deliverer, and have mercy on me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O Lover of mankind, who willest that all be saved, save me, and receive me in Thy sweetness who fall down before Thee.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O immaculate Lady and Virgin, all-hymned, entreat fervently that we may be saved.
Irmos: Behold, behold, for I am the King who gave the manna and made the springs flow from the rock in the wilderness for My people, by My right hand alone and by My strength.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Behold, behold, for I am the King: hear, O my soul, the Lord crying out, and flee from thy former sin, and fear Him as Judge and as God.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
To whom art thou become like, O soul of many sins, but to the first Cain and to wicked Lamech? For thou hast stoned thy body with the stones of wickedness and hast given thy mind to death by foul impulses.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou hast passed by all who were before the law, O soul; thou hast not become like Seth, nor imitated Enos, nor Enoch in his translation, nor Noah; and thou art found poor in the life of the righteous.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou alone, O my soul, hast opened the floodgates of divine wrath, and hast drowned all — flesh, deeds and life — and hast remained outside the ark of salvation.
O venerable mother Mary, pray to God for us.
With all thy heart and love fall down before Christ, and turn back from the way of thy former sins; be nurtured in the pathless deserts, and there fulfil purely the divine commandments.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O Trinity without beginning and unbegotten, O undivided Unity, look upon me who repent, save me a sinner, for I am Thy creature; and deliver me from the fire of my condemnation.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O incorrupt Virgin, Mother of God, hope of those who flee to thee and our helper: make thy Son, the Creator who loveth mankind, merciful to me by thine intercession.
Irmos: Establish, O Lord, upon the rock of Thy commandments my shaken mind, for Thou alone art God, mighty, righteous and holy.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The blessing of Shem thou hast not inherited, O wretched soul, nor, like Japheth, hast thou found broad borders in the holy land.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Go forth, O my soul, from the land of sin, from Haran, and go to the land that floweth with everlasting incorruption, which Abraham inherited.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou hast heard, O my soul, how Abraham left his fatherland of old and became a sojourner; imitate thou also his good choice.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
When the patriarch entertained the angels at the oak of Mamre, he inherited, after old age, the grace of the promise.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Understand, O wretched soul, Isaac, the new sacrifice offered as a whole burnt offering, a figure of Christ, and imitate his virtue.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou hast heard, O my soul, of Ishmael cast out as the son of a bondwoman; take heed lest the like befall thee through thy dissoluteness.
O venerable mother Mary, pray to God for us.
I am held fast and overwhelmed by the waves of sin; but I entreat thee, O mother, save me now and lead me to the haven of divine repentance.
O venerable mother Mary, pray to God for us.
Offer now, O venerable mother, thy servant’s supplication to the all-merciful Theotokos, that by thine entreaties she may open to me the divine entrance.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O simple Trinity, uncreated nature, known in three Persons: save us who trust in Thy might.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Son, timeless from the Father, thou didst bear in time, O Theotokos, without seed: O strange wonder! Thou remainest a Virgin while giving suck.
Irmos: The prophet heard of Thy coming, O Lord, and was afraid, that Thou wouldst be born of a Virgin and seen by men, and he cried: O Lord, I have heard the report of Thee and was afraid: glory to Thy power.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
My flesh is defiled, my spirit stained, and I am all full of sores; but as a sweet Physician, O Christ, heal both by repentance; wash me, cleanse me, and show me whiter than snow.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thy Body and Blood Thou didst offer for all when Thou wast crucified, O Word: the Body, that Thou mightest refashion me; the Blood, that Thou mightest wash me; and Thou gavest up Thy spirit, O Christ, that Thou mightest bring me to Thy Father.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The Creator wrought salvation in the midst of the earth, that we might be saved; of His own will He was hung on the Cross, and Eden, closed of old, was opened; and both worlds, with all the nations that are saved, worship Him.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
May the Blood of Thy side be to me both drink and washing, and the water an abyss of forgiveness, that I may be cleansed on both sides, by anointing and by drinking, as from the ointments and the drinks of Thy living springs, O Deliverer.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The Church hath gained Thy life-giving side as a chalice, from which there flow for us two streams, of forgiveness and of knowledge, in the image of the two covenants, the Law and grace, O Christ our Saviour.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I am shut out of the bridal chamber, and deprived of the wedding and the supper; my lamp is gone out for want of oil; the chamber was closed while I slept; the supper is eaten; and I, bound hand and foot, am cast out.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Undivided in essence, unconfused in Persons, I proclaim Thee the one Godhead in three, co-enthroned and of equal honour, and I sing to Thee the great hymn sung thrice-holy on high.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou givest birth and art a virgin, and in both remainest by nature a virgin; He who is born reneweth the laws of nature, and the womb giveth birth incorruptibly; for where God willeth, the order of nature is overcome, for He doeth whatsoever He will.
Irmos: From the night I rise early to Thee, O Lover of mankind: enlighten me, I pray, and guide me, O Sweet One, in Thy commandments, and teach me, O Good One, to do Thy will.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Like Pharaoh I have become hard of heart, O Master; I have made my soul and body like Jannes and Jambres, and have drowned my mind; but help me swiftly.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
My mind is mingled with matter; cleanse me, O Master, with the washing of my tears; I fall down before Thee: make the matter of my flesh white as snow.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
If I search out my deeds, O Saviour, I find that I have surpassed all men in sin, and I see myself defiled; and thus I know in my mind that I have sinned in ignorance: have mercy on me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Spare, O Lord, spare Thy creature; I have sinned, be gracious to me, O Deliverer; for Thou alone art holy by nature, and there is none other wholly without sin.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
For my sake, being God, Thou didst become man like me, and didst work signs, cleansing lepers and strengthening the paralysed, and healing the woman with an issue of blood by the touch of Thy hem.
O venerable mother Mary, pray to God for us.
Leaving the pleasures of the flesh, O venerable one, thou didst cross the river Jordan and find for thyself untroubled rest; make us also worthy now to find it, by thy prayers.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thee, the Trinity, the one God, I praise with thrice-holy praise: the Father unbegotten, the Son begotten of Him, and the Spirit who proceedeth, simple in essence.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
From thee, O incorrupt Virgin and Mother, the Creator, who made the ages, took my lump, and united the Godhead to the nature of men.
Irmos: I cried from the depth of my heart to the merciful God, and He heard me from the nethermost hell, and brought my life up from corruption.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Take up arms and strike down the passions of the flesh with courage, as Joshua did Amalek, and ever overcome the deceitful Gibeonites, thy thoughts.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Pass over the flowing nature of time, like the ark of old, and become heir of that land of promise: God commandeth thee, O soul who art loosed.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
As Thou didst save Peter when he cried out, have mercy on me, O Saviour; deliver me also, O Christ, stretch out Thy right hand and bring me up from the depths of evil, O Sweet One.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou art the haven that delivereth from the waves, O my King, Christ; from the abyss of my uncleanness and from the depth of despair deliver me, O Merciful One.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
I am the perfect Trinity, undivided, distinguished in Persons, and I am the Unity joined in nature, saith the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit, the source of Godhead.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thy womb, O Bride, bore us God in human form; entreat Him, as the Cause of all, for our salvation, O Theotokos.
My soul, my soul, arise! Why sleepest thou? The end draweth near, and thou shalt be troubled. Awake, then, that Christ God may have mercy on thee, who is everywhere present and filleth all things.
Irmos: We have sinned and done iniquity and wrought falsehood before Thee; we have not kept nor done as Thou didst command us, O Master; but give us not up utterly, O Most High, God of our fathers.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou hast gathered, O soul, the wilful stirrings of Manasseh, setting up the passions as abominations and multiplying provocations; but imitate also his repentance and confession.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou hast become a rival of Ahab in defilement, woe is me, O soul; thou hast become a dwelling of fleshly thoughts and passions; but sigh from the depth of thy soul and tell thy transgressions.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The heavens were shut against thee, O soul, and a grievous famine came upon thee, as upon disobedient Ahab by Elijah the Tishbite; but be like the widow of Zarephath, and nourish thou also the soul of the prophet.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Elijah once slew the false prophets of Jezebel and destroyed them in reproof of Ahab; but flee thou, O soul, from his likeness, and be strong in faith.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Simple and undivided, worshipped as consubstantial, praised by the saints, Light and Lights, the thrice-holy Trinity, God, Life and Lives: glorify Him, O soul, and serve the one Godhead.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
We sing to thee, we worship thee and bless thee, O Mother of God, for thou didst bear One of the holy Trinity, Christ God, perfect and true, and thou hast opened to us on earth the entrances of heaven.
Irmos: Him whom the powers of heaven praise, before whom the Cherubim and Seraphim tremble, every creature, sing with all your soul, and exalt Him above all unto the ages.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O righteous Judge Jesus, have mercy on me and deliver me from the fire of condemnation, by which I justly await punishment, and cleanse me before death by repentance.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Like the thief I cry: Remember me; like Peter I weep: Be gracious to me, O Saviour; like the publican I lament; like the harlot I shed tears: accept my lament, as that of the Canaanite woman.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Heal, O Physician of souls, the festering wound of my lowly soul, and pour on it the balm of tears of compunction and good deeds, the oil and wine of mercy.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Like the Canaanite woman I too cry: Have mercy on me, O Christ, Son of David; like the woman with an issue of blood I draw near to the hem; and like Martha and Mary I weep over Lazarus.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O God the Father, and co-divine Son, and Comforter, upright Spirit; Father unbegotten, Word begotten, and Spirit proceeding: O Trinity in Unity, save me.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The purple robe of the King’s God-bearing flesh, dyed from thy blood, was woven within thy womb, O incorrupt one; wherefore I proclaim thee truly the Theotokos.
Irmos: She who conceived without seed giveth birth beyond telling; a Mother without a husband conceiveth incorruptibly; for the birth of God reneweth the order of nature; wherefore all generations magnify thee without ceasing, O Bride and Mother of God.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Christ preached good tidings to the poor, healed the sick and drove the passions from the suffering; He ate with publicans and sinners, and by the touch of His hand restored to the body the departed soul of Jairus’ daughter.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The harlot was sanctified, the publican was justified, but the Pharisee was condemned for his pride; for the one cried: Save me; the other: O God, be gracious to me; and the third boasted: O God, I thank Thee — and other proud words.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Zacchaeus was a publican, yet he was saved; but Simon the Pharisee, who spread the table, stumbled; and the harlot received the grace of forgiveness of her faults from Him who hath power to forgive sins; strive, O soul, to find it.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O wretched soul, thou hast not imitated the harlot, who took the alabaster box of myrrh and with tears anointed the feet of the Saviour and wiped them with her hair; and He blotted out the handwriting of her former sins.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Thou hast heard, O my soul, of the cities to which the Saviour gave the Gospel, how they were reproached by Him; fear their example, and be not like them, whom the Master likened to the wicked Sodomites and condemned even unto hell.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Be not overcome by despair, O soul; imitate the faith of the Canaanite woman, whose daughter was healed by a word; and cry from the depth of thy heart as she did: O Son of David, have mercy on me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
We worship the Father, we exalt the Son above all, and we praise the upright Spirit in faith: Trinity in Persons and Unity in essence, as Light and Lights, as Life and Lives, giving life to all.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Guard thy city, O incorrupt Theotokos, which through thee reigneth divinely; through thee it hath its strength and through thee overcometh its enemies; it is set above trials, turneth back its foes, and ruleth those in its keeping.
O thrice-blessed father Andrew, shepherd of Crete, pray for us who fervently sing to thee, that we may be delivered from wrath, affliction and corruption, and from countless sins, we who call upon thee with faith.
The first six odes of Wednesday again develop the theme of the Pentateuch of Moses, though figures of the New Testament also enter, and with them is remembered the venerable mother raised from the boundless depth of sin to the highest rung of the spiritual ladder, St Mary of Egypt. This is no accident at all. The venerable Mary of Egypt plants the hope of salvation in all, even in the most humbled soul, weighed down by sin. Prayer to her is included in both Wednesday’s and Thursday’s canons.
The sinful soul finds its likeness here with Cain and with Lamech, but it is wholly estranged from the deeds of Seth, Enos and Noah; it has remained outside the ark of the covenant. Therefore it could not receive the blessing of Shem, “nor find broad borders like Japheth in the holy land”. For this it must leave Haran, like Abraham, and like him seek the land of promise. Abraham received divine grace at the oak of Mamre through the visit of three angels, that is, of God, while Isaac became the foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice. All this is a figure and at the same time a living example of redemption; just as the casting out of Ishmael, born of the bondwoman, points to the danger (Wednesday, Ode 3).
On Wednesday, in the fourth ode, the crucifixion of Christ is already recalled; the blood and water flowing from the Saviour’s side are the sign of forgiveness and salvation. The soul standing before God realises that “the lamp is gone out for want of oil, and the chamber was closed while I slept” (that is, for those who slumber the door of the kingdom was shut), and the unrepentant soul “is cast out” (Wednesday, Ode 4).
In the sixth ode figures of the New Testament appear again; here too the ark of the covenant is recalled once more, as a foreshadowing of the Church of Christ, and Joshua son of Nun, the conqueror of Amalek, the evil enemy.
Prepared by Tinatin Gogichaishvili, newspaper “Patriarchate News”, No. 8, 2006.
