Daily Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos, If Thou Wouldst See Her at the Hour of Thy Soul’s Parting

Accept now, O glorious one, my good Lady, my poor supplication, offered to thee from unworthy lips, as one who knowest all things, and my weakness above all! Through thee I came to know the way of truth; through thee I was called back from the places of death; therefore my deeds and my movements by night and by day, in deed and in word, in knowledge and in ignorance, thou knowest and art aware of them; and I have gained thee as mediatress before Christ, the true God! Do thou have mercy on me, do thou help me, be thou my fellow-worker in every good deed, according to the will of thy Son and my God! Thou knowest, O supremely good Lady, that from my infancy, from my swaddling clothes and my mother’s bosom, I fell down before thee and entrusted myself to thee; and though I have kept myself badly, yet I know no other refuge, or helper, or protector, or mediator before God. But to thee, my Lady, I tell all my deeds, and do thou blot out all my sins. Thou knowest, my Lady Theotokos, that I am a stranger bird and have no place to lay my head, save in thee, the Mother of Christ my God. Thou art my helper, O Lady; thou art my deliverer; thou art my protector; thou art my surety before God; thou art my father, my guide, my companion on the way; in thee I place all my hope! Thou knowest my helplessness, for I have no one but thee and Christ born of thee. Therefore abhor me not, and be not angry with me, O good one; let not the multitude of my evils overcome thy goodness. Thou hast an abyss of mercy, as the Mother of the supremely merciful God; do but will it, and I shall be saved; none can withstand thee, for thou art the Mother of my God Jesus, who created all things! I know that my sins are many, and I am not worthy to look up and behold the height of heaven because of the multitude of my sins; but if thou look upon me, there is none to hinder! Help me, O my holy Lady, help me, and let not this be reckoned to me as sin, O my Lady Theotokos; but rather give me a fountain of tears, give me sighing and contrition of heart, that I may weep for my wretched deeds! For I, O Lady Theotokos, am an abyss of sins; I am he who hath transgressed beyond all natures before thy Son and God. I know, O Lady, that I am without defence, unworthy of all love for mankind and worthy of every torment, and I have no word to answer; therefore I flee to the mercy of thy Son and God, my good King and Creator. Do thou guide me and direct me, and teach me, O Theotokos. Freely do I seek from thee thy rich mercies: have mercy on me as thou willest and as thou commandest; cast me not away from thy presence, and remove me not from thy protection; make me not a stranger to thy mercy. Have mercy on me, the stranger; have mercy on me who trust in thee; have mercy on me, who have placed all my hope in thee, and teach me thy power, O Theotokos. For if thou save me, a sinner, great is thy mercy, great thy compassion, great thy forbearance and long-suffering! For if thou help and have mercy on the worthy, that is no wonder; but rather help me, rather have mercy on me! Give the hand of help to me who lie fallen — to me the slothful, the palsied, the ungrateful and senseless, the hard and unrepentant, full of every evil deed and defiled word, and in my ways a stranger to all good-doing! Yea, my Lady Theotokos, be merciful to me, the helpless, the stranger and the wretched, and make thy mercy rich upon me, that, being saved, I may praise the true Christ my God born of thee, and magnify thee, my deliverer, my comforter, my protector and my guardian! Help me, O holy Lady, help me, and make me worthy all the days of my life to do the will of thy Son and my God, and to serve Him as is meet! And so may I end my life, my Lady Theotokos, and be led by the holy angels to His holy dwelling clothed in light; for to Him is due all glory, honour and worship unto the ages of ages. Amen.