[Prayer 67] Speaking with God from the Depths of the Heart:

But since your judgment, Christ God,
is much more lenient toward me
than toward Satan the forefather of evil,¹
and because of him, “the Son of God was
revealed among us that he might destroy the works
of the devil,”²
whereas for me, he came to restore my
worn-out image,³
taking our image in its essence,
he united in himself the image of great God
in indisputable unity.
He graced Satan with none of this bounty,
and upon me he poured forth everything
in abundance.⁴
He did not suffer on the cross for Satan,
but for me he is continuously sacrificed.
Satan does not partake in life,
but I am eternally favored with salvation.
Satan is not protected by the cross,
but I am fortified by this sign.
He is banished from the light,
but I am joined with glory.
God did not promise him peace even on earth,⁵
but he made me an owner of heaven.⁶
God cut off his guarantee of hope,
but continued mine forever.⁷
God confined him to a herd of pigs,⁸
but in me God dwells more firmly.⁹
God compared him to a scorpion,¹⁰
and he called me the light of the world.¹¹
God made him resemble a snake,¹²
but he placed the seal of his name upon me.¹³

B

But I abandoned the favors of God,
who created so many good things, and I
gave in to my inclination toward evil,
gazing downward with him at the bottom of the abyss:

Look at me,
I am
unworthy of good, undeserving of favor,
incapable of love, drawn in by the strands of sin,
wounded in the depth of my inner organs,
a broken palm tree,
spilled wine,
damp wheat,
breached mortgage,
ripped up verdict,
counterfeit seal,
deformed image,
singed garment,
lost goblet,
sunken ship,
crushed pearl,
buried gem,
dried up plant,
broken beam,
rotten wood,
mutilated mandrake,
collapsed roof,
dilapidated altar,
uprooted plant,
oily filth on the street,
milk flowing through ash,
a dead man in the battalion of the brave.

Prayer – “Book of Lamentations” St. Gregory of Narek 67

Readings – Ընթերցումներ
1 Samuel 3:21-4:18; Proverbs 3:11-4:14; Jeremiah 2:31-3:16
Ա. Թագ. 3.21- 4.18: Առակ. 3.11-4.14: Երեմ. 2.31-3.16:

DAILY SPIRITUAL TASK
Make a list of ten things you are grateful for in your life.