[Prayer 66] Speaking with God from the Depths of the Heart:

Now, whoever believes in the healing prayers
in this humble book, praying sincerely
even if he be one of the sinful,
I too join him with my words.
For if he is among the just,
may we find mercy together through these prayers.
And if he finds happiness,
leaving misery to me alone,
I shall nevertheless bear witness for him.
But may he remember Solomon and his inspired words:
“Who can say, I have a pure heart,
or boast of being clean of sin?”¹
For no man born on earth is free of sin.²
And not one of us is special because of our swiftness,³
not even if wings carry us to the heights.
Therefore, we should be careful, think twice,
for if we are on a pedestal, as Paul taught,
we may fall to the ground,⁴
like the just judge who formulated this rule.⁵

But let the righteous take this warning as a crown,
so as not to fall from the unreachable heights.
And may the condemned see this as hope of salvation.
by which to rise from the perdition of spiritual death,
and live in hope.
As for me may this message be like words
engraved on a monument never to be effaced
a token of my wretched mortal soul
crying out forever, unsilenced,
with the echoes of uninterrupted sighing.

May my bones, undone
in the earthen cloak of the tomb,
confess this with a soundless voice,
and my body turned to dust
deliver these prayers to you
with an indiscernible cry, seer of secrets.

B

Lord of compassion, fount of mercies,
bounty of goodness,
Son of the one on high, Lord Jesus Christ,
have mercy, save us, and love us humans.
Look upon my peril. Gaze upon my broken heart.
Attend to my misery.
See the confusion of my unending anxiety.
Come to my aid in my time of mortal torment.
Touch me, curing my most wretched infirmities.
Lend a kind ear to my pitiful sighs.
Listen to the silent cries from the depths of
the abysmal grave.
May the voice of my failing body in prayer reach your all-hearing ears
and since the pledge for my life’s redemption
is imperishable,
so too let your love be also constant.
Gently help me, enfeebled with infirmity as I am.

C

Do not hold a grudge against me, the image of death.
Do not berate my breathless figure.
Do not strike me while I am suffering the
pangs of death.⁶
Do not deal harshly with the cracked clay vessel
of my existence.⁷
Do not double your wrath: I am crushed by
your sentence.
Do not condemn to destruction my already
dilapidated structure.
Do not throw stones at me: I am already like a dead dog.
Do not fulminate at me sternly: I am like a
crushed flea.⁸
Do not roar at me mightily, as if upon some braggart:
I am lower than dirt.⁹
Do not summon me for trial by ordeal:
I am but cast away ash.
Do not view me, who am but vanishing dust,
as your opponent.
Do not deem me, who am loathsome sediment,
to be your foe.
Do not ward me off, a contemptible abomination,
as if I am a warrior.
Do not set me aside as material for hell:
I am worthless refuse.
Do not scold me again, who by this multitude of
words already
has been admonished many times over.

Prayer – “Book of Lamentations” St. Gregory of Narek 66

Readings – Ընթերցումներ
1 Samuel 1:1-23; Proverbs 1:1-33; Jeremiah 1:1-10 
Ա. Թագ. 1.1-23: Առակ. 1.1-33: Երեմ. 1.1-10:

DAILY SPIRITUAL TASK
Pray with your family at mealtime.
Make a point of praying for people in need