Upon awakening, stand before the holy icons, make the sign of the cross, and pray:
O God, be merciful to me a sinner.
O God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me.
O Lord, forgive me; for I have sinned without number.
Through the prayers of our holy Fathers
Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.
O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth,
You are everywhere present and fill all things.
Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life,
come and dwell within us,
cleanse us of all stain,
and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal,
have mercy on us. (3 times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us;
O Lord, cleanse us of our sins;
O Master, forgive our transgressions;
O Holy One, come to us and heal our infirmities for Your
Name's sake.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy Name;
Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God
have mercy on us. Amen.
Lord, have mercy (12 times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Psalm 94:6 Call to Worship
Come, let us worship the King, our God.
Come, let us worship Christ, the King and our God.
Come, let us worship and fall down before the only Lord Jesus Christ,
the King and our God.
Psalm 50 Prayer of Repentance
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your great mercy.
And in the abundance of your tender mercies,
blot out my offense.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my iniquity,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you alone have I sinned,
and I have done evil before you,
so that you may be justified in your words,
and may prevail when you are judged.
For behold, I was conceived in iniquities,
and in sins did my mother bear me.
For behold, you have loved truth;
the unseen and hidden things of your wisdom you have made manifest to me.
You will sprinkle me with hyssop,
and I shall be cleansed.
You will wash me,
and I shall be made whiter than snow.
To my hearing you will give joy and gladness,
and the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice.
Turn your face away from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create a clean heart in me, O God,
and renew an upright spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your face,
and take not your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and strengthen me with your guiding spirit.
I will teach the unjust your ways,
and the wicked shall return to you.
Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation,
and my tongue shall extol your righteousness.
O Lord, you shall open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
For if you had wanted sacrifice, I would have given it,
but with whole-burnt offerings you would not be delighted.
A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit.
A broken and humbled heart, O God, you will not despise.
Act kindly, O Lord, in your good will toward Zion,
so that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.
Then you will delight in a sacrifice of righteousness, oblations, and whole-burnt offerings;
then they shall lay calves upon your altar.
The Jesus Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. (150 times)
It is truly proper to glorify you,
who have borne God,
the Ever-blessed, Immaculate, and the Mother of our God.
More honorable than the Cherubim,
and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim,
who, a virgin, gave birth to God the Word,
you, truly the Mother of God, we magnify.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God,
have mercy on us. Amen.
Notes
This brief Morning Prayer is based upon the prayer rule for a layman, which is a simplified version of the cell rule of a monastic. Its beauty is in its simplicity. It can easily be memorized and prayed over an entire lifetime.
During Pascha the troparion “Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down Death by death and to those in the tombs bestowing life.” is prayed three times at the beginning and “It is truly proper” is replaced with “The angel exclaimed to her, full of grace: ‘Rejoice, O Pure Virgin, again I say “Rejoice!” Your Son is risen from the grave on the third day and has raised all the dead. Let all nations rejoice.’ Shine in splendor, O new Jerusalem; for the glory of the Lord is risen upon you, O Sion. Dance with joy and rejoice. And you, pure Mother of God, rejoice in the resurrection of your Son.”
During the Holy Forty Days Fast and on other appointed days the Prayer of St. Ephrem is prayed with prostrations at the end of this rule of prayer just before the dismissal “Through the prayers....”
O Lord and Master of my life, drive away from me the spirit of despondency, carelessness, love of power, and idle chatter. (Prostration)
Rather grant to me, Your servant, the spirit of wholeness of being, humility, patience, and love. (Prostration)
Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own faults and not condemn my brother; for You are blessed to the ages of ages. Amen. (Prostration)
All rules of prayer should be undertaken with the blessing of one’s spiritual father or mother.
Psalm 50 is taken from The Psalms: A New Translation, ©1963 by The Grail, England. This prayer sheet is for private use only. It may be duplicated and reproduced freely as long as it reproduced without change and distributed without charge. www.byzcath.org