Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Prayers for Holy Confession, by St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain

The Holy and Saving Mystery of Confession (source)
 
Prayers for Holy Confession, by St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain
A prayer before Holy Confession
O Father of mercies before the ages, and God of all entreaty, I the wretched one, desiring to try my conscience regarding my offenses, fear greatly and tremble, because the condition of my life is so utterly clear, where no deed or single thought could be hidden from before Your eyes. Therefore, I ask with all my lowliness, through the mercies of Your Only-begotten Son, that you grant me the grace to come to know well, and to hate and to correct all of my sins. Give to me, O Father of lights, Your All-holy Spirit, to bring to me the remembrance of sins that I have forgotten, and to crush my heart towards contrition, and to bring repentance over these, that I might come to hate them, and to distance myself from every sin that comes. And you, O Virgin Theotokos, the Mother of mercy, and Refuge of sinners, nourish me, I entreat you, and help me at the Judgment seat of the compassion and righteousness of God, that I might come to know, and hate from my heart and to confess all of my sins. And similarly, O Holy Angel, the guardian of my soul, I entreat you to help me in this work, which is so necessary for my eternal salvation. Amen.

A prayer following Holy Confession
I thank You greatly, my Redeemer, and Most-philanthropic Physician of the human race, for with the most-precious balsam of Your life-creating Blood, You heal the wounds of my soul, and You cleans me from the leprosy of my sins. I know Your divine compassion, with which you brought me to repentance, I, the thrice-wretched sinner, while so many others are being tortured currently in the wrath of Your righteousness in Hades. Receive, therefore, I entreat You, my Lord, through the intercessions of Your Ever-virgin Mother and Theotokos Mary, and all of Your Saints, this my confession, and if anything stands missing or incomplete in any instance, complete this through Your divine compassion and love for man, and through this I entreat You that I be totally forgiven, and correct my moral life, bringing forth worthy fruits of repentance, and thus, remaining steadfast in goodness in this present life, may I be made worthy to partake of the glory of Your divine glory in Heaven. Amen.
(Amateur translation of texts from here and here)
 
The Parable of the Prodigal Son (source)
   
Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

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