Prayer of St. John of Damascus.
 |  |  |  |  |
Prayer of St. John of Damascus.
(To be said pointing at the bed.)
O Lord, Lover of men, is this bed to be my coffin, or wilt Thou enlighten my
wretched soul with another day? Here the coffin lies before me, and here death
confronts me. I fear, O Lord, Thy Judgment and the endless torments, yet I cease
not to do evil. My Lord God, I continually anger Thee, and Thy immaculate Mother,
and all the Heavenly Powers, and my holy Guardian Angel. I know, O Lord, that I am
unworthy of Thy love, but deserve condemnation and every torment. But, whether I
want it or not, save me, O Lord. For to save a good man is no great thing, and to
have mercy on the pure is nothing wonderful, for they are worthy of Thy mercy. But
show the wonder of Thy mercy on me, a sinner. In this reveal Thy love for men, lest
my wickedness prevail over Thy unutterable goodness and mercy. And order my life
as Thou wilt.
(As sleep is the image of death, at night we pray for the departed.)
With the Saints give rest, O Christ, to the souls of Thy servants where there is no
pain, no sorrow, no sighing, but life everlasting.
(When about to lie down in bed, say:)
Lighten my eyes, O Christ God, lest I sleep in death, and lest my enemy say: I have
prevailed over him.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Be my soul's Defender, O God, for I step over many snares. Deliver me from them
and save me, O Good One, in Thy love for men.
Now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Let us not silently hymn the most glorious Mother of God, holiest of holy Angels,
but confess her with heart and mouth to be the Mother of God, for she truly bore
God incarnate for us, and prays without ceasing for our souls. Amen.
Kiss your cross, and make the sign of the Cross from head to foot of the bed and
from two sides, and then say:
Prayer to the Venerable Cross
Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered; and let those who hate Him flee
from His presence. As smoke vanishes, let them vanish; and as wax melts from the
presence of fire, so let the demons perish from the presence of those who love God
and who sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross and say in gladness: Hail, most
precious and life-giving Cross of the Lord, for Thou drivest away the demons by the
power of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified on thee, Who went down to hell and
trampled on the power of the devil, and gave us thee, His venerable Cross, for
driving away all enemies. O most precious and life-giving Cross of the Lord, help me
with our holy Lady, the Virgin Mother of God, and with all the Saints throughout the
ages. Amen.
(Just before getting into bed, say:)
Guard me, O Lord, by the power of Thy holy and life-giving Cross, and keep me from
all evil.
(Just before yielding yourself up to sleep, say:)
Into Thy hands, O Lord Jesus Christ, my God, I surrender my spirit and body; bless
me, save me, and grant me eternal life. Amen.
Before retiring (or if one prefers, before beginning prayers) go through all the points
suggested below in your mind and memory.
1. Give thanks to Almighty God for granting you during the past day, by His grace,
His gifts of life and health.
2. Examine your conscience by going through each hour of the day, beginning from
the time you rose from your bed, and recall to memory: where you went, how you
acted and reacted towards all persons and other creatures, and what you talked
about. Recall and consider with all care your thoughts, words and deeds from
morning till evening.
3. If you have done any good, do not ascribe it to yourself but to God Who gives us
all the good things and thank Him. Pray that He may confirm you in this good and
enable you to do other good things.
4. But if you have done anything evil, admit that this comes from yourself and your
own weakness, from bad habits or weak will. Repent and pray to the Lover of men
that He may forgive you, and promise Him firmly never to do this evil again.
5. Implore your Creator with tears to grant you a quiet, undisturbed, pure and
sinless night, and to enable you on the coming day to devote yourself wholly to the
glory of His holy Name.
6. If you find a soft pillow, leave it, and put a stone in its place for Christ's sake. If
you sleep in winter, bear it, saying: Some did not sleep at all.
(To be said pointing at the bed.)
O Lord, Lover of men, is this bed to be my coffin, or wilt Thou enlighten my
wretched soul with another day? Here the coffin lies before me, and here death
confronts me. I fear, O Lord, Thy Judgment and the endless torments, yet I cease
not to do evil. My Lord God, I continually anger Thee, and Thy immaculate Mother,
and all the Heavenly Powers, and my holy Guardian Angel. I know, O Lord, that I am
unworthy of Thy love, but deserve condemnation and every torment. But, whether I
want it or not, save me, O Lord. For to save a good man is no great thing, and to
have mercy on the pure is nothing wonderful, for they are worthy of Thy mercy. But
show the wonder of Thy mercy on me, a sinner. In this reveal Thy love for men, lest
my wickedness prevail over Thy unutterable goodness and mercy. And order my life
as Thou wilt.
(As sleep is the image of death, at night we pray for the departed.)
With the Saints give rest, O Christ, to the souls of Thy servants where there is no
pain, no sorrow, no sighing, but life everlasting.
(When about to lie down in bed, say:)
Lighten my eyes, O Christ God, lest I sleep in death, and lest my enemy say: I have
prevailed over him.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Be my soul's Defender, O God, for I step over many snares. Deliver me from them
and save me, O Good One, in Thy love for men.
Now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Let us not silently hymn the most glorious Mother of God, holiest of holy Angels,
but confess her with heart and mouth to be the Mother of God, for she truly bore
God incarnate for us, and prays without ceasing for our souls. Amen.
Kiss your cross, and make the sign of the Cross from head to foot of the bed and
from two sides, and then say:
Prayer to the Venerable Cross
Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered; and let those who hate Him flee
from His presence. As smoke vanishes, let them vanish; and as wax melts from the
presence of fire, so let the demons perish from the presence of those who love God
and who sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross and say in gladness: Hail, most
precious and life-giving Cross of the Lord, for Thou drivest away the demons by the
power of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified on thee, Who went down to hell and
trampled on the power of the devil, and gave us thee, His venerable Cross, for
driving away all enemies. O most precious and life-giving Cross of the Lord, help me
with our holy Lady, the Virgin Mother of God, and with all the Saints throughout the
ages. Amen.
(Just before getting into bed, say:)
Guard me, O Lord, by the power of Thy holy and life-giving Cross, and keep me from
all evil.
(Just before yielding yourself up to sleep, say:)
Into Thy hands, O Lord Jesus Christ, my God, I surrender my spirit and body; bless
me, save me, and grant me eternal life. Amen.
Before retiring (or if one prefers, before beginning prayers) go through all the points
suggested below in your mind and memory.
1. Give thanks to Almighty God for granting you during the past day, by His grace,
His gifts of life and health.
2. Examine your conscience by going through each hour of the day, beginning from
the time you rose from your bed, and recall to memory: where you went, how you
acted and reacted towards all persons and other creatures, and what you talked
about. Recall and consider with all care your thoughts, words and deeds from
morning till evening.
3. If you have done any good, do not ascribe it to yourself but to God Who gives us
all the good things and thank Him. Pray that He may confirm you in this good and
enable you to do other good things.
4. But if you have done anything evil, admit that this comes from yourself and your
own weakness, from bad habits or weak will. Repent and pray to the Lover of men
that He may forgive you, and promise Him firmly never to do this evil again.
5. Implore your Creator with tears to grant you a quiet, undisturbed, pure and
sinless night, and to enable you on the coming day to devote yourself wholly to the
glory of His holy Name.
6. If you find a soft pillow, leave it, and put a stone in its place for Christ's sake. If
you sleep in winter, bear it, saying: Some did not sleep at all.
