A Spiritual Psalter by Saint Ephraem the Syrian
Psalm 1 Blessed is the man who, in the Lord, has become completely at liberty from all worldly things that pertain to this tumultuous life, and who loves the one beneficent and merciful God. Blessed is the man who performs good deeds and as a bountiful field, produces an abundance of fruits in the Lord. Blessed is the man who stands at prayer to serve God and, as the heavenly angels always has chaste thoughts and does not permit evil to draw near so that he does not allow his soul to be enslaved and drawn away from God our Savior. Blessed is the man who loves holiness as light, and has not polluted his body in the sight of the Lord with disgraceful deeds of the evil one. Blessed is the man who ever keeps within himself the memory of God, for this person is in the world as an angel of heaven, always rejoicing in the Lord with fear and love. Blessed is the man who loves repentance, which will save every sinner, and who does not enjoy sin, that he might not be seen as ungrateful in the sight of God our Savior. Blessed is the man who, as a brave soldier protecting his treasures in heaven, keeps his soul and body without blame in the Lord. Blessed is the man who, as the angels of heaven, has chaste thoughts, and who sings with his lips praises to the One who has dominion over everything that breathes. Blessed is the man who is like the seraphim and cherubim, never being lazy in spiritual works, and who endlessly praises the Lord. ❦
Psalm 2 O Master, I worship before You. I praise You, O Good One. I entreat You, O Holy One. I prostrate before You, O Lover of Mankind, and I praise You, O Christ. For You, Only-begotten master of all things, the Only Sinless One, was for my sake, a disgraceful sinner, delivered up to be crucified to liberate a sinner from the enslavement to sin. How will I pay you back, O Master? Glory to You, O Lover of Mankind! Glory to You, O Most Merciful! Glory to You, O Long-suffering One! Glory to You who forgives all my sinful falls. Glory to You, who came down for the salvation of our souls. Glory to You, Who took flesh in the womb of the Virgin. Glory to You, who suffered chains. Glory to You, who accepted flogging. Glory to You, who was humiliated. Glory to You, who was nailed to the cross. Glory to You, who was buried. Glory to You, who rose from the tomb. Glory to You, Whom the prophets foretold. Glory to You, in whom we have put our trust. Glory to You, who ascended into the heavens. Glory to You, who sat with glory upon the right hand of the Father and Who again will come with the angelic hosts to judge each soul that has rejected Your holy passion. In that apprehensive and terrible hour when the powers of heaven are awakened, when all the angels, archangels, seraphim and cherubim will stand with fear and with trembling before Your glory, when the foundation of the earth will shake, and when everything that has the breath of life in it will be in fear at Your incomparable excellent glory. In that hour may You receive me under Your wing and may my life be saved from the terrifying fire and from the gnashing teeth, and from the outer darkness and never-ending grieving, so that I may praise You and say, "Glory to Him Whose will it was to save a sinner through the great kindness of His mercy." ❦
Psalm 3 Make me sound, O Lord, and I will be whole. O only wise and compassionate Doctor, I entreat Your loving-kindness. Treat the scars of my soul and illuminate the eyes of my mind so that I may know my role in Your eternal plan. And as much as my heart and my mind have been mutilated, may Your grace restore them, for it is like true salt. What will I say to You, the One who knows the heart and who searches the heart and reins of man? For, You know that, as a waterless land, my soul pants for You and my heart yearns for You. For Your grace has always delivered those who love You. As You have always hearkened unto me, so now do not despise my prayer. Because You see that my mind, like a captive, searches for You, the Only true Salvation. Send forth Your grace, so that I might satisfy my hunger and thirst. Because insatiably I long for You, my Master. Who is able to be satisfied by You if he truly loves You and thirsts for Your truth? O Provider of light, fulfill my petitions and give me Your gifts for the sake of my prayer. Bestow on my heart a mere drop of Your grace, so that the fire of Your love would begin burning within my heart, and just like a fire, let it devour my wicked thoughts as thorns and thistles. Provide me all these things in abundance. Bestow them on me as God to man, and as a King to His vassals, and make them grow as a compassionate Father. ❦
Psalm 4 We seek for You in prayer, O Lord, for everything is understood by You. May we be refined by You, for You are a treasure which does not lessen with time. Let Your love come to help us. Let Your grace protect us. From Your riches pour out upon us Your healing power to treat our wounds. We should search for You before everything else, and we should not search for anything but You, for the one who searches for You finds everything in You. In You there are riches for the poor, sincere joy for those that grieve, healing for everyone that is wounded, and comfort for those who lament. Receive our prayer, O Lord, and present Yourself to us, so that we might live in You, and possess You above everything else, because then everything will be ours. Lord allow us to be Yours, and by your compassion may You be ours. Because the just Father granted us Yourself to treat our wounds. You are ours by the will of Your Father. And You are ours by Your own will. You are beside us, O Emmanuel. You are with us as our Lord. O our God, receive these prayers on our behalf. You Who have come down to us, receive the tear-drops of sinners and manifest Your mercy to transgressors. By Your will You have been joined to us. Be an intercessor for our prayer. Lift it up to Your Father and settle Your peace within our souls. ❦
Psalm 5 O Lord God, as the apple of Your eye, keep me. Be a shield to me and shelter me under Your wings from temptations. Be the protector of my eye, that it not wander around like a robber. Be the protector of my ear, that it would not hear a lie. Be a protector of my mouth, so that no gossip, condemnation, censure and idle talk would proceed from it. Be a protector of my heart, so that it might not be given to wickedness nor work lawlessness. Lord provide for us knowledge of what we should do and how we should do it. Lord grant that we be sweeter to You than aromas and perfumes. Lord grant that we love You and despise the world. Lord, grant that we might obtain You alone instead of all fleeting goods. Lord, permit that we bring to You three select gifts. Lord permit us to burn three fragrant censers in Your presence. Lord permit us to kindle three brightly burning lamps for You, our spirit, soul and body. Let these three gifts be for the One Trinity. May we devote our spirit to the Father, our soul to the Son, and our body to the Holy Spirit, for the Spirit will lift it up once more from the dust. O Father, dedicate our spirit to Yourself. O Son, dedicate our soul to Yourself. O Holy Spirit, dedicate our body to Yourself, which is vexed with sores. Permit us, O Lord, to exult in You, and may You delight in us in the final day. To You is due glory, from the spirit, soul and body. And may Your mercy be upon us. ❦
Psalm 6 Jesse's son readies his flute and sings, "Blessed are the pure who follow in the path of the Lord, who follow His Law." As our Savior told us in the Gospel of life, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are they that mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are they who grieve, because they will rejoice. To those who give up the world and its vanities, who despise its lusts and hate its pleasures, they are provided with an assurance of a reward in the Gospel of salvation, an eternal dwelling and everlasting life. From their love of the Lord they have abandon their worldly families, their riches and their goods. Because they have heard, "blessed are the poor." In return for this the kingdom of heaven is waiting for them. They have molded their bodies into a temple for the Holy Spirit. Through their strict mode of life they have triumphed over their lusts. They have carried the yoke of hard labor, and from their love of the Lord they have hated their own lives. They have crucified themselves, nailing their bodies to the cross, and through their ascetic efforts they have inclined their Maker to mercy. They have disregarded carnal pleasures and cherished restraint. They have cast off the pollutions of the flesh and sought chastity. They have elected to be afflicted and to endure all forms of deprivation, and they have scorned any repose. They have cast off pride and robed themselves with a humble nature. They have defeated the foe and overcome him. They have made him flee and obtained honor for themselves. They have overcome him and are glorified. They have rebuked him and are crowned. The Father loves them, and the Son embraces them in his loving-kindness. The Holy Spirit dwells within their immaculate souls. Christ beckons to them, saying, "Come to me, you who have toiled in my name, enter into the dwelling place from which those who are summoned do not leave." For these ones, the Lord provides crowns, and they savor bliss in His dwelling place in exchange for the grief which they carried from morning until night. The kingdom of heaven waits for those who have been victorious in battle and so have obtained honor. It is the regular practice of angels to descend and strengthen soldiers during a battle. The spirits run out to greet the victors. They pronounce them blessed and tell them, "Come, you who are in turmoil, and rest from your toil. By your long-suffering you have overcome the evil one." Paradise will open its gates to them, and they will dwell in the light and find their rest there. Upon their lips is a song of praise to Him who has fortified them in battle. ❦
Psalm 7 O Christ our Savior, you have become for me the path of life leading to the Father. There is only one path, and it is my delight, and the kingdom of heaven lies at its end. O Master, Jesus, Son of God, you have become for me the way of life and enlightenment. In the heart of your servant your grace has turned into light and delight, which are sweeter to the mouth of your servant than honey from a honeycomb. Your grace has become a rich treasure in the soul of your servant, which had made his scarcity rich and has cast out anguish and defilement. For Your servant, Your grace has become a shelter, a strength, a shield, an exaltation, glory, and nourishment for his entire life. O Master, how can your servant be quiet, after having savored the sweetness of Your love and your grace? How could I defy once more the waves of grace which pour out upon my sinful heart and which are full of sweetness from the abundance of Your gifts? O Christ Our Savior, I will praise the glory of the Master of the powers of heaven and I will magnify Your grace, and my tongue will not stop proclaiming Your love. O Savior, the glory of my life, Your love brings me near to You. Your grace makes it easy for me to seek You with my mind. Let my heart be like a fertile field for You, and let Your grace bedew it with eternal life. Let Your grace harvest an abundant crop from the field of my heart: humility, honor, sanctity, and everything that is well-pleasing to You. Restore my soul to the pleasant garden of paradise, and let it dwell in that light covered by the joys of paradise, so that I too should declare with all the saints, "Praise be to the Immortal Father, glory to Him who bestows such heavenly gifts on this useless one, that he might bear a tithe of glory to the Ruler of all things." ❦
Psalm 8 O my beloved brethren, grieve over my nakedness. I have angered Christ by my dissolute life. Because the Good One fashioned me and granted me liberty. But I have mistreated it and repaid Him with wickedness and iniquity. The Lord of everything made me complete and appointed me to be an agent of His glory, so that I should minister to Him and praise His name. However I, a scoundrel, have fashioned my parts into devices of sin and have made them work all sorts of evil. Woe to me, for He will righteously chasten me. My brazen acts foretell my outcome at the judgment, for they will accuse my own wretched soul. O my Savior, ceaselessly I implore You. Keep me under the shelter of Your wings and do not uncover my impurity at Your great judgment, so that I might praise Your loving-kindness. Because of all my wickedness which I have done in the sight of the Lord I am excluded from being in communion with the saints. For I have not ministered to God with my life as they have done. I have not partaken in their good works. Woe to me, I perish. The remorse that I am worthy of overcomes me. Because if I had fought with them, then, like them, I would be honored. However I was remiss and ministered to my passions, and I am not worthy to be among the triumphant, having become an inheritor of Hell. O Victorious one, pierced by the nails on the cross who calls out to sinners, "Come, freely receive forgiveness." To You my Savior I unceasingly pray, "Turn away your eyes from my iniquity, and through Your sufferings heal my wounds so that I might praise Your loving-kindness. O All-good One, Whose loving-kindness is so much greater than the deception of the world, embolden my wretched soul with hope in Your loving-kindness, because it has been enfeebled and has become tired beyond measure by the destructive sickness of duplicity and sin, and it holds on solely by depending on You, for it hopes to find its repose in You." ❦
Psalm 9 As the publican I sigh. As the harlot I weep. As the thief I cry out. As the prodigal son I beseech You. O Christ my Savior and the Lover of mankind, fortify my soul which has become faint, which was numbed with drunken pleasures. Heal its wounds and cleanse it, darkened with sin, with Your glorious blood. Through the greatness of Your love change me, O only Long-suffering One, and save me from every carnal pleasure. Quench the flame of my passions, so they will not devour me upon my end. Woe to me. O Lord, You have given me the lamp of wisdom, and I have darkened it. Woe to me. Ceaselessly you have bestowed Your grace on me, but hourly I have despised this gift for my well-being and rejected it. O Master, what a vast number of gifts You have given me, and still You provide them to me, a sinner. But I am vile and have always been and remain knowingly ungrateful before You. Your grace consoles me, illuminates me and supports me, but through my neglect I focus on vain things and I sink yet again to the gall and bitterness of my lusts. O All-good One, You make me remember death and the endless tortures and bring me toward life so that I might be saved, but I always scorn these salvific notions. I push them away and preoccupy myself with vain things. I am not justified before You. O Lord, I knock upon the door of Your loving-kindness, so that it would open to me. I never stop praying that I might obtain what I ask for, and constantly I look to be pardoned. Always be long-suffering with me, wretched though I am. Save me from the sins which hold me, so that being made well, I might rise from the grave of corrupting vices. Liberate me from my evil habits before my end, because who will confess You in Hades? Whiten my clothing before the fearful command finds me unready and disgraced. Save my repentant soul from the lions' mouths and deliver it through Your grace and mercy, through the prayers of our All-pure Lady the Theotokos and all the saints. ❦
Psalm 10 O Christ my Savior, before your glory, I will proclaim all my inequities and profess your infinite mercies, which You pour upon me according to your loving-kindness. From the womb of my mother I began to trouble You, for I have completely neglected Your grace, because I have disregarded my life. O my Master, through the abundance of Your mercies You have looked upon all my evil doings with patience and care. Your grace has raised my head, although daily it is brought low through my sins. Wicked habits ensnare me as a trap, and I delight in being bound. I descend to the depths of wickedness and I take joy in this. Daily the foe provides me new bonds, because he observes how this diversity of shackles delights me. On account of my being chained to my own lusts I should grieve and mourn in disgust and shame. But still more horrible is the fact that I chain myself with the bonds that the foe puts on me, and I kill myself with the passions that delight him. Even though I understand how awful these bonds are, I conceal them under a regal countenance from everybody who might see them. I seem to be clothed in the splendid apparel of reverence, but my soul is caught up with deprived ideas. In front of everyone, I am devout, but within I am full of all forms of filth. My conscience condemns me through all of this, but I behave as though I desire to be free from my bonds. Daily I am anxious and groan about it, but I continue to be ensnared by the same traps. How pathetic I am, and how pathetic is my daily repentance. It has no steadfast foundation. Daily I put down a foundation for the edifice and then I destroy it with my hands. I have not yet made a good start with my repentance, and there is no end to my evil neglect. I have become enslaved in the passions and to the wicked desires of the foe who ruins me. Who will provide water for my head, and fountains for my weeping, so that I will always weep in front of You? O merciful God, send forth Your grace and pull me, a sinner, from the sea, violent with the waves of sin, which hourly trouble my soul. Because my lusts are more grievous than wounds that cannot be treated. I await repentance and trick myself with this empty promise until my end. I always say, "I will repent," but I never repent. My words appear to offer deep repentance, but my deeds are far from it. What will I endure in the day of sentencing, when God reveals everything in His court. Surely I will be condemned to torture, if I have not found mercy through my tears with You, O my Judge. O Lord, I depend on Your mercies. I fall before Your feet and entreat You. Give me a spirit of repentance and guide my soul from the dungeon of lawlessness. May a beam of light illuminate my mind before I am led to the fearful judgment which waits for me, where there is no possibility of repenting for one's evil doings. ❦
Psalm 11 There is no one who can heal my sickness other than He who knows the deep things of the heart. How often have I appointed boundaries for myself and constructed walls to separate myself from sin. But my mind over-stepped the boundaries and my desires pulled down the walls, because the boundaries were not made fast by the fear of God, and the walls were not built on true repentance. Again I knock at the door, so that it might open for me. I do not stop to question that I might obtain what I seek. O Lord, I am not ashamed in looking for Your mercy. O Lord, my Savior, why have You abandon me? O only Lover of Mankind, have pity on me. O only sinless one, save me, a sinner. Pull me out of the mud of my lawlessness, so that I might not be ever dirtied. Save me from the teeth of the foe, who roars like a lion and yearns to devour me. Strengthen me and come, that you might deliver me. Shine Your lightening and scatter his strength, so that he might be filled with fear and flee from Your presence, for he does not have the power to stand in Your presence and before those who love You. When he sees a sign of Your grace, he is filled with fear of You and draws away in shame. But now, O Master, deliver me, for I run to You. ❦
Psalm 12 O my wretched soul, how long will it take for you to repent? The judgment is close, the flame is prepared for your members. All my life I have wallowed in an ocean of wickedness, and I did not grieve over my sins. And suddenly death will put its bonds on me. Satan has beguiled me and, having chained me with my lusts, he has borne me away into captivity and cruelly thrown me to the ground. Woe, what will I do now? O righteous Judge shame the wicked one who fights against me and who in secret lays his crafty traps for me when I want to repent. O most merciful Lord, be a helper to me and I will arise and ridicule him, I will rip apart his traps. O Lord, Woe to me in that day, when You will judge sinners. Let me not then be put to shame before the hosts of angels. O my soul, be concerned and shudder. Pray to your Lord and tell him, "O my Savior, have mercy on me and save me, because I have wallowed in sin. I am as the harlot and I am ashamed to entreat You. O Lord, save me by Your grace from Hell." Suddenly the day of the Lord will shine forth on all creation, and the saints will come out to greet the Lord with burning lamps. But I am in the dark. There is no oil left in my lamp in order that I might meet the Bridegroom when He comes. My spirit trembles when it hears how near the day of judgment is. My mind becomes troubled when I think of the fire that waits for the iniquitous. By Your kindness which is merciful toward sinners, have mercy on me who have been brought to ruin. I will sing Your praises when Your kingdom comes. Let Your cross travel with me while I make that terrible crossing. Let it cast away the powers of darkness. Let it be the key that opens the gates of paradise so that I may enter into joy, and rejoice and glorify Your compassion, O greatly merciful one. ❦
Psalm 13 O All-good One, help us, and never forsake Your people. Grant us Your all-searching wisdom, so that we may know the temporal nature of everything. Heal our wounds with repentance. Tarry with us, that we not remain in our vices. O You who are greatly merciful to our souls, implant in us the remembrance of good, because we have loved evil. Cast all injury from us, O Good One. Accept the good desires that are within us, and provide us with an appropriate measure of strength. Our soul is not able to present You with a gift which is worthy of You. Let Your wondrous death cause You to be merciful, O Lord. Our misdeeds are greater than our prayer. Our prayer is worthless, and our guilt is overwhelming. What sacrifices could we offer in order to reconcile ourselves to You? There is nothing we have to offer You. So we entreat You to reconcile us through Your blood, O All-merciful One. O our Savior, thanks be to Your Father who sent You. Because by You we who are guilty are justified. You have removed our sins through Your cross. Remove our guilt as well in Your coming. ❦
Psalm 14 Glory be to the Good One Who came down on account of us, became like us, and healed our wounds through His all-holy flesh and His all-holy blood. Let everyone sing praise to Him. Let us give thanks to the Compassionate One who always carries our burden, even though He knows our evil. He has formed us and He feeds us, and orders His sun to illuminate us. Let us glorify his kindness. O our Lord, open the door of compassion to me. You who are full of mercy, extend Your hand to me, O Good and Merciful One, and restore me to Your sheepfold, so that I may praise Your loving-kindness. My sins form a wall between me and Your goodness. Pull it down so that I might draw close to Your compassion. Pour out Your love on me and lift me up into Your lofty heights. For the wall of my sins can be pulled down only through weeping and grief. Thus permit me, every day of my life to carefully grieve over my sins and to collect the fruits which will help me on judgment day. ❦
Psalm 15 The Father proclaimed, "This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased, listen to Him." So He spoke of the Son. The One Who is not separated from the glory of the Divinity. Because the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit have one nature, one power, one being and one kingdom. And the mother of God was named Mary by His Son in the flesh, Who was not separated from the glory of His Divinity. Because one is God, Who has revealed himself to the world in His flesh. His glory announced His divine essence which is from the Father, and His body spoke of His human character which was taken from Mary. Both His natures came together and were joined in a single essence. He was the Only-Begotten from the Father and the Only-Begotten from Mary as well. And the one who separated the essence in Him will be divided from His kingdom. He who joins His natures will lose the life that is from Him. The one who rejects the fact that Mary bore God will not see His glorious divinity. And the one who rejects the fact that he was robed in sinless flesh will not obtain salvation nor the life that was bestowed on us by His body. His actions bear witness and His divine power instructs the unruly that He is truly God. His sufferings offer proof that He was truly man. ❦
Psalm 16 O beneficent Lover of mankind, if You pour out Your grace on the grass, the flowers and all the plants of the earth in their season, then all the more You will give Your servant what he asks for. Because the air becomes clear and all the birds ornament their songs with different tunes, singing praise to Your splendid wisdom. The fullness of the earth is robed with the garment of various colored flowers woven without the aid of human hands, and is joyful and celebrates each holy day. Water my heart also with the dew of Your grace, O Lover of mankind. So as the field which is sown is unable to sprout and feed its vegetation without enough rain, so my heart is unable to yield anything pleasing to You and to bear fruits of truthfulness without Your grace. Indeed, the rain refreshes the vegetation and the trees are adorned with a variety of flowers. Let the dew of Your grace illuminate my mind and let it decorate my heart with the flowers of remorse, humility, love and long-suffering. Let my prayer draw close to You, O Lord. Plant Your holy seed in me, that I should bring You a harvest of bundles, overflowing in good fruits and to say, "Glory to Him Who provided me with this so that I should bring it to Him." And then to bow before the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. ❦
Psalm 17 O good Lover of mankind, Who received the two mites and honored the good intention of the widow, receive the prayers of Your servant. Increase my prayer and admit my petitions, so that I should become a temple for Your grace. May it dwell in me and instruct me how to satisfy it. May it play on the strings of my heart songs of remorse replete with joy. Let it grip my mind as if with a bridle, so that I should not sin in your presence by erring, and that I might not be thrown out of the light. O lord, hear my prayer, and permit that I, who am corrupt, should become pure, that I, who am foolish should become sensible, so that I who am useless should become useful in the flock of Your elect workers, and of all the saints who have pleased You so that I be allowed to enter Your kingdom. The joyful in paradise pray for me and cry to You, O only Lover of mankind. Hearken to their prayers. Through them I will glorify You in return, for You have heard their intercessions and have been charitable to me and not neglected my prayers. O Lord, You have said through your Prophet, "Open your lips, and I will fill them." See, both your servant's heart and the lips are open. Fill them with Your grace, so that I might praise You endlessly, Christ my God and Savior. My prayer is weak, but my iniquities are strong. My sins overcome me and my frailties discourage me. You are rich and good, loving and compassionate. You restored the sight of the blind man. Restore the eyes of my mind that I might ever ponder Your beauty. By Your command, You set the boundaries for the oceans, set the boundaries for my heart by Your grace, so that I not turn away to the right or left from Your excellence. You provided water in the desert to a people who did not humble themselves and opposed You. Give me remorse and tears to my eyes so that I should weep day and night all through the time of my life with humility, love and a clean heart. O Lord, listen to the petition of Your servant, through the prayers of all Your saints. You are blessed above everything forever. ❦
Psalm 18 O God, You are righteous and worthy of praise and have existed before all ages. Hear this man, this sinner, in this hour. God, hearken to me from Your stronghold. Forget the ceaseless disobedience of my uselessness. Respond to my prayer with fire, as You once did for Your Prophet. O God of the Holy powers, Fashioner of the incorporeal ones. You Who declared, "Ask and you will receive." Do not shrink from my cleanliness. I who have polluted my lips and am clothed in sins. Hearken to me, You Who has vowed to hearken unto those who call upon You in truth, and guide the footsteps of Your servant in the way of peace. I cry out to You with all my heart. My God, hearken to me, the hope of all the ends of the earth and those who make distant journeys. Cast away all corrupt spirits so that they flee from the presence of Your servant. Draw up Your armaments and shield. Arise and help me. Draw Your sword and lock up those who afflict me. Lord, say to my soul, "I am your salvation." Let the spirit of fear, depression, pride and all forms of hatred leave my soul. In it let all forms of stimulation brought about by the machinations of the devil be quenched. Let my spirit, soul and body be illuminated by the brightness of Your wisdom. May I become a perfect man created to the measure of the degree of the perfectness of Christ with the angels and all those who have been well-pleasing to You throughout the ages, and I will praise Your all-glorious and honorable name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. ❦
Psalm 19 My Lord and Master, God of heaven and earth, show forth Your grace and open for me the door of repentance. I entreat You with my troubled soul. Look upon me according to Your great mercy. Attend to my prayer and forgive me, who has been guilty of committing many sins. Forgive all the vile things I did, for I have been overcome by means my own wicked desires. I look for peace and find it not. My conscience is polluted and there is no peace in me because of the abundance of my sins. Hear Lord, a heart which beseeches You in turmoil. Do not take heed to my works, but rather to the misery of my soul, and come quickly to heal me of my grievous wounds. Restore me to a sound mind by means of Your grace and love for mankind. Take away from me the weight of my sins and do not repay what my works merit, so that I not come to ruin in the end. And so that I will not lack thought and care for my renewal. I fall prostrate before Your loving-care. Have compassion on me who am thrown into the dust by the judgment of my works. Master, bid that I, a captive who is bound by his works as if by chains, for You only know how to liberate those who are chained, and how to cure the hidden wounds that are only seen by You who knows every mystery. Display Your grace and extend Your hand to me. Pull me out of the mud of my iniquities, O You who does not delight in the ruin of men, and who does not turn away Your face from those who beseech You with tears. Listen, O Lord, to the voice of Your servant, who beseeches You. Show Your face to me, because I am in a gloomy midst. Illuminate me with the descent of Your Holy Spirit. Give me diligence, O Lord, because I have become corrupt, and transform my toil into delight. Rip up my sackcloth and gird me with Your joy. Let the door of Your kingdom open wide to me, that by entering, I should praise Your all-holy name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. ❦
Psalm 20 O Lord, powerfully do I magnify You, Who has looked upon my humble nature and not given me over to the hands of my adversaries, and delivered my soul from poverty. But now, O Master, let Your hand protect me and let Your mercy be upon me, because my soul is disturbed and pains me greatly so that when it departs this wretched body the wily hand of the enemy will not find it, and hold it back in darkness on account of the sins I committed in this life, in knowledge and ignorance. O Master of everything, be compassionate to me, so that my soul not see the vile gaze of the wily demons. but let it be received through Your spotless and resplendent angels. Offer praise to Your holy name, and according to Your power lift me up to Your divine throne. When I fall under judgment, let the hand of the prince of this world not grab me and pull me, a sinner, into the depths of Hell. Instead defend me, and be my shield. O Lord, be merciful to my soul, which has been polluted by the desires of this life, and if, as a man, I have, from the weakness of my nature, sinned in any way, if in word, deed or thought, You who has the authority to free men from their sins, forgive and liberate me so that I should receive Your cooling comfort and be found without stain or spot, and without blame, unstained before You. And receive me by Your hand, O Master, because You are blessed unto the ages of ages. ❦
Psalm 21 To You, the remorseful are well-pleasing. Incline Yourself to me, a sinner. Fill me up with the crumbs of Your excellent banquet. Let my life not come to ruin in the darkness on the left side. Let Your truth not see the horrible pollution of my anguish in that wonderful morning when the eternal judgment will be declared. The delights of this world are better, but woe to those who are enticed by them. Just as a ship is tossed by the waves, so also my life is agitated with my turmoil. Empty pleasures ensnare it with a false image of satisfaction. Be my pilot and guide my ship to Your harbor in that grand morning when the eternal judgment will be announced. God loves the repentant sinner and when his eyes are filled with tears, when he is groaning and weeping, and he calls out to Him, "Lord, save me from the fire. I entreat You, receive the tears of my pain. Willingly I have sinned before You, but willingly I repent." O sinner, enter brazenly. The door is open already and prepared to welcome you. Offer to the Lord a sacrifice of tear-drops and approach Him freely. He has no demands, and he does not show partiality. He is loving toward men and freely forgives the sins of the sinners who repent. ❦
Psalm 22 Blessed is the man in whom the fear of God rests, for the Holy Spirit declares him blessed, saying, "Blessed be the man who fears the Lord." Blessed is the man in whom the fear of God rests, because he carries God within him. God is love, and he who dwells in love dwells in God. Blessed is he who has achieved perseverance, because a long-suffering man is full of knowledge. Blessed is the man who is a stranger to annoyance and anger, because anger does not give birth to a man of the truth of God. Blessed is the man who loves meekness, by the word of the Lord, blessed are the meek. Blessed is the man who has achieved true obedience, because such a man imitates the obedience to death of the Lord our Savior. Blessed is the man who does not know envy or strife, because it was through envy that death entered the world. Blessed is the man who does not pollute his tongue with slander, because a slanderer's heart is filled with all manner of pollution. Blessed is the man who has achieved abstinence, because this single virtue is a support for all the others. Blessed is the man who is generous to the poor, because he will discover many to defend him at the judgment. Blessed is the man who has a lofty life yet keeps a humble disposition. He imitates Christ and he will sit with Him in glory. Blessed is the man who compels himself to do all forms of good works, because the violent will obtain the kingdom of heaven. Blessed is the man walking the straight way, because he will go into heaven wearing a crown. Blessed are all these people, because they will stand fearlessly in front of the Judge and obtain a divine reward from his hands. ❦
Psalm 23 We acknowledge as one and the same person, perfect God and perfect Man. He is God, the Word Which became flesh. Because if He were not flesh, why did he chose Mary? And if He is not God, whom does Gabriel refer to as Lord? If He did not become incarnate, who lay in the manger? And if He is not God, for whom did the angels descend from heaven to glorify? If He did not become incarnate, then who was wrapped in swaddling clothing? If He is not God, then for the honor of whom did the star appear? If He was not flesh, who was it that Simeon held in his arms? If He is not God, then to whom did Simeon say, "Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace."? If He did not become incarnate, then whom did Joseph take up with him when he fled in Egypt? And if He is not God, then who fulfilled the prophesy, "Out of Egypt I have summoned my Son."? If He did not become incarnate, then whom did John baptize? If He is not God, to whom did the Father say, "This indeed is my beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased."? If He did not become incarnate, then who hungered in the desert? If He is not God, to whom did the angels attend and serve? If He did not become incarnate, then who was summoned to the marriage in Cana of Galilee? If He is not God, who transformed the water into wine? If He did not become incarnate, then who received the loaves in the desert? If He is not God, who fed the five thousand men and the women and children with them with the five loaves and the two fish? If He did not become incarnate, then who slept on the ship? If He is not God, who rebuked the sea and the waves? If He did not become incarnate, then whom did Simon and the Pharisee sit with for the meal? If He is not God, who forgave the iniquities of the harlot? If He did not become incarnate, then who wore a man's clothing? If He is not God, then who healed the woman having an issue of blood when she touched the edge of His clothing? If He did not become incarnate, then who spat upon the earth and formed clay? If He is not God, then who restored the vision of the blind man with that same clay? If He did not become incarnate, then who wept at the side of Lazarus' grave? If He is not God, then who commanded him to go forth from the grave four days after his death? If He did not become incarnate, then, in the garden, whom did the Jews arrest? If He is not God, who then cast them to the earth with the words, "I am He."? If He did not become incarnate, then who was condemned before Pilate? And if He is not God, who scared the wife of Pilate in a dream? If He did not become incarnate, then whose clothing was stripped off Him and divided among the soldiers? And if He is not God, then why did the sun become dark when He was crucified? If He did not become incarnate, then who was crucified upon the cross? If He is not God, who shook the very foundations of the world? If He did not become incarnate, then whose hands and whose feet were nailed upon the cross? If He is not God, then how was the veil of the temple ripped in two, the rocks split, and the graves opened? If He did not become incarnate, then who hung upon the cross between the two robbers? If He is not God, then how could He make the claim to the thief, "Today you will be with me in paradise."? If He did not become incarnate, then who cried out and gave up the spirit? If He is not God, whose cry made many the saint's bodies, which were asleep, rise? If He did not become incarnate, then whom did the women behold lying in the grave? If He is not God, of whom did the angel say, "He has risen. He is not here."? If He did not become incarnate, then whom did Thomas touch when he placed his hands in the holes of the nails? If He is not God, who came through the doors that were closed? If He did not become incarnate, then who ate by the sea of Tiberias? If He is not God, then on whose orders were the nets filled with fish? If He did not become incarnate, then whom did the apostles see borne up to heaven? And if He is not God, then who ascended up to the joyful shouts of the angels, and to whom did the Father declare, "Sit upon My right hand."? If He is not God, and also man, then our salvation is a lie, and the declarations of the prophets are lies. ❦
Psalm 24 Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Our Savior. Give me, Your servant, remorse and an enlightened heart, so that with an illuminated heart, sweet tears might come forth from a pure prayer, so that it would not require many of my tears for You to wipe out the account of my sins, and that on account of a short lamentation you would quench the fire set ablaze in me. Because if, O Master, You permit me to weep here, then perhaps You will release me from the unquenchable fire. I realize, O long-suffering and lover-of-mankind Lord, that each day and hour I greatly frustrate and anger You. However Your long-suffering will do away with my enmity and rancor. O Lord, Who loves good and Who is a God of mercy and benevolence, save me from the horrible polluted foe, who hourly binds and flogs my soul with wicked and polluted thoughts. Unspeakable is Your strength, O Christ, because it rebuked the waves on the sea. Let it rebuke him. Let it render him impotent, and cast him far from Your servant. Each day he redoubles his schemes against me and he moves quickly to take hold of my wretched mind and to pull me far from You and Your holy commandments. O Master, O most compassionate Lord, hasten to send Your power and chase away from me, Your useless servant, this powerful serpent along with all his crafty and wicked thoughts, that I might, with integrity, praise You with your eternal Father and Your all-holy and good and life-bestowing Spirit, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. ❦
Psalm 25 The lamb of God without sin, of his own will, chose to endure the cross in His flesh and was killed for the salvation of us sinners. With incorrupt flesh He tasted death to save our fallen nature. You are the Wisdom and Power of God, the Father, the Brilliance of His glory, O inexplicable Jesus, incomprehensible Christ, only tenderhearted Lover of mankind, pour out upon me, a sinner, Your great mercy, and through your grace cast off all my apathy, slothfulness and lack of patience, so that in Your second coming I not hear Your fearful condemnation, "What did you endure for Me?" In that fearful and horrible day, O Lord, You will say to us sinners, "All of you know what I endured for you. I, God, took on flesh for you. I, the invisible one, manifestly lived on the earth for you. For you I hungered, thirsted and worked. For you I was persecuted and I was stoned. I, the spotless one, was hit in the face and spat upon for you. I, the sinless one, endured a disgraceful death for you. And for you my side was pierced with a spear and to drink I was given vinegar mingled with gall. All these things I have endured for you, so that you might be saints in heaven. I have provided the kingdom of heaven for you. I have called you my brothers. I sent down the Holy Spirit to you. O man, what have you endured for Me?" What will I, the vile, evil, sinful and polluted one, say in reply? The martyr can motion to his wounds, his tortures, his sawed off limbs, and his suffering to the end. The ascetic will point to his ascetic labors, his long fasting, vigils, lack of covetousness, weeping and long-suffering. But what of me, who am lazy and wicked, to what will I point, but to the ugly fruits of gluttony, pleasure-seeking, slothfulness, greed, impatience, vanity, and apathy? If You ask of me, O Lord, a record of the time which I was provided for repentance, but wasted in neglect, how will I justify myself? If I am asked about my idle speaking, evil thoughts and motions, then what trembling, fear, and confusion will take hold of my wretched soul, and what tortures will follow afterward? Have mercy, O Lord! Spare me, O Loving One. Spare me, O Lover of mankind. Spare me, O only Good One. Be merciful and have mercy upon me according to Your great compassion. Make firm my soul which has become corrupted by my laziness and apathy, O You who raises the lowly and rescues the afflicted. You know how apathetic and pitiful I am. You know how many wily and wicked thoughts fight against me. You see the enmity of the enemy and the many schemes which he employs against me. Be a help to me on account of your great mercy. Make me serious and watchful, animate me, and deliver me by Your grace through the prayers of our immaculate Lady, the Mother of God and all the the saints. ❦
Psalm 26 O Lord of everything, by Your mercy, be a harbor of salvation for me, a shelter of compassion and save me. O my Savior, I entreat Your loving-kindness. From now on pour on me Your mercies and place me far from those who are tortured. O Christ, Who willed to be a sacrifice for us, tear up the sin which has inflected all my members. Descend and abide in my members. When he hears these things, the evil one's teeth will be shattered and the fire of Hell will be quenched by Your brilliance. The wicked Satan has spat out his venom on me, and he has polluted me and brought me low with sin. But since I follow Your way, and You are all-powerful, in my sickness I hold on to the hope that You will rebuke him and aid me by forgiving my sins. Then my corrupter will be turned back in shame. The princes of wickedness have struck me blind with their passions, and through their schemes they have taken away the beauty of my youth. What am I to do, now that my purity is lost? I will call out to Christ, that He restore my beauty. Then the evil ones will be put to shame. My Savior called out to me, His disciple. Do not grieve your salvation. I will renew you, and pardon your sins. I have found you and I will not forsake you, because I have redeemed you with My blood. O sinner, call out, with your full strength and do not spare your throat, because your Lord is merciful and he loves those who repent. As quickly as you come back, Your Father will come out to meet you. He will kill the fattened calf, robe you with the finest garment and be filled with joy because of you. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 27 Osoul, do not grow faint, nor lament. Do not give a final judgment for my many sins. Do not assign yourself to the fire. Do not say, "The Lord has thrown me away from His presence." Such thoughts are not agreeable to God. Is the one who has fallen unable to rise? Is the one who has turned back unable to return? Did you not hear how compassionate the Father was to the prodigal? Be not ashamed to return and say with confidence, "I will rise and go to my Father." Arise! Go! He will receive you and He will not rebuke you, but instead He will rejoice when you return. He waits for you. Only do not be embarrassed and do not hide from the presence of God like Adam. It was for you that Christ was crucified. Will He now cast you aside? He knows the one who strives against us. He knows that we have no other helper but Him. Christ knows that man is wretched. Do not despair, nor be apathetic, assuming that the fire has been readied for you. Christ has no comfort in casting us into the fire. He has no profit in sending us into the abyss to be tortured. Copy the example of the prodigal son. Cast off the city that starves you. Come and entreat Him and you will see the glory of God. Your face will be illuminated and you will exult in the sweetness of paradise. Glory be to the Lord, and Lover of mankind who saves us. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 28 Do you want to lead an upright life? Practice humility, because without this it is impossible to live an upright life. Do all your labor in the name our Savior Jesus Christ, and your fruits will be borne to heaven. A man starts to err when he pulls back from humility. He who has forsaken God the evil spirit oppresses, just as happened with Saul. The traps of the enemy are covered with honey. He is drawn to the sweetness of honey and is caught up in the traps and is filled with all sorts of trouble. Love humility and never will you fall into the trap of the devil, because, soaring high on the swift wings of humility you will forever be above the traps of the foe. Arrogance is like unto an exceedingly high tree that is rotten. All of its branches are brittle and if one were to climb it, he would quickly fall from the lofty height he achieved. Blessed are those who are filled with good hopes and enlightened with good thoughts. His honor is great and enduring. May we strive to be serious in our attention, so that we see our sins and regularly be humbled, so that we not nurture, as the serpent did, a high regard for ourselves or evil. Rather we should love seriousness, so that we have a pure heart, and that we preserve the temple given to us uncorrupted by sin. A wonderful thing is prayer which is done with sighs and weeping, particularly if one weeps in secret. The one who prays within his mind with faith keeps the Lord before him. Because in Him we live, move and have our being. If your heart was hardened, weep in the presence of the Lord, so that He illuminate you with knowledge, and give you a fervent heart that will bear you up to Him. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 29 He Who is from God, Who is God the Word, the only-begotten Son of the father, who is of one essence, together with the Father, of one essence with the Father, Essence from Essence, indescribably begotten of the Father lacking a mother, before all ages, the same is born in the final days to a daughter of men, to Mary, the Virgin without a father. God was incarnate when he was born, taking flesh borrowed from her, becoming man, which formerly He was not, and continuing as God, which He was, to save the world. And He is Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten of the Father as the only-begotten of His Mother. I acknowledge One and the same as being perfect God and perfect Man, in two natures, united in one essence or person, known as indivisibly, unconfused and unchangeably God Who took on flesh, was enlivened by an intelligent and rational soul, and resembled us in every possible way except sin. One and the same Who is earthly and heavenly, temporal and ever-lasting, both with and without a beginning, unbound by time and bound by time, created and uncreated, suffering and without suffering, God and Man, perfect in both. One in two natures, in both One. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 30 The days of my life have been wasted in worries and disgraceful thoughts. O Lord, give me medicine, that I be fully healed of my secret wounds. Fortify me, so that I may work diligently in Your vineyard, if but for a mere single hour. Because my life in its vanity has already come to its eleventh hour. Guide my ship and its goods by Your commandments, and give me, a useless trader, the soundness of mind to sell my cargo while I still have time. The season for sailing is already ending. It is as though I now hear the Judge's voice tell me, the profligate, "Show me, O lazy one, the good which you have obtained over the course of your life." The hour of death horrifies me, who am wretched. Because I look upon my works and my soul shakes. I see my laziness and disinterest, and my bones harden. The time of my departure draws near to my eyes and I am filled with fear when I ponder it. Rather than rejoicing, I become more fearful, because when I was given grace I did nothing worthy of God. Woe to me, O my soul. Why do you disregard your life. Why do you spend the few days that you have in prodigal living? Do you not understand that you will be summoned in a moment? What will you do then after living such a thoughtless life? What will be your reply to justify yourself when you stand in front of the throne of the awful Judge? The enemy tricks you and day after day he robs you of your inheritance, but you do not understand this. Sober up! Come to your senses and entreat God with tears, shouting out to Him with deep-set sorrow. Allow me, O Lord, to love You with all my strength and to minister to You earnestly, accomplishing Your holy ordinances, so that when my time of death comes, You might find me prepared and waiting to meet You with great rejoicing, and that You might guide me into Your ever-lasting kingdom to rejoice along with all the saints who have pleased You. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 31 Olong-suffering Lord, save me. Save me, Son of God, sinless Christ. Allow me to meditate on eternal life so that, having nothing else than this to ponder on in my heart, I, a sinner, would always do Your will, helped by Your grace. And so that I would voluntarily walk by Your ordinances, and that I would employ the gifts which You, O Heavenly King, have granted to me for good works, and having earned a profit by using them well, that I should be found worthy to be praised by You, O my Master. And when You come, O Lord, might I declare brazenly and with a clean heart, "I am Blessed, that You have come, O my Master." At Your wedding, O Lord, robe me with worthy clothing, which Your grace will make ready for me while I abide here. Grant me then to kindle a lamp, given me by Your generous heart. So with delight I will go forth to meet You, praising and blessing You, with the hope that I will be a partaker with the righteous and all the saints that have been well-pleasing to You throughout the ages. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 32 The transgressions of those who entreat for forgiveness are forgiven. But make sure that you do not hold enmity against your brothers when you ask for the pardon of your debts. Prayers that are presented to God stay behind shut doors if they do not have love, because love alone can open the doors of prayer. If your brother becomes angry with you, then the Lord is angry with you as well. And if you have reconciled yourself to your brother below, then the Lord above has made peace with you. If you welcome your brother, then you welcome your Lord as well. So, be reconciled with the Lord in the person of those people who have been offended. Provide Him a cause to delight in the person of those who grieve. Visit Him through those who are ill. Feed Him through those who hunger. Through the tired traveler, ready a soft bed for Him. Wash His feet. Set Him at the head of your table. Break bread and share it with Him. Give Him your cup as well. He has demonstrated His abundant love for you. He has already broken His body for you and provided you His blood to drink. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 33 So does the Lord speak to each soul, "Forgive your brother his debts, and I will forgive your sins." You will forgive small mistakes, debts of only a few coins or three mites, and I will give you thousands of talents. Because you need only to forgive, without offering any gift, but I will forgive your sins and provide you with healing and the kingdom of heaven. I will receive your gift when you reconcile yourself with him who has animosity toward you. When you have no animosity, when the setting sun does not see that you are angry, when you encounter everyone with peace and love, then your prayer will be welcome and your offering will be delightful, and your household will be blessed and you will find blessings. However if you do not reconcile with your brother, then how will you be able to ask Me for forgiveness? I am your Master. I order you and you do not obey. You are a servant. How dare you offer Me a prayer, or sacrifice, or the first-fruits of your harvest, if you have enmity toward anyone else? If you turn away your face from your brother, I will turn away My eyes from your prayer and from your offering. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 34 OLover of mankind, our God, Jesus Christ. Relying firmly on Your mercy I entreat You, put me not at Your left hand with the goats, who have given You much trouble. Speak not to me, "Amen, amen, I say to you, I do not know you." But rather according to Your goodness, bestow on me ceaseless tears. Grant my heart remorse and humility, and purify it with fear of You, so that it become a temple of Your grace. Even though I am very sinful and unworthy, I endlessly knock upon Your door. Even though I am lethargic and lazy and give no heed to my salvation, I long to follow Your way. Save me on account of Your mercy, because in every way You are good, O Lord, and You are compassionate in all Your works. O Master of all, help me. Guard against the sickness of my soul, so that I be saved from wicked corruption and be liberated from the chains of the passions. May hatred not torture me and may the spiteful demon not hold me captive. Rather may the kingdom of Your divine and honorable Spirit come to me, and make the polluted passions which now hold me withdraw from me. Because You are a God of compassion, mercy and love for mankind. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 35 Omost holy Mother of God, the only Lady who is completely spotless in soul and body, gaze upon me, wretched and filthy, who have darkened my soul and body with the pollution of my lustful and gluttonous life. Purify my lustful mind. Correct my darkened and wandering thoughts and make them pure. Set my senses in order and direct them. Liberate me from my wicked and repugnant addiction to impure prejudices and passions which afflict me. Stop every vice that works within me. Give my gloomy and vile mind the sobriety and the discernment to rectify my goals and defects so that, liberated from the darkness of sin, I may be worthy to praise and glorify you with boldness, O only true Mother of Christ Our God, the true Light. Because all creatures, seen and unseen, bless and praise you, with Him and in Him. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 36 Blessed is the man who is filled with every spiritual delight and tirelessly bears the good yoke of the Lord, because he will be crowned with honor. Blessed is the man who has purified himself from all sinful pollution, because boldly he can welcome the King of glory, our Lord Jesus Christ, into his home. Blessed is the man who, with reverence, draws near to the most holy mysteries of the Savior with fear and trembling, understanding that he takes into his body immortal life. Blessed is the man who each hour ponders death and made ineffective in himself the disgraceful lusts that rest in the hearts of the apathetic, because such a man will be comforted when he makes his departure. Blessed is the man who endlessly remembers the tortures of Hell and hurries with weeping and tears to repent honestly before the Lord, because he will be saved from all grief. Blessed is the man who regularly humbles himself voluntarily, because he will be crowned by the One Who voluntarily humbled Himself for our sake. Blessed is the man who, with full reverence, like Mary, abides at the feet of the Lord in prayer, and, as Martha did, hurries to welcome the Lord and Savior with good deeds. Blessed is the man, who kindled by the fear of God, regularly carries in himself the flame of the Holy Spirit, and has torched the thorns and the thistles of evil thoughts. Blessed is the man who, having spiritual alertness, loves humility, and does not permit himself to be misled by the wicked serpent, but puts his hopes in the good and compassionate Lord. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 37 One is the father, and one is the Son, and one is the Holy Spirit, one Divinity, one power, one kingdom in three essences or persons. Therefore may we praise the holy unit of the Trinity and the Holy Trinity in unity. This is the proclamation of the holy ecumenical church of God. In the Holy Trinity the Church baptizes into eternal life. The Church hallows it with the same honor, acknowledging It as indivisible and everlasting, bowing to it as sinless, glorying it endlessly. To this three-essence unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is due all glory, thanksgiving, honor, dominion and excellence forever. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 38 Raise your eyes to heaven which, like a spotless mirror, wondrously illumines the earth with the stars, and say with wonder, "If the stars glow with such glory, how much more will the virtuous and the saints who have fulfilled the holy will of God gleam with the inexpressible light of saving glory at the coming of the Lord." Having brought to mind that fearfully coming, tremble in body and soul and with sincere misery tell yourself: What type of person will I, a sinner, demonstrate myself to be in that horrible moment? How will I be able to stand before the throne of the fearful Judge? How will I, who am a profligate, have a place with those who are perfect? Or how could I, a goat, stand at the right hand of Christ among the sheep? Or how could, a fruitless one, be counted among the saints, who have here yielded fruits of truth? The martyrs will demonstrate their torments, the ascetics their good deeds. But what will I point to except my laziness and my endless indulgence? O sinful, disgraceful soul, which has ever been hostile to the God-pleasing manner of life. For how long will you enjoy your vile addiction to wicked thoughts? What is it you wait for in your slothfulness? Do you suppose that the Judge will tarry in coming? He will not delay. Instead, His coming will be like horrible lightening from the heavens. Be ready for that horrible hour, so that you not then weep forever. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 39 Ogracious Lord, spare Your servant, so that I not be found in fear and overwhelming disgrace at Your Judgment, so that I might not be a shame to both angels and men. Reprove me here, O my Savior, as a soft-hearted Father who loves His children, and pardon me there, as the only spotless and most gracious God. Because if You do not provide understanding to an unfortunate one and do not illuminate his heart, so that he should daily offer up spotless repentance for his sins, what can he do there, if he lacks a means of justifying himself? Prior to my presence on earth it pleased You, O Master, by Your great mercy, to shape me in my sinful mother's womb. Make me worthy to be a vessel of Your grace. But, after I obtained this gift from You, I, the weak and sinful one, was in my laziness apathetic to offer up recompense for it. So, falling before Your compassion, I pray You, O Only-Begotten Son, our Savior, give me sobriety and raise me up, and shine Your grace again upon me, so that it might brighten my foggy mind as befits Your grace. Let it always abide with me, and through its unseen direction, may it make me worthy of the kingdom of heaven. Because as Your grace has always been for me, who am not worthy, an illumination, a shield, a defense, a shelter and delight, so may I find then shelter, O my Savior, from the awful judgment under its shield, and with its kindness, saved by means of Your mercy, let me stand at Your right hand in Your kingdom, glorifying and praising Your patient, enduring compassion, O My spotless Creator, because You did not neglect the tears of Your useless and sinful servant. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 40 OLord, extend Your hand to me who am lying in the dust and help me. Because I would like to get up, but I cannot. The weight of my sin crushes me. My wicked habits keep me bound to the earth, and I am like the paralytic. I promise to change my ways and I fast, but everything I do stays the same. I am eager to praise You with my lips, but I lack zeal for You with my works. How can I entreat your forgiveness of my past sins when I make no attempt to leave my previous love of sin? Or how will I remove the old man, when I have not forsaken my longing for wicked seductions? O Lord, lift me up, a paralyzed man. Rouse me who am asleep. Resurrect me, who has become dead through sin. Save my vile soul from death, O Lord who has power over life and death. Before the end, wipe out all my sin. And allow me, O Lover of mankind, to weep heartfelt tears to cleanse the pollution of my soul from my brief life, so that I might be saved by the protection of Your all-powerful hand, when all souls tremble before Your fearful glory. O Master, hear me and accept the prayer of Your sinful and unworthy servant. Freely deliver me, by Your grace, because you are a compassionate and man-befriending God, and we send up praise, thanksgiving and adoration to You, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 41 Woe to me, what punishments will I endure, and of what dishonor am I worthy. Within I am not like my outward form. I speak about how to liberate oneself from the passions, but each day and night I ponder shameful passions. I have conversations concerning purity, but I pamper myself with unseemly acts. Woe to me! What punishment will wait for me? The truth is that I have the form of righteousness, but I do not have the fullness. What face will I, the one guilty of such wantonness, have when I draw near to the Lord, the God Who sees the hidden things of my heart? While standing in prayer, I am fearful of the fire that will come down from heaven and scorch me, as it also did in the desert, when there came out a flame from the Lord that devoured the men who brought an offering of foreign incense. What can I look forward to? Because I am burdened by the weight of sin. My heart is devoured by fire. My mind is murky. Righteous thoughts have forsaken me, and as a dog, I always return to my own vomit. I have no courage before Him Who will test my heart and my reins. I have no pure thoughts, no weeping while I pray. Even though I groan and fall prostrate on my shameful face and strike my chest, this is the abode of my passions, a factory of wicked thoughts. O Lord, You know that my passions are hidden in darkness. The wounds of my soul are revealed to You. O Lord, heal me, and I will be made whole. If You will not construct the house of my soul, I work in vain attempting to construct it myself. Although it is true that at times I ready myself to war with the passions when they fight against me, but the evil schemes of the snake paralyze the attempts of my soul by using sensuality, and I give in to them. Even though no one visibly binds my hands, the unseen passions pull me away like a slave. O Lord, brighten the eyes of my heart, so that I might see clearly the deception and the hostility of the passions. Let Your grace protect me, so that I may be able to stand steadfast and withstand them, girding my loins with courage. O Lord, at one time, you provided for Your people a safe route through the impassable sea. You gave Your thirsty people water from a hard rock. You alone, by Your grace saved the one who fell among robbers. Have mercy on me, because I have also fallen into the midst of robbers and, as a prisoner, I am chained by evil thoughts. No one is powerful enough to mend the passionate disposition of my soul except You, O Lord, Who knows the deep things of my soul. Come down and save me in Your compassion. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 42 Ocompassionate Father, cleanse me with Your grace. Take away my stains with Your all-purifying hyssop and cure my wounds, so that I may offer up thanksgiving for Your Grace. I have fallen. O Lord, lift me up and correct me, because You raise up everyone who has fallen. Stretch out Your hand to me and strengthen me again by Your loving-kindness. The enemy has beguiled me. He has torn off my garment and robbed me. On account of him I continue fruitless and must approach the judgment naked. Let Your mercy be a garment for me on judgment day. What terrible fear there will be on judgment day when each man must give a reckoning for his works, thoughts, and each time he has gestured with his eyes. O my Judge, acquit me on that day, because even though I am guilty, my desire is to repent. Our hearts will be tortured and suffer greatly when all that desire is examined, when each man stands naked and will be summoned to explain himself. In that day, woe to the man who, as I have done, has committed numerous sins, who has transgressed and hidden his sins, so that he may not be ashamed in this world. Many fingers will be pointed at him on judgment day. My sins have increased, and my days have gone by and disappeared. The end is drawing near, but there is no repentance found within me. If mercy finds nowhere for me woe am I on judgment day. Blessed is the man who has toiled in this world, because he will inherit the kingdom in the coming everlasting world. In exchange for minor toils, he will obtain a great inheritance. O our Lord, at Your judgment, there will be no partiality. Each man will obtain what he warrants. He who has done good works will obtain the kingdom, and he who has committed evil deeds will get torture. O Hope of the penitent, open for me the door of Your compassion, and extend to me your healing hand to bandage my wounds and heal my scabs. My will rejects following Your will. Subject me to Your will, so that I obtain salvation and glorify Your will, because it is good to the contrite of heart. Compassionately accept my prayer to reconcile us. And, by Your goodness, award me life in Your coming. Then the adversary will be put to shame when he sees that Your truth has forgiven me. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 43 When you observe the pleasures of life, be alert so that they do not mislead you, because they hide the traps of death. So also a fisherman does not put down a hook aimlessly. The bait for the adversaries hook is the delusion of sensuality stimulating lust, so that he may catch the souls of men and subject them to himself. A soul that has been ensnared to minister to the will of the adversary acts as a trap for other souls, because it hides the sorrow of sin with its apparent joy. While practicing the virtues, he is not grieved by the work involved, because there can be no virtue without effort. While working, raise up the eyes of your soul and, as you ponder that happiness which is from on high, you will not pull back from any deed. The works of the righteous cultivate the fruits of life, but the works of transgressors are full of destruction. Bind yourself to the first and keep away from the latter. Keep away from vain work that does not yield good fruit. Endure, for God, the griefs of the current life, and your hope in the saints will never be in vain. Those who work for the empty things of life endeavor to make those who work for God fall, in order that they are not met with examples that condemn their conscience. However in doing so they only decorate the crowns of the attentive workers. Keep a humble disposition, so that you not lose the fruits of good deeds. If you throw them aside, you will be counted with those who vainly work. Would you like to be a protector of your soul? Draw back from every place to a safe harbor, so that sensual thoughts do not sneak aboard and burden your ships. If you would like your harbor to be secure, protect it with walls that are not able to be disturbed by the whirlwind of lusts. Because otherwise, your harbor will become the place of your downfall. If passionate words discover a place in the soul, they will pull it down, as if with a hook, into wickedness, into the depth of destruction. Keep away from soul-destroying congregations and your soul will forever be at peace. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 44 Thanksgiving is fitting for the good One who has rescued our race from being enslaved to the devil and from death, and has reconciled us to Your exalted Truth, which we offended through our deception. Blessed is the compassionate One who has searched for us, even though we did not search for Him. He who has exulted at our salvation and has provided us an image of how we have erred and come back, in the parable of the lost sheep. The Heir and Son called out and brought back our nature which went amiss. He died and He rose again and cheered the spiritual hosts by bringing us back to repentance. Unspeakably great is the love demonstrated by the Lover of mankind. Because from the human race He elected an Intercessor and through Him the world was reconciled to His Majesty. A new miracle was performed by God in man, which was good for us and all creation. Because He created our body as a temple, and filled it with those things that are venerated by everyone. O earthly and incorporeal beings, come, wonder and be astonished at this great bestowing of honor, for the human race has been raised to the lofty heights of the divine. Let heaven and earth and everything that is within them sing songs of praise with us to the One who has magnified our race. Because He has restored His image in us, wiped out our sins, provided us His name, and subjected everything under us. He is the One who lifted us up above everything and is worthy of all glory from those who honor Him. May we with one voice sing songs of praise to Him, and also to the Father Who sent Him and the Holy Spirit. Holy, Holy, Holy. Blessed is He Who by His good-will voluntarily chose to be humiliated and to marry himself to the holy Church. O Jesus our Lord, your light as shone forth over all of creation and dispersed the error of darkness. Let Your light enlighten our souls now, O Jesus our King Who is the true light. Save us from all the destructive thoughts that disturb our souls. Then we will glorify You with a chaste mind, O Son of the invisible Father, because You indeed are the true light. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 45 Woe to me. What comforts and joys are readied for us? However there is no one who has worked for salvation, no one who wants such things. Rather we want those things that are here, temporary and fleeting. We do not bring those everlasting joys to our mind. Such is our blindness. What satanic trickery. Woe to me. What tortures are readied as a sentence for sinners like me who have lived negligently. There is no one in the midst of us who has fear and trembles. With vain words we glorify Him, as we have been taught. We enjoy the lusts of the flesh, because we are chained to them as by fetters. And there is no one who battles against them. Instead we who are chained rejoice. O the all-destructive schemes of the impure serpent. How he has clouded the minds of every man, so that our mind is twisted and we love ruin more than the coming good things. Come, may we bend our hearts toward remorse, and we will weep in the presence of the Lord night and day. Come, may we ponder that unavoidable hour and remorsefully weep. Come, may we bring to mind those indescribable, unutterable joys, and have our hearts be remorseful. Come, may we bring to mind the fearful and terrible throne and the disgrace which waits for us when we are standing before it, and we will grieve over ourselves. Come. may we recall how the good ones will shine forth as the sun and the sinners will be as the black soot from burnt pots. And when our hearts our remorseful, may we be earnest in doing good deeds. Come, may we change ourselves by the fear of God, so that we are made worthy of everlasting bliss. Come, may we fall before God in lamentation and purity of heart, because He is good and compassionate, and He will save those who repent. May we entreat Him to guide us into His kingdom of unspeakable bliss which has no end. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 46 OVirgin Lady and Mother of God, ever-blessed and favored by God, lend your ear and hearken to my words, spoken by my polluted and corrupt lips. Do not scorn me, who am wretched. Do not permit me, your unworthy servant, to be completely brought to ruin. But employ your motherly prayers to mend my miserable soul, bitterly destroyed by my evil lusts. The evil enemy has broken it with the sins of sensuality and trodden it into the dust. So, filled with all forms of shame, I lack the courage to entreat my God, the Lover of mankind, for the pardon of the abundance of my sins, and the treatment of my incurable wounds. Because I have polluted the temple of my body. By my unholy lusts I have impregnated it with an abundance of impurities and I have blinded my senses with unholy deeds. So I dare not extend my hands to heaven, polluted as they are with wretched doings. So I, who am wretched and a prodigal, subject myself to your wondrous kindness, O spotless, pure Lady. Because I have no other shelter but you. You are my only consolation and quick defender. I place my hope in you, do not forsake me. Your entreaties are received by your only-begotten Son. He exults at your entreaty and hastens to grant your prayers for us. Do not scorn me who am wretched. Do not let the unholiness of my deeds hinder your unbound compassion, O Mother of God. Receive this my useless entreaty and by your motherly prayers make it agreeable to your Son and God so that He might grant me the kingdom of heaven as I glorify and bless the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 47 Who will not grieve over me, who has given up the everlasting kingdom for paltry pleasures, disregarding the everlasting fire? Having given myself over to my passions, I have ruined the integrity of my soul and become a senseless creature. Once I found myself rich with gifts. But now I have become a lover of the poverty of the lusts. I have alienated myself from the virtues and left for a foreign land of pollution. I am halfway dead, with only a small fraction of life left in me. This has happened by my own free-will. I am unable to even lift my eyes up to the compassionate Lord. O blessed and just ones, grieve for me who am caught up in the clasp of lusts and vice. O ascetics, grieve for me, a glutton and a hedonist. O compassion and condescending ones, grieve for me who am stone-hearted and cause much trouble. O God-pleasers, grieve for me who struggles to please men. O you have achieved meekness, grieve for me who am easily angered and crabby. O humble ones, grieve for me who am arrogant and pretentious. O you who have achieved the non-acquisitiveness of the apostles, grieve for me who am weighed down by my desire for goods, holding fast to material things. O you who have loved grief and scorned laughter, grieve for me who have loved joking and hated grief. You who ponder the judgment which comes after death, grieve for me who claims to ponder on the judgment, but works the opposite. O holy ones of God, pray for my soul which is agitated by all types of lusts. However much you are able, please help me, O holy ones of God, because I know that if you entreat God, the Lover of mankind, all will be given to you from the ocean of His compassion. And as our man-befriending God, so as well I, a sinner, entreat you, do not scorn my entreaty. Because I do not have the audacity to pray to Him on account of the abundance of my sins. O holy ones, it is your role to intercede for sinners. It is God's role to have mercy on those who are desperate. O holy ones of God, pray to the Lord for the prisoner. Pray to the Pastor for the sheep. Pray to Life itself for the corpse, so that He may provide His hand to help me and fortify my meek soul in its weakness. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 48 Ibow down before the mercy of Your loving-kindness, O Master of everything. Receive the prayer of a sinner, and sweeten my soul which withers in the animosity of sin. Provide drink to me who have become thirsty from the fountain of life and direct me along its track. As my Lord, save Your servant from captivity, so that I should be liberated from slavery to the shameful passions that have tangled up my heart. Let Your mercy restrain me before I am pulled down to Hell with the transgressors. Then, all that I do in the dark will be made clear. Woe to me, what disgrace will take hold of me when those who now consider me blameless see me condemned, when they observe then how I, a wretched one, have disregarded spiritual works and toiled for my passions. Woe to me. O my soul, why is there a gloomy haze of passions over the sun of your mind? Any why does this gloom not vanish when rays of light shine upon it? Why do you permit your passions to pull you down to the earth, and why have you desired chains over liberty? The clothing God wove for you, you have made unsuitable and unworthy of the regal wedding. Voluntarily you have given yourself over to sin and put yourself in bondage to the enemy of life. What will be your defense to the Judge on that day of fear and trembling? Strengthen your mind, while time remains. While you are still in the mistress of your carnal thoughts; while our mind still works; while there is still motion of your body, while grace still warms your heart; and while you can weep with cleansing tears, take a noble stand in opposition to the lusts and, with the help of God, defiantly slay Goliath. Hasten, do not permit the robber to run past you. Do not permit the harlot to come to the entrance in front of you. Do not permit one of the violent ones to seize God's kingdom and shut the door. Quick, for at the conclusion of the contest, the competitions will be closed. When the market is closed one cannot buy goods. And when a business exchange is finished, it is not possible to be part of it. While time is left, hasten to go to war, so that you conquer your foes and demonstrate yourself worthy to accept a crown. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 49 Blessed is the man whom You give knowledge by Your love, O Lord, because You do not turn away from those whom You love. O Lord, do not also turn away from me, so that the evil one may not slay me. By Your goodness have mercy on me who am sick, and grant me pardon for the multitude of my sins, so that with all who have been well-pleasing to You, I also might honor Your goodness. O Lord, have mercy according to Your goodness, and have compassion on us all who have been rejected by Your Truth because we neglected to keep Your word. Although if we had kept it, we would have obtained salvation. I also have been pushed aside with all such people, even more than them. But make me worthy by Your grace to obtain pardon for my sins and, on the power of this forgiveness grant me hope for salvation. With love I have pondered Your word each day. Grant that I might be worthy to declare with the saints this song of benediction. Glory to Him Who had mercy on me. Glory to Him who has given me forgiveness. The lofty heights bless You. The depths magnify You. Everything venerates You, because everything was created by You. All creation sings praises to You, O compassionate Lord. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 50 OGod, have mercy on me, according to Your great mercy, and according to the abundance of your compassion, wipe out my transgression. Because if you will have mercy on me and liberate me from the disgraceful afflictions of the passions, if you will just have mercy on me, then I will voluntarily obey Your grace. If You do this by the greatness of Your compassion, then You will save me. If You pour out on me Your goodness, I will be saved. I know that You can do this. I know that You have forgiven me and you forgive all who return to You with all their strength. I acknowledge that I have enjoyed Your grace many times thus far, but each time I have neglected Your grace and sinned as no one else has sinned. But You, Who have resurrected the dead, lift me up also who am deadened by sin. You Who have restored sight to the blind, and illuminated the cloudy eyes of my heart. You Who have saved Adam from the mouth of the serpent, pull me from the mud of my transgressions. Because I also belong to Your sheep, even though I have become food for lions by my own free will. My sins have turned me into a dog, but I am healed by Your grace. I will become Your son. I was cast out as a corpse, but if You will it, then I will be brought back to life. I know I have sinned willingly, but I have Your saints to intercede for me. I know that I surpass every degree with my sins, but Your kindness cannot be surpassed. You Who have favored the tax-collector, favor me as well, who realize that I have committed many more horrendous works than him. O Lord, You had mercy on Zacchaeus who was unworthy. So also have mercy on me who am unworthy as well. Paul once was a wolf, and pursued the sheep of Your flock. But by Your grace he became a pastor who earnestly cared for his sheep. I know that his sin was done in ignorance, and that he was granted forgiveness of his sins and much grace on account of his ignorance. O Lord, punish my sin committed in full knowledge, and have mercy upon me according to the multitude of Your grace. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 51 Blessed is the man who has brightened the eyes of his heart, and regularly sees the Lord within himself as if in a mirror. Such a man will have his passions and wicked thoughts taken away. Blessed is the man who loves good and eloquent speech but despises shameful and polluting words, because he will not be taken prisoner by the evil one. Blessed is the man who edifies his neighbor with Godly fear and does not beguile his soul, because he is forever worried about the iron rod of the great Pastor. Blessed is the man who is obedient to his neighbor in accord with the will of God and thankfully endures offenses, because such a man will be crowned as a witness of the Lord. Blessed is the man who loves abstinence in accord with the will of God and is not condemned as a polluted sensual man because of his stomach, because such a man will be magnified by the Lord. Blessed is the man who does not make himself drunk with wine, but always delights in remembering the Lord, in Whom all the saints delight endlessly. Blessed is the man who arranges his goods in accord with the will of God, and does not leave himself open to being condemned by the Savior as a spendthrift bereft of mercy for his neighbor. Blessed is the man who is alert in prayer, reading and good deeds. He will be enlightened and he will not fall into the slumber of death. Blessed is the man who has became a wondrous spiritual net and has caught many people for the good Master. He will be greatly praised by the Lord. Blessed is the man who has become a wondrous example for his neighbor and has not hurt the conscience of his fellow servants with unseemly deeds. He will be blessed by the Lord. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 52 OJudge, Whose sentence is just, and to Whom everything hidden is known. Do not condemn me at Your just judgment, when every hidden thing is revealed. With the tears she bore to You, the harlot tore up the record of her sins. Look, I also bring You a gift of weeping. O Lord, accept them from me, as You accepted them from her. The wicked one has beguiled me with his embraces and has captivated my mind with his allurements. O our Lord, cast him away from me, who am a wretch. Take me away from his hands, so that he not rip me to pieces. O Lord, judge me, and settle my quarrel with the unforgiving foe. He has fashioned me into a target for his darts. By Your mercy, let those darts gore him. O Lord, be a helper to me because I am wretched and I have no other help. And let not the foe see me overcome and ridicule me, as he ridiculed our foremother. Woe to me if each of my secrets is uncovered and brought under scrutiny, for then there will be no possible justification. O Lord, my spirit trembles because I hear that fire will devour the transgressors, and I am only straw and hay. O Lord, if You consider my sins, I will be destroyed. O Lord, let Your goodness, which once raised You onto the cross for the salvation of the human race, hinder me who am a wretch, that I should be granted forgiveness of my sins. O Jesus, You have saved everyone by Your blood. And by Your death You have bound the powerful foe. Loose me from the chains of the wicked one. Shatter his chains and bonds. Censure him so he will leave me, who am wretched, that his desires not be realized within me. O Lord, bring my will into agreement with You, Who wipes away my sins by Your loving-kindness. Do not forsake me, and leave me in the hands of the foe, and permit him to have no power over me, because You have readied Your flesh and blood as food for me, and Your cross is marked on my forehead. O Lord, fortify me, because I am sick. Wipe out my offenses, because I have sinned greatly. Purify my senses, so that they might resolutely and steadfastly take the regal road. Let Your light brighten my mind. Let it be enlightened by Your rays, and may Your wonderful radiance delight it, because You are the sun that illuminates everything. Purify our stains with Your hyssop. Wipe our wounds with Your blood. Purify the hidden workings of our thoughts with Your body. Glory to You, Who have saved the human race which has been destroyed, for You raised it up on Your shoulders and bore it into the house of Your Father. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 53 My heart is in pain, and my soul grieves and my reins are ripped up. Where will I find the tears? Where will I find the remorse and the sighs to properly grieve our orphaned state and the lack of holiness among us? O Master, I perceive that You take Your saints, like the best gold, from the vanity of the world to the repose of life. As a farmer who observes his fruits well ripened and wisely hurries to collect them so that they should not be in the least bit spoiled, so also do You, O Savior, collect Your elect who have worked justly. But we, who are lazy and weak-willed, stay stone heartened, and our fruits never ripen. Because we do not have the resolution to work without sparing ourselves, that we might ripen in good deeds and fittingly be collected into the granary of life. Say, "Woe to me, woe, O soul," and weep because you have been abandoned and orphaned so young by the spotless fathers and just ascetics. Where are our fathers and the saints? Where are the vigilant and the sober? Where are the meek and humble? Where are the ones who have taken an oath of silence? Where are those who are abstinent? Where are the ones with a remorseful heart who stand before the Lord in perfect prayer as the angels of God? They have departed from here to be united with our holy God with their lamps burning brightly. Woe to us. What sort of times are these in which we live? In what sort of ocean of evil have we navigated? Our fathers have come into the harbor of life, so that they should not see the griefs and seductive attractions that overwhelmed us on account of our sins. They have been crowned, but we doze. We sleep and gratify our selfish pleasures. Have mercy on us, O Lord. Make our minds solemn because they vainly whirl around. Bestow on us lamentation and tears, so that they enlighten our blinded hearts, and so that we might see the road which our fathers traveled when they followed after You. Bestow on us the yearning and the strength to follow in this same path, so that we also might obtain the lot with those who are saved. Glory to Your name. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 54 Love guides me to talk with God, but my unworthiness compels me to be quiet. Agonizing spiritual pains force me to speak, but my sins compel me to be silent. My soul withers and my eyes desire weeping. You sinned, O soul. Repent, because our days will pass by as a shadow. We will journey through horrible and fearful places. Do not neglect turning to the Lord daily. O my soul, in the end become remorseful. Be remorseful at the thought of all the beneficial things that you have obtained from the Lord, but have not retained. Be remorseful at the thought of the things you have done, and how long-suffering God has been with you. Be remorseful, that at the terrible judgment of Christ so that you not be cast into the outer darkness. Woe to me, a sinner. Because on account of my weakness I have become polluted, and I always corrupt the purity of my heart. Laziness and apathy have disgraced the brazenness of my heart. Wicked longing rules me, as a master orders his slave, and I, as a child, straightaway obey with fear. It guides me into sin and this delights me. Woe to me, O Lord. Your grace pulls me toward life, but I rather choose death. You labor that I should become as glorious as the angels. But I, in my depraved state, degrade myself. O Lord, my sins have increased, and endlessly do they multiply and there is no bound to their number. Who will grieve for me or pray on my behalf? O my Savior, come down and have mercy upon me by Your grace and look upon me who grieve with kindness. Because how will I entreat You, O Master, when my mouth is full of bitter words? How will I sing praise to You when my conscience is polluted? Or how can I love You, when I am full of lusts? Or how can truth abide in me, when I have condemned myself with lies? Or how can I call on You, when I have not honored Your commandments? ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 55 After I have obtained the knowledge of truth, I have become a fighter and wrongdoer. I dispute over small things. I have become envious of and insensitive to my neighbor, without mercy to the poor, angry, quarrelsome, stubborn, lazy, irritable. I retain evil thoughts and I love attractive clothing. Even now I have many polluted thoughts and moments of selfishness, gluttony, pleasure seeking, vainglory, pride, lust, gossiping, not keeping of fasts, depression, hostility and anger. I am useless, but I think highly of myself. I regularly lie, but become angry with liars. I pollute the temple of my body with licentious thoughts, but strictly judge the licentious of others. I condemn those who stumble, but I stumble regularly. I condemn defamers and robbers, but I am both a robber and a defamer. I walk with an illuminated countenance, even though I am very much unclean. In churches and banquets I regularly want to have the foremost seat. I observe hermits and act honorably. I observe monks and I become arrogant. I struggle to appear pleasing to women, honorable to strangers, smart and sensible to my neighbors, superior to scholars. With the righteous I behave as though I had great wisdom. The foolish I scorn as illiterates. If I am irritated, I take revenge. If I am glorified, I scorn those who glorify me. If someone requests from me what is rightly his, I bring him to court. Those who speak the truth to me I think of as foes. When my fault is revealed, I become angry, but I am not so discontent when I am flattered. I have no interest in honoring those who are worthy but I, who am unworthy, insist on honor. I have no desire to weary myself with labor, but if someone neglects to serve me I get upset. I do not want to be found among workers, but if someone neglects to aid me with my work I speak against him. I haughtily forsake my brother when he is in want, but when I am in want, I turn to him. I loathe those who are sick, but when I am sick I desire that everyone love me. I do not want to know those who are superior to me, and I disdain those who are beneath me. If I keep myself from satisfying my idiotic desires, I am full of vainglory. If I am successful in being vigilant, I stumble into the traps of pride and contradiction. If I desist from eating, I drown myself in pride and haughtiness. If I am awake in prayer, I am vanquished by anger and irritability. If I observe virtue in someone, I strictly ignore him. I have hated worldly pleasures, but I do not forsake my vain want of them. If I observe a woman, I am enraptured. To all I appear wise and humble, but in my soul I am prideful. It seems that I am not acquisitive, but in truth I suffer from a desire for goods. But what is the benefit of dwelling on such matters? I appear to have given up the world, but in reality I am always thinking about worldly things. While in the services I am regularly absorbed in conversations, wandering thoughts, and vainglorious memories. While I am at meals I partake of idle conversation. I long for gifts. I am involved in the sinful falls of other people and participate in destructive rivalry. This is my life. What vileness do I employ to ruin my salvation. And in my pride and vainglory I do not allow myself to consider my wounds so that I might heal myself. See my feats. See how large are the battalions of sins which the adversary sends to war against me. Still when faced with all this, I who am a wretch, boast of holiness. I abide in sin, but I want others to glorify me as a righteous person. Yet in all these things I have only one thing to speak of in my defense, "The devil has trapped me." But this was not enough to absolve Adam from his sin. Cain was also inspired by the devil, but he did not get free from condemnation. What will I do if the Lord comes to me? I lack the means to justify my apathy. I am afraid I will be counted among those whom Paul has called vessels of wrath, who will endure the same fate as the devil and whom God, because of their disdain for Him, has given over to shameful lusts. So there is the danger that I will be condemned to the same fate. O Merciful Lord, if You will deliver me, the unworthy one, grant me, a sinner, repentance, animate my soul killed with sins, O Giver of Life. Cast out the stoniness of my wretched heart and give me a wellspring of remorse, O You Who did pour out life for us from Your life-giving rib. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 56 The wicked devil, once he was resolutely overcome by the saints and ascetics, held back by the grace of God, then sat down and denounced himself, crying and saying, "Woe to me, who am wretched. To what have I been enslaved? How could I have lost the contest and given victory over myself? But it is I who have been the author of my own disgrace, because I initiated this long war with them." After being overcome in the first two struggles I should have left straightaway, observing that Christ was with them. But because I attempted to gain victory over them, I only increased their recompense, to my own shame. I should have seen my error beforehand, when I suffered at the hands of Christ, when he brought to ruin my power. Because I did everything I could to make sure He was crucified, but it was His death that overcame me. I have endured the same at the hands of martyrs. I have lifted up kings and readied tortures so that the martyrs, observing these things, might be filled with fear and forsake Christ. But not only have they not become fearful from the various tortures, but rather they have professed Christ until their death. And again now, when I desired to overcome those battles with warfare, I was forced to retreat, defeated, with much shame. I bragged of my clever plots, but they were all destroyed like the web of a spider. I desired to overcome them with a variety of passions, but they have made me withdraw and run away by the power of the Cross. Now at long last I do not know what I should do. I will leave these brave warriors and go to my friends who have elected an easygoing life. Among these I will not have to work, nor will I need to employ any sort beguiling. I can prepare ropes and bind them. And after I bind them with the bonds which they enjoy so much, I will have them fully under my authority like slaves who ever do my will voluntarily. So they will cast themselves into the abyss. And I will delight in their destruction and I will hold them there, so that I will have companions in that unquenchable fire. In a similar manner we too, who are foolhardy, grant authority over ourselves to the adversary by removing ourselves from God and by forsaking His commandments. Having discovered us to be so robbed of grace, he freely takes hold of us, and unimpeded he leads us on his way, the way of destruction. O Lord, allow us to flee from the evil one, having torn apart the bonds with which he has bound us, by our own choosing. Put on us Your good and gentle yoke and grant us the strength to bear it, so that, traveling on the good path of Your commandments, we may reach the city that You have made ready for those who love You. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 57 Unless you have become powerfully inflamed with the Holy Spirit, keep away from listening to the thoughts of others, for what you hear may stimulate passions not fully dead and corrupt your soul. If you are a passionate reader, do not look for brilliant and scholarly books. For otherwise the demon of pride will strike at your heart. Instead as a wise bee which collects honey from flowers, by your reading, heal your soul. Blessed is the man who speaks of virtue by his works. But if you speak something about virtue, but you do the converse, by this you will not be saved. When you observe people lost in deeds of impure love, do not look at them in wonder, so that you not be enticed by the red skin which will quickly turn into dust. Instead sigh within and call out, "O Lord, remember that we are dust." And the grace of God will stop you from becoming captive to the Evil One. Pray studiously to the Lord, so that He give you a spirit of complete chastity, in order that even when you are dreaming at night you will keep away from the schemes of the Wicked One as one who flees when he sees a wild animal running after him, or like a man whose stalker bears a burning torch, and who flees from room to room so that the flame not set him on fire. Just as one is unable to purchase education or artistic ability without laboring for it, so also one is unable to attain the virtues without zeal and effort. In the same way that your head has the primary place among the members of your body, and if a stone, stick or knife is pointed at you, you lift your other members to divert the blow from your head, understanding that you are unable to live without your head, so also you give the highest rank over everything to faith in the Holy Trinity which has One essence. Because without this faith no one is able to live the true life. Hope in the Lord with all your heart, and you will escape the schemes of the evil one with ease, because the Lord does not abandon those who labor for Him. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 58 Using the eyes of my heart I have observed the Lord sitting in great glory and I thought I heard Him tell my soul: O soul, how is it, that you have found your heavenly bridal chamber full of the light of glory, to be vile? How is it that you were offended by the beneficial things that I prepared for you in the land of life? How is it that you have become a stranger to Me by unseemly acts and thoughts? How is it that you have no interest in readying yourself so that you might stand in a worthy manner in My presence at My coming? How is it that you do not guard your lamp so it is prepared in expectation of the announcement, "See, the bridegroom comes," so that you go out to meet Me with gladness? How is it that you take no care to arrange an appropriate wedding garment? How is it that you do not compose yourself to come in with gladness to the holy, divine bridal chamber? How is it that you do not join yourself to Me, who have saved you from death? I have accepted death to make you ready to be My bride. I have arranged the everlasting kingdom for you as an inheritance. All My good things which I, as a King, have given to you. On account of you I became a man, because I wanted to ransom your life from depravity. On account of you I have readied a bridal chamber in heaven and ordered the angels to lead you into that bridal chamber, that you might enter with gladness. But you have turned from Me, your groom, and from the indescribable good things which I have arranged for you. Yet who is more appealing than Me, Who redeemed all creation by My mercy? What father provides life as I do? But, O soul, you have forsaken Me, and longed for another, a vile stranger. Who would not start to shudder in horror when hearing these words? Who would not, in shame, fall down, weep tears, and call out, "Why did I come forth from the womb of my mother? Is it to anger the Good, Holy and compassionate God? But, grant, O Lord, that we should be sedate and separate ourselves from vain anxieties, so that we would return to a sound mind and come back to you, in Whom only is all true goodness for us." ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 59 OMaster, listen to my lamentation, and accept my prayer, which I, a sinner offer to You, Who are patient and all-compassionate. Do not deal with me according to my deeds. Do not remember my weighty transgressions, through which I have greatly irritated Your grace, O all-good Master. Your grace tolerated the sins of my youth, which are numerous. Let it suffer also my apathy, indiscretion, and recklessness. Through Your mercy you have sworn, O Master and Lover of mankind, that You do not take pleasure in the death of a sinner, but that he should return to You and live. By your mercy may You have compassion and mercy on me a sinner. O Christ our Savior, see the springs of my tears, the remorse and the groans of my worthless soul. Let your mercy come to me and shelter me before the fearful sentence of death finds me ill-prepared and in shame. Let Your grace give me time for genuine repentance. Because your grace has mercy on each sinner who weeps tears, and pardons him all his sins. Do this so that I also may bring You the fruit of repentance. Lead me to life and deliver me. Vouchsafe me a pure heart that I might minister to You all the days of my life and that, having gratified You with good works, I might be granted to traverse this life and enter into the everlasting bliss which You have readied for all Your saints who have pleased You in each generation. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 60 OVirgin Lady and the Mother of God, who bore Christ our Savior and God in your womb, I put all my hope in you. In you do I trust, because you are higher than all of the authorities of heaven. You, who are immaculate, shield me by your all-powerful prayers. Guide my life and direct me on the path shown by the holy will of your Son and our God. Vouchsafe me the remission of my sins, and be a shelter, a protection, a shield, and a guide, directing me on the path to everlasting life. O my Lady, do not forsake me in the fearful hour of death, but hasten to my aid. Deliver me from the harsh tortures of the devils. Because if you so desire, you have the power to do this, because you are truly the Mother of God who rules over all. Do not cease to pray for all of us, your unworthy servants, so that we be saved from all the schemes of the Wicked One and from all extremes, and that we remain unharmed from all his poisonous assaults. Keep us uncondemned to our end by your prayers, so that, saved by your help and intercession, we would forever send up honor, praise, thanks and glory to the One God in the Trinity, the Maker of all. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 61 OGod Who is above all things, the only one Who has authority over life and death, demonstrate to me, a sinner, Your great mercy in the hour of Your fearful coming, so that as I stand before Your throne I would not be a great discredit and reproach to all who will see me, the angels, archangels, prophets, apostles, patriarchs, martyrs, ascetics, and all of the saints. O My Savior, grant me a sound mind here where I have delighted in the delusion of a sinful life, as a compassionate Father Who loves His children, and forgive me there, as our compassionate and only sinless God. I who am miserable have done every form of sin. I have exceeded everyone with my debauchery. I am worthy of punishment, and if I start to beseech You for repentance, I possess no tears. Woe to me, with which eyes will I, an apathetic sinner, see the fearful throne which You, O Lord, will sit as You reveal my deeds? My entire life I have wasted as a prodigal, wallowing in the mud of sensuality. O my Maker, You only know all my hidden failings and the full measure of my sins. No one has ever been such an abode of sin as me. O Master, one no has ever irritated Your grace as much as me, who have followed after the goals of sin. But You, Who are a sea of goodness, dry up the destructive ocean of my sins. You, Who are an abyss of love, drown the abyss of my sins. Recompense me not to by the value of my deeds, and do not condemn me to the flames of Hell. Because, O Lord, Your wrath is unbearable, and who can stand up to Your threats? ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 62 Omy soul, be afraid of the judgment and Hell, and push away the heavy sleep of listlessness and the horrible daze of rashness. The end draws near. Judgment is upon the door. What will happen to us after we depart from this life? O saints and righteous ones, help me, you who have done good works for my salvation and grieve for me as one who is dead, or have pity for me as one who is abiding among the living but is half-dead. Because I am full of disgrace and I have no courage on account of the sins I have deliberately committed. Pour on me your compassion as you would for a captive or one covered with rotten wounds. Be good to me, O initiates of the compassionate God, our Savior, and pray that He openly convert me, and that when He comes I not be found unworthy and not hear the horrible condemnation, "Depart from Me, O worker of evil. I say to you that I do not know you." ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 63 OSon of the Good one, vouchsafe me, that which my mind longs for, and unite it to that which is pleasing to Your will. Vouchsafe that I choose to do good and that I not diverge from Your will. Do not allow me to be an evil and hypocritical disciple who transgresses Your commandments. Safeguard me from thinking that I am able to walk Your path just for outward show and by my hypocrisy beguile those who see me, inducing them to declare me blessed. Vouchsafe that my heart would please Your greatness secretly, and that my honorable life glorify You openly. Let truth be a mistress to direct Your worshiper. Let it keep me pure near and far. Save me from the tragedy of knowing Your law, but not having the desire to please You. Grant me the company of those who are the simple, but experienced and skillful in the practice of the virtues. My flesh is weak. Strengthen it with Your power. Aid me in breaking the darts of the wily foe, and count me among the hosts of Your heirs. O Lord, vouchsafe me to always be in Your dominion and to do that which is pleasing to You. And whenever I start to do something good, O Lord, grant me the strength to see it through. O Lord, I know that I have sinned against You. Plainly I see that I have broken Your commandments. You, who makes Your sun to shine on the wicked and the just, grant that Your light shine in my gloomy mind. And the sins, those murderers and thieves who have set up their abode within me, will be cast out by Your light. The Wicked One observes in me no evil that did not proceed from him, because it is on account of him that I became evil. But I have been overcome by him by my own free will. The Wicked One has ensnared me because I told him to do it. The lazy and the cowardly flee from Your yoke. Your love disgraces the apathetic. Glory to Your goodness, the mother of all instructors. The blows that they make to awaken the stubborn ones to a sound mind are sometimes painful, but sympathetically do they provide treatment to the sorrowful. Worthy to be venerated are Your Father and Your Holy Spirit, Who delight at our return. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 64 Blessed is the man who has become generous and compassionate and has not subjugated himself to unrestrained fury or evil wrath. He will be magnified by the Lord. Blessed is the man who has become elevated in love and stands as a city established on the top of a mountain, for whom the enemy draws back with fear when he beholds him, because he fears a man who is steadfast in the Lord. Blessed is the man who has shone forth with faith in the Lord as a brilliant candle on a high candlestick, and has brightened the souls of those in the dark who have followed after the teachings of the unbelievers and the impious. Blessed is the man who always loves truth and does not allow his lips to be disgraced with lies, because he is afraid of the commandment that prohibits idle speech. Blessed is the man who does not mindlessly condemn his neighbor, but instead, as is fitting for a sensible, spiritual man, he attempts first to remove the beam from his own eye. Blessed is the man who has willfully employed restraint, and has never been seduced in thought or in his sense, by flesh and skin which will soon pass away and rot. Blessed is the man who retains the day of his death before his eyes, and has come to hate haughtiness knowing that our innate uselessness is to be demonstrated by our rotting in the grave. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 65 OLord, fire endangers my members, but hidden within me, O my Savior, is Your reconciling blood. Hell waits to torment me, but Your life-bestowing body is closely joined with mine. I am robed in the robes of the Holy Spirit, and I will not be singed. When the river of fire starts to rumble, threatening revenge, then the fire will be quenched within me, stricken by the smell of Your flesh and blood. Our Lord, You are the hope of the remorseful. You are the friend of every sinner. O Lord, I entreat You, by Your holy name, "Do not punish me with Your just judgment." By the love of Your Parent, and by the Your mother's bosom, where You were borne, and by the lance that pierced Your ribs on Golgotha, I entreat You, "Sprinkle me with the dew of Your compassion, so that I not deteriorate with thirst." O Lord, let Your cross, in which I look for shelter, be a bridge for me to cross the immense river of fire. Let me pass by it to the dwelling place of life. Jonah cried out to You from the depths of the sea, along with Daniel in the den of the lion. The three Hebrew children cried out to you from the furnace inflamed by the Chaldaeans. You led Jonah from the abyss. You saved Daniel, and Your compassion bedewed and quenched the fire in the furnace. O Lord, have mercy on me as well, and save me because I have professed You, and, by Your grace, forgive my debts. O our kindhearted Lord, have mercy on me, and by the multitude of Your mercies, wipe out my sins. Wash me from the transgressions of my hands, so that I be cleansed and purified from my stains. I understand that I have sinned. My sins are always before me and I behold them. Before You only I am guilty, and against You only have I sinned. Have mercy on me, Lord Jesus, our God. O Lord, Simon denied You three times, but he brought You tears and You received him. See, I also bring You a pure confession. My sins are many, they are without number. O our Lord, by Your mercy forgive my transgressions. By Your grace wipe away the account of my stains and do not recall my sins. Glory to the Lord God Who does not wish the death of a sinner. Glory to You, Who has mercy on sinners. Glory to You who welcomes the repentant. O Jesus, glory to You, Who opens Your door to everyone who knocks at it and implores forgiveness for their sins. O Lord, glory to You, and let Your mercy be on us. Be compassionate to us, O Jesus, our Lord. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 66 OGod, by Your grace that summons us to draw near to You without being destroyed, O Good One, Who has made a covenant with us, saying, "Call on Me and I will listen to you." Therefore I knock at the door of Your righteousness, O my Savior. Listen to me with Your compassion and do not regard my iniquities. O Lord, Have mercy upon me. Have mercy upon me according to Your righteousness, because I am guilty of many things before Your truth. O Lord, you fashioned me, name me in Your image, and, according to Your righteousness, form me in Your image. You taught me to perceive the path to the dwelling of life and to reveal to me the path to Hell. Because of his envy, the Wicked One put hidden ambushes in my path, luring me away from Your way, and dirtying me with unseemly things. Woe to me, O our Lord, because I am guilty of many things. O Lord, have mercy upon me, and deliver me by Your grace. The robber, the evil thief of souls, cunningly took my liberty away from me. He seduced me, and cursed me. By the grave of my eyes he deluded me and took me captive and put wicked thoughts in me. I looked and I was filled with desire. I glanced with curiosity and I sinned. Since I extended my hands to commit iniquity, I have completely come to ruin. Woe to me, now the fire is a threat to me. O compassionate One, save me, so that I do not die. I am the most wretched of all who were born of woman, because by my own works I have fashioned myself into an wretch and thrown myself to destruction. Each day I have sinned and gratified myself by neglecting the fact that death waits for me. Woe to me, death's angel sent to deliver me to the judgment is nearby. Woe to me, all that is hidden will be revealed and I will be cloaked with shame. Look, my actions are rightly recorded. Not even a single word has been neglected. In the great book of the Judge all my actions and iniquities are recorded. Woe to me, when justice there, reads out all the sins which I committed from my youth until my old age. What will I do in that hour and where will I flee from You, O Lord? Woe to me, O Lord. I am guilty of such a multitude of things. Woe to me. I have sinned and not brought forth repentance to You. O God who had mercy on the harlot, have mercy on me as well, who am wretched, O our Lord, so that I not be brought to ruin. In the place of the myrrh that the harlot offered for You, I have your flesh and blood which are joined with my body. O our Lord, do not look upon my works. Let your grace wipe out my iniquities. O our Lord, do not pass judgment on me, because no living creature is just before You. O Lord, you only are pure. Spare me and purify me of my sins by Your grace. O compassionate one, grant me Your great mercy, so that I be rich and obtain a pardon, and that Your angels might delight in Your word, O You who are compassionate toward sinners. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 67 Otrue light, I entreat You, the begotten of the blessed Father, image of His being, who sits at the right of His majesty, O Christ, the glory and the delight of those who love You. You are my life, my light and my joy. Do not reject me who am worthless. Do not throw me, who am wretched, away, because the foe will be greatly delighted if I am thrust into depression due to the fog of error which envelopes me. He will delight only when he sees that depression is starting to take me captive. Instead, according to Your fervent love, put to shame his hopes, grab me away from his teeth, save me from his wily plots, and from all that he schemes against me. Because greatly does he prepare himself to war against me. O Lord, vouchsafe me the wisdom to perceive the schemes of my foe, the hater of all goodness. Because he puts in my way innumerable allurements and traps, both gains and losses, the pleasures of this age and carnal delights, the span of the present life, cowardice toward ascetic efforts, laziness in prayer, sleep and repose for my body when chanting psalms. Since the foe struggles for my destruction, so also do I, who am wretched, give up myself to negligence and laziness. The more traps he puts out for me, the more heedless I become. O my soul, take heed, guard your conscience. Pay no heed to the shortcomings of others, but rather be more mindful to your own shortcomings. Quickly, stop your destruction, and be reconciled to Christ, Who was crucified in His flesh on account of you. If we have condemned ourselves, we will not be condemned later, at the great and everlasting judgment. O Lord, be good to me, by Your compassion. Save me by Your goodness, through the prayers of our immaculate Lady, the mother of our God and all the saints. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 68 Oholy Master, a soul choked by grief draws near to You, and stands before You with tears, bringing charges against the destroyer, the foe, and with all humility she falls before You, begging for help from the foe that controls her. Since this soul draws near to You without shame, hasten to hear her, and give heed to her, who flees to You. If You scorn her, choked as she is with grief, she will die. If You delay to hearken to her, who is deadened, her strength will fade away. But if rather, by Your mercy, You will visit her, she will become whole. If You will give heed to her, she will be delivered. If you will listen to her, she will be saved. If You will listen to her, she will be strengthened. Be jealous for her, because she is betrothed to You. And Paul who betrothed her to You said that, "You are a jealous and immortal God." Do not reject her, because the foe may not consider that You have divorced Yourself from her and pushed her away from You. O Lord, chasten me, by Your mercy, and do not give me over to the hands of the destroyer. Indeed, I have collected all my thoughts and I am unable to remember anything good in Your presence save that I know no other God but You. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 69 Look, again I fall down before the feet of my Master, entreating, begging, worshiping and crying out to Him with fear. O Master, give heed to my mourning, and receive the words of my entreaty, that I a wretched sinner, offer to You. By Your mercy, pour out on me, who am shameful, but one small drop of Your grace to make me perceive and be converted, so that I make a small effort to redress myself. Because if Your grace does not enlighten my soul, I will not be capable of seeing the heedlessness and apathy that the passions have formed in me through my carelessness and negligence. Woe, sin has taken hold of me and discovered in me a pasture. With each passing day it lowers me and pushes me down deeper. I, who am disgraceful, do not stop angering God, not fearing the unquenchable fire nor trembling before the everlasting tortures. Vice has become a habit and has guided me to complete destruction. Even though I see my error, and do not stop to utter confessions, still I abide in sin. I behold and do not see, because I sin even while in repentance, because I do not attempt to examine my actions. As a servant of sin, even when I have no desire to do wicked acts. As a soldiers who is under command, I obey it. And even though I have the opportunity to escape, I offer tribute to this habit which governs in me. I give way to the passions and pay tithes of flesh. I perceive that corruption is gaining power within me, and I cooperate with it, drawn to it by some hidden force. I want to escape, but as a dog on a chain, I ever return to the same place. At times I hate sin and I harbor hatred for iniquity, but still I continue to be enslaved to my desires. They possess me, and with sinful pleasure they guide me into more sin. Passion has purchased my free will, and vomits sin on me. The passions stew within me against my mind. They have joined to my flesh and they will not endure to be divided from it. I struggle to restrain my will, but my former state will not permit me any progress. I, a wretch, try to liberate my soul from its debts, but then the wicked tyrant guides me into still more debt. Generously does he provide me loans, not even speaking of paying them back. He has no desire to take anything back, because he wants only my enslavement. He lends and then does not pursue my debts, so that I be made wealthy in passions. I would like to pay off my past debt, but he adds a fresh one. If I compel myself to strive against the passions, to defeat me he adds new passions, and, observing that my incessant indebtedness compels me to sin, he presents me with new desires. And to keep me away from professing them, he pushes me into the limbo of my passions. I meet with new passions and, concerned with them, I neglect the earlier ones. I make friends with the passions which come again and again I become a debtor. I hasten to them as to friends and again my moneylenders act toward me like masters. And I, who not long ago attempted to gain liberty, make myself their faithful slave. Again I hurry to rip apart their chains, and again I take on new ones. I hurry to liberate myself from the requirement to battle in their ranks, but since I have received so many gifts from them I discover that I am unwillingly bound to them. How powerful is the authority of the sinful passions. How powerful is the reign of the evil and wily serpent. Behaving in accord with our nature, he also goes to the market and provides a deposit so as to sell a mind to vice. He persuades me to comfort the flesh with the excuse of using it to minister to the soul. I am completely overcome by sensuality, and I immediately enjoy unrestrained sleep. So I am destitute of controlling my soul. During the time of prayer, he stimulates me with the idea of some meaningless pleasure, and with it he restrains my mind as with a chain of brass. My mind is unable to free the bond, and escape, no matter how hard it tries. So sin keeps my mind under its watch and locks the doors of wisdom to me. The foe ever dominates my mind, so that it might not be reconciled with God and constrain him in selling my flesh. For this goal he uses many confused thoughts, reassuring me that I will not be bothered about such small things at the judgment, and that it is not possible for anyone to perceive these motions of the mind, and that everything will be forgotten. But I fantasize in my mind how my faults will be exposed, and I realize that I am under the threat of punishment. So sin does keep me restrained, and bind me. It buys and sells me. Thus it guides me into fallacy. So also does it flatter me and enslave me to itself. Because as the Apostle says, "Man is fleshly, sold to sin." Because the sin that is present in my flesh rules over my mind, and by my own fault, it employs my flesh to weigh down my soul. If one attempts to fast or keep vigil or suffer wounds, sin employs the flesh as if it were its own possession to weigh down the soul with chains, and as a sheep led to the slaughter, it binds her, and employs the flesh to sever her hands and feet. I am unable to escape, and I cannot help myself. Woe to me, I am a living corpse. I look and do not perceive. I have transformed into a dog and even though I have my senses I am treated like an animal. O soul, have compassion on yourself, and hurry at last to fight in the war with sin before you are separated from the body, so that we may not be left outside the doors as the foolish virgins were. Because the dead cannot see life or ponder righteousness, there, where there is no fight for either life or death, where there is no flesh that the foe may curse when he is completely prevailing by it. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 70 Aspring full of water always flowing and richly giving drink to everyone who comes, O Lord, is a portrayal of Your abundant, unending compassion. Abundantly You feed the heavenly authorities and give food to everything that breathes on the earth. Your life, which longs for our salvation, descends to us so as to bring us to it and to deliver those who come to it. O Master, You are all-knowing and perceive the resolution with which a man turns away from sin. And before he arrives at the door, You open it for him. Before he falls to Your feet, You extend Your hand to him. Before he weeps, You grant him Your mercy. Before he acknowledges his debts, You pardon him. You do not accuse him or demand, "How did you waste your possessions?" You do not remember how he angered You with his shamelessness. You do not chastise him for disdaining Your good deeds. Instead, foreseeing his humble nature, grief and honest heart, You declared, "Get the finest garment and robe him. Slay the fatten calf so that we are comforted and joyful. Let the angels congregate and delight at the son who was lost and is now found, the return of the prodigal heir." As those who go to greet a merchant when he comes back home with a abundance of wealth, so may Your grace welcome a sinner who comes back to You with all his soul. Because Your grace loves to behold tears. It yearns to see repentance. It delights at the zeal of those who struggle to repent. O master and Lover of mankind, glory to You Who are long-suffering and compassionate. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 71 Oour Savior, fearful and horrible is the Your judgment day, when the hidden sins will be uncovered. So, O Lord, I shudder and am overtaken by terror, because my sins have gone beyond every limit. Be compassionate to me by Your mercy, O good and loving One. O Lord, I look upon my sins and become disturbed, beholding their great number. Woe to me, how did such turmoil happen to me? My mouths speaks wondrous things, but my acts are disgraceful and miserable. Woe to me, in that day when all secrets will be uncovered. Others will see my words as elegant, but my behavior disgusting. I instruct others living in the world how to arrange their lives, but I, who am miserable, gratify myself in the passions. All my days have passed away and disappeared in sin. I have not ministered to truth for a single day. Once I began to repent with the desire not to sin, but the wicked one came and ensnared me with his enmity. Alas, of my own will I am trapped by him. If I leave to go for a walk, I walk as a righteous, wise man. If I observe someone else sinning, I ridicule and scorn him. Woe to me, for my iniquities will also be revealed and I will be put to shame. O, it would be better if I had never been born to this world. Then this temporary life would not have polluted me. If I had not beheld it, I would not be guilty, I would not have polluted myself with sins and I would have no need to fear the interrogation, sentence and torture. When I make an oath to repent, I come back again and sink into the same sins. The time I waste in sin delights me. I even suppose that I am doing something worthwhile. Woe to me. Until today I never even considered that Hell waits for me. A desire for evil directs me to sin, and when I commit sin I blame Satan. Woe to me, because I bring sin upon myself. The Evil One does not compel me to sin. I sin by my own will. O You who are compassionate, be gracious to me the penitent. Pardon my transgressions by Your goodness. O Lord, receive the tears I bear to You, and purify me from sin, as You purified the harlot. O Lord, I know that I have sinned. Save me according to Your mercy. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 72 Come, may we find mercy while we look for it. The time for repentance is in this temporary life. In our everlasting life, prayers and tears will not be accepted. With her weeping the harlot tore up the account of her sins. So also, O sinner, offer up tears and moans as an oblation and cry out to the Lord, and straightaway he will pardon your debts. O penitent one, offer to the Lord Jesus tears, and strike your breast like the tax-collector who groaned and prayed, saying, "O Lord, be merciful to me a sinner who has angered You." O sinner, look, the door is open and waits for your return. Come back to your Lord, forsake your filthy ways. Rise and walk on the path that leads to the kingdom. You have an open cut from sin. If you tarry along the way, it will completely destroy you. Your Doctor is skillful. Show Him your wound, grieve with tears at His door, stimulate His tender-heartedness so that He cure you. O Good One, Who gave Yourself over to crucifixion and death to redeem us. Save the soul of Your servant from the abundance of his sins, so that he lift up his voice to thank You and Your father and Your Holy Spirit. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 73 OLord, to You I cry. Scorn not my pitiful petition. To You I extend my corrupt hands. Do not throw me, a penitent away, but take heed to me with Your love for men and receive me with your fervent compassion. I have polluted myself with the pleasures of sin, shamed the beauty of my soul, subjected myself to carnal lusts, ruined the previous authority by giving in to the slanderous foe, darkened the brightness of my nature, and though I was glorified to be reckoned as a son of God, I have fashioned myself into one of the senseless beasts. Fright, terror and shaking take hold of me when I imagine the reaping of death that invisibly draws near to all of us. And yet I continue to be incorrigible. O Lover of me, have mercy on me. In You only do I place all my hope. Vouchsafe that I repent and might be corrected and yield fruits of repentance, so that when my end comes I not be hewn down as a fruitless tree, or cast into the fire as the tares. But instead as wheat let me be collected into Your barn. I bow both my knee and heart, and I do not dare to look up to heaven. Receive the petition of polluted lips, O my only Immaculate Maker. O King of all, you have overcome the disobedient Belial, save me from all forms of transgression. When they see my change, angels and mortal men will rejoice in Your glory. I have rejected Your life-bestowing commandments and been enticed by disgraceful works. But Good Master, do not reject my deliverance from the Evil One's servitude. I had formed myself entirely as a slave to the sins of pleasure. I have polluted my body and soul. Daily do I call out, "I have sinned." And yet I do not stop to be involved in foul deeds. And now I stand before You as one condemned. O Good One, vouchsafe me to be forgiven my evil deeds, because You are a compassionate and man-befriending God. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 74 OChrist, who will heal my soul if not You, the sole doctor of our souls? Where will I find a cure for the illness of my soul, if not with You, O spring of health? You healed the sick woman, heal my soul also from the destruction of sin. Let your mercy come down on me and aid me to overcome my adversary. Strengthen me who am sick by the strength of your arm, and the Wicked One will be in shame when he observes that I am ready for war. Strengthen me and the Evil One will be put to shame. Ashamed he will be turned back, and I will honor Your name. Receive the tears of my misery and wipe out my debt, and again the foe will be put to shame, observing that Your compassion has ruined the fruit of his evil deeds and that I will not be chastised. Let Your mercy come to my aid, so that I pass securely through the domain of seductions, and that I might thereafter be shut away from You, and with You always. My wretched soul will honor You and Your Father and the Holy Spirit, because she wept and has been heard, and, cleansed by the tears of repentance, she has been fashioned into a temple which Divinity has dwelt in, for He has created the world. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 75 Oworld, you provide no benefit for those who love you, you abode of grief. All those who come near to you, you entice with your wealth and all your pleasures, but at the day of death, both the fair appearance of the beautiful and the power of the strong will be thrown to the grave. Woe to the one who loves you and is loved by you, because his delight will be changed into cries. In the world, the ocean of sin, all my days have vainly passed. My life has passed by without providing me any benefit. I have even neglected to think about the day of death. I have been tossed about and I have collected a heavy weight of sins, whole sheaves of weeds whose fate is to be burned. And look, grief and groans wait for me in that land filled with terrors. O crafty world, since I have loved you from my youth until my old age, the time of my life has gone by without me noticing. And woe, in vice will death steal me. O, if I had never entered you, O world that beguiles all those who come to it. Those who love you have no pleasures, and those who detest you do not weep. Blessed is the one who has ripped up your traps. He will inherit the dwelling-place of joy. This world beguiles even the wisest with its countenance, because for a season it seems desirable. It even provides perks and wealth on loan, but at the day of death it will receive them back and provide in return, pain, ever greater than our sins. Because in a short time it will have us sin, but as a recompense it will provide us with everlasting darkness. O Lord, you are righteous, and just is your judgment which condemns the world and the ones who love it. Thus I pray to You that your right hand which saved Simon from the sea would also rescue me from the waves and the turmoil of this world that rises up in opposition to me. I have become caked in mud. The worldly waters are drowning me, and they do not permit me to break free to get my breath. O Lord, let Your cross, be my staff and my help on the way which I tread. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 76 How glorious is the world, but it is filled with death. It is like a flower which blossoms in the spring. It blossoms while it is moistened by dew and rain. But when the hot weather arrives, the flower wilts. So also, death makes the cheeks fade, and in the grave it does not destroy the parts of the body so wonderfully set. O Lord, vouchsafe us, a shelter and defense in the land where the righteous abide. The world has formed fools. They sin, become anxious and agitated by their own troubles. Many of them whirl around, providing themselves with no peace. And yet they only collect thorns for the fire. Deception brazenly opens its mouth, but fidelity stays quiet and does not speak. Iniquity uses eloquent speech, but truth keeps itself hidden. Only death will silence everyone who has come into the earth. Blessed is the one who has finished his path in the world unstained. The world is much rougher than the stormy waves, and sin troubles it more than the wind troubles the ocean. There are moments when the sea waters are peaceful, when the winds are hidden in their secret places. But in the world, the waves of lust are endlessly stirred up, and the wind of deception blows upon the doors of the ships of the world. But the day when it will diminish has drawn near. Blessed is the one who has finished his walk in the world without stumbling into its traps. Sin committed in the world troubles and afflicts. Fiery lust becomes more ferocious than the waves. The traps and pitfalls of the world entrap those who serve them. Their wicked goods are sins and transgressions. However for the virtuous the time will come when their ships will abide in the harbor. O World your seasons and years are comfortable, but they are as a puff smoke. You are as a transient dream, and your days are as shadows. Your evening passes by quickly and your morning does not tarry. Your hours fly by, racing toward the end. O sinner, hurry to obtain forgiveness while daylight still shines on you. Just is the judge, and just is the judgment of truth. Then will every man's works be reckoned and recompensed based on his deserts. In that day, those who labored in transgressions will be tortured by remorse, and those who worked righteously will take part in the joy of that land. O Lord, let me, who am inspired by Your mercy be liberated from the traps of the world so I may securely come into the harbor of life. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 77 Joseph, who bedewed his soul by remembering the Almighty, was not aroused by the flame of iniquity. And once he overcame temptation, he then became Egypt's king. May we walk the straight way of grief, so that we might become worthy, having God as our defender. Pearls are always stored in the inner vaults, but useless stones are cast aside into the street as garbage. Purify yourself from despicable works through repentance, and the scorn of the defamer will not be fearful to you. With the aid of the Divine fire, we must work against the flame of our lusts. Until a brick is fired it is still soft and weak. But when it is tested with fire, it becomes a wall against fire and water. Do not attempt to be a servant of your own desires, but be obedient to those who fear the Lord and, by the mercy of God you will smash the head of the serpent. Suffer grief in the Lord, so that gladness embrace you. Work, that you might obtain a bountiful prize. Do not mock or condemn those who fall into temptations. Instead pray all the more that you not fall into temptation yourself. A man whose heart is clouded over by a storm of thoughts and overcome by passions does not know embarrassment in front of men, nor does he fear God. Pray instead with a humble heart, and do not become a den of robbers by gratifying yourself in unseemly thoughts and lusts, so that you not be put to shame on judgment day when the secrets of men will be uncovered. The one who is careless at harvest time will not have an abundance for his house. And he who is negligent now will discover that he is without the comfort of the righteous ones on reckoning day. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 78 OLord, show me Your great compassion and grant me relief from the persecution of the adversary, because he has enveloped me with wounds and he stands by and ridicules me. As You tamed the sea with a single word from Your lips when the disciples woke You, so also hear my sighs and cries and subdue the waves of my desires which move inside of me, stimulated in my soul by the adversary of my salvation. Just as the woman with the outpouring of blood was cured by only touching the fringe of Your clothing and immediately her flow of blood stopped, so too may my soul from which the foe endlessly draws out streams of wicked thoughts be cured by touching You just one time by faith, O Doctor of souls and bodies. Show the salvific power of faith in You, O healer of all maladies, by healing my members which the adversary has covered with wounds. Take away my wounds, and cover them with virtues instead, so that the foe who has delighted in my destruction might then be put to shame. O sinless lamb, Who was slain in order to save the world, and Maker of heaven and earth. Your servant whom you have saved and given a reason to exult will always glorify Your grace. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 79 Oour Lord, when You saw that I had lost Your glory, Your love did not allow this to continue. You Who descended to be born have saved me from Satan by Your suffering and Your death upon the cross. But look, I have again sinned and made you angry. I have offended Your name with iniquity, sins and offenses. Woe to me, because I was ungrateful and I have polluted myself by innumerable evil deeds. I have cried and wept bitter tears while pondering on this. My meditation has brought me to fire, guided me to the land of horror, led me to the terrifying and horrible abyss, thrown me into the flames and cast me into darkness. My heart felt all these things and I have groaned from fear and horror while pondering on this voyage. Led away by these thoughts I have studied the habitation of darkness. Then weeping and crying, in pain and lamenting, I have condemned myself and angrily declared, "Woe to me, great woe. What has justice arranged for me?" In fear I woke as from a dream, but in rising I was not saved from a torturous heart. I tore my clothing, wept and cried. What I have done to my wretched self. I will reveal my head as the harlot and profess my sins. With sighing I will pray. I will turn my eyes into springs of tears, so that I might lament my miserable self. I will go to the tax-collectors who resemble me. I will go to the repentant sinners. I will rouse my sleepy heart which has become old in many evils. I will join myself to the tax-collectors and the sinners and make myself as one of them. Just like them I will weep over my sins so that the judgment of God might not be on me and that I not be be tortured in the abyss of Hell. O Lord, grant me to love Your love that consoles the saints and the righteous ones, who love no one else but You, O God, Who is merciful to the penitent, and Who loves the sinner, who moistens his face with tears and grievously laments his iniquities. O Lord, grant me the blessed rest that You have arranged for all the saints. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 80 OGood one, be compassionate to us who have chosen evil, the source of all anguish, by our own will. The thoughts of our desires are hidden torments, and the works of it are public tortures. Such a decision brought on the first disobedience of the law, and each sin is a result of it. O Pure One, cleanse our liberty, because now it is a spring of troubled waters. I ponder our free choice. It is powerful, but it has been overcome. It is a master, but it has become a servant. It has the ability to overcome, but it would rather surrender and be overcome itself. Even though it is at liberty, it makes itself a slave, as a bondswoman who writes with her own hand the contract that binds her. Blessed is the memory of the saints who stood steadfast. They did not change as the moon, but were like the sun, whose light is ever the same. Their spirit was not as rivers watered by rain which sometimes are full, but can abruptly dry up. Waves of temptations of all kind were directed to the saints, but they did not become faint of heart. Honor did not make them arrogant, and insulting treatment did not cause them to be depressed. They were always the same. At no point did the beautiful scent of their virtues fail. Blessed is the Good One, Who poured out from his storehouse the perfume of their works. Blessed is the Righteous Judge, Who has honored their accomplishments with crowns. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 81 Woe to me, I am a shame to those who honor me. Let me not be embarrassed before them when my secret sins are uncovered. I am a disgrace to those who have borne me. Let them not condemn me later, who promised not to have a worldly life. I desire to become like the widow who regularly disturbed the judge and succeeded in her goal. Before You, my All-Good Master, I want to be as You, an inseparable companion, that You might deliver my soul held in bondage by sins. He sought bread to satisfy his hunger, and I seek spiritual solace. He sought food for his flesh, and I seek You to summon my soul. For You are all-good, listen to the voice of my tearful grief and change me, that I yield fruit of repentance. Bedew my fiery conscience, restore me who have become old in my sinful lusts, so that freed from their slavery I may happily breathe the air of liberty and honor Your goodness with gladness and joy. O Master, You know that I boldly speak to You, for my soul is ready to work if only a little bit. Because I, a sinner, know that You are merciful, O Lord, and that You want me to alter my ways. You also want the fruit of good-will. You are prepared to have mercy on me, but You wait for a good inclination from me, because in Your mercy You teach me goodness, and in Your forgiveness You want to make me worthy of participating in Your kingdom. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 82 OLord, vouchsafe me, in alertness to stand chaste before You, my Savior, and in repose to have a sinless sleep. If while awake I perform iniquities, let me be purified by Your grace, O Lord, And if I sin while I slumber, let Your compassion be for my cleansing. Let my sleep be undisturbed through the cross of Your humility. Keep me from the sinful dreams of sleep and from the defiled thoughts of my imagination. Vouchsafe that I would calmly sleep the entire night and that wicked and harmful thoughts not have a hold over me. With Your life-bestowing body, which I have partaken, keep me from defiled lust, so that I may lie down and sleep in peace. Let Your blood guard me, and give to my soul, that is Your image, the liberty that is fitting to Your image. And by Your right arm protect my body that was fashioned by Your hands. Surround me with a wall of Your mercy as a protective shield. And when my body slumbers and sleeps, let Your goodness be my protection, so that the Evil One not draw near my bed. By the defense of the Mother who gave birth to You, and by the sacrifice that You have offered for every man, I entreat You: cast away Satan, so that he does not disturb me. O Lord, in me, fulfill Your promise and keep my life by Your Cross. I will praise You when I wake for demonstrating Your love to me, who am wretched. May those who sleep, resting in peace, and those who remain awake be clothed with Your armor. Let me praise You, the one who guards and dwells forever and Who has roused me to sing of Your glory. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 83 Oour Lord, Your lips have spoken these promises: call Me and I will hear you; knock upon My door and I will open it to you. As the prostitute I call out to You. By the great compassion of Your love, pardon our debts and our sins. As the tax-collector we entreat You, and as the prodigal son who wasted his inheritance we cry out to You, repenting within our soul. O Lord, we have sinned against heaven and before You. Receive us, as you have promised, so that the guardian angels and the archangels might delight in us. You accepted the repentance of Simon, receive also the repentance of Your servants and have mercy upon us. Come, O you sinner who have sinned in the presence of the Lord. Come to Him with a repentant soul, and He will pardon your debts and your sins. Weep tears at the door of the doctor. Groan and entreat Him, who heals the wounds of your soul. Keep your tongue from all forms of evil and let your lips that were fashioned for glorifying not speak blasphemous words. Pardon your brother if he sinned against you, and Christ will pardon you as He has vowed, by His compassion. O our Lord, have mercy upon us. Pardon our debts and our sins and grant us Your luminous dwelling place. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 84 Before the wheel of time finishes its turning, have mercy upon me. Before the wind of death has blasted me and sicknesses have appeared in my body foretelling of approaching end, have mercy. Before the gloriously high sun has become dim in front of my eyes, have mercy, and let Your light gleam on me from high above and disperse the horrible darkness of my mind. Before this dust has come back to the earth and rotted and all the elegant features of it have decayed, have mercy. Before my sins have overcome me at the judgment and disgraced me before the Judge, have mercy on me, O lord, Who is full of loving-kindness. Before the forerunner, who comes before the Son of the King of Heaven, and marches out to collect our wretched race, in front of the throne of the Judge, have mercy. Before the trumpets reverberate heralding Your coming, O Jesus our Lord, spare Your servants who entreat You and have mercy. Before You have closed Your door upon me, O Son of God, and I have turned into food for the unquenchable fire of Hell, have mercy on me. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 85 Blessed is the man who meditates on the multitudes who repose in their graves and has forsaken all unclean passions, because he will arise in glory when the trumpet from heaven reverberates to awaken all the sons of men. Blessed is the man who does not rely on men, but on the Lord, Who will come again with great glory to give a righteous judgment for the universe, for he will be as a tree growing beside the water, and he will yield fruit without end. Blessed is the man whose mind has, by grace, become as a cloud filled with rain, watering mortals' souls, so that they nurture the fruits of life, because grace will provide him with everlasting honor. Blessed is the man who is always self-restrained when God wills it, because on judgment day, God Himself will protect him. He will be an heir of the bridal chamber and he will meet the Bridegroom with gladness and joy. Blessed is the man who has despised and abandon all the ungodly ways of man, and whose thoughts are all about the one God. Blessed is the man who has disdained sin and been revolted by it, and has loved rather the one good and man-befriending God. Blessed is the man who on earth has become as the angels in heaven and emulates the seraphim whose thoughts are always pure. Blessed is the man who has become pure before God and been purified of every corruption, of evil thoughts and works. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 86 OChrist our King, let Your compassion be glorified, O Son of God Who is worshiped by all. You are our King. You are our God. You are the author of our lives and our great hope. United as one soul the heavenly hosts and those below glorify You and sing to You a song of thanks, because You, who were hidden, have appeared in the last days in the flesh of us, the mortals. When Your compassion was roused and when it satisfied Your love, You came down for our salvation and to free our race. You cured our illnesses, purified our sins and, by Your compassion, You raised the dead. You created on earth the holy church in the likeness of the heavenly kingdom. You built her in love, created her with compassion, and You spiritually betrothed Yourself to her, and You benefited her by Your suffering. But the one that hates man, in his unrestrained insolence, assaults her in the form of her ministers. O Lord, do no forsake Your holy church without your concern, so that the oath you spoke about her indestructible nature would not be proven untrue. Do not allow her wondrous beauty to be deformed or her riches to be pillaged. Accomplish Your promise which You made to Peter. Seal Your words with actions. Strengthen her gates, reinforce her bars, raise her horn, lift up her head. Bless her sons, guard her children, provide peace to her priests and suppress those who want her ruin. Let Your peace abide in her and dispel from her all wicked schisms. Vouchsafe that we have a peaceful, calm life in fear of You. Let us keep our faith with great boldness and perfect love. Let our life be agreeable to You and let us find compassion with You on judgment day. O Lord, let us ever bring to You praise, and to Your Father and to the Holy Spirit. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 87 You are tender-hearted to sinners, please be compassionate to us on judgment day. Pardon our debts by Your love and at the day of Your coming grant us Your dwelling place. When the people who are to be sentenced quake before the just judgment and stand in front of You naked and fearful, then, O my Judge, be compassionate to me because I have sung of Your glory. When the mouths of the wise are shut and Your fearful powerful scepter appears ominously in front of all, then let my lips be open, because I have confessed You. When no friend or companion can help a man and everyone is presented naked to speak for himself, then, O Lord, be a intercessor for me, because I have relied on You. When the noise of the trumpet reverberates out, the nations quake and each man receives a reckoning in accord with his labors. Then, O Lord, my helper, to You I will flee. O Lord, receive our ministry, for You are the hope of those above and those below. Have mercy upon us. O Lord, be merciful to us and our parents. Be merciful to our instructors, and our brothers. O Lord, be merciful to us and grant rest to our relatives who have departed and to the dead who professed and believed in You and who tasted Your flesh and drank Your life-giving blood. Grant us along with Your sheep to go into Your pasture, and with Your saints to present You praise in agreement with Your greatness forever. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 88 Obeneficent mother of the all-good God, behold the prayer of your unworthy servant with your compassionate eye and vouchsafe me remorse, stillness of mind and thoughts, pure reason, sobriety of soul, a humble mind, effulgence of spirit, a careful disposition, and the spiritual peace that the Lord gave to His disciples. Wipe away the account of my falls into sin. Remove the mist of my grief, the gloom and turmoil of my mind. Take away from them the stormy, turmoil of passions. Swell my heart with spiritual peace. Bestow on me joy and happiness and vouchsafe that I travel on the right path of Your Son's commandments and fittingly go through life without stumbling and with an unstained conscience. Also give unto me, who prays before you, chaste prayer, so that with a peaceful mind and fixed thoughts I would always offer up prayer to the honor, glory and magnification of your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 89 Ohow uncaring I am. How rude, how worldly my soul has become. O corrupt heart, O lips full of gall, O throat which is an open sepulcher. O soul, why do you forget that your end inescapably draws near? Why do you not ready yourself for this voyage? Why do you, with no pit for yourself, go after destruction? Why do you bring everlasting torment on yourself? O soul, what are you doing, that you live as a senseless creature? Woe to me, who have chosen darkness rather than light. How I would rather have that pleasure today, but which tomorrow vanishes, rather than everlasting and unspeakable bliss. Woe to me who consents to be robed in a dark and dismal cloak instead of a garment radiant as the sun. How I would rather the wretched abodes of Hell instead of the kingdom of heaven. Woe to me, a sinner. I willingly and knowingly throw myself into complete destruction. O my soul, at last come to a sound mind. Be afraid of God and courageously travel on the road of His commandments. O soul, perceive, that this age is like a battleground, and the wily serpent schemes to obtain victory by every possible means. He is overcome and disgraced by some, but others he overcomes and brings to disgrace. Some, who are beguiled by him, are overthrown and others take up the war with him and receive a crown. Some, having tasted his gall, achieve the joys of everlasting life. While others, who have sampled his sensual sweets, acquire the gall of everlasting torture. Some, by their extreme abstinence, easily obtain the upper hand against him. And others on account of their devotion to worldly things, are overcome by him easily. Those who love God with their full heart, the battle with him means nothing to them. However for those who love the world it is toilsome and unconquerable. O pitiful soul, understand that the joy, delight, and relaxation of this age are full of grief and sorrow, but misery, deprivation and self-deprecation win unspeakable happiness and everlasting life. Be resolute to walk on the path that is straight and melancholy and work in silence, so that when the time of death and departure comes you will not be found unready. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 90 On my bed I ponder You, O Lover of me. At midnight I arise to praise Your goodness. I remember my transgressions and sins and weep rivers of tears. They comfort me: the robber, the tax-collector, Mary the prostitute, the Canaanite woman, and also the woman with the flow of blood and the Samaritan at the well. They told me, "Arise, pray for mercy, your Lord is rich in mercy." David, the son of Jesse, cried out to me from his psalms, he aroused me from the sleep that weighed heavily on my limbs and he told me, "O man, arise. Why do you slumber? The Judge receives offerings at midnight. Arise, pray and beg for forgiveness. The tenderhearted Lord will delight in you. His door is open to the remorseful day and night." At night, as I repose on my bed, I remember my transgressions and sins. Then horror took hold of me and I called out, "Woe to me, the horrible night and the darkness bereft of any light is drawing near. Whoever lives an unlawful life will not have joy on resurrection day, but will always abide in the darkness." David also lay awake on his bed during the night, thinking about his transgressions and professing his sins. At night he moistened his bed with tears from his eyes, and with groans he prayed, "O Lord, I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. O Lord, against You only have I sinned, have mercy on me." Father, Son and Holy Spirit I call to You. I entreat you day and night, spare us. By the abundance of Your mercies, purify us of our sins and transgressions. O Lord, vouchsafe us a healthy soul and body. Save us from the wicked one and from his authority and from his ways and from each of his traps, and do not deny us Your compassion, by day or night. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 91 May we be alert without sleep and with groans cry out to the Lord. Day and night let us toil, being attentive to our improvement while we still have life, until the time when there will be no further opportunity for repentance. May we stand vigilant at the door of the Bridegroom, so that we go in with the Bridegroom to His bridal chamber and inherit everlasting life. Come, may we all sing songs to God at night and emulate the hosts of angels who always glorify Him. Then our Savior, when He rises and comes, in the company of the angels, and sees our vigilance and attention, will summon us, his good servants, and He will seat us at His banquet. With the righteous, who have satisfied God day and night, may we work for good things, entreating our Lord for mercy and praising with David. May we declare, "At midnight I rose to give thanks to You on account of Your just judgments. Spare me and have compassion on me and grant me an inheritance in Your kingdom. O our Lord, I will never stop praising You. I will always declare Your glory, so that Your truth not condemn me. I realize the magnitude of my guilt. I know that if You punish me on account of my sins, then Hell will be my inheritance. All my hope will then be lost. My prayer will be deadened. Therefore have mercy on me, and pardon my transgressions. I stumbled and fell into sin. Stretch out Your right hand and I will rise, as the harlot in the house of Simon, as the robber on the cross. Have compassion on me, You Who are tenderhearted to sinners. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 92 Woe to me, who am negligent. Woe to me, who neglected my salvation. Woe to me, who sins willingly. I realize that I do wrong, yet I do not forsake wickedness. Woe to me, because I have no justification. By my words I am counted among those on Your right, but by my works I stand at Your left. To You, O only Lord Who holds no grudges, I profess my sins. Even if I were to be quiet, You, O Lord, know all things and nothing is secret in Your sight. Because You, O Lord, have said through Your Prophet, "Speak your sins ahead of time and you will be made righteous." And thus I will declare, "O Lord, I have sinned, and I am not worthy to look and see the heights of heaven on account of the magnitude of my transgressions." What will I do, the most wretched of all people? I will cry about myself day and night, while there is still time to present tears. Vouchsafe me tears of lamentation, O only good and compassionate Lord, that with them I will obtain from You cleansing from the corruption of my heart. Woe O my soul, you have sinned. Repent, because our time passes by as a shadow. Shortly you will leave here. O my soul, you will go through horrible places. Do not delay daily turning to the Lord. Woe to my soul, you have pushed the mercy of God away from yourself with your vile actions. Do not provide rest for yourself. Day and night fall down in front of Him, Who is Good and loves mankind, so that from on high you might be granted grace and compassion. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 93 Atime will come which is full of fear and trembling, when the deeds each person has secretly committed in darkness will be uncovered. Woe to that soul that does not have the Lord as her aide. My heart groans and my eyes yearn for tears, but sin keeps my mind a prisoner, so that I do not feel remorse and entreat the Lord not to throw me into the outer darkness. While we still have strength, may we work for the Lord in uprightness of heart, so that during the time of grief we have Him as our aide Who will save us from all adversary. As a man who strolls with a candlestick and provides light to all those who are with him, so does virtue, which ever bears glory with it, giving forth light. Until you have decided in your mind to at last forsake this life and regard this world and its glory as nothing but a polluted tabernacle, until then, you will be unable to triumph over the earthly and worldly lusts which push a man into complete collapse and destruction. It is not so laborious to lay a foundation, but it is hard to finish the building. The higher the building, the more labor is necessary for the builder, up until the point it is complete. This is what occurs for those who come to labor for the Lord. First there is temptation, then grief, and at last toil, depression, nakedness, grief, misery, a want of privacy and disgrace. The one, who with all his heart consecrates himself to the leadership and will of God will succeed. God demands of us only our full determination. He is the one that provides us strength and gives us victory. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 94 Glory to the All-good One, Who on account of His love has shown glory to the sons of men. From the dust He made a speechless creature and fashioned him with a soul, a lord of heavenly riches. He provided these dusty lips the ability to glorify Him, so that by them all creation would praise Him. You who have the gift of speech, come, let us praise Him until we rest in the slumber of death. Each night we will ponder on death which will silence our lips and lay stillness on us. The saints who spent their nights in vigils live even after their death. But the transgressors, who spurn the glory of the Son of God, are dead even while they are alive. May we stir up our bodies with psalms and spiritual songs so that we join the wise virgins whom our Lord glorified, and in watchfulness see His glory in the night that will cause the world to shake. May we not roll about in pleasures, so that we see His glory in the day of His coming. May we stand in His presence as alert servants, prepared for the hour when He will lead the sons of men to their judgment. The body that has weighed down itself with prayer will fly through the air on the day of the resurrection. Without disgrace it will see its Lord. With Him it will enter into the dwelling of light, where it will be adored by the angels and those who have weighed down themselves with vigils and prayer. Blessed is He Who formed us to be agents of His majesty and put praise on our worthless lips. Glory be to His mercy, because He has fashioned those who were from dust into fellow praisers with the angels, so that each night and at all times they might glorify His holy name. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 95 Oyou children of the church, praise God in the morning. Each morning may we glorify the Good One and worship Him, Who ordered the luminaries in the skies of the day and night. When the cover of night is removed and the light of God shines forth onto creation, the coming of morning rouses those who sleep. O Lord, let Your light, illuminate our hearts. O our Lord, instruct us to glorify You and put life into our souls. As You guided us out of darkness, so also save us from Hell. By Your mercy, feed the children of the Church, who have joined themselves to You. Let Your love be our helper, O Lord of the morning and evening. O Lord let Your grace, follow us and guide us to the splendid morning. Let Your charitable right hand rain blessings on us and guide us over the sea of fire. Let heaven and earth and everything that is in them praise You at Your return. Glory to You, the Father we worship, to Your Only-begotten Son, and to the Holy Spirit. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 96 Each evening let the lips of all men praise You. You gave them the day to work and labor to obtain food. Now, exhausted by their laborious work they thank You for giving them repose. Who will not worship You, Who cares for men such as us with such love? You direct the stars and bring the beginning of evening which ends the daily work of those who have tired themselves with labor. The night comes and comforts those who in their toil with hunger and thirst have grown tired. The night arrives and delights the world and its laborers. Blessed is Your majesty, that has from the start always been attentive to us men. You offer rest for men and beasts in the night. O Lord, let Your cross which seals the church and guards her offspring from Satan and his soldiers, be the consolation for Your sheep, which You have redeemed with Your life-bestowing blood. O Lord, send Your peace to the ends of the universe, and let the Evil One fly away from our presence. Let each tongue and mouth offer up praise to You from the ends of the earth. O Lord, with them we praise You, and Your Father and the Holy Spirit. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 97 Oour Lord, accept from every one of us our prayer, ministry and entreaty. Give us hearts that are full of love and a spirit of long-suffering. Let our mouths profess the faith and let our voices be harps of praise. Let the watchfulness and toil that our bodies suffer make You merciful to our sins. O Lord, let our mouths that act as harps for You and our tongues that hymn Your praise not bring forth tortured cries, because You have granted them to sing of Your glory. Let our eyes that remained vigilant even though they were weighed down with sleep, and our legs that tired themselves in standing before You not be lacking in hope. And let them not lose their recompense at judgment day. Let the sounds from our mouths and our praises not be transformed into sighs and weeping, but by Your compassion, love and righteousness, receive our watchfulness. Grant that we stand might in Your presence with one soul, with a pure heart, and in harmony, O Lord, let us offer up to You, and Your Father and Your Holy Spirit. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 98 OHoly Master, a sorrowful soul draws near to You, and with weeping she falls down in front of Your mercy. You have sworn by Yourself that You do not wish the death of a sinner but would rather deliver him from his sins. And indeed Your righteousness daily overcomes the misdeeds of men. You have compassion on sinners just as You have compassion on those who walk in Your commandments. Your mercy in all places is spoken of in the Gospels and in the words of the apostles. Your holy fathers and guides, both those who are spoken of in the church and those who are not, announce Your mercy. I am aware of the prodigal son, Manasseh, the robber, Zacchaeus, the tax-collector, the harlot, the Canaanite woman, the woman with the flow of blood, the paralytic, the blind man, Jairus, and everyone whose stories have been recorded, and I draw near to You. Extend your generosity and receive me. Animate my mind and hold me who regularly fall into my previous sins for I am dirtied with polluted thoughts. When your grace enters my heart it finds there the foul odor of polluting thoughts. So she immediately pulls back without finding an entrance or having the chance to come and abide in me as she desires. Cleanse my heart with a bright joy, so that I might have a sound mind and that Your grace might abide in me, O all-merciful Lord. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 99 In a brief period of time we will pass through fearful and horrible places, and there is no one here who is able to avoid traveling this path. No one will be able to accompany or help us, not parents, brothers, friends, relatives, riches or anything else. If in that hour we discover that we are lacking the protection of God, the princes of darkness will surely keep us back. They are uncompromising and merciless. They do not fear kings nor do they have respect for lords. They do not honor the lowly or the great. Only from those who live a pious life do they withdraw in fear, permitting them to have a free journey. O Lord, I envision what this hour will be like and I fall down in the presence of your goodness. Do not deliver me over to those who offend me, that Your enemies not brag that they have taken hold of Your servant, O good Lord. Let them not gnash their teeth and trouble my sinful soul, saying, "You have fallen into our hands, you have been delivered to us. This is the day which we have been waiting for. No, O Lord, do not deal with me according to my iniquities and do not turn Your face from me. Do not say to me, "Amen, I say to you. I do not know you." O Lord, chastise me, according to Your compassion, and let my foe not delight over me. Quench his rage, annul all his deeds, vouchsafe me a way to You free from assaults and scorning. O good Lord, bend Your ear to my prayer, not on account of my righteousness, but on account of Your compassion and great mercy. Deliver my unhappy soul from death. You are the Lord of all and You have authority over all creatures. O Lord, You have said, "Ask, and it will be given to you. Knock, and it will be opened to you." Indeed I ask and knock. O Lord, before my end, purify me from all sin. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 100 Osoul, arise. Until now you have been asleep in sin. Shake off your dozing. Hasten, and find shelter in repentance, and the Righteous One may be moved to mercy by your tears. Put away from your mind the curtain of corruption, so that your eye see correctly. Regularly weep in remorse on behalf of your disgraceful actions before the Judge. For the abyss of torture waits for you in return for your actions and your immorality. Abundantly shed tears over yourself, so that the Righteous One might hear you and be reconciled with you. O miserable soul, shudder, and be afraid of the tortures which you have arranged for yourself. Cry for yourself, for you have joined yourself to the corrupt powers and the everlasting fire will follow you everywhere. You have mired yourself deeply in passions and at no point did you withdraw from it. Your mind is ensnared with thorns and thistles, and you have yet to produce any fruits of repentance. The passions have convulsed you as waves and drowned your ship in an ocean of sins. You never brought to mind that day when all the secret things will be scrutinized. What will you do when the voice, insisting that you go to meet the bridegroom, makes you shudder? The light of your eyes will grow dim and disappear, and you will be left outside in the company of the foolish virgins. O wretched soul, provide yourself with oil, while there is time left to justify yourself. Beg for forgiveness of your sins along with the harlot and cure your wounds with your tears. The door of repentance is still open, go through it and purify yourself from your defilement. You, who wishes to see the salvation of the sons of men, have mercy on this soul that has left You. O Lord, receive her with Your usual compassion. At the just judgment, let Your mercy protect me, who am sinful, and save me from torment. You, who pardons sins and freely gives mercy, forgive me the sins committed by my soul at the just judgment. Let the prodigals, whom You collect together and bring to repentance, praise You. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 101 Blessed is the man who in the Lord has become at liberty from all the dealings of this vain life. Blessed is the man who keeps in mind the fearful coming judgment and attempts to heal the scars of his soul with weeping. Blessed is the man who in tears has become as a cloud, and each day uses them to quench the hot flame of the wicked passions. Blessed is the man who succeeds in a good measure in ascetic efforts, hoping to obtain from God the kingdom of heaven. Blessed is the man who is as fire and is on fire with love and has burned up within himself all impure thoughts and defilements of the soul. Blessed is the man who has found a precious divine pearl, and having sold everything he had on earth, bought this single jewel. Blessed is the man who has discovered a treasure concealed in a field, rejoiced, and thrown everything aside, and bought this one parcel of land. Blessed is the man who constantly ponders the day of his death and works to be prepared and without fear at that time. Blessed is the man who is bold at the hour of his departure, when the soul that is afraid and shaking says goodbye to the body, because the angels will come to take his soul, to divide it from the body and put it before the throne at the immortal and fearful judgment seat. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 102 OJesus, ornament of our prayer, strengthen our entreaty, so that it rise with You to Your Father and acquire for us the aim of our petition. By Your love defend us before Your Father, because You are the choice sacrifice, offered up for the world. On account of Adam, who ate the fruit, You embraced the pillar at the judgment seat. For the offspring of Adam, who sinned before You, the executioners drove nails into You. You have taken on Yourself the common debt of everyone to repay Your Father. O spotless Lord, redeem also those sins with which our liberty has made us debtors. You have ransomed us from the curse of the law by Your precious blood. Save also those ransomed by Your blood from a hard sentence. Let the debts of Your servants not go beyond the mercy of the tenderhearted Lord, because no matter how large our mistakes are, Your love is still greater. In truth many debts are owed by us, but You have an abundance of mercies. And if truth would weigh them, then all our debts would be less than Your mercies. Who will go about weighing Your mercies and comparing them to our transgressions? One can weigh the mountains, but Your mercies are immeasurable. Your mercies are more valuable than life, because life is measurable, but Your mercies are beyond measure. Let Your mercies be a bulwark for us. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 103 Rise up, O soul, that has become old in sins, and restore yourself with repentance. From remorse and tears create an unction and heal the bruises of the fallen image in you. Cry out from your heart and reveal your sins, because the All-good One will spare you who have fallen. You have loved beauty which is deceitful and temporary and destroyed your own beauty, O daughter of light. The temple of your body is deformed with the carelessness to which you have enslaved yourself. You are wretched. How long will you concern yourself with things that are temporary. Tremble and be terrified by the flame that you have sparked with your errors. You have amassed a great number of terrible sins from your youth, which rise up higher than your head. They have pushed you down into depression, and that is why you are apathetic about repentance. Recall that you are enslaved to lust. Recall that desire killed your mother. How patient the Good One is with you, yet you wallow in an ocean of sin. Can it be that you do not fear the day when your wounds and your secrets will be uncovered? Who will protect you in that place where everyone will be absorbed with his own sentence. Your goods have created for you a vain image. They have destroyed you and left you. O great Hope, Who has shown yourself to us in the final days, spare this soul that has removed itself from You. I am Your sheep, but for too long I have wandered from You, ministering to the wicked one. Go out, O Lord and find me. Find Your dominion, because in empty anxieties I have wasted Your riches. On account of sinners you bore Your cross, and I am one of them. Do not abandon me. We are Your dominion, but the Wicked One has purloined us. Reprove him and seize from him that which he has taken captive. O Lover of mankind, have mercy upon me, because I have no other hope save You. O all-compassion Son of God, glory be to Your mercies, for You are patient with sinners. Thanks be to You from those who had perished, whom You collected and brought to repentance. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 104 How wonderful is the grace of God. How wonderful is the love of God for mankind. O how much He yearns for and encourages everyone to save themselves. Spare me also, O Lord, Your unprofitable servant. O merciful Christ our Savior, spare Your creature. O Lord, if You will not grant me a better understanding nor enlighten my heart, then, because of my great apathy, I will be incapable of perceiving my downfall and corruption. Since I am ensnared by the merciless foe who opposes me, with weeping do I endlessly call out day and night to Your goodness to save me from his traps. Because each hour he restores the schemes he brings against me. Hourly he troubles my soul with dissolute thoughts and a longing for pleasure. O Christ, let your power which rebuked the sea's waves rebuke him as well, so that he have no power over me, Your worthless servant. O Master, hasten to send Your grace, so that it push away from Your servant the great snake and all his corrupting, wicked thoughts. Because the bruises that his arrows have wrought on my heart have become foul wounds, and I, in my foolishness attempt to hide them in every possible way. The good Doctor summons me and asks for no payment. He does not shed my blood. However my laziness hinders me from approaching Him. He comes by Himself to cure me, but always finds me participating in deeds which hinder His treatments from healing me. O Lord, enlighten me and make me sober. Heal me and I will be made whole. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 105 Ipetition the Mother of God, O child-bearer of the never-setting Light, listen to the words that I speak before you. I, a wretch, wallow in mud. I am covered all over with filth, fully black. O my lady, even the earth I have polluted with the abundance of my sins. And so, with groans she cries out on account of me to the incorruptible Judge, calling heaven with its stars and the sun as her witnesses. And so soon the storm of my mind casts me into despair. I, a prodigal, have put all my hope in you, O Mother of God. You only, who bore the Savior of the world in your womb, free my steadfast bonds. Whiten me, who have become black and have turned into darkness, with tears of repentance. You, who have borne my life, lift me up who have been slain by my recklessness, and guide me who have become estranged from God and the angels, O mother of God. Truly great is the miracle. How the Lord has endured my sins. How is it that He has not brought me, who am wretched, in to the depths of Hell while I am still living? How is that He has not sent forth from the heights His unseen rod or sword to strike me down? Undoubtedly you, O lady, have given me life by your intercessions. You seek my repentance, O All-good virgin give it to me, Your servant, for you are my rampart, my haven, and my wall. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 106 Ohonorable King, our Lord Jesus, Who through your suffering has conquered death, the torturer. O Son of God Who has sworn to give us a new life and the kingdom of heaven. He has taken away from us all injury, so that Your grace may abide in us, in order that in the day of Your coming we would come out and meet with You in accord with Your gracious will, so that we should see You and stand in Your presence. Wipe away our sins with Your forgiveness, so that we glorify Your name on account of Your works of love. O Lord, grant all of us, by Your grace to praise and worship Your divine nature. Let the eyes that here have beheld Your glory there see Your great compassion. Let the ears that here have listened to the sound of your words listen there as well to the sounds of exultation. Let the lips that here have praised You in Your churches be granted there as well to sing praises to You. Let the tongue that here has called out, "Holy, holy, holy," there as well, praise You. Let the hands which have held Your flesh and blood receive from You forgiveness from sins. Let the feet that have gone into the holy temple there also walk around life's dominion. Send our gathering, our brotherhood which worships Your Divinity, the fullness of Your saving gifts. Let Your overreaching love abide in us, and let it make us worthy to bring forth to You worthy praise. Open Your door to our prayer, and let our ministry be satisfying to You. O Good One, turn to us, in Your mercy and drive away from us all injury, so that we ever praise you, O Lord, and Your Father and the Holy Spirit. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 107 OGood Lord, do not put away my petition. Unworthy lips call out to You, along with an unclean heart and a soul polluted with sins. O Lord, hear me, according to Your goodness. Establish my heart with the fear of You. Put my feet on the rock of repentance. O Lord, let your goodness conquer my sinfulness. Let the light of Your grace overpower the darkness that is within me. O Lord, You opened the eyes of the blind man, open the darkened eyes of my heart. You cleansed the lepers with Your word. Cleanse the defilement in my soul. O Lord, let Your grace be a fire within in, devouring my immoral thoughts. You only are good. You are the Light that excels every light. You are the joy that excels every delight. You are the Peace that excels all peace. You are the true Life. You are the Salvation that lasts forever. I, who deserve every punishment, every possible torment, fall before You, O Good One, with my prayer. O Redeemer, I entreat You, do not let the adversary grab me at the end. O good and compassionate Lord, lift up my members which are paralyzed by sin. Animate my soul killed by sin. Enlighten my heart which is clouded by wicked passions. Save me from all evil works. O Lord Jesus Christ, implant Your perfect love in me, and write the name of Your servant in the book of life. Vouchsafe me a good end, so that having overcome the devil, I would bow down unashamed with the saints before the throne of Your kingdom. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 108 Omy soul, woe is me, because you continue senseless in this life, daily pampering your selfish comforts and pleasures, living a depraved life. In the coming age you will moan like the rich man. You will be tortured in the everlasting fire. O soul, woe unto me, because you cannot suffer any wounds from your brother, not even an insulting world. Instead you are quick to contradict and resist others. On account of this you will lose the crown of patience and meekness and you will be a judge with those who resent others. O soul, woe unto me, because you hate and vilify your brother and do not permit others to do the same. On account of this you will be condemned with the murders, because the man who hates his brother is a murderer. O soul, woe unto me, because you scorn the commandments of God and suppose that salvation is obtained with the name, Christian. But on that fearful day you will hear the Lord say, "Not everyone who declares to Me, "Lord, Lord," will enter into the kingdom. O soul, woe unto me, because you love the glory of men, honor, lavish clothing, and material goods. On account of this on judgment day you will be an abomination in the sight of God. You will be thrown away from His presence and be counted among the prideful demons. O soul, woe unto me, because you sin daily, yet daily you put off repentance. Death will overcome you suddenly, as a robber in the night, and you will be led away in chains to Hell, weeping tears and condemning your foolhardiness in vain. O soul, woe unto me, because you do not shudder when you think about the fearful judgment day, when all the authorities of heaven will quake with fear, and about how you will appear before God, wearing a cloak of shame and corruption. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 109 The devout Fathers, who loved God and became skillful at enduring afflictions and temptations, received from the Heavenly King incorruptible crowns with honor and glory. But I, a wretch, sin even without temptation. I annoy and anger my Master. But, having learned by experience Your great and unspeakable mercy, O Lord, I entreat the abundance of Your grace. Save me and give Your servant the petition of his heart, from the wealth of Your love, so that Your grace might endlessly come forth into my heart and lips as a river, so that my heart might, by Your grace, become a spotless and incorrupt temple that takes to itself the King of heaven, so that the finger of grace would set my tongue endlessly moving, like the string of a lyre, to the praise of Your glory, O Lover of man, so that I would endlessly, throughout my life, praise and bless You with love with heart and lips. O Christ the Savior, give to me the petitions of my heart, so that my tongue becomes as a sweet-playing flute, that by soothing, enlightening and instructing others I would repay a small part of my great debt and, shielded by Your mercy, I could be saved when all souls are quaking before Your fearful glory. O Master, truly, only-begotten Son of God, hear me and receive the supplication of Your servant as an offering. I, a sinner, am saved by Your grace. To You Who saves a sinner by Your compassion is due all honor unto the ages. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 110 Atrumpet will resound from heaven saying, "Arise, you beloved of Christ. See, the King of heaven has come down to provide you rest and happiness in everlasting life in return for your ascetic efforts. Arise and see Christ the King, the immortal Bridegroom, whom you have loved. See His kingdom which He has readied for you. Come and exult together with Him in great joy. And those who are righteous and worthy of God will soar high up in the air in the unspeakable glory and all the transgressors will stay below ashamed. Those who have toiled here will receive happiness and bliss. But every sinner will receive disgrace and punishment. Blessed is the man who has toiled here to make himself worthy in that hour, and pitiful is the man who has rendered himself unworthy at that time. The clouds will collect all the saints on the earth and bear them up to heaven. But angels will take away the transgressors and throw them into the inexhaustible fire of the oven. Who will provide for my head abundant waters and a spring of effusive tears for my eyes so that I weep for myself day and night, beseeching God that I should not be found unworthy when He comes, and not hear from my Master the horrible judgment, "Depart from Me, O laborer of iniquity. I do not know where you are from." O most high God, only Immortal One, show to this sinner Your great mercy at that time, so that my secret deception not be revealed to the witnesses there: the angels, archangels, prophets, apostles, the just and saints. Save this transgressor by Your grace and mercy, and guide him into the sweet paradise along with the righteous who are perfect. Receive the petition of Your servant, by the prayers of the saints who are well-pleasing to You. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 111 OMother of God, who excels all thoughts and words. O virgin who surpasses all worldly chastity, for even prior to the Divine birth you were a Virgin excelling every virgin, and such did you remain during and after the birth. You, O Lady do I entreat, you do I petition, O compassionate and man-befriending Mother of the compassionate and man-befriending God. Protect me at this hour if you desire to do so, because now I am in great need of your defense and your aid. I am caked with mud and sin, a habitation for soul-destroying passions. But I want to draw near to the all-pure and fearful mysteries of your Son and God, and so I endure fear, and shaking takes hold of me because of the intolerable abundance of my sins. However if I am to continue without communion because of the excuse of my unworthiness, then I will fall into a great chasm of evil and bring upon me a great punishment. I despair over the first and the second possibility. I flee to you. Be good to me, my ever-pure Lady. Make use of your boldness as a mother with your Son and God, and win for me a pardon of my previous sins. Grant me to be purified and enlightened by partaking in the communion of the mysteries, and demonstrate to me how to spend the rest of my life in repentance, chastity and humility. Stay with me always in my thoughts, words and actions, in all the motions of my soul and body, teaching, guiding and directing me, repelling from me every hostile authority and guarding me and granting your servant, however useless, your grace by all possible means. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 112 OProvider of all beneficent things, O spring of health and wealth of compassion. You alone are a good and tenderhearted God, Who always gives good things to those who entreat You. I beg You, that Your plentiful grace might come down on me and collect my mind and cure my secret wounds, because diversions and wandering thoughts regularly restore my hidden wounds. O patient Lord Who always cures with compassion and grace, cure the abundant spiritual illnesses that are in me, a sinner. O Master, I have nothing to offer You in exchange for Your treatment. And what value could be assigned to Your treatment? Nothing in heaven or earth can provide a reward worthy of them. It is impossible to buy these holy, heavenly remedies, because they are invaluable. O our Savior, you give them only in exchange for weeping. And in exchange for bitter tears You give them to everyone. O my Master, bestow on me, an unworthy one, daily weeping and strength, so that my heart become enraptured and bring forth a spring of tears and I might be continually enlightened by pure prayer, and that my few tears might wipe out the heavy account of my sins, and a limited measure of tears might quench the fire that burns within. Because if I weep here, then there I will be saved from the unquenchable fire. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 113 OMaster, daily I irritate Your long-suffering. Before my eyes is my miserable state and Your loving-kindness. Since I am under the authority of the defiled foe who always oppresses me, day and night I will call on Your loving-kindness with tears, so that You might save me from his attacks. Because who is able to resist the Wicked One, if Your grace draws back from him for even one minute, O Master? Each hour the foe oppresses my soul with words and deeds. O Christ, let Your power, that rebuked the waves in the sea, rebuke him as well, so that he have no authority over me, Your servant. Because daily he renews his evil plots against me, and he hastens to grab hold of my mind, pulling it back from Your sweet, Divine commandments and the saving instructions they hold. O Master, speedily send Your grace, to dispel from Your servant the great snake and all his polluted and evil thoughts. The wronged widow draws near to the callous and unjust judge, in order that he might protect her from her foe. But I draw near to my compassionate Master Who is long-suffering and good, Who has in His authority heaven and earth, so that He speedily hear me. You Who offer Your defense to everyone who hopes in You day and night, do not delay in protecting me, O Master. Pull me away from the foe and guide my path to You so that, having overcome the foe by Your grace, I would praise You, Who are kindhearted and long-suffering, and honor You Who alone wills every man to be saved. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 114 The good God enlightens us with knowledge, and His grace always visits our hearts. If she discovers there is peace there, she comes in and abides continually in the soul. However if she does not find the heart to be pure, she immediately pulls back. But mercy incites her to come down afresh and visit us sinners, because each of us is unstable due to our free will, although not by our nature. We are regularly distracted and weak, full of envy and evil. Many times we think ill of each other. We ponder on evil ideas, and we are constantly pushed into a mud of defiled thoughts. So when grace approaches to visit us and finds in our hearts the foul smell of a dirty mind, she straightaway abandons us without looking for an entrance, where she could make her abode and live within us, which is pleasing to her. She leaves only a mark of her radiant sweetness on the heart, so that one would see that grace has visited him but not found an entry, and having been gladdened by the radiance of grace, would look for her. Do you see the providence of God? Do you see the compassion of Christ? Do you see how God, Who is Holy always loves us and desires our salvation? Blessed is he who always works to ready a chaste heart for grace, so that when she comes she would find the perfume of virtues and a holy place in the soul and dwell there forever. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 115 Until now and on this day, with an embarrassed, lowly face do I dare to speak to You, O master of the angels the Fashioner of everything. I, who am but earth and dust, a mere man, and an insult to all men. I, the condemned, am robed with wounds and filled with depression. How will I raise my sight to see Your grace, O Master? How will I be brazen to move my unclean, defiled tongue? How will I start my confession? I, the miserable one, have immensely offended Your name and lived dissolutely, even more than the prodigal son. I have polluted and wounded Your image, because I have not attended to Your commandments. O Lord, I know that on account of the abundance of my spiritual stains and my dirtiness I am unworthy to bear Your holy name. I am unable to stand in Your presence during the time of prayer. I am unable to look up and see the lofty heights of heaven, because I have opened the door to disgraceful desires and given myself over to unfitting lusts. And so I have polluted my poor soul with passions and darkened the raiment of my soul with the immortality of my will. My entire mind is filled with satanic thoughts. Through my deeds and thoughts I have troubled Your grace, and I persist in repeatedly doing so. But always do I please and satisfy my foe who battles against me. My conscience reveals the error of my mind. In my heart I veil my face with shame. Before the judgment that waits for me I condemn myself. Victoriously the dissolute practices that never depart from me pull me along. Always I stain myself with the mud of sensuality. I am caught up in polluted thoughts. From a young age I have become a vessel of polluting sin. And to this very day, even though I daily hear of the judgment and the due punishment which will be meted out, I have no desire to resist carnal lust. Endlessly I give myself over to falls. Endlessly I make myself a captive. O Lord, woe is me. Horribly I have wasted Your long-suffering patience. Woe to me. How many years I have spent insulting Your Holy Spirit. Woe to me. The time of my life has been wasted in all types of vain pursuits. But, O Lord, do not uncover me in your wrath. Do not show my hateful, dishonorable works in an place of universal disgrace in front of all angels and men, to my shame and everlasting condemnation, even though I certainly deserve every disgrace and condemnation. By Your great compassion only, have mercy upon me and purify all my sins before the judgment. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 116 Ipondered on the day my life will finish. And I sighed when I beheld the abundance of my iniquities and the heavy burden of my transgressions, and when I thought about how my mistakes will be uncovered for everyone to behold. There, there will be no room for repentance, weeping and prayer. Rather, everyone will receive a reward based on his works, a recompense according to his deeds, and no tears or suffering will move the just Judge to mercy. Reveal to me Your loving mercy, O Lover of mankind. When the tombs are opened, the trumpet will resound. Its voice will thunder. A great earthquake and fear will grip the universe. All the angels will come down at Your command to divide the good from the evil. Clouds of fire will emerge and bear the spotless bodies of the saints. On that day, let Your mercy be revealed to me as well, so that I may stand at Your right hand, O good Lord, and receive mercy. In my thoughts I go down into the graves to see our corruption, and when I studied what lay there, I cried out, "Do not turn away Your servant, O Lord. Resurrect me who am dying, and I will praise your dominion. Overtake the Evil One who delighted over me in the day of my sorrow and have compassion on me, because I have hoped in You. At the end a merciless judgment waits for those who sinned and have not repented of their evil deeds. But those who have been righteous and have kept the commandments of their Lord will obtain from Him the good things from heaven and they will inherit everlasting life. There will the saints rejoice over their works, and they will rejoice in the rewards they will receive. O Lord, accommodate all of us in Your bridal chamber, You Who are tenderhearted toward sinners. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 117 Understand that there are eight wicked thoughts that result in all vile things: those of sensuality, lust, avarice, anger, untimely grief, depression, vainglory, and pride. Each of these battle with all men. If you want to overcome sensuality, love restraint, be afraid of God, and you will overcome it. If you want to overcome lust, nurture wakefulness and thirst. Always ponder death, never speak with women and you will overcome it. If you want to overcome avarice, love non-acquisitiveness and thriftiness. If you would like to overcome anger, be meek and generous, and recall how many wrongs the Jews did to our Lord Jesus Christ. But He, the man-befriending God, never became angry with them. Rather He prayed for them, saying, "Father, forgive them their sins, for they do not understand what they do." If you desire to conquer untimely grief, never lament for anything that is temporary. If people hurt you with words or trouble you or disgrace you, do not mourn. Instead rejoice. Be Sorrowful only when you commit sin, and even then do not do so to excess, so that you do not fall into depression and perish. If you desire to conquer depression, get involved in a handiwork for a short time, or read, or pray regularly. If you desire to overcome vainglory, do not cherish praise, or honor, or luxurious clothing, or precedence, or favor. Instead, enjoy the times when you are rebuked and disgraced, or when false witnesses speak against you. Rebuke yourself for being even more sinful than all sinners. If you would like to overcome pride, then in everything you do, do not say that you have done it by your own power. But if you fast or keep vigil or sleep on the ground or sing psalms, or minister in the altar or do a large number of prostrations, say that it was accomplished by the aid and protection of God, and not by your own labors. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 118 Glory to Him Who came down to us in the form of a human. Glory to the Unseen One Who became manifest on account of us. Glory to the Everlasting One Who tasted death on account of us. Glory to the Mysterious One Whom no mind can grasp, and by Whose grace made Himself visible by clothing Himself with flesh. Blessed is He Who, of His own good will came to His mother's womb and bosom, to be both born and nursed. Blessed is He Who partook of death and by this gave life to the human race. Blessed is He who formed our flesh into an abode for the mysteries of His being. Blessed is He Who spoke to us about His mysteries in our own language. Glory to Him Who has saved us, and was bound for us. Praise to Him Who is rich in mercy, and Who has ransomed us without receiving anything in exchange. Glory to the Judge Who endured condemnation for us. May we worship Him Who enlightened our mind with His instruction and set a path for His word through our hearing. May we give thanks to Him Who has grafted His fruit onto our tree. Glory to Him Who in an unseen way cultivates our spirit. Blessed is He Who tuned the senses of our spirit, so that it would always sing hymns of rejoicing to Him on its lyre. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 119 Osinner, draw near to the merciful Father and confess your sins with tears, saying, "O Lord God Almighty, I have sinned against heaven and before You, and I am no longer worthy to be called Your son, or even to speak Your glorious name with my defiled lips, because I have rendered myself unworthy of heaven and earth by bringing Your wrath on me, O good Master. O Lord, I beg You, do not throw me away from Your face and do not turn away from me, so that I not die. If Your hand had not defended me, I would have died already. I would be as dust on the wind. It would be like I had never shown myself in the world. Rather, from the time I left Your path, I have not found one good day, because a day wasted in sin, though it might appear good, is really the most vile of all vile things. And from this day forward I will hope in Your mercy, that you will give me strength to toil for my salvation. Now I fall down before You and entreat You, "help me, who has wandered from the path of truth. Rain Your compassion on me as the prodigal son, for I have made a mockery of my life and have wasted the riches of Your grace. Be compassionate to me and do not rebuke me on account of the wickedness of my life. Have mercy on me, as You had mercy on the harlot and the tax-collector. Be compassionate to me, as You were compassionate to the thief. In the world he was forsaken by all, but You accepted him and made him a resident of the sweet paradise. Receive also my repentance, because I also have been forsaken by everyone. O Lord, You did not come to save the righteous, but to summon sinners to repentance. Receive me also then, who repents before You. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 120 OLord, grant forgiveness, and strength. Transform me, so that I live in holiness by Your holy will. Make my heart holy which has become a den and abode of devils. O Lord, I am not worthy to beseech You for forgiveness, because many times I have vowed to repent and shown myself to be a liar by not fulfilling my vow. You have often revived me, but each time, of my own free will, I have fallen. So I condemn myself and admit that I am worthy of all forms of punishment and torment. How often have you enlightened my dark mind. And yet each time I return to vile thoughts. My entire body quakes when I think about this. But each time sinful sensuality overcomes me again. O Lord, how will I enumerate all the gifts of Your grace, that I, the pitiful one have obtained? And yet I have diminished them all to nothing through my apathy, and I persist in this way. You have given me thousands of gifts, but wretched me, I give back in return things that are vile to You. O Lord, but You, insomuch as You contain an ocean of long-suffering and an abyss of compassion, do not permit me to be hewn down as fruitless fig tree. Do not allow me to be burned without having had a chance to ripen on the field of life. Do not take me away unready. Do not grab me who as of yet have not yet kindled my torch. Do not remove me for I have no wedding garment. Since You are good and a lover of man. Have mercy on me. Grant me time to repent, and do not put my soul, stripped down before Your fearful and steadfast throne, on display as a pitiful demonstration of disgrace. If a righteous man is scarcely saved, where will I be, who am unruly and sinful? If the way that leads to life is straight and narrow, then how can I be granted such good things, if I live a life of pleasures, gratifying my own comforts and intemperance? But You, O Lord, my Savior, Son of the true God, as You know and You will, by Your grace alone, freely push me away from the sinfulness that resides within me and deliver me from destruction. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 121 How will I lament my blind soul? How will I grieve my disastrous ignorance? How will I lament the passionate and unrepentant random exercise of my will? The ascetics are consoled by the Holy Spirit, but I complain and agonize about the misery that is the result of my own indifference. I have descended to the level of the mindless beasts and become as they are. I am miserable. I have been stripped by my own apathetic nature, since I have estranged myself from those who stand in vigil and prayer. O Master, look upon me with mercy from Your divine heights. Regard the callousness of my wretched soul, and according to the judgments that you know, have mercy on me and rectify me. I entreat and beg You with a contrite heart, as if I were standing before Your throne and holding Your spotless feet: have mercy upon me. Show Your love to me, Your creature. Freely transform me by Your grace. I know that You can do everything and there is nothing impossible for You. Do not wait for my polluted will to exercise itself, because I do not have the ambition to rectify myself. Let everything seen and unseen weep for me, for I have grown old in sins and lusts. Weep for me, for I appear chaste but inwardly I am an adulterer. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 122 Osinner, at long last, take heed to your salvation. Isolate yourself, and gather your thoughts and tell yourself, "How much time have you wasted nourishing the passions of your flesh and imagination, and what gain has it afforded you? What have you achieved by this? Woe to me, my soul, what a state we have attained, what chaos. See everyone near me is ornamented with virtues and sincerely fears God, but I only walk in the dark. In the early morning I repent of my actions, yet shortly thereafter I do even worse misdeeds. The Lord has granted me strength and good health and woe I take this for granted and bring upon me the wrath of my Maker. O my soul, why are you so apathetic? Why are you so reckless? For you cannot remain here forever. When the end comes, the Lord will dispatch His angels to retrieve you and you will have to leave this world whether you want to or not. So then, O man, in the end confess your great distress, and cease contradicting Him who formed you and stop resisting His commandments. Brazenly say to the foe who entices you, "O devil, you have made me a shameful object of angels and men when I took your impious counsel. You encouraged me to think, "Finally I will gratify my desire and woe, this small deed became a great abyss for me, and I offered myself up to your disgraceful will. The water found a crack and created from it a large cleft. You have darkened my mind with dirty thoughts that have hurled me from sin to sin. You have broken my constraint with the excuse of bodily illness. You have estranged me from prayer and vigil. You have planted in me avarice, excusing this with the drawing near of old age. My tears, you have dried up. You have turned my heart to stone. You have led me away from my obedience to Christ. You have increased my distractions. You had made me unruly. I have come to the point where I fail to work on needful things and concern myself instead with empty dealings. You have instructed me about covetousness and gossip. I have become arrogant, irritable and angry because of you. You have trained me in gluttony, drunkenness and sensuality. You have taught my mind to scatter while I read and hymn psalms. So I pray and do not know why? I read psalms and at the same time I give my mind over to unrestrained wandering. So having revealed the schemes of the foe, tell him with confidence, "O devil, I have had enough of you." Leave the wicked one and attach yourself to the man-befriending God. Are you injured? Do not be depressed. Did you fall? Get up and say confidently, "Now I have begun." Fall down before your compassionate master confessing your sins. For before you speak he will already know what you want to say. Before you open your lips, He will see what is inside your heart. You will not be able to declare, "I have sinned," before you see Him extend His hands to welcome you and embrace you. Draw near with faith and He will purify you immediately as he cleansed the leper. Rise up from your bed. As He raised the paralytic, so He will raise you up from the dead as He also raised Lazarus. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 123 I,who am completely covered with wounds, run to Your love. Accept my groans as You accepted the tears of the harlot. O Master, You know the shortcomings of men. Recall that from youth wicked thoughts press upon a man and do not be angry with me to the end, but open to me Your hand and the door of Your compassion. Let my disobedience not surpass Your care. O Master, receive and hear my defiled and unworthy petition. For You save those who hope in You. Do not reject the prayer of sinners. For you extend Your hand to those who have been thrown to the earth. Lead me in fear of You and provide me with tears of remorse. I have raised the eyes of my soul to You, O Lord. Do not throw me away from Your presence, because blessed is Your name forever. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 124 OLord, I have brought about Your anger with my sins. But is not Your will that You be angry because Your great mercy overflows and Your majesty is beyond irritation. You are an ocean of mercy and our misdeeds are but a drop of polluted water. Truly one drop cannot trouble the vast ocean. You do not become troubled when You are displeased, and You are not angry when You punish. If you were to become angry when You punish, the world would not be able to endure Your wrath. Your strokes are full of love. Your punishment is inflamed with mercy. In agreement with Your love, even when You punish You contend only for goodness. The rods that You punish with are carved from the wood of your compassion. Regardless of what Your rod touches, the strike is helpful. When a master disciplines his student, he hits him not out of enmity, but because he desires to benefit him. And from love he does not met out His chastisement. Your strike also strikes out of love, because You do not punish from hatred. O Lord, You want our own good, and You show Your love in many ways. It is not hard for You to put up with our mistakes, because You have formed our nature. You are not weighed down by Your creation, because You knew us before we were formed. Who will suffer the difficulty of loving a baby if not the mother who bore him? Who will suffer the misdeeds of the world, if not the Lord of everything? It is simple for the Maker to suffer all the troubles brought about by His creation, because if He had no desire to suffer these troubles He would not have formed them. Will a woman neglect her child or forget to love those whom she bore? But even if a woman were to neglect her child, God will not neglect the world which He has formed. His natural compassion was stirred. He conceived and bore His creation. As a infant from his mother's womb, so also was the world born from His will. And thus, He collected up and bore the world, as a mother bears the fruit of her womb, nourishing it with her milk. The tenderhearted father bore us and feeds us with the blood of His Son. So also does a mother provide her babe her breasts to suckle so that he is fed. A baby suckles at the breast and takes from his mother the nourishment he needs. He takes all the nourishment he requires from his mother's breasts. A baby does not understand how to turn away and seek food anywhere else than from his mother. So the world also receives its life-supporting food only from You, O Creator. And only You can nourish it. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 125 When you stand in the presence of God, remember those who have ministered to earthy powers. As an example think of slaves before their masters when contemplating your position. Remember your sinful nature and summon God's help. Be instructed by the saints and seek God's grace when doing any chore. Do not be arrogant of the grace of God and do not give in to unruliness. If you are successful in doing good, do not exalt yourself. If you sin because of ignorance, do not become faint of heart for you are a man. Do not trumpet your achievements, and be not hopeless when you sin. Zealously struggle for good and hold an equal disdain of evil. Do not judge when you offer counsel, because you do not know the mysteries of God. It is more profitable for you to be given over to the sword than to be overcome with anger. It is best to conceal anger in your heart rather than to show it outwardly. Do not partake of idle chatter, and do not sit where passionate conversation is held. Do not seek pleasure in laughter and comfort in joking, so that you become distracted. Do not love gathering with large crowds, because they disturb the soul. Stay away from banquets, so as not to become a corrupter even without the presence of women. Avoid luxuries, so that you do not become passionate. Makes sure to tame the flesh, so that it not sink its rider, the mind, into perilous waters. Subdue your senses and defend them from corruption by rust just as a soldier defends his armaments. Spend the greater part of your time alone, so that you are able to distinguish between what is and is not helpful for you when you are in the company of others. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 126 See to it that no one say, "I have committed innumerable sins," there can be no pardon for me. He who speaks thus does not understand that God is the God of the remorseful, and that he came to the world not the save the virtuous, but to summon sinners to repent, and that when somebody repents the heavens exult in him. True repentance means moving away from sin and cherishing a disdain toward it. Because when someone, from his heart, declares, "I have despised deceit and been revolted by it, then God welcomes him with gladness. But see, let no one dare to stay, "I have not sinned." He who speaks thus is blind. He has closed his eyes. He misleads himself and does not know that Satan is robbing him blind, in word and deed, by all his senses, sight, hearing, touch, and by his mind. Because who can brag that he has a pure heart and that all his senses are clean? No one is without sin, no one is pure without defilement. No one is free from guilt but Him alone, who for us became poor even though He was rich. He only is sinless Who took upon Himself the sins of the world, and wants every man to be saved. He does not want the death of a sinner, for He is the lover of mankind, full of compassion, tenderhearted and truly loving. May we run to Him, because all sinners who have fled to Him have discovered salvation. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 127 At the horrible judgment the Lord will tell those at His right hand, "Come, O sons of My light, blessed heirs to My kingdom. Come, it is on account of Me that you became poor, hungry and thirsty. For you did not love the world nor the things in it. Come, you who, on account of me have forsaken all worldly glory and joy, brothers and companions, parents and children. Come, you who have lived in deserts, on mountains, in caves and clefts of the earth with wild animals, and rejoice with the heavenly angels. Come all who are compassionate and hospitable. Come, all you who have walked the straight and narrow road. Come, you who My Father has blessed. Inherit the kingdom that has been made ready for you from the foundation of the world. But to those on His left hand He will tell them, "Depart from Me, into the outer fire. You heartless souls, depart from Me. You have hated your brothers and Christ. You had no mercy and so you will not receive mercy. You did not regard My sublime gospels and My blessed disciples. So I will not regard your remorse. You dwelt in luxury in the world, enjoying good things in your life, and here there is nothing further for you to receive. You have already received what is yours. Daily I summoned you by the Scriptures, but when you heard, you ridiculed those who read them. And now I tell you, "I do not know you. Depart from Me, You cursed souls, into the everlasting fire that is readied for the devil and his angels. And they will go into everlasting torture, but the righteous will go into everlasting life. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 128 As the Maker, You know what You have formed. As the Judge, You know what You have sentenced, after the fall. As the One Who became a man, You know what You have arranged for our salvation. You gave me a pure nature, but my father Adam has robed it with much corruption and made it sick. To this corruption I have added vain pleasures and now I unwillingly suffer punishment. Impurity has infected my own character, and so I am troubled, as one who is tossed on a stormy sea. Have mercy upon me, as my Maker. Have sympathy with my illness, as the One Who became man on account of me. Do not forsake me on account of my passions, but rather scatter them, in acknowledgment of my desire to struggle. Do not reject me because of my corrupt nature, but rather give heed to my remorse and my desire to improve myself. If You are driven back by my corrupt thoughts, turn Your attention to my grief and to the manner in which I denounce myself on account of my sensuality. I have the desire but I do not say that I have the strength. I provide what I have. Regard my state and if it is pleasing to You, grant me what I lack. I am poor, fleeced by the serpent. I am sick, chained by corruption. I lack strength, because I am overcome by sin. I have lost Your gift and so I do not have a good understanding. I have fallen out of communion with You and so I do not know where I am going. I possess nothing. If I am found with anything, it is on account of Your pity. I am very poor. If I am to become rich it will all be a gift from You. It will all be Yours, just as it was Yours before. I beseech You only for grace. I confess that if I will be saved, it can only be through You. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 129 Come, may we make an effort. Come, may we fall down before God. May we regularly grieve and weep in His presence, so that He might provide us with spiritual enlightenment. Perceive the schemes of our foe, the enemy who despises all good things, who puts on our path pits and allurements, destructive greed, lauds of this age, carnal comforts, in addition to the hope that this life will last a long time, fear of ascetic efforts, a lazy disposition with regard to prayer, sleepiness when psalms are chanted, and bodily repose. We are as lazy and thoughtless as he is industrious. We are as heedless as he is wily, even though we realize that our days have been made shorter, that the time draws near and the Lord of glory will come in His beautiful majesty with the fearful powers of His kingdom to recompense everyone according to their deeds. I am afraid that the promise of the Lord will be fulfilled with regard to us, that is that many will come from the east, west, north and the sea, and will recline with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the heavenly kingdom, but we will be cast out. O Christ, I beg You, light of truth, born of the blessed Father, who are His image and the radiance of His glory, Who sits at the right hand of His majesty, and Who are my life and the honor and happiness of those who love You. Save, a sinner, in Your kingdom and do not reward me according to my works, but save me according to Your grace and have compassion on me according to Your loving-kindness, because You are blessed and glorified forever. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 130 Why am I beguiled by the image I have taken on? Why am I estranged from virtue, and perpetrating vile deeds before God who sees everything? Well did the Pharisees endure to have their misdeeds uncovered by Christ the Savior, Who called their appearances hypocrisy. I too am worthy of such a rebuke most of all. But when my conscience reveals my misdeeds I become upset, because the truth is caustic for those who want to only make an appearance rather than being. Truly, if one were to take away my appearance, he would discover worms within. If the whitewashed covering is taken away, everyone will behold what lies within the grave. But, let this not be exposed in the open here. Truly the fire will test everything and reveal my nature at the judgment. Woe to me. How will I endure the unveiling of my reckless deeds and thoughts? O God, be merciful to me. According to Your great mercy and according to the abundance of Your compassion forgive my transgressions. Hear me according to Your goodness, O Master, and do not deny my petition. Because You do not throw away those who sincerely repent. It is true that even my repentance is defiled, because I spend only one day repenting and then two offending You. Put the fear of You in my heart and establish my soul on the rock of genuine repentance. Let the light of Your grace be victorious over the darkness that is within me. O good Lord, condescend to my petition, not on account of my righteousness, because in me there is nothing good, but through Your compassion and Your great and unspeakable goodness, lift up my members broken by sin. Enlighten my heart which is darkened by evil desire. Save me from my sinful practices, so that the enemy not conquer me at the end. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 131 OLord, your grace has made me able to call on Your name. O only good One Who has made all of us, forgive the iniquities and sins of Your sinful and thankless servant. O Lord, I know that my sins surpass those of all others, but I have as my shelter the abyss of Your compassion which surpasses everything. I am certain that You will accept and have mercy on everyone who draws near to Your goodness, because it pleases You to see repentance, and You rejoice at the ascetic efforts of Your servants. Provide for me, Your unworthy servant, tears, so that with an enlightened mind, love and faith, I might petition Your supreme goodness and my secret wounds would be healed. Show Your benevolence to me, a wretched. Save me from the tortures that I am due. Let Your grace be announced everywhere, for the profit of innumerable peoples who are heedless, and for me. As You filled the water vessels with Your blessings, so also fill my heart with Your grace and Your goodness. When a loving mother is spurned by her child, she does not deride him, because her maternal care overcomes everything. Let my sins also not exceed Your grace. I understand that I will be punished even for my idle words, for my wicked thoughts, for my desire. But as soon as an occasion to gratify my pleasures shows itself, I straightaway neglect everything and as a fool indulge in all forms of sin. I am vainglorious, an angry cripple, an idle, dissolute glutton, a sensualist robed with corruption who regularly wanders into error and I do not even know it. O man-befriending master, my only hope is in Your grace. Comfort me and preserve me from despondency. Regardless of whether You desire so or not, save me, O all-good Lord, in accord with Your great compassion. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 132 OLord, as if I were standing in front of Your fearful throne, I, who am condemned, see my deeds revealed and the sentence You will pass on my wretchedness, to take me away from Your holy face and throw me into intolerable torment. And as I will call on You then, so now I call out, quaking and with tears. O most just Judge, you are righteous, and just are your judgments. You commit no error in judging me. As if I were standing there, I speak to the angels, "O compassionate and brilliant angels, weep for me, because I did not even have mercy on myself. I repelled God's mercy, and it is indeed just that I be punished. The Lord offered mercy to me, but I was without discernment and never paid heed to it. And now justly He turns away from me." Then, the angels will of course reply in anger, "This is not the time to repent, but to judge. Prayer as no further power, and weeping has no effect. Here there is a multitude only of tears wept in pain. Here groans of remorse are not heard, but rather endless groans and howls of torment. Depart and accept the caustic and bitter reward for your actions. Burn in flames as foul matter, fueling the unquenchable fire of Hell. Enjoy, because you are a son of dimness and you love eternal darkness. Look upon the black visions on account of which you have rejected the everlasting light and be happy. There, there will be perpetual weeping and intense gnashing of teeth." Woe, O my miserable soul stripped of all works. How will you look to the impartial Judge, the angels and archangels, and those born on earth who are present there in large numbers? Woe O my soul, how you will suffer then, but you will not be heard. All things will change, and be different. The saints will rejoice evermore and sinners will suffer everlasting torture. They bore no gladness to the God of all, and will themselves be estranged from all joy forever. Thus, let us call to God, O soul, while we are here, "Save us, before we come to ruin in the end." ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 133 The Lord is an all-knowing giver of gifts. He regards what would be profitable for the supplicant, and when the Lord observes that a man is petitioning for something hurtful or even useless, the Lord does not respond to his prayer and denies him those things that he thought were good. The Lord hears all prayers, and the one whose prayer is not answered obtained from the Lord the same salvific gift as the one whose prayer is answered. If two men approach the Good One, the one being in need and the other having a debt, He will provide for the one and forgive the other. So both come away from the door of the Provider with gifts. The one in need obtains from necessity and the debtor obtains a remission of his debt. In each way God shows that he is a merciful in giving gifts. He gives in His love and displays to us His compassion. This is the reason He will not answer even one unfitting prayer if its fulfillment will cause us to perish. But even when he rejects what we seek, He does not leave us without a very profitable gift, because He takes us away from harm and opens to us the door of His mercy. So be sure that each prayer that is not answered is surely injurious. But a prayer that is fulfilled is profitable. The Giver of gifts is righteous and good and He will not neglect your prayers, because in His goodness there is no ill-will and in His truth there is no envy. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 134 Standing beside the coffin I looked inside and saw the corrupt flesh. In the grave it had become disgusting. There is was nothing that looked like an attractive face. Rather there were dry, decaying, corrupt bones. With grief and misery I withdrew from the coffin, transported by my mind to the time of the resurrection when the trumpet will sound and we will praise You on account of the resurrection prepared for the offspring of Adam and declare, "O Lord of all, glory to You." I have heard what is written concerning the resurrection in the Gospel. I thanked God and declared, "Praise to the all-holy character of Your dominion, that in the beginning fashioned our nature and honored it with Your image, and in the end times sent Your Son." And he rescued us from destruction and will come again to resurrect the race of Adam. He will bear the righteous to heaven and throw the transgressors into Hell. And they will declare, "Your judgment is just, O Lord and King. O Lord of all, glory to You." ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 135 The Lord is long-suffering and he brings all of us into His kingdom. But He demands of us a report for our negligence during our brief time. He will tell us, "For your sake I took on flesh. For your sake I was manifest, walking on the earth. For your sake I was beaten, struck on the face, crucified and raised on the cross. For your sake I dwelt on the earth and was given vinegar to drink, to make you holy and divine. I have given you My kingdom, called you all to be My brothers and sent down to you the Holy Spirit. What else could I have done to save you? The only thing I did not want to do is to restrain your free will so that your salvation would be only of compulsion and not a free choice. O sinners, who are mortal, tell me, "What have you suffered for My sake? Because your Master suffered for you." May we all gather to worship Him and weep before the Lord Who made us, and may we say, "How will this race of sinners recompense you, O unfathomable, good and tenderhearted God? You have illuminated the whole universe with Your grace, enlighten the eyes of our hearts, so that, O master, we might love you, and with love always keep Your commandments. See the cup of your fearful blood, full of light and life. Give us understanding and illumination, so that with the love and holiness of faith we might draw near to it and that it would be for forgiveness of our sins and not for our condemnation. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 136 Horrible is the approach of death to those who are passionate, wicked and weak, who have not attempted to live purely in this vain world. Those who toil, and successful contestants of devoutness, delight at the hour of their departure. They see before their eyes the great work of their fight, watchfulness, fasting, prostrations, prayer, weeping and sackcloth. Their souls are glad when they are summoned away from their bodies to go into their rest. But leaving this life is a cause for great sorrow for the sinner, who sees in front of his eyes his apathy and its caustic fruits. What repentance will then take hold of the heart of the one who has here ignored his salvation. O my soul, Woe to you, why do you neglect your life? Suddenly your call will come and what will you do there if you have been neglectful here? What will you do in front of the throne of the just Judge? How is it that the foe robs you, but you do not realize it? How is it that the foe robs you of heavenly wealth, but you are so preoccupied that you do not even realize it. Have mercy on me, O long-suffering Son of God and sinless Christ. O my Savior, allow me to ponder the coming life, so that I will do Your will. When I get old at very least let me partake of Your grace, so that I finish my unfortunate life with a profitable end. How will I who am careless stand in front of Your fearful throne? How will I who am impatient and unprofitable enter into the company of those who have here brought forth the fruits of goodness? By what characteristics will they recognize me when the saints and the upright on their heavenly beds perceive each other by their works? No, you have no grounds to laud yourself. The upright, the pure and the humble will walk in the unattainable light, but the sinful, the lazy, the arrogant, the proud and those who heedlessly live for their own satisfaction like me, will find themselves in the everlasting and inextinguishable fire. O my soul, be alert, and pray with tears. Call out with all your heart that before the end comes you might be converted and make a good beginning. O Lord, grant this to us, through the prayers of our spotless Lady the Theotokos and all Your saints, for You are blessed forever. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 137 The days pass by. The hours run without ceasing. In the hasty rush of time the world draws to its end. Not a single day will permit another to accompany it. Not a single hour waits for another that they might pass by together. Just as one is unable to stop and restrain running water with one's fingers, so also the life of one who is born of a woman cannot continue the same. The life of each one who comes into the world is already weighed and measured. He lacks the means and the ability to go past the set bounds. God has appointed the length of a man's life, and the days separate this determined measure into parts. Every day imperceptibly takes away part of your life and every hour unconstrainably takes its course with its small share. The days eat away at your life, the hours undermine its foundation, and you hurry to your end, because you are mere vapor. The days and hours, likes robbers and bandits, steal and rob from you. The thread of your life is slowly ripped and shortened. The days offer your life up for burial. The hours place it in the tomb, and together with the days and hours your life on earth vanishes. The life which you live today will leave and fly away in the end. Because each day takes its share of your life and departs with it. Each day offers its portion for the tomb. Each hour places its share in the tomb, and in a hasty flight of time they leave, vanish and are changed into nothing. So quickly the days pass by. So quickly does life fly away, it has no occasion to stop and stand in one spot. If the sun stood still in its heights and the moon were constrained from its motion, then the time assigned to your life would also cease, and the flow would stop hastening to its conclusion. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 138 The tenderhearted God provides us what we seek, not on account of our prayers. Rather He feeds us from His compassion, because He created us. Without our seeking it, the Chief majesty gave us His Son, Who for us was manifest on earth and, even though we did not ask Him for our salvation, He offered Himself as a sacrifice for it. Because who asked the Father to offer up His Son to die on the cross? Or who sought for the Son to die for sinners? Which upright man had the thought of asking the Father to offer up His son for the lawless? It is indeed an unprecedented event, and the thought did not cross the mind of anyone. The Father provided us His Son to die on the cross, and by His death sinners received life. And if He freely gave away His most precious treasure, what hindrance can there be to stop a man who seeks things, from such a lover of man, from obtaining everything he needs? Therefore let us petition Him, because he provides. May we tell Him our desires, because He will not deny us. May we beseech Him, because He wants to gratify all our needs. But because of His justice, He expects our petition to come to His doorstep, and this prayer will reconcile justice and the sinner. If loving-kindness were to forgive trespasses without prayer, it would be a breach of justice, and no one would think about justice any more. Man would steadily be given over to anarchy, because the Judge would neglect to employ the rod of correction. Every man would happily remain sinning, because there would be no one who would correct him. Such compassion, however helpful it may be for us, would soon become harmful, because it would provide the opportunity for sinners to forever increase their sins. And it is a useful thing that in the world as well, justice motivates the use of punishment. Because punishment makes a sinner quake and cease his sinful ways. It makes a sinner penitent, because he has brought chastisement upon himself. And so the sinner sets aside his transgressions, if only for a short time, and looks for forgiveness for his sins. O our Lord, who will not thank You? Because Your justice is good and Your punishment is a graceful gift. You are truly good in all Your deeds. With the staff of justice You humble the heads of sinners who sin without shame. For they are arrogant and cannot be converted without the use of extraordinary measures. O Lord, let your chastisement be joined to Your love. Be our tutor. Let Your right hand aid us to benefit from Your chastisement. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 139 Woe, I try to collect my thoughts from every place, but it is futile, because the things which are the cause of passionate thoughts continue in me. I am not yet at liberty from the sway of the wicked spirits that will restrain me on my upward journey to heaven. I have not yet admitted the burden of my abundant sins. Those who have pushed me into sin now yield fruit in the flesh of my body. How long will I, a wretch, persist in becoming drunk without wine, and disregard myself as if I were stranger to myself. As an evil servant who schemes to injure his master, so also do I plot to destroy my own salvation, as if another were to endure the wounds my behavior produces. I do not want to keep vigil. Daily I offend Your long-suffering. My evil remains before my eyes. Yet You will be patient with me on account of Your loving-kindness. O Lord, grant me the treatment for conversion, so that I be cured of all the evil abiding in me. Grant that I go into the realm of restraint. Grant that I spend every day of my life with a sorrowful heart. Enlighten the dim eyes of my mind, so that I run eagerly to embark on the path that leads to Your vineyard. My life has run low, wasted in vain concerns and disgraceful thoughts. My life has reached the eleventh hour. O Lord, guide my ship and its cargo and give understanding to this useless merchant, so that I finish my transactions while I have time left. For the time of my departure is at hand. It is looming before me, and I became greatly afraid when I beheld my poverty. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 140 Isin and hide myself so that no one will observe me. However the Lord sees when I do wrong. If someone sees me I am put to shame, but I am shameless before God. O Judge and Lord of judges, have mercy and compassion on us. If someone is converted, either sooner or later, You will receive him. What will I do with my sins? I know not. My mind cannot fathom what I will employ to cleanse and purify myself. If I thought to wash with water, then the oceans and the streams would not be enough to cleanse me. But if I cleansed myself with the blood and water that flowed out from the rib of the Son of God, then I will be purified, and mercy will rain upon me. O sinner, shudder at the judgment that is coming. With tears and grief flee to repentance. While prayers are still received, pray here, so that you will be received there. Pray, before death comes and bears away your soul, because then all prayer and entreaty will be in vain. Then tears will be of no use. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 141 Oall-praised and good Lady, O spring of compassion, O abyss of love for man. Even though I am defiled and I am devoted to this adulterous and unruly world, heedless in word and deed and in fulfilling my free will, and even though I want only to squander my life. But you, who are the loving and caring Mother of God, do not be disgusted by me, a dissolute sinner, and before the end receive the prayer offered to you by my polluted lips and, with your all-good and pleasing entreaties, move the Judge to have mercy on me. Open to me the kindness of Your compassionate Son. Pray to Him that He might disregard my sinful shortcomings, and that He guide my mind to repentance, and lead me to be successful in keeping His commandments. Do not allow me to become a scrap for the devil, the corrupter of souls. And by your intercession restore me who have become old in an abundance of sins. Rectify my shabby life, so that I have you as my intercessor, O all-good mistress, and that I might stand without fear before the Judge and escape the horrible torment. By your intercession cause me to be an heir of glory. Pray to my Maker that I would receive all this. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 142 Woe is the man who dwells in sin and finds no time for repentance, because in that place he will repent, grieving over his sins with no benefit, forever. Woe to the man who states, "Now I will have my carnal enjoyments and I will repent when I am older," because suddenly death will ensnare him and his hope will be destroyed. Woe to the man who willfully elects sin with the intention of repenting when it is morning. Because he does not know what the coming day or night that will bring. Woe to the man who knows what is good but aids the evil one, because on the day of his departure the evil angels will take him. Woe is the man who through his evil works induces his neighbor to fall, because on judgment day he must provide a reason for each error he enticed others into doing with his wicked ways. Woe to the man who has given up the world but holds fast to worldly thoughts, because the parable concerning the man who has put his hand to the plough and looks back concerns him. Woe to the man who goes after the lusts of the flesh and is reluctant to regard his soul, because his life and hopes will be dispersed over the earth. Woe to the man who does not quickly use all his strength to ready himself here, so that he will be justified. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 143 Blessed is the One Who is good and Merciful and Who delights over us when we repent and without rebuke receives us with gladness in accord with His love. Blessed is the One Who is good and opens His door to the righteous so that they will enter in, and Who does not bar the door of His goodness to the wicked if they convert. Blessed is He Who gives everyone the ability to inherit the kingdom of heaven. The good inherit it by their good works, and sinners by their repentance. Blessed is the man Who for the sinners gave Himself over to death and mocking, and Who endured humiliation so that sinners might have life. Blessed is He Who formed us through His love, Who came down to save us through the cross, and Who is coming again to resurrect us on the awesome day of His coming. O Good One, grant me as well, by Your goodness, to see Your compassion on judgment day, and to sing Your praise along with the righteous forever. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 144 Blessed are those who have loved God, and on account of their love for Him have come to hate all that is worldly. Blessed are those who day and night weep, because they will be saved from the coming wrath. Blessed are those who voluntarily humble themselves, because they will be exalted. Blessed are those who practice self-control, because the delights of paradise wait for them. Blessed are those who torment their bodies with vigils and ascetic efforts, because the joy of paradise has been made ready for them. Blessed are those who have purified themselves from all wicked thoughts, because the Holy Spirit abides in them. Blessed are those who with their entire soul love God more than the world, because they will be called companions of Christ. Blessed are those who have voluntarily carried their cross and zealously followed Christ, because they will achieve the heights of Jerusalem. Blessed are those who have their loins girded with truthfulness and their lamps prepared, waiting for the Bridegroom from heaven because they will rule with Him in the kingdom of heaven. Blessed is the man who has acquired the eyes of the mind and has forever applied them in meditation of the coming blessings, because he will inherit the good things to come. Blessed is the man who never neglects to keep judgment day before his eyes, and works to be pleasing before God in that day. Blessed is the man who has overcome the bodily pleasures, because at the judgment on the last day he will be made whole. Blessed is the man who has shed tears on behalf of God in the world, because his fruits will yield fruit in heaven. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 145 The soul declares, "In the tabernacle of the body I have lived, and the household Master has summoned me. I can tarry no more, because the one who summoned me compels me to leave, saying, "Come out of your residence, depart from this house." So then, O flesh, abide in peace, a transient dwelling, and may I see you with you on resurrection day." Those who are sent to fetch me came quickly and I did not realize it. The one dispatched for me is now standing in front of me, and I did not realize it. Save me, O our Lord, from being condemned like the devil who fell, the one that hates Your spotless sons. And with Your saints guide me into the kingdom, so that I will glorify and praise You with them. The soul tells the body, "Your cup mixed with death is bitter. How fearful is the moment and how hard is the hour of trial. Depart from the world, O pleasant dwelling in which I resided for as much time as it pleased the Lord." What grief will fill the heart of sinners in that hour when Christ the judge sits on His fearful throne. Every generation will stand in his presence and all the hidden things of the heart will be revealed. Horrible is the judgment, horrible is the judge, horrible is that time. O Lord, blessed is the one who is shielded by Your goodness in that hour. I accepted You, O Son of God, to journey with me, and when I hungered you satisfied me, O Savior of the world. Let fire flee out of my members. Let the fragrance of Your flesh and blood push it away. Let my baptism be an unsinkable boat for me. O our Lord, let me see You, in that place, on resurrection day. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 146 Woe to me, weighed down with many sins. The number of my offenses surpasses the grains of sand in the sea and they torment me like many iron chains, because I am not brazen enough to look into the heights of heaven. To whom will I run, if not to You, O Lover of mankind? Have mercy upon me,O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the abundance of your compassions wipe away my iniquity. To You do I hasten, on account of Your great goodness and compassion. I have angered You, yet still, to You do I hasten, on account of Your excellent ability to forget transgressions. I have wronged You, but to You I hasten, on account of Your love for mankind, and I pray and cry out to You: Turn Your face away from my sins and wash away all my iniquities. Make a clean heart within me, O God, and restore a right spirit in me. There is nothing I can offer you, neither a good work, nor a clean heart. But trusting in Your compassion I lie down, so that you might bring me to repentance and unceasing attention of Your commandments, so that I may not fall so quickly into sin again, but rather that I might minister to You from now on, with respect and truth everyday of my life. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 147 O Virgin Lady, O the mother of God, the lover of mankind. Guide my heart to remorse and humble it. Fill my eyes with salvific teardrops and enlighten them with the light of your prayers so that I should not fall into the sleep of death. Sprinkle me with your hyssop of loving-kindness and purify me. Cleanse me with my tears, so that I become whiter than snow. O Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ, accept this my disgraceful confession and my prayer. Rapture my mind and preserve the rest of my life in repentance without blame. When my humble soul leaves my body, then woe is me. I wish to converse with the foes outside the gates. Then O Lady, look upon me with Your compassionate eyes, and free me from the all the pitiless tormentors and the fearful taskmasters of the prince of this age. Be a shield to me and tear up the account of my sins. Guide me, saved and shamelessly, to the throne of your Son and His Father without beginning and the All-Holy Spirit, the creator of light, the Trinity, one in essence. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 148 Blessed is the man who is bold in the fearsome judgment day and hears with everyone else, "Come, you who are blessed of My Father. Inherit the kingdom which has been readied for you from the foundation of the world." Then every man, when he beholds himself in the light, will start to study himself and wonder. Can this be me? How did I, who am unworthy, make it here? The angels will descend with great rejoicing and start to praise the saints and glorify their lives, contests, self-control, alertness, prayers, voluntary poverty, lack of covetousness, perseverance in thirst and hunger, persistent keeping of prayerful attention, delight in nakedness suffered for Christ's love. All this will the angels declare with joy to the righteous ones. And in response the just will tell them, "Not a single day could we be found doing a good work." The angels will bring to their minds the times and places where they did their deeds, and again they will be amazed at themselves and start to praise God, seeing their bodies radiant in the heavens even greater than light, and so they are paid back for their slight privations and miseries which they endured willingly on earth. They discovered a treasure buried in a field and, having sold everything on earth, they bought it and discovered a wonderful pearl. Through their suffering they obtain and keep this pearl within themselves and, even though they were not aware of it, they made themselves an unpolluted immaculate garment. The toil of ascetic struggle is not great, but excellent is the reprieve it admits. The struggle to attain restraint is short, but the rest, which is its reward, lasts forever. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 149 Christ, the Resurrecting One, will be revealed in the heights with glory. He will lead the dead to life and lift up those in the tombs. The offspring of Adam, who were formed from the earth, will rise together and glorify the Resurrector of the dead. May your hearts not be downcast, you mortals. The day of the Lord will come and He will awaken and give joy to us who have died. Those who have kept the law will be raised before the Lord, and the angels will exult in the day of the resurrection. May your souls not be grieved, you who were liberated through the cross and summoned into the kingdom. The day of the Lord will come. He will provide a voice to the deceased and the dead will rise and glorify him. Let us praise and worship Jesus, the Word of God, Who, by His love, came to save us through His cross. And He is coming again to resurrect the offspring of Adam in the great day when His glory will shine forth. Do not lament, mortals, about your corruption. Christ the King will shine brightly from the heights. The omnipotent One will beckon and raise the dead from the tombs, and robe them with honor in His kingdom. If death has ruled and destroyed our nature since Adam sinned and transgressed the commandment, then will we not be made righteous and saved by the suffering of Christ Who has destroyed death and absolved our nature? Our Lord has given the dead hope and comfort, because He rose from the grave, destroying death, promising resurrection and life, and giving abundant blessings to Adam and all his offspring. Honor and glory to the Father Who formed us, and to the Son Who saved us through His cross, and to the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, and to the all-praiseworthy and unfathomable Trinity Who lifts up the dead and robes their bodies with glory. ❦ A Spiritual Psalter Psalm 150 All the dead will rise at the sound of the trumpet and praise the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Resurrector of their bodies. O Father who formed Adam out of the dust. O Son who by Your cross saved the race of Adam from destruction, resurrect me and appoint me to be at Your right hand, so that I may praise Your name. I worship You, O Christ our Savior. You are the resurrector and savior of all the deceased who were baptized in Your name and confessed Your cross and death. Blessed be Christ who has promised life and resurrection to the offspring of Adam in the day of His coming. We also will rise and praise Him with all the saints who have been pleasing to Him. Glory to You. By Your resurrection You granted the human race the hope of life and resurrection. We offer You praise, because You are the resurrector of all flesh. You mortals, glorify and praise Him who through His death did away with the authority of death and promised the mortal race life and resurrection. Let the soul that seeks shelter in Your cross and that inherited everlasting incorruptible riches glorify and praise You with the spirits that are counted among Your orders. It is fitting to worship the Father Who sent us His only-begotten Son, Who delivered mankind from death and Satan, and Who sits at the right hand of His Father asking for His mercy on account of all of us.
the Syrian, St. Ephraim. A Spiritual Psalter (pp. 8-342). Kindle Edition.
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