A Prayer of St. Basil the Great
O Lord and Master Jesus Christ our God, the fountain of life and immortality, the Creator of everything visible and invisible, the eternal and everlasting Son of the eternal Father, You have come in these latter days because of the abundance of Your goodness, You have put on our human flesh and wast crucified and buried for us thankless and graceless men, and through Your own blood You have renewed our human nature which is corrupted by sin. And now, O Immortal King, accept the repentance of me a sinner and incline Your ear to me and listen to my words:
I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned before heaven and before Your Face, and I am not worthy to look upon the height of Your Glory. I have provoked Your goodness, I have transgressed Your commandments, I have not obeyed Your statutes.
But, O Lord, since You do not remember evil, but long-suffering and of great mercy, You have not given me over to destruction for my lawlessness, but have ever awaited my conversion.
O Lover of men, You have said by Your prophets: "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.'' For You do not wish, O Master, that the work of Your hands should perish, neither do You take pleasure in the destruction of men, but You desire that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.
Therefore, although I am unworthy both of heaven and of earth and of this passing life, having wholly yielded myself to sin and defiled Your image, yet being Your creature and of Your making, I do not despair of my salvation in my wretchedness. But made bold by Your infinite compassion, I draw near.
Receive me, O Christ Who love all men, as You received the prostitute, the thief, the tax-collector and the prodigal. Take away the heavy burden of my sins, for You take away the sins of the world, You heal the infirmities of men, You call to Yourself and give rest to those who labor and are heavy laden.
You have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Cleanse me from every stain of flesh and spirit. Teach me to fulfill holiness in fear of You. That having the testimony of my own conscience clean, and having communion of Your holy things, I may be united with Your Body and Blood and may have You to dwell and abide in me, with the Father and Your Holy Spirit.
O Lord Jesus Christ my God, may the communion of Your most pure and life-creating mysteries not bring me into judgment, nor may I become weak in soul and body by partaking in an unworthy manner, but grant me to receive communion of Your holy things without condemnation even to my very last breath, and by them to receive communion of the Holy Spirit, provision for the journey of eternal life, and an acceptable answer at Your dread judgment seat; that I, together with all Your chosen ones, may also be a partaker of the incorruptible blessings which You have prepared for those who love You, O Lord, in whom You are glorified forever. Amen.
A Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
O Lord my God, I know that I am not worthy nor sufficiently pleasing that You should come under the roof of the house of my soul for it is entirely desolate and fallen in ruin and You will not find in me a place worthy to lay Your head. But as You humbled Yourself from on high for our sake, so now humble Yourself to my lowliness.
As You stooped to lie in a cavern, in a manger of dumb beasts, so now stoop to enter into the manger of my beastly soul, and into my soiled body.
And as You did not disdain to enter and to eat with sinners in the house of Simon the leper, so now be pleased to enter into the house of my soul, humble and leprous and sinful.
And as You did not cast out the prostitute, the sinful woman who came to touch You, so have compassion on me a sinner who comes to touch You.
And As You did not abhor the kiss of her sin-stained and unclean mouth, do not abhor my mouth, worse stained and more unclean than hers, nor my stained and shamed and unclean lips, nor my still more impure tongue.
But let the fiery coal of Your most pure Body and Your most precious Blood bring me sanctification, enlightenment and strengthening of my lowly soul and body, relief from the burden of my many transgressions, protection against every action of the devil, repulsion and victory over my wicked and evil habits, mortification of my passions, accomplishment of Your commandments, increase of Your divine grace, and inheritance of Your kingdom.
For I do not come to You in presumption, O Christ my God, but made bold by Your unspeakable goodness, lest I stray far away from Your flock, O Master, and become caught by the wolf of souls.
Therefore, I pray You, O Master, for You alone are holy, sanctify my soul and body, my mind and heart, my muscles and bones. Renew me entirely. Implant Your fear in my fleshly members and let Your sanctification never be removed from me.
Be my helper and defender, guide my life in peace and make me worthy to stand at Your right hand with all Your saints. By the prayers and supplications of Your most pure Mother, of Your spiritual servants, the most pure angelic powers, and of all the saints who from all ages have been well-pleasing to You. Amen.
A Prayer of St. Simeon Metaphrastes
O only pure and incorruptible Lord, because of the unspeakable mercy of Your love for mankind, You took to Yourself our entire human composition from the pure blood of the Virgin who gave birth to You beyond nature, by the descent of the Holy Spirit and the good will of the ever-existing Father.
O Christ Jesus, Wisdom of God and Peace and Power, through the human nature which You took to Yourself, You suffered the life-creating and saving passion: the cross, the nails, the spear, death itself. Put to death in me the soul-destroying passions of the body.
Through Your burial You captured the kingdom of death. Bury in me the evil devices of the devil with good thoughts, and destroy the spirits of evil.
Through Your life-bringing resurrection You raised up the first father who had fallen. Raise me up who am sunk down in sin and give me the image of repentance.
Through Your glorious ascension You made the flesh which You assumed to be divine, and placed it on the throne at the Father's right hand. Grant me to receive a place at the right hand with the saved through communion of Your holy mysteries.
Through the coming of Your Spirit, the Comforter, You made Your consecrated disciples to be honorable vessels. Show me also to be the receptacle of His coming. You have promised to come again to judge the world in righteousness. Grant that I may go to meet You in the clouds, my judge and creator, with all Your saints; that I may glorify and praise You without end, together with Your Father who is without beginning, and Your most holy and good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
A Prayer of St. John of Damascus
O Lord and Master Jesus Christ our God, who alone have power to absolve men from their sins, for You are good and love all men, forgive all my transgressions done in knowledge or in ignorance, and make me worthy without condemnation to have communion of Your divine and glorious and pure and life-creating mysteries. Let them not be for my punishment, or for the increase of my sins. But let them be for my purification and sanctification, as a promise of the life and kingdom to come, a defense and a help and a repulsion of every evil attacker and the removal of my many transgressions. For You are a God of mercy and generosity and love for mankind, and to You we send up glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen
A Prayer of St. Basil the Great
I know, O Lord, that I have communion unworthily of Your most pure Body and Your most precious Blood, that I am guilty and drink condemnation to myself not discerning Your Body and Blood, O my Christ and God.
But daring upon Your generous loving-kindness I come to You who have said: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him." Be merciful, therefore, O Lord, and do not rebuke me a sinner, but deal with me according to Your mercy, and let Your holy things be for my purification and healing, for enlightenment and protection, for the repulsion of every tempting thought and action of the devil which works spiritually in my fleshly members.
Let them be for boldness and love for You, for the correction and grounding of my life, for the increase of virtue and perfection, for the fulfillment of Your commandments, for the communion of the Holy Spirit, for the journey of eternal life, for a good and acceptable answer at Your dread judgment, but not for judgment or condemnation. Amen.
A Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
O God, absolve, remit and pardon me my transgressions; as many sins as I have committed by word or action or thought, willingly or unwillingly, consciously or unconsciously; forgive me everything since You are good and the lover of men. And by the prayers of Your most pure Mother, of Your spiritual servants, the holy angelic powers and all the saints, who from all ages have been well-pleasing to You, be pleased to allow me to receive Your most pure Body and Your most precious Blood for the healing of my soul and body, and the purification of my evil thoughts. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Another Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
I am not worthy, Master and Lord, that You should enter under the roof of my soul; yet inasmuch as You desire to live in me as the lover of men, I approach with boldness. You have commanded: Let the doors be opened which You Yourself alone have made and You shall enter with Your love for men just as You are. You shall enter and enlighten my darkened reasoning. I believe that You will do this.
For You did not cast away the prostitute who came to You with tears, neither did You turn away the tax collector who repented, nor did You reject the thief who acknowledged Your kingdom, nor did You forsake the repentant persecutor, the Apostle Paul, even as he was. But all who came to You in repentance You united to the ranks of Your friends, who alone are blessed forever, now and unto the endless ages. Amen.
Another Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
O Lord Jesus Christ my God, absolve, loose, cleanse and forgive me Your sinful and useless and unworthy servant my errors, transgressions and sinful failings as many as I have committed from my youth up to this present day and hour, consciously and unconsciously, in words or actions or reasoning, thoughts, pursuits and in all my senses.
By the prayers of Your mother the most pure and ever-virgin Mary who gave birth to You without human seed, my only hope which will not put me to shame, my intercessor and salvation, grant me to have communion without condemnation of Your most pure, immortal, life creating and awesome mysteries; for the remission of sins and unto life everlasting; for sanctification, enlightenment, strength, healing and health of soul and body; for the most perfect removal and destruction of my evil thoughts and reasoning and intentions, fantasies by night, brought by dark and evil spirits; for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory and the honor and the worship with the Father and Your Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Another Prayer of St. John of Damascus
I stand before the doors of Your temple and I do not forsake my wicked thoughts. But, O Christ my God, as You have justified the tax-collector, and have had mercy on the woman of Canaan and have opened the gates of paradise to the thief, open to me the interior depths of Your love for men and receive me as I come and repent before You.
Receive me as You received the sinful woman and the woman with the flow of blood. For the first embraced Your most pure feet and received the forgiveness of her sins, and the second just touched the hem of Your garment and received healing. But I who am lost, daring to receive Your whole body, may I not be burned; but receive me as You have received them, and enlighten my spiritual senses, burning up my sinful faults by the prayers of her who gave birth to You without human seed, and of the heavenly angelic powers, for You are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.
Another Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
I believe, O Lord, and I confess that You are truly the Christ the Son of the living God who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am first. I believe also that this is truly Your own most pure Body, and that this is truly Your own precious Blood.
Therefore, I pray You: have mercy upon me and forgive my transgressions both voluntary and involuntary, of word and of deed, committed in knowledge or in ignorance. And make me worthy to partake with out condemnation of Your most pure Mysteries, for the remission of my sins, and unto life everlasting. Amen.
Of Your Mystical Supper, O Son of God, accept me today as a communicant; for I will not speak of Your Mystery to Your enemies, neither like Judas will I give You a kiss; but like the thief will I confess You: Remember me, O Lord, in Your kingdom.
May the communion of Your holy Mysteries be neither to my judgment, nor to my condemnation, O Lord, but to the healing of soul and body.
(Available to download as a PDF file at https://agape-biblia.org/literatura/#prayers)