The Canon of St. Andrew of Crete

I am hobbling around like a very old woman today. This being the fifth week of the Great Fast means the Cannon of St. Andrew of Crete. It is an absolutely beautiful prayer. It lasts close to four hours, and has approximately 220 full prostrations.

I have a post about it from last year.

Here is a sampling of the prayer. With each "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me", a prostration is done.

Come, wretched soul, with thy flesh to the Creator of all. Make confession to Him, and abstain henceforth from thy past brutishness; and offer to God tears of repentance.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

I have rivaled the transgression of Adam, the first-formed man, and I have found myself stripped naked of God, of the eternal Kingdom and its joy, because of my sins.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

Woe to me, miserable soul! How like thou art to the first Eve! For thou hast looked in wickedness and wast grievously wounded; thou hast touched the tree and rashly tasted the deceptive food.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

Instead of the visible Eve, I have the Eve of the mind: the passionate thought in my flesh, showing me what seems sweet; yet whenever I taste it, I find it bitter.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

I confess to Thee, O Savior, the sins I have committed, the wounds of my soul and body, which murderous thoughts, like thieves, have inflected inwardly upon me.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

Though I have sinned, O Savior, yet I know that Thou art full of loving-kindness. Thou dost chastise with mercy and art fervent in compassion. Thou dost see me weeping and dost run to meet me, the Father calling back the prodigal son.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

I offer to Thee, O merciful Lord, the tears of the harlot. Take pity on me, O Savior, in Thy compassion.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

With the lusts of passion I have darkened the beauty of my soul, and turned my whole mind entirely to dust.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

I have torn the first garment that the Creator wove for me in the beginning, and now I lie naked.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

I have lost the beauty and glory with which I was first created; and now I lied naked and ashamed.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

I have adorned the idol my flesh with a many-colored coat of shameful thoughts, and I am condemned.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

I have cared only for the outward adornment, and neglected that which is within—the tabernacle fashioned by God.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

With my lustful desire I have formed within myself the deformity of the passions and disfigured the beauty of my mind.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

I have discolored with the passions the first beauty of the image, O Savior. But see me, as once Thou hast sought the lost coin, and find me.

This is one of my favorite parts of the Great Fast, and one of the most painful. It reminds me of labor. The first half is difficult, but bearable. You keep thinking, "Oh, I can DO this." Then you realize you are only half way finished, and a slight panic arises. But you keep on. The prostrations become more and more challenging, and you just try to get through one at a time, and find a rhythm to them. Then, just when you think, "There is no way I can keep doing this. I have to quit. I just have to." The prostrations are over, and you sing Psalms and a great peace washes over you. Then, like the after birth, there is one more prayer, the Prayer of St. Ephrem, and you do just 3 puny little prostrations, and then you are really finished! But, there is residual pain for the next 4-5 days, and a joy and rediscovery of yourself that is transforming. I think the Canon of St. Andrew helps you give birth to yourself, as you really are, and purifies the soul in an unspeakably beautiful way.

Easter is on the way!

Here is a post about the Canon from a friend and fellow Byzantine Catholic, Eric at Square Zero.