Prayer for the Sick

For the Sick

O Christ, Who alone art our Defender:
Visit and heal Thy suffering servant _____________,
delivering him (her) from sickness and grievous pains.
Raise him (her) up that he (she) may sing to Thee and praise Thee without ceasing,
through the prayers of the Theotokos,
O Thou Who alone loves mankind.

More Prayers for the Sick

Let us pray to the Lord. Lord have mercy.

O Lord Almighty, the Healer of our souls and bodies,
You Who put down and raise up,
Who chastise and heal also;
do You now, in Your great mercy, visit our brother (our sister) (Name),
who is sick.
Stretch forth Your hand that is full of healing and health,
and get him (her) up from his (her) bed, and cure him (her) of his (her) illness.
Put away from him (her) the spirit of disease and of every malady, pain and fever to which he (she) is bound;
and if he (she) has sins and transgressions, grant to him (her) remission and forgiveness, in that You love mankind;
yea, Lord my God, pity Your creation,
through the compassions of Your Only-Begotten Son,
together with Your All-Holy, Good and Life-creating Spirit,
with Whom You are blessed, both now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Let us pray to the Lord. Lord have mercy.

O Lord our God,
Who by word alone did heal all diseases,
Who did cure the kinswoman of Peter,
You Who chastise with pity and heal according to Your goodness;
Who are able to put aside every malady and infirmity,
do You Yourself, the same Lord, grant aid to this Your servant (Name)
and cure him (her) of every sickness of which he (she) is grieved;
lift him (her) up from his (her) bed of pain, and send down upon him (her) Your great mercy,
and if it be Your Will, give to him (her) health and a complete recovery;
for You are the Physician of our souls and bodies,
and to You do we send up Glory:
to Father, and to Son, and to Holy Spirit,
both now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Hymn to the Theotokos

Hymn to the Theotokos

From the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom:

It is truly meet to bless you, O Theotokos,
ever-blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God.
More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim,
without defilement you gave birth to God the Word.
True Theotokos we magnify you!

From the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great:

All of creation rejoices in you, O full of grace,

the ranks of Angels and the human race;

hallowed Temple and spiritual Paradise, glory of Virgins;

from you God was incarnate,

and He, who is our God before the ages, became a little child.

for He made your body a throne

and made your womb more spacious than the heavens.

All of creation rejoices in you, O full of grace;

glory to you!

God the Lord hath appeared unto us;
let us celebrate the Feast, and let us rejoice and magnify Christ;
and with palms and branches let us raise our voices unto Him with praise, saying,
Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord our Saviour.

Holy Pascha:

The Angel cried to the Lady, full of grace:
Rejoice, O pure Virgin! Again, I say:
Rejoice, your Son is risen from His three days in the tomb!
With Himself He has raised all the dead. Rejoice, O ye people!
Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem!
The glory of the Lord has shone on you.
Exult now, and be glad, O Zion!
Be radiant, O pure Theotokos, in the Resurrection of your Son!

The Ascension

^{(Tone 5)}

In unison we believers do magnify thee,
because thou didst give birth in time to the
Word not bound by time;
and in manner transcending every mind and utterance, thou
became the Theotokos.

Pentecost Sunday

^{(Tone 7)}

O Mother that hath known no man, thou didst conceive, not experiencing corruption,
lending a body to the Word,
the Creator of all, becoming a receptacle to thine insupportable Creator,
a dwelling-place to thine incomprehensible Maker.
Wherefore, O virgin Theotokos, thee do we magnify.

Festal Cycle

The Nativity of the Most-holy Theotokos

^{September 8th (Tone 8)}

Verily, virginity, O Theotokos, is impossible for a mother,
as birth-giving is impossible for virgins.
Yet in thee hath the dispensation of both been accomplished.
Wherefore, all we families of the earth ceaselessly bless thee.

The Universal Exaltation (Elevation) of the Life-giving Cross

^{September 14th (Tone 8)}

Thou art the mystical paradise,
O Theotokos; for that thou, being untilled, didst bud forth Christ,
by whom was planted on earth the life-giving tree of the Cross.
Wherefore, as we adore it being elevated, we magnify thee.

The Entrance (Presentation) of the Theotokos into the Temple

^{November 21st (Tone 4)}

The Angels beholding the entrance of the all-pure one were overtaken by surprise;
how hath the Virgin entered into the Holy of Holies?
Since thou art a living temple of God, O Theotokos, no impure hand shall touch thee.
But the lips of believers,
let them ceaselessly laud thee, crying unto thee joyfully with the voice of the angels,
Verily, O undefiled Virgin, thou art more exalted than all creatures.

The Nativity of Our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ

^{December 25th (Tone 1)}

Magnify, O my soul,
her who is more honorable and more exalted in glory than the heavenly hosts.
I behold a strange and wonderful mystery:
the cave a heaven, the Virgin a cherubic throne,
and the manger a noble place in which hath lain Christ the uncontained God.
Let us, therefore, praise and magnify Him.

The Circumcision of Our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ

^{January 1th (Tone 8)}

In thee rejoiceth all creation,
O thou who are full of grace,
the Hierarchy of the angels, and the mankind,
O consecrated temple and paradise endowed with speech,
glory of virginity, of whom God, who is our God before the ages,
was incarnate and became a little child.
For he made thy womb a throne,
and thy belly did He make more spacious than the heavens.
In thee doth all creation rejoice,
O thou who are full of grace, and it glorifieth thee.

The Theophany (Epiphany) of Our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ

^{January 6th (Tone 2)}

Magnify, O my soul, her who is more honorable,
and more exalted than the heavenly hosts.
Verily, all tongues are at a loss to praise thee properly;
and every mind, even though transcending the world,
is distracted in thy praise, O Theotokos.
But because thou art good, accept our faith,
having known our divine longing.
Wherefore, since thou art the aider of Christians, we do magnify thee.

The Meeting of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple

^{February 2nd (Tone 3)}

Keep thou, Theotokos
Them who thy succour seek;
Preserve them from life's harms, Thy servants true and meek.
Let us magnify, O believers, the first-born Son, the eternal Word of the Father,
Firstborn of a Mother who knew no man;
for we have beheld in the shadow of the Law and the Scriptures a sign,
that every first-born male that openeth the womb is called holy to God.

The Annunciation to the Most-holy Theotokos

^{March 25th (Tone 4)}

Receive, O earth, the glad tidings of great joy,
and ye heavens, praise the glory of God.
The Theotokos, being the living tabernacle of God,
shall never be touched by an unclean hand.
But the lips of believers shall sing unto her ceaselessly with the voice of angels,
crying joyfully, Hail, O full of grace.
The Lord is with thee.

The Transfiguration of Our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ

^{August 6th (Tone 8)}

Now hath been heard that which had never been heard before;
for the Son, Who is from the Virgin without father,
hath been testified to in glory by the voice of the Father;
for He Himself is God and Man together unto the end of ages.

The Dormition of the Most-holy Theotokos

^{August 15th (Tone 1)}

All generations bless thee, O thou only Theotokos.
In thee, O spotless Virgin, the laws of nature were suspended;
for thy virginity was preserved in thy child-bearing, and Life is joined with death.
Thou, O Theotokos, didst remain a Virgin after child-birth,
and after death art still alive and dost ever deliver Thine heritage.

Prayer at Meals

Before Meals:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. (3x)

O Christ our God, bless the food, drink, and fellowship of Thy servants, for Thou art holy always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

After Meals:

We give thanks to Thee, O Christ our God, that Thou hast satisfied us with Thy earthly blessings; deprive us not also of Thy Heavenly Kingdom. As Thou didst come to Thy disciples and didst grant them peace; so come to us and save us, O Savior.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. (3x)

Blessed is God, Who has fed and nourished us with His bountiful gifts by His grace and compassion always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Jesus Prayer

The Jesus Prayer

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Prayer to One's Guardian Angel

To One's Guardian Angel:

O Holy Angel,
keeping guard over my wretched soul and my passionate life,
do not forsake me, a sinner,
nor depart from me because of my incontinence.
Do not give the evil enemy room to overcome me by force of this mortal body.
Strengthen my weak and feeble hand, and set me on the way of salvation.
Yea, O Holy Angel of God, guardian and protector of my wretched soul and body,
forgive me everything by which I have offended you all the days of my life,
and even what I have done this past night;
protect me during this day,
and guard me from every temptation of the enemy,
that I may not anger God by any sin.
Pray to the Lord for me,
that He may confirm me in His fear and prove me a worthy servant of His goodness.
Amen.

Prayer at Holy Communion

Before Receiving Holy Communion:

I believe, O Lord, and I confess that Thou art 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 Thine own pure Body, and that this is truly Thine own precious Blood.
Therefore I pray Thee: have mercy upon me and forgive my transgressions both voluntary and involuntary, of word and of deed, of knowledge and of ignorance.
And make me worthy to partake without condemnation of Thy most pure Mysteries, for the remission of my sins, and unto life everlasting. Amen.

Of Thy Mystical Supper, O Son of God, accept me today as a communicant;
for I will not speak of Thy Mystery to Thine enemies, neither like Judas will I give Thee a kiss;
but like the thief will I confess Thee: Remember me, O Lord in Thy Kingdom.

May the communion of Thy Holy Mysteries be neither to my judgment, nor to my condemnation, O Lord, but to the healing of soul and body. Amen.

After Receiving Holy Communion:

I thank Thee, O Lord my God, for Thou hast not rejected me, a sinner, but hast made me worthy to be a partaker of Thy Holy Things.
I thank Thee, for Thou hast permitted me, the unworthy, to commune of Thy most pure and Heavenly, Gifts.
But, O Master Who loves mankind, Who for our sakes didst die and rise again, and gives us these awesome and life-creating Mysteries for the good and sanctification of our souls and bodies;
let them be for the healing of our soul and body, the repelling of every adversary, the illumining of the eyes of my heart, the peace of my spiritual power, a faith unashamed, a love unfeigned, the fulfilling of wisdom, the observing of Thy commandments, the receiving of Thy divine grace, and the attaining of Thy Kingdom.
Preserved by them in Thy holiness, may I always remember Thy grace and live not for myself alone, but for Thee, our Master and Benefactor.
May I pass from this life in the hope of eternal life, and so attain to the everlasting rest, where the voice of those who feast is unceasing, and the gladness of those who behold the goodness of Thy countenance is unending.
For Thou art the true desire and the ineffable joy of those who love Thee, O Christ our God, and all creation sings Thy praise forever. Amen.