Saturday

Lord Jesus Christ, my Most Righteous Judge! I know that my sins are beyond number. Therefore I beseech You on this day, when You were laid in the tomb by Joseph and Nicodemus, You descended into hell with Your Holy and God-like soul, and from there You dispelled the darkness with the light of Your Divinity and brought unspeakable joy to our forefathers, for You saved them from that dreadful bondage and raised them up to heaven.

Bury my sins and my evil and cunning thoughts, that they may vanish from my mind and no longer wrestle with my soul. Illuminate the dark hell of my heart, drive away the darkness of my sins, and lift my mind to heaven, that I may rejoice in Your Countenance. So, O Lord, accept my humble prayer as fragrant incense, for the sake of the prayers of Your beloved Mother, who saw You nailed to the Cross between two thieves, and whose heart was pierced by Your terrible sufferings; who, together with the disciples and the myrrh-bearing women, laid You in the tomb; who on the third day saw You risen from the dead; and who, at Your Ascension, saw You ascending from earth to heaven, accompanied by Your Holy Angels.

Have mercy, O Lord, on both the living and the departed, through the prayers of Your Saints, to whom I too, the unworthy one, say: O blessed servants of God! Do not cease to pray to Him, day and night, for us, the unworthy, who ever sin with so many countless sins! Intercede for us for God’s grace and help, which we do not know how to ask for as we ought.

Do not cease to pray, so that through your prayers, sinners may gain forgiveness, the poor may receive help, the sorrowful may find comfort, the sick may be restored to health, the weak-minded may gain wisdom, the troubled may find peace, the oppressed may find protection, and all together may receive God’s grace, for the benefit of our souls, to the glory of God, praised in the Trinity, to whom honour and worship are due for ever.

Amen.