Descent of the Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Church
44 Sugarloaf Street
South Deerfield , MA 01373
United States
ph: (413) 583-2140
alt: (203) 391-4995
Lenten Meditations
Lenten Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ our God, who wept over Lazarus and poured on him tears of sadness and compassion, accept the tears of my bitterness. Through your passion heal my passions, through your wounds bring remedies to my wounds, through your blood purify my blood and mingle with my body the perfume of your body which gives life.
May the gall which your enemies gave you to drink sweeten my soul and dispel the bitterness poured into it by the adversary.
May your body, stretched on the wood of the cross, speed towards you my mind, so dragged down by demons.
May your head, which you laid on the cross, lift up again my head, buffeted by enemies.
May your most hold hands, nailed to the cross by infidels, raise me from the gulf of perdition towards you, as your holy mouth promised (John 12:32).
May your face, which received blows and spitting from wretched men, make my face to shine, deformed as it is by iniquities.
May your soul, which you gave up to your Father on the cross, lead me to you by your grace.
I have no heart in the mourning to seek you with, I have neither repentance nor compunction, which bring the children back to their inheritance.
Lord, I have no tears.
My mind is clouded with earthly cares, and cannot lift its gaze to you in sadness.
My heart has grown cold in a multitude of temptations, and cannot warm itself with the tears of your love.
But you, O Lord Jesus Christ, treasure of all riches, grant me perfect repentance and a sorrowing heart, that I may seek you with all my heart, for apart from you I will have no riches. Give me, therefore, O Good One, your grace.
May the Father from whose bosom you went forth outside of time, from all eternity, renew in me the features of your image.
I have abandoned you; do not abandon me. I have gone from your house; please go out to seek me and bring me in your pasture. Number me with the sheep of your chosen flock and feed me with them from the store of your divine Mysteries.
-St. John Saba (Syrian monk of the 7th century)
Prayer To Jesus CrucifiedComposed by Metropolitan Athanasius Sheptytsky
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You are good, merciful and overflowing with love—I, wretched, unforgiving and weighted down with sin. Conscious of this I fearfully prostrate myself before You and as David, repentantly cry out to You: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your mercy; according to the multitude of your kindness blot out my iniquity, O ever merciful Jesus.
To the blind who have come to adore You before this Holy Icon, You have given sight. Enlighten me also with the rays of your grace so that I may see the malice of my transgressions.
The mute, You have restored speech. Grant that I may become insensible to shame and mute to malice so that I could confess my sins with a heart truly contrite.
You cleansed the wounds of lepers, cleanse my soul which is covered with the vileness of sin.
O Jesus, Infinite Love, hear the prayers of your servant whom you redeemed not with silver or gold, but with the priceless drops of Your Most Sacred Blood.
Hear me, as I humbly call to You and do not turn your loving glance from me, lest the enemies of my soul mockingly reproach me saying: You trusted in Him!
As I make my earthly sojourn, grant me the grace to have You always in my heart, in my thoughts, and on my lips, so that in the hereafter I could be with You in the Kingdom of Heaven forever and ever.
-Amen.
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Prayer of St. EphremO Lord and Master of my life, | |
[Prostration] Instead, grant to me Your servant, [Prostration] O Lord and King, [Prostration] (The following prayer is repeated four times, making a total of twelve bows) O God, be merciful to me a sinner. [bow] O God, cleanse me of my sins, and have mercy on me. [bow] O Lord, forgive me for I have sinned without number. [bow]
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Hymn of the WeekLet us begin this Fast in joy, shining with the commandments of Christ our God, with the light of charity and the brightness of prayer, with purity of heart and the energy of the strong, so that we might nobly hasten to the third day Resurrection, which sheds its immortal light over all the world.
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When I am assured of your invincible prayer, O Mother of God, I am saved from my oppressors against all hope; for you come to the aid of the faithful who call on you, and you dispel the darkness of sin. Therefore, we give you thanks and cry out: Accept our poor offerings of gratitude for your constant protection.
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Amvon PrayerFrom the Hours of Great Lent O Christ our God, in all times and places You are worshiped and glorified both in heaven and on earth.
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Descent of the Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Church
44 Sugarloaf Street
South Deerfield , MA 01373
United States
ph: (413) 583-2140
alt: (203) 391-4995