The Rule Against Defilement

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

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

Heavenly King, O Comforter, the Spirit of truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, O Treasury of every good and Bestower of life: come and dwell in us, and cleanse us of every stain, and save our souls, O Good One. 

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (thrice) 

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

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, be gracious unto our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy Name’s sake. 

Lord, have mercy. (thrice) 

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

Our Father, Which art in the Heavens, 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. (twelve times)

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

O come, let us worship and fall down before our King and God.

O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and God.

O come, let us worship and fall down before Him, Christ the King and our God. 

Psalm 50

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of Thy compassions blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know mine iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee only have I sinned and done this evil before Thee, that Thou mightest be justified in Thy words, and prevail when Thou art judged. For behold, Thou hast loved truth; the hidden and secret things of Thy wisdom hast Thou made manifest unto me. Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be made clean; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. Thou shalt make me to hear joy and gladness; the bones that be humbled, they shall rejoice. Turn Thy face away from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and with Thy governing Spirit establish me. I shall teach transgressors Thy ways, and the ungodly shall turn back unto Thee. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation; my tongue shall rejoice in Thy righteousness. O Lord, Thou shalt open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise. For if Thou hadst desired sacrifice, I had given it; with whole-burnt offerings Thou shalt not be pleased. A sacrifice unto God is a broken spirit; a heart that is broken and humbled God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, in Thy good pleasure unto Sion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be builded. Then shalt Thou be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with oblation and whole-burnt offerings. Then shall they offer bullocks upon Thine altar. 

And these Troparia, 7^th Tone:

O Good Shepherd, Who didst lay down Thy life for us, Who knowest all the hidden things done by me; O Thou Who alone art Good, shepherd me who in understanding have gone astray, and snatch me from the wolf, O Lamb of God, and have mercy on me. 

Overcome by the sleep of despondency, I am darkened by sinful delusions; but grant me the morning of repentance, enlightening the eyes of my mind, O Christ God, the Enlightenment of my soul, and save me. 

The mind of my wretched soul, entangled by the darkness of sin and the pleasures of life, giveth birth to diverse passions, and doth not come to the thought of compunction, that I also, saved before the end, may call upon Thy loving-kindness: O Lord Christ my Saviour, save me the despairing and unworthy one. 

Even as he that fell among thieves and was wounded, so have I also fallen into many sins, and my wounds are of the soul. To whom shall I that am guilty flee? Only to Thee, O Merciful Healer of souls; pour upon me, O God, Thy great mercy. 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. 

Like the Prodigal Son have I come, O Compassionate One: receive me who am returning, O Father, as one of Thy hired servants, O God, and have mercy on me.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Deliver us, O Theotokos, from the sins which have taken possession of us, for the faithful have none other hope beside Thee and the Lord born of Thee. 

Lord, have mercy. (forty times)

And fifty prostrations, with this prayer:

O God, be merciful unto me, and forgive me, the prodigal, for Thy holy name’s sake. 

Prayer of St. Basil the Great

Again I, the impious one, am become blemished in mind and evil habits, laboring for sin. Again the prince of darkness and the father of passionate pleasures hath made me captive, and compelleth me, through lust and fleshly desires, to serve him as though I were a lowly slave. What shall I do, O my Lord, and Redeemer, and Helper of them that hope in Thee, if not to return again to Thee, and groan, and beg mercy for that which I have done? But I fear and tremble that, always confessing and promising to abandon evil, and yet sinning every hour, and not having lifted up my prayers to Thee, my God, I may arouse Thy long-suffering to indignation. And who will be able to endure Thy wrath, O Lord? Knowing, therefore, the multitude of Thy mercies, and the depth of Thy love for mankind, again I cast myself upon Thy mercy and cry unto Thee: In that I have sinned, forgive me. Have mercy on me the fallen, grant a helping hand to me that wallow in the mire of pleasures. Do not abandon Thy creature, O Lord, to be corrupted by mine iniquities and sins; but, having been implored for Thy usual mercy and goodness, do Thou deliver me from filth, and bodily defilements and passionate thoughts, which always defile my wretched soul. For behold, O Lord, as Thou seest, there is no clean place in it, but all is leprous, and the wound hath possessed the whole body. Therefore, O Lover of mankind, Physician of souls and bodies, and Fountain of mercy, do Thou Thyself cleanse it with the stream of my tears, pouring them upon me abundantly; pour upon me Thy love for mankind, and grant me healing and cleansing, and heal my brokenness, and turn not Thy countenance away from me, lest, like a material thing, I be devoured by the fire of despair. But as Thou has said, O truthful God, that there is great joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, cause this to happen also over me a sinner, and close not the ears of Thy loving-kindness during my prayer of repentance, but open them, and guide it aright as incense before Thee. For Thou, O Creator, knoweth the weakness of nature, and the ready inclination of youth, and the burden of the body, and Thou dost despise sins, and acceptest the repentance of them that sincerely call upon Thee. For blessed and glorified is Thy most honorable and majestic name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

 

Another Prayer of St. Basil

O plenteously merciful, incorrupt, undefiled, sinless Lord, cleanse me, Thine unprofitable servant, of all defilement of flesh and soul, and of inattentiveness, and of my despondency which cometh to me with impurity, together with all mine other iniquities. And show me fourth undefiled, O Master, through the goodness of Thy Christ, and sanctify me through the descent of Thy Most Holy Spirit; that, having escaped from the darkness of the foul phantasies of the devil, and from every impurity, I may be vouchsafed with a clear conscience to open my defiled and unclean mouth, and sing praises to Thine all-holy Name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, thee who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word, the very Theotokos, thee do we magnify. 

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

Lord, have mercy. (thrice)

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.