Prayers for the Seven Days of the Week

From the Patrimony of the Romanian Orthodox Church

 

 

PRAYER FOR SUNDAY

ON THIS DAY, Sunday, I recall thy boundless power, O Master, by which thou didst make the world and redeem mankind. And for this reason, O Lord and Lover of man, I worship thee and thank thee for thy great gifts, which thou hast wrought in all thy works. Truly my heart rejoices and makes glad when I stop and think that thou alone art God, holy, wise, merciful, benevolent, good, mighty, and beyond understanding; in short, thou dost not lack any goodness or majesty. I rejoice that thou art God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let all those who worship other gods be troubled, my Lord, for there is no other God but thee. Therefore, make Christians to wax in strength and increase in goodness, since they alone know thee, the true God, and confess and worship and serve thee always with all their heart and with all their strength.

O holy Father, have mercy on me! O blessed Son of God, save us from hell! O Holy Spirit, give us thy grace and thy shelter! O my Lord and Maker, hear the prayers and requests of my sinful soul, and give me thy grace, lowly and unworthy though I be, so that I may honor this Sunday according to thy commandment and according to the commandment of thy Church, our Mother. Give me true repentance so that I may weep over the sins I have committed against thy kingdom and against my soul and my neighbor. I pray thee, most merciful Lord, from this day forward make no remembrance of my many sins.

According to the multitude of thy mercies, I give thanks with my whole heart for the numberless good things thou dost send down upon me every day, and above all for the renewal of my soul and thy great long-suffering. For thou hast not punished me according to the multitude of my sins, but dost forbear and await my repentance, since thou art good and merciful and lovest forgiveness. And again I pray thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, grant that I may spend this week well, as a Christian ought, without sinning against thee in thought, will, word, or deed. Rather, may I pass this week in the power and glory of the annunciation to thy holy Mother, thy Resurrection on the third day, and the descent of thy Holy Spirit upon the apostles. O Master and Benefactor, I especially pray for thy help to know myself, that I may repent of my sins and correct myself through confession. Then, at the hour of my death, may I be found prepared through the reception of holy Communion, purified in heart, and thus worthy of thine everlasting kingdom. Amen.

PRAYER FOR MONDAY

LORD Jesus Christ, with deep humility I acknowledge and confess that all day long I sin against thy divine love. Therefore, today, on Monday, at the beginning of the week, I humbly pray for thy great mercy: forgive my sins, both voluntary and involuntary, and help me to make a good beginning and to care better for my soul, for which thou didst endure so much pain at thy holy Crucifixion.

O Lord, today I give thee my soul and my body and my will, asking that thy will be done in me, according to thy good pleasure. Reprove me, O Lord, according to thy mercy, in this world and not in the next. And forgive the living and the departed, for the sake of the prayers of thy holy Church, and make us all worthy of thy glory in paradise.

To this end I place before thee as intercessors thy holy angels, and to them I say: O heavenly helpers and guardians of men, I bow down before you and thank you for the help and guidance that you render us every day, unworthy and sinful though we be. Save me from mine enemies, visible and invisible, so that, from now on, I may never sin before my God. Make me worthy to see you round about me at the time of my death, attending me, ready to take my soul to heaven, where I may bow before the glory of the face of God, thanking you for the care you had for me, telling of your goodness with unceasing voice forever. Amen.

PRAYER FOR TUESDAY

O LORD my God, condemned I stand before thy holy face, and I confess my great unworthiness, helplessness, and poverty. And I beseech thee, O sweet Source and Ocean of mercy, open the dams of heaven and rain down upon me the goodness of thy mercy, so that I may cry and weep, washing and cleansing my soul from the defilement of sin with firm and true repentance.

And to obtain this gift for me, O Master, I put forward as my intercessor the Forerunner John, to whom I say: O teacher of faith and glorious prophet, who art greater than all the prophets, as the Son of God himself said of thee in the holy Gospel; who didst indicate our Master Christ to the people; who didst baptize him in the Jordan and see the heavens open; who didst hear the voice of the heavenly Father and witness the Holy Spirit as a dove descending upon him: I pray thee, help me by thine intercession, thou who dost stand in heaven before the eternal Judge, and make him to have mercy on me, for thou dost have great boldness in his love.

Stretch out that hand with which thou didst baptize him and destroy my evil thoughts, strengthening me to spend my life on the good path of God. O prophet, enlighten my mind with the commandments of the Lord, that I may have them in remembrance and observe them until the end of my life. And stay close to me in the hour of my death, and bring me repentant before my Master and God. Pray also for all the world, that God may render aid to all Christians, both the living and departed, and that he may grant them refreshment in their many necessities, giving them all that they need, and make them worthy of his kingdom. Amen.

PRAYER FOR WEDNESDAY

ALMIGHTY and all-merciful Lord, I remember that thou wast born as a Man of the blessed Virgin in a cave and wast sold for thirty pieces of silver by the unfaithful disciple in order to redeem us sinners who suffered under the power of the devil. Therefore, I pray thee, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Receive, O Lord, my small supplication and my humbled will, for I am sorrowful because I have sorrowed thee, and I grieve because I have provoked thee countless times. In thee, O most beneficent Savior, I place all my trust, and I believe that thou, who out of love for mankind didst accept to be sold for our sake, wilt have mercy even on me now, so that thou mightest save me from everlasting torment and make me worthy of thy kingdom.

Do not depart from me, O Lord, and help me, so that in all things I may do thy will, and not crucify thee further, day by day, with my sinful deeds, neither mock thee with my evil thoughts, as did the unbelieving Jews at thy holy Passion. Rather, like the sinful woman, may I wash thy feet with the tears of my eyes, so that even I may be made worthy to hear the words from thy sweet mouth: “Thy sins be forgiven.” Amen.

PRAYER FOR THURSDAY

LORD Jesus Christ, Son and Word of God the Father, who on this day didst eat thy Last Supper with thy disciples and with great humility didst wash their feet, even the feet of the disciple who sold thee; who didst then take bread and wine in thy holy hands and bless them with thy divine power, and didst make them to be thy very Body and Blood, of which thou didst grant thy disciples to partake, saying, ‘Take, eat, and drink, for these are my Body and Blood, so that your sins may be forgiven you’; who on this same day didst ascend into heaven and sit at the right hand of God thy Father, there to reign together with him forever as his beloved Only-begotten Son: I pray thee, through the prayers of thy disciples, forgive the sins of us all, the living and the departed. Grant me warm tears, O Lord, to weep over my sins. May thy cleansing grace, which washed the feet of thy disciples, wash and purify also my heart and soul, so that, with purity and humility, I may worthily partake of thy holy Mysteries, now and at the time of my death. And at the hour of my exodus, may my soul ascend to thee with joy, without any fear, doubt, or impediment during my passage, that I may enter into thy heavenly glory. Help me, O Lord,

PRAYER FOR FRIDAY

O LORD Jesus Christ, sweet Savior of my soul, on the day of thy Crucifixion, thou didst suffer and accept death for our sins. And I confess before thee that I am the one who crucified thee by many sins.

Nevertheless, I beseech thine inexpressible goodness that thou wouldst make me worthy of thy grace, O Lord, so that I, too, might endure suffering for the sake of my faith in thee, my hope in thee, my love for thee. And as thou, O Suffering One, didst suffer for the sake of my salvation, strengthen me, O Lord, that from this day forward I may bear thy Cross with joy and great repentance, hating my evil thoughts and intentions. Establish sorrow over thy death deep in my heart, so that I may share this sadness with thy beloved Mother, thy disciples, and the myrrh-bearing women who stood by thy Cross.

Illumine the senses of my soul, so that it may rouse itself and come to know thy death, just as thou didst cause the inanimate creation to know thee when it trembled at thy Crucifixion. More than this, may my soul come to know thy death as the believing and penitent thief knew thee and worshipped thee when thou didst make a place for him in paradise. Give me this grace as thou didst give it to him, O Lord, even though I have come to resemble the evil thief, and forgive my sins for the sake of thy holy Passion. And through my sincere conversion and repentance, place me together with the good thief in paradise, for thou art my Maker and my God.

I venerate thy Cross, O Christ, and because of thy love for us, I cry out in praise: Rejoice, O precious Cross of Christ, for the Lord, who was lifted upon thee and nailed to thee, has saved the world!

Rejoice, blessed tree, for thou hast borne the fruit of life, which has saved us from the death of sin. Rejoice, strong rod, which hast broken down the gates of hell. Rejoice, royal key, which hast opened the gate of paradise.

O my crucified Christ, how much thou hast suffered for us! How many wounds, how much spitting, and how many insults hast thou endured for our sins and in order to give us an example of true patience among the suffering and troubles of this life!

God sends these difficulties upon us on account of our sins, so that we may correct ourselves and draw near to him; in this life, he chastises only for our benefit. Therefore, I pray unto thee, O Master, that, amid whatsoever afflictions, temptations, and pains as may befall me, thou wouldst also increase my patience, strength, and contentment. For I know that I am helpless if thou wilt not strengthen me, blind if thou wilt not enlighten me, bound if thou wilt not loose me, afraid if thou wilt not make me bold, lost if thou wilt not search for me, a slave if thou wilt not redeem me with thine abundant divine power, through the grace of the holy Cross, which I venerate and magnify, both now and unto ages of ages. Amen.

PRAYER FOR SATURDAY

O LORD Jesus Christ, my Judge, I know that my sins are innumerable. Therefore, I pray to thee this day, upon which thou wast laid in the grave by Joseph and Nicodemus and didst descend into hell with thy holy and deified soul and drive away the darkness with the light of thy divinity and bring unspeakably great joy to our forefathers, saving them from dreadful bondage and raising them up to heaven: Bury my sins and my wicked and deceitful thoughts so that they may perish from my mind and cease forever their fight against my soul. Illumine the dark hell of my heart, expel the murk of sin, and lift my mind up to heaven to rejoice at thy face. O Lord, receive my humble prayer as a fragrant incense, through the prayers of thy beloved Mother, who saw thee nailed on the cross between two thieves and was wounded by the terrible pains of her heart, who together with the disciples and myrrh-bearers laid thee in the grave, who on the third day saw thee risen from the dead, and at thine Ascension saw thee ascending from earth to heaven in the company of thy holy angels.

Have mercy, Lord, on both the living and the dead, through the prayers of thy saints, whom I address in my unworthiness: O blessed servants of God, do not cease praying day and night for us in our unworthiness, for we continually transgress with numberless sins. Beseech God on our behalf for his grace and his assistance, for we do not know how properly to ask for what we need.

Never cease to pray: through your prayers, may forgiveness be granted to sinners, help to the poor, comfort to the sorrowful, health to the sick, wisdom to the foolish, peace to the troubled, protection to the oppressed, and the grace of God to each and every man, for the benefit of their souls, to the glory of God praised in Trinity, to whom is due honor and worship forever. Amen.

 

Source: Orthodox Christian Canons & Prayers, edited by Priest John Mikitish, St. Tikhon’s Monastery Press, South Caanan, PA, 2025, pp. 54-64.