Preliminary preparation for confession can be quite short for those who often confess, and quite long for those people who are doing it for the first time or have not been to confession for a long time. You can prepare for confession both at home and in church, immediately before it begins. Sometimes it is useful to start preparing for confession several days in advance. With Christian prayers read before confession, you need to prepare yourself for repentance. Only with this is complete repentance possible. It is necessary to remember all our sins, all violations of God’s commandments, as well as all omissions, that is, those moments when we could have done good, but did not do it.
Special prayer of Saint Simeon the Theologian, read before confession
It should be understood that the essence of confession is not a conversation with the priest about one’s shortcomings, it is a living movement of the soul and repentance of the heart. Therefore, if you feel that for you, carefully writing out sins on a piece of paper turns a sacred act into pharisaism - it is better not to follow the rules - it is better for the priest to correct you at confession than to turn such a sacrament into a dry formality. For formal confession for show is useless, fruitless, and in most cases offensive to God. In the holy scriptures there is the best prayer of Simeon the New Theologian, read before confession - it helps to cleanse your soul with sincere repentance.
Orthodox prayers to the Lord, read before confession
Unlike Holy Communion, preparing for confession does not require adherence to a special prayer rule or fasting - the main thing is sincere repentance. The best prayers read before confession can be the Our Father, the Canon of Repentance to the Lord, the Trisagion, Lord have mercy. You can simply read the Gospel. Confession is made before the liturgy, but it is also possible during evening services. It happens that when there are a large number of people, additional time for confession is established. In any case, you should check with your temple in advance about the time it will take place.
The real text of the Orthodox prayer of Simeon the Theologian before confession
God and Lord of all! You who have the power of every breath and soul, who alone is able to heal me, hear the prayer of me, the accursed one, and the serpent nesting in me, by the influx of the All-Holy and Life-Giving Spirit, slaying: and my poverty and nakedness, all the virtues that exist, at the feet of my holy (spiritual) father with tears grant him the honor, and his holy soul, to be merciful, so that you may be merciful to me. And grant, Lord, in my heart humility and good thoughts, befitting a sinner who has agreed to repent to You, and may you not completely abandon the one soul that united with You and confessed You, and instead of the whole world chose and preferred You: weigh for, Lord, as I want to be saved, even if my evil custom is an obstacle: but it is possible for You, Master, the essence of everything, what is impossible is of man. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Complete collection and description: prayer of St. Simeon the new theologian for the spiritual life of a believer.
Prayer 6th, Saint Simeon the New Theologian.
“From foul lips, from a vile heart, from an unclean tongue, from a defiled soul, accept this prayer, my Christ, and without rejecting my words, my character, or my shamelessness, let me freely say what I want, my Christ, but better and teach me what I should do and say. I have sinned more than the harlot, who, having learned where You are, having bought peace, dared to come to anoint Your feet, my Christ, my Lord and God.
Just as You did not reject her, who came from a pure heart, do not disdain me, Word! Allow me to hold and kiss Your feet, and boldly anoint them with a stream of tears like precious myrrh.
Wash me with your tears, cleanse me with them, Word!
Forgive my sins and grant me forgiveness. You know many vices, you know my wounds, and you see my ulcers, but you also know my faith, and you see my zeal, and you hear my groans. Not a drop of tears, not a drop of a certain part is hidden from You, my God, my Creator, my Redeemer.
Thy eyes have noticed what I have not completed, and in Thy book even what has not yet been done is written down with You. Look at my humility, look at my suffering, and forgive me all my sins, O God of the universe, so that with a pure heart, a trembling thought and a contrite soul, I may partake of Your most pure and all-holy Mysteries, by which everyone who eats You and drinks with pure spirits is revived and deified. heart. After all, You, my Lord, said: “Whoever eats My Flesh, as well as drinks My Blood, abides in Me, and I am in him.” The word of my Lord and God is absolutely true. For, partaking of the divine and deifying Gifts, I am indeed not alone, but with You, my Christ, the Light, bright as three suns, enlightening the world. Therefore, so that I would not remain alone, separated from You, the Giver of my life, my breath, my life, my joy, the salvation of the world, I came to You, as You see, with tears and a contrite soul, begging to receive me the atonement of my sins and Your life-giving and immaculate Sacraments to receive communion is not a condemnation; so that You remain, as you said, with me, three times unfortunate; so that the deceiver, finding me deprived of Your grace, does not steal me insidiously and, having deceived me, does not lead me away from Your deifying words.
Therefore, I fall at Your feet and fervently cry out to You: just as You accepted the prodigal son and the harlot who came to You, so, O Merciful One, accept me, the prodigal and the vile, who now comes to You with a contrite soul. I know, Savior, that no one else has sinned before You like I have, or done the deeds that I have done. But I also know that neither the severity of sins nor the multitude of sins exceeds my God’s great patience and great love for mankind, but with merciful compassion You both cleanse and enlighten those who ardently repent, and introduce them to the light, generously making them partakers of Your Divinity; and - what is marvelous both to Angels and to human thoughts - You converse with them many times, as with Your true friends. It gives me courage, it inspires me, my Christ! And, boldly trusting in Your rich benefits to us, rejoicing and trembling together, I, the grass, partake of the fire, and - a wondrous miracle - I am inexplicably watered, like in ancient times a thorn bush burned without being consumed. So, with a grateful thought and a grateful heart, with all my grateful feelings, my soul and body, I worship, and magnify, and glorify You, my God, as blessed both now and forever.”
Prayer of Saint Simeon the New Theologian, 6th
Below images - and no customs, no way of doing things. Studioless – shamelessness, manifestation of a shameless disposition. Give me - give me. Say what I want - say what I want. Moreover - but better. More sinners - I have sinned more. Even if you take me away - which, having learned Vesi – You know. The will of the zrish - you see the direction of my will, zeal, desire. My undone - what I have not yet done to the end, I have not completed. Videste – see (dual form). And still undone - something I haven't done yet. God of all - God of the whole world (all sorts - everything that exists, the universe). Trembling - full of trepidation. Non-defiled - the most pure. Everyone who is poisonous and drinks - everyone who eats and drinks. You advertised - for You have spoken. Except for you - outside of You, without You. In addition to Your grace I have found - finding me deprived of Thy grace. Charming – tempter, deceiver, that is, the devil. Flattery delights me - will insidiously kidnap me. Seductive – deceiving, leading astray. Warm - hot. I cry out - I appeal. As you have received the prodigal, how You received the prodigal son. We believe... like another, like I, do not sin against You - I know that no one else has sinned before You as much as I have. Below the deeds that I have committed - and did not do what I did. But we believe this again, as - but I also know that. By the grace of compassion - merciful compassion. Warmly repentant - ardently repentant. Svetisi – you enlighten. Create light, communicants - bringing you into the light. The fellows of Thy Divinity co-deal unenviably - imparting to them generously a portion of Thy Divinity. Like a friend - like with friends. This boldness creates me - it gives me courage ( siya – neuter, plural number - translated as “this”, not “these”). They're pushing me - it gives me wings. Together - together; Here: and at the same time. I partake of the fire and the grass - I partake of the fire, being grass. Like the bush of old - like a bush (bush) in ancient times. Udesy – members.
+ Those who have sinned more than the harlot, even though you know where you live, having bought the ointment, I will come boldly to anoint your noses... - see: Luke. 7, 36-47.
For you have said, my Lord: everyone who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, he abides in Me, and in Him I Am. See: In. 6, 56.
Just as you accepted the prodigal, and the harlot who came - again a reminder of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) and the sinner wife already mentioned in this prayer (Luke 7:36-47).
It’s a strange miracle, we irrigate, it’s not burning, like a bush that burned in ancient times without burning. – See: Ref. 3, 2-6.
By the grace of compassion... purify and brighten... In the Greek text, the word “mercy” is conveyed by its frequent symbol: oil, oil... which is perfectly supported by words clean and bright(oil as a healing agent and as oil in a lamp).
Prayer of repentance in poetic translation
From a broken heart
From a soul mired in filth,
From a tongue that is vile
Accept, O Christ, prayer,
And, having accepted generously,
Without rejecting the appeal,
And forgiving me this insolence,
Let me say without hesitation,
what I want to say, my Christ,
Or show me yourself
What should I say and what should I do.
I'm as sinful as that harlot
That, having found out where you live,
Bringing myrrh with me,
And falling at Your feet,
Boldly anointed them,
Oh, my God and my Master!
But You didn’t reject her,
Coming from the heart,
So don’t be disgusted with me either,
But allow Your feet to me
Kiss, holding with your hands,
And with copious tears,
Like a valuable world
It is bold to anoint them.
But with my own tears
And cleanse me, Word,
forgive me my sins
And grant forgiveness of sins.
You know the abyss of my evils,
And you know my wounds,
The scabs of my countless ulcers.
But you also see faith
And diligent determination
And you hear my groans.
It won’t hide from You,
My Creator and Redeemer,
not a single tear
Or part of a small tear.
What I couldn't do
God's eyes see clearly
And more in the eternal book -
What I haven't done yet
It has been written since time immemorial.
Look how I humble myself
Look how hard my work is,
forgive me my sins
My God, Creator of the universe!
So that I can with a pure heart
And with a trembling thought
And a broken soul
Commune with those Most Pure Ones
All-Holy Immortal Mysteries,
What is the source for everyone?
Life and deification,
Who comes with a pure heart.
For You said, Master:
"He who eats my flesh
He who accepts My blood,
He abides with Me,
In it I myself dwell.”
And Yours, Master, is the word,
cannot be untrue
And Your idolizer
I'm not alone, my Christ,
But I remain with You,
Three-solar light, this whole world
And so that I don't end up
outside of You, O Life-Giver,
My breath, my life,
The world of our salvation, -
That's why I'm starting,
As you can see, with tears
And with a broken soul,
begging you to grant me.
So that I can give life
Your Immaculate Mysteries
Become a worthy communicant.
So that with me, the three-contrite one,
You remained as you promised me.
So that the crafty tempter
Having found me outside of You,
Didn't entice me insidiously
And didn't let me dodge
From the words of those who idolize.
And I fall to You
Now with a warm prayer:
How You Received the Lost
And the harlot who came,
So accept, O Merciful One,
And with a broken soul
I know, oh my Savior,
That none of all the living
Committed no crimes
My fall is equal.
But even then I know for sure
That there is no such thing as falling,
Sins so great
What could you overfill?
I'm running out of your patience
And Your mercy exceeds.
You are the oil of compassion
Those who repent with all their hearts,
And partakers of the light
And divinity, Savior,
you make them generously.
And not only to people,
But even the angels are amazed
You are having a conversation with them
As if with true friends.
This gives me courage
and, inspired by hope,
I am for Your abundant gifts.
Feeling joy and trepidation
I, the grass, accept the flame,
Taking communion, and - oh, miracle! –
The bush is like an ancient one,
That burned without burning.
Now the heart is grateful,
My whole mind is grateful
Even the members are grateful
Everything is my soul and body.
I fall all the way to You
And I praise You, my God,
now as well as forever.
In memory of His Eminence Pitirim, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk and Yuryevsk
The text is translated by Tatyana Lvovna Aleksandrova, Candidate of Philological Sciences, senior lecturer at the Department of Ancient Languages and Ancient Christian Literature of the Orthodox St. Tikhon Humanitarian University
Prayer of St. Simeon the New Theologian
IN EVERY TROUBLE AND CIRCUMSTANCE
Prayer to St. Simeon the New Theologian
Prayer to the holy martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sophia
Prayers before the icons of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”
Prayers before the icons of the Mother of God “Quench my sorrows”
Prayers before the icons of the Mother of God “Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary”
Simeon the New Theologian. Prayers
Memory: March 12/25
St. Simeon the New Theologian is perhaps the most outstanding mystic of Orthodoxy, one of the three Fathers whom the Church called “theologians.” In his “Hymns of Love,” these truly love poems, he captured the craving of the human soul for God. In addition to them, this book includes many other of his creations.
Prayer six, Saint Simeon the New Theologian (Following to Holy Communion)
Prayer before confession
Simeon the New Theologian, Reverend
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Prayers
Prayer 6, Saint Simeon the New Theologian
(Proceeding to Holy Communion)
Prayer before confession
God and Lord of all! He who alone has the power of every breath and soul can heal me, hear the prayer of the accursed me, and consume the serpent nesting in me through the influx of the All-Holy and Life-Giving Spirit, killing me. And grant me, poor and naked, all virtues, to fall at the feet of my holy (spiritual) father with tears, and draw his holy soul to mercy, to have mercy on me. And grant, O Lord, in my heart humility and good thoughts, befitting a sinner who has agreed to repent to You, and may you not in the end abandon the one soul that united with You and confessed You, and chose and preferred You instead of the world: for we know, Lord, that I want to be saved, even if my evil custom is an obstacle: but it is possible for You, Master, the essence of everything, what is impossible is of man. Amen.
Prayer of St. Simeon the New Theologian for finding a spiritual mentor
Lord, not wanting the death of a sinner, but turning back and living to be him, you came down to earth for this, and raised up those lying and killed by sin and saw You, the true light, as it is possible for a person to see, make them worthy, send me a person leading You, and , like You, having worked for him and submitted to him with all my strength, and do Your will in that will, I will please You, the only God, and I, a sinner, will be worthy of Your kingdom.
Prayer of repentance, who repents with a contrite and humble spirit to God
You see everything, Lord, and there is nothing that You have not seen. Although I am the work of Your hands, I did not do the works according to Your commandments, but out of my great foolishness I did every bad thing, not thinking that You, my Creator and God, are as good as you are just. Now, having brought this to mind, I trembled and don’t know what to do. I feel Your condemnation, and I cannot find a word of justification in my mouth. I have no virtue and have not done any deed of repentance worthy of forgiving me even one idle word of my mouth. Moreover, whoever has all the virtues and does all sorts of good deeds, does so as a slave and a debtor, but for his sin in all this he will not find any replacement: here Thy mercy alone precedes. Sin is death, and which of those who died through it can be resurrected by itself? Truly no one. You alone died and rose again, because You did not commit sin and no flattery was found in Your mouth. So, Lord Almighty, having done many evil deeds, I repent, but repentance alone is not strong enough to justify me.
Prayer for deliverance from temptations
Sovereign Lord, do not allow temptation, or sorrow, or illness beyond my strength to come upon me, but deliver me from them, or grant me the strength to endure them with thanksgiving.
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Prayer before confession
Venerable Simeon the New Theologian
God and Lord of all! You who have the power of every breath and soul, who alone is able to heal me, hear the prayer of me, the accursed one, and the serpent nesting in me, by the influx of the All-Holy and Life-Giving Spirit, slaying: and my poverty and nakedness, all the virtues that exist, at the feet of my holy (spiritual) father with tears grant him the honor, and his holy soul, to be merciful, so that you may be merciful to me. And grant, Lord, in my heart humility and good thoughts, befitting a sinner who has agreed to repent to You, and may you not completely abandon the one soul that united with You and confessed You, and instead of the whole world chose and preferred You: weigh for, Lord, as I want to be saved, even if my evil custom is an obstacle: but it is possible for You, Master, the essence of everything, what is impossible is of man. Amen.
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Prayer 6th, Simeon the New Theologian
From vile lips, from a vile heart, from an unclean tongue, from a soul defiled, accept this prayer, my Christ, and do not despise my words, below images, below lack of study. Grant me to boldly say what I want, my Christ, and even more so, teach me what I should do and say. Having sinned more than the harlot, even though I knew where you were, having bought myrrh, I came boldly to anoint Your nose, my God, my Lord and Christ. Just as you did not reject the one that came from your heart, abhor me below, the Word: Give yours to my nose, and hold and kiss, and boldly anoint this with streams of tears, like a valuable ointment. Wash me with my tears, cleanse me with them, O Word.
Forgive my sins and grant me forgiveness. Weigh a multitude of evils, weigh my scabs, and see my ulcers, but also weigh my faith, and see my will, and hear my sighing. There is no hidden part of you, my God, my Creator, my Savior, below a drop of tears, below a drop of a certain part. Thy eyes have seen what I have not done, and in Thy book the essence of what has not yet been done is written to You. See my humility, see my great labor, and forgive me all my sins, O God of all: so that with a pure heart, a trembling thought, and a contrite soul, I may partake of Your undefiled and most holy Mysteries, by which everyone who eats poison and drinks with a pure heart is revived and adored; For you have said, my Lord: everyone who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, he abides in Me, and in Him I Am. The word of all my Lord and God is true: for you partake of the Divine and adoring graces, for I am not alone, but with You, my Christ, the Trisunlar Light, enlightening the world.
May I not be alone except You, the Life-Giver, my breath, my belly, my joy, the salvation of the world. For this reason, I come to You, as if I saw you, with tears and a contrite soul, I ask you to accept the deliverance of my sins, and to partake of Your life-giving and immaculate Mysteries without condemnation, so that You may remain, as You have promised, with me, the three-repentant: that I may not find Your grace except , the deceiver will delight me with the flatterer, and deceiving will lead away those who idolize Your words. For this reason I fall down to You, and cry out to You warmly: just as You received the prodigal, and the harlot who came, so receive me, the prodigal and the filthy, Generously. With a contrite soul, now coming to You, we know, O Savior, as another, like I, did not sin against You, lower than the deeds I did. But we know this again, because not the greatness of sins, nor the multitude of sins exceeds my God’s great patience and extreme love for mankind; but by the grace of compassion, warmly repentant, and purifying, and brightening, and creating light, partakers, fellow-participants of Your Divinity, doing things unenviably, and strange things both with the Angel and with human thought, conversing with them many times, as if with Your true friend. My Christ.
And daring to show us Your rich kindness, rejoicing and trembling together, this grass partakes of the fire, and a strange miracle, we are watered without burning, just as the bush of old was burning without burning. Now with a grateful thought, with a grateful heart, with grateful hands, my soul and my body, I worship and magnify and glorify Thee, my God, for being blessed, now and forever.
“Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt pointed out: “Into go through your sins in their multitude and in all their vileness is truly a gift of God.” Therefore, the work of repentance must begin with intense, fervent prayer that the Lord, by His grace, will reveal to us our sins and the passions and addictions hidden within us.” Fragment from the book by N.E. Pestov “Modern practice of Orthodox piety” part 4, chapter 21.
Confession of sins in the Sacrament of Repentance requires serious preliminary preparation on the part of the penitent. It can be quite short (this is quite appropriate for those who are accustomed to confessing frequently), but it can also last for a very long time. You can prepare for Confession in church immediately before it begins or at home before going to church; sometimes it is useful to start preparing for it the day before or even a few days in advance.
When preparing for the sacrament of Repentance, obviously, the penitent first of all needs prayer to God: for without His miraculous help, deep repentance is impossible. At the same time, we all need to regret our sins and ask the Lord to grant grace to help us sincerely repent and gain determination to leave our previous sinful lifestyle. We can express this prayer in our own words and use the prayers of the saints. Some of the prayers before Confession are presented below. It is important to note: that in the current practice of the Russian Orthodox Church, preparation for Confession does not require reading prayers, therefore, the proposed prayers are advisory, but not mandatory.
Prayer to St. Simeon the New Theologian before Confession
God and Lord of all, of every breath and soul, you have the power to heal me alone! Hear the prayer of me, the accursed one, and the serpent nesting in me, consume by the influx of the All-Holy and Life-Giving Spirit. And me, poor and naked of all virtues, fall at the feet of my holy (spiritual) father with tears, and bring his holy soul to mercy, even have mercy on me. ́. And grant, Lord, in my heart humility and good thoughts, befitting a sinner who has agreed to repent to You; and let not in the end leave the one soul that united with You and confessed Thee, and instead of the world chose and preferred Thee. Believe me, Lord, that I want to be saved, even though my evil custom can be an obstacle: but the whole essence is possible for You, Master, even if it is impossible for the essence of man. Amen.
Repentant prayer by Rev. Isaac the Syrian
What is important to remember in prayers of repentance? Obviously, our sins, our present passions and negligence, and at the same time remember the saving sacrifice of Christ and His incomprehensible greatest suffering for us. This is exactly how the prayer below is structured by St. Isaac the Syrian.
“Lord Jesus Christ, our God, who wept over Lazarus and shed tears of sorrow and compassion over him, accept the tears of my sorrow. By Your suffering heal my passions; Heal my ulcers with Your stripes. Purify my blood with Your blood, and mix with my body the fragrance of Your life-giving body. May the bile that your enemies gave you to drink sweeten my soul from the sorrow that my opponent gave me to drink; May the sufferings of Your Body, stretched out on the tree of the cross, lift my mind to You, carried away by demons below. May Your head, bowed on the cross, lift up my head, strangled by the adversaries. May Your all-holy hands, nailed by the infidels to the cross, lead me to You from the abyss of destruction, as Your all-holy lips promised. May Thy face, which has received the strangling and spitting of the damned, illuminate my face, defiled by iniquities. May Thy soul, Which, being on the cross, Thou gavet unto Thy Father, guide me to Thee by Thy grace. I do not have a sick heart to seek You; I have neither repentance nor contrition, by which children are introduced into their own inheritance. I have no consoling tears, Vladyka. My mind has been darkened by the affairs of this world and I do not have the strength to raise my gaze to You with my illness. My heart has grown cold from many temptations and cannot be warmed by tears of love for You. But You, Lord Jesus Christ, God, Treasure of Goods, grant me complete repentance and an untiring heart, so that with all my soul I may go out to seek You. For without You I will be alien to all good. Therefore, O Good One, grant me Your grace. May the Father, who eternally and eternally brings You out from His bosom, renew in me the features of Your image. I left You, but You do not leave me. I have departed from You - You come to seek me and lead me into Your pasture, number me among the sheep of Your chosen flock, saturate me with the grain of Your Divine mysteries along with those whose pure heart is Your abode, and in it the shine of Your revelations is visible - this is consolation and this joy for those who have labored for You in sorrows and various torments. May we also be worthy of this splendor by Your grace and Your love for mankind, our Savior Jesus Christ, forever and ever. Amen".
St. Simeon the New Theologian (949 – 1022) - monk, theologian, writer of “Hymns” (poetic spiritual verses), one of the brightest representatives of the tradition of hesychasm. Along with two great theologians of the Church - John the Theologian and Gregory the Theologian, Simeon was awarded the name New Theologian.
***
Prayer six, Saint Simeon the New Theologian (Following to Holy Communion)
From vile lips, from a vile heart, from an unclean tongue, from a soul defiled, accept this prayer, my Christ, and do not despise my words, below images, below lack of study. Grant me to boldly say what I want, my Christ, and even more so, teach me what I should do and say. Having sinned more than the harlot, even though I knew where you were, having bought myrrh, I came boldly to anoint Your nose, my God, my Lord and Christ. Just as you did not reject the one that came from your heart, abhor me below, the Word: Give yours to my nose, and hold and kiss, and boldly anoint this with streams of tears, like a valuable ointment. Wash me with my tears, cleanse me with them, O Word. Forgive my sins and grant me forgiveness. Weigh a multitude of evils, weigh my scabs, and see my ulcers, but also weigh my faith, and see my will, and hear my sighing. There is no hidden part of you, my God, my Creator, my Savior, below a drop of tears, below a drop of a certain part. Thy eyes have seen what I have not done, and in Thy book the essence of what has not yet been done is written to You. See my humility, see my great labor, and forgive me all my sins, O God of all: so that with a pure heart, a trembling thought, and a contrite soul, I may partake of Your undefiled and most holy Mysteries, by which everyone who eats poison and drinks with a pure heart is revived and adored; For you have said, my Lord: everyone who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, he abides in Me, and in Him I Am. The word of all my Lord and God is true: for you partake of the divine and adoring graces, for I am not alone, but with You, my Christ, the Trisunlar Light, enlightening the world. May I not be alone besides You, the Life-Giver, my breath, my life, my joy, the salvation of the world. For this reason, I come to You, as if I saw you, with tears, and with a contrite soul, I ask you to accept the deliverance of my sins, and to partake of Your life-giving and immaculate Mysteries without condemnation, so that You may remain, as You have promised, with me, the repentant one: may I not only find Your grace, the deceiver will delight me with the flatterer, and deceiving will lead away those who idolize Your words. For this reason I fall down to You, and cry out to You warmly: just as You received the prodigal, and the harlot who came, so receive me, the prodigal and the filthy, Generously. This is the bold thing they do to me, this is what they force me to do, O my Christ. And daring to show us Your rich kindness, rejoicing and trembling together, we partake of the fire and partake of this grass, and a strange miracle, we water it without burning, just as the bush of old did not burn without burning. Now with a grateful thought, with a grateful heart, with grateful hands, my soul and my body, I worship and magnify and glorify Thee, my God, for being blessed, now and forever.
Prayer before confession
God and Lord of all! He who alone has the power of every breath and soul can heal me, hear the prayer of the accursed me, and consume the serpent nesting in me through the influx of the All-Holy and Life-Giving Spirit, killing me. And grant me, poor and naked, all virtues, to fall at the feet of my holy (spiritual) father with tears, and draw his holy soul to mercy, to have mercy on me. And grant, O Lord, in my heart humility and good thoughts, befitting a sinner who has agreed to repent to You, and may you not in the end abandon the one soul that united with You and confessed You, and chose and preferred You instead of the world: for we know, Lord, that I want to be saved, even if my evil custom is an obstacle: but it is possible for You, Master, the essence of everything, what is impossible is of man. Amen.
Prayer of St. Simeon the New Theologian for finding a spiritual mentor
Lord, not wanting the death of a sinner, but turning back and living to be him, you came down to earth for this, and raised up those lying and killed by sin and saw You, the true light, as it is possible for a person to see, make them worthy, send me a person leading You, and , like You, having worked for him and submitted to him with all my strength, and do Your will in that will, I will please You, the only God, and I, a sinner, will be worthy of Your kingdom.
Prayer of repentance, who repents with a contrite and humble spirit to God
You see everything, Lord, and there is nothing that You have not seen. Although I am the work of Your hands, I did not do the works according to Your commandments, but out of my great foolishness I did every bad thing, not thinking that You, my Creator and God, are as good as you are just.
Prayer for deliverance from temptations
Now, having brought this to mind, I trembled and don’t know what to do. I feel Your condemnation, and I cannot find a word of justification in my mouth. I have no virtue and have not done any deed of repentance worthy of forgiving me even one idle word of my mouth. Moreover, whoever has all the virtues and does all sorts of good deeds, does so as a slave and a debtor, but for his sin in all this he will not find any replacement: here Thy mercy alone precedes.
Simeon the New Theologian, Sin is death, and which of those who died through it can be resurrected by itself? Truly no one. You alone died and rose again, because You did not commit sin and no flattery was found in Your mouth. So, Lord Almighty, having done many evil deeds, I repent, but repentance alone is not strong enough to justify me.
Sovereign Lord, do not allow temptation, or sorrow, or illness beyond my strength to come upon me, but deliver me from them, or grant me the strength to endure them with thanksgiving.
Reverend
Not everyone can bring the word of God to the people, or be a preacher and teacher. One example of such a person is St. Simeon the New Theologian. The music of the divine texts he wrote penetrates our souls during the implementation of the most important church sacraments. Prayer before the confession of St. Simeon the New Theologian helps one to adopt the right attitude and say the right words during repentance.
Life of St. Simeon
The Monk Simeon came from an ancient family; in his youth he held a position at the court of the emperor. Upon reaching the age of 25, he rushed into monasticism, becoming a novice of the monastery. He desired solitude and the Holy Spirit, descending, hid the surrounding reality from his sight.
At the age of 56, Simeon the New Theologian left the post of abbot and settled at the monastery. At this stage, he created his main theological works, in which he taught spiritual improvement and resistance to temptation. His pen inscribed “Hymns of Divine Love”, filled with serious prayerful reasoning.
Simeon's works were perceived controversially, which contributed to the emergence of a conflict with the patriarchs of the Church, and an exile to the Bosporus, where the elder created the monastery of St. Marina and spent his last years there.
Prayers of Simeon the New Theologian
The Reverend paid great attention to preparation for the sacraments. One of the significant prayers is the Prayer of Simeon the Theologian before confession. The text of the prayer sets the confessor up for revelations before the Almighty. The words instill faith in the mercy of God, in the purity of thoughts and soul. A person reading the prayer of Simeon the Theologian seems to see Divine light and purification ahead.
Prayer 6, Saint Simeon the New Theologian
(Proceeding to Holy Communion)
From vile lips, from a vile heart, from an unclean tongue, from a soul defiled, accept this prayer, my Christ, and do not despise my words, below images, below lack of study. Grant me to boldly say what I want, my Christ, and even more so, teach me what I should do and say. Having sinned more than the harlot, even though I knew where you were, having bought myrrh, I came boldly to anoint Your nose, my God, my Lord and Christ. Just as you did not reject the one that came from your heart, abhor me below, the Word: Give yours to my nose, and hold and kiss, and boldly anoint this with streams of tears, like a valuable ointment. Wash me with my tears, cleanse me with them, O Word. Forgive my sins and grant me forgiveness. Weigh a multitude of evils, weigh my scabs, and see my ulcers, but also weigh my faith, and see my will, and hear my sighing. There is no hidden part of you, my God, my Creator, my Savior, below a drop of tears, below a drop of a certain part. Thy eyes have seen what I have not done, and in Thy book the essence of what has not yet been done is written to You. See my humility, see my great labor, and forgive me all my sins, O God of all: so that with a pure heart, a trembling thought, and a contrite soul, I may partake of Your undefiled and most holy Mysteries, by which everyone who eats poison and drinks with a pure heart is revived and adored; For you have said, my Lord: everyone who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, he abides in Me, and in Him I Am. The word of every Master and my God is true: for you partake of the divine and adoring graces, for I am not alone, but with You, my Christ, the Trisunlar Light, enlightening the world. May I not be alone except You, the Life-Giver, my breath, my belly, my joy, the salvation of the world. For this reason, I come to You, as if I saw you, with tears, and with a contrite soul, I ask you to accept the deliverance of my sins, and to partake of Your life-giving and immaculate Mysteries without condemnation, so that You may remain, as You have promised, with me, the repentant: that I may not find Your grace except, the deceiver will delight me with the flatterer, and deceiving will lead away those who idolize Your words. For this reason I fall down to You, and cry out to You warmly: just as You received the prodigal, and the harlot who came, so receive me, the prodigal and the filthy, Generously. With a contrite soul, now coming to You, we know, O Savior, as another, like I, did not sin against You, lower than the deeds I did. But we know this again, because not the greatness of sins, nor the multitude of sins exceeds my God’s great patience and extreme love for mankind; but by the grace of compassion, warmly repentant, and purifying, and brightening, and creating light, partakers, fellow-partners of Your Divinity, doing unenviably, and strange things with both the Angel and human thought, conversing with them many times, as if with Your true friend. This is the bold thing they do to me, this is what they force me to do, O my Christ. And daring to show us Your rich kindness, rejoicing and trembling together, we partake of the fire and partake of this grass, and a strange miracle, we water it without burning, just as the bush of old did not burn without burning. Now with a grateful thought, with a grateful heart, with grateful hands, my soul and my body, I worship and magnify and glorify Thee, my God, for being blessed, now and forever.
Prayer before confession
God and Lord of all! He who alone has the power of every breath and soul can heal me, hear the prayer of the accursed me, and consume the serpent nesting in me through the influx of the All-Holy and Life-Giving Spirit, killing me. And grant me, poor and naked, all virtues, to fall at the feet of my holy (spiritual) father with tears, and draw his holy soul to mercy, to have mercy on me. And grant, O Lord, in my heart humility and good thoughts, befitting a sinner who has agreed to repent to You, and may you not in the end abandon the one soul that united with You and confessed You, and chose and preferred You instead of the world: for we know, Lord, that I want to be saved, even if my evil custom is an obstacle: but it is possible for You, Master, the essence of everything, what is impossible is of man. Amen.
Prayer of St. Simeon the New Theologian for finding a spiritual mentor
Lord, not wanting the death of a sinner, but turning back and living to be him, you came down to earth for this, and raised up those lying and killed by sin and saw You, the true light, as it is possible for a person to see, make them worthy, send me a person leading You, and , like You, having worked for him and submitted to him with all my strength, and do Your will in that will, I will please You, the only God, and I, a sinner, will be worthy of Your kingdom.
Prayer of repentance, who repents with a contrite and humble spirit to God
You see everything, Lord, and there is nothing that You have not seen. Although I am the work of Your hands, I did not do the works according to Your commandments, but out of my great foolishness I did every bad thing, not thinking that You, my Creator and God, are as good as you are just. Now, having brought this to mind, I trembled and don’t know what to do. I feel Your condemnation, and I cannot find a word of justification in my mouth. I have no virtue and have not done any deed of repentance worthy of forgiving me even one idle word of my mouth. Moreover, whoever has all the virtues and does all sorts of good deeds, does so as a slave and a debtor, but for his sin in all this he will not find any replacement: here Thy mercy alone precedes. Sin is death, and which of those who died through it can be resurrected by itself? Truly no one. You alone died and rose again, because You did not commit sin and no flattery was found in Your mouth. So, Lord Almighty, having done many evil deeds, I repent, but repentance alone is not strong enough to justify me.
