Preparing for a Holy Death: A Marian Prayer of Saint Gregory of Narek, Doctor of the Church

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Grigor Narekats‘i (Gregory of Narek). 

Գիրք աղօթից (Book of Prayers). 

Constantinople: Tparan Astuatsatrean, 1763. 

Near East Section, African and Middle Eastern Division, Library of Congress 

A Prayer to Mary

by Saint Gregory of Narek

Assist me by the wings of your prayers,

O you who are called the Mother of the living,

so that on my exit from this valley of tears

I may be able to advance without torment

to the dwelling of life

that has been prepared for us

to lighten the end of a life burdened by my iniquity.

Healer of the sorrows of Eve,

change my day of anguish into a feast of gladness.

Be my Advocate,

ask and supplicate.

For as I believe in your inexpressible purity,

so do I also believe in

the good reception that is given to your word.

O you who are blessed among women,

help me with your tears

for I am in danger.

Bend the knee to obtain my reconciliation,

O Mother of God.

Be solicitous for me for I am miserable,

O Tabernacle of the Most High.

Hold out your hand to me as I fall,

O heavenly Temple.

Glorify your Son in me:

may he be pleased to operate Divinely in me

the miracle of forgiveness and mercy.

Handmaid and Mother of God,

may your honour be exalted by me,

and may my salvation be manifested through you.

Amen.

Saint Gregory of Narek

Doctor of the Church

Anno Domini 1010

14 May: Praying for an End to the Pandemic

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Pope Francis has asked that on the 14th of May AD 2020 that we pray for an end to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.


I am reprinting below a Litany found in last Sunday's bulletin from the Parish of St Vincent Ferrer and St Catherine of Siena in New York City:


This week we reprint the beautiful Litany of Supplication devised for the Holy Father’s Urbi et Orbi blessing in time of pandemic. It will be apt for this day in this year.

We adore you, O Lord
True God and true man, truly present in this holy Sacrament.
We adore you, O Lord
Our Savior, God with us, faithful and rich in mercy
We adore you, O Lord
King and Lord of creation and of history Conqueror of sin and death
We adore you, O Lord
Friend of humankind, the Risen One, the Living One who sits at the right hand of the Father.
We adore you, O Lord

We believe in you, O Lord
Only begotten Son of the Father, descended from heaven for our salvation
We believe in you, O Lord
Heavenly physician, who bows down over our misery
We believe in you, O Lord
Lamb who was slain, who offer yourself to rescue us from evil
We believe in you, O Lord
Good Shepherd, who give your life for the flock which you love
We believe in you, O Lord
Living bread and medicine for immortality, who give us eternal life
We believe in you, O Lord

Deliver us, O Lord
From the power of Satan and the seductions of the world
Deliver us, O Lord
From the pride and presumption of being able to do anything without you
Deliver us, O Lord
From the deceptions of fear and anxiety From unbelief and desperation
Deliver us, O Lord
From hardness of heart and the incapacity to love
Deliver us, O Lord

Save us, O Lord
From every evil that afflicts humanity
Save us, O Lord
From hunger, from famine and from egoism From illnesses, epidemics and the fear of our brothers and sisters
Save us, O Lord
From devastating madness, from ruthless interests and from violence
Save us, O Lord
From being deceived, from false information and the manipulation of consciences
Save us, O Lord

Comfort us, O Lord
Protect your Church which crosses the desert 
Comfort us, O Lord
Protect humanity terrified by fear and anguish
Comfort us, O Lord
Protect the sick and the dying, oppressed by loneliness
Comfort us, O Lord
Protect doctors and healthcare providers exhausted by the difficulties they are facing 
Comfort us, O Lord
Protect politicians and decision makers who bear the weight of having to make decisions
Comfort us, O Lord

Grant us your Spirit, O Lord
In the hour of trial and from confusion
Grant us your Spirit, O Lord
In temptation and in our fragility
Grant us your Spirit, O Lord
In the battle against evil and sin
Grant us your Spirit, O Lord
In the search for what is truly good and true joy In the decision to remain in you and in your friendship
Grant us your Spirit, O Lord

Open us to hope, O Lord
Should sin oppress us
Open us to hope, O Lord
Should hatred close our hearts Should sorrow visit us
Open us to hope, O Lord
Should indifference cause us anguish Should death overwhelm us
Open us to hope, O Lord

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The Coimbra Marian Prayer against Pestilence

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There is a prayer in Portugal known by the faithful as Stella Coeli.  It began with nuns who followed the way of St. Clare of Assisi in the ancient university city of Coimbra in Portugal.  At a time when disease was killing so many, the nuns began the invocation and prayer to the Star of the Sea.

Here is an English translation of that prayer from years ago in which "the Star" refers to Saint Mary the Mother of God (Theotokos). With the COVID-19 coronavirus traversing the globe, I offer it here for all Catholics and those whose trust and love of the Lord Jesus includes love and trust for His Mother Mary:

Stella Coeli 

The Star of Heaven that nourished the Lord 
 drove away the plague of death 
which the first parents of man brought into the world.

May this bright Star now vouchsafe 
to extinguish that foul constellation 
whose battles have slain the people 
with the wound of death.

O most pious Star of the Sea, 
preserve us from pestilence; 
hear us, O Lady, for Thy Son honours Thee 
by denying Thee nothing.

Save us, O Jesus, 
for whom Thy Virgin Mother supplicates Thee.

V: Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray

O God of mercy, God of pity, God of benign clemency, Thou Who hast had compassion on the affliction of Thy people, and hast said to the angel striking them, “Stop thy hand;” for the love of this glorious Star, whose breasts Thou didst sweetly drink as antidote for our crimes, grant the assistance of Thy grace, that we may be safely freed from all pestilence, and from unprovided death; and mercifully save us from the gulf of eternal perdition: through Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, King of Glory, who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

Caryll Houselander: The Risen Christ

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An Excerpt from the Chapter "The Prayer of the Body"

Before Christ died he literally gave us his sacramental body in his own hands. Day after day he is born in the consecrated hands of the priest ; in a man's hands he is lifted up and offers himself to the Father. It is fitting, then, that so often our offering of self through the body must be made literally with our hands.

Caryll Houselander

What an expression of himself a man's hands are. When he comes to die, what a story his hands tell. They have taken on the shape and colour and texture of his work. They are the story of his life. When Madame Curie lay dead, the most beautiful testimonial to her life's work was in her hands lying simply on the coverlet, scarred with burns of radium.

Long before Christ gave us his body in his own hands they were hardened by toil, beautiful with the line and muscle and sinew of the hands of an artisan, and hollowed out by the wooden mallet to cup the chalice and hold the nail. But in the consummation of his self-giving, these hands which had given   in so many ways were helpless, fastened back, immovable, to a plank.

At that moment his body was broken, the heart was broken, the flesh and blood separated. Every day the suffering of the Lord's body is shown in the breaking of the bread.

Sooner or later, our prayer of the body too becomes the helpless hands, the falling away of self, the breaking of the bread.  Sickness, old age, death ; these must come, and when they come it seems that our service is ended. There is exhaustion which makes it first an effort, then an impossibility, to lift the hand up to make the sign of the cross; no more liturgical acts in daily life, gestures and symbols that worship God and give Christ's love to men.

Everything falls away from us, even memories— even the weariness of self. This is the breaking of the bread, the supreme moment in the prayer of the body, the end of the liturgy of our mortal lives, when we are broken for and in the communion of Christ's love to the whole world.

But it is not the end of the prayer of the body. To that there is no end. Our dust pays homage to God, until the endless morning of resurrection wakens our body, glorified.

Caryll Houselander

The Risen Christ

Sheed and Ward, New York

1958

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An Armenian Sanctuary Prayer

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Deacon

[...]  And again for peace
let us beseech the Lord. 

Let us praise the Almighty God,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has made us worthy to stand
in this place of glorification
and to sing spiritual songs;
may the Almighty Lord, our God,
save us and have mercy upon us.

The Prayer in Sanctuary

Celebrant

In this holy abode and in this place of glorification, 

in this dwelling place of angels, 

and in this Temple of purification, 

before these God-accepted and resplendent holy symbols 

and before this holy sanctuary, 

we all humble ourselves and worship You with awe; 

we praise and glorify

Your holy, wondrous and triumphant Resurrection, 

and together with the heavenly hosts 

we offer You praise and glory 

together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, 

now and always forever and ever. Amen.

from The Badarak, pp. 21-22

The Sacred Music and the Divine Liturgy

of the Armenian Apostolic Church

Glendale, California, 1997

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Saint Isaac of Nineveh: The Gift of Tears

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Saint Isaac the Syrian writes:

Perpetual tears during prayer 

are a sign of divine mercy 

of which the soul is deemed worthy 

because of her repentance 

which has been accepted: 

and with tears 

she begins to enter 

the plain of sincerity,
the plain of purity.

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The Canticle of the Lamb

Repost from 2015

For whoever believes 

in the power of the Blood of Jesus,

nothing is impossible.

After a rather vigorous (if not contentious) discussion concerning the late Mother Basilea Schlink and the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary , I was put in mind of her most important spiritual canticle —'most important' in my humble opinion of course—a spiritual canticle to the Wounds of Jesus and the Blood of the Lamb entitled The Canticle of the Lamb.

Today I understand that the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary uses a new English translation of the Canticle, but liturgically I prefer the diction of the first translation — which one may find in Celtic Daily Prayer and which I print below for ease of reference.  

     I praise the Wounds 
          and the Blood of the Lamb

 
     I praise the Wounds and the Blood of the Lamb

              that heals the weakness of my body,

     I praise the Wounds and the Blood of the Lamb

              that heals the weakness of my soul,
 
     I praise the Wounds and the Blood of the Lamb

               that heals the weakness of my spirit!


     Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His forgiving power.

     Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His cleansing power.

     Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His saving power.

     Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His releasing power.

     Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His victorious power.

     Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His renewing power.

     Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His protecting power.

     For whoever believes in the power of the Blood of Jesus,      
             nothing is impossible.

     I praise the Blood of the Lamb that covers all my sins

          so that they can no longer be seen,
 
     I praise the Blood of the Lamb that cleanses me from all my sins

         and makes me white as snow,
 
     I praise the Blood of the Lamb that has power to free me

          from all my bondages and chains of sin.

     I praise the Blood of the Lamb that is stronger

          than my own sin-infested blood

              and remoulds me into the image of God,

     I praise the Blood of the Lamb that is victorious

         over all powers that seek to oppress me,

              over every power of the enemy.
 
     I praise the Blood of the Lamb 

          that protects me from all the devious attacks of the enemy.

     I praise the Blood of the Lamb 

          that prepares for me the bridal garment.

     I praise the Blood of the Lamb

          that makes all things new.

              Hallelujah! Amen.

M. Basilea Schlink

as translated in Celtic Daily Prayer

For whoever believes 
in the power of the Blood of Jesus,

nothing is impossible.

St. Cyprian: "The Day of Our Own Struggle"

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Saint Cyprian writes:

"Divine Providence has now prepared us. God's merciful design has warned us that the day of our own struggle, our own contest, is at hand. 

"By that shared love which binds us close together, we are doing all we can to exhort our congregation, to give ourselves unceasingly to fastings, vigils and prayers in common.

"These are the heavenly weapons which give us the strength to stand firm and endure; they are the spiritual defences, the God-given armaments that protect us. Let us then remember one another, united in mind and heart. 

"Let us pray without ceasing, you for us, we for you; by the love we share we shall thus relieve the strain of these great trials."

Heart of Jesus, think of me.

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El Divino Niño • Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament • Hanceville, Alabama

HEART OF JESUS, think of me. 

Eyes of Jesus, look on me. 

Face of Jesus, comfort me. 

Hands of Jesus, bless me. 

Feet of Jesus, guide me. 

Arms of Jesus, hold me. 

Body of Jesus, feed me. 

Blood of Jesus, wash me. 

Jesus, make me thus thine own

Here and in the world to come. Amen.

Saint Augustine's Prayer Book

Order of the Holy Cross
The Episcopal Church

USA

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The Coimbra Marian Prayer against Pestilence

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There is a prayer in Portugal known by the faithful as Stella Coeli.  It began with nuns who followed the way of St. Clare of Assisi in the ancient university city of Coimbra in Portugal.  At a time when disease was killing so many, the nuns began the invocation and prayer to the Star of the Sea.

Here is an English translation of that prayer from years ago in which "the Star" refers to Saint Mary the Mother of God (Theotokos). With the COVID-19 coronavirus traversing the globe, I offer it here for all Catholics and those whose trust and love of the Lord Jesus includes love and trust for His Mother Mary:

Stella Coeli 

The Star of Heaven that nourished the Lord 
 drove away the plague of death 
which the first parents of man brought into the world.

May this bright Star now vouchsafe 
to extinguish that foul constellation 
whose battles have slain the people 
with the wound of death.

O most pious Star of the Sea, 
preserve us from pestilence; 
hear us, O Lady, for Thy Son honours Thee 
by denying Thee nothing.

Save us, O Jesus, 
for whom Thy Virgin Mother supplicates Thee.

V: Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray

O God of mercy, God of pity, God of benign clemency, Thou Who hast had compassion on the affliction of Thy people, and hast said to the angel striking them, “Stop thy hand;” for the love of this glorious Star, whose breasts Thou didst sweetly drink as antidote for our crimes, grant the assistance of Thy grace, that we may be safely freed from all pestilence, and from unprovided death; and mercifully save us from the gulf of eternal perdition: through Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, King of Glory, who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

Collects for the First Sunday of Lent (Anglican Patrimony)

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O Lord, which for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights; Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness, and true holiness, to thy honour and glory, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.  Amen.

The Book of Common Prayer, 1549

Lord Jesus Christ, who wast in all points tempted as we are : Strengthen us, we pray thee, in our manifold temptations; and as thou knowest our weaknesses, so may we know thee mighty to save; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit art one God for ever and ever. 

JLG

Holy Father, whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the desert: Give us grace to discipline ourselves in humble submission to your Spirit that we may lead upright and holy lives to your honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Modern Collects

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan : come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations ; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each find you mighty to save ; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. 

The Book of Common Prayer 1979 USA
Based upon a prayer of William Bright "For the Tempted"

Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness, and was tempted as we are, yet did not sin : give us grace to discipline ourselves in obedience to your Spirit; and, as you know our weakness, so may we know your saving power; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

APB, Ireland

Almighty God, your Son fasted forty days and forty nights in the desert : give us grace to use such discipline, that our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may always obey your will in righteousness and holiness, to your honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

An Anglican Prayer Book, South Africa

Merciful Father, your Son was tempted as we are yet without sin : be with us in our weakness that we may know your power to save; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

An Anglican Prayer Book, South Africa

A hymn of Richard Rolle of Hampole, d. 1349

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I have found this text of Richard Rolle of Hampole (d. 1349) especially useful to be before or after the Stations of the Cross on Fridays in Lent and at other times:

Lord Jesus, when I think of Thee,

And look upon Thy cross aright,

Thy body stained with blood I see,

Lord, pierce my heart with that sad sight!

Jesus, true love I owe to Thee

Who on the cross didst show, that tide,

The crown of thorns, the sharp nails three,

The cruel spear that pierced Thy side.

Jesus, love made Thy tears to fall, 

'Twas love that made Thy blood to flow,

For love wast scourged and smitten all,

For love Thy life Thou didst forego.

Mary, I pray, as thou art free,

A part of this thy grief I'll bear,

That I may sorrow here with thee,

And bliss with thee here after share!

Richard Rolle of Hampole 

(d 1349)