The Service Of Small Compline (Our Evening Prayer)

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

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of truth, present everywhere and filling all things, Treasury of good things and Giver of life: come and abide in us, cleanse us of every stain; and save our souls, O good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

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

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us of our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Your name’s sake.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

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

Our Father, Who 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; 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. (12)

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

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

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

Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and God

Psalm 50

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your compassions blot out my transgression.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me.

Against You only have I sinned, and have done evil in Your sight, that You may be justified in Your words, and be victorious when You are judged.

For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother bear me.

For behold, You have loved the truth; the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom You have made manifest to me.

Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness; the bones that are humbled shall rejoice.

Turn Your face away from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and establish me with Your governing Spirit.

I shall teach transgressors Your ways, and the impious shall turn back to You.

Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation; my tongue shall rejoice in Your righteousness.

Lord, You shall open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise.

For if You had desired sacrifice, I would have given it; with whole-burnt offerings You shall not be pleased.

A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a heart that is broken and humbled God will not reject.

Do good, Lord, in Your good pleasure to Sion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be built.

Then You shall be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with oblation and whole-burnt offerings.

Then they shall offer young bulls upon Your altar.

Psalm 69

God, be attentive to helping me; Lord, make haste to help me.

Let those that seek after my soul be shamed and confounded.

Let those that desire evils against me be turned back and brought to shame.

Let those who say to me: Well done! Well done! be turned back straight-away in shame.

Let all those who seek after You, O God, be glad and rejoice in You, and let those who love Your salvation say continually: The Lord be magnified.

But as for me, I am poor and needy; God, come to my aid.

You are my Helper and my Deliverer; Lord, do not delay.

Psalm 142

Lord, hear my prayer, in Your truth give ear to my supplications; hear me in Your righteousness.

And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no man living shall be justified.

For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has humbled my life down to the earth.

He has sat me in darkness as those who have been long dead, and my spirit within me has become despondent; my heart within me is troubled.

I remembered days of old, I meditated on all Your works, I pondered on the creations of Your hands.

I stretched forth my hands to You; my soul thirsts after You like a waterless land.

Quickly hear me, Lord; my spirit has fainted away.

Do not turn Your face from me, lest I be like those who go down into the pit.

Cause me to hear Your mercy in the morning; for I have put my hope in You.

Cause me to know, Lord, the way in which I should walk; for I have lifted up my soul to You.

Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I have fled to You for refuge.

Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.

Your good Spirit shall lead me in the land of uprightness; You shall quicken me for Your name’s sake, O Lord.

In Your righteousness You shall bring my soul out of affliction, and in Your mercy You shall utterly destroy my enemies.

And You shall cut off all those who afflict my soul, for I am Your servant.

DOXOLOGY

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men.

We praise You, we bless You, we worship You, we glorify You, we give thanks to You for Your great glory.

Lord, King, heavenly God, Father almighty; Lord, only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ; and Holy Spirit.

Lord, God, the Lamb of God, the Son of the Father, Who takes away the sin of the world: have mercy on us, O You Who take away the sins of the world.

Receive our prayer, O You Who sit at the right hand of the Father, and have mercy on us.

For You only are holy, You only are Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Each day I will bless You, and praise Your name to the ages, and to the ages of ages.

Lord, You have been our refuge in generation to generation. I have said: Lord have mercy upon me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.

Lord, in You I have taken refuge: teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.

For in You is the fountain of life: in Your light we shall see light.

Continue Your mercy to those who know You.

Make us worthy, Lord, in this night to be kept from sin.

Blessed are You, Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Your name to the ages. Amen.

May Your mercy, Lord, be upon us, inasmuch as we trust in You.

Blessed are You, Lord: teach me Your commandments.

Blessed are You, Master: make me understand Your commandments.

Blessed are You, Holy One: enlighten me with Your commandments.

Lord, Your mercy is to the ages; do not disdain the works of Your hands.

To You belongs praise, to You belongs song, to You belongs glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

And the Symbol of the Faith:

I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father, through Whom all things were made.

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from the heavens and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man.

Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, He suffered and was buried.

Rising on the third day according to the Scriptures,

And ascending into the heavens, He is seated at the right hand of the Father;

And coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead, His Kingdom shall have no end;

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Creator of life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke through the prophets.

In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.

I expect the resurrection of the dead;

And the life of the age to come. Amen.

Kanon

Daily, the Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos, page 22, is usually read at this point. On the evening before receiving Holy Communion the Kanon for the Service of Preparation for Holy Communion, page 30, is read.

It is truly proper to bless you, Theotokos, ever-blessed and blameless, and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim; without defilement you gave birth to God the Word, truly Theotokos, we magnify you.

And the Trisagion Prayers:

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

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

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us of our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Your name’s sake.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

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

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

The Kontakion of the Saint of the day, or the following:

God of our Fathers, Who always deals with us according to Your compassion, do not take Your mercy away from us, but through their intercessions, guide our life in peace.

Over the whole world Your Church, crimsoned with the blood of Your martyrs, as though clothed in porphyry and purple, cries out to You, O Christ God: “Send down Your compassion upon Your people, grant peace to Your commonwealth, and extend Your great mercy to our souls.”

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

Among Your saints give rest, O Christ, to the souls of Your servants, where there is no pain, or sorrow, or grieving, but only life everlasting.

Now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Through the intercessions of all the saints, O Lord, and of the Theotokos, grant us Your peace, and have mercy upon us, for You alone are compassionate.

Lord, have mercy. (40)

You Who at all times and at every hour are worshipped and glorified both in heaven and on earth, O Christ God; Who are long suffering and generous in mercy and compassion; Who love the just and show mercy to those hardened in sin; Who call all people to salvation through the promise of good things to come: receive, O Lord, our supplications at this time, and direct our lives according to Your commandments. Sanctify our souls; purify our bodies; set our minds aright; cleanse our thoughts; and deliver us from all calamity, wrath and distress. Surround us with Your holy Angels, so that guided and guarded by them we may attain the unity of the faith, and the comprehension of Your ineffable glory; for You are blessed to the ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

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

More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim; without defilement you gave birth to God the Word, truly Theotokos, we magnify you.

Lord, have mercy. (12)

And save us, all-holy Virgin.

PRAYER TO THE MOST-HOLY THEOTOKOS

Spotless, undefiled, incorruptible, most-chaste, pure Virgin, Bride of God, Lady, who unites God the Word to man by your wondrous conception, and who joins the fallen nature of our race to heavenly things; the only hope of the hopeless, and the help of the persecuted; the ready help of those who flee to you, and the refuge of all Christians: do not reject me the sinner, the accursed one, who have rendered myself altogether useless by my shameful thoughts, words, and deeds, and who through indolence have become a slave to the pleasures of this life.

But as Mother of the God Who loves mankind, show your love for me the sinner and the prodigal, and receive from me the prayers offered to you by unhallowed lips, and, using your boldness as a Mother, entreat your Son, and our Lord and Master, to extend His goodness to me in His wondrous love for mankind, and, overlooking my numberless transgressions, turn me to repentance, showing me to be a zealous doer of His commandments.

And be ever near me as merciful, and compassionate, and gentle; in this present life an ardent protection and help, defending me from assaults of adversaries, and leading me to salvation; and in the hour of my departure, encompass my struggling soul, and drive the dark visions of evil spirits far from it; in the fearsome day of judgment, deliver me from eternal punishment, and present me as an inheritor of the ineffable glory of your Son and our God.

May this be my lot, my Lady, most-holy Theotokos, through your mediation and help; by the grace and love for mankind of your only-begotten Son, the Lord and God, and our Savior Jesus Christ. To Whom belongs all glory, honor, and worship, with His eternal Father, and His All-Holy, and good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

PRAYER TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

And grant to us, Master, as we depart for sleep, rest for our body and soul; and protect us from the murky sleep of sin, and from all dark and nocturnal passions.

Calm the impulses of passion, and quench the fiery darts of the evil one, which are treacherously cast against us; check the turbulence of our flesh, and put to rest all our earthy and mundane thoughts.

And grant to us, God, a watchful mind, prudent reasoning, a vigilant heart, tranquil sleep, and release from all satanic fantasies. Raise us up at the hour of prayer, strengthened in Your commandments, and holding the remembrance of Your judgments unshaken within us.

Grant to us Your benediction through the night, that we may praise, and bless, and glorify Your all-honored and most-sublime Name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

And the following Troparia:

Most-glorious, ever-virgin, blessed Theotokos, present our prayer to your Son and our God, and plead with Him, that through you He may save our souls.

My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit. Holy Trinity, glory to You.

All my hope I place in you, Mother of God: guard me under your protection.

In you rejoices, O full of grace, all creation, the hierarchy of Angels and the race of mankind; sanctified Temple and intellectual Paradise, the boast of virgins: from whom God was incarnate, and became a Child, Who is our pre-eternal God. For He made your womb His throne, and shaped your womb to be more spacious than the heavens. In you rejoices, O full of grace, all creation: glory to you.

PRAYER TO THE GUARDIAN ANGEL

Holy Angel, assigned to accompany my wretched soul and lowly life, do not forsake me the sinner, nor depart from me because of my wickedness; do not let the evil demons enter and rule my mortal body with their might; but rather take my wretched and feeble hand, and lead me along the path of salvation. Yes, holy Angel of God, guardian protector of my wretched soul and body, forgive me for everything by which I have saddened you all the days of my life, and in my sins on this day; shelter me during the coming night, and protect me from the schemes of the obstinate, that I may not anger God with any sin; and intercede with the Lord on my behalf, that He might confirm me in His fear and show me forth as a worthy servant of His goodness. Amen.

And the following Troparia:

To you, the champion Commander, I your city inscribe victorious anthems of thanksgiving, for deliverance from sufferings, Theotokos. Inasmuch as you have power unassailable, from all manner of dangers set me free, that I cry out to you: Rejoice bride unwedded!

Theotokos Virgin, rejoice Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. For you have brought forth the Savior of our souls. (3)

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

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Then:

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