Holy Wednesday Little Compline

With the three-canticled Canon of St. Andrew of Crete

The whole service may be prayed by an individual.

If more than one person is present, one of them is designated ‘Reader’ and says or chants the text in normal type. The others respond with the text in bold. Or the rôle of Reader could be shared.

The mark + indicates that the Sign of the Cross is made here.

All stand

+ 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, who is everywhere present and fills all things, Treasury of Good Things and Giver of Life, come and dwell in us and cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Good One.

+ Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us. (3x)

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

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

Lord, have mercy. (3x)

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

+ Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today 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.

Lord have mercy. (12x)

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

A metania is made after each verse below
Come, let us worship and fall down before our King and our God.
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and our God.
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ himself, our King and our God

Psalm 50
Have mercy on me O God, in your great mercy. In accordance with the multitude of your compassion blot out my offence.
Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my wickedness, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you only I have sinned and done what is evil in your sight, that you may be justified in your words, and win when you are judged.
For see, in wickedness I was conceived, and in sin my mother bore me.
For see, you have loved truth: you have shown me the hidden and secret things of your wisdom.
You will sprinkle me with hyssop and I shall be cleansed; you will wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.
You will make me hear of joy and gladness; the bones which have been humbled will rejoice.
Turn away your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me.
Do not cast me out from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.
Give me back the joy of your salvation, and establish me with a sovereign Spirit.
I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn to you again.
O God, the God of my salvation, deliver me from bloodshed, and my tongue will rejoice at your justice.
Lord, you will open my lips: and my mouth will declare your praise.
For if you had wanted a sacrifice, I would have given it; you will not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a humbled heart God will not despise.
Do good to Sion, Lord, in your good pleasure; and let the walls of Jerusalem be rebuilt.
Then you will be well pleased with a sacrifice of justice, oblation and whole burnt offerings.
Then they will offer calves upon your altar.

Psalm 69
O God, come to my help; Lord, hasten to help me.
Let those who seek my soul be shamed and confounded.
Let those who wish me evil be turned back and put to shame.
Let those who say to me, ‘Good, good!’ be turned back immediately, ashamed.
Let all who seek you, O God, be glad and rejoice in you.
Let all who love your salvation ever say: ‘The Lord be magnified.’
But I am poor and needy; help me, O God.
You are my helper and my deliverer; Lord, do not delay.

Psalm 142
Lord, hear my prayer: in your truth give ear to my supplication, and in your righteousness hear me.
Do not enter into judgement with your servant: for in your sight no one living can be justified.
For the enemy pursued my soul, humbled my life to the ground.
Made me dwell in darkness, like those for ever dead.
My spirit grew despondent within me and my heart within me was troubled.
I remembered days of old, I meditated on all your works: I made the works of your hands my meditation.
I stretched out my hands towards you: my soul thirsted for you like a waterless land.
Hear me swiftly, O Lord, my spirit has failed.
Do not turn your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
Make me hear of your mercy in the morning, for I have hoped in you.
Make known to me the way in which I should walk, for to you I have lifted up my soul.
Deliver me from my enemies, Lord: I have run to you for shelter.
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Your good Spirit will guide me in an upright land.
For your name’s sake, O Lord, you will give me life.
In your justice, you will bring my soul out of trouble, in your mercy slay my enemies,
And destroy all those that afflict my soul, for I am your servant.

The Little Doxology – Plain Reading
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men.
We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory.
Lord, King, God of heaven, Father almighty: Lord, only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit.
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us; You take away the sins of the world.
Receive our prayer, you who sit on the right hand of the Father, and have mercy on us.
For you alone are holy, you alone are Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Every evening I will bless you, and praise your name for ever and to the ages of ages.
Lord, you have been our refuge from generation to generation. I said, Lord, have mercy on me, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Lord, I have run to you for refuge; teach me to do your will for you are my God.
For with you is the source of life, and in your light we shall see light.
Continue your mercy toward those who know you.
Grant, Lord, this night to keep us without sin.
Blessed are you, Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is your name for ever more. Amen.

May your mercy, Lord, be upon us, as we have trusted in you.
Blessed are you, Lord, teach me your statutes.
Blessed are you, Master, make me understand your statutes.
Blessed are you, Holy One, enlighten me with your statutes.
Lord, your mercy is for ever. Do not scorn the work of your hands.
To you praise is due, to you song is due, to you glory is due, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

The Creed
I believe in one God, Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages. Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one essence with the Father; through him all things were made; for our sake and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man; he was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; he rose again on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; he is coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead; and his kingdom will have no end.

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with Father and Son is together worshipped and glorified; who spoke through the Prophets.

And in one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church; I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins; I await the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come. Amen.

Three-Canticled Canon from the Triodion by St. Andrew of Crete – in Tone 6

Ode 4. Irmos
The Prophet heard of your coming, Lord, and he was afraid: how you were to be born of a Virgin and revealed to men, and he said: ‘I have heard the report of you and I was afraid.’ Glory to your power, Lord.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Furnished and ready, the upper room received you, creator, with your companions at the mystical supper. There you sent your two disciples to prepare the feast for you; there you have kept the Passover, and performed its mysteries.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

‘Go to such a man’, he who knows all things said beforehand to his apostles, ‘and he who can receive the Lord with faith is blessed, preparing his heart as an upper room and his devotion as supper.’

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Senseless Judas, in your folly you are filled with thoughts of avarice. To you alone was the money bag entrusted, yet you were not moved at all to mercy; but you had closed your hard heart and betrayed the Lord, the only compassionate one

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

The purpose of the Jews who sought to kill God fitted with the action of Judas in his avarice: they armed themselves for murder, and he was tempted by the money. But in misery he lost his life, preferring a noose rather than repentance.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Deceiving Judas, your kiss is full of deceit, your greeting brings a sword; your tongue speaks of unity, yet in your thoughts you agree to separation. With cunning you decided to betray the Benefactor to the wrongdoers.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

You kiss and yet you sell your Lord, Judas; you embrace him yet wait to deceive him. Thrice miserable! Who can embrace in hatred? Who can love, yet sell for a price? Your kiss betrays the evil purpose of your shameless heart.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

+ Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit

Undivided in Essence, unconfused in Persons, I confess you as God: Deity three-in-one, united in kingship and throne; and to you I raise the great thrice-holy hymn that is sung on high.

both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

O Mother of God, your conceiving is beyond expression and you childbearing is beyond nature. You have conceived by the Spirit, not by human seed, and you childbearing has not followed nature’s laws, since it was without corruption and above the nature of all birth-giving; for you have borne he who is God.

Kathisma (You have appeared) – in Tone 4
Master, Eating with your disciples you have mystically revealed your holy end, by which we who honour your sacred Passion are delivered from corruption.

Ode 8 – Irmos
The hosts of heaven give Him glory; cherubim and seraphim tremble before Him; let everything that has breath and all creation praise Him, bless Him, and exalt Him above all for ever.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

He who wrote the tables of the Law on Sinai, fulfilled the rules of the Law Himself. He ate the old Passover which was but a shadow, and He became the new Passover, a mystical and living Sacrifice.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Revealing in a mystery the wisdom hidden from all ages, Christ our Saviour, you revealed it to all your apostles at the Supper: and, inspired by God, they delivered it to the Churches.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

‘One of you shall betray Me by guile this night and sell Me to the Hebrews’, Christ cried aloud to His friends, filling them with dismay; and then they turned one to another in doubt.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

He who is powerful made Himself lowly for our sakes: rising from the Supper, He took a towel and prepared Himself, and bowing down, He washed the feet of the disciples and the traitor.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Who would not be struck with wonder at the height of your knowledge, which no mind can understand nor can any tongue describe! You, the Creator of all, have drawn near to your creatures of clay, and washed their feet and dried them with a towel.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

The disciple whom the Lord loved, lying on His breast, said to Him: ‘Who is it that will betray you?’ And Christ answered: ‘It is he who now dips his hand in the dish.’

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

The disciple received the sop, yet not the Bread itself; scheming how to sell Him, he ran to the Jews and said to the transgressors: ‘What will you give me if I deliver Him to you?’

+ Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit

I honour God one in Essence, I sing the praises of the three Persons, distinct from one another yet not differing in Nature, for there is one Godhead and one Power in the three, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Jesus our Saviour, deliver us from error and temptation and the evil one. Accept the Mother of God who intercedes for us without ceasing: for she is your Mother and has power to implore you.

Ode 9 – Irmos
Conception without seed; birth beyond understanding, from a Mother who never knew a man; childbearing undefiled. For the birth of God makes both natures new. Therefore, as Bride and Mother of God, with true worship all generations magnify you.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Sitting at supper with your companions, Lord who loves mankind, you revealed to them the great mystery of your Incarnation, saying: ‘Eat the living Bread, drink with faith the Blood shed from My divine side at My death.’

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

The upper room in which Christ kept the Passover was revealed as a heavenly tabernacle; the supper without the shedding of blood is our rational worship; the table on which the Mysteries were celebrated there is our spiritual altar.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Christ is our great and honoured Passover, eaten as bread and slain as a Lamb. He has been offered as a sacrifice for us, and mystically we all receive with reverence His Body and His Blood.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Having blessed the bread, you Bread of Heaven, you offered thanks to your Father, and taking the cup you gave it to your disciples, saying: ‘Take, eat, this is My Body and the Blood of Life incorruptible.’

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Christ the true Vine spoke to His branches, the apostles, saying: ‘Amen, I will not drink henceforth from the vine until I drink it new with you My heirs in the glory of My Father.’

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

For thirty pieces of silver you have sold him who is above all price; and do you not think, wicked Judas, of the mystery of the Supper and the holy washing of the feet? How have you fallen so completely from the light, embracing with love the hangman’s noose!

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

The hands in which you took taken the Bread of incorruption, you have then stretched out to take the money; and with the mouth in which you received the Body and Blood of Christ, you have given a deceitful kiss. But to you, as Christ has said.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Christ, the divine and heavenly Bread, gives food to all the world. Come, then, Lovers of Christ, and in our mouths of clay but with pure hearts let us receive in faith the Passover that is sacrificed and offered in our midst.

+ Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit

Let us glorify the Father, let us exalt the Son, and with faith let us worship the divine Spirit, the undivided Trinity and Unity in Essence. Let us adore Light and Lights, Life and Lives, giving life and light to the ends of the earth.

both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

You alone are shown to be the heavenly bridal chamber and ever-virgin Bride. You have carried God in your womb and have given birth to Him; and He took flesh from you yet underwent no change. Therefore, as Bride and Mother of God, with true worship all generations magnify you.

Irmos
Conception without seed; birth beyond understanding, from a Mother who never knew a man; childbearing undefiled. For the birth of God makes both natures new. Therefore, as Bride and Mother of God, with true worship all generations magnify you.

The Trisagion Prayers

+ Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us. (3x)

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

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

Lord, have mercy. (3x)

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

+ Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today 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.

Lord have mercy. (12x)

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

Kontakion – in Tone 6
Receiving the bread in his hands, the betrayer in secret extends those very hands receiving from the priests the price of Him who had fashioned mankind with His own hands. And he remained incorrigible, Judas the slave and the knave.

Lord, have mercy (40x)

At every time and at every hour, in heaven and on earth worshipped and glorified, Christ God, long-suffering, great in mercy, great in compassion, loving the just and merciful to sinners, calling all to salvation by the promise of the blessings to come; do you, Lord, yourself accept our entreaties at this hour, and direct our lives to your commandments. Sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, correct our thoughts, cleanse our ideas and deliver us from every distress, evil, and pain. Wall us about with your holy Angels, that, protected and guided by their host, we may reach the unity of the faith and the knowledge of your unapproachable glory; for you are blessed to the ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, have mercy (3x)

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

+ More honourable than the cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim; you who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, very Mother of God, we magnify you.

Lord, have mercy. (12x) And save and help us, All-holy Virgin.

Prayer to The Most Holy Mother of God
by Paul, monk of the Monastery of Evergetis
Spotless, undefiled, incorrupt, immaculate, pure Virgin, Bride of God and Lady, who by your marvellous conceiving united God the Word with mankind and joined our rejected human nature to the heavenly realm; the only hope of the hopeless, help of the attacked, ready assistance of those who flee to you, and refuge of all Christians; do not turn in loathing from me, an accursed sinner, who have made myself utterly worthless through shameful thoughts and words and deeds, and through the sloth of the pleasures of life have become a slave to my own will. But as Mother of the God who loves mankind have compassion on me, a sinner and a prodigal, in your love for mankind, and accept the prayer I offer you from polluted lips. And using your Mother’s boldness, implore your Son, our Master and Lord, that He open to me also the compassionate heart of his goodness, and disregarding my countless offences turn me back to repentance, and make me a tried worker of his commandments. And, as you are full of mercy, compassion and loving-kindness, be ever near me: in this present life a fervent helper and protector, shielding me from the enemy’s assaults and guiding me to salvation, and at the moment of my departure watching over my wretched soul and driving far from her the dark forms of evil demons; but on the dread day of judgement, delivering me from eternal punishment and making me heir to the ineffable glory of your Son and our God. All this may I obtain, my Lady, most holy Mother of God, through your mediation and assistance; through the grace and love for mankind of your only-begotten Son, our Lord and God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. To whom are due all glory, honour and worship, with his Father who is without beginning and his all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer to Our Lord Jesus Christ
by the monk Antiochos
And grant us, Master, as we go to our sleep, rest of body and soul; and guard us from the gloomy sleep of sin and from every dark pleasure of the night. Calm the assaults of the passions, quench the fiery arrows of the evil one that are cunningly aimed at us; put down the rebellions of our flesh and still our every earthly and material thought. And grant us, O God, a watchful mind, chaste thought, a wakeful heart, sleep that is light and free from every satanic fantasy. Rouse us at the time for prayer strengthened in your commandments, and holding firmly within us the memory of your judgements. Grant that we may sing your glory all night long, and so hymn, bless and glorify your all honoured and majestic name, of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Most glorious, ever-virgin, blessed Mother of God, offer our prayer to your Son and our God, and ask that through you he may save our souls.

Prayer of Saint Ioannikios
The Father is my Hope; the Son is my Refuge; the Holy Spirit is my Protection. O Holy Trinity: Glory to Thee.

Prayer to the Most Holy Mother of God
All my hope I place in you, Mother of God, guard me under your protection.

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