Morning
Morning Prayers of St Macarius the Great
“In the morning thou shalt hear my voice: in the morning will I wait upon thee, and will look up.”Psalm 5:3
Reflection
The prayer book used in the Russian and other Slavic Orthodox churches gives a set of morning prayers that tradition attributes to St Macarius the Great, the fourth-century desert father of Egypt. Two of them are below, and they are short and honest. The first admits that we have done nothing good before God, and asks only that he deliver us from the evil one and let his will be done in us, so that we can praise him without shame. The second hands the whole day to the Master who loves mankind: every hour, every task, every temptation. Say them as you get up, before the phone and the news. These prayers are attributed by tradition; the translation is our own, made from the Church Slavonic text and kept close to the original rather than polished.
A prayer
O God, cleanse me, a sinner, for I have never done anything good in your sight. But deliver me from the evil one, and let your will be in me, that I may open my unworthy lips without condemnation and praise your holy name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. To you, O Master who love mankind, I run as I rise from sleep, and by your mercy I set out to do your works. And I pray to you: help me at all times and in all things, and deliver me from every evil thing of this world and from every prompting of the devil; and save me, and bring me into your eternal Kingdom. For you are my Creator, and the Provider and Giver of every good thing, and all my hope is in you, and to you I send up glory, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Carry this with you
Before you look at anything else this morning, name the first task of your day and ask God to help you in it.