Morning Prayers from an Old Russian Prayer Book

This is the garden outside the Church of St Panteleimon in Thessaloniki, Greece. I took this photo in the year 2000. This is my favorite church in Thessaloniki.

The Morning Prayers

The First Prayer of St Isaac the Syrian
O Lord Jesus Christ my God, Who dost visit Thy creation, to Thee are manifest my passions, and the frailty of my nature, and the strength of my adversary.  Do Thou Thyself, O Master, protect me from his malice, because his power is strong, where as my nature is passionate and my strength is feeble. Do Thou, O Good One, Who knowsest my weakness and hast borne the difficulties of my impotence, guard me against disordered thoughts and the flood of passions,  and make me worthy of this holy service, lest in my passions I spoil its sweetness and be found impudent and audacious in Thy sight. But in Thy mercy have mercy on me: For blessed art Thou unto the ages. Amen.

The Second Prayer of St Stephen of the Thebaid
O Master and Lord, Jesus Christ my God, be Thought my helper, I am in Thy hands. Suffer me not to sin, for I am tempted; suffer me not to perish in my sins. Take pity upon Thy creature. Cast me not away from Thy face on account of my sins, for to Thee have I fled. Heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee. Before Thee are all they that afflict me and seek after my soul to destroy it. I have no other refuge than in Thee, O Lord, for Thou art powerful in all things, O Lord. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,  now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Third Prayer of St John Chrysostom
O Lord, whether I will it or not, save me. As a filthy lover of material things I desire sinful defilement,  but as Thou art good and all powerful,  Thou canst hold me back. For if Thou hast mercy on a righteous man, it is no great thing; if Thou savest a pure man, it is nothing wonderful,  since they are deserving of Thy mercy. Rather, make known the wonder of Thy mercy in me, who am wretched, sinful and defiled, and show Thy compassion. Poor in all good works, I am a pauper, abandoned to Thee. O Lord save me for Thy mercy's sake: For blessed art Thou unto the ages. Amen.

The Fourth Prayer
O Master, have mercy on me for the sake of Thy goodness, and suffer me not to go astray from Thy will. And cast not my poor prayers away from Thy face, but hear O Lord, the voice of my prayer when I pray to Thee in the day and in the night, and accept it as choice incense. Withhold not Thy grace on account of my sins, but save me for Thy holy Name's sake. For Thine alone is to show mercy and save us, and unto Thee do we send up glory, to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,  now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Dismissal
Lord Jesus Christ,  Son of God, through the prayers of Thy most pure Mother, by the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, through the prayers of my holy Guardian Angel,  and of al the saints, have mercy on me and save me a sinner,  for Thou art good and lovest mankind. Amen.

"Know that the Sick are in Greater Need of Loving Care than of Rebuke" by St Isaac the Syrian

St Isaac the Syrian

One of  the most amazing things about St Isaac the Syrian,
is his well balanced and wholesome treatment of difficult
issues, for example; positive zeal. How do we neglect not 
what is needful, without being eager at the expense of love,
which is the highest virtue. In Homily 51 of his Ascetical
Homilies, St Isaac says;

"A zealous man never achieves peace of mind; but he who is
a stranger to peace is a stranger to joy. If, as it is said, peace 
of mind is perfect health, and zeal is opposed to peace, then
the man who has the wrong zeal is sick with a grievous
disease.

Though you presume O man, to send forth your zeal against
the maladies of other men, you have expelled the health of
your own soul; be assiduous, rather, in laboring for your own
soul's health. If you want to heal the infirm, know that the sick
are in greater need of loving care than of rebuke.

Therefore, although you do not help others, you expend labor
to bring a grievous disease upon yourself. Zeal is not reckoned
among men to be a form of wisdom, but as one of the maladies
of the soul, namely narrow-mindedness and deep ignorance.

The beginning of divine wisdom is clemency and gentleness,
which arises from greatness of soul and the bearing of the
infirmities of men. For, it is said, 'We that are strong ought
to bear the infirmities of the weak (Rom. 15:1, Gal. 6:1), and
'Restore the transgressor in the spirit of meekness'."

So, then, what is positive zeal, or as it is also called, zeal 
according to knowledge? St Isaac is very clear, it is zeal that
arises and strives for virtue, our own virtue. In Homily 55
(this particular homily is a letter to his sibling, a brother,
who was also a brother in Christ) he says, 

"In the beginning of its movement, every impulse of a desire
of good is accompanied by a certain zeal, similar to coals of 
fire in its fervent heat. Such zeal usually walls this impulse
about like a rampart and chases away from it, every 
opposition, obstacle, and barrier that might appear anywhere
near it. For this zeal possesses great strength and unspeakable
power to shield the soul at every moment from slackness and
from fear of the assaults of every tribulation."

"Virtue is not the manifestation of many and various works
performed by the agency of the body, but a heart that is most
wise in its hope and unites a right aim to godly works." 
Homily 40

"For as soon as the heart is zealous in spirit, the body is not grieved
by tribulations, nor does it feel alarm and shrink back from horrors;
but the mind hardens it against all temptations, making it like a 
diamond in its endurance.

Let us be zealous, too, with ardor of spirit for the sake of Jesus's
will, and drive away all heedlessness from ourselves, which gives
birth to sloth in our thinking...May God grant us also such eagerness
to please Him. Amen." Homily 72

This book is available from
Holy Transfiguration Monastery Publications

ISBN 978–0–943405–16–2

The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian, Revised Second

Edition, Translated from the Greek and Syriac by the Holy

Transfiguration Monastery, Boston, MA 2011

"Someone Who has Actually Tasted Truth is not Contentious for Truth" by St Isaac the Syrian

Have Peace in your Heart by St Isaac of Syria

This icon of St Isaac of Syria is available from Uncut Mountain Supply Icons

I found a most amazing passage from the writings of St Isaac of Syria, in a little booklet entitled, "Daily Readings with St Isaac of Syria", Introduced and edited by A. M. Allchin, Translated by Sebastian Brock, Templegate Publishers, Springfield Illinois 1990

It reads, " Someone who has actually tasted truth is not contentious for truth.

Someone who is considered among men to be zealous for truth has not yet learned what truth is really like: once he has truly learnt it, he will cease from zealousness on its behalf.

The gift from God and of knowledge of him is not a cause for turmoil and clamour; rather this gift is entirely filled with a peace in which the Spirit, love and humility reside.

The following is a sign of the coming of the Spirit; the person whom the Spirit has overshadowed is made perfect in these very virtues.

God is reality. The person whose mind has become aware of God does not even possess a tongue with which to speak, but God resides in his heart in great serenity. He experiences no stirring of zeal
or argumentativeness, nor is he stirred by anger. He cannot even be aroused concerning the faith." p.61 translated by Dr. Sebastian Brock.

Of course, reading something like this has to make one wonder, How often do we state the truth with such passion even anger, as if Truth which is Reality Itself, was so fragile it needed our protection? Or even worse, what if all we are doing by affirming Truth (or our 
misunderstanding of it as mere facts) is affirming our egos, our self-image and asserting ourselves in dominance over those around us?

We do well if, before we speak or act, we pause for a moment and make an honest assessment of our emotional and spiritual state. We do even better if, more than anything else, we pursue a first-hand personal experience of this Ultimate Reality, our Triune 
God in a spirit of peace, humility and love.

This longing for the Truth must be first and foremost a longing for the transformation of our own hearts, that the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ be fulfilled in us, when He prayed, 

"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth."

John 17:17-19 NASB

Which means;
Sanctify them (Make them holy, preserve them in holiness, restore them to spiritual health)

in the truth (in Me- "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" John 14:6; John 15:15, "apart from Me you can do nothing".)

Your Word is truth ( "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God John 1:1. Again the Lord is saying, "I am the Word of God and I am the Truth")

As you sent Me (the Word of the Father and the Truth) into the world, I also have sent them into the world (we must become, by Grace, the very Word of God to our generation, the Truth of God to our generation, not merely as ideology but in our
very beings, we must become a healing presence to those who are broken and ill with the sickness of sin!)

For their sakes I sanctify Myself (I offer Myself on the cross for their healing and restoration )

that they themselves also be sanctified in truth (that they themselves be made holy- be healed- in Me)

This book is available from Amazon

With compunction of heart we must entreat our Lord Jesus Christ and pray,

"Sanctify me by your mysteries, illumine my mind with knowledge of you, cause your hope to shine forth in my heart, deem me worthy to supplicate for it, God my Father and Lord of my life;illumine your lamp within me, place in me what belongs to you so that I may forget what belongs to myself.

Cast upon me the constraint of wonder at you, so that the constraint of nature may be overpowered by it. Stir upon within me the vision of your mysteries so that I may become aware of what was placed in me at holy baptism.

You have placed within me a guide: may he show me your glory at all times. You made me to be light and salt for the world: may I not prove a stumbling-block for my companions.

Seeing that I have left the world, may I never again look back to it and to the things which I renounced when I made my promise to you.

Cast reigns of delight upon my heart, so that my senses may not gaze beyond the paths of your law. Rig together my impulses for the ship of repentance, so that in it I may exult as I travel over the world's sea until I reach the haven of your hope.

When I am tempted, may my mind take courage from the recollection of you. Illumine the dark path before me by the brilliance that comes from awareness of you,"

St Isaac the Syrian, The Prayers of St Isaac the Syrian p.16, Trans. by Sebastian Brock, Divine Ascent Press 2011.

Have Peace in your Heart by St Isaac of Syria

This icon of St Isaac of Syria is available from Uncut Mountain Supply Icons

I found a most amazing passage from the writings of St Isaac of Syria,
in a little booklet entitled, "Daily Readings with St Isaac of Syria", 
Introduced and edited by A. M. Allchin, Translated by Sebastian
Brock, Templegate Publishers, Springfield Illinois 1990

It reads, " Someone who has actually tasted truth is not 
contentious for truth.

Someone who is considered among men to be zealous for truth has
not yet learned what truth is really like: once he has truly learnt it,
he will cease from zealousness on its behalf.

The gift from God and of knowledge of him is not a cause for turmoil
and clamour; rather this gift is entirely filled with a peace in 
which the Spirit, love and humility reside.

The following is a sign of the coming of the Spirit; the person whom
the Spirit has overshadowed is made perfect in these very virtues.

God is reality. The person whose mind has become aware of God
does not even possess a tongue with which to speak, but God resides
in his heart in great serenity. He experiences no stirring of zeal
or argumentativeness, nor is he stirred by anger. He cannot even be
aroused concerning the faith." p.61 translated by Dr. Sebastian Brock.

Of course, reading something like this has to make one wonder, How
often do we state the truth with such passion even anger, as if Truth
which is Reality Itself, was so fragile it needed our protection? Or 
even worse, what if all we are doing by affirming Truth (or our 
misunderstanding of it as mere facts) is affirming our egos, our self-
image and asserting ourselves in dominance over those around us?

We do well if, before we speak or act, we pause for a moment and 
make an honest assessment of our emotional and spiritual state.
We do even better if, more than anything else, we pursue a first-
hand personal experience of this Ultimate Reality, our Triune 
God in a spirit of peace, humility and love.

This longing for the Truth must be first and foremost a longing for
the transformation of our own hearts, that the prayer of our Lord
Jesus Christ be fulfilled in us, when He prayed, 

"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into
the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I 

sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in 

truth." John 17:17-19 NASB

Which means;
Sanctify them (Make them holy, preserve them in holiness, restore
them to spiritual health)

in the truth (in Me- "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no
one comes to the Father but through Me" John 14:6; John 15:15,
"apart from Me you can do nothing".)

Your Word is truth ( "In the beginning was the Word and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God John 1:1. Again the
Lord is saying, "I am the Word of God and I am the Truth")

As you sent Me (the Word of the Father and the Truth) into
the world, I also have sent them into the world (we must
become, by Grace, the very Word of God to our generation, the
Truth of God to our generation, not merely as ideology but in our
very beings, we must become a healing presence to those who are
broken and ill with the sickness of sin!)

For their sakes I sanctify Myself (I offer Myself on the cross
for their healing and restoration )

that they themselves also be sanctified in truth (that they
themselves be made holy- be healed- in Me)

This book is available from Amazon

Hidden Joy by Igumen Nektary (Morozov)

Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov

Fragment from an article posted in the Orthodox blog 

Pravoslavie.ru

"Somewhere I happened to read a line written by Archimandrite
Sophrony (Sakharov), “Grace comes to the heart that has 

suffered.”

It seems it was in a letter to Hieromonk Dimitry (Balfour)… And a
line by the Apostle Paul was something I didn’t come across by
chance—I have read it many times, over and over: For just as we
share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort
abounds through Christ (2 Cor. 1:5)…So, on Saturday at the Vigil
Service, during the Polyeleos I was looking at the icon of St. Gregory
Palamas and thought about his amazing life, about the light of
Mt. Tabor, the nature of which he so wisely explained and in which
he himself abided—being transformed, illumined, “reaching for the
heights”. What grace he lived in! But then it was as if a spear pierced
my heart: How he also suffered!

And not only he, but anyone who with time had become no longer a
slave but a friend of God, one of those who pleased Him, and became
like unto Him insofar as that is possible for a human being. No
matter whom we talk about—martyrs and passion-bearers, holy
hierarchs and monastic saints, about righteous women and fools-
for-Christ they all had to suffer. Only they had all different kinds of
sufferings—some were physical, others emotional, caused by ill-
intentioned people, or sometimes from the demons, hateful and
inhuman.

But no one, absolutely no one, as St. Isaac the Syrian said, “has ever
ascended to heaven by living coldly.” And from what we have come
to know and are still learning, he also testifies that a person is
especially looked after by God when the Lord sends him constant
sorrows. Abba Isaac also adds that there is no other path to draw
closer to Christ other than the path of sorrows."

Please continue reading here.

A Beautiful Mind - The Orthodox Way to Knowledge

Photo from the movie A Beautiful Mind with Russell Crowe
and  Jennifer Connelly

In the movie, 'A Beautiful Mind' Russell Crow brilliantly portrays
the Mathematician and Noble laureate on Economics, Dr John 
Nash from Princeton University. Dr Nash has struggled with 
mental illness all his life, but it did not hinder him from writing 
the paper which won him the Noble Prize in 1994.

Perhaps the most poignant scene of this movie is the moment when
Alicia, Nash's wife, has to decide whether to stay with her husband
or take their child and leave. Alicia looks at John who is sitting on 
the edge of the bed, and sighs, and asks him;

"You want to know what is real? And then holds his hand and
touches it to her face and says, "This is real". Then Alicia says,
"Maybe the part that knows the waking from the dream, maybe
it isn't here (and touches John's head) maybe it is here (while
touching John's hand to her heart, and then rests the palm of her
hand on his). Then she exclaims, "I have to believe that something
extraordinary is possible!"

I am certain that the Director, Ron Howard, is not trying to give us
lessons in epistemology, (the branch of philosophy concerned with
the nature, presuppositions and scope of knowledge). But I can't 
help watching the movie with my own Orthodox mindset and 
realize how accurate Alicia's instincts are. 

The Apostle Paul proclaims, 

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has 

shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the Glory

of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6

What is knowledge, and how do we acquire it? No Western 
philosopher even comes close to the way the Orthodox Church
answers these questions. According to Orthodox Tradition, the 
source of Orthodox spiritual knowledge is divine 
revelation given to the Prophets, the Apostles, the Church
Fathers and the Saints of every age, even to the present 
time, during the experience of 'theosis' (contemplation of the
divine reality).

According to St Maximos the Confessor, "The soul would never be
able to reach out toward the knowledge of God if God did not allow
Himself to be touched by it through condescension and by raising it
up to him. Indeed the human mind as such would not have the
strength to raise itself to apprehend any divine illumination did not
God Himself draw it up, as far as it is possible for the human mind
to be drawn, and illumine it with divine brightness". 
From 'Maximos Confessor Selected Writings', Chapters on Knowledge #31
p.134, Trans. by George C. Berthold, The Classics of Western Spirituality, 
Paulist Press New York 1985

This indeed was the experience of the Apostles,"When Jesus came
into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying,
'Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?' So they said, 'Some
say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of
the prophets.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' 

Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the

living God. 'Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, 

Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed 

this to you, but my Father who is in heaven." 

Matthew 16:13-17 NKJV  

During the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, the pattern of the way
to the knowledge of God was revealed in the experience of Peter
John and James, "Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and
James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain
by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face
shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.  
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I
will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, 
and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud over-
shadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “ This is
My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” 
When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and
were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said,
“Get up, and do not be afraid.” And lifting up their eyes, they saw no
one except Jesus Himself alone." Matthew 17:1-8 NASB


This experience was not to be exclusive to the three closest disciples
but it became also the way in which the other disciples (who saw the
Lord after the resurrection) and generations of saints have seen the
Lord and have acquired the knowledge of God, for centuries, even 
unto our present day.

Fr John Romanides tells us that, "When you behold God Who is 
Love, then faith in God and all the concepts related to faith, 
together with hope in God and all the concepts related to hope 
are set aside.

The concepts are taken away, because they are replaced by the
vision of the Beloved Himself. During an experience of 'theosis'
or glorification, this Love is the vision of God. Then a person is
glorified. He sees Christ in glory and partakes of the glory of 
Christ. He experiences participation in God.  

Theosis is not an ecstasy. It is not something that only the human
rational faculty experiences.  During the experience of theosis, the
entire man participates in this experience. Even the body 
participates with all its senses in normal working order. When 
someone sees Christ in glory, that person is completely alert. So
this person does not see something in his mind. He sees with his
body as well.

When the uncreated Light becomes visible, it is much more
luminous and intense than the light of the sun, and yet it is by 
nature different from sunlight. It is the very Light of the 
Transfiguration. In fact, this Light is not even light as we 
understand it and are familiar with it. Why not? Because the
uncreated Light transcends light.

Although the saint is in a supra-natural state during an experience
of theosis, he continues to mix with those around him as before.
The only difference is that he does not eat, sleep, or relieve himself
for the duration of this state, since his condition is above nature
and his life is sustained solely by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
If this state lasts for forty days and forty nights, as it did with Moses
on Mount Sinai, the person in this state does not sleep, does not
grow tired, does not eat, does not drink, and so forth for so many
days and so many nights." Patristic Theology pp. 73, 74,75 by Fr John
Romanides, Uncut Mountain Press 2008.

What is the place of dogma and the scriptures after the experience
of revelation has taken place? What happens after the vision of 
Christ in glory?" Fr Sophrony of Essex who himself experienced
the vision of God in Uncreated Light tells us that, "A genuine 
theological process has revelation 'from above' as its starting point:
the intellect can only theologize on the basis of the given revelation. 

In church tradition the datum of revelation is encapsulated
in the form of dogma: 'The human spirit, confronted by dogma,
will then look for its own ways to assimilate the gifts of divine 
revelation and to appropriate what they contain. This predominance
of revelation in theology determines the task of theology: in fact, it is
not a speculative building up of new theological systems with a more
perfected logical framework, but an exposition of the datum 'from 
above' and an integration of the divine revelation into the categories
of human experience and expression. "Theological development 
fundamentally has no other function than that of rendering 
unchangeable dogmatic truths accesible to souls by 'translating'
them into a language suited to the men for whom they were 
intended." 
( Fr Sophrony in 'La felicite de connaitre la voie' p. 25-26). 
From 'I Love therefore I am' p.41-42, Nicholas V. Sakharov, SVS Press 2002

And as Fr John Romanides explains above, the direct vision of Christ
in glory communicates the knowledge of God to the heart of man in
a way that human language, concepts and images cannot contain or 
express in its fullness. The human nous (sometimes translated mind
but not to be confused with the brain or reason), is the organ of the
soul by which man can know God and have communion with Him.
The nous knows intuitively, that is, it knows by direct immediate
knowledge without the need of discourse (deductive reasoning).

'The divine initiative through revelation presupposes a personal
relationship between the recipient (man) and the source of the
revelation (God). Spiritual Knowledge is 'living', ontological,
and personal."  'I Love therefore I am' p.42-43

This is what the Apostle Paul means when he writes to the Church
of Corinth, "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of 
darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge
of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6.
As Professor Harry Boosalis explains, notice how brilliantly the 
Apostle connects these three things, knowledge of God, the vision of
the Uncreated Light of the Glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ.
This knowledge is communicated directly and immediately to the 
heart of Christ's disciple who is striving to keep the commandments
and purify his heart.

The Lord assures us that, "He who loves me will keep my word and
my Father shall love him and we will come and dwell in him" 
John 14:23

"This communion in being is realized by the indwelling of God, of
the Holy Spirit in man, by which man goes beyond the categories
of empirical knowledge and is lifted up to the contemplation of the 
Divine reality. According to Father Sophrony, "Only the dwelling
in us of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit will give us authentic
knowledge of God" 'I Love therefore I am" p.44-45 

St Maximos the Confessor also, explains the experience of the 
transfiguration in a very moving way. It brings consolation and
hope to us who are striving in the hope to see the Lord, "For the
Lord does not always appear in glory to those who are 
standing before Him; rather, He comes in the form of a
servant to beginners,... Thus it is possible for the Lord
not to appear in the same form to all those who meet 
him, but to some in one way and to others in another 
way, that is, by varying the contemplation (of Him) 
according to the measure of faith in each one." 
Maximos Confessor Selected Writings p.150

Thus we begin to understand the words of our Lord when He said,
" You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have
eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to
come to Me so that you may have life." John 5:39-40 NASB 

St Maximos, filled with the Spirit and with clear vision fully 
understands the meaning of the Transfiguration and the place of the
Scriptures in relation to the revelation. With words that sound more
like a hymn of praise than a dogmatic statement he bears witness to
Him who is the Truth,

"When the Word of God becomes bright and shinning in us,
and His face is dazzling as the sun, then also will His clothes
be radiant, that is, the clear and distinct words of the Holy
Scripture of the Gospels now no longer veiled. Then Moses
and Elijah will stand beside Him, that is, the more spiritual
meanings of the Law and the Prophets."
Maximos Confessor Selected Writings p.150, Trans. by George C. Berthold, 
Paulist Press 1985


With compunction of heart we must entreat our Lord Jesus Christ
and pray, "Sanctify me by your mysteries, illumine my mind with
knowledge of you, cause your hope to shine forth in my heart, deem
me worthy to supplicate for it, God my Father and Lord of my life;
illumine your lamp within me, place in me what belongs to you so that
I may forget what belongs to myself.

Cast upon me the constraint of wonder at you, so that the constraint
of nature may be overpowered by it. Stir upon within me the vision of
your mysteries so that I may become aware of what was placed in me
at holy baptism. 

You have placed within me a guide: may he show me your glory at 
all times. You made me to be light and salt for the world: may I not
prove a stumbling-block for my companions.

Seeing that I have left the world, may I never again look back to it 
and to the things which I renounced when I made my promise to you.

Cast reigns of delight upon my heart, so that my senses may not gaze
beyond the paths of your law. Rig together my impulses for the ship
of repentance, so that in it I may  exult as I travel over the world's sea
until I reach the haven of your hope.

When I am tempted, may my mind take courage from the recollection
of you. Illumine the dark path before me by the brilliance that comes
from awareness of you," St Isaac the Syrian
The Prayers of St Isaac the Syrian p.16, Trans. by Sebastian Brock, Divine Ascent
Press 2011.