One of my favorite services within the Orthodox Church
is Great Compline. Great Compline is usually only done during Great Lent, so it’s
a very special time and service. Its also not uncommon for many priests to hear
confession during service, although it is not so at my local parish. Compline
is the last service of the day in the cycle of prayers that the church offers, along
with 1st-9th hours, liturgy, and vespers. As it is the
last service of the day, in Greek it is referred to as Ἀπόδειπνον (after-supper). On Mount Athos this is
an especially important service as those who have gathered as both pilgrims and
the monks will venerate the relics kept by each monastery and the icons as
well. It includes Psalms 4, 6, 12 along with the troparia for the day and the
creed and the Trisagion. Other psalms included within the Great Compline are
24, 30, 90, 50, 101, 69 and 142 in order of when they are sung within the
service. During the service the Prayer of St. Ephraim will be said as well as
the Prayer of St. Basil the Great. The prayer of St. Basil is one of my
favorite orthodox prayers and I love it when the service gets to this part. It
reads, “O Lord, O Lord, Who hast delivered
us from every arrow that flieth by day, deliver us from everything that walketh
in darkness. Receive as an evening sacrifice the lifting up of
our hands. Vouchsafe us also to pass through the course of
the night without blemish, untempted by evil. And deliver us from every anxiety and fear that
come to us from the devil. Grant unto our souls compunction, and unto our
thoughts solicitude concerning the trial at Thy dread and righteous judgment. Nail down our flesh with the fear of Thee, and
mortify our earthly members, that in quietness of sleep we may be enlightened
by the vision of Thy judgments. Take from us every unseemly dream and pernicious
carnal desire. Raise us up at the hour of prayer, fortified in
faith and advancing in Thy commandments; through the benevolence and goodness
of Thine Only-begotten Son, with Whom Thou art blessed, together with Thy
most-holy and good and life creating Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of
ages. Amen.” Our aim within Compline like all other
services is to contemplate our humanity and to seek forgiveness of our sins.
One of the greatest examples of this is the King Manasseh who the Bible records
as being a wicked King of Judah, but the Orthodox Church recognizes as a saint
because he sought forgiveness for his sins in later life. Even in the
Chronicles it says that he repented and turned the Jewish people towards God at
the end of his reign. The prayer he wrote is included in compline and I have
included it here as well for your viewing pleasure. It reads, “O Lord Almighty, the God
of our fathers, of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and of their righteous seed;
Who hast made heaven and the earth with all their majesty; Who hast bound the
sea by the word of Thy commandment; Who hast closed the abyss, and sealed it by
Thy terrible and glorious name; of Whom all things are afraid, and tremble from
the presence of Thy might; for no one can endure the majesty of Thy glory, and
unbearable is the wrath of Thy threatening toward sinners, but immeasurable and
unsearchable is the mercifulness of Thy promise; for Thou art the Lord most
High, compassionate, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy, and repentest of
the evils of men: Thou, O Lord, according to the multitude of Thy goodness,
hast promised penitence and forgiveness to them that have sinned against Thee,
and in the multitude of Thy compassions hast decreed repentance for the
salvation of sinners. Thou, therefore, O Lord God of hosts, hast not
appointed repentance for the righteous, for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, who
have not sinned against Thee, but hast laid repentance upon me a sinner, for I
have sinned more than the number of the sands of the sea. Mine
iniquities are multiplied, and I am not worthy to look upon and to see the
height of heaven for the multitude of mine iniquities. For I am
bowed down with many iron bands so that I cannot lift up my head, and there is
no release for me, because I have provoked Thine anger, and done evil before
Thee, neither having done Thy will, nor having kept Thy commandments; and now I
bow the knees of my heart, beseeching of Thee clemency. I have
sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, and I know mine iniquities; but imploring I pray
Thee: Loose me, O Lord, loose me, and destroy me not with mine
iniquities. Neither in enmity forever keep mine evils, neither
condemn me to the nethermost parts of the earth. For Thou, O God,
art the God of them that repent, and upon me Thou wilt show all Thy goodness;
for Thou shalt save me who am unworthy, according to the plenitude of Thy
mercy, and I will praise Thee continually throughout the days of my life: for
all the heavenly hosts hymn Thee, and Thine is the glory unto the ages of
ages. Amen.”
While not my typical blog post, I wanted
to share a few thoughts about Great Compline and why it is so important. If you
are near to an Orthodox Church this Great Lent please go and attend.
Amen.
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