Melkite Byzantine Rosary (The Jesus Prayer)
“O God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”(Luke 18:13)
This dates back to the 7th century, when according to tradition, a saint had an apparition recommending this form of prayer, usually made of wool in which there are string of 33, 100, or 300 beads or knots with a large knot at each decade. St. Basil the Great used a rosary of this.
This dates back to the 7th century, when according to tradition, a saint had an apparition recommending this form of prayer, usually made of wool in which there are string of 33, 100, or 300 beads or knots with a large knot at each decade. St. Basil the Great used a rosary of this.
The customary prayer is an adaptation of the humble prayer of the publican, derived from the Gospel story of the Pharisee and the tax collector who cried out: “O God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”(Luke 18:13) The Lord Jesus said that he went out from his prayer “justified.”
On each bead or knot Early Christians adopted this prayer for their own use, and added to it the Prayer of Jesus or The Jesus Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
The Byzantine Rosary Begins
Blessed is our God, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen. (Omitted if there is no priest – Instead, the leader says “Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on us and save us”)
Glory to you, Our God, glory to you!
O God, cleanse me, a sinner (Three times)
O Heavenly King, Consoler, Spirit of Truth, present in all places and filling all things, the Treasury of blessings and the Giver of life, come, and dwell within us, cleanse us from all stain and save our souls, O You who are good.
Holy God. Holy Mighty One. Holy Immortal One. Have mercy on us. (Three times, during normal times)
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
All-Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, forgive us our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, look upon us and heal our infirmities for your name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. (Three times)
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, 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 evil.
Priest: For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever. Amen. (omitted if there is no priest priest)
Come let us bow down to Our Lord God.
Come let us bow down and adore Our Lord God.
Come let us bow down and adore Christ Himself, Our King and God.
Psalm 50
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me. You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, then you will delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
(Psalm 129)
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
(Psalm 130)
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time on and forevermore.
Creed
I believe in one God, the 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 of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Prayer of Jesus (100 times) – 10 is recited by each person
Sometimes they also use:
Most holy Lady, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners.
It is truly fitting and right to call you blessed, O Theotokos: you are ever-blessed and all-blameless and the Mother of our God. Higher in honor than the Cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim, you gave birth to God the Word in virginity. You are truly Mother of God: you do we exalt.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, by the prayers of Our Lady, have mercy on me.
Through the prayer of Our Holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and save us.
Prepared by: St. Joseph Melkite Catholic Church (Father Samir Haddad, 2015)