THE CANON OF SAINT ANDREW OF CRETE

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

THE CANON OF SAINT ANDREW OF CRETE

At the Compline on the first four days of Holy and Great Lent, the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete is read, divided into four sections; on the fifth week it will be read again, this time in continuous form. With its constant refrain, ‘HAVE MERCY UPON ME, O GOD, HAVE MERCY UPON ME,’ the Great Canon forms A PROLONG CONFESSION OF SIN, AN UNREMITTING CALL TO REPENTANCE. At the same time, IT IS A MEDITATION on the whole body of Holy Scripture, embracing all the sinners and all the righteous from the creation of the world to the Second Coming of Christ. Here, more than anywhere in the Triodion, we experience Holy Lent AS A REAFFIRMATION OF OUR ‘BIBLICAL ROOTS.’ Throughout the Great Canon the two levels, the historical and the personal, are skillfully interwoven. ‘The events of the Sacred History are revealed as events of my life; God’s acts in the past as acts aimed at ME and MY salvation, the tragedy of sin and betrayal as MY personal tragedy.’ The appeal of the Great Canon is very wide.

Saint Andrew of Crete, composer of the Canon, and to Saint Mary of Egypt are also included. The Church of Jerusalem implemented this practice during Saint Andrew’s lifetime. When in the year 680 A.D. Saint Andrew traveled to Constantinople for the 6th Ecumenical Synod, he brought with him and made public both his great composition and the life of Saint Mary written by his compatriot and teacher, Sophronios Patriarch of Jerusalem. The life of Saint Mary of Egypt is read together with the Great Canon at Orthros (Matins) on Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Great Lent.

The Great Canon consists of a conversation between THE PENITENT and his OWN SOUL. The conversation begins:

"Where shall I begin to weep for the actions of my wretched life? What first shall I offer O Christ
in this my lamentation? But in Thy compassion grant me forgiveness of sins," –with what shall
I begin to repent, for it is so difficult."

A troparion follows:

"Come wretched soul, with thy flesh to the
Creator of all. Make confession to Him, and
abstain henceforth from thy past brutishness;
and offer to God tears of repentance."

Kontakion following the 6th Canticle of the
Canon:

"My soul, O my soul rise up! Why art thou sleeping?
The end draws near and soon thou shall be troubled.
Watch, then, that Christ thy God may spare thee, for
He is everywhere present and fillest all things."

The Canon of Saint Andrew is presented to us with the hope that it will ignite our awareness of our soul’s anesthesia and a kind of spiritual unconsciousness. The Christian believer is exhorted to question himself what must I do? Our Holy Church presents the Penitential Canon so that we examine our souls much deeper and see what is there. And yet, the soul continues to sleep, in that is our sorrow and our grief. It is rare for the average Christian to be concerned about the spiritual condition of his/her soul, when in truth, there is not even the slightest thought of its existence.
The troparion says, "The end is drawing near, my soul, is drawing near! But you neither care nor prepare. The time is growing short. Rise! The Judge is near at the very doors. Like a dream, like a flower, the time of life passes. Why do we bustle about in vain? [Matthew 24:33; Psalm 38:7].

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ asks, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and LOSES HIS OWN SOUL? Or what WILL A MAN GIVE IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS SOUL?" [Matthew 16:26]. Saint Theophylact states: "Let us suppose, He says, that you have gained the whole world: what profit is it if your body prospers while your soul suffers ill? That would be as if the lady of the house dressed in tattered rags, while her maidservants were gorgeously arrayed. For in the age to come a man CAN GIVE NOTHING IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS SOUL. Here one can give tears, sighs, and alms, but there, nothing. For it is a Judge who takes no bribes that will receive us, and He judges each one according to his deeds. But He is also awesome and dreadful, and comes in His glory with His Angels, not in lowly form."

The Great Canon of Saint Andrew uses broad images and personalities taken from Holy Scripture from the Old and New Testaments. Tragically, however, many are not knowledgeable, as they should be of them, and, therefore, they are disconnected, and the message is lost and there is no actual benefit. The earnest and genuine believer can begin to search and study the Holy Scripture and be inspired by the spiritual struggles and victories of those who sought the Lord and His guidance. Individuals in their quest who stood before God spiritually naked. Those who were faithful to Him and those who had not. The righteous and the sinners, those who had fallen and those who repented and rose up from their sinfulness. Very much like all of us today. As has been said, "A Christian is one who falls and rises, who falls and rises again". The Holy Scripture reveals some of the personalities in a positive light, and about others in a negative one. Like Reuben, wretch that I am, I have planned an unprincipled and lawless act against God Most High, having defiled by bed as he defiled that of his father. {Genesis 35:21; 49: 3-4]. Righteous Joseph was given up by his brothers, that sweet soul was sold into slavery, as a type of the Lord; and you, my soul, have sold yourself completely to your vices. (Genesis 37:27-28). Let Moses’ hand assure us, my soul, how God can whiten and cleanse a leprous life. So do not despair of yourself, even though you are leprous.[Exodus 4:6-8). We ought to emulate the one, and not the other.

Kontakion Hymn, Tone 6:

My soul, my soul, arise! Why are you sleeping? The end is
drawing near, and you will be confounded. Awake, then, and
be watchful, that Christ our God may spare you, Who is
everywhere present and fills all things.

The believer’s soul is at risk and therefore as a sinful man he must repent and plead with God to forgive him. Another Troparion states: "I have reviewed all the people of the Old Testament as examples for you, my soul. Imitate the God-loving deeds of the righteous and shun the sins of the wicked." One must honestly admit his/her sinfulness and then with contrition of heart and mind to repent of them. "It is time for repentance. I draw near to Thee, my Creator. Take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Thy compassion grant me tears of compunction."

What condemns a person is not the sin but the unwillingness to acknowledge it and repent of it. Every opportunity is given to us humans to adhere and implement the commandments of God in our lives. Our lifetime here on earth is brief, riches and pleasures are temporary and will be extinguished in time. Therefore, we should say, "I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned against Thee, Be merciful to me. For there is no one who has sinned among men whom I have not surpassed by my sins."
+

The Prayer of Saint Ephraim

O Lord and Master of my life!
Take from me the spirit of sloth,
despair, lust of power and idle
talk. (Prostration)

But give rather the spirit of chastity,
humility, patience and love to Thy
servant. (Prostration)

Yes, O Lord and King! Grant me to
see my own transgressions and not
to judge my brother (and sister), for
Blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages.
Amen.
______________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George