The Irish Catholic Hermit

A prayer of our holy father St. Isaac the Syrian L ord Jesus Christ, my God: Thou didst weep for Lazarus and shed tears of sorrow and compassion for him. Accept my bitter tears also. H eal my passions through the suffering of Thine holy Passion. Heal the wounds of my soul through the wounds which Thou didst suffer. C leanse my blood with Thine holy blood and unite my body with the fragrance of Thy life-giving body. May the gall which Thou wast given to drink by Thine enemies sweeten my soul from the bitterness that the devil has given me to taste. M ay Thy most-holy body that was stretched upon the Cross elevate my mind, which has been lowered unto the earth by the demons. M ay Thy most-holy head, which Thou didst bow upon the Cross raise my head, which has been humiliated by the opposing demonic powers. M ay Thy most-holy hands which were nailed to the Cross by the transgressors raise me to Thee from the depth of destruction, just as Thy most-holy mouth hast promised. M ay Thy face w...

O how uncaring I am.  H ow rude, how worldly my soul has become.  O corrupt heart, O lips full of gall, O throat which is an open sepulcher.  O soul, why do you forget that your end inescapably draws near?  W hy do you not ready yourself for this voyage?  W hy do you, with no pity for yourself, go after destruction?  W hy do you bring everlasting torment on yourself?  O soul, what are you doing, that you live as a senseless creature?  W oe to me, who have chosen darkness rather than light.  H ow I would rather have that pleasure today, but which tomorrow vanishes, rather than everlasting and unspeakable bliss.  W oe to me who consents to be robed in a dark and dismal cloak instead of a garment radiant as the sun.  H ow I would rather the wretched abodes of Hell instead of the kingdom of heaven.  W oe to me, a sinner. I willingly and knowingly throw myself into complete destruction.  O my soul, at last come to a sound m...

  Before and After Reading Spiritual Texts Before reading: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen. Illumine my heart, O Master who lovest mankind, with the pure light of Thy divine knowledge. Open Thou the eyes of my mind to the understanding of Thy Gospel teachings. Implant also in me a love for Thy blessed commandments. Grant me the grace to overcome all my carnal desires, so that I may enter more completely into a spiritual manner of living, both thinking and doing such things as are well pleasing to Thee; For Thou art the illumination of our souls and bodies, O Christ our God, and unto Thee do we ascribe glory, together with Thine all-holy, good and life-creating Spirit; now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. O Lord Jesus Christ, open Thou the eyes of my heart, that I may hear Thy word and understand and do Thy will, for I am a sojourner upon the earth. Hide not Thy commandments from me, but open mine eyes, that I may perceive the wo...

  The Meaning of the Prayer “O Lord and Master of my life.” This short phrase confesses that we depend utterly on Jesus Christ our God. We acknowledge again what we acknowledged at baptism, that our first allegiance is to God, that God has given us life, that we must live in accordance with God’s will, and that it is for God to call us from this earthly life. In these few words we turn away from all idolatry, we reject everything, which might take the place of God. “Give me not the spirit of slothfulness” or in plain English, laziness! Life, especially the Christian life, is an effort. That does not mean at all that we should never “enjoy life”; Christ promised to give us joy. But real joy has nothing in common with laziness. Laziness steals our time and gives us no joy at all; one only discovers that one has done nothing, neither what one should have done nor what one might have done. Exercise is a good cure for laziness; Lent is a spiritual exercise, to cure us of spiritual lazi...

  The Audacity of Mercy Let yourself be persecuted, but do not persecute others. Be crucified, but do not crucify others. Be slandered, but do not slander others. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep: such is the sign of purity. Suffer with the sick. Be afflicted with sinners. Exult with those who repent. Be the friend of all, but in your spirit remain alone. Be a partaker of the sufferings of all, but keep your body distant from all. Rebuke no one, revile no one, not even those who live very wickedly. Spread your cloak over those who fall into sin, each and every one, and shield them. And if you cannot take the fault on yourself and accept punishment in their place, do not destroy their character. What is a merciful heart? It is a heart on fire for the whole of creation, for humanity, for the birds, for the animals, for demons, and for all that exists. By the recollection of them the eyes of a merciful person pour forth tears in abundance. By the strong and...

  On the Passion of the Saviour I am afraid to speak and touch with my tongue this fearful narrative concerning the Saviour. For truly it is fearful to narrate all this. Our Lord was given up today into the hands of sinners! For what reason then was one who is holy and without sin given up? For having done no sin He was given up today. C ome, let us examine closely why Christ our Saviour was given up. For us, the ungodly, the Master was given up. Who would not marvel? Who would not give glory? When the slaves had sinned the Master was given up. The sons of perdition and the children of darkness went out in the darkness to arrest the sun who had the power to consume them in an instant. B ut the Master, knowing their effrontery and the force of their anger, with gentleness, by His own authority, gave himself up into the hands of the ungodly. And lawless men, having bound the most pure Master, mocked the One who had bound the strong one with unbreakable bonds, and set us free from th...

M y Lord and Master, God of heaven and earth, show forth Your grace and open for me the door of repentance. I entreat You with my troubled soul. Look upon me according to Your great mercy. A ttend to my prayer and forgive me, who has been guilty of committing many sins. F orgive all the vile things I did, for I have been overcome by means my own wicked desires. I look for peace and find it not. M y conscience is polluted and there is no peace in me because of the abundance of my sins. H ear Lord, a heart which beseeches You in turmoil. D o not take heed to my works, but rather to the misery of my soul, and come quickly to heal me of my grievous wounds. R estore me to a sound mind by means of Your grace and love for mankind. T ake away from me the weight of my sins and do not repay what my works merit, so that I not come to ruin in the end. A nd so that I will not lack thought and care for my renewal. I fall prostrate before Your loving-care. H ave compassion on me who am thrown into...