Saturday, February 25 : Saint Andrew of Crete

Attend, O heaven, and I shall speak;
Give ear, O earth, to the voice of one
who repents before God
and sings his praise. Look upon me in compassion, O God,
with your merciful eye,
and accept my fervent confession. More than all men have I sinned;
I alone have sinned against you.
But as God take pity on your creation, O Savior… With the lusts of passion
I have darkened the beauty of my soul,
and turned my whole mind
entirely into dust. I have torn the first garment that the Creator wove for me in the beginning,
and now I lie naked.
I have clothed myself in the torn coat that the serpent wove for me in his counsel,
and I am ashamed (Gn 3,1-5)… I looked upon the beauty of the tree
and my mind was deceived;
and now I lie naked and ashamed… Sin has stripped me of the robe
that God once wove for me,
and it has sewed for me garments of skin… Like the Harlot I cry to you: “I have sinned,
I alone have sinned against you.”
Accept my tears also as sweet ointment, O Savior (Lk 7,36f.)… Like the Publican I cry to you:
“Be merciful , O Savior, e merciful to me.”
For no child of Adam has ever sinned against you
as I have sinned. Like David I have fallen into lust (2Sam 11)
and I am covered with filth;
but wash me clean, O Savior, by my tears… Give ear to the groaning of my soul,
and accept the tears that fall from my eyes:
O Savior, save me. O Lover of mankind, who desire that all humankind should be saved,
in your goodness call me back
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team