Little Compline and Canon of St Lazarus

Date: 14 April 2006 13:18:45

Tonight we had the service of Little Compline, with a variety of prayers related to the celebration of Lazarus Saturday, which is tomorrow [Saturday], the day before Palm Sunday in the Byzantine(? -- I think that's the term) Orthodox calendar [as we also have Western Rite Orthodox]. On Lazarus Saturday we recall and glorify Christ as the Resurrection and the Life and the hope of all His people through His raising of Lazarus from the dead: a foreview of the general Resurrection of all -- even before Christ's own saving death and resurrection. At our parish it is also the custom for children to take a much greater role in the Liturgy on Lazarus Saturday.

I wish I could find some of those prayers from the Canon of St Lazarus: I was moved by them, but my dull mind has forgotten them. There were wonderful meditations on Christ's love for his friend Lazarus, and it is a joy just to consider, as we are told in John's Gospel, that humans, like us, were loved so much by Christ during His earthly life. There were also mediations on the power of Christ and Him being confirmed as the Messiah by His raising Lazarus. There were many other events in the Bible also recalled during the Canon, among them the three youths in the fire; Elijah's raising the widow's son; Christ restoring to life the widow of Nain's son.

I also had the privilege of being asked to read the Monk Antiochos' Prayer to Christ during the Compline:

And grant us, Master, as we go to our sleep, rest of body and soul; and guard us from the gloomy sleep of sin and from every dark pleasure of the night. Calm the assaults of the passions, quench the fiery arrows of the evil one that are cunningly aimed at us; put down the rebellions of our flesh and still our every earthly and material thought. And grant us, O God, a watchful mind, chaste thought, a wakeful heart, sleep that is light and free from every satanic fantasy. Rouse us at the time for prayer strengthened in your commandments, and holding firmly within us the memory of your judgements. Grant that we may sing your glory all night long, and so hymn, bless and glorify your all honoured and majestic name, of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Text © Archimandrite Ephrem

It was also a joy to see Father and my brothers and sisters after a few missed weeks. They all showed great concern as to my welfare, which is a blessing, but it was also a struggle as I didn't want to reveal too much. But it was a great boost to my spirits to pray the prayers of the Church with my brothers and sisters, as well as to see them again and gain much encouragement and consolation through their concern and prayers for me.

Thanks be to God.