A Service of Prayer for the Eradication of Idle-Talk
A Service of Prayer for the Eradication of Idle-Talk
Priest: Blessed is our God, always, now and ever and forever.
People: Amen.
Glory to You, our God, glory to You.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us of our sins. Master, forgive our transgressions. Holy One, come to us and heal our infirmities for Your Name's sake.
Lord, have mercy. (three times)
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.
Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever.
People: Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (twelve times)
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.
I said: "I will be watchful of my ways
for fear I should sin with my tongue.
I will put a curb on my lips
when the wicked man stands before me."
I was dumb, silent and still.
His prosperity stirred my grief.
My heart was burning within me.
At the thought of it, the fire blazed up
and my tongue burst into speech:
"O Lord, You have shown me my end,
how short is the length of my days.
Now I know how fleeting is my life.
You have given me a short span of days;
my life is as nothing in Your sight.
A mere breath, the man who stood so firm,
a mere shadow, the man passing by;
a mere breath the riches he hoards,
not knowing who will have them."
And now, Lord, what is there to wait for?
In You rests all my hope.
Set me free from all my sins,
do not make me the taunt of the fool.
I was silent, not opening my lips,
because this was all Your doing.
Take away Your scourge from me.
I am crushed by the blows of Your hand.
You punish man's sins and correct him;
like the moth You devour all his treasures.
Mortal man is no more than a breath;
O Lord, hear my prayer.
O Lord, turn Your ear to my cry.
Do not be deaf to my tears.
In Your house I am a passing guest,
a pilgrim, like all my fathers.
Look away that I may breathe again
before I depart to be no more.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and ever and forever. Amen.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Glory to You, O God! (three times)
Priest: God the Lord has revealed Himself to us! * Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord.
People: (repeat twice)
- Glory to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit,
Lord, have mercy on us * for in You we place our hope. * Be not exceedingly angry with us * nor mindful of our transgressions, * but look on us even now with mercy, * and deliver us from our foes, * for You are our God, * and we are Your people, * we are all the work of Your hands, * and we call upon Your Name.
- now and ever, * and forever. Amen.
Open unto us the doors of mercy, * O blessed Birth-giver of God, * that we who place our trust in You may not perish; * but that through you we be delivered from misfortune, * for you are the salvation of all Christians.
Priest: Let us be attentive! Peace + be unto all! Wisdom, be attentive!
Reader: A reading from the catholic epistle of the holy apostle James. (3: 1-18)
Priest: Let us be attentive.
Reader: Brethren: Let not many of you become teachers, for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness. For we all make many mistakes, and if any one makes no mistakes in what he says he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also. If we put bits into the mouths of horses that they may obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Look at the ships also; though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So the tongue is a little member and boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by humankind, but no human being can tame the tongue--a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening fresh water and brackish? Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh. Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good life let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity. And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Priest: Peace + to you, reader. Wisdom, be attentive!
People: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
verse: Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to You! (Psalm 102: 1)
verse: Do not hide Your Face from me in the day of my distress! Incline Your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call! (Psalm 102: 2)
People: And to your spirit.
Priest: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew. (12: 30-37)
People: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You!
Priest: Let us be attentive!
The Lord said: "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
People: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You!
People: Lord, have mercy. (three times)
Priest: We pray for our the most-esteemed hierarchy of our church (here name them), for those who serve and have served in this holy house, for our spiritual guides, and for all our brothers and sisters in Christ.
People: Lord, have mercy. (three times)
Priest: We also pray for our civil authorities and for all in the service of our country..
People: Lord, have mercy. (three times)
Priest: O Creator and Fashioner of our being: You made us for Yourself, so that we may glorify, praise and worship You at all times and places. Through the might of Your grace, help us to lay aside any idle and useless word that proceeds from our mouth, and every ill thought that may originate from our hearts; we pray to You, O Lord: Hear us and have mercy.
People: Lord, have mercy. (three times)
Priest: O Lord and Redeemer: Stand with us when we are tempted by the urge to gossip. May all that we say this day be pleasing in Your sight, so that our words may always be for edification and never destruction; we pray to You, O Lord: Hear us and have mercy.
People: Lord, have mercy. (three times)
Priest: We fall down before You, O all-knowing God, because nothing that we have said or thought during this day is hidden from Your sight. With this in mind, extinguish our desire to speak ill of others, reveal the intimate thoughts of our friends and acquaintances, or publicize information that is harmful to the spiritual growth of anyone; we pray to You, O Lord: Hear us and have mercy.
People: Lord, have mercy. (three times)
Priest: We also pray for all the people here present who await Your great and abundant mercy, for those who have shown us kindness, and for all orthodox Christians.
People: Lord, have mercy. (three times)
Priest: O Lord our God, receive this fervent supplication that we offer You with contrite and humble hearts. Do not reject our prayer, nor put us to shame, because we have set our trust in You. For You are a merciful and gracious God, and to You we give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever.
People: Amen..
People: Lord, have mercy. (three times)
O all-knowing Lord of heaven and earth,
nothing goes unnoticed by You,
nor can anything that we say escape Your Ears.
You know our inner thoughts and words
even before they are formed in our minds and mouths.
Extinguish the flames of the words uttered by us
that have caused spiritual and physical harm to others,
and have brought shame and disgrace upon ourselves and Your holy Church.
Lead us away from our usual idle-talk,
and turn us to a life that seeks to build Your Kingdom on earth.
Give us the necessary grace
to embrace that which allows Your love to flourish
and reject that which destroys the lives of others.
May we choose our words in a careful and Christian manner
which allows healing, reconciliation and spiritual blessings to all we meet,
and glory, praise and honor to be given to Your most-holy Name.
Forgive us the wrongs that we have committed by word or deed,
with full knowledge or in a thoughtless way,
by pre-meditation or impulse.
Help us to correct what our tongues have wrought,
by asking pardon from those whom we have offended.
Lastly, O good and kind One,
You promised to forgive the transgressions of those who come to You in faith;
move others to forgive the sins that we have committed against them.
May we never sin again in this fashion.
When we are tempted,
remind us to put the sign of Your adorable and life-giving Cross upon our lips
and repeat the words of the psalmist:
"Set a guard + over my mouth, O Lord, and keep watch over the door of my lips.
Incline not my heart to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds."
Grant us a contrite heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within us.
Do not cast us away from Your presence on the awesome day of Judgment,
but look at our heart-felt contrition that we offer to You on this day.
Hear our prayer, O God,
through the intercessions of the most-holy Lady,
the Birth-giver of God and ever-Virgin Mary;
through the prayers of the great orators of the Spirit:
the holy, glorious, illustrious and praise-worthy Apostles;
and of all the martyrs and saints
who confessed You with humility and purity of heart.
Amen and amen!
People: Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (three times)
Give the blessing!
Priest: May Christ our true God, have mercy on us and save us, through the intercessions of His most-pure Mother and of all the saints, for He is gracious and loving.
People: Amen.
May God grant us the grace and courage to begin again in Him!
note: This service was compiled and composed by Iconographer and Cantor Raymond J. Mastroberte. The Psalm text is taken from the on-line versions of the "Grail Psalter" and the scripture readings from the Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible. The "Litany of Fervent Supplication" petitions and the kneeling prayer are of a new composition. This text may not be reproduced for commercial purposes, but is for private use. For liturgical worship, the pastor of the community may want to secure a "blessing" from his hierarch to use this service. The author and compiler simply and humbly offers these prayers to the faithful for their spiritual edification.
Useful Links
Gossip in the Church?
Prayer of Saint Ephrem
Seven Saying of Abba Moses
Sins of the Tongue
Speech in Life
The Ninth Commandment
Rumor Control
The World's Most Dangerous Weapon
Sins of the Tongue
Taming an Unruly Member
On Fasting
Spiritual Struggles...Sins of the Tongue
Sacrament of Confession
Avoiding Idle Talk
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."
Is Your Tongue Out of Control?
Saying the Jesus Prayer
