A Prayer of St. John Chrysostom

I know, O Lord my God, that I am unworthy and am not meet that thou shouldest enter beneath the roof of the temple of my soul, because it is all empty and dead; and there is in me no worthy place wherein thou mayest lay thy head. But inasmuch as thou from thy loftiness didst humble thyself for our sake, so likewise do thou now humble thyself unto my humility: and as it seemed good unto thee to lie in the cavern and in the manger of dumb beasts, so also now graciously vouchsafe to lie in the manger of my dumb soul, and to enter into my defiled body. As thou didst not disdain to enter into the house of Simon the leper, and there to sit at meat with sinners, so also graciously vouchsafe to enter into the house of my humble soul, which is leprous and sinful. As thou didst not reject the woman, a harlot and a sinner like unto me, who came and touched thee, so also show thou mercy upon me, a sinner, who now come unto thee and touch thee. As thou didst feel no loathing for the polluted lips of the woman which kissed thee, so also loathe thou not my even more defiled and polluted lips and unclean tongue. But may the fiery coal of thine all-pure Body and of thy precious Blood be unto the sanctification, enlightenment and health of my humble soul and body, unto the lightening of the burden of my many sins, unto preservation from every operation of the Devil, unto the expulsion and interdiction of my evil and wicked manner of life, unto the mortification of passions, unto instruction in thy commandments, unto the acquiring of thy divine grace, unto the inheritance of thy kingdom. For I come unto thee, O Christ-God, not with disdain, but trusting in thine unspeakable goodness, and in order that through long absenting of myself from communion with thee I be not seized by the invisible wolf. Wherefore I pray thee, in that thou alone art holy, O Master: Sanctify thou my soul and body, my mind and heart, my belly and my reins, and renew thou me altogether. Establish thy fear in my members, and make thy sanctification to be inalienable from me. Be thou my helper and defender, guiding my life in peace, enabling me to stand at thy right hand with thy Saints: through the prayers and supplications of thy Mother; of thy bodiless servitors, the all-pure heavenly hosts; and of all the saints who, in all the ages, have been well-pleasing unto thee. Amen.