Soutoro on Wednesday
Qolo
I have considered all things and I have not seen anything better than the fear of the Lord; blessed is he who has loved
it. Joseph the just loved it and he became king in Egypt; Moses the great loved it and he divided the sea with his
staff; Hananiah and his companions loved it and it delivered them from the fire. It is more desirable than gold and
sweeter than the honeycomb; blessed is he who loves the fear of the Lord.
Glory be to the Father...
Paul wrote me a letter and I sat down and read it, and, while I was reading it, tears flowed from my eyes; for it is
written there: woe to adulterers and shame upon thieves: against it is written: for the blasphemers there is a fire which
is not quenched. Woe to me, for all these things I have done from my youth! Like the sinful woman I cry to you, and like
the publican I beseech you: merciful Lord, have pity and mercy upon me.
B'outho of Mar Jacob
Moriyo rahem melain oo aa darein. Lord, have mercy upon us, Lord, receive our service.
We have angered you, Lord, by our deeds and you are not pleased to be angry; for you are full of great compassion and
your serenity is not disturbed.
All peoples together are but a drop, as is said in the prophet: how shall iniquity be found to disturb your serenity?
You who hear prayers and respond to requests, hear our prayer and be reconciled with us and respond in your mercy to
our requests.
The above selected prayers are taken from the Book of Common of the Syrian Church, otherwise known as the Shimo Namaskaram as translated by Bede Griffiths from Syriac to English. A full copy of the rich
prayers of our tradition can be purchased directly from the publishers at Gorgias Press.