Canon of tenderness to the Lord Jesus Christ

In the work of Rev. Gregory of Sinaite “Canon of the Lord Jesus Christ” (9 cantos) the person praying appears before the Savior, revealing to Him the wounds of his soul and the immensity of his sins. The main theme of the canon is the awareness of the deep sinfulness of a person who recognizes himself as “prodigal”, “damned”, “passionate”, surpassing even the famous gospel sinners (Manasseh, the publican, the harlot, the thief) in his falls. In contrast to this abyss of his own wickedness, the prayer confesses the philanthropy and long-suffering of Christ, to whom fervent petitions are addressed for healing, cleansing of the mind, deliverance from the machinations of the “flattering Belial” (the devil) and from the coming torment of Gehenna. The Irmos of the canon, based on Old Testament prototypes (the death of Pharaoh's army, the salvation of the youths in the furnace) and the Incarnation of the Word, set the theological context of God's action in the salvation of man. You might be interested in: