Second Friday In Lent

Hymnography from Orthodox Matins, for your consideration:

Nailed to the Cross in Thy compassion, Thou has opened Paradise to the Thief. I have fallen among thieves through the cunning of the devil; my soul and my body have been wounded. Heal me and in Thy love for mankind open unto me the gates of repentance.

Through fasting let us glorify our flesh and enrich our souls with virtues. Let us feed the poor and so acquire unfailing wealth in heaven, and let us cry: O all ye works of the Lord, praise ye the Lord and exalt Him above all for ever.

O Savior, supreme in love, at Thy Passion the creation shook with fear, seeing Thee nailed upon the Cross. My mind is always shaken by the assaults of the serpent: I pray Thee, merciful Lord, establish it firmly on the unbroken rock of Thine own will.

O Lord, Thy lifecreating Cross has turned the instrument of the curse into a seal of blessing. Beholding Thee upon it, we who before were dead are brought to life, and singing Thy praises we magnify Thee as our Master. {1}

--From the Canon (Canticles 8 and 9)

{1} Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13-14; Num. 21:9; John 3:14-15.