Spotless and Unstained Virgin

As we wind down our 2025 Daily Lenten Journey on Prayer, today we turn our attention to the final prayers of Compline. These prayers are common to both the Small Compline and Great Compline, so they seem fitting to begin the wrap up of our journey.

Toward the end of Compline two faithful readers come forward, one in front of the Icon of Theotokos and the other standing in front of the Icon of Christ. You might expect the prayer to Christ to be first, but the Church turns our attention to His mother.

O spotless, unstained, incorruptible, undefiled, pure Virgin, Lady Bride of God, who through your wondrous birth-giving united God the Word with mankind, and linked the fallen nature of our human race with the heavenly; the only hope of the hopeless and the help of the persecuted; the ready support of those who seek refuge in you, and the shelter of all the Christians: do not despise me, the wretched sinner who have defiled myself with shameful thoughts and words and deeds, and through negligence of thought have become slave to the pleasures of life. But as the Mother of our compassionate God, and a friend of man, have compassion on me the sinner and prodigal, and accept this prayer from my impure lips; and using your motherly standing, entreat your Son and our Master and Lord to open unto me the depths of his loving goodness and, overlooking my innumerable faults, to return me to repentance and make me a worthy servant of his commandments. Stand by me forever; in this life as a merciful and compassionate and good and lovingly warm protector and helper, by repulsing the assaults of the adversary and leading me toward salvation; and at the time of my death, by embracing my miserable soul and driving far away from it the dark fares of the evil demons; and at the awesome day of judgment by redeeming me from eternal hell, and proclaiming me an heir of the ineffable glory of your Son and our God. May I enjoy such fate, my Lady, most-holy Theotokos, through your intercession and protection; through the grace and love for mankind of your only begotten Son, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ. To whom belong all glory, honor and worship, together with his beginningless Father, and the all holy and good and life giving Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Our love for the All-Holy Virgin Mother of God is beautifully expressed in this prayer. It also shows that we understand our salvation was made possible first by her using her free will to accept the challenge of giving birth to God. She “linked” all humanity to Christ.

I imagine this prayer would seem quite astounding to non-Orthodox Christians because of total admiration and hope we place in her devotion to God. We call her “the only hope of the hopeless” not because she saves us, but because her love for God allowed Him to save us.

After begging her to ignore all the reasons we don’t deserve her help we ask, “Stand by me forever…repulsing the assaults of the adversary…proclaim me an heir of the ineffable glory of your Son and our God.” These are not words of mere habit. They are words of profound hope.

All our prayers should be filled with such love and hope. The All-Holy Virgin isn’t the only one who loves us enough to interceded to God for our salvation. She is the most important because she is not just the Mother of God. She is our mother.

During Great Lent, Great Compline is the final communal prayer of the Church for the day. Before we all return home and into the darkness, we pause in front of our Mother and ask her to help us through the night. And she will…Happy praying.