From Antipin’s Potrebnik. Chapter 5.
From the rules of the holy fathers: A woman after childbirth for forty days makes forty prostrations per day, and does not enter the prayer temple (Zonaras, rule 174).
The woman with the infant comes into the prayer temple. The order begins with the usual beginning:
God, be merciful to me, a sinner. (Bow)
O Lord, who created me, have mercy on me. (Bow)
I have sinned immeasurably. Lord, forgive, and have mercy on me, a sinner. (Bow)
It is truly meet to bless thee, O God-bearer, ever-blessed and most unblemished, and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and truly more glorious than the Seraphim, who without corruption gave birth to God the Word; who art the God-bearer, thee do we magnify. (Prostration)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. (Bow)
Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. (Bow)
Lord have mercy. (Thrice). Lord, bless. (Bow)
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, throught the prayers of thy Most-Pure Mother, by the power of the Honorable and Life-giving Cross, and of my holy guardian Angel, and through the prayers of all the saints, have mercy on me, and save me a sinner, for thou art Good, and the Lover of mankind. (Prostration without the sign of the cross).
Then the superior himself, after the usual beginning, performs the following prayers:
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. Amen. (Bow)
O Heavenly King, Comforter, True Spirit, which art everywhere and fillest all, Treasury of blessings and giver of life: come and dwell in us; and cleanse us from every defilement, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice with bows)
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, cleanse us of our sins. O Master, pardon our transgressions. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for thy names sake.
Lord have mercy. (Thrice) Glory. Now and ever.
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our needful bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. (Bow)
Amen. Lord have mercy. (12 times) Glory. Now and ever.
Come, let us worship the King, our God. (Bow)
Come, let us worship Christ, the King and our God. (Bow)
Come, let us worship and fall down before the very Lord Jesus Christ, the King and our God. (Bow)
Psalm 50. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness; according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight: that thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation: and uphold me with a free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it: thou hast no pleasure in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt thou delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, in burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
Thereafter the woman makes forty bows with the Jesus prayer.
Thereafter this invocation:
O merciful Lord, look upon this handmaid [name]; sanctify her from every defilement, and bless her with her infant; preserve them and have mercy. (Once with a bow).
Lord have mercy (40 times, with bows on the first three)
O thou who at every time and every hour, in heaven and on earth, art worshipped and glorified, O gracious God; O Lord, do thou thyself receive our prayers at this hour, and in thy goodness make straight our life unto thy commandments. Sanctify our souls and purify our bodies; set straight our reason, and cleanse our thoughts. Make chaste and sober our minds, and deliver us from every sorrow, evil, pain, and the passions of the soul; and surround us with thy holy angels, so that guarded and guided by their host, we may attain unto the unity of faith, and unto the understanding of thine unapproachable glory. For thou art blessed unto the ages. Amen
Lord have mercy, thrice.
And the mother with the infant venerates the Cross, according to custom.
More honorable than the cherubim. Glory. Now and ever. (with bows) and the dismissal.
This the woman may perform even at home, or simply pray with two hundred or three hundred bows, according to custom.
