What should I pray to You for, what should I ask of You? You see everything, you know it yourself, look into my soul and give it what it needs. You, who have endured everything and overcome everything, will understand everything. You, who entwined the Baby in a manger and took Him with Your hands from the Cross, You alone know all the heights of joy, all the oppression of grief. You, who have received the entire human race as adoption, look at me with maternal care. From the snares of sin, lead me to Your Son. I see a tear watering Your face. It is above me that you shed it, and let it wash away the traces of my sins. Here I have come, I’m standing, I’m waiting for Your response, oh, Mother of God, oh, All-Singing, oh, Lady! I don’t ask for anything, I just stand before You. Only my heart, poor human heart, exhausted in longing for truth, I throw at Your Most Pure feet, Lady! Let everyone who calls You reach the eternal day with You and worship You face to face.
* Tenyota - 1) a hunting net for catching small animals; 2) spider web.
** This prayer was written by E. Poselyanin and taken from the magazine “Russian Monk” for 1910, p. 29.