Prayer and Protection

Βοηθήσατε τῷ λόγῳ πάντες ὅσοις τὸ δύνασθαι βοηθεῖν ἐκ Θεοῦ. Μέγα φόνον ἐπισχεῖν, καὶ μοιχείαν κολάσαι, καὶ κλοπὴν σωφρονίσαι· πολλῷ μᾶλλον εὐσέβειαν νομοθετῆσαι, καὶ ὑγιῆ λόγον χαρίσασθαι. Οὐ τοσοῦτον ὁ ἐμὸς λόγος δυνήσεται πολεμῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος, ὅσον τὸ πρόσταγμα, ἐὰν ἐπιστομίζῃς τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας, ἐὰν βοηθῇς τοῖς διωκομένοις, ἐὰν τοὺς φονευτὰς ἐπέχῃς, ἐὰν κωλύῃς τὸ φονεύεσθαι. Λέγω δὲ, οὐ τὸν σωματικὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ψυχικόν. Πᾶσα γὰρ ἁμαρτία, θάνατός ἐστι ψυχῆς. Μέχρι τούτων ὁ λόγος στήτω. Λοιπὸν δὲ ἔστω ὑπὲρ τῶν συνεληλυθότων εὐχή. Ἄνδρες ὁμοῦ καὶ γυναῖκες, ἀρχόμενοί τε καὶ ἄρχοντες, πρεσβῦται καὶ νεανίσκοι μετὰ παρθένων, πᾶν γένος ἠλικίας, πᾶσαν μὲν φέρετε ζημίαν, τὴν εἰς χρήματα, τὴν εἰς σώματα· ἓν δὲ μὴ δέξησθε μόνον, τὴν θεότητα ζημιούμενοι. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, Λόγος ΛΖʹ

Come to the aid of the Word, you who are able to aid by God. It is a great thing to put a stop to murder, to punish adultery, to chastise theft, but much more to legislate for piety and to bestow wholesome teaching. My word will not be able to do as much in fighting for the Holy Trinity as your edict, if you will bridle the wicked, if you will help the persecuted, if you will stop the slayers, and prevent killing. And I am speak not merely of the body but of the soul, for all sin is the death of the soul. So I end my speech. But it remains that I speak a prayer for those assembled. Husbands alike and wives, rulers and ruled, old and young men, and maidens, of every sort of age: bear every loss, whether of money or of the body, but one thing alone do not accept, that you lose the Godhead. Saint Gregory Nazianzus, from Oration 37