The hospitable couple in whose garage apartment I am staying invited me Sunday to St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Houston. In the liturgy book, I ran across a beautiful prayer, which I have allowed to guide my heart this week, especially in anticipation of finding out Thursday how the cancer's doing.
Do thou O Lord, visit me in my suffering, and grant me grace and strength to bear this sickness with which I am afflicted, with Christian patience and submission to thy will, trusting in thy loving kindness and tender mercy.
Bless, I pray thee, the means used for my recovery, and those who administer them.
I know O Lord, that I justly deserve any punishment inflicted upon me for I have so often offended thee and sinned against thee, in thought, word, and deed. Therefore, I humbly pray thee, look upon my weakness, and deal not with me after my sins, but according to the multitude of thy mercies. Have compassion on me, and let mercy and justice meet; and deliver me from this sickness and suffering I am undergoing.
Grant that my sickness may be the means of my true repentance and amendment of my life according to thy will, that I may spend the rest of my days in thy love and fear: that my soul, being helped by thy grace and sanctified by thy Holy Mysteries*, may be prepared for its passage to the Eternal Life, and there, in the company of thy blessed Saints, may praise and glorify thee with thy Eternal Father and Life-giving Spirit. Amen.
* "Holy Mysteries" is an early church term for sacraments.
BTW, does anyone know the date/origin of this prayer?
"These prayers are taken from the Red Prayer Book which is an official publication of the Antiochian Archdiocese, and which is available from the Archdiocese bookstore."
under the heading "Occasional Prayers"