CANON OF SAINT ANDREW OF CRETE

In his book "Great Lent" Father Alexander Schmemann wrote of the the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete:

"It can be best described as a penitential lamentation conveying to us the scope and depth of sin, shaking the soul with despair, repentance, and hope. With a unique art, St. Andrew interwove the great biblical themes-Adam and Eve, Paradise, and Fall, the Patriarchs Noah and the Flood, David, the Promised Land, and ultimately Christ and the Church-with confession of sin and repentance. The events of sacred history are revealed as events of my life, God's acts in the past as acts aimed at me and my salvation, the tragedy of sin and betrayal as my personal tragedy. My life is shown to me as part of the great and all-embracing fight between God and the powers of darkness which rebel against Him. The Canon begins on this deeply personal note: 'Where shall I begin to weep over cursed deeds of my life? What foundation shall I lay, Christ, for this lamentation?' One after another, my sins are revealed in their deep connection with the continuous drama of man's relation to God; the story of man's fall is my story." (Pgs. 63-64).

Parts of the Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete are traditionally chanted on the first four days of the Great Fast. The full canon is then chanted at the Thursday Matins of the 5th Week of Great Fast.

The text of the Great Canon may be obtained online:
Monachos.net http://www.monachos.net/monasticism/andrew_of_crete/great_canon.shtml