Saint Isaac the Syrian .jpg
Saint Isaac the Syrian .jpg
Saint Isaac the Syrian .jpg
Saint Isaac the Syrian .jpg

Isaac of Nineveh Prayer Card – Patron for Inner Peace During Anxiety, Healing of Spiritual Dryness & Perseverance in Deep Repentance

$3.00

Saint Isaac the Syrian, also known as Isaac of Nineveh, is one of the most profound spiritual writers in all of Eastern Christianity. He lived in the seventh century and served briefly as bishop of Nineveh before withdrawing into solitude to live as a hermit and ascetic.

He belongs historically to the Syriac Christian world of the East, associated with the Church of the East. Yet his writings crossed boundaries. Over centuries, he came to be venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and deeply loved within monastic traditions across the Christian East. He lived before the Great Schism of 1054, though within complex post-Chalcedonian divisions.

His principal feast in the Eastern Orthodox Church is celebrated on January 28. Some Syriac traditions commemorate him on other local dates.

Isaac did not become famous for miracles of spectacle.

He became known for mercy.

His writings burn with one theme: the boundless compassion of God.

People pray to Saint Isaac when anxiety spirals inward, when spiritual dryness stretches long, and when guilt feels heavier than hope. He understands interior torment. He understands the exhaustion of constant self-judgment. He understands what it means to wrestle with God in silence.

If you are struggling with intrusive fear, harsh self-condemnation, or a sense that you are too broken for mercy, Saint Isaac speaks directly to that wound.

He taught that God’s love is deeper than sin.

He taught that repentance is not despair.

He taught that mercy is endless.

This prayer card is created as a spiritual heirloom. It is meant to accompany seasons of interior struggle, reminding the soul that God’s compassion exceeds your fear.

Each card is handmade in Austin, TX and created to order. We do not keep stock, because every prayer card is treated as a unique devotional offering. They are printed on museum-quality photo paper, not cardstock. Every card is made slowly, during prayer, with intentional reverence for the saint or holy image and for the person who will receive it. Names are lifted before Christ. Intentions are held carefully. Each piece is handled multiple times in prayerful silence, asking God for mercy and asking the saint to intercede for the soul it is being made for. This is not production work. It is devotional craftsmanship shaped with patience, care, and spiritual responsibility, because every soul and every prayer matters.

Saint Isaac the Syrian, also known as Isaac of Nineveh, is one of the most profound spiritual writers in all of Eastern Christianity. He lived in the seventh century and served briefly as bishop of Nineveh before withdrawing into solitude to live as a hermit and ascetic.

He belongs historically to the Syriac Christian world of the East, associated with the Church of the East. Yet his writings crossed boundaries. Over centuries, he came to be venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and deeply loved within monastic traditions across the Christian East. He lived before the Great Schism of 1054, though within complex post-Chalcedonian divisions.

His principal feast in the Eastern Orthodox Church is celebrated on January 28. Some Syriac traditions commemorate him on other local dates.

Isaac did not become famous for miracles of spectacle.

He became known for mercy.

His writings burn with one theme: the boundless compassion of God.

People pray to Saint Isaac when anxiety spirals inward, when spiritual dryness stretches long, and when guilt feels heavier than hope. He understands interior torment. He understands the exhaustion of constant self-judgment. He understands what it means to wrestle with God in silence.

If you are struggling with intrusive fear, harsh self-condemnation, or a sense that you are too broken for mercy, Saint Isaac speaks directly to that wound.

He taught that God’s love is deeper than sin.

He taught that repentance is not despair.

He taught that mercy is endless.

This prayer card is created as a spiritual heirloom. It is meant to accompany seasons of interior struggle, reminding the soul that God’s compassion exceeds your fear.

Each card is handmade in Austin, TX and created to order. We do not keep stock, because every prayer card is treated as a unique devotional offering. They are printed on museum-quality photo paper, not cardstock. Every card is made slowly, during prayer, with intentional reverence for the saint or holy image and for the person who will receive it. Names are lifted before Christ. Intentions are held carefully. Each piece is handled multiple times in prayerful silence, asking God for mercy and asking the saint to intercede for the soul it is being made for. This is not production work. It is devotional craftsmanship shaped with patience, care, and spiritual responsibility, because every soul and every prayer matters.

  • THE LIFE & STORY

    Saint Isaac was born in the region of Beth Qatraye, likely in the early seventh century. He entered monastic life at a young age within the Church of the East. His intellectual and spiritual depth quickly became evident.

    He was appointed bishop of Nineveh, but the office did not suit him.

    After only a short time, Isaac resigned the episcopacy and returned to solitude. He desired silence over administration, prayer over governance.

    He withdrew into the desert.

    There, in obscurity, he wrote homilies that would later reshape Eastern spirituality.

    Isaac wrote not as a polemicist, but as a spiritual physician. His homilies speak of tears, repentance, humility, and the unsearchable mercy of God. He insisted that God does not punish out of vengeance but corrects out of love.

    One of his most famous teachings declares that a merciful heart burns for all creation, even for demons.

    He knew darkness personally.

    His writings describe interior warfare, distraction in prayer, despair, and the long purification of the heart. He did not romanticize ascetic life. He described its dryness honestly.

    He eventually grew blind from constant reading and writing. He died in obscurity, yet his works spread widely. They were translated into Greek and deeply embraced by Byzantine monasticism. Later they entered Slavic spirituality and influenced countless saints.

    Isaac left no dramatic biography.

    He left words that still pierce the heart.

  • MIRACLES & PATRONAGE

    Patron Saint Of:

    • Inner peace during anxiety

    • Healing from spiritual dryness

    • Freedom from harsh self-condemnation

    • Perseverance in repentance

    • Monastics and spiritual writers

    Saint Isaac is not known primarily for physical miracles.

    His miracles are interior.

    His writings have consoled generations of monks, clergy, and lay believers struggling with despair. Many testify that reading Isaac restored hope when guilt felt suffocating.

    He is especially invoked by those suffering scrupulosity, anxiety rooted in fear of judgment, and spiritual burnout from excessive striving.

    His miracle is clarity.

    God is mercy.

    God is patience.

    God is not eager to condemn.

    Through his intercession, many experience peace replacing panic and tenderness replacing fear.

  • PRAYERS

    Short Traditional Invocation

    Saint Isaac the Syrian, teacher of divine mercy, pray for us.

    Traditional Prayer Inspired by His Teaching

    O holy Isaac,
    vessel of divine compassion and teacher of repentance,
    intercede for us before the Lord.

    You who spoke of God’s endless mercy,
    soften our fearful hearts.

    You who wept for the whole creation,
    teach us gentleness toward ourselves and others.

    Deliver us from despair.
    Free us from harsh judgment.
    Grant us the grace of true repentance filled with hope.

    Through your prayers,
    may we rest in the mercy of Christ
    and receive peace for our souls.

    Amen.

  • FAQ

    What is Saint Isaac the Syrian known for?
    He is known for his spiritual homilies emphasizing repentance, humility, and the boundless mercy of God.

    When is his feast day?
    January 28 in the Eastern Orthodox calendar, with additional commemorations in Syriac traditions.

    Which Christian traditions venerate Saint Isaac?
    He is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and honored within Syriac Christian traditions.

    Why do people pray to Saint Isaac for anxiety and spiritual dryness?
    Because his writings confront fear, despair, and harsh self-condemnation with profound teaching on God’s compassion.