March 06, 2019; Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts for Wednesday of the First Week of Great Lent

LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS

At Psalm 140

In Tone 8

  1. Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.

O faithful, while fasting bodily,
let us also fast in spirit.
Let us loosen every bond of injustice;
let us tear apart the strong chains of violence;
let us rip up all unjust assertions;
let us give bread to the hungry
and welcome the poor and homeless to our houses,
that we may receive from Christ our God, His great mercy.

  1. The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.

O faithful, while fasting bodily,
let us also fast in spirit.
Let us loosen every bond of injustice;
let us tear apart the strong chains of violence;
let us rip up all unjust assertions;
let us give bread to the hungry
and welcome the poor and homeless to our houses,
that we may receive from Christ our God, His great mercy.

  1. Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!

What honour and praise can fittingly be ascribed to the saints?
They bowed their necks under the sword for You,
the One who left the heavens and came down.
They shed their blood for You,
the One who took the form of a servant.
By emulating Your poverty
they humbled themselves unto death.
By their prayers, have mercy on us, O Lord,
according to Your compassion.

In Tone 2

  1. Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.

Jesus, the true spiritual Sun,
sent you as lightning through all the world,
to overcome the darkness of error
by the brightness of your divine teachings;
O holy apostles, who have seen the Lord,
beseech Him to send His light and His mercy on us.

  1. If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.

Elijah ascended in the divine chariot of his virtues,
and by his fasting he was carried to the heights of heaven in glory.
Strive, O my humble soul, as he did,
fast and shed all evil, malice, envy, and corrupting luxury
so that you may be delivered from all eternal pain of death
and cry out to Christ:
O Lord, glory be to You!

In Tone 5

  1. I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.

O divine apostles,
fervent intercessors for the world and defenders of the faithful.
You received from Christ our God the boldness to intercede for us.
We beseech you that we may pass this solemn time of the Fast untroubled
and receive the grace of the consubstantial Trinity.
O great and glorious preachers, pray for our souls.

In Tone 4

  1. From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.

You were unvanquished martyrs,
heavenly-minded fathers!
All-praised hierarchs and beacons of the universe,
immovable pillars of the church of God,
and a foundation of its teachings,
instructors of the righteous and destroyers of falsehood,
light-bearing guides for our souls,
fellow citizens with the angels,
and champions of the Trinity!

  1. For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

You were unvanquished martyrs,
heavenly-minded fathers!
All-praised hierarchs and beacons of the universe,
immovable pillars of the church of God,
and a foundation of its teachings,
instructors of the righteous and destroyers of falsehood,
light-bearing guides for our souls,
fellow citizens with the angels,
and champions of the Trinity!

  1. Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.

Let the glorious Ephrem be blessed with divine speeches
together with the divinely wise Basil,
the great Capiton, the godly Agathadorus,
Elpidius, Etherius and the glorious Eugene:
For they lived righteously and suffered in a holy way.
They were revealed to be inhabitants of the Kingdom of heaven!

  1. Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.

Having slain fleshly knowledge with ascetic labours,
by invoking the name of God,
the glorious Basil raised up a man from the dead!
The most holy shepherd, Capiton,
was seen unconsumed while he stood and rejoiced in the midst of the fire!
By their supplications, Lover of mankind,
grant us the means of atonement and Your great mercy!

In Tone 8, Glory… Now…

Attend to the groaning of my broken heart, O bride of God.
Accept the lifting up of my hands.
Do not reject me, O Mary, spotless Virgin, full of love,
so that I may praise and magnify
Him, who in you magnified the human race.

Prokeimenon I, Tone 5
You, O Lord, will guard us, and will keep us,* from this generation, and forever!
verse: Save me, O Lord, for there is no longer left a just man.

Reading I
Genesis 1:24-2:3

Prokeimenon II, Tone 6
Look at me and answer me* O Lord my God!
verse: How long, O Lord, will You forget me? How long will You hide Your face from me?

Reading II
Proverbs 2:1-22


March 08, 2019; Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts for Friday of the First Week of Great Lent

LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS

At Psalm 140

In Tone 5

  1. Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.

Come, O faithful, let us fulfil the works of God in the light;
and let us walk with dignity as in the light of day;
let us tear up every unjust contract,
and let us cast aside every object of scandal for our neighbour.
Let us turn away from the pleasures of the flesh,
so that we may grow in our spiritual gifts.
Let us give food to the poor;
let us draw near to Christ, and in repentance, let us say:
O our God, have mercy on us.

  1. The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.

Come, O faithful, let us fulfil the works of God in the light;
and let us walk with dignity as in the light of day;
let us tear up every unjust contract,
and let us cast aside every object of scandal for our neighbour.
Let us turn away from the pleasures of the flesh,
so that we may grow in our spiritual gifts.
Let us give food to the poor;
let us draw near to Christ, and in repentance, let us say:
O our God, have mercy on us.

In Tone 8

  1. Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!

O martyrs of the Lord,
you sanctify all places,
and you heal all diseases.
Therefore, we implore you:
Pray that our souls be delivered from the snares of the Enemy

In Tone 2

  1. Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.

Bravely enduring the present happenings and rejoicing in things hoped for,
the holy martyrs said to each other:
We have not stripped ourselves of a garment,
but we have put off the old person.
The winter is bitter but Paradise is sweet.
Although the chill is painful, it becomes sweet enjoyment.
Let us not bow down, O captains.
We suffer a little at present
that we may receive the crowns of victory from Christ,
since He is God and the Saviour of our souls.

  1. If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.

Throwing off their garments and going into the lake without trembling,
the holy martyrs said to each other:
Since we have lost Paradise,
let us not care for a corruptible garment today.
Having once been clothed in corruption through the serpent,
let us now beseech resurrection for all.
Let us despise the icy destroying cold and scorn the flesh,
that we may receive the crowns of victory from Christ
for He is God and the Saviour of our souls.

  1. I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.

Looking upon the tortures as pleasures
and hastening towards the icy lake as towards the heat,
the holy martyrs said to each other:
Let us stand fearless in the winter season
that we may escape the dreadful fire of Hades.
Let a foot be burnt that it may rejoice forever;
let a hand be lost that it may be lifted towards the Lord;
let us not spare the dying nature.
Let us now accept death
that we may receive crowns of victory from Christ,
for He is God and the Saviour of our souls.

In Tone 2

  1. From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.

Come, all you friends of the martyrs,
let us celebrate this feast in the joy of the Spirit;
for, on this day, the holy martyr Theodore prepares a spiritual banquet for us,
the lovers of the feast;
he brings joy to our hearts,
and we cry out to him:
Rejoice, invincible warrior, who has vanquished powerful tyrants;
and for the love of Christ our God,
you have given over your body of flesh to torments.
Rejoice, for in the midst of dangers,
you showed yourself to be a valiant soldier of the heavenly army.
Therefore, we pray to you, O glory of martyrs,
intercede for the salvation of our souls.

  1. For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

O holy martyr Theodore,
you generously grant the God-given grace of your miracles
to all the faithful who hasten to you.
We rejoice in this, and we sing:
You are the liberator of captives and healer of the sick,
the wealth of the poor and salvation of those who sail the seas,
the defender of those who cherish your holy memory;
now, for all of us who praise you,
beseech Christ for His great mercy.

  1. Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.

O holy martyr Theodore,
you are truly the “gift of God,”
for, being alive even after your death,
you are attentive to the requests of those who come to you.
A son was once seized from his mother
and made a prisoner in the pagan army;
the widow bathed your sanctuary with her tears;
and you were moved with compassion.
You mounted a white horse and mysteriously returned her child;
and even now, you do not cease to work miracles.
Beseech Christ our God to save our souls.

  1. Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.

O Theodore, thrice-blessed,
with your name, I praise the gift of God;
you are a shining torch of the divine brightness.
By your deeds you have illuminated the universe.
You have shown yourself to be stronger than fire,
and you crushed the head of the treacherous dragon.
Therefore, Christ has placed on your head the crown of victory.
And now that you enjoy the divine favour,
O holy and great martyr,
beseech God for the salvation of our souls.

In Tone 6, Glory… 

The enemy used the apostate emperor as his servant
against the Christian people who were purified by the Fast;
he tried to defile them with food polluted by the blood of sacrifices.
But, you more wisely foiled his plan,
by appearing in a dream to the bishop of that time
and warning him of the danger.
We also offer you our sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and we honour you with the title of protector
as we celebrate the annual memory of this event.
We beseech you to preserve us from the evil designs of the enemy
by interceding with God for us,
O holy martyr Theodore.

In Tone 8, Now…

Out of His love for mankind
the King of heaven appeared on earth and dwelt with men,
for He assumed a human body from the pure Virgin
and was seen in the flesh He received from her.
He is the One and only God having two natures but not two persons.
Wherefore we profess and declare the truth that Christ our God is perfect God and perfect Man.
O Mother, who knew not carnal union,
intercede with Him that He may have mercy on our souls.

Prokeimenon I, Tone 5
May the Lord answer in time of trial;* may the name of Jacob’s God protect you!
verse: May He send you help from His shrine and give you support from Sion!

Reading I
Genesis 2:20-3:20

Prokeimenon II, Tone 6
O Lord, arise in Your strength;* we shall sing and praise Your power.
verse: O Lord, Your strength gives joy to the king; how Your saving help makes him glad!

Reading II
Proverbs 3:19-34

Reading III
Isaiah 43:9-14

Reading IV
Wisdom 3:1-9

Reading V
Wisdom 5:15-6:3