Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts for Wednesday, April 10 & Friday, April 12 of the Sixth Week of Great Lent
Published on: April 8, 2019

April 10th; Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts for Wednesday of the Sixth 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.

I am rich in all sorts of passions,
and I am clothed in a garment of hypocrisy,
as I revel in the intemperance of sin.
My lack of mercy is beyond measure,
and I disregard my spirit lying before the gates of repentance.
Starved of every good thing, I suffer from illness.
But You, O Lord, make me like Lazarus who was poor in sin,
so that I will not have to beg for a drop of water
for my tongue suffering from thirst in the eternal fire.
Make me dwell in the bosom of the patriarch Abraham, O Lover of humankind.

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

I am rich in all sorts of passions,
and I am clothed in a garment of hypocrisy,
as I revel in the intemperance of sin.
My lack of mercy is beyond measure,
and I disregard my spirit lying before the gates of repentance.
Starved of every good thing, I suffer from illness.
But You, O Lord, make me like Lazarus who was poor in sin,
so that I will not have to beg for a drop of water
for my tongue suffering from thirst in the eternal fire.
Make me dwell in the bosom of the patriarch Abraham, O Lover of humankind.

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

With your souls filled with unquenchable love, O holy martyrs,
you endured the most terrible sufferings without ever denying Christ;
and you laid low the impudence of the torturers.
You kept the faith unwavering and unharmed
and have gone to dwell in heaven.
Therefore, having the boldness to approach the Lord,
beg Him to grant us His great mercy.

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

As You walked in the flesh, O Jesus,
in the land beyond the Jordan,
You said to those who were with You:
Our friend Lazarus has died and has been placed in the tomb.
But I rejoice for you, my friends,
for you will learn that I know all things,
and that with God, I am one,
even though by nature I appear in human form.
Therefore, let us go and give life to Lazarus
so that Death may recognize this victory,
and the perfect consummation I shall bring about
by granting great mercy to the world.

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

O faithful, let us imitate Martha and Mary,
and offer virtuous deeds as ambassadors before the Lord,
that when He comes, He may uplift our minds full of misery which now lie dead in the tomb.
Without life, they have no sense of what they are neglecting,
and they are unaware of the awesomeness of God.
Behold, O Lord, now give life to all and grant us Your great mercy,
as once You had pity on Your friend Lazarus,
and by Your awesome power, You raised him from the dead.

In Tone 6

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

Now Lazarus has been in the tomb for two days,
and he sees all generations of the dead.
He beholds such strange and awesome things
and a countless number held within the power of death.
His relatives weep bitterly before his tomb;
but Christ is on His way to give life to His friend,
that He may stir up the same joy in the hearts of all.
Blessed are You, O Saviour; have mercy on us.

In Tone 2

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

You drew the grace of the knowledge of Christ abundantly
from an unemptying source:
The Theologian who lay upon His breast!
Therefore, hierarch, you gave of this bountifully to all,
finishing a course equal to the apostles, holy one!
Since you have boldness before God, together with the beloved apostle,
entreat Him in behalf of all those who praise you!

  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 drew the grace of the knowledge of Christ abundantly
from an unemptying source:
The Theologian who lay upon His breast!
Therefore, hierarch, you gave of this bountifully to all,
finishing a course equal to the apostles, holy one!
Since you have boldness before God, together with the beloved apostle,
entreat Him in behalf of all those who praise you!

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

You completed a noble life, righteous one,
gathering a treasury of virtues filled with blessings!
Through struggle, like Abraham before you,
you departed to the lord, Antipas.
Therefore you were deemed worthy of a higher glory,
rejoicing with the initiates of Christ,
entreating Him on behalf of us who honor your struggle in faith!

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

You acquired the bountiful gifts of the Paraclete, Antipas;
the grace of healings!
By your visitation you cure passions of our bodies and souls,
putting pains to sleep,
causing all afflictions to cease,
redeeming from calamities and dangers
all those who honor your memory and glorify the Lord!

In Tone 5, Glory… Now…

Come, all faithful, and rejoice in the Holy Scriptures!
Rejoice in the preaching of the apostles!
Rejoice in the Virgin who gave birth to God!
She is the Queen of Heaven.
In her we exult with hymns and songs,
for she is our fervent intercessor before God.

Prokeimenon I, Tone 4
I walk in the presence of the Lord* in the land of the living.
verse: I love the Lord, for He has heard the cry of my appeal.

Reading I
Genesis 43:26-31 and 45:1-16

Prokeimenon II, Tone 4
I will pay my vows to the Lord,* in the presence of all His people.
verse: I trusted, even when I said: I am sorely afflicted.

Reading II
Proverbs 21:23-22:4


April 12; Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts for Friday of the Sixth 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.

Having come to the end of the forty days,
we beseech You, O Lord and Lover of humankind:
May we also behold the holy week of Your passion,
and glorify in it Your lofty deeds
and Your ineffable work of salvation,
as we sing with one voice:
O Lord, glory to You.

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

Having come to the end of the forty days,
we beseech You, O Lord and Lover of humankind:
May we also behold the holy week of Your passion,
and glorify in it Your lofty deeds
and Your ineffable work of salvation,
as we sing with one voice:
O Lord, glory to You.

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

O martyrs of the Lord,
we entreat you to beseech our God,
and ask great mercy for our souls
and forgiveness of our many offences.

In Tone 6

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

Desiring to see the tomb of Lazarus, O Lord,
since You were soon going to dwell willingly in the tomb,
You asked: Where have you placed him?
And, when You learned that which You already knew,
You called to the one whom You loved:
Lazarus, come forth from the tomb!
And Death obeyed the Giver of life,
the Saviour of our souls.

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

Desiring to see the tomb of Lazarus, O Lord,
since You were soon going to dwell willingly in the tomb,
You asked: Where have you placed him?
And, when You learned that which You already knew,
You called to the one whom You loved:
Lazarus, come forth from the tomb!
And Death obeyed the Giver of life,
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.

Having arrived at the tomb of Lazarus on the fourth day,
You wept for Your friend, O Lord.
You gave life to the one who had been dead four days;
Death was bound up by Your voice,
and the grave-clothes were unbound by Your hands.
Therefore, the company of apostles were filled with joy,
and all the choirs sang with one voice:
Blessed are You, O Saviour; have mercy on us.

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

Having arrived at the tomb of Lazarus on the fourth day,
You wept for Your friend, O Lord.
You gave life to the one who had been dead four days;
Death was bound up by Your voice,
and the grave-clothes were unbound by Your hands.
Therefore, the company of apostles were filled with joy,
and all the choirs sang with one voice:
Blessed are You, O Saviour; have mercy on us.

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

The kingdom of Hades was demolished at the sound of You voice, O Lord;
Your powerful word awakened from the tomb one who had been dead for days.
Lazarus becomes a saving prelude of our regeneration.
Nothing is impossible for the King of the universe;
O Lord, grant to Your servants forgiveness and great mercy.

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

Desiring to assure Your disciples of Your own Resurrection from the dead,
You came to the tomb of Lazarus.
And when You called him, Hades was despoiled,
and it gave up the one who had been dead four days;
and he cried out to You, O Saviour:
Blessed are You, O Lord, glory to You!

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

Taking Your disciples with You, O Lord,
You came to Bethany to awaken Lazarus from the dead;
and, weeping over him in accordance with your human nature,
as God, You raised the one who had been dead four days;
and he cried out to You, O Saviour:
Blessed are You, O Lord, glory to You!

In Tone 8, Glory…

You have come to the tomb of Lazarus, O Lord,
and You called the dead one to awaken as from his sleep.
He shook off the dust of the tomb at Your immortal words;
and, still bound by the grave-clothes,
he came forth at the sound of Your voice.
For You have power and lordship over all things,
and You are the Master of the whole world, O Lover of humankind:
O Lord, glory to You.

Now…

Having come to the end of the forty days, we cry out:
Rejoice, O city of Bethany, the home of Lazarus.
Rejoice, Martha and Mary, for Christ shall come to you tomorrow;
by His word, He shall give life to your departed brother.
Hearing His voice, the cruel and insatiable Hades will give up Lazarus after four days.
Struck with admiration, the Hebrew people will carry palms and branches,
and they shall go before Him.
The children shall praise the One whom their parents looked upon with envy:
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!

Prokeimenon I, Tone 6
Our help is in the name of the Lord,* who made heaven and earth.
verse: “If the Lord had not been on our side,” this is the song of Israel.

Reading I
Genesis 49:33-50:26

Prokeimenon II, Tone 4
Those who put their trust in the Lord* are like Mount Sion.
verse: They cannot be shaken, for it stands unmoved forever.

Reading II
Proverbs 31:8-31