Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts for Great Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday

Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts for Great Monday

LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS

At Psalm 140

In Tone 1

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

Going freely to His Passion,
the Lord said to His disciples along the way:
Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of man shall be delivered up, as it is written.
Come, let us purify our thoughts that we may go with Him;
let us be crucified with Him;
in Him we shall die to the pleasures of this life,
that we may live with Him and hear Him say to us:
I am no longer going to the earthly Jerusalem to suffer,
but I am going to My Father and your Father,
to My God and your God;
you shall go with Me to the heavenly Jerusalem
in the Kingdom of Heaven.

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

In Tone 5

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

O faithful, let us hasten to the saving Passion of Christ our God;
let us glorify His long-suffering which is beyond expression,
that He may save us from sin and death,
and that He may also raise us in His goodness and love for humankind.

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

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

When You were going to Your Passion, O Lord,
You reassured Your disciples by taking them aside and saying:
How can You forget the words I have spoken to you?
The Scriptures say that all the prophets die only in Jerusalem!
Now the time of which I have spoken to you has arrived:
Behold, I shall be delivered into the hands of sinners;
they shall mock Me and nail Me to the Cross;
and after burying Me, they shall number Me among the dead.
Take courage, however, for I shall rise on the third day,
to bring joy and eternal life to all the faithful.

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

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

Not understanding the depth of the ineffable mystery of Your plan of salvation,
the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to You, O Lord;
she asked You to grant them the places of honour in a temporal kingdom.
But in place of these honours,
You proclaimed to Your friends that they would drink from the cup of death,
the same cup from which You shall first drink
to cleanse us of our sins.
Therefore, we cry out to You:
O Saviour of our souls, glory to You!

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

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

When You taught Your disciples to seek that which is higher,
You said to them, O Lord:
Do not imitate the pagans by lording over those who are weak;
it shall not be that way with you.
For I have chosen to be poor;
so the first among you shall become the servant of the rest;
the one who commands shall be as the one who obeys;
the most noble shall be as the lowest.
For I Myself have come to serve the poverty of Adam
and to give My life as a ransom for the many
who now sing: O Lord, glory to You!

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

In Tone 8, Glory…

O faithful, let us fear the punishment of the fig tree
which was dried up for not having borne any fruit;
let us offer worthy fruits of repentance to Christ,
who grants us His great mercy.

Now…

The Serpent thought he found a second Eve in the Egyptian woman,
who tried to make Joseph succumb to her words of flattery.
But he avoided sinning;
he left his garment behind, but was not ashamed of his nudity,
as were our first parents after their disobedience.
Through his prayers, O Christ, have mercy on us.

Prokeimenon I, Tone 6
May the Lord bless you from Sion,* and may you see prosperity of Jerusalem.
verse: Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways.

Reading 1
Exodus 1:1-20
Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Is-sachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan,

Prokeimenon II, Tone 8
We bless you* in the name of the Lord.
verse: “They have oppressed me from my youth,” this is the song of Israel.

Reading II
Job 1:1-12

Gospel
Matthew 24:3-35

Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts for Great Tuesday

LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS

At Psalm 140

In Tone 1

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

How shall I enter the splendour of your saints,
because of my unworthiness?
If I dare to enter into Your bridal chamber,
my garment shall give me away;
for I do not have a wedding garment,
and the angels shall cast me out.
Purify my soul, O Lord, and in Your goodness, save me.

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

In Tone 2

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

My slothful soul has fallen into sleep, O Christ, my Spouse,
and I do not have a lamp shining with the fire of virtues.
I have become like the foolish virgins;
for, instead of labouring, I have wasted my time.
Do not close off Your love and Your heart to me, O Master;
but dispel my dark slumber;
awaken me that I may enter Your palace with the wise virgins.
There the choir of the just shall resound as they sing to You:
O Lord, glory to You.

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

In Tone 4

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

You have heard of the condemnation of the one who hid the talent;
O my soul, do not hide the word of God.
Proclaim His wonders and increase His gifts,
that you may enter into the joy of your Lord.

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

You have heard of the condemnation of the one who hid the talent;
O my soul, do not hide the word of God.
Proclaim His wonders and increase His gifts,
that you may enter into the joy of your Lord.

In Tone 6

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

Come, O faithful, let us zealously labour for the Lord;
for He entrusts His riches to His servants;
let each multiply the talent of grace.
Let one gain wisdom by doing good;
let another serve with splendour;
let the faithful share the knowledge of faith with the unenlightened;
let others share their goods with the poor.
Thus we shall multiply the treasure that has been entrusted to us,
and we shall be the faithful stewards of grace,
and we shall be worthy of the joy of the Lord.
Grant this to us, O Christ our God,
in Your goodness toward humankind.

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

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

When You shall come in glory with the powers of heaven,
to be seated on the throne of judgment, O Jesus,
do not cast me far away from You, O Good Shepherd.
On Your right are the paths that lead to You,
and on Your left are those who turn away from You.
Do not make me perish with the goats,
even though I have been disfigured by sin.
But place me on Your right with Your sheep,
and in Your love for humankind, save me.

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

O Bridegroom, whose grace surpasses all human beauty,
You invite us to the spiritual feast in Your palace.
Strip me of the coarse garment of my sin,
and make me a partaker of Your Passion.
Clothe me in the glorious adornment of Your beauty.
In Your mercy, accept me as a luminous guest
at the banquet in Your Kingdom.

In Tone 7, Glory… Now…

Behold, the Lord entrusts His talent to you;
accept this gift with fear, O my soul.
Multiply it for the One who granted it to you;
share it with the poor and you shall have the Lord as your friend.
Then you shall be at His right when He comes in glory,
and you shall hear His blessed voice say to you:
You are indeed my servant;
enter into the joy of Your Lord.
Even though I have gone astray, O Lord,
make me worthy of this joy.

Prokeimenon I, Tone 6
Arise, O Lord, and go to Your resting place,* You and the ark of Your might.
verse: O Lord, remember David and the many hardships he endured.

Reading I
Exodus 2:5-10

Prokeimenon II, Tone 4
How good and how pleasant it is,* when people live in unity!
verse: It is like precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, upon the beard of Aaron.

Reading II
Job 1:13-22

Gospel
Matthew 24:36-26:2

Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts for Great Wednesday

LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS

At Psalm 140

In Tone 1

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

In You, born of the Virgin, the harlot recognized her God;
ashamed of her sinful deeds, she sighed and wept, and said:
O Lord, loosen my debt to You, as I unloosen my hair.
Grant Your love to the one who loves You, despite all my unworthiness;
and I shall exalt Your love for all,
harlots and publicans alike,
O Lover of humankind and their Benefactor.

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

The harlot mixed her tears with the precious myrrh,
as she poured them over Your most pure feet,
which she covered with kisses;
thus You showed her to be justified.
O Lord, who suffered for us,
grant us Your forgiveness and save us.

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

While the sinful woman was offering You her ointment,
Your disciple conspired against You.
She rejoiced to pour out the precious myrrh,
while he hastened to sell the One who is beyond price.
As she came to recognize her Lord,
the disciple separated himself;
she was set free,
while Judas became enslaved to the Enemy.
She was ennobled through repentance,
while he was disgraced by his vile actions.
O Saviour, who suffered for us,
grant us Your forgiveness and save us.

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

O the misery of Judas!
He saw the sinful woman kiss the feet of the Lord,
and he shamefully thought of his kiss of betrayal.
She loosened her hair,
while he let himself be bound up by passion;
instead of the fragrance of myrrh, he bore the odour of his perverse and evil ways;
for jealousy does no know how to seek what is good.
O the misery of Judas!
O Lord, keep our souls from falling like him.

In Tone 2

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

The sinful woman hastened to buy the precious myrrh,
in order to anoint her Saviour.
She said to the merchant:
Give me the myrrh that I might anoint the One
who washed me of all my sins.

In Tone 6

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

Drowning in the abyss of sin,
the harlot found in You a harbour of salvation.
She poured out myrrh with her tears, and said:
O Lord, You can forgive sins,
but You await the repentance of sinners.
Behold me, O Master, for I am sinking in the storm of sin;
in Your great goodness, save me.

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

Today Christ comes to the house of the Pharisee,
and the sinful woman falls at His feet.
She bows before Him and says:
Behold, I am drowning in the abyss of sin;
I have lost all hope because of my deeds.
In Your goodness, do not turn away from me;
but grant me forgiveness, O Lord, and save me.

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

The harlot loosened her hair for You, O Lord,
while Judas reached out his hand to the godless ones.
One acted to receive Your forgiveness, the other to gain money.
Therefore, we cry out to You:
O Lord, sold for our deliverance, glory to You.

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

Filled with the odour of sin, the woman drew near to You, O Saviour;
she poured out her tears over Your feet and thus proclaimed Your Passion.
“O Master, how shall I dare to raise my eyes to You,” she cried.
Yet You came to save the fallen;
You raised Lazarus from the tomb;
so lift me also from the abyss of death.
O Lord, accept me in my misery and save me.

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

She who was rejected because of her life,
and who was accepted because of her conversion,
came to You, bearing myrrh, and saying:
Do not cast me out, O Son of the Virgin, for I am a wretched one;
O Joy of the angels do not despise my tears;
but receive me in repentance, and in Your goodness, accept me a sinful one.

In Tone 8, Glory… Now…

O Lord, the woman who had fallen into a multitude of sins,
recognized Your divinity and thus joined the ranks of the myrrh-bearing women;
before Your burial, she offered You myrrh with her tears:
“Alas,” she said, “Woe is me!
The stinging night of pleasure seizes me;
the dark and moonless love of sin grasps me.
Accept the stream of my tears and my copious weeping, O Lord,
for You make the waters fall from the clouds into the sea.
Incline Your ear to the cry of my heart,
for You incline the heavens in Your ineffable condescension.
Allow me to kiss Your most pure feet,
and to dry them with the locks of my hair;
for these are the feet that Eve heard in Paradise,
and, trembling at their approach, she hid herself.
O Lord, who can search out the number of my sins?
Who shall search the depth of Your judgments, O Redeemer and Saviour of our souls?!
In Your infinite love, do not despise Your servant.”

Prokeimenon I, Tone 4
To the God of heaven give thanks* for His love endures forever.
verse: Give thanks to the God of gods, for His love endures forever.

Reading I
Exodus 2:11-22

Prokeimenon II, Tone 4
Your love, O Lord, is eternal,* do not discard the work of Your hands.
verse: I thank You, Lord, with all my heart.

Reading II
Job 2:1-10

Gospel
Matthew 26:6-16