Mar 12; Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts for Friday of the Fourth Week of the Great Fast
Published on: March 4, 2021

Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts for Friday of the Fourth Week of the Great Fast

LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS

At Psalm 140

In Tone 7

In Tone 7

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

I have enslaved the dignity of my soul to the passions,* and have become like the beasts;* I can no longer raise my eyes to You, O God most high.* But, like the Publican I bow to the earth,* and I cry to You in supplication:* Forgive me, O Lord, and save me.

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

I have enslaved the dignity of my soul to the passions,* and have become like the beasts;* I can no longer raise my eyes to You, O God most high.* But, like the Publican I bow to the earth,* and I cry to You in supplication:* Forgive me, O Lord, and save me.

In Tone 7

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

Glory to You, O Christ our God.* You are the praise of the apostles,* and the delight of the martyrs,* who preached the consubstantial Trinity.

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

O holy martyrs who fought the good fight* and have received your crowns,* entreat the Lord to have mercy on our souls.

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

Not caring for any earthly things, O holy martyrs,* you boldly preached Christ during your trials,* and received your due reward from Him.* But since you possess confidence before Him,* we beseech you to entreat Him, as the Almighty God, to save 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.

O martyrs, lofty praise is due to you,* for you are lambs of the Spirit and spiritual offerings.* You are pleasing sacrifices that have found favour with God;* and though the earth may not have covered you, the heavens received you.* We entreat you; for you have become partakers with the angels,* to join with them in beseeching our God* to give the world peace and to save our souls.

In Tone 1

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

The streams of your wisdom were drawn from the spiritual clouds,* pouring forth a fountain of orthodoxy upon the world.* We the faithful draw forth the sweetness from there* and we turn from the outpourings of heresy* as from the bitter waters of Marah!

  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 streams of your wisdom were drawn from the spiritual clouds,* pouring forth a fountain of orthodoxy upon the world.* We the faithful draw forth the sweetness from there* and we turn from the outpourings of heresy* as from the bitter waters of Marah!

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

As your most pure body lay in the tomb,* it did not in any way decay.* It was found to be whole, most blessed Nicephorus!* We bear it forth with zeal.* We rejoice, fed by the orthodox faith,* and we bless you, divinely-wise one!

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

The Church which is honoured by the name of the apostles,* received you, most blessed one,* for through your godly deeds, you became a temple of God.* After your burial you are again buried in a holy manner* and you have buried the foolish talk of the heretics!

In Tone 7

Glory…

Grant repose, O God our Saviour,* to our departed loved ones who cry out to You:* O Lord and Giver of life, glory to You.

Now…

Immaculate Mother of God,* you became a mother outside the laws of nature,* remaining a virgin in a way that exceeds all description and human understanding.* The wonder of your birth-giving could not be told in human language,* for your conception of Christ blinded intelligence,* and your birth-giving exceeded understanding:* for whenever God so desires, the laws of nature are broken.* Wherefore we all firmly believe that you are the Mother of God,* and we eagerly beseech you to intercede for the salvation of our souls.

Prokeimenon I, Tone 6

O Shepherd of Israel, hear us,* You who lead Joseph’s flock.

verse: Shine forth from Your Cherubim throne.

Reading I

Genesis 12:1-7

Prokeimenon II, Tone 4

Ring out your joy to God, our strength,* shout in triumph to the God of Jacob.

verse: Raise a song and sound the timbrel, the sweet-sounding harp and lute.

Reading II

Proverbs 14:15-26