Friday of the Fourth Week of the Great Fast: Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
At Psalm 140
In Tone 7
10. 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.
9. 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
8. 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.
7. O holy martyrs who fought the good fight
and have received your crowns,
entreat the Lord to have mercy on our souls.
6. 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.
5. 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 2
4. 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 Savior of our souls.
3. 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 Savior of our souls.
2. 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 Savior of our souls.
1. 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 Savior of our souls.
Glory…
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 Savior of our souls.
Now…
O Virgin, the shadow of the Law passed away
with the realization of grace.
For as the bush had burned without being consumed,
so you gave birth while a virgin
and you remained a virgin.
Instead of the pillar of fire there rose the Sun of Justice.
Instead of Moses, Christ God came forth,
the Saviour 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)
Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
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)
The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.
A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident.
A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated.
The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
The evil will bow before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
The poor man is hated even by his own neighbour,
But the rich has many friends.
He who despises his neighbour sins;
But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
Do they not go astray who devise evil?
But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
In all labour there is profit,
But idle chatter leads only to poverty.
The crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is folly.
A true witness delivers souls,
But a deceitful witness speaks lies.
In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
Reading III (Isaiah 43:9-14)
Thus says the LORD: Let all the nations gather together, and let the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to justify them, and let them hear and say, It is true. “You are my witnesses,” says the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no Saviour. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” says the LORD. “I am God, and also henceforth I am He; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work and who can hinder it?” Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “For your sake I will send to Babylon and break down all the bars, and the shouting of the Chalde’ans will be turned to lamentations.
Reading IV (Wisdom 3:1-9)
The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
and no torment will ever touch them.
In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,
and their departure was thought to be an affliction,
and their going from us to be their destruction;
but they are at peace.
For though in the sight of men they were punished,
their hope is full of immortality.
Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
like gold in the furnace he tried them,
and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.
In the time of their visitation they will shine forth,
and will run like sparks through the stubble.
They will govern nations and rule over peoples,
and the Lord will reign over them for ever.
Those who trust in him will understand truth,
and the faithful will abide with him in love,
because grace and mercy are upon his elect,
and he watches over his holy ones.
Reading V (Wisdom 5:15-6:3)
The righteous live for ever,
and their reward is with the Lord;
the Most High takes care of them.
Therefore they will receive a glorious crown
and a beautiful diadem from the hand of the Lord,
because with his right hand he will cover them,
and with his arm he will shield them.
The Lord will take his zeal as his whole armor,
and will arm all creation to repel his enemies;
he will put on righteousness as a breastplate,
and wear impartial justice as a helmet;
he will take holiness as an invincible shield,
and sharpen stern wrath for a sword,
and creation will join with him to fight against the madmen.
Shafts of lightning will fly with true aim,
and will leap to the target as from a well-drawn bow of clouds,
and hailstones full of wrath will be hurled as from a catapult;
the water of the sea will rage against them,
and rivers will relentlessly overwhelm them;
a mighty wind will rise against them ,
and like a tempest it will winnow them away.
Lawlessness will lay waste the whole earth,
and evil-doing will overturn the thrones of rulers.
Listen therefore, O kings, and understand;
learn, O judges of the ends of the earth.
Give ear, you that rule over multitudes,
and boast of many nations.
For your dominion was given you from the Lord,
and your sovereignty from the Most High,
who will search out your works and inquire into your plans.
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
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