Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
At Psalm 140
In Tone 5
10. 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.
9. 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 3
8. Great is the power of Your martyrs, O Christ.
For, lying in their tombs, they drive out evil spirits
and fight in defence of godliness;
they subdued the power of the enemy by faith in the Trinity.
7. The prophets, apostles, and the martyrs of Christ
taught us to sing the praises of the consubstantial Trinity.
They enlighten the nations that had gone astray,
and made us companions of the angels.
6. Your martyrs, O Lord, have been confirmed by faith
and strengthened by hope.
By the love of Your Cross they have been spiritually fortified,
and so have overcome the anguish of suffering.
They have obtained the crowns,
and, together with the angels, they pray for our souls.
5. Great is the power of Your Cross, O Lord,
for though it was set in one place, it acts throughout the world.
It made apostles of fishermen,
and martyrs of Gentiles.
We beg them to intercede for our souls.
In Tone 2
4. 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 gave 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.
3. 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.
2. 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. 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 3, Now…
O Lady most honourable,
how could we but be rapt in wonder at your giving birth
to the incarnate God who without a mother was born of a Father before all ages.
You gave Him birth in the flesh without a father,without a man’s instrumentality.
He is God and man whose two natures are intact, neither one losing any of its properties.
Therefore, O Virgin Mother, intercede with Him to save the souls
of those who believe and profess in true faith that you are the Mother of God.
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