March 13, 2015
Friday of the Fourth Week of Great Lent

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 6

8. Your martyrs did not reject You,
nor did they renounce Your commandments.
Through their prayers, have mercy on us!

7. Your martyrs, O Christ,
have endured many sufferings for Your sake,
and have received their heavenly crowns.
Now they intercede for our souls.

6. The suffering martyrs, citizens of heaven,
when taking part in the contest upon earth,
endured manifold torments.
By their intercessions and prayers, preserve us, O Lord.

5. Your Cross, O Christ, has been an invincible weapon for the martyrs;
for beholding the approach of death
and foreseeing the future life,
they were made strong by the hope that lies in You.
By their intercession, have mercy on us!

In Tone 2

4. Father, you denied the world from your youth.
You were joyful with true faith and love
as you followed the crucified Christ!
You mortified your flesh through many tasks of obedience
and received richly the gift of healing:
You alleviated various illnesses and drove out evil spirits
to their great astonishment!

3. Father, you denied the world from your youth.
You were joyful with true faith and love
as you followed the crucified Christ!
You mortified your flesh through many tasks of obedience
and received richly the gift of healing:
You alleviated various illnesses and drove out evil spirits
to their great astonishment!

2. You were the adornment of monastics, Benedict,
assembling a countless multitude to hymn the Lord.
You guided the steps of all to heaven
who rightly followed your divine teachings
and imitated your virtuous life, Father!
With them, we fittingly honor you,
rejoicing in your dormition.

1. You called down rain from the skies, Father, by your divine prayers,
like Elijah of old!
You caused a vessel to pour forth with oil, venerable one;
you raised the dead and worked many other miracles
to the glory of the God and Saviour of all!
Therefore with love we celebrate your glorious memory, Benedict!

In Tone 6, Glory…

Your creating command was my origin and formation,
for You willed to fashion me, a living creature,*out of visible and invisible nature.
From the earth You formed my body
and gave me a soul by Your divine and life-creating breath.
Therefore, O Christ, give rest to Your servant in the place of the living,
in the abodes of the just.

Now…

Who would not call you blessed, O Virgin most holy?
Who would not sing a hymn of praise
to the glory of your giving birth without pain or travail?
The only-begotten Son Himself,
begotten of the Father before all ages,
was made flesh out of you
in a manner that cannot be explained, O Woman most pure!
And for our sake He who is God by nature assumed the nature of man.
He is not divided into two persons;
He is understood to have two natures without commixion or confusion.
O noble and blessed Woman,
intercede with Him that He may have mercy on 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
The Lord said to Abram: “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you.” Abram went as the Lord directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai, his brother’s son Lot, all the possessions that they had accumulated, and the persons they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land as far as the sacred place at Shechem, by the terebinth of Moreh. (The Canaanites were then in the land.) The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So Abram built an altar there 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 scoundrel suffers the consequences of his ways, and the good man reaps the fruit of his paths. The simpleton believes everything, but the shrewd man measures his steps. The wise man is cautious and shuns evil; the fool is reckless and sure of himself. The quick-tempered man makes a fool of himself, but the prudent man is at peace. The adornment of simpletons is folly, but shrewd men gain the crown of knowledge. Evil men must bow down before the good, and the wicked, at the gates of the just. Even by his neighbour the poor man is hated, but the friends of the rich are many. He sins who despises the hungry; but happy is he who is kind to the poor! Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those intent on good gain kindness and constancy. In all labour there is profit, but mere talk tends only to penury. The crown of the wise is resourcefulness; the diadem of fools is folly. The truthful witness saves lives, but he who utters lies is a betrayer. In the fear of the Lord is a strong defence; even for one’s children he will be a refuge.