Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
At Psalm 140
In Tone 5
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
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.
- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
Come, O faithful, let us fulfill 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 4
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
You are glorified in the memory of your saints, O Christ God.
Through their intercessions,
send upon us Your great mercy.
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
O God, who has accepted the long-suffering of the holy martyrs,
accept our song, O Lover of humankind,
and, through their prayers, grant us Your great mercy.
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
O saints, who have the boldness to approach the Saviour,
pray without ceasing for us sinners,
asking remission for our transgressions,
and great mercy for our souls.
- 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 of the Lord,
you are living sacrifices and spiritual offerings
and perfect incense burnt to God.
You are sheep that know God and are known to Him,
and wolves cannot break into His fold.
Pray that we may be led with you
to pasture beside the still waters.
In Tone 2
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
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.
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
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.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
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.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
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 4, Now…
O Mother of God,
because of you David the prophet became an ancestor of God;
he foretold and sang a joyous hymn of praise
and cried out to Him who worked wonders in you:
“The Queen stood at Your right hand.”
God revealed you as a life-giving mother, when He chose to be incarnate of you without a father.
He renewed in man His image which the passions had corrupted.
He found the lost sheep in the mountains,
carried it on His shoulders, offered it to the Father,
generously numbered it among the powers of heaven,
and saved the whole world, since He is Christ of great and rich mercy.
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
The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man. So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The Lord God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, the man said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body. The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame. Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the Lord God had made. The serpent asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad.” The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. When they heard the sound of the Lord God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. The Lord God then called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!” The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me-she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.” The Lord God then asked the woman, “Why did you do such a thing?” The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; On your belly shall you crawl, and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” To the woman he said: “I will intensify the pangs of your childbearing; in pain shall you bring forth children. Yet your urge shall be for your husband, and he shall be your master.” To the man he said: “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat, “Cursed be the ground because of you! In toil shall you eat its yield all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you, as you eat of the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face shall you get bread to eat, Until you return to the ground, from which you were taken; For you are dirt, and to dirt you shall return.” The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.
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
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, established the heavens by understanding; By his knowledge the depths break open, and the clouds drop down dew. My son, let not these slip out of your sight: keep advice and counsel in view; So will they be life to your soul, and an adornment for your neck. Then you may securely go your way; your foot will never stumble; When you lie down, you need not be afraid, when you rest, your sleep will be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden terror, of the ruin of the wicked when it comes; For the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from the snare. Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim when it is in your power to do it for him. Say not to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give,” when you can give at once. Plot no evil against your neighbor, against him who lives at peace with you. Quarrel not with a man without cause, with one who has done you no harm. Envy not the lawless man and choose none of his ways: To the Lord the perverse man is an abomination, but with the upright is his friendship. The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but the dwelling of the just he blesses; When he is dealing with the arrogant, he is stern, but to the humble he shows kindness.