Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
At Psalm 140
In Tone 4
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
Behold, this is the acceptable time,
this is the day of salvation.
Visit my soul in the abundance of Your love,
and in Your unique goodness, lighten the load of my sins.
- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
Behold, this is the acceptable time,
this is the day of salvation.
Visit my soul in the abundance of Your love,
and in Your unique goodness, lighten the load of my sins.
In Tone 1
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
Through the supplication of all the saints and of the Theotokos,
grant us Your peace, O Lord, and save us,
since You alone are compassionate.
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
O saints, your confession of faith in the arena
destroyed the strength of devils and set us free from delusion.
When you were beheaded, you cried out:
O Lord, may the sacrifice of our souls be acceptable in Your sight;
for in our love for You, the Lover of humankind,
we have despised this temporal life.
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
How beautiful is the manner of your exchange, O saints;
for you have given your blood and received heaven.
Truly, you have done well!
You have obtained immortality by forsaking corruptible things.
Making a single choir with the angels,
you sing unceasingly the praises of the consubstantial Trinity.
- 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, worthy of praise,
though the earth may not have covered you, heaven received you,
opening to you the gates of Paradise, where you dwell,
delighting in the Tree of Life.
Beseech Christ to grant our souls
peace and great mercy.
In Tone 4
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
You were called Sophronius by divine foreknowledge: a name meaning chastity.
You were righteous and chaste in your deeds, courageous and wise.
As a most eminent administrator,
you were crowned nobly with natural virtues of both soul and body
and you grew in them with steadfastness.
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
You were called Sophronius by divine foreknowledge: a name meaning chastity.
You were righteous and chaste in your deeds, courageous and wise.
As a most eminent administrator,
you were crowned nobly with natural virtues of both soul and body
and you grew in them with steadfastness.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Your mouth thundered forth the teachings of theology, all-blessed Sophronius!
You clearly expounded the theology of the Unoriginate Father, the Co-Unoriginate Son
and the equally everlasting Holy Spirit:
the Trinity in unity and unity in Trinity;
one God in essence!
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
You wisely taught that the Word is equally unoriginate with the Father, most wise one;
that though incorporeal, He united flesh to His Person, without change or confusion;
that His actions are two-fold,
for both natures from which he acts and is beheld are revealed as contained, one in the other,
for He is one, undivided in essence.
In Tone 1, Glory…
What earthly delight endures unmingled with grief?
What earthly glory remains immutable?
All things are less than a shadow, more deluding than a dream.
In a single moment all these are effaced by death.
But in the light of Your countenance, O Christ, and in the enjoyment of Your beauty,
grant rest to those whom You have chosen;
for You love humankind.
Now…
Let us sing a hymn of praise to the Virgin Mary,
glory of the whole world!
She was herself formed by human seed,
yet she became the Mother of the Master,
the Gate of heaven, the theme of the angels’ hymn and the beauty of the faithful.
She was seen as being heavenly and the Tabernacle of the Godhead.
She indeed tore down the wall of enmity between God and man, and brought peace in its place.
She opened the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let us therefore cling fast to her for she is the anchor of faith,
and let us receive as our stronghold the Lord who was born of her.
Be of good cheer, then, and have confidence, O people of God,
for He will fight our enemies for us;
He is all-powerful!
Prokeimenon I, Tone 4
Your merciful love and Your truth* will guard me forever.
verse: I waited, I waited for the Lord and He stooped down to me; He heard my cry.
Reading I
Genesis 5:32-6:8
Prokeimenon II, Tone 6
As for me, I said: Lord, have mercy on me;* heal my soul for I have sinned against You.
verse: Blessed are those who consider the poor and the weak. The Lord will save them in the evil day.
Reading II
Proverbs 6:20-7:1