Holy Mother Matrona of Thessalonica
LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS
At Psalm 140
In Tone 4
10. The Fast that brings integrity has now run half its course.
These past days have proved acceptable,
and now we see the need of the days to come.
Our perception of their value will make them yield more abundant fruit.
Therefore, let us beseech Christ our Benefactor
who fasted and endured the Cross for us:
Grant that we might share in Your divine Pascha without condemnation
and pass our lives in peace,
worthily glorifying You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In Tone 5
9. Those who do good deeds in secret
and receive a spiritual reward,
do not boast in public about their deeds,
but they carry them in their hearts;
and He who sees the secret deeds of all
grants us the reward of self-control.
Let us then complete this Great Fast without putting on a gloomy face;
but while praying in the secrecy of our souls,
let us cry out unceasingly:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
lead us not into temptation, we pray,
but deliver us from evil.
8. With your souls filled with unquenchable love, O holy martyrs,
you endured the most terrible sufferings without ever denying Christ;
and you laid low the impudence of the torturers.
You kept the faith unwavering and unharmed
and have gone to dwell in heaven.
Therefore, having the boldness to approach the Lord,
beg Him to grant us His great mercy.
In Tone 1
7. Let us all wash our souls in the water of the Fast
and approach the precious and all-praiseworthy Cross of the Lord.
Let us faithfully bow to it,
drawing divine illumination from it
and reaping the fruit of eternal salvation,
which is peace and great mercy.
6. O precious Cross, the boldness of the apostles,
You are revered by the Archangels, Powers and Principalities.
Save from all evil those who bow before You,
and make us worthy to pass through the course of the Fast in a holy way,
that we may see Your salvation and holy Resurrection.
In Tone 7
5. Bowing before the Cross of the Lord on this day, let us sing:
Rejoice, O Tree of Life;
You are the joy of the world who destroy Hades and Death;
Your strength puts the demons to flight.
You are the invincible weapon and support of believers;
preserve and sanctify those who bow before You.
In Tone 4
4. You opposed with reason
the harsh threats and naked savagery of unbelievers,
for you were both divinely and humanly wise!
You foresaw the delight of things to come
which remain unchanged throughout the ages.
You received this unchanging delight
as you departed from earth to the mansions of heaven;
to the choir of unending voices, glorious one!
3. You opposed with reason
the harsh threats and naked savagery of unbelievers,
for you were both divinely and humanly wise!
You foresaw the delight of things to come
which remain unchanged throughout the ages.
You received this unchanging delight
as you departed from earth to the mansions of heaven;
to the choir of unending voices, glorious one!
2. You were adorned with the wounds of your patient suffering;
it was given you to behold the splendour of the kingdom
and the fair beauty of your Bridegroom!
You drew near to the Source of good things,
from where, as is fitting,
you richly received the fruit of divine gladness and unending glory!
1. The yoke of slavery did not prevent you, most glorious one,
from following the patience of the martyrs,
nor did feminine weakness, starvation, or beatings!
You endured torture with fervent strength of soul!
Therefore you have received a heavenly dwelling place:
Standing before your Creator, you are adorned with the crown of grace.
In Tone 8, Glory… Now…
Today the inaccessible Lord draws me close to Him.
He endures His Passion to free me from my passions.
He who gives light to the blind, receives spitting from impure lips
and permits Himself to be scourged to save the captives.
When His Mother, the Virgin, saw Him on the Cross, she sighed and said:
Alas, O my beloved Child!
You surpass every mortal in beauty; yet You are now without charm or attraction,
having neither grace, nor form, nor life.
Alas! O Light of my eyes,
a sword pierces my hear, and I suffer inwardly to see You so.
I sing and praise Your Passion,
I venerate Your infinite mercy,
O long-suffering Lord, glory to You.
Prokeimenon I, Tone 4
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,* who alone does wondrous things.
verse: O God, give Your judgment to the king, and to the king’s son Your justice.
Reading I
Genesis 9:18-10:1
Prokeimenon II, Tone 4
To be near God is my happiness.* I have made the Lord God my refuge.
verse: How good God is to Israel, to those who are pure of heart.
Reading II
Proverbs 12:23-13:9