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 5
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
You were not concerned about all these earthly matters,
and you courageously braved the tortures.
You did not sin against hope,
having confidence in God’s love for humankind;
thus you were made heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven,
O most praise-worthy martyrs.
Ask for peace for the world and great mercy for our souls.
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Putting on the shield of faith
and fortifying themselves with the symbol of the Cross,
Your saints, O Lord, bravely went of their own accord to torture.
They defeated the craft and insolence of the devil.
By their supplications, O all-powerful God,
send peace to the world and great mercy to our souls
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Intercede for us, O holy martyrs,
that we may be delivered from our iniquities;
for the grace to pray for us is given to you.
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
With your souls filled with unquenchable love,
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 8
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
You revealed Your bishop in the world, Lord,
to be a successor to the apostles in word and deed!
He was a preacher of true doctrine,
therefore You made him an instructor of hierarchs
and a partaker of Your incorruptible glory!
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
You revealed Your bishop in the world, Lord,
to be a successor to the apostles in word and deed!
He was a preacher of true doctrine,
therefore You made him an instructor of hierarchs
and a partaker of Your incorruptible glory!
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
The Church of Christ contains you as a living pillar, Leo,
and a proclaimer of the true teachings of the Word.
She ever remains unshaken,
beholding the truth and glorifying the Lord, the Master of all,
Who has glorified you!
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Lord, You revealed the holy bishop
as a sharp sword against the ungodly,
fighting, Word, for Your Orthodox faith;
cutting down false teachings!
Thus, Master, you increased good teaching in the world!
In Tone 5, Glory…
I recall the prophet crying out:
I am ashes and dust.
And again, I looked into the graves and saw bones laid bare and I said:
Which is king or soldier, rich or poor, righteous or sinner?
But, with the just, give rest, O Lord, to Your departed servants,
since You are the Lover of humankind.
Now…
A symbol of the undefiled Virgin and bride was revealed in the Red Sea.
There, Moses divided the waters;
here, Gabriel is the messenger of the miracle.
There, the Israelites crossed the deep and their feet were not even wet;
here, the Virgin gives birth to Christ without human seed.
There, the sea remained uncrossed after the passing of Israel;
here the immaculate remained incorrupt after giving birth to Emmanuel.
Therefore, O Immortal God, who appeared in the flesh as true Man, have mercy on us!
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
When Noah was five hundred years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. When men began to multiply on earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of heaven saw how beautiful the daughters of man were, and so they took for their wives as many of them as they chose. Then the Lord said: “My spirit shall not remain in man forever, since he is but flesh. His days shall comprise one hundred and twenty years.” At that time the Nephilim appeared on earth (as well as later), after the sons of heaven had intercourse with the daughters of man, who bore them sons. They were the heroes of old, the men of renown. When the Lord saw how great was man’s wickedness on earth, and how no desire that his heart conceived was ever anything but evil, he regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was grieved. So the Lord said: “I will wipe out from the earth the men whom I have created, and not only the men, but also the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air, for I am sorry that I made them.” But Noah found favour with the Lord.
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
Observe, my son, your father’s bidding, and reject not your mother’s teaching; Keep them fastened over your heart always, put them around your neck; For the bidding is a lamp, and the teaching a light, and a way to life are the reproofs of discipline; To keep you from your neighbour’s wife, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. Lust not in your heart after her beauty, let her not captivate you with her glance! For the price of a loose woman may be scarcely a loaf of bread, But if she is married, is a trap for your precious life. Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his garments not burned? Or can a man walk on live coals, and his feet not be scorched? So with him who goes in to his neighbour’s wife- none who touches her shall go unpunished. Men despise not the thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry; Yet if he be caught he must pay back sevenfold; all the wealth of his house he may yield up. But he who commits adultery is a fool; he who would destroy himself does it. A degrading beating will he get, and his disgrace will not be wiped away; For vindictive is the husband’s wrath, he will have no pity on the day of vengeance; He will not consider any restitution, nor be satisfied with the greatest gifts. My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands.