Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
At Psalm 140
In Tone 6
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
Departing from Your divine precepts as from Jerusalem,
and going down to the passions of Jericho,
travelling by way of the cares of this life
on the pathways of dishonour,
I fell prey to the thievery of thoughts;
they stripped me of my noble garment,
which You gave me by the grace of adoption.
I was left half-dead and covered with wounds;
a priest passed by and saw my misfortune, but he paid no attention;
a Levite felt nothing but disgust, and so he turned away from me;
but You, O Lord, who were born ineffably from the Virgin,
You poured as oil and wine,
the blood and water which flowed freely from Your life-giving side,
to dress and bind up my wounds.
In Your compassionate love, O Christ our God,
grant me a place in Your Kingdom.
- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
Departing from Your divine precepts as from Jerusalem,
and going down to the passions of Jericho,
travelling by way of the cares of this life
on the pathways of dishonour,
I fell prey to the thievery of thoughts;
they stripped me of my noble garment,
which You gave me by the grace of adoption.
I was left half-dead and covered with wounds;
a priest passed by and saw my misfortune, but he paid no attention;
a Levite felt nothing but disgust, and so he turned away from me;
but You, O Lord, who were born ineffably from the Virgin,
You poured as oil and wine,
the blood and water which flowed freely from Your life-giving side,
to dress and bind up my wounds.
In Your compassionate love, O Christ our God,
grant me a place in Your Kingdom.
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
Your martyrs did not reject You,
nor did they renounce Your commandments.
Through their prayers, have mercy on us.
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Gabriel stood in your presence, O holy Virgin,
and revealed the pre-eternal plan to you.
He greeted you and announced:
Rejoice, O earth that had not been sown!
Rejoice, O burning bush that was not consumed!
Rejoice, O unsearchable depth!
Rejoice, O bridge which leads to heaven;
O high ladder which Jacob saw!
Rejoice, O vessel of divine manna!
Rejoice, O invocation of Adam!
The Lord is with you.
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Gabriel stood in your presence, O holy Virgin,
and revealed the pre-eternal plan to you.
He greeted you and announced:
Rejoice, O earth that had not been sown!
Rejoice, O burning bush that was not consumed!
Rejoice, O unsearchable depth!
Rejoice, O bridge which leads to heaven;
O high ladder which Jacob saw!
Rejoice, O vessel of divine manna!
Rejoice, O invocation of Adam!
The Lord is with you.
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Gabriel stood in your presence, O holy Virgin,
and revealed the pre-eternal plan to you.
He greeted you and announced:
Rejoice, O earth that had not been sown!
Rejoice, O burning bush that was not consumed!
Rejoice, O unsearchable depth!
Rejoice, O bridge which leads to heaven;
O high ladder which Jacob saw!
Rejoice, O vessel of divine manna!
Rejoice, O invocation of Adam!
The Lord is with you.
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
The blameless Maiden said to the captain of the heavenly hosts:
You appear to me as a mortal,
and your words go beyond human thought.
You have said that God is with me,
and that He shall take up abode in my womb.
Tell me then, how am I to become a holy temple for the infinite One,
the Lord who rides on the Cherubim?
Do not mislead me with deceit,
for I have known no pleasure and have not approached wedlock.
Therefore, how shall I give birth to a child?
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
The blameless Maiden said to the captain of the heavenly hosts:
You appear to me as a mortal,
and your words go beyond human thought.
You have said that God is with me,
and that He shall take up abode in my womb.
Tell me then, how am I to become a holy temple for the infinite One,
the Lord who rides on the Cherubim?
Do not mislead me with deceit,
for I have known no pleasure and have not approached wedlock.
Therefore, how shall I give birth to a child?
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
The Archangel then said to her:
Whenever God wills, the order of nature is overcome,
and that which is beyond human power is accomplished.
Therefore, O most pure and ever-holy One, believe my true words.
She then cried out, saying:
Let it now be done to me according to you word,
and I will give birth to the One who is without flesh.
He will take flesh from me,
so that by the union He may raise the human race to the original dignity,
for He alone is all-powerful.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
The Archangel then said to her:
Whenever God wills, the order of nature is overcome,
and that which is beyond human power is accomplished.
Therefore, O most pure and ever-holy One, believe my true words.
She then cried out, saying:
Let it now be done to me according to you word,
and I will give birth to the One who is without flesh.
He will take flesh from me,
so that by the union He may raise the human race to the original dignity,
for He alone is all-powerful.
In Tone 2, Glory… Now…
That mystery which is from all eternity
is being revealed today.
The Son of God becomes the Son of Man.
He accepted the lowliest in order to give us the highest.
In times of old, Adam was deceived;
he desired to become like God and did not.
Now God becomes human that He may make Adam God.
Let all creation be happy:
let nature dance with joy
because the Archangel stands in awe before the Virgin and greets her.
He brings the greeting which changes our grief into joy.
Through the mercy of Your compassion, You became incarnate;
O our God, glory to You!
Prokeimenon I, Tone 4
The Lord is compassion and love,* slow to anger and rich in mercy.
verse: My soul, give thanks to the Lord; all my being, bless His holy name.
Reading
Genesis 22:1-18
Some time after these events, God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, “Abraham!” “Ready!” he replied. Then God said: “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you.” Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey, took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well, and with the wood that he had cut for the holocaust, set out for the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar. Then he said to his servants: “Both of you stay here with the donkey, while the boy and I go on over yonder. We will worship and then come back to you.” Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the holocaust and laid it on his son Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham. “Father!” he said. “Yes, son,” he replied. Isaac continued, “Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the holocaust?”
“Son,” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust.” Then the two continued going forward. When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac, and put him on top of the wood on the altar. Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the Lord’s messenger called to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered.
“Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger. “Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”
As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son. Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh; hence people now say, “On the mountain the Lord will see.” Again the Lord’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said: “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing – all this because you obeyed my command.’’
Prokeimenon II, Tone 4
How great are Your works, O Lord;* You have made all things in wisdom.
verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are exceedingly great.
Reading II
Proverbs 17:17-18:5
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. A man without sense gives a pledge, and becomes surety in the presence of his neighbour. He who loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction. A man of crooked mind does not prosper, and one with a perverse tongue falls into calamity. A stupid son is a grief to a father; and the father of a fool has no joy. A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones. A wicked man accepts a bribe from the bosom to pervert the ways of justice. A man of understanding sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him. To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good; to flog noble men is wrong. He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. He who is estranged seeks pretexts to break out against all sound judgment. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. When wickedness comes, contempt comes also; and with dishonour comes disgrace. The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a gushing stream. It is not good to be partial to a wicked man, or to deprive a righteous man of justice.