Daily texts will return after June 20, 2024!
Event Information:
-
Tue12Apr2022
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts for Great Tuesday
LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS
At Psalm 140
In Tone 1
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
How shall I enter the splendour of your saints,* because of my unworthiness?* If I dare to enter into Your bridal chamber,* my garment shall give me away;* for I do not have a wedding garment,* and the angels shall cast me out.* Purify my soul, O Lord, and in Your goodness, save me.
- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
How shall I enter the splendour of your saints,* because of my unworthiness?* If I dare to enter into Your bridal chamber,* my garment shall give me away;* for I do not have a wedding garment,* and the angels shall cast me out.* Purify my soul, O Lord, and in Your goodness, save me.
In Tone 2
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
My slothful soul has fallen into sleep, O Christ, my Spouse,* and I do not have a lamp shining with the fire of virtues.* I have become like the foolish virgins;* for, instead of labouring, I have wasted my time.* Do not close off Your love and Your heart to me, O Master;* but dispel my dark slumber;* awaken me that I may enter Your palace with the wise virgins.* There the choir of the just shall resound as they sing to You:* O Lord, glory to You.
- Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
My slothful soul has fallen into sleep, O Christ, my Spouse,* and I do not have a lamp shining with the fire of virtues.* I have become like the foolish virgins;* for, instead of labouring, I have wasted my time.* Do not close off Your love and Your heart to me, O Master;* but dispel my dark slumber;* awaken me that I may enter Your palace with the wise virgins.* There the choir of the just shall resound as they sing to You:* O Lord, glory to You.
In Tone 4
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
You have heard of the condemnation of the one who hid the talent;* O my soul, do not hide the word of God.* Proclaim His wonders and increase His gifts,* that you may enter into the joy of your Lord.
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
You have heard of the condemnation of the one who hid the talent;* O my soul, do not hide the word of God.* Proclaim His wonders and increase His gifts,* that you may enter into the joy of your Lord.
In Tone 6
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Come, O faithful, let us zealously labour for the Lord;* for He entrusts His riches to His servants;* let each multiply the talent of grace.* Let one gain wisdom by doing good;* let another serve with splendour;* let the faithful share the knowledge of faith with the unenlightened;* let others share their goods with the poor.* Thus we shall multiply the treasure that has been entrusted to us,* and we shall be the faithful stewards of grace,* and we shall be worthy of the joy of the Lord.* Grant this to us, O Christ our God,* in Your goodness toward humankind.
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Come, O faithful, let us zealously labour for the Lord;* for He entrusts His riches to His servants;* let each multiply the talent of grace.* Let one gain wisdom by doing good;* let another serve with splendour;* let the faithful share the knowledge of faith with the unenlightened;* let others share their goods with the poor.* Thus we shall multiply the treasure that has been entrusted to us,* and we shall be the faithful stewards of grace,* and we shall be worthy of the joy of the Lord.* Grant this to us, O Christ our God,* in Your goodness toward humankind.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
When You shall come in glory with the powers of heaven,* to be seated on the throne of judgment, O Jesus,* do not cast me far away from You, O Good Shepherd.* On Your right are the paths that lead to You,* and on Your left are those who turn away from You.* Do not make me perish with the goats,* even though I have been disfigured by sin.* But place me on Your right with Your sheep,* and in Your love for humankind, save me.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
O Bridegroom, whose grace surpasses all human beauty,* You invite us to the spiritual feast in Your palace.* Strip me of the coarse garment of my sin,* and make me a partaker of Your Passion.* Clothe me in the glorious adornment of Your beauty.* In Your mercy, accept me as a luminous guest* at the banquet in Your Kingdom.
In Tone 7
Glory… Now…
Behold, the Lord entrusts His talent to you;* accept this gift with fear, O my soul.* Multiply it for the One who granted it to you;* share it with the poor and you shall have the Lord as your friend.* Then you shall be at His right when He comes in glory,* and you shall hear His blessed voice say to you:* You are indeed my servant;* enter into the joy of Your Lord.* Even though I have gone astray, O Lord,* make me worthy of this joy.
Prokeimenon I, Tone 6
Arise, O Lord, and go to Your resting place,* You and the ark of Your might.
verse: O Lord, remember David and the many hardships he endured.
Reading I
Exodus 2:5-10
Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her maidens walked beside the river; she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to fetch it. When she opened it she saw the child; and lo, the babe was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son; and she named him Moses, for she said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”
Prokeimenon II, Tone 4
How good and how pleasant it is,* when people live in unity!
verse: It is like precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, upon the beard of Aaron.
Reading II
Job 1:13-22
Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house; and there came a messenger to Job, and said, “The oxen were plowing and the asses feeding beside them; and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them, and slew the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, there came another, and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, there came another, and said, “The Chaldeans formed three companies, and made a raid upon the camels and took them, and slew the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, there came another, and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house; and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness, and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you.” Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell upon the ground, and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return; the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
Gospel
Matthew 24:36-26:2
The Lord said to his disciples, “About that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
“Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”