Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts for Wednesday of the Sixth Week of the Great Fast

LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS

At Psalm 140

In Tone 5

Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.

I am rich in all sorts of passions,
and I am clothed in a garment of hypocrisy,
as I revel in the intemperance of sin.
My lack of mercy is beyond measure,
and I disregard my spirit lying before the gates of repentance.
Starved of every good thing, I suffer from illness.
But You, O Lord, make me like Lazarus who was poor in sin,
so that I will not have to beg for a drop of water
for my tongue suffering from thirst in the eternal fire.
Make me dwell in the bosom of the patriarch Abraham, O Lover of humankind.

The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.

Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!

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.

Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.

As You walked in the flesh, O Jesus,
in the land beyond the Jordan,
You said to those who were with You:
Our friend Lazarus has died and has been placed in the tomb.
But I rejoice for you, my friends,
for you will learn that I know all things,
and that with God, I am one,
even though by nature I appear in human form.
Therefore, let us go and give life to Lazarus
so that Death may recognize this victory,
and the perfect consummation I shall bring about
by granting great mercy to the world.

If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.

O faithful, let us imitate Martha and Mary,
and offer virtuous deeds as ambassadors before the Lord,
that when He comes, He may uplift our minds full of misery which now lie dead in the tomb.
Without life, they have no sense of what they are neglecting,
and they are unaware of the awesomeness of God.
Behold, O Lord, now give life to all and grant us Your great mercy,
as once You had pity on Your friend Lazarus,
and by Your awesome power, You raised him from the dead.

In Tone 6

I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.

Now Lazarus has been in the tomb for two days,
and he sees all generations of the dead.
He beholds such strange and awesome things
and a countless number held within the power of death.
His relatives weep bitterly before his tomb;
but Christ is on His way to give life to His friend,
that He may stir up the same joy in the hearts of all.
Blessed are You, O Saviour; have mercy on us.

In Tone 1

From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.

O blessed, wise Basil,
you have brightened your sacred and divine garment with the crimson of your blood.
You have gone piously from earthly power to Power,
from earthly glory to Glory.
Now ask that our souls be granted peace
and great mercy.

For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.

As a most righteous priest, you first offered the unbloody sacrifice to God.
With your own blood you then offered yourself, like first-fruits, as a pleasing sacrifice.
As a true martyr, you followed after Christ.
O honourable Teacher,
pray to Him for those who sing to you.

Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.

You have brought to Christ, O Father, an army of martyrs
by your teaching and precepts.
Not only did you instruct with words, O wise Father,
but you showed them an example by offering yourself.
Pray with them that our souls be granted peace
and great mercy.

In Tone 8, Glory… Now…

Attend to the groaning of my broken heart, O bride of God.
Accept the lifting up of my hands.
Do not reject me, O Mary, spotless Virgin, full of love,
so that I may praise and magnify
Him, who in you magnified the human race.

Prokeimenon I, Tone 4
I walk in the presence of the Lord* in the land of the living.
verse: I love the Lord, for He has heard the cry of my appeal.

Reading I
Genesis 43:26-31 and 45:1-16
When Joseph came home, they brought the present in their hand to him in the house, and bowed down before him to the earth. Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” So they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” Then he said, “Blessed be that man in God”; and they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves. Then Joseph lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother you said you would bring to me?” So he said, “May God grant you mercy, my son.” Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. Then he went into his inner chamber and wept there. He then washed his face and came out; and he composed himself, and said, “Serve the bread.” Now Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. Then he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph then said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were stunned in his presence. But Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Now therefore, do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to save life. For this is the second year of famine in the land, and five years still remain in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. For God sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant on the earth, and to sustain you as a great remnant. So now, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. “Hurry then and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, “God made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your sheep and oxen, and all you have. There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all you have, come to poverty; for five years of famine still remain.’” And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see it is my mouth that speaks to you. Therefore, you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.” Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after this his brothers talked with him. Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well.

Prokeimenon II, Tone 4
I will pay my vows to the Lord,* in the presence of all His people.
verse: I trusted, even when I said: I am sorely afflicted.

Reading II
Proverbs 21:23-22:4
A troublemaker is called rash, arrogant, and boastful,
And he who bears malice is called lawless.
Desires kill a slothful man,
For his hands choose not to do anything.
The ungodly man desires evil all day long,
But the righteous man shows mercy and compassion unsparingly.
The sacrifices of the ungodly are an abomination to the Lord,
For they offer them lawlessly.
A false witness shall perish,
But an obedient man will speak guardedly.
An ungodly man resists shamelessly to the face,
But the upright man himself understands his ways.
There is no wisdom, there is no courage,
There is no counsel for the ungodly.
The horse is prepared for the day of war,
But help is from the Lord.
A good name is to be chosen more than much wealth,
And good grace more than silver and gold.
The rich man and the poor man meet with one another,
But the Lord made both.
An astute man, seeing an evil man severely punished, is himself instructed,
But those passing by without discernment suffer loss.
The fear of the Lord and riches and glory and life
Are the offspring of wisdom.