Saturday Evening Revelation to Joseph

Fifth Sunday of Announcement
Ramsho
INTRODUCTION
DOXOLOGY
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as we begin and until we conclude.
May mercy and compassion be poured forth upon us
in this world and the next.
O Lord, our God, to you be glory for ever.
Amen.
OPENING PRAYER
O Lord God,
may we be instructed by your teachings,
enlightened by your wisdom
and assisted by your strength to confess
with a sincere faith your marvelous incarnation.
May we exalt the mystery of the purity of your Mother
and celebrate the memory of righteous Joseph.
We shall give glory to you,
now and for ever. Amen.
GREETING
Peace be with the Church and her children.
PRAISE OF THE ANGELS
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace on earth and good will to all.
Praise the Lord all you nations,
glorify him all you peoples,
for steadfast is his mercy toward us,
and the truth of the Lord endures for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever.
and peace on earth and good will to all.

PSALMODY
FIRST PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O Most High Lord,
you are without beginning or end.
You sent your angel to dispel the confusion of Joseph,
caused by the mystery of the conception of the Virgin.
Strengthen us in your truth and implant in us your salvation.
Protect our faith from doubt and our belief from confusion.
May the rays of your grace shine in our hearts,
that we may confess your marvelous birth
and honor your pure Mother and the righteous Joseph.
We shall give glory to you,
now and for ever. Amen.
PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
Once you spoke in a vision, and to your faithful ones you
said: “On a champion I have placed a crown; over the
people I have set a youth.”

Psalm 89: 20-38

Once you spoke in a vision,
and to your faithful ones you said:

“On a champion I have placed a crown;
over the people I have set a youth.”

I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,

That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong.

“No enemy shall deceive him,
nor shall the wicked afflict him.

But I will crush his foes before him
and those who hate him I will smite.

My faithfulness and my kindness shall
be with him,
and through my name shall his horn
be exalted.

I will set his hand upon the sea,
his right hand upon the rivers.

“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.’

And I will make him the first-born,
highest of the kings of the earth.

Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm.

I will make his posterity endure forever
and his throne as the days of heaven.

“If his sons forsake my law
and walk not according to my ordinances,

If they violate my statutes
and keep not my commands,

I will punish their crime with a rod
and their guilt with stripes.

Yet my kindness I will not take from him,
nor will I belie my faithfulness.

“I will not violate my covenant;
the promise of my lips I will not alter.

Once, by my holiness, have I sworn;
I will not be false to David.

His posterity shall continue forever,
and his throne shall be like the sun
before me;

Like the moon, which remains forever
a faithful witness in the sky.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.

Antiphon:
Once you spoke in a vision, and to your faithful ones you
said: “On a champion I have placed a crown; over the
people I have set a youth.”

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Son of the eternal One,
thanksgiving is due to you,
for you became the Son of the Virgin Mary.
When you chose Joseph to serve in your plan of salvation,
you revealed to him the mystery of your marvelous
incarnation.
Enlighten our spirits with you life-giving
commandments
and strengthen us in the true faith.
Grant us always to confess your divinity and to believe firmly in your incarnation,
that we may praise your mercy,
now and for ever. Amen.
EVENING PSALMS
Psalm 141:1-4
O Lord, to you I call; hasten to me;
harken to my voice when I call upon you.
Let my prayer come like incense before you;
the lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice.
O Lord, set a watch before my mouth,
a guard at the door of my lips.
Let not my heart incline to the evil
of engaging in deeds of wickedness
With men who are evildoers;
and let me not partake of their dainties.
Psalm 142
With a loud voice I cry out to the Lord;
with a loud voice I beseech the Lord.
My complaint I pour out before him;
before him I lay bare my distress.

When my spirit is faint within me,
you know my path.
In the way along which I walk
they have hid a trap for me.
I look to the right to see,
but there is no one who pays me heed.
I have lost all means of escape;
there is no one who cares for my life.
I cry out to you, O Lord:
I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land
of the living.”
Attend to my cry,
for I am brought low indeed.
Rescue me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me.
Lead me forth from prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
The just shall gather around me
when you have been good to me.
Psalm 119: 105-112
A lamp to my feet is your word,
a light to my path.
I resolve and swear
to keep your just ordinances.
I am very much afflicted;
O Lord, give me life according to your word.
Accept, O Lord, the free homage of my mouth,
and teach me your decrees.
Though constantly I take my life in my hands,
yet I forget not your law.

The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but from your precepts I have not strayed.
Your decrees are my inheritance forever;
the joy of my heart they are.
I intend in my heart to fulfill you statutes
always to the letter.
Psalm 117
Praise the Lord, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
For steadfast is his mercy toward us,
and the truth of the Lord endures for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.
Alleluia.
[HYMN]

The Hymn, “The Resurrection of Christ” (page 165) may
be sung following the Evening Psalms.
HOOSOYO
PROEMION
Praise, glory and honor to the Most High,
who adorned his creatures with gifts
and their offspring with the beauty of his wisdom.
He revealed to Joseph that Mary had conceived in all purity
the only Son,
and through the voice of the angel Gabriel
told him that the child was to be the Son of the
heavenly Father.
To the Good One is due glory and honor this evening,
and all the days of our lives,
now and for ever. Amen.

SEDRO
O God,
you are the beginning and end of all feasts and give meaning
to them.
When you saw that those you created for your praise had strayed and gone away from you,
you became incarnate in order to save them
and allow them to celebrate a perpetual feast with you.
Today we celebrate the memory of your divine revelation which
dispelled Joseph’s turmoil
and enabled him to believe that the child had been
conceived by the Holy Spirit.
We thank you for having confused those who would mock Mary
and for giving joy to those who sincerely believe.
We also thank you for having protected the Virgin, the pure one among all who are pure,
from any suspicion or accusation.
Lord,
we beseech you, through the intercession of Mary, your
Mother and Joseph your chosen one,
to mercifully accept our prayer.
May this feast be for our salvation,
may every sinner be sanctified,
all trials pass and all doubts cease.
May the one who is far away return and the one who is near
be protected.
May peace and joy be poured out in this world
and love and unity win hearts.
May the souls of the departed find rest in the dwelling
places of joy.
We shall give you glory,
now and for ever. Amen.
QOLO
Blessed is Christ, who sent Gabriel to Joseph that he might
honor the one who was to become the Mother of God.
Blessed is the One who chose righteous Joseph as a guardian and a foster father.
Blessed is the One who loves us and became flesh to save us.

ETRO
O Christ,
Perfume poured upon the world,
you dispelled the trouble in the heart of Joseph
and confirmed the truth of Mary’s virginal conception.
Accept now our incense (prayer),
grant us joy and rest to our dead.
We shall give you glory,
now and for ever. Amen.
READINGS
MAZMOORO
Glory to the One who sent his angel, bearer of all truth, to
troubled Joseph;
he made Joseph rejoice and the trouble which oppressed
him was dispelled.
In the past you spoke to your faithful in a vision:
“I have granted my assistance to a gallant warrior,
I have exalted the chosen one of my people.”
Praise and thanksgiving to the Son who was made flesh of the
Virgin Mary and chose Joseph as his guardian and foster
father.
SYNAXARION
Joseph, the spouse of Mary, lived a life of obscurity and devotion to him suffered the same lot during the first centuries of the Church. However, we find that Jerome praises his virginity; John Chrysostom spoke about his sufferings and his joys. It is said that Helen built a church in his honor at Bethlehem and a feast has been celebrated in his memory by the Eastern Churches since the ninth century.
The Maronite Church celebrates his feast on the fifth Sunday of the Season of Announcement and also on March 19.
From the day of the announcement to Gabriel to Mary and her virginal conception, three months had already passed. During this time, Mary kept silent. Although the consequences could have been disastrous to

her reputation, she revealed the great mystery to no one, not even Joseph, her betrothed, or her relative, Elizabeth. She trusted in God and knew that he would reveal the great mystery in his own time and in his own way. The Lord did just this.
According to Jewish law, betrothal was equivalent to marriage. Even before cohabitation, if a man desires to leave a woman, he had to give the bride a written divorce. If the groom were to die, the bride was considered to be a widow. If the woman was found guilty of adultery, it was the duty of the man to repudiate her publicly (Deuteronomy 22: 10-29; Leviticus 20: 10).
When Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant, he could not understand how something like this could have happened. Mary continued to be modest, kind and compassionate. Saint Jerome describes Joseph’s confusion. “Joseph, knowing the chastity of Mary and admiring what happened, hid in a silence the mystery he was unable to understand.” Just as Mary respected the mystery, so also did Joseph. However, he decided that it was his duty to send her away in silence, even though he would have to suffer. They would have to separate rather than unveil the mystery. The Holy Family began with this martyrdom of self in the face of God’s mystery.
God intervened in a dream, which Joseph did not doubt as coming from heaven. God told Joseph that Mary was pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. He also gave Joseph his role as the
“father” of the family: “Mary will give birth and you will call him Jesus.” This child will deliver people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21). A great responsibility was given to Joseph and, like Mary, he accepted the will of God.
Joseph was called to be the humble servant of God, Jesus and Mary. He would do all his duties in silence. He would serve, protect, provide and die before even seeing a miracle. His entire life became one of love, immolation, sacrifice, work and self-effacement.
He would take Mary to Bethlehem, flee to Egypt, bring Jesus and Mary out of Egypt, look for Jesus in the Temple—and die in silence. This was his mission and he accomplished it because he trusted in God.
Joseph has often been compared to the Joseph of the Old Testament, the son of Jacob. As Joseph of the Old Testament saved Egypt and its neighbors, may the Joseph of the New Testament save the Church and all those who come to him. “Go to Joseph. He has the riches of the king! The king has entrusted to him the distribution of his goods!”

SCRIPTURE READINGS
A Reading from the book of Numbers
Numbers 17: 16-26
The LORD now said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and get one staff from them for each ancestral house, twelve staffs in all, one from each of their tribal princes. Mark each man’s name on his staff; and mark Aaron’s name on Levi’s staff, for the head of Levi’s ancestral house shall also have a staff. Then lay them down in the meeting tent, in front of the commandments, where I meet you. There the staff of the man of my choice shall sprout. Thus will I suppress from my presence the Israelites’ grumbling against you.” So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their princes gave him staffs, twelve in all, one from each tribal prince; and Aaron’s staff was with them. Then Moses laid the staffs down before the LORD in the tent of the commandments. The next day, when Moses entered the tent, Aaron’s staff, representing the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth not only shoots, but blossoms as well, and even bore ripe almonds!
Moses thereupon brought out all the staffs from the LORD’s presence to the Israelites. After each prince identified his own staff and took it, the LORD said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the commandments, to be kept there as a warning to the rebellious, so that their grumbling may cease before me; if it does not, they will die.” And Moses did as the LORD had commanded him.
A Reading from the First Book of Samuel
1 Samuel 16: 4-13
Samuel did as the LORD had commanded him. When he entered Bethlehem, the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and inquired, “Is your visit peaceful, O seer?” He replied: “Yes!
I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. So cleanse yourselves and join me today for the banquet.”
He also had Jesse and his sons cleanse themselves and invited them to the sacrifice. As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’S anointed is here before him.” But the LORD said to Samuel: “Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel, who said, “The Lord has not chosen him.” Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any one of these.” Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him; we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.” Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold and making a
splendid appearance. The LORD said, “There-anoint him, for this is he!” Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David. When Samuel took his leave, he went to Ramah.
SUPPLICATIONS
O Son, by our resurrection you saved your Church from error;
hear our supplications and have mercy on us.
You reconciled heaven and earth, grant peace to your Church
and keep her children in the light of the cross.
Joseph, just and upright, pure of heart and spirit, blessed be the Most High who made you the foster father of his only Son.
Joseph adored and gave thanks to the Most High who established him as guardian;
blessed be the One who made him the companion and
partner of the Virgin Mary to protect the Son of God.
Your silence, O Joseph, is more eloquent than the sermons of the fathers. Your righteousness is an example of the silent
work of one who awaits a reward from God.
Glory to the One who sent his angel to the daughter of David;
adoration to the Son who revealed the truth to Joseph;
thanksgiving to the Holy Spirit who dispelled the perplexity
of Joseph and established the truth.
To the Trinity, one God, be glory for ever.
Let us remember the prophets, apostles and martyrs, all those
who have labored and suffered in the vineyard of the Lord:
Saint James, Saint Maron and his companions, Saint
Ephrem, harp of the Holy Spirit.
O God, through their prayers, strengthen the weak, comfort
the sick, grant pardon to the deceased and forgive the faults
of us poor sinners.
Exalt, O Lord, the memory of your Mother, and your saints;
through their prayers grant pardon to us and our deceased.
Through the prayers of your Mother, the prophets, apostles
and martyrs, watch over the living, and in your mercy
forgive those who have died.

HOOTOMO
Let us thank, adore, and praise the holy and glorious Trinity: Father, Son, ✛Holy Spirit. Amen.
TRISAGION
Lord, have mercy
Lord, have mercy
Lord, have mercy
Holy are you, O God;
Holy are you, O Strong One;
Holy are you, O Immortal One;
have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, forgive us and have mercy on us.
Lord, hear us and have mercy on us.
Lord, accept our worship and our prayers.
Lord, come to our assistance and have mercy on us.
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who are in heaven;
hallowed be your name;
your kingdom come;
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil,
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen.
O Lord, the night and the day are yours;
you uphold the light and the sun.
Through your power you direct the sequence of the seasons.
O Lord,
you have brought the day to its close and called forth the night; be for us that great Day that never ends.
In the evening let your light shine in our hearts,
and in the darkness of the night

enlighten us with the knowledge of your truth.
And so, through all the days of our lives,
we shall praise you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
To you be glory and may your mercy rest upon us,
now and for ever.
Amen.
EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE
Let us thank God for all the graces he has bestowed on us
this day which has passed in calm and peace.
Let us recall our failings against the commandments of God
and the Church in thought, word, deed and omission
We ask for God’s pardon as we pray:
“Forgive us, Jesus!”
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Glory be to you, O Lord.
Glory be to you, O Lord.
Glory be to you, O Lord.
God,
Father in heaven,
by your living and holy name,
keep us from evil and lead us not into temptation;
for we call upon you, O Lord, our God, our constant hope,
glory to you for ever.
O Lord, our Lord,
may our humble worship be pleasing to you;
may our prayers come before you and our actions give
you honor.
Let your mercy, kindness, help, graces and divine love
be poured abundantly upon us poor sinners,
both in heaven and on the earth
which you have created in your goodness.
O Lord, our God, to you be glory for ever.
Amen.

DISMISSAL
Peace be with you.
And also with you.
O God,
through the prayers of your Mother and the saints who have
believed in you;
through the prayers of the prophets, apostles, martyrs and
confessors;
through the prayers of the just, the priests, the holy fathers, pastors and teachers of the truth faith;
and through the prayers of N., Pope of Rome, N., our Patriarch, and N., our Bishop,
forgive your people and have mercy on your flock.
May God bless, forgive, sanctify, purify, and keep each of the faithful united with us in this spiritual office.
May mercy and compassion be upon us and all the faithful who
dwell here.
May peaceful rest be granted to those who have died in the faith.
May the faithful who live here experience the protection of
Christ’s victorious cross.
May we and all his servants, who adore him with bowed heads,
receive the mercy of the holy and glorious Trinity
Father, Son, ✛ Holy Spirit, to whom be glory now and for ever.
Amen.
May God forgive your sins,
pardon your failings,
and deliver you from the power of the enemy.
May he grant you the remission of your offenses.
Go in peace, and pray to Christ for me.