Saturday Evening Sunday After the Birth of Our Lord

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE BIRTH OF OUR LORD
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
Lord God,
on this evening of your birth in the flesh
help us in purity of heart to glorify you with the seraphim,
unhesitatingly to bless you with the cherubim,
shamelessly to magnify you with the powerful,
blamelessly to celebrate you with the angels,
unceasingly to thank you with the shepherds,
perpetually to adore yo with the Magi,
and deep within ourselves to rejoice in you with Joseph and Mary.
Then we will glorify you and sing with the angels:
“Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth and goodwill
to men.”
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.
Blessed be the invisible Son who revealed himself to us.
He became man without changing his divinity
and grew as a child.
Let us adore the humility of him who left the
throne of his majesty
to be born in a cave and be wrapped in swaddling clothes.
To him be glory and thanksgiving,
now and for ever. Amen.
PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
The Lord said to me, “You are my son; this day
I have begotten you.”

Psalm 2
Why do the nations rage
and the people utter folly?

The kings of the earth rise up,
and the princes conspire together
against the Lord and against his anointed.

“Let us break their fetters
and cast their bond from us!”

He who is throned in heaven laughs:
the Lord derides them.

Then in anger he speaks to them;
he terrifies them in his wrath!

“I myself have set up my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”

I will proclaim the decree of the Lord:
the Lord said to me, “You are my son:
this day I have begotten you.

Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your
possession.

You shall rule them with an iron rod;
you shall shatter them like an earthen dish.”

An now, O kings give heed;
take warning, you rulers of the earth.

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice
before him;
with trembling pay homage
to him,

Lest he be angry and you perish from
the way,
when his anger blazes suddenly.
Happy are all who take refuge in him!

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

Antiphon:
The Lord said to me, “You are my son; this day
I have begotten you.”

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Holy One and Son of the Most High,
our praises rise before your throne.
May we now glorify you with the choirs of heaven
on this day of your birth
and sing with them:
“Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth and
good will to men,”
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 aloud 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]
ˇ
The Hymn, “The Resurrection of Christ” (page 165) may
be sung following the Evening Psalms.
HOOSOYO
PROEMION
Praise, glory and honor to the Son of God,
hidden in the heart of his eternal Father,
to the Son of man,
born of a womb that was full of grace.
To him, the Good One, is due glory and honor this evening,
and all the days of our lives,
now and for ever. Amen.
SEDRO
Praise and thanksgiving to you, eternal Child.
You are the hidden light without beginning which
illumines the world,
the ancient of days who is born the infant son of the
daughter of David.
You are the Lord who is pleased with a manger in a cave,
the Most High who was wrapped in swaddling clothes,
the awesome One who was recounted in the songs of the
daughters of David.
We now contemplate in wonder the mystery of our salvation
and exclaim:
How marvelous are you, O God,
who became man without changing anything in your
divine nature;
How marvelous are you, O God,
who descended into a cave while heaven and earth are filled
with your glory;
How marvelous are you, O God,
who gathered together angels, shepherds and magi
that they might adore you.

By your birth you reconciled heaven and earth
and destroyed the will that separated those below from
those above.
By your birth we have received hope;
by your birth you saved us from the bondage of evil
and the chains of sin;
by your birth light shone on the earth and darkness
was dispelled;
by your birth those who were far off came and joined in
the feast with those who were near.
Today the angels announce to the shepherds:
“In the city of David a Savior is born to you who is
Christ the Lord.”
We ask you, wonderful Child,
through the intercession of your Mother, the
holy Virgin,
to receive our incense and prayers.
May we understand the mystery of your incarnation;
grant us the pardon of our sins and faults;
keep far from us sickness os soul and body;
strengthen and support the foundations of your Church,
and remember our dead who rest in your hope.
With them may we stand at your right hand
and glorify you, for ever. Amen.
QOLO
Holy are you, O God, you descended from the heights to the
creatures of the earth.
Holy are you, O Strong One, you assumed a body and humbled
yourself by coming to our earth.
Holy are you, O Immortal One, you were born today as a man,
wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid in a manger and fed with milk.
Throughout this day the creatures of heaven and earth celebrate the memory of your birth, and the Church sings you songs of
praise and glory.

ETRO
We adore you, Son of the Father and Son of the Virgin.
By your bodily birth you revealed God,
reconciled us with him who dwells on high,
lifted the veil from that which was hidden
and enlightened with knowledge that which the mind
cannot comprehend.
Receive our incense and our prayers
and grant us the light of your knowledge and the forgiveness
of our sins,
give rest to the souls of the dead,
and we will praise and glorify you,
now and for ever. Amen.
READINGS
MAZMOORO
Today, an infant is born to us whose name is “Wonderful”
it is the Son of God born as an infant in a cave.
From the highest mountains is proclaimed: “His name is
“Wonderful”, and praise rises to the eternal Son who
is born in time.
Here a star has shone on Jacob, a leader has risen in Israel;
the prophets and the scriptures are made clear.
SYNAXARION
The infant Child of Mary and Joseph has been wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger—there is no room for them in the inn. If we were to see the Child, we would not perceive him to be any different than any other infant: he is hungry, he cries, he sleeps. Yet this Child is the Word made flesh (John 1:14). This infant is not simply endowed with special gifts or even filled with grace—this Child IS GOD.
This is the mystery of the incarnation: Jesus is fully human and fully divine. Our minds boggle at such a mystery. We find it hard to believe the Word of Yahweh, the all-powerful God of the Old Testament, is personified in this helpless Child. But this is our faith.

The mystery of the incarnation challenges us to set aside our own categories about the nature or will of God and to concentrate upon the person of Jesus. Many of us have preconceptions of what God is or what God wants. When we find that these preconceptions do not concur with the words and actions of Jesus, we reject Jesus, arguing that he cannot be God because he does not fit our understanding of God. However, Jesus told us, “If you really knew me, you would know my Father also” (John 14:7). To know Jesus is to know God.
Meditating upon the helpless child in the manager calls us to accept the love of God as it is manifested in the person of Jesus. It challenges us to believe that God can—and indeed—does love us with the heart of an infant. If we do not ourselves become like little children, we will not enter the kingdom of God.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah
Isaiah 9: 1-6
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, As they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as men make merry when dividing spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, And the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed, as on the day of Midian. For every boot that tramped in battle, every cloak rolled in blood, will be burned as fuel for flames. For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-counselor, God-hero, Father-forever, Prince of Peace.
His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, From David’s throne, and over his kingdom, which he confirms and sustains By judgment and justice, both now and forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!
A Reading from the Book of Numbers
Numbers 24: 12-19
Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not warn the very messengers whom you sent to me, ‘Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, I could not of my own accord to anything, good or evil, contrary to the command of the LORD’? Whatever the LORD says I must repeat. “But now that I am about to go to my own people, let me first warn you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.” Then Balaam gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eye is true, The utterance of one who hears what God says, and knows what the Most High knows, Of one who sees what the Almighty sees, enraptured and with eyes unveiled. I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel, That shall smite the brows of Moab, and the skulls of all the Shuthites, Till Edom is dispossessed, and no fugitive is left in Seir. Israel shall do valiantly, and Jacob shall overcome his foes.

SUPPLICATIONS
O Lord, by your marvelous birth you saved us!
O believers, the Word is made flesh, During the night,
the savior of all was born.
Adam’s sin is canceled by the crying of a child and David rejoices at his heir.
O Herod and people of Israel, why are you troubled?
The Magi come to him, offering him their gifts.
The angels awaken the sleeping shepherds.
The love of the Lord is poured out all creatures below.
Blessed are we for we are raised higher than heavenly
beings.
Mary, worthy are you to receive the most beautiful of creatures.
His is the glory of the universe.
As the archangel predicted, worshipers come to the cave at
Bethlehem and the truth is made manifest.
The star of Jacob appeared and enlightened those in
darkness.
The mystery of salvation is begun and fulfilled in the Word.
The astonished people proclaim:
Wonderful are you, O Lord our God, who lie in a crib like
the poorest of poor.
You were made man to redeem all of humanity; all you
peoples glorify him.
Sing out and praise him with the most beautiful of hymns.
Let us cry out, the sun has appeared.
The promise is fulfilled and our salvation is accomplished;
let us give him thanks at all times.
Only Son of the Father, begotten before all time, you promised that you would become flesh in time; you became the Son
of Mary, the daughter of David.
Kings from foreign lands come to adore the infant in the crib; the baby is venerated and glorified.
Isaiah’s promise of a blessed and wonderful birth is fulfilled.

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 an 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 you 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.