Ephrem, The Harp of the Holy Spirit 1/28

St. Ephrem, Harp of the Holy Spirit
MEMORIAL OF A CONFESSOR
Safro

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 morning may we confess you with a true faith,
firmly hope in you and purely love you.
We rejoice on the feast of the memorial of Saint Ephrem.,
and ask through his intercession, to serve you in this
life with sincerity,
that we may live with him in your kingdom,
and praise you, 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 God,
we began our lives with holy baptism,
may we end them by a happy death.
Let us walk always with your elect
that we may join them in your heavenly kingdom
and praise you
now and for ever. Amen.
PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life.

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;

Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.

He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side

With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.

You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;

You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for years to come.

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

Antiphon:
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life.

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Light of the just and righteous,
on this morning enlighten our souls with your light
and enflame our hearts with your love
that we may imitate Saint Ephrem, and like him consecrate
our lives to you.
Then we will accomplish your will her below,
obtain a crown in heaven, and praise you,
now and for ever. Amen.
NUHRO (HYMN OF LIGHT)
The Light of the just and joy of the upright in Christ Jesus,
our Lord.
Begotten of the Father, he manifested Himself to us.
He came to rescue us from darkness and to fill us with the
radiance of his light.
Day is dawning upon us; the power of darkness is fading away.
From the true Light there arises from us the light which illumines our darkened eyes.
His glory shines upon the world and enlightens the very depths of the abyss.
Death is annihilated, night has vanished, and the gates of Sheol are broken.
Creatures lying in darkness from ancient times are clothed in
light.
The dead arise from the dust and sing because they have a Savior.
He brings salvation and grants us life.
He ascends to his Father on high.
He will return in glorious splendor and shed his light on those gazing upon him.
Our King comes in majestic glory,
Let us light our lamps and go forth to meet him.
Let us find our joy in him, for he has found joy in us.
He will indeed rejoice us with his marvelous light.
Let us glorify the majesty of the Son and give thanks to
the almighty Father, who,
in an outpouring of love, sent him to us, to fill us with
hope and salvation.

When he manifests himself, the saints awaiting him in
weariness and sorrow,
will go forth to meet him with lighted lamps.
The angels and guardians of heaven will rejoice in the
glory of the just and upright people of the earth;
together, crowned with victory, they will sing hymns and psalms.
Stand up then and be ready!
Give thanks to our King and Savior, who will come in great
glory to gladden us with his marvelous light in his kingdom.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen. Alleluia.
THIRD PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O God,
guide our steps in the paths of your saints
and let our deeds be like theirs, a witness to your
living Spirit,
so that seeing us, people may glorify you as the saints have done, now and for ever. Amen.
MORNING PSALMS
Psalm 148
Alleluia.
Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him in the heights;
Praise him, all you his angels,
praise him, all you his hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens.
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created;
He established them forever and ever;
he gave them a duty which shall not pass away.
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all depths;
Fire and hail, snow and mist,
storm winds that fulfill his word;
You mountains and all you hills,
you fruit trees and all you cedars;
You wild beasts and all tame animals,
you creeping things and you winged fowl.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys,
Praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven,
and he has lifted up the horn of his people.
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,
from the children of Israel, the people close to him.
Alleluia.
Psalm 149:1-6
Alleluia.
Sing to the Lord a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
Alleluia.
Psalm 150
Alleluia.
Praise the Lord in his sanctuary,
praise him in the firmament of his strength.
Praise him for his mighty deeds,
praise him for his sovereign majesty.
Praise him with the blast of the trumpet,
praise him with lyre and harp.
Praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipe.
Praise him with sounding cymbals,
praise him with clanging cymbals.
Let everything that has breath
praise the Lord!
Alleluia.
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.
HOOSOYO
PROEMION
Praise, glory and honor to the High Priest who chose priests and levites for his service;
the Good Shepherd who protected his sheepfold by just and
honorable men who are like a hedge and a guard.
To the Good One is due glory and honor this morning,
and all the days of our lives,
now and for ever. Amen.
SEDRO
O God,
we offer you praise and glory on this blessed morning,
the feast day of Saint Ephrem ;
your have chosen him as a light for the Church, a model
for believers, and a witness to you in the world.
Blessed are you who distributed your gifts on those whom
you wish and in the measure which you desire,
and give a generous part to the saints.
Blessed are you, who did well with the talents you
have received, because your Lord has now confided
much in you!
Blessed are you, who understood the gospel and have
put it into practice!
Blessed are you, because you have loved God and your
neighbor, and observed the commandments and
counsels.
And now, we ask you, great saint, on this blessed day of your
feast, to intercede with God for us.
Ask him to give us the grace of sanctity which he has given
you since your youth.

May he grant repentance to sinners, health to the sick, comfort to the sorrowful, solace to the afflicted and eternal rest
to the dead.
Then with you we will glorify God and praise him,
now and for ever. Amen.
QOLO
Holy are you, O God, from eternity you chose your saints.
Holy are you, O Strong One, you fortified them against the
temptations of the world of Satan.
Holy are you, O Immortal One, from the death of martyrs and
the saints you made eternal life.
Through the intercession of the saints, grant us your calm and your peace and we will praise you now and for ever.
ETRO
Christ our God,
we offer you the fragrance of our incense and prayers in memory of Saint Ephrem.
Through his intercession and your grace
may we, like him, lovingly keep the commandments
of your gospel,
and walk in hope toward your kingdom,
and we will praise you,
now and for ever. Amen.
READINGS
MAZMOORO
Glory to the Lord who exalted his saints on the earth and in
heaven.
Believers, praise the Lord, who exalted his saints, and glorify him, because he proclaimed their names on the earth and
in heaven.

O God, you accepted the prayers of our forefathers, in your
mercy accept our worship and be attentive to our prayers.
SCRIPTURE READING
A Reading from the Second Book of Kings
2 Kings 5: 1-15
Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram, was highly esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram. But valiant as he was, the man was a leper. Now the Arameans had captured from the land of Israel in a raid a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman’s wife. “If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria,” she said to her mistress, “he would cure him of his leprosy.” Naaman went and told his lord just what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said. “Go,” said the king of Aram. “I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents, six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments. To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
When he read the letter, the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed: “Am I a god with power over life and death, that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy? Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!” When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the king: “Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel.” Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. The prophet sent him the message: “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.” But Naaman went away angry, saying, “I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the LORD his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy. Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?” With this, he turned about in anger and left. But his servants came up and reasoned with him. “My father,” they said, “if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, ‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said.” So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant.”

HOOTOMO
GREAT DOXOLOGY
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and joy-filled hope to all.
We praise you, we adore you, we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord and Creator, King of heaven, God the Father almighty,
Lord God, only Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son and Word of the Father,
you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us;
you take away the sin of the world, hear us and receive
our prayer.
You are seated in glory at the right hand of your Father,
for give us and have mercy on us;
For you alone are holy,
you alone are the Lord, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.
At all times, and all the days of our lives, we worship
you and praise your holy and blessed name,
which is and has been from age to age.
Blessed are you, Lord almighty, God of our fathers.
May your name be glorified, praised and exalted for ever.
To you be glory, praise and exaltation, God of all,
Father of truth, with the only Son and the living and Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
Amen.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
O God,
you are before all ages and exist from age to age;
you are resplendent and glorified in unsearchable light;
through your word, you bring forth light and give us a new
day.
O radiant Day and source of light,
we glorify you, adore you and offer you praise night and day;
accept our praise and answer our prayer.
Send us your abundant blessings, through the mercy of your
Christ.
To him, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be glory, honor and power,
now and forever. Amen.