The Feast of St. Ephrem, Harp of the Holy Spirit 1/27

St. Ephrem, Harp of the Holy Spirit
MEMORIAL OF A CONFESSOR
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,
may we honor with great joy, Saint N., who pleased you in
his/her life,
and by his/her death came into your kingdom.
He/she is worthy to be numbered among the ranks of the saints, martyrs, pastors, teachers, ascetics and monks.
These are the ones who followed the way of your Son,
took his gospel as a rule of life,
his teachings as beliefs,
his church as a standard and his love as a goal.
Through his/her intercession, may we follow in his footsteps and accomplish his/her goal,
and we will give you glory,
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 God,
we have begun 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:
Antiphon:
The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent:
“You are a priest for ever.”

Psalm 110

The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool.”

The scepter of your power the Lord will stretch forth from Zion:
“Rule in the midst of your enemies.

Yours is princely power in the day of
your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew,
I have begotten you.”

The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent:
“You are a priest for ever, according
to the order of Melchizedek.”

The Lord is at your right hand;
he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.

He will do judgment on the nations,
heaping up corpses;
he will crush heads over the wide earth.

From the brook by the wayside he will drink;
therefore will he lift up his head.

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

Antiphon:
The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent:
“You are a priest for ever.”

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O God,
on this evening bestow your loving kindness upon us
who are assembled for the memorial of your chosen one, Saint N.
May he/she intercede for us,
take our prayers to your heavenly throne,
and obtain for us, from your bounty, the grace of true faith,
firm hope and burning charity.
Then, in his/her company, we will come to you and enter your
kingdom, praising and glorifying you,
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]
O Lord, we have battled in your arena to the point
of exhaustion.
We have borne the day of combat and the heat of
ordeal.
In the service of your covenant, we have kept watch
during the night, confident in the fulfillment of
your promise.
We have made use of our talents with no concern for the pain.
On the Day of reckoning, when all will be laid before your
throne of judgment, in your kindness, do not forget
what we have endured.
We belong to the Church, to which you have entrusted the
treasure of hope;
Do not shame us as lazy servants or strangers,
but open your door for us that we may enter into the
dwelling of your chosen ones.

HOOSOYO
PROEMION
Praise, glory and honor to the One who sanctifies the saints
and justifies the righteous.
From him all justice and sanctity comes;
he makes the feeble strong, and sinners good and pure.
To the Good One is due glory and honor this evening,
and all the days of our lives,
now and for ever. Amen.

SEDRO
With praise and prayer we today commemorate Saint N.,
and invite believers to look upon his/her life and
contemplate his/her actions.
Like him/her, we know that we must follow Christ and renounce
our possessions, take up our cross nd practice virtues in
our march toward the Father.
The Lord has placed him/her like a beacon which shows us the
way as a model for those who are on the road.
Thus, filled with awe, we cry:
Blessed are you who has been chosen, because you
responded generously and fully to the call
of our Lord.
Blessed are you, O laborer, you have toiled with zeal
in the vineyard of the Lord, joyfully bearing the
weight of the day’s heat.
Blessed are you, for whom faith has moved mountains;
your deep faith and virtue was an instrument to
resolve the problems and difficulties of life.
Intercede for us, today, O holy one,
ask God’s grace for us sot that we can imitate you,
follow in your footsteps,
respond to God’s call,
and carry out all that he asks of us.
May the praises and prayers that we offer this evening
honor the Father who chose you,
the Son who loved you,
and the Spirit who sanctified you.
For through your intercession the blessing of the Trinity is
bestowed on us,
now and for ever. Amen.
QOLO
Today the Church honors your name, you who have loved God
and have imitated Christ.
Today his children thank God who elevated you and implore
you intercession.
Blessed is the Lord who exalted your memory.

ETRO
Christ our God,
it is for you that the saints live and the martyrs are
put to death.
We also wish to live and die for you.
On the day of the memorial of Saint N.,
accept the fragrance of our incense
and through his/her prayer and intercession, com to our aid.
To you be glory,
now and for ever. Amen.
MAZMOORO
Glory to the Lord who exalted his saints on the earth
and in heaven.
Believers, praise the Lord who exalted his saints,
glorify him because he wove them a crown of glory.
O God, you accepted the prayers of our forefathers, in your
mercy accept our worship and be attentive to our prayers.
SYNAXARION
Ephrem was born in Nisbis at the beginning of the fourth century. He was educated at Edessa.
As a disciple of Bishop James of Nisbis, he was ordained to the diaconate and was a lecturer in the newly-established school at Nisbis. After the fall of Nisbis, Ephrem departed from the city and began to teach in Edessa, where he lived as a “solitary” in a cell on a rocky hill. After a life of good works, preaching, religious writings and ascetical exercises, he died in 373.
Ephrem was a prolific writer and left the Church an abundance of sermons, commentaries and hymns. Because of this enormous amount of material, he was given the titles “Pillar of the Church” and “Harp of the Holy Spirit.” The body of his writing comprises a central part of the liturgical prayer life of the Antiochene Churches.

SCRIPTURE READING
A Reading from the Prophet Ezekiel
Like the bow in a cloud on a rainy day, such was the appearance of the splendor all around. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.
When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of someone speaking. He said to me: O mortal,[a] stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord God.” Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them. And you, O mortal, do not be afraid of them, and do not be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns surround you and you live among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words, and do not be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. You shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear; for they are a rebellious house. But you, mortal, hear what I say to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you. I looked, and a hand was stretched out to me, and a written scroll was in it. He spread it before me; it had writing on the front and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

SUPPLICATION
Lord of night and Master of all time, hear our supplication
and have mercy on us.
You reconciled heaven and earth, grant peace to your Church and keep her children by the light of the cross.
Glory to the Father, who chose his elect; adoration to the Son, who placed him like a stone in the building of the Church;
thanksgiving to the Spirit, who sanctified him and crowned
him with glory for ever.
Glory to the Father, who purified his saints and gave them back to his only begotten Son; adoration to the only begotten
Son, who placed upon them his sweet and light yoke;
thanksgiving to the Spirit, who made himself a temple of
living flesh; praise be to the Trinity, and may mercy be
upon us through their intercession.
The Virgin Mary, our Mother and apostles, prophets and martyrs intercede for us; O God, through their prayers strengthen
the weak, comfort the sick, grant pardon to our dead, 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 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.