Saturday Evening Cana Sunday

CANA SUNDAY Entrance into Lent 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,
at the beginning of this holy Lent
grant us to contemplate yours signs and to sing
of your glory.
Look upon us in your love and have mercy on us in
your goodness.
We shall embrace penance and find strength in prayer, working according to your commandments of life
and giving glory to the Holy Trinity, one God,
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 towards 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.

FIRST PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Christ Jesus our Lord,
you were invited to the wedding feast at Cana
in Galilee;
there you caused astonishment by your miraculous sign which gave praise to God.
Grant that we may understand your gospel signs,
come to know you, and him who sent you,
and by our lives praise you, your Father
and your Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.

PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
Happy are you who hear the LORD,
who walk in his ways.

Psalm 128
Happy are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!

For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
happy shall you be, and favored.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;

Your children like olive plants
around your table.

Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.

The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life;

May you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
Antiphon:
Happy are you who hear the LORD,
who walk in his ways.

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Christ Jesus our Lord,
glory to you who desired by your presence to make
holy the joy of the wedding feast of Cana.
On this evening, and throughout Lent, put your joy
into our hearts,
so that through you we may live in faith,
call on you in hope, witness to you in love,
and give you thanks for your mercy towards us,
now and for ever. Amen.

EVENING PSALMS
Psalm 141: 1-4
O LORD, to you I call; hasten to me;
hearken 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 your statutes
always to the letter.

Psalm 117

Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!

For steadfast is his mercy towards 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.

[SOOGHITO/HYMN]
If desired, a Sooghito or either the Hymn, “The Christian Combat (page xxx) or the Hymn, “The Expectation of the Virgins” (page xxx) may be sung following the Evening Psalms.

HOOSOYO
PROEMION
Praise, glory and honor to the Spouse of the Church to whom he is united by his blood,
giving to it his holy body;
the merciful Son of Man,
who on this same day wished to share in the joys of the children of men.
To the Good One is due glory and honor this evening,
and all the days of our lives,
now and for ever. Amen.

SEDRO
Glory to you, Most High,
you came from the bosom of your Father to live among
the children of men
and to make a gift to them of your mercy.
Praise to you for the signs which you have performed for us in order to open our eyes to the heavenly light.

On this day you desired to change the water into wine by a sign of your hand;
all have seen your majesty and the disciples believed in you.
You gave good wine to the guests,
showing by it the gift of sacred wine given to your Church which quenches the thirst of the children of Adam.
You answered the request of your pure Mother and performed the miracle.
By it you wished to make us understand that we should call upon her in difficulty as well as in joy,
so that in her kindness she might listen to our pleas and lead us to the wine which gives life.
And now we ask, O good and generous God,
give us your wine that we might be inebriated by your love, and rejoice in your wedding feast.
May your grace flow plentifully on your Church and its children and may they always desire the joys which do not pass away.
May your eternal light shine on a world plunged into the darkness of this age,
which seeks to find the true joy and the living water.
May the world know the pure Fountain and drink from him.
May your blessings come down upon Christian families and on those who are married,
that they may walk according to your laws and base their lives in faith and in confidence in you who are good and merciful.
Glory to you for ever. Amen.

QOLO
The Lord has performed a marvelous sign and has invited us to the heavenly banquet;
the good wine of Cana is consumed, but throughout the universe the Church distributes the wine of the Son of God, for eternal life.

ETRO
Glory to you, Christ our God, the true Vine,
you have given us the wine pressed at the height of the cross, it fills the Church and your people with an indescribable love.
On the evening of this blessed Sunday receive our incense (prayer) and grant that we may prepare ourselves for your fast with pure and sincerely penitent hearts.
Then we will be able to share in your holy banquet
where we will glorify you, your Father and your Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen.

READINGS
MAZMOORO
The Lord is wonderful in his works and generous in his gifts; reflects upon his signs.

Happy the one who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways; the Lord will bless him, now and for ever.

Give us delight in your body and blood, O Christ our Savior, and open our eyes to your light, just as you gave delight to the wedding guests of Cana where your disciples believed in you.

SYNAXARION
Great Lent is a time for change, for transformation. The Maronite Church begins Great Lent with Cana Sunday, a commemoration of the transformation of water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana at Galilee. This change prepares us for the evening when we change wine into his blood and bread into his body.
Cana is situated 750 feet above sea level. It is known as Cana of Galilee in order to distinguish it from Cana in Coclo, Syria. Saint Jerome said that he was able to see Cana from Nazareth. Cana of Galilee was the town of Nathaniel and it is to this town that Jesus will return to heal the son of the royal official.
The actual circumstances of the wedding are unknown. Perhaps Nathaniel had invited Jesus and his followers to the wedding feast in his village. Some say that the groom was related to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, or was one of the friends of Jesus. In the Middle Ages, legend held that it was the wedding feast of John the Beloved.
According to Jewish law, the wedding of a virgin was to take place on a Wednesday.
The wedding was to be followed with eight days of celebration and an abundance of food and drink was essential. At this the wedding wine began to diminish. Fortunately for the groom and his guests, Jesus and his Mother were there.
Mary had only to mention to Jesus that something was going wrong: “They have no wine.” Jesus understood that his Mother was not simply making an observation, but was seeking his powerful intervention. On her part, Mary was confident that he would listen to her. She had given birth to him and had lived with him for thirty years, so she had faith in him. At first, Jesus responded with an apparent refusal, “Woman, (a term of respect which he would also use on the cross) how does this

concern of yours involve me?” The reason for his response was that his hour had not yet come, namely the hour of his death and resurrection, after which he would answer all the prayers of his Mother.
Jesus came into the world for a definite purpose and task, as we all do. He did not see his life in terms of the immediate needs of any particular moment, but only in terms of his purpose and the eternal plan of the Father. All of his deeds had to correspond and lead to the ultimate fulfillment of his life.
Mary knew that her prayer would not be refused; she told them to do whatever he told them. Mary trusted in her Son and her request was fulfilled. She told the servants as she tells all of us: do whatever my Son tells you.
Jesus instructed the servants to fill the six waterpots. The number six might be significant because in the mentality of the time, six was an imperfect number. (Seven was considered as perfection.) The six waterpots can represent the imperfection of the old law, which Jesus is to fill with the wine of the Gospel and of his grace. The imperfection of law was transformed into the perfection of grace. These jars held 180 gallons of water, which was to be transformed into excellent wine. What was originally lacking is now to be found in superabundance.
Aside from the rice theological significance of the transformation of water into wine, let us reflect on the simplicity and “holiness” of the act. Jesus knew that the lack of wine would be source of embarrassment to the groom and misfortune for the guests. He did not rejoice in the misfortune of others, but used his great power to save a simple man of Cana from humiliation. Let us imitate his example and be concerned with the simple needs of those around us and how we can fulfill them.

SCRIPTURE READINGS
A Reading from the Book of Proverbs
Proverbs 23: 19-26
Hear, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart in the right way. Consort not with winebibbers, nor with those who eat meat to excess; For the drunkard and the glutton come to poverty, and torpor clothes a man in rags. Listen to your father who begot you, and despise not your mother when she is old.

Get the truth, and sell it not — wisdom, instruction and understanding. The father of a just man will exult with glee; he who begets a wise son will have joy in him. Let your father and mother have joy; let her who bore you exult. My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes keep to my ways.
A Reading from the First Letter of Peter
1 Peter 3: 15-
22
But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit. In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water. This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

SUPPLICATION
In your wonderful love, you desired to gather us together, to pay our debts and teach us by your wonderful fast.
Jesus, my beloved, such is your goodness
and such is the pouring out of your love,
that you suffered death on a cross to pay our debts.

O Redeemer, with fasting you offered for us vigils and prayer, during forty days and forty nights. The angels of peace came to serve you;
all the while the prince of darkness was dumbfounded and confused as he looked upon you.

Who can describe your goodness, O Holy One,
you bore the ills of sinners and their weaknesses;
you endured shame, contempt and suffering in fulfilling the prophecies,
enduring affliction and drinking the cup of suffering to the full.

In your remarkable love, when you desired to save mankind, you showed your power by your signs, O Jesus, King of glory; as you changed water into new wine, intoxicate our spirits and hearts with the wine of your joyful love.

HOOTOMO
Let us confess, adore, and praise the holy and glorious Trinity: Father, Son, + and Holy Spirit.

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, Holy Spirit.
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, or 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, grace 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, the pastors and doctors of true faith;
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 his victorious cross.
May we and all his servants who adore him with bowed head, receive the mercy of the holy and glorious Trinity:
Father, Son, + and 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.