Sunday Morning Cleansing of the Leper

SUNDAY OF THE LEPER Second Sunday of Lent 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
O God,
fill us with pure glorification and angelic praise
and grant us to sing to you this Sunday morning when we remember your wonderful sign.
May we reflect upon it and understand your great love for us,
and we shall give glory to the living 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.

PSALMODY
FIRST PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Jesus Christ our God,
we acknowledge you this morning an we bear witness that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
The sign which you have made in cleansing the leper
opens the eyes of all to the knowledge of your truth; and so we offer you praise and glory,
now and for ever.

Amen.

PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
Behold the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me with your constant help.

Psalm 69: 2-13
Save me, O God,
for the waters threaten my life;

I am sunk in the abysmal swamp
where there is no foothold;

I have reached the watery depths;
the flood overwhelms me.

I am wearied with calling,
my throat is parched;

My eyes have failed
with looking for my God.

Those outnumber the hairs of my head
who hate me without cause.

Too many for my strength
are they who wrongfully are my enemies.
Must I restore what I did not steal?

O God, you know my folly,
and my faults are not hid from you.

Let not those who wait for you be put to shame through me,
O Lord, God of hosts.

Let not those who seek you blush for me,
O God of Israel,

Since for your sake I bear insult,
and shame cover my face.

I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother’s sons,

Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.

I humbled myself with fasting,
and this was made a reproach to me.

I made sackcloth my garment,
and I became a byword for them.

They who sit at the gate gossip about me,
an drunkards make me the butt of their songs.

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

Antiphon:
Behold the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me with your constant help.

[HYMN]
Blessed are you, O Church, garden of the Beloved!
From a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, you have grown.
Your roots are in firm soil, sheltered from the winds; In your branches are the martyrs,
they are a display of blood shed for the faith.
The birds quench their thirst at this marvel.
Psalms and prophecies fill your vast space.
You are the land of the Spirit, the meeting place of the nations.
Blessed are you, dwelling place of the guest, neighbor of the One who is near.

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O merciful One,
you mingled with us in performing your sign,
distributing good things and your blessings,
granting health to the sick and forgiveness to sinners.

Shower your mercies on us today,
make your heavenly lights shine on us
and we will sing to you,
now and all the days of our lives,
and for ever.

Amen.

NUHRO (HYMN OF LIGHT)
The Light of the just and joy of the upright is 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 for 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

[HYMN]
Glory to you, O marvelous One, our Light,
Your pure light has dispersed the darkness,
And creatures are illumined by the glow of your countenance.
We raise our plea to Christ, the Most High,
Who manifested himself to us in his hidden glory.
Let us rejoice together in sweet hope;
Our night will end and the dawn will appear.
Then we shall behold your splendid light.

THIRD PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O Lord,
may your grace come to us,
just as you came to the leper who was rejected
by others.
May your Holy Spirit dwell among us and cleanse
us of our faults
that we may remain in your presence and offer praise to you, your Father and your Holy Spirit,
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 see 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 for 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 One who created us in his image and likeness;
to the Savior who has dressed our wounds and returned to us our lost grace;
to the Spirit who dwells in us and made us holy.
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 hidden Lord,
you transcend all praise and description.
Word born in eternity without beginning or end, for us and for our salvation,
you were made flesh of the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit.
You established this fast for us
so that we might contemplate our sins and arrive at the knowledge of the truth.
You cured the leper who was rejected by others,
extended your hand to him, and gave proof of your friendship, fraternity and love
by cleansing him of his illness and his sins.
You opened the eyes of Bartimeus,
raised up the paralytic who was stretched out on his bed, restored the withered hand,
and calmed the violent storm on the sea.
To the centurion, you restored his son,
and to the widow, her only son.
With five loaves of bread you satisfied thousands of hungry people
and you transformed the clear water into wine.
You assumed our weaknesses,
took upon yourself our illnesses and our sins
and have shown us the way of life and of truth.

O Lord,
we ask mercy and pardon for ourselves,
for all the children of the holy Church,
for all who call upon you with faith.
Make those who err and who have deceived themselves return,
suppress disputes and disagreements among us.
Purify our intentions
so that love may conquer selfishness;
satisfy those who hunger for your bread;
make the rich know the ways of your justice for those who walk in righteousness and love.
Bring into your kingdom those who have died in the faith and rest in your hope.
For you are the God of all and the Lord of the living and the dead,
to you be all praise and honor,
now and for ever.

Amen.

QOLO
The people shut up the leper in a solitary place,
but in his mercy,  Christ extended his hand to him and cleansed him, glory be to the Lord.

Lord, extend your merciful right hand and bless your
people at this time, a time of favor and pardon.

ETRO
O God,
visit your flock.
May your cross be for it a watchful guardian,
and your light lead your flock to contemplate your wonderful signs.
Accept the incense (prayer) which we offer to you this morning
for the pardon of our sins and in reparation for our failure to love you,
you who live and reign, for ever.

Amen.

READINGS
MAZMOORO
Blessed be Christ, who cured the leper and cleansed him of his sins.

Our Lord has said: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Repent, sinners, repent, while there is still time;
on the day of judgement you will enter with the just into the paradise of light.

SCRIPTURE READINGS
A Reading from the Book of Numbers
Numbers 12:
1-14
While they were in Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on the pretext of the marriage he had contracted with a Cushite woman. They complained, “Is it through Moses alone that the LORD speaks? Does he not speak through us also?” And the LORD heard this. Now, Moses himself was by far the meekest man on the face of the earth. So at once the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the meeting tent.” And the three of them went. Then the LORD came down in the column of cloud, and standing at the entrance of the tent, called Aaron and Miriam. When both came forward, he said, “Now listen to the words of the LORD: Should there be a prophet among you, in visions will I reveal myself to him, in dreams will I speak to him; Not so with my servant Moses! Throughout my house he bears my trust: face to face I speak to him, plainly and not in riddles. The presence of the LORD he beholds. Why, then, did you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?” So angry was the LORD against them that when he departed, and the cloud withdrew from the tent, there was Miriam, a snow-white leper! When Aaron turned and saw her a leper, “Ah, my lord!” he said to Moses, “please do not charge us with the sin that we have foolishly committed! Let her not thus be like the stillborn babe that comes forth from its mother’s womb with its flesh half consumed.” Then Moses cried to the LORD, “Please, not this! Pray, heal her!” But the LORD answered Moses, “Suppose her father had spit in her face, would she not hide in shame for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; only then may she be brought back.”

A Reading from the Letter to James
James 4: 7-5: 6
Therefore submit to God; resist the devil and he will take flight. Draw close to God, an he will draw close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you backsliders. Begin to lament, to mourn, and to weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into sorrow: Be humbled in the sight of the Lord and he will raise you on high.
Do not, my brothers, speak ill of one another. The one who speaks ill of his brother or judges his brother is speaking against the law. It is the law he judges. If, however, you judge the law you are no observer of the law, you are its judge. There is but one Lawgiver and Judge, one who can save and destroy. Who then are you to judge your neighbor?
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we shall go to such and such a town, spend a year there, trade, and come off with a profit?” You have no idea what kind of life will be yours tomorrow. You are a vapor that appears briefly and vanishes. Instead of saying, “If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that,” all you can do is make arrogant and pretentious claims. All such boasting is reprehensible. When a man knows the right thing to do and does not do it, he sins.
As for you, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted, your fine wardrobe has grown motheaten, your gold and silver have corroded, an their corrosion shall be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. See what you have stored up for yourselves against the last days. Here, crying aloud, are the wages you withheld from the farmhands who harvested your fields. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You lived in wanton luxury on the earth; you fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. You condemned, even killed, the just man; he does not resist you.

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,
forgive 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 an 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 all 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 for ever.

Amen.