SUNDAY OF THE PRODIGAL SON Fourth Sunday of Lent Safro

SUNDAY OF THE PRODIGAL SON Fourth 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,
refuge of the homeless who had mercy on the poor,
you sent your only Son for the salvation of the world.
Receive our praise this Sunday morning,
accept our prayer and send us your heavenly lights.
We shall glorify you, your Son and your Holy Spirit,
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.
O Lord,
you give life and save us.
You explained to us the parable of the son who, by his sin, separated himself from his father,
and returned to him repentant.
You thus pointed out the goodness of the Father
and his love for those who repent.
May we therefore love you all the days of our lives,
relying on our mercy and trusting in your providence.
May we walk always towards you with gentleness and humility, and we shall glorify you, your Father, and your Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
He loves justice and right; of the kindness
of the LORD the earth is full.

Psalm 33
Exult, you just, in the Lord;
praise from the upright is fitting.

Give thanks to the Lord on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.

Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.

For upright is the word of the Lord,
and all his works are trustworthy.

He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the Lord the earth is full.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made;
by the breath of his mouth all their host.

He gathers the waters of the sea as in a flask;
in cellars he confines the deep.

Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all who dwell in the world revere him.

For he spoke, and it was made;
he commanded, and it stood forth.

The Lord brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.

But the plan of the Lord stands for ever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.

Happy the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.

Form heaven the Lord looks down;
he sees all mankind.

From his fixed throne he beholds
all who dwell on the earth.

He who fashioned the heart of each,
he who knows all their works.

A king is not saved by a mighty army,
nor is a warrior delivered by great strength.

Useless is the horse for safety;
great though its strength, it cannot provide escape.

But see, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness,

To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.

Our soul waits for the Lord,
who is our help and our shield.

For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.

May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.

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

Antiphon:
He loves justice and right; of the kindness
of the LORD the earth is full.

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Lord,
have compassion on us whom you have created in your image and saved in your mercy.
Send upon our spirits your heavenly light
that we may be enlightened during this Lent.
May we seek you alone and follow you,
who live and reign, 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.

THIRD PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Holy One,
through you, sinners are sanctified
and the penitent seek you
who desire our salvation and well being.
Do not look on the weakness of our humanity and the insignificance of our deeds,
but treat us according to your mercy,
for we take refuge in you.
Forgive our offenses, for who besides you can pardon?
Full of joy, we shall give you glory,
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 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.

HOOSOYO
PROEMION
Praise, glory and honor to him who protects those who are fearful.
saves those who are lost, and comforts those who are broken.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
the One God, who loves all.
To the Good One is due glory and honor this morning,
and all the days of our lives,
now and for ever. Amen.

SEDRO
Glory to you, heavenly Father, you created the world through your only Son
and made us in your image and likeness.

At each stage of human history, from creation to redemption, you showed your love for us.
You sent your only Son
that the world may come to know and love you
as you have loved the world.
Christ our God, to you be thanksgiving,
for you made yourself like us to teach us the way which leads to the Father,
To you be adoration, O Holy Spirit,
you made the Church and her children a dwelling place for your divinity.
O Christ,
look upon humanity,
for it cannot become anything other than what you make it.
Remove from our hearts selfishness, pride, enmity and hate, that we may be freed from ignorance and error by your cross, which is a beacon in the center of your Church.
Where there is error, put truth,
where there is suffering joy,
where there is sadness, consolation.
We beg you for the entire world;
make those return who have wandered and have lost their way, and let all benefit from your blood poured out on Golgotha for their salvation,
and we will glorify you, your Father, and your Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen.

QOLO
The younger son dares to ask for his inheritance and leaves for a distant country, far away from his father. The world and its illusions seduce him and he wanders away from the right path.

The Father of heaven receives the repentant sinner with kindness he opens his arms to him and embraces him.

Happy the one who repents of his sins; blessed b e the name of the merciful One who forgives sins.
ETRO
O Lord,
accept the incense and prayers we offer you,
and grant that through them that our consciences may always be at peace.

May we know your way
and obtain an inheritance which will never end
where we will praise you, for ever. Amen.

READINGS
MAZMOORO
Glory to the Good One who pardons the repentant and opens his arms to those who return.

Praise the Lord, all you peoples, for he pardons the repentant.
Glorify him all you nations, for he opens his arms to those who return.

May God who accepted the prayer of our ancestors and the just, receive our prayers and have mercy on us.

SCRIPTURE READINGS
A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah
Isaiah 55: 1-9
All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David. As I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of nations, So shall you summon a nation you knew not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you, Because of the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you.

Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near. Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts; Let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.
A Reading from the Letter to the Galatians
Galatians 5: 13-26
For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another. I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another.

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.