Great Friday of the Crucifixion Evening

GREAT SATURDAY OF THE LIGHT 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
Christ our Lord,
the column of light which guides us,
on this Saturday of lights
you descended to remain among the dead,
dispelled darkness, and freed the prisoners who awaited you.
Enlighten the paths of our lives with the light of your wisdom, that we may not be left to be guided by all teachers, but follow the right path to your light
which is never extinguished nor misleading,
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 took upon your body the power of death
in order to pour out the hope of resurrection on those who rest.
Today, you chose for yourself the tomb as a dwelling place, in order to pour out the hope or resurrection on those who rest.
May the living and the dead glorify you,
for ever. Amen.

PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
He dawns through the darkness, a light for the upright.

Psalm 112
Happy the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commands.

His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.

Wealth and riches shall be in his house;
his generosity shall endure forever.

He dawns through the darkness, a light for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.

Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;

He shall never be moved;
the just man shall be in everlasting remembrance.

An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear
till he looks down upon his foes.

Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.

The wicked man shall see it and be vexed;
he shall gnash his teeth and pine away;
the desire of the wicked shall perish.

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

Antiphon:
He dawns through the darkness, a light for the upright.

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O Christ,
by your incarnation you came to the land of the living as our light.
By your death you descended among the dead to bring them hope.
May we live on earth in your light
and descend to the resting place of the dead in your hope, to glorify you in the land of light, 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]
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 living One,
who bestows and takes life,
is merciful and rewards mercy.
In life he exposed himself to death
and in death he became the source of life.
To the Good One is due glory and honor this evening,
and all the days of our lives,
now and for ever. Amen.

SEDRO
O Christ,
Master of life and death,
at the end of your life you gave life to the dead.
After living as a man you also died as a man,
even though you are God in life and in death.
After your death you were placed in a tomb made
by human hands.

Joseph and Nicodemus buried you and gave you the remains of Adam, the first man, as a pillow.
While your body remained a prisoner in the tomb,
your soul descended to where the souls of the fathers and the just awaited you.
Your light shone upon the darkness of their dwelling place and their bones trembled with joy.
At the news of your coming, hope shook their decomposing bodies; in the brightness of your glorious light, they saw your salvation.
On this day, grant rest to our dead;
may they enter eternal joy and behold the light of your face.
Instill the hope of your resurrection in us,
that we may live and die in this hope,
and one day glorify you, your Father, and your
Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen.

QOLO
Today, the
Lord remains among the dead,
a prisoner of the bonds of death.
He is laid in a tomb, which is sealed with rock.

Today, the angels, Joseph and Nicodemus, sing:

Holy are you, O God;
Holy are you, O Strong One;
Holy are you, O Immortal One.
O Christ, crucified for us, have mercy on us. (Three times)

ETRO
O living One,
who died and gave us life,
you descended to the depths and announced life to the dead.
While we are alive, do not let the corruption of death come near us, as you did not let it come near you when you were dead.
Then, we shall live with you in this world and the next, now and for ever. Amen.

READINGS
MAZMOORO

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

On this day, Adam, the father of all,
prostrated himself before the Lord;
the fathers and prophets who were awaiting him, adored him.

May all the powers kneel at the name of Jesus, both in heaven and in hell.

SYNAXARION
Today the Church awaits the resurrection of the Lord—the long “Awaited Light.” After his crucifixion the Lord remained in the tomb before his resurrection and , as the creed reminds us, he descended to hell—the place of the dead—that his light might shine upon them and that they might rejoice in the light of his face.
As we await the resurrection of Christ, may his death and burial be for us a symbol of faith and repentance. We are called to bury the old man of sin and corruption and put on the new man of glorious life. Thus we shall live in justice and the holiness of truth.
On this day of waiting and personal preparation for the resurrection, the Divine Mysteries are not celebrated nor is the holy eucharist distributed, instead the prayer of forgiveness is celebrated. We thus close the great week of the passion of the Lord by washing our hearts with contrition and penance and by reconciling ourselves with one another.
This themes is proclaimed by the B’ootho (Supplication) of St. James for the prayer of Forgiveness:

Come you who are angry,
and make peace with your enemy.
Bow you head before him and
embrace him.
Engrave in yourself the sign
of the Son of God—as he
humbled himself before the
brothers, humble yourself!

May Christ our Light make us worthy of his graces on the glorious day of his manifestation that we may raise glory and thanksgiving to him, now and for ever. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READINGS
A Reading from the Book of Lamentations
Lamentations 3: 1-24
I am a man who knows affliction from the rod of his anger, One whom he has led and forced to walk in darkness, not in the light; Against me alone he brings back his hand again and again all the day. He has worn away my flesh and my skin, he has broken my bones; He has beset me round about with poverty and weariness; He has left me to dwell in the dark like those long dead. He has hemmed me in with no escape and weighed me down with chains; Even when I cry out for help, he stops my prayer; He has blocked my ways with fitted stones, and turned my paths aside. A lurking bear he has been to me, a lion in ambush! He deranged my ways, set me astray, left me desolate. He bent his bow, and set me up as the target for his arrow. He pierces my sides with shafts from his quiver. I have become a laughingstock for all nations, their taunt all the day long; He has sated me with bitter food, made me drink my fill of wormwood. He has broken my teeth with gravel, pressed my face in the dust; My soul is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; I tell myself my future is lost, all that I hoped for from the LORD.

The thought of my homeless poverty is wormwood and gall; Remembering it over and over leaves my soul downcast within me. But I will call this to mind, as my reason to have hope: The favors of the LORD are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent; They are renewed each morning, so great is his faithfulness. My portion is the LORD, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
A Reading from the Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 27:
57-61
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was himself a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be handed over. Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed. But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained sitting there, facing the tomb.
A Reading from the Gospel of Mark
Mark 15: 42-47
When it was already evening, since it was the day of preparation, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a distinguished member of the council, who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God, came and courageously went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was amazed that he was already dead. He summoned the centurion and asked him if Jesus had already died. And when he learned of it from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. Having bought a linen cloth, he took him down, wrapped him in the linen cloth and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses watched where he was laid.
A Reading from the Gospel of Luke
Luke 23: 50-56
Now there was a virtuous and righteous man named Joseph who, though he was a member of the council, had not consented to their plan of action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea and was awaiting the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. After he had taken the body down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb in which no one had yet been buried.

It was the day of preparation, and the sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come from Galilee with him followed behind, and when they had seen the tomb and the way in which his body was laid in it, they returned and prepared spices and perfumed oils. Then they rested on the sabbath according to the commandment.
A Reading from the Gospel of John
John 19: 38-42
After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.

LITANY
I am the afflicted mother, who will console me?
Response: May the death of your Son bestow life on all who ask.

The daughter of Sion weeps and makes those who see her weep.
The one who loves him most is filled with pain. Response Her tears flow abundantly on her cheeks. Response

Her only Son, dying as he hangs on a cross, speaks to his mother who is crying an calls out to her. Response

They add would upon wound. How can I endure? Response

Those who hate me divide my clothes;
their language is vile, dripping with venom. Response
Response: May the death of your Son bestow life on all who ask.

Judas, my faithful one, became a shameless traitor. Response

Yes, I drank the cup of death out of love for those who held it out for me. Response

What a pity! This flock has killed its shepherd. Response

Its dwellings are razed; its splendor destroyed. Response
Response: May the death of your Son bestow life on all who ask.

The Tower moans because its inhabitants are dispersed. Response

The Lamp of Sion is extinguished; its citizens have fled. Response The women of Jerusalem weep over their children. Response

They shed abundant tears over the death of their Savior. Response

They stained him with blood; this is the baptism he desired. Response

The heart of Mary burns and sadness grieves her. Response
Response: May the death of your Son bestow life on all who ask.

The sun grows dim at the death of its creator. Response

Let us go to Mary and console her. Response

You who are separated from your only Son and
allowed your tears to flow freely,
do not abandon your servants without aid.
Rather, protect us from all evil.

We are bathed in the tears of your afflicted heart;
obtain pardon for us through the blood of Jesus, your Son.
You are the consolation of those who are tested;
the one who invokes you obtains a powerful help.

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 an 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 c all 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, an 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.