Prodigal Son Tuesday Evening
WEDNESDAY 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,
during this blessed Lent, may we obtain your fatherly love, and may our prayer be agreeable to you;
then we shall be pure and chaste in your presence, adorned with the gospel virtues,
and give thanks for your mercy towards us and your love for us.
We shall glorify the living Trinity,
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,
may your cross be a weapon and a means of protection for us.
May your blessing remain with us,
this evening and throughout Lent
to purify our minds and hearts.
Then we shall walk as we should towards your Easter and your resurrection,
and give glory to you, your Father and your Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
PSALM 51
Psalm 51: 3-19
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion
wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight”
That you may be justified in your sentence,
vindicated when you condemn.
Indeed, in guilt was I born,
and in sin my mother conceived me;
Behold, you are pleased with sincerity of heart,
and in my inmost being you teach me wisdom.
Cleanse me of sin with hyssop, that I may be purified; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear the sounds of joy and gladness;
the bones you have crushed shall rejoice.
Turn away your face from my sins,
and blot out all my guilt.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your holy spirit take not from me.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
Free me from blood guilt, O God, my saving God;
then my tongue shall revel in your justice.
O LORD, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a holocaust, you would not
accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God,
you will not spurn.
To you returns the praise, O God.
PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
O Lord, in your anger punish me not,
in your wrath chastise me not.
Psalm 38
O LORD, in your anger punish me not,
in your wrath chastise me not;
For your arrows have sunk deep in me,
and your hand has come down upon me.
There is no health in my flesh because of
your indignation;
there is no wholeness in my bones because
of my sin,
For my iniquities have overwhelmed me;
they are like a heavy burden, beyond my strength.
Noisome and festering are my sores
because of my folly,
I am stooped and bowed down profoundly;
all the day I go in mourning.
For my loins are filled with burning pains;
there is no health in my flesh.
I am numbed and severely crushed;
I roar with anguish of heart.
O LORD, all my desire is before you;
from you my groaning is not hid.
My heart throbs’ my strength forsakes me;
the very light of my eyes has failed me.
My friends and my companions stand back because
of my affliction;
my neighbors stand afar off.
Men lay snares for me seeking my life;
they look to my misfortune, they speak
of ruin, treachery they talk of all the day.
But I am like dumb man, hearing not,
like a dumb man who opens not his mouth.
I am become like a man who neither hears
nor has in his mouth a retort.
Because for you, O LORD, I wait;
you, O LORD my God, will answer
When I say, “Let them not be glad on my account
who, when my foot slips, glory over me.”
For I am very near to falling,
and my grief is with me always.
Indeed, I acknowledge my guilt;
I grieve over my sin.
But my undeserved enemies are strong;
many are my foes without cause.
Those who repay evil for good
harass me for pursuing good.
Forsake me not, O LORD;
my God, be not far from me!
Make haste to help me,
O LORD my salvation!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
Antiphon:
O Lord, in your anger punish me not,
in your wrath chastise me not.
SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Good shepherd,
you walked among us to bring back the lost sheep
and to gather all people into one flock under the guidance of one Shepherd.
Lord, on this evening, gather us around you in one mind and one heart.
Accept our prayer and fasting, O Savior of our souls, for you live and reign with the Father and Holy
Spirit, 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 One who became flesh in the fullness of time,
and was like us in all things but sin;
he is the Savior whose fasting set the course for us.
To the Good One is due glory and honor this evening,
and all the days of our lives,
now and for ever. Amen.
SEDRO
Most High and Exalted One,
you have called to yourself the work of your hands
and in your love, you have exalted it;
merciful One, by your word and you life you have
taught us the law
and become for us the way to the Father,
and the ladder which leads us to him.
You took our image in order to give us yours.
You fasted from food and drink to redeem Adam who
ate the forbidden fruit
and thus you restored the image that human greediness had ruined,
and have given to us the assurance and joy we had lost.
And now, we implore you, O Christ, our Savior,
strengthen our wills that we may not fall on the way, and our legs that we may not stumble.
Grant us joy of heart,
and we shall walk according to your laws without fear or slackening.
Arm us with your cross and strip us of egotism which binds us to the earth,
adorn us with a firm and secure faith,
strengthen in us the hope which ignores despair and
discouragement.
Do not deprive us of charity,
but teach us that all is vain without love for God
and our neighbor.
May this blessed Lent be for us a time
in which your image will be imprinted on our faces and our souls,
then your strength will be mingled with our weakness, and your light will be reflected in our eyes.
Our intentions will become pure and our desires, elevated, and we shall walk to meet you, without reproach,
glorifying your mercy all the days of our lives,
now and for ever. Amen.
QOLO
Truly happy, yes happy are they whose tongue fasts from what is vain, whose soul is pure of all evil. They will inherit the kingdom and the paradise of light.
Blessed is the King who adorned the holy Church with fasting and prayer.
Take refuge, brothers and sisters, in fasting and prayer.
Imitate Christ your Savior, for you will rejoice with him on the day of resurrection and you will sing hymns of praise.
ETRO
Christ, our God,
you fasted for us and established the way of life and truth.
Receive this incense (prayer) which we offer you.
Strengthen us in the pursuit of combat to follow your footsteps;
and we shall reach your Easter and your resurrection.
Then we shall merit to see your face in the kingdom,
where we shall glorify and praise you,
your Father and your living and Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.
READINGS
MAZMOORO
Take refuge, brothers and sisters, in fasting and prayer, as did the holy fathers and you will have a part in their reward.
By fasting, sins are forgiven, by prayer, we draw closer to God.
Come brothers and sisters take refuge in fasting and prayer.
Repent sinners, repent while there is still time. On the day of judgement, you will enter with the just to the paradise of light.
Scripture Reading
A Reading from the Book of Genesis
Genesis 23: 1-20
The span of Sarah’s life was one hundred and twenty-seven years. She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham performed the customary mourning rites for her. Then he left the side of his dead one and addressed the Hittites:
“Although I am a resident alien among you, sell me from your holdings a piece of property for a burial ground, that I may bury my dead wife.” The Hittites answered Abraham: “Please, sir, listen to us! You are an elect of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial sites. None of us would deny you his burial ground for the burial of your dead.” Abraham, however, began to bow low before the local citizens, the Hittites, while he appealed to them: “If you will allow me room for burial of my dead, listen to me! Intercede for me with Ephron, son of Zohar, asking him to sell me the cave of Machpelah that he owns; it is at the edge of his field. Let him sell it to me in your presence, at its full price, for a burial place.” Now Ephron was present with the Hittites.
So Ephron the Hittite replied to Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites who sat on his town council: “Please, sir, listen to me! I give you both the field and the cave in it; in the presence of my kinsmen I make this gift. Bury your dead!” But Abraham, after bowing low before the local citizens, addressed Ephron in the hearing of these men: “Ah, if only you would please listen to me! I will pay you the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” Ephron replied to Abraham, “Please, sir, listen to me!
A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver — what is that between you and me, as long as you can bury your dead?” Abraham accepted Ephron’s terms; he weighed out to him the silver that Ephron had stipulated in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver at the current market value. Thus Ephron’s field in Machpelah, facing Mamre, together with its cave and all the trees anywhere within its limits, was conveyed to Abraham by purchase in the presence of all the Hittites who sat on Ephron’s town council. After this transaction, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Thus the field with its cave was transferred from the Hittites to Abraham as a burial place.
SUPPLICATION
O Son, by your fast you saved the Church from error; hear our supplications and have mercy on us.
You have established peace between heaven and earth, grant peace to your Church and keep her children by the light of the cross.
Behold the fast by which greediness is curbed. He who adorns himself with fasting triumphs over the evil one who adorned himself with the food of Adam. The great victorious One gave us his arms and raised himself to the heights so that we may contemplate him. Brothers and sisters, it is shameful for us to be defeated by the weapons with which he has triumphed and gave us victory.
Behold the fast which dispenses a teaching. It teaches the combatants the art of fighting. Come, be instructed, acquire the art of spiritual combat. Let us not fast only with the mouth, but with the heart also. Let us not fast from bread only to preoccupy ourselves with vanities which contain mortal poison. Let us thank the First-born because by fasting he gave us a word of life on which to meditate.
Christ, you accepted the fasting of our ancestors, accept our fasting and our prayer and have mercy on us.
Exalt, O Lord, the memory of your Mother and of your saints; through their prayers pardon to us and to 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 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.