Presentation of Mary in the Temple

MEMORIAL OF THE VIRGIN MARY
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
Father,
author of all goodness
we adore you who gave Mary the grace of innocence
from the time of her conception.
O Son and Word eternal,
we exalt you who appeared in time for our salvation as
the Son of Mary.
O Holy Spirit, glory be to you who chose Mary as your spouse,
for by you all generations proclaim her blessed.
O God,
through her intercession keep us from all harm
and let us always do good by keeping your commandments
and pleasing you.
With her we will praise you, 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 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.
and peace on earth and good will to all.
FIRST PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Lord God,
in memory of Mary, Queen of the Universe,
grant us a true repentance that will make us reject
sin and amend our lives,
and a true faith resting on the rock of the faith which is
Peter, the head of the apostles.
Then we will obtain the intercession of the Virgin,
Queen of the Apostles,
receive the grace of perseverance in the true faith
and glorify you,
now and for ever. Amen.
PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon: He sent deliverance to his people; he has ratified his covenant for ever;
holy and awesome is his name. Alleluia!
Psalm 111
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.

Great are the works of the Lord,
exquisite in all their delights.

Majesty and glory are his work,
and his justice endures forever.

He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the Lord.

He has given food to those who fear him;
he will forever be mindful of his covenant.

He has made known to his people the power of his works,
giving them the inheritance of the nations.

The works of his hands are faithful and just;
sure are all his precepts,

Reliable forever and ever,
wrought in truth and equity.

He has sent deliverance to his people;
he has ratified his covenant forever;
holy and awesome is his name.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
prudent are all who live by it.

His praise endures forever.

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

Antiphon: He sent deliverance to his people; he has ratified his covenant for ever;
holy and awesome is his name. Alleluia!

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Pure Spouse and Queen of Virtues,
you are adorned with faith, hope and love
and are rich in supernatural gifts.
Ask you Son to adorn our souls as he has adorned
you with beauty;
then, having taken you on earth as a model and
exemplar,
we can join you in glorifying God in the heavens
for ever. Amen.

EVENING PSALMS
Psalm 141:1-4
O Lord, to you I call; hasten to me;
harken 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 aloud 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 you statutes
always to the letter.
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.

[HYMN]
The Hymn, “The Christian Combat” (page 165) or the
Hymn, “The Expectation of the Virgins” (page 166) may
be sung following the Evening Psalms.
HOOSOYO
PROEMION
Praise, glory and honor to the Creator of all creatures.
He made the earthly paradise in the image of his
heavenly paradise.
and made Mary in the image of his paradise on earth.
Through her virtues and her beauty, she is a paradise
where it has pleased the Son to become incarnate.
He is the Good One, to whom is due glory and honor this evening and all the days of our lives,
now and for ever. Amen.
SEDRO
Mary,
you resemble the paradise where was planted the tree of life;
from you the Creator and Giver of life has appeared.
Paradise gave us the fruit of sin which corrupted the human
race at its roots,
but you have given us the blessed fruit
which has saved the whole human race
and has given us a life of grace.
Today, on your glorious feast, we implore you to intercede
for us with your Son
that he grant us life in abundance.
Be for us a Mother who consoles us in our pains,
strengthens us in our trials, and affirms us in our faith,
the faith of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
Save us at the hour of death, when the end comes,
that we may demand the deposit and receive the talents.
Make us ready to appear before the judgment seat of the
just Judge,
so that we and our dead may enter into the paradise of the
apostles, the just and the martyrs.

We will give glory to the Trinity who has chosen you,
for ever. Amen.
QOLO
The Angel said to Mary: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your
womb!
On this feast of the Virgin, rejoice, O holy Church; from her the Savior has appeared. May God help us by her prayer.
Hail, Daughter of David, Mother of the Most High you brought
into the world the Ancient of Days, the Creator of all. May
God help us by her prayer.
Holy Virgin, on this day of your feast, ask your only Son to
suppress all evil and dissension among us, and grant
peace to the world.
ETRO
Admirable lily,
fragrant flower,
the odor of your sanctity is spread over the earth;
allow us to become the good odor of Christ exhaled
throughout the entire world.
May our prayer and the perfume of our incense keep
the living in the faith and bring salvation to the dead,
then we will take part in the heavenly joy and praise the
Trinity,
now and for ever. Amen.
READINGS
MAZMOORO
The angels rejoiced and the people exalted in the memory of the Blessed Virgin.
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my
Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

Lord, your servants praise you on the memorial of the Blessed
Virgin; angels and all your people glorify you on her feast.
SYNAXARION
21 PRESENTATION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD IN THE TEMPLE
Today, the Church commemorates the offering of a young girl, Mary, by her parents for service in the Temple. The Feast of the Presentation was celebrated in Jerusalem from the sixth century.
The Churches of the East used to celebrate the feast under the name of “Entrance to the Temple.”
The feast came to the West in the middle of the fourteenth century.
The Mosaic law required that the first born male be dedicated to God (Exodus 13: 12). A private pious practice of dedicating a first-born female may also have arisen. There were buildings in the Temple area where girls and women stayed and served the Temple. There is documentation which proves that girls were dedicated to the service of the Temple and also studied Sacred Scripture.
The New Testament does not mention the childhood of Mary, but there is an abundance of apocryphal literature on the subject. The proto-gospel of James narrates how Joachim wanted to offer Mary when she was two years old, but Anne wanted to wait another year. Thus, when Mary was three years old, she was taken to the Temple, where she was kept by the high priest and educated until she was fifteen or sixteen years old. In order to enter the Temple it was necessary to ascend a long staircase; it was said that when she entered the Temple, Mary ran up the steps without turning around to see her parents.
The object of the feast is not so much the physical entry of Mary into the Temple, but rather her total consecration to God, her desire to serve God, and her search for virtues that would prepare her to become the Mother of God. In offering herself to the Lord without hesitation or reserve, she thus became the example and model of all who desire to follow the Lord.
The Feast of the Presentation of Mary is dear to all those who prepare themselves for the priesthood or the religious life. “O Lord, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot” (Psalm 16: 5). They prepare themselves like Mary in order that they might give Christ to the world.
SCRIPTURE READING
A Reading from the Book of Sirach
Sirach 24: 9-22
Before all ages, in the beginning, he created me, and through all ages I shall not cease to be. In the holy tent I ministered before him, and in Zion I fixed my abode. Thus in the chosen city he has given me rest, in Jerusalem is my domain. I have struck root among the glorious people, in the portion of the LORD, his heritage. “Like a cedar on Lebanon I am raised aloft, like a cypress on Mount Hermon, Like a palm tree in Engedi, like a rosebush in Jericho, Like a fair olive tree in the field, like a plane tree growing beside the water. Like cinnamon, or fragrant balm, or precious myrrh, I give forth perfume; Like galbanum and onycha and sweet spices, like the odor of incense in the holy place. I spread out my branches like a terebinth, my branches so bright and so graceful. I bud forth delights like the vine, my blossoms become fruit fair and rich.
Come to me, all you that yearn for me, and be filled with my fruits; You will remember me as sweeter than honey, better to have than the honeycomb. He who eats of me will hunger still, he who drinks of me will thirst for more; He who obeys me will not be put to shame, he who serves me will never fail.” All this is true of the book of the Most High’s covenant, the law which Moses commanded us as an inheritance for the community of Jacob.

SUPPLICATION
O Lord of night and Master of all time, hear our supplication and have mercy on us.
You reconciled heaven and earth, grant peace to your Church,
and keep her children in the light of the cross.
The angels are in admiration of the splendors of Mary and of her sublime dignity; they dare not raise their eyes to the Son of
the Most High God, but behold she carries in her womb the
Son and soothes him in her arms.
While the cherubim and seraphim, reverently veiling their faces with their wings, she lives with him, a Mother with her
infant Son, in the intimacy of each day.
She feeds him and surrounds him with the angels, he who brings nourishment to her and clothes all creatures and directs
them; today, angels and men magnify the daughter of David
and see in her the highest dignity of heaven.
Glory to the Father who has chosen Mary from among all
women; adoration to the Son who was born from her, a
perfect man; thanksgiving to the Holy Spirit who has
enriched her with all graces and gifts. Through her prayers
may God come to our aid, now and for ever.
The Virgin Mary, your Mother, and the apostles, prophets and
martyrs intercede for us; O God, through their prayers,
strengthen the weak, comfort the sick, grant pardon to the
deceased and forgive the faults of us poor sinners.
Exalt, O Lord, the memory of your Mother and your saints;
through their prayers grant pardon to us and 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.
Let us thank, adore, and praise the holy and glorious Trinity; Father, Son, ✛ Holy Spirit. Amen.

HOOTOMO
Let us thank, adore, and praise the holy and glorious Trinity: Father, Son, ✛Holy Spirit. Amen.
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 and Holy Spirit.
To you be glory and may your mercy rest upon us,
now and for ever.
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 and 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 an 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 you mercy, kindness, help, graces 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, pastors and teachers of the truth faith;
and 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
Christ’s victorious cross.
May we and all his servants, who adore him with bowed heads,
receive the mercy of the holy and glorious Trinity
Father, Son, ✛ 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.