The Rite of the Divine Mysteries
For Ordinary Days
܀ ܀ ܀
The Rite of the Revelation
of Our Lord
Instruction: there should be a seat prepared in the
sanctuary for the priest celebrant to sit on, a
table for the tray of the Mysteries, and also a
niche in which the book of the Gospels is placed.
The priest leaves the sacristy in the vestments of
the Service with the deacon preceding him. The
assembly stands. When the priest nears the altar, he
genuflects and stands, and begins:
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit.
He signs himself, raising his right hand slightly
above, then to his chest, then from his right
shoulder to his left; and thus is every sign of the
cross made on oneself.
Opening Prayer
Priest:
May the adorable and glorious Name of your glorious
Trinity be adored, glorified, honored, exalted,
confessed and blessed in heaven and on earth at all
times, Lord of all, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
forever.
They answer:
Amen.
He continues:
Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent and dwell
on your holy mountain?
Uphold me with pure intentions before your altar, O
Lord.
Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent and dwell
on your holy mountain?
Deacon:
He who walks without fault; he who acts with justice
and speaks the truth from his heart; he who does not
slander with his tongue.
Priest:
He who does no wrong to his brother, who casts no
slur on his neighbor.
Deacon:
Who holds the godless in disdain, but honors those
who fear the Lord.
Priest:
He who keeps his pledge, come what may; who takes no
interest on a loan.
Deacon:
And accepts no bribes against the innocent. Such a
man will stand firm forever.
Priest:
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy
Spirit, from age to age, amen, amen.
Uphold me with pure intentions before your altar, O
Lord.
Deacon:
Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent and dwell
on your holy mountain?
How lovely and glorious is your sanctuary, O God,
holier than all!
***
If the Mysteries are being served after a liturgical
prayer service,
they begin here:
The deacon proclaims:
Peace be with us.
The priest places incense in the thurible, where
possible, and prays the prayer of the Revelation of
our Lord:
Our Lord and our God, make us worthy for our hearts
to be delighted in your love, for our souls to be
enlightened by the knowledge of your truth, for us
to partake of the gift of salvation which you have
bestowed upon us in your mercies, and for us to
accept your manifestation from heaven with unveiled
faces.
And for all your benefits and graces toward us that
cannot be repaid, we give you thanks and praise you
unceasingly in your crowned Church, full of all
benefits and blessings, for you are Lord and Creator
of all, forever.
The priest goes and stands by the designated seat in
the sanctuary.
They answer:
Amen.
And say:
We give you thanks, O Lord of all,
we glorify you, Jesus Christ;
you raise our bodies into life,
you are the Savior of our souls.
Deacon:
It is good to give thanks to the Lord and sing
praise to your Name, O Most High.
People:
We give you thanks, O Lord of all …
Deacon:
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy
Spirit, from age to age, amen, amen.
People:
We give you thanks, O Lord of all …
As soon as they begin singing, they open the outer
veil.
Deacon:
Let us pray. Peace be with us.
Prayer of “Lord of All”
Lord, you are truly the one who raises our bodies,
the good Savior of our souls, and the constant
guardian of our lives. It is thus our duty to thank,
adore and glorify you who are Lord of all forever.
People:
Amen.
The Rite
of the Word of God
The deacon turns toward the people and says:
Lift your voices, all you people, and glorify the
living God.
They reply:
Holy God,
Holy Mighty One,
Holy Immortal One:
Have mercy on us.
Deacon:
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy
Spirit.
People:
Holy God…
Deacon:
From age to age, amen, amen.
People:
Holy God…
Deacon:
Let us pray. Peace be with us.
Prayer of “Holy God”
O Holy, Glorious, Mighty and Immortal One, who
dwells in the saints and delights in them: we
implore you: turn to us, O Lord, pardon us and have
mercy on us as you always do: Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, forever.
People:
Amen.
They sit.
Readings
Deacon:
Let us pray. Peace be with us.
Prayer before the Epistle
Make us wise, O Lord, in your law, enlighten our
faculties with your knowledge, sanctify our souls in
your truth, and let us be obeyers of your words and
fulfillers of your commands at all times, Lord of
all, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, forever.
They answer:
Amen.
The Epistle reader then begins, from the north side:
Brethren, this is a Reading from the Letter of
(Paul) the Apostle to __. Bless me, sir.
He turns to the priest and is blessed by him.
The priest answers:
May Christ instruct you in his holy teaching and
make you render a fine presentation to those who
listen to you.
Gospel Procession
When the Epistle is finished, the deacon says:
Glory be to Christ our Lord.
And continues:
Halleluiah, halleluiah, halleluiah.
The priest goes to the niche to venerate the holy
Gospel and bring it to the north side of the opening
of the sanctuary while saying:
Glory to the eternal mercies which sent you to us, O
Christ, Light of the world and Life of all, forever,
amen.
The people stand.
The deacon then proclaims:
Be silent and attentive.
The priest blesses the people with the Gospels,
saying:
Peace be with you.
People:
With you and with your Spirit.
The priest says:
The holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according
to ____.
People:
Glory be to Christ our Lord.
Deacon:
Amen. Be silent!
The priest reads the Gospel, and when finished he
says:
Glory to God unceasingly.
They answer:
Glory be to Christ our Lord.
The Rite of the Eucharist
[Here
the deacon cries out:
Let him who has not received baptism go.
Let him who has not accepted the sign of life go.
Let him who will not receive it go; and let the
hearers go and watch the doors.]
They begin the Responsory of the Mysteries:
Behold, my banquet is prepared, and everything is
ready; come to the feast. Gather to him, his chosen
ones.
Behold, you are invited to the new life of the
forgiving Body and Blood: prepare yourselves! And,
with spiritual hymns glorify and confess the King’s
Son who descended to us and saved us by his cross,
and gave us his Body and Blood in which all the
saints rejoice, and cry out to him: holy, holy, holy
Giver of life!
Repeat.
The Washing of the Hands
While it is being said, the celebrating priest
washes his hands, and he dries them, while saying
silently:
May the Lord wash away the filth of our trespasses
with the hyssop of his clemency, and blot out the
spots of our sins with the sea of his mercy, amen.
Then:
May the Lord cleanse the foulness of our sins and
trespasses in his grace and mercy, amen.
The Entrance of the Celebrant to the Sanctuary
They open the inner veil of the altar, if there is
one, and the priest goes to the middle of the
sanctuary before the altar, in order to enter the
Holy of Holies, offering three bows, approaching at
each bow. With the first bow, he pleads thus and
says:
When our hearts are sprinkled and purified from
wicked intentions, we will be worthy of entering the
high and exalted Holy of Holies, and purely and
honorably, vigilantly and in holiness, stand before
your holy altar and offer you a spiritual and
intellectual sacrifice in true faith.
[He
continues:
For you are the Good One who neither keeps his anger
nor guards his wrath forever. Turn your face away
from my sins and blot out all my guilt, in the
greatness of your mercy: Father, Son and Holy
Spirit.]
But if there is not enough time, he continues thus:
May the Lord Jesus Christ be with us all in his
grace and mercy, forever, Amen.
When he reaches the altar, he kneels and arises, and
kisses the center and the right and left corners. He
then pleads thus, whispering with his lips:
Indeed, our Lord and God, may you not consider the
multitude of our sins, and may your Majesty not
loathe the heaviness of our wickedness. Rather, in
your indescribable grace, accept this Sacrifice from
our hands and, in it, grant strength and power, that
our many sins may find atonement, and that when your
beloved Son is revealed at the end of time in the
humanity he betook of us, we will find favor and
mercy before him, and be made worthy for praising
him, with the intellectual assemblies.
The Presentation of the Mysteries
at the Altar
The deacon then brings the offerings from the table
and holds them out to the priest. The priest takes
them up to the altar in procession, while holding
the chalice in his right hand and the paten in his
left, with his arms crossed.
And the deacon says:
Let us pray. Peace be with us.
The priest says in an audible voice:
Let us lift up praise to your glorious Trinity at
all times and forever.
The deacon answers:
Amen.
The priest continues:
May Christ, who was sacrificed for our salvation and
commanded us to make a Memorial of his death, burial
and resurrection, accept this Sacrifice from our
hands in his grace and mercy, amen.
He hits the paten against the chalice three times
and says:
By your command, our Lord and God
(repeat)
are these glorious, holy, life-giving and divine
Mysteries being set and arranged upon the altar of
atonement until the second coming of our Lord from
heaven, to whom be glory at all times and forever,
amen.
He arranges the Mysteries upon the altar: the
chalice on the north side and the paten on the south
side, and he covers them securely with the veil.
They say the continuation of the Responsory of the
Mysteries:
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit.
Let there be a remembrance of the Virgin Mary,
Mother of God (or:
Mother of Christ) upon the holy altar.
From age to age, amen, amen.
Apostles of the Son and friends of the
Only-Begotten: may they be remembered in the Church
of Christ.
Let all the people say: amen, amen.
Let there be a remembrance of Mar Toma
or the patron of the church, if there is one, or the
saint who is being commemorated
upon the holy altar, with the just ones who
triumphed and the martyrs who were crowned.
Behold!
All of our beloved deceased have fallen asleep in
your trust, that you may raise them in glory by your
glorious resurrection.
This Responsory is not to be changed at any Mass.
When the Responsory of the Mysteries with its
additions is finished, the people say:
May this Offering be accepted with unveiled faces
and sanctified by the word of God and the Holy
Spirit, that it may be for our help and salvation
and for everlasting life in the kingdom of heaven,
in the grace of Christ.
General Preparation for Offering the Eucharist
The Symbol of Faith
The priest descends to the opening of the sanctuary
and extends his hands with his face to the west,
that is, toward the people, and he says in a loud
voice:
We believe.
They all continue:
We believe
in one God, the Father almighty, Maker of all that
is visible and invisible;
and in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God
and first born of all creatures, who was begotten
from his Father before all the ages and was not
made: true God from true God, of the same substance
as his Father, by whose hands the world was ordered
and everything was created, who, for us men and for
our salvation, descended from heaven, betook a body
by the power of the Holy Spirit, was conceived and
born of the Virgin Mary and became man, who suffered
and was crucified in the days of Pontius Pilate, who
died, was buried and rose on the third day, in
accordance with the Scriptures, who ascended into
heaven and is seated at the right hand of the
Father, and who will come again to judge the dead
and the living;
and in one Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who
proceeds from the Father: the Giver of life; and in
one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. We confess
one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
When the Creed is finished, the priest ascends to
the altar, and offers a bow, while whispering this
prayer on behalf of the priesthood with his lips:
Glory to you O Finder of the lost; glory to you O
Gatherer of the deserted; glory to you O Recaller of
the distant; glory to you O Returner of the wayward
to the knowledge of the truth; glory to you, O Lord,
who have called even me in my frailty, and have
brought me close to yourself in your mercy, who have
established me as a recognized member in the great
body of your holy catholic Church, to offer this
living, holy, and acceptable Sacrifice before you,
which is the Remembrance of the suffering, death,
burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, in whom you have delighted and been pleased
to forgive the sins of all mankind.
If there is a bishop or other priests, he says to
them:
Bless me, sir; bless me, sir; bless me, sir.
And to all who are in the altar he says:
Brethren, pray for me.
They answer him:
May Christ hear your prayers, may Christ receive
your Offering, may Christ illumine your priesthood
(high priesthood).
When he reaches the front of the altar, he continues
this Inclination quietly, and has his arms
outstretched while he is inclined, and thus with
every Inclination:
We acknowledge, O Lord, the overflowing richness of
your favors toward us, for while we were yet sinners
and unworthy, because of the greatness of your
mercy, you made us worthy to serve the holy
Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ, as we ask
help from you for the strengthening of our souls.
The Rite of Peace
When the priest reaches the altar, the deacons say:
Since we have now been called to participate in the
Offering, let us give peace to one another, in
accord with the command of Christ: peace that is
pure and without deceit, the peace that our Savior
gave to the blessed group of disciples.
The priest continues:
That we may perform the service of your Gift to us
in perfect love and true faith.
They answer:
Amen. Bless us, sir.
The priest turns to the people, and says, signing:
(♰)
Peace be with you.
The people answer:
With you and with your Spirit.
A deacon goes to the priest, who places his right
hand on the Mysteries. The priest and deacon then
share in the peace of our Lord while embracing
hands, and each man kisses the top of his thumbs.
The deacon says to the people:
Brethren, give peace to each other in the love of
Christ.
He gives peace to the faithful, and they share it in
the same way, singing this Responsory, and they sit:
The mountains bear peace to your people.
May peace and serenity increase for your people, O
Peace of the World. O Christ, who came for our
salvation: sow harmony among the children of the
Church, that they may sing the glory of your Name
with the angels; uphold priests, and pacify kings,
and bring an end to wars to the ends of the earth;
protect the assembly of your adorers, who invoke you
at all times; visit the infirm in your grace, heal
the sick in your mercy, and extend your helping hand
to all the afflicted. O Lord, have pity on us!
The Diptychs
Here the deacon turns to the people and reads the
Diptychs, that is, the Book of the Living and the
Dead, and thus he begins:
Let us pray and plead from God the Lord for all the
children of the Church, especially for:
and he names the special intentions for whose sake
the Offering is offered.
He concludes:
May this Offering be accepted for them and for us
all, forever.
Preparation for the Sanctification
The priest silently repeats this supplication by Mar
Narsai:
Lord God almighty, support me in my weakness by your
mercy, and by the help of your grace, make me worthy
to offer this holy and living Sacrifice before you,
for the help of all the community and for the praise
of your glorious Trinity: Father, Son and Holy
Spirit, amen.
Here the priest carefully removes the veil from the
Mysteries and surrounds the chalice and paten with
it.
He
then offers:
The Quddasha of the Blessed Apostles
Composed by Mar Addai and Mar Mari
Evangelizers of the East
The deacon proclaims:
Peace be with us.
The priest says, while facing the people:
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of
God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with us all, now, at all times, and forever and
ever.
People:
Amen.
Priest (as he lifts up his arms):
Lift up your minds.
The priest turns to the altar.
People:
Toward you, O God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, O
Glorious King!
Priest (indicating the Myseries and lifting his
arms):
The Oblation is being offered to God the Lord of
all. (♰)
He signs the Mysteries.
The people reply:
It is fit and right.
Supplication
The priest prays in his heart, with his arms
extended above:
O Lord, O Lord: grant us unveiled faces before you,
that we may complete this holy and living Service in
the confidence that comes from you, while our
intentions are purified from all evil and
bitterness. Sow love and peace within us, and
harmony toward each other and toward everyone.
Inclination
The priest says in an audible voice:
Glory to you, O adorable and glorious Name of the
majestic Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who
created the world in his grace and its inhabitants
in his compassion, who redeemed mankind in his mercy
and effected great grace toward mortals.
O Lord, thousands upon thousands of exalted beings
and tens of thousands of holy angels adore and
worship your Greatness. Legions of spiritual beings,
ministers of fire and spirit, glorify your Name and,
with the holy cherubim and spiritual seraphim,
present adoration to your Lordship.
Make us also worthy to participate with these
heavenly hosts as they cry out and glorify
unceasingly, proclaiming one to another, saying:
Canon
The people answer:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty! Heaven
and earth are filled with his glories!
Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is he who came and will come in the Name of
the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!
During the season of Lent, instead of “Hosanna” they
say:
And with the substance of his Being, and with the
beauty of his glorious Radiance!
Supplication
The priest prays in his heart:
Holy are you, God the true Father, after whom all
fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named; holy are
you, eternal Son by whom all things were made; holy
are you, Holy Spirit, existing above all, by whom
all things are sanctified.
With every “holy are you” the priest bows before the
altar.
Woe is me; woe is me, for I am bewildered! For I am
a man of unclean lips, living among a people of
unclean lips, and yet my eyes have seen the King and
the Mighty Lord! How awesome is this place, where
daily I see the Lord eye to eye! This cannot be but
the house of God, and the very door to heaven!
Then let your grace be upon us, O Lord: purify our
filthiness, sanctify our lips, and mingle, O Lord,
our meager voices with the hallowing of the seraphim
and the praises of the angels. Glory be to your
mercies, who have given the earthly communion with
the spiritual.
Inclination
Then, in an audible voice:
We give thanks to you O Lord, we your deficient,
feeble and miserable servants, because you have done
us a great favor that cannot be repaid, in that you
put on our humanity in order to quicken us by your
Divinity, you lifted up our lowliness, righted our
fall, raised up our mortality, forgave our debts,
made righteous our sinfulness, enlightened our
understanding, defeated our enemies, and made our
deficient nature triumphant through the overflowing
mercies of your grace.
Canon
And for all your benefits and graces toward us, we
lift up glory, honor, thanksgiving and adoration to
you now, at all times, and forever and ever.
(♰)
He signs over the Mysteries.
People:
Amen.
Deacon:
Pray in your minds; peace be with us.
Supplication
The priest prays in an audible voice, with his arms
extended above:
Lord God Almighty, accept this Offering for the sake
of the whole universal Church, and for the sake of
all your graces toward the perpetual virgin Mary,
the Blessed Mother and her betrothed, the just man
Saint Joseph, for the sake of all the just and
righteous patriarchs who were pleasing before you,
of all the apostles and prophets, all the martyrs
and confessors, and on behalf of all our holy
fathers, Mar … the
Pope of Rome, Mar …
the Catholicos-Patriarch, Mar
… the Bishop
(Metropolitan),
all bishops, priests, deacons, and the rest of the
groups of the children of the Church, on behalf of
all mourners and all the weary, all the needy and
afflicted, all the sick and oppressed, all the
faithful deceased who have departed and gone away
from us, on behalf of this people which looks for
and awaits your mercies, and on behalf of my
frailty, my wretchedness, and my humbleness.
Or this Supplication, in an audible voice:
Indeed, our Lord and God, may this Offering be
accepted on behalf of all the holy catholic Church,
that she may be upheld and guarded without
trembling, on behalf of our holy fathers, Mar
… the Pope of Rome,
Mar … the
Catholicos-Patriarch, Mar …
the Bishop (Metropolitan),
on behalf of the priests and authorities who
stand firm for the peace of the Church and the
serenity of countries, on behalf of the meek, the
poor and the afflicted, and on behalf of mourners,
the oppressed and those in pain, on behalf of all
those who stand before your holy altar and ask for
prayers through my sinfulness: answer their
pleadings, absolve their debts and blot out their
sins, on behalf of this land and all its
inhabitants, on behalf of this city
(or
village) and those
who dwell in it: surround it, O Lord, with a mighty
rampart and in your grace deliver it from all
scourges; may the invader not conquer us, nor the
enemy rejoice over us, and on behalf of…
Deacon:
Stand and pray in silence and awe.
The people stand.
Inclination
Through the Memorial of your Christ, O Lord, make,
in your indescribable mercies, a gracious
remembrance for all the upright and just fathers who
have pleased you, the apostles, prophets and
teachers, the martyrs and confessors, the bishops,
priests and deacons, and all the children of the
holy catholic Church: those who have been signed
(♰)
with the living sign of holy baptism.
He signs the sign of the cross on the altar.
Indeed, our Lord and God, grant us your tranquility
and peace all the days of the age, that all the
dwellers of the earth may know that you alone are
God, the true Father, that you have sent your Son
and Beloved, our Lord Jesus Christ, and that he, our
Lord and God, taught us all purity and holiness in
his life-giving Gospel.
