Passover Preparation
A Prayer Service
Collected and Arranged
from the Liturgical Heritage
of the Chaldean Church of the East
* * *
St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Cathedral
El Cajon, CA
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Passover Preparation
I. EVENING PRAYER
Priest: Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, and good hope to men, at all times and forever.
People: Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be your Name. Your kingdom come. Holy, holy, you are holy. Our Father in Heaven: heaven and earth are full of the greatness of your glory; angels and men cry out to you: holy, holy, you are holy.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come, thy 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 thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen.
Priest: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
People: From age to age, amen, amen. Our Father…
Deacon: Let us pray. Peace be with us.
Priest: We confess your Divinity, O Lord, with spiritual praises, adore your Majesty with earthly adorations, and glorify your hidden Nature with pure intentions and holy, unstained thoughts, O Lord of all, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, forever.
[The people sit.]
- line 1; bold
Psalm Tone:
- line 2; underlined
Psalm 22
My God, my God,
why have you forsaken me? Halleluiah.
My God, my God,
why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me,
from the sound of my groans?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night, but find no rest.
Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried, and were saved;
in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.
But I am a worm, and no man;
scorned by men, and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me,
they make mouths at me,
they wag their heads; "He trusted the Lord;
let him deliver him if he delights in him!"
Yet you took me from the womb;
you guarded me on my mother’s lap.
Upon you was I cast from my birth,
and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
Be not far from me,
for trouble is near and there is none to help.
Many bulls encompass me,
they growl at me like a roaring lion.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax,
it is melted within my breast;
my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
Yes, dogs are round about me;
a wicked company encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet,
I can count all my bones.
they gloat over me; they divide my garments,
and for my raiment they cast lots.
But you O Lord, be not far off!
O my help, hasten to my aid!
Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
From age to age, amen, amen.
Halleluiah, halleluiah,
halleluiah.
Deacon: Peace be with us.
Priest: 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 people stand.]
People: Amen.
Lakhu Mara
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. |
Lakhu Mara d-kulla
mawdenan,
w-lakh Ysho’ Mshyha mshabhynan
d-attu Mnahmana
d-paghrayn,
w-attu Paroqa
d-nawshathan. |
Deacon:
I rejoiced when I heard them say: let us go to the house of the Lord. |
Hdhyth kadh amryn waw ly: l-bayteh d-Marya azynan. |
People: Lakhu Mara…
Deacon:
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, from age to age, amen, amen. |
Shuha l-Aba w-laBra wal-Ruha d-Qudsha min ‘alam wa’dhamma l-‘alam amen, w-amen. |
People: Lakhu Mara…
Priest: 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.
[The people sit.]
Hymn “Before”
Deacon: Do not enter into judgment with your servant
People: If you enter into judgment with your servant, O Lord God, what excuse will I find? And where can I beg for forgiveness? For I have rejected and broken all your laws, and have become a dead man in the greatness of my sins. As from Sheol, from the sea of sin draw me out, in your mercy: O Christ the King, have mercy on me!
Deacon: For my life is spent in misery
People: The whole span of my life disperses and vanishes vainly in the confusion of the vanities of this world. And because I have not even desired, for a single hour, to prepare myself for tackling work in the spiritual vineyard, I do not expect to receive the wage prepared for the just. But, for the hidden wounds of my sins, I ask forgiveness from you, unworthy though I am. And so, before I stand before your frightful judgment-seat and am found guilty of my crimes by your just judgment, say the word, and I will be healed by your mercies: O Lover of Mankind, glory to you!
Priest: It is our duty, O Lord our God, to thank, adore and glorify you for your mercy and your providential will for us, at all times, O Lord of all, Father, Son and Holy Spirit forever.
[The people stand.]
- line 1; bold
Psalm Tone:
- line 2; underlined
Evening Psalms
Psalm 140
I have called to you, Lord; hasten to help me!
Hearken to my words and accept my prayer.
I have called to you, Lord; hasten to help me!
Hearken to my words and accept my prayer.
Let my prayer arise before you like incense,
the offering of my hands like an evening oblation.
Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth
and a guard over my lips!
That my heart may not turn to things that are wrong,
or accomplish works of wickedness.
May I not dine with evil men.
If a just man strikes or reproves me it is kindness.
But let the oil of the wicked not anoint my head.
Let my prayer be ever against their malice.
Their princes were thrown down by a rock-like hand;
then they understood that my words were kind.
As a millstone is shattered to pieces on the ground,
so their bones were strewn at the mouth of Sheol.
To you, Lord God, I lift up my eyes:
in you I take refuge; do not cast my soul away!
Guard me from the hands of the boastful,
who set traps for me.
Let the wicked fall together into their own traps
while I pursue my way unharmed.
[The people sit.]
Psalm 141
With my voice I called to the Lord,
with my voice I entreated the Lord.
I lifted up my pleading before him.
I made known to him my distress.
While my spirit faints, you, O Lord, know my path.
On the way where I shall walk they have hidden a trap for me.
I look to my right and see:
there is no one to advise me.
I have no means of escape,
not one who cares for my soul.
I cry to you, O Lord. I say: you are my refuge,
all that I have in the land of the living.
Listen then to my cry
for I am greatly humiliated.
Rescue me from those who pursue me
for they are stronger than I.
Bring my soul out of this prison
that I may give thanks to your Name.
Around me your just will assemble
as you grant me reward.
Psalm 118: 105-112
Your word is a lamp for my feet
and a light for my path.
I have sworn and have made up my mind
to obey your decrees.
Lord, I am deeply afflicted:
by your word give me life.
Accept, Lord, the homage of my lips
and teach me your decrees.
My soul is in your hands at all times,
I remember your law.
Though the wicked try to ensnare me
I do not stray from your precepts.
Your witness is my heritage forever,
the joy of my heart.
I set my heart to carry out your statutes
in truth, for ever.
Psalm 116
O praise the Lord, all you nations,
O praise him, all you peoples!
For mighty is his love for us;
truly, he is the Lord forever.
Glory to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
From age to age, amen, amen.
I have called to you, Lord; hasten to help me!
Hearken to my words and accept my prayer.
Deacon: Let us pray. Peace be with us.
Priest: Hear, O Lord our God, the prayer of your servants in your mercy; accept the supplication of your adorers in your compassion, and pity our sinfulness in your grace and mercies, O Healer of our bodies and Good Hope of our souls at all times O Lord of all, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, forever.
Hymn “After”
Deacon: From where will come my help?
People: “Who is the doctor who can cleanse my hidden wounds? O, will he be able to heal and to cure them? O who will be able to deliver me from the fire?” thus cried the adulteress. “I will untangle the knots of sin, and draw near to the Lord and Savior.” For indeed, he did not cast the tax-collector away from him, and with his speech, he converted the Samaritan woman. With his word, he gave life to the Canaanite woman, and to the hemorrhaging woman he gave healing with the hem of his cloak. With his merciful word, he freed the adulteress from her sins, and invited her to the book of life with the saintly women. Along with them, my soul says at all times: blessed is the Messiah our Savior!
Deacon: The foundations of the mountains trembled and were shaken
People: In the hour that the wood of your cross was fastened, you shook the foundations of death, O Lord. And those whom Sheol had swallowed in their sins, Sheol released while trembling – your command quickened them, O Lord. Because of this, we also glorify you, O Christ the King: Have mercy on us!
II. INSTRUCTIONAL SECTION
Deacon: Let us pray. Peace be with us.
Priest: We plead to you O Wise Provider, O Wondrous Caretaker of his households, O Great Treasure from which all riches and blessings overflow in his compassion: turn to us, O Lord, pardon us and have mercy on us as you always do: Father, Son and Holy Spirit forever.
People: Amen.
Old Testament
1st Reading: Genesis 22:1-14
Some time after these events, God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, "Abraham!" "Ready!" he replied. Then God said: "Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you." Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey, took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well, and with the wood that he had cut for the holocaust, set out for the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar. Then he said to his servants: "Both of you stay here with the donkey, while the boy and I go on over yonder. We will worship and then come back to you." Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the holocaust and laid it on his son Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham. "Father!" he said. "Yes, son," he replied. Isaac continued, "Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the holocaust?" "Son," Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust." Then the two continued going forward. When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac, and put him on top of the wood on the altar. Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the Lord’s messenger called to him from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. "Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger. "Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son." As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.
Old Testament
2nd Reading: Isaiah 53
Who would believe what we have heard? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity; one of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins. Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, and by his stripes we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth. Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people, a grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood. (But the Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity.) If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him. Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear. Therefore I will give him his portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked; and he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses.
Priest: Enlighten our mental faculties, our Lord and our God, that we may understand and savor the sweet sound of your life-giving and divine commands. Grant, in your grace and your mercies, that we may reap benefit from them: love, hope and the salvation that befits both body and soul. Thus will we unceasingly sing a perpetual praise to you at all times O Lord of all, Father, Son and Holy Spirit forever.
New Testament
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 11: 17-34
When you meet in one place, then, it is not to eat the Lord's supper, for in eating, each one goes ahead with his own supper, and one goes hungry while another gets drunk. Do you not have houses in which you can eat and drink? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and make those who have nothing feel ashamed? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this matter I do not praise you. For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.
Deacon: Arise in preparation to hear the holy Gospel.
[The people stand.]
People: Halleluiah, halleluiah, halleluiah.
Deacon:
Be silent and attentive. |
Bshilya hwaw wa-shlaw. |
Priest:
Peace be with you. |
Shlama ‘amkhon. |
People:
With you and your Spirit. |
‘ammakh w’am Ruhakh. |
Priest:
The Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to _____. |
Ewangalion Qaddysha d-Maran Ysho’ Mshyha, Karozutha d-__. |
People:
Glory be to Christ our Lord, amen. |
Shuha la-Mshyha Maran. Amen. Shlaw. |
GOSPEL READING
Luke 22
And he came out, and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place he said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but yours, be done." And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation." While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him; but Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?" And when those who were about him saw what would follow, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, the hour of the power of darkness."
After the Reading of the Gospel:
Priest:
Glory to God unceasingly. |
Shuha l-Alaha ammynayth. |
People:
Glory be to Christ our Lord. |
Shuha la-Mshyha Maran. |
[The people sit.]
“Basilica Hymn” from Evening Prayer of Holy Saturday
Deacon: The earth trembled and was shaken.
People: When you were hanging on the Cross, O Christ,
creation saw you naked and trembled:
heaven darkened the light of the glorious lamp of the sun,
the temple showed its lamentation in the torn veil,
and earth quaked as well, for it saw the insolence of the crucifiers.
Even the sleeping, in a great marvel,
were awakened and arose from their graves,
lifting up praise to your great power, O Lord!
Deacon: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
People: (repeat the hymn above)
From age to age, amen, amen. In our Lord’s passion there was real suffering, and awe seized angels and men. The dead who had been buried arose and left their tombs while singing: “Glory to the Son who was brought low and, for our sake, hung on a piece of wood, and who cried out with his living voice and shook heaven and earth!”
Awake O First Adam, and see the Only-Begotten Son who suffered like a sinner at the hands of sinful people!
Awake and arise O cheated Abel, killed by the unjust brother, and see the Savior of the world, who dies for the life of the world!
Awake and arise O innocent Noah, who was an intercessor for the world, and see the Son of the Most High, who hangs on wood today!
Awake O sons of blessings, Shem and honorable Yafeth, who covered the nakedness of their father who was fast asleep: come and see the light of the sun and the beautiful lamp of the moon wearing a gloomy darkness, so that their Lord might not be seen disgraced!
Awake O high priest Melchezidech, who did not offer flesh on the altar: come today and see the Son who gave us his Mysteries in bread and wine!
Awake O Abraham, and see the Son who was shown to you in a revelation: for today he was hung on a piece of wood, like that mystery that was revealed to you!
Awake O blessed Isaac, saved by a lamb in a tree, and see that true mystery fulfilled by your Lord today!
Awake O righteous Joseph, who was spat upon by his brothers, and see Jesus the Savior who is spit upon by their sons!
Awake O Moses, head of the prophets, and see the Lord of the prophets, who suffers at the hands of the sons of the prophets, as was foretold by the prophets!
Awake O heroic Joshua, who stopped the sun and the moon: see that they wear a gloomy darkness today, because of the death of the Son!
Awake O David, O Psalmist, come out of the grave today; take up your harp and lyre, and preach, speaking in a Psalm: “They divided his clothes between them, placed their bets on his robes, and were like dogs around the Lion who did not speak to them.”
Awake and arise from the dirt O Solomon, sea of wisdom, and see the Lord of wisdom who is mocked by ignorance!
Awake O glorious Isaiah, look and see Christ the King; behold him bearing murder like a sacrifice, without opening his mouth!
Awake O blessed Joel, and see the darkness and gloom, the blood and the cloud of smoke, which reign over the world today!
Awake O Jonah, who for three days was like a dead man, and showed Judaism the resurrection after three days!
Awake O Micah, and see the Shepherd who came to return the stray, whom the Jewish nation has risen against and crucified like a sinner!
Awake and arise O blessed one who made judgment with the Lord, and see the marvel today: the Judge becomes the one condemned!
Awake O Zephaniah, and see the Church which was saved by the crucifixion; the distant became the close, and the assembly became scattered!
Awake O blessed Haggai, who was so diligent in building, and see that today the veil of forgiveness is ripped open!
Awake O Jeremiah the priest, who was thrown into the pit of mud, and see your Lord today, for whom a tomb has become a bedroom!
Awake O blessed Zechariah, and his beloved son the Baptist, and see today your Lord made into a sacrifice and offering!
Awake and arise O Fathers who died in the hope of the resurrection, and see, atop Golgotha, the Lord of all creatures!
Awake and arise all you deceased, and see the dead among the living, who bring forth to the house of the dead, the Lord of the living and the dead!
Awake O deceased from ages ago, and see the Son who is from of old, who took your form in his love, and in whom all Scriptures are fulfilled!
Awake O you who are dead in sin, see the Son who does not know sin, who dies with the slaves of sin, in order to kill death and sin!
Awake O deceased, and see the marvel on the cross of the first-born Son, who by his murder has rent the earth, and by his death has abolished death!
O Conqueror whose friends abandoned him and whose servants judged him, by his choice: give victory to those whose sins have conquered them, in your mercies which brought them into existence! Blessed is your death, glorious your resurrection! Have pity and forgive, by your grace, your servants who confess your Divinity. In your power, be an aid for us, and make your mercies flow at every time upon the assemblies of the Church who confess that you have risen in truth. To you, with your Father be glory and adoration, and to the Holy Spirit, at all times.
Petitions
[The people stand.]
Deacon: Let us pray. Peace be with us.
* Let us pray and plead from God the Lord of all…
People: Amen.
…that he may hear the voice of our prayer, accept our supplication and have mercy on us.
* For the Holy Catholic Church, here and in every place, we pray and plead from God the Lord of all…
People: Amen.
…that his peace and serenity may dwell within her until the end of time.
* For all the reverent and holy people attending, the children of the holy catholic Church, we pray and plead from God the Lord of all…
People: Amen.
…that they may finish the good race of their sanctification, and accept the hope and promise of the land of the living from the Lord.
* In remembrance of the holy and blessed Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus our Savior and Life-Giver, we pray and plead from God the Lord of all…
People: Amen.
…that the Holy Spirit that dwelt in her may sanctify us in his grace, perfect his will in us, and complete his Truth in us, all the days of our lives.
* In remembrance of the prophets and apostles, and the martyrs and confessors, we pray and plead from God the Lord of all…
People: Amen.
…that by their prayers and sufferings, he may accomplish good hope and salvation in us as with them, and make us worthy for their blessed remembrance and their living and true promise of the kingdom of heaven.
* For this land and its inhabitants, for this city and those who dwell in it, and for this house and its those who care for it, especially for this assembly, we pray and plead from God the Lord of all…
People: Amen.
…that he may spare us in his grace of war, captivity, robbery, earthquake, famine, plague and all evil afflictions hostile to the body.
* For those who have strayed from this true faith, and are captive to the snares of satan, we pray and plead from God the Lord of all…
People: Amen.
…that he may convert their hardness of heart, and that they may confess the one God, the Father of Truth and his Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
* For those sick with serious diseases and tempted by evil spirits, we pray and plead from God the Lord of all…
People: Amen.
…that he may send them an angel of mercy and healing to visit, cure, heal, aid and comfort them in the plentitude of his grace and his mercies.
* For the poor and the oppressed, for orphans and widows, for the downtrodden and weak, for the distressed in spirit, throughout this world, we pray and plead from God the Lord of all…
People: Amen.
…that he may sustain them in his grace, care for them in his mercy, comfort them in his compassion, and deliver them from whatever might lead them to the bondage of iniquity.
* Pray and plead from God the Lord of all, that you may become for him a kingdom - priests, a holy people. Cry out to the Lord God almighty with your whole heart and with your whole soul, for he is God, the merciful, compassionate and benevolent Father, who does not wish the destruction of his creature, but rather its repentance toward him, and its life in his presence. It is especially fit that we pray, thank, adore, glorify, honor, and exalt the one God, the adorable Father, the Lord of all, who has accomplished the great hope and the salvation of our souls through his Christ, that he may complete his grace, his mercy and his compassion in us until the end.
People: Amen.
III. Eucharistic Celebration
Exposition of the Sacrament
[The people kneel.]
Deacon:
Behold, my banquet is prepared, and everything is ready; come to the feast!
People:
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! |
Ha, sharuthy mtaywa, w-kul middem mtayyaw, taw l-mishtutha.
Ha, mzamnyton l-hayye hadthe, d-Paghra wa-Dma mhasyana: sabbeth qnomaykon. W-bazmyratha d-ruha shabbah w-awdaw l-Bar Malka dann-heth sedayn w-parqan ba-sliweh, w-yawlan Paghreh wa-Dmeh, d-beh rawzyn kulhon qaddyshe, w-qa’en leh: Qaddysh Qaddysh Qaddysh, Mahyanan. |
Priest: The heavenly and earthly assemblies stand in fear and joy when the Sacrifice is offered for the life of the world: with their wings extended over their eyes, lest they observe that fearful, incomprehensible Sight; and with their voices extolling, and their tongues crying out and saying: Holy, holy, holy are you, O Lord, because of this fearful Gift you have given us, in which we are absolved of our sins. Grant us, O Lord, in your mercy, and make us worthy in your grace, to give thanks to you for it, and to say: Glory to you!
People: Glory to you, O Lord!
[Silent Adoration]
The Communion Rite
Priest: 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.
Deacon: Let us all, with awe and reverence, approach the Mystery of the precious Body and Blood of our Savior. With a pure heart and true faith, let us recall his passion and draw comfort from his resurrection. It was for us that the Only-Begotten of God betook of man a mortal body and a rational, intellectual and immortal soul. By his life-giving laws and holy commandments, he led us from error to the knowledge of the truth. After having fulfilled his entire plan for us, the First-Born of our race endured the cross, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. He handed his holy Mysteries over to us, in which we ought to recall all his goodness to us.
Let us thus, with abounding love and a humble will, receive the Gift of eternal life. With sincere prayer and contritional sorrow, let us participate in the Mysteries of the Church. In penitential hope, let us quit our wrongdoings and repent of our sins, and ask mercy and forgiveness from God the Lord of all, as we forgive the faults of our brethren.
People: O Lord, forgive the sins and faults of your servants.
Deacon:
Let us cleanse our intentions of all divisions and conflicts.
People: O Lord, forgive the sins and faults of your servants.
Deacon:
As our souls are purified of hatred and hostility, we shall receive the Holy and be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
People: O Lord, forgive the sins and faults of your servants.
Deacon:
United and with one accord, let us receive the Communion of the Mysteries, that they may be for us, O Lord, for the resurrection of our bodies, and the salvation of our souls.
People: And for life everlasting.
Deacon: Let us pray. Peace be with us.
Prayer Before the Our Father
Priest: Forgive in your mercy, O Lord, the sins and faults of your servants and sanctify our lips in your grace, that we may bear fruits of praise to your exalted Divinity with all your saints in your kingdom. [The people stand.]
And make us worthy, our Lord and God, to stand always before you without fault, with pure hearts and unveiled faces. And, in that confidence that you have granted us all in your mercy, we call together upon you and say thus:
People:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come, thy 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 thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen.
Priest:
Peace be with you. |
Shlama ‘amkhon. |
People:
With you and your Spirit. |
‘ammakh w’am Ruhakh. |
Priest:
The Holy is fit for the holy ones living in accord. |
Qudsha l-qaddyshe ya’e bshalmutha. |
[The people kneel.]
People:
One Holy Father, one Holy Son, one Holy Spirit: glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit forever and ever amen. |
Hadh Aba Qaddysha, hadh Bra Qaddysha hadh Ruha Qaddysha, shuha l-Aba w-laBra wal-Ruha Qaddysha l-‘alam ‘almyn. Amen. |
Deacon:
Give glory to the living God. |
Shabbah l-Alaha hayya. |
People:
Glory be to him in his Church, and may his mercies and his compassion be upon us at all times and ages. |
Tishbuhta leh b-‘edteh, wa-‘layn rahmaw wa-hnaneh, bkulhon zawne w-‘iddane. |
Deacon:
The poor will eat and be filled.
People:
The Body of Christ and his precious Blood are upon the holy altar. Let us all approach him with awe and love, and with the angels let us sing to him: holy, holy, holy is the Lord God. |
Nekhlun miskene w-nisib’un.
Paghreh da-Mshyha waDmeh yaqqyra ‘al madhbah qudhsha.
B-dihiltha wab-rihimtha kullan nithqaraw-leh, w’am malakhe nyabbew leh: qaddysh qaddysh qaddysh Marya Alaha. |
Deacon: Barekh-mar.
Priest: May the gracious Gift of our Life-Giver, the Lord Jesus Christ, be consummated in all of us by his mercies.
People: Forever and ever, amen.
Deacon: Brethren, receive the Body of the Son, says the Church, and drink his Cup with faith in his kingdom.
* Purification of hands with incense before Communion *
Communion Hymn: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded, for with blessing in his hand,
Christ our God to earth descending, comes our homage to demand.
King of Kings, yet born of Mary, as of old on earth he stood;
Lord of lords in human vesture; in the Body and Blood,
He will give to all the faithful, His own self heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven spreads its vanguard on the way;
as the Light of light descending, from the realms of endless day,
that the powers of hell may vanish, as the darkness clears a way.
After Communion:
Deacon: As we were made worthy, brethren, through the gift of grace of the Holy Spirit, to approach and participate in these glorious, holy, life-giving and divine Mysteries, let us all unanimously thank and glorify God, who has given them.
People:
