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By the Strength of our
Lord
Jesus Christ we begin to write
The Order of the
Hallowing
of the Apostles
which was composed
by Mar Addai and Mar
Mari,
the blessed Apostles
Our Lord, assist me in
your
mercies, amen
First
The Priest begins:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit for
ever.
Glory to God on high repeat three times,
and on earth peace and a good hope to men always and for ever, amen.
And then Our
Father
in heaven, may your name be hallowed. May your kingdom come. Holy,
holy, you are holy, our Father in heaven, for heaven and earth are full
of the grandeur of your glory. Angels and men cry out to you, Holy,
holy,
you are holy. Our Father in heaven, may your name be hallowed.
May
your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give
us our necessary bread today, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our
debtors. And do not lead us to the test, but deliver us from the Evil
One.
For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and
ever,
amen. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and
to the Holy Spirit, from everlasting to everlasting, amen and amen.
Our Father in heaven, may your name be hallowed. May your kingdom come.
Holy, holy, you are holy, our Father in heaven,
for
heaven and earth are full of the grandeur of your glory. Angels and men
cry out to you, Holy, holy, you are holy.
And a deacon says:
Let us pray. Peace be with us.
The Prayer Before
the
Marmitha.
For Sundays and Feasts:
Our Lord and our God, strengthen us in our weakness in your compassion,
that we may administer the Holy Mysteries, which have been given for the
renewal and salvation of our feeble nature, through the mercies of your
beloved Son, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
Another, for Feasts of the
Lord:
Our Lord and our God, strengthen those who uprightly believe in your
name,
and those who truly make an undistorted confession, that they may
administer
in holiness the absolving Mysteries, which sanctify their souls and
bodies.
May they honorably serve you with hearts and minds cleansed of stains
and
far removed from defiled thoughts. May they continually glorify you for
the salvation which you have bestowed upon us in the abundant mercies of
your grace, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
And they begin the appointed
Marmitha, and then: Peace be with us.
For Memorials and Ordinary
Days:
May the venerable and resplendent name of your glorious Trinity be
worshipped,
lauded, honored, exalted, confessed, and blessed in heaven and on earth
at every hour, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
Prayer Before
the Anthem of the Qanke
For Sundays:
Before
the glorious throne of your majesty, O my Lord, and the high and exalted
chair of your honor, and the fearful judgment seat of your love’s
severity,
and the absolving altar which was established at your direction, and the
place of the habitation of your glory, we, your people and the sheep of
your pasture, with thousands of cherubim, who glorify you, and ten
thousands
of seraphim and archangels, who minister to you, bow down, worship,
confess,
and glorify you at every hour, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit
for ever.
Another, for Feasts of the
Lord,
by Mar Eliya III, Catholicos: Before the fearful judgment
seat
of your greatness, and the exalted throne of your Godhead, and the
adorned
chair of your honor, and the glorious place of your Lordship, where
those
who serve you, the cherubim, sing praise continually, and those who
glorify
you, the seraphim, sing holy without ceasing, we bow in fear, worship
with
trembling, and confess and glorify without ceasing at every hour, O Lord
of all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
For Memorials:
The
great, fearful, holy, blessed, gracious, and incomprehensible name of
your
glorious Trinity, and your grace toward our race, we are obliged to
confess,
worship, and glorify at every hour, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit for ever.
Then they say the appointed
Anthem
of the Qanke.
(When the presbyter goes
out,
the cross upon his hands, and ascends the bema, a deacon says:
Peace be with us.)
The Prayer of the Lakhumara
for
Sundays and Feasts: O our Lord and our God, when the pleasant
aroma of the fragrance of your love wafts over us, and our souls are
enlightened
with the knowledge of your truth, may we be deemed worthy to receive the
revelation of your Beloved from heaven, and there may we confess you and
glorify you without ceasing in your crowned church, filled with all
assistance
and all blessings, for you are the Lord and Creator of all, Father, and
Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
For Memorials:
For
all your aids and graces towards us, which we are unable to repay, we
will
confess and glorify you without ceasing in your crowned church, filled
with all assistance and blessings, for you are the Lord and Creator of
all, Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
(For the offering of
incense:
In the worshipful and resplendent name of the glorious Trinity may this
incense which we offer be blessed to your honor, and may it be for our
pardon, O Creator of pleasant roots and sweet spices, O Lord of all,
Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.)
Then as a deacon takes the
censer
round: May Christ give you delight in his kingdom, and may he
accept your ministry in the goodness of his compassion. Amen.
And they continue:
You, Lord of all, we confess, and you, Jesus Christ, we glorify, for you
give life to our bodies, and you are the Savior of our souls.
- I have washed my hands purely, and I have gone round your
altar,
O Lord. You, Lord of all, we confess, and you, Jesus Christ, we
glorify, for you give life to our bodies, and you are the Savior of our
souls. - Glory
be
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, from everlasting
to everlasting, amen and amen. You, Lord of all, we confess, and
you, Jesus Christ, we glorify, for you give life to our bodies, and you
are the Savior of our souls.
-
A deacon: Let us
pray.
Peace be with us.
Prayer: Truly, my
Lord, you give life to our bodies; you are the good Savior of our souls
and you continually guard our life. You, my Lord, we are bound to
confess,
worship, and glorify at every hour, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit for ever.
A deacon: Lift up
your voice, everyone, and glorify the living God.
They respond:
Holy
God, holy Mighty, holy Immortal, have mercy upon us.
- Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Holy God, holy Mighty, holy Immortal, have mercy upon us. From
everlasting to everlasting, amen and amen. Holy God, holy Mighty,
holy Immortal, have mercy upon us.
-
Prayer before the Lessons:
You who are holy, glorious, mighty, and immortal, who dwell in the
saints
and whose will has been satisfied, turn, O my Lord, and pity and have
mercy
upon us, as you are accustomed to do at every hour, O Lord of all,
Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
(When the reader of the
lessons
comes to the priest or head of the priests, he blesses him and says:
May God the Lord of all make you wise in his holy teaching, and may his
mercies and compassion be upon the readers and those who are listening.
May you be a shining mirror to all who give heed to and obey the word of
teaching from your mouth, through the kindness of his compassion. Amen.
(And when the reader says:
Bless, O my Lord. He blesses him in this way:
May God, the Lord of all, strengthen you and make you wise in his holy
teaching through the kindness of his compassion. Amen.)
Then they read the lessons
and
add the appropriate Shuraya.
The Prayer Before the Apostle.
O our Lord and our God, enlighten for us the impulses
of our thoughts, that we may give heed to and understand the pleasant
sound
of your life-giving and divine commands. Grant us in your grace and
mercies
to acquire profit from them—love, hope, and salvation, which are useful
for the soul and body. May we sing continual praise without ceasing to
you at every hour, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
But on Memorials and during
the
Fast (other than Sundays of the Fast) they pray:
O wise Leader, wondrous Overseer of your household
and
great Treasury supplying abundantly every assistance and blessing in
your
mercy, we supplicate you, turn, O my Lord, and pity and have mercy upon
us as you are accustomed to do at every hour, O Lord of all, Father,
Son,
and Holy Spirit for ever.
Then they read the Apostle.
And
when the deacon who reads the Apostle says: Bless, O my Lord.
The priest responds: May Christ make
you wise in his holy teaching, and make you a shining mirror to all who
give heed to you.
Now when the priest descends
from the bema and comes to the door of the altar, he and the deacon both
incline, and the deacon says: Let us pray. Peace be with us.
And the priest prays softly:
You, the effulgence of your Father’s glory and the image of your
Begetter’s
substance, you who were revealed and shone forth in the body of our
humanity
and enlightened rational beings with the knowledge of your greatness,
enlighten
our souls, O my Lord, with the light of your Gospel, and grant us to
meditate
upon your Scriptures. May we be led by your life-giving and divine
commandments,
O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
(The reply to the one who
sings
when he says: Bless, O my Lord. The
priest says to him: May God, the Lord of all, confirm your
thoughts
and refine your singing, that you may sing his praises through the
goodness
of his compassion. Amen.)
When the priest goes to
visit
the Gospel: Glory to the eternal mercies which sent you to
us,
O Christ, the light of the world and the eternal life of all. Amen.
When he picks it up to go
out:
Make us wise in your law and enlighten our thoughts with your knowledge.
Sanctify our souls with your truth, and grant us to be obedient to your
words and to fulfill your commandments at every hour, O Lord of all,
Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
Another: O you
who
enlighten the rational with the knowledge of your greatness, enlighten,
O my Lord, my thoughts that I may meditate upon your holy and divine
Scriptures
at every hour, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
For the censer:
May
the sweet aroma which wafted from you, O my Lord, at the time when Mary
the sinner poured fragrant oil upon your head, be joined with this
incense
which we offer to your honor and for the pardon of our debts and sins,
O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
And a deacon says in an
audible
voice: Let us stand ready to hear the holy Gospel.
- And if it is a day of the mysteries he says: Be
still and keep silence! And the priest
continues
and says: Peace be with you. And
they
reply: And with you and with your spirit. And
he reads the Gospel. And when the Gospel is ended they say:
Glory be to Christ our Lord. Then a deacon says
the Karozutha "Father of mercies" and its companion.
-
And the deacon says:
Father
of mercies and God of all consolation, we beseech you. And
the people respond: Our Lord, have
mercy
upon us - O
our Savior, our Overseer and the Guardian of all, we beseech you . . .
- For
the
tranquillity, unity, and sustenance of all the world and all the
churches,
we beseech you . . . -
For our land and all lands, and for those who dwell in
them
in faith, we beseech you . . . -
For the temperature of the air, the prosperity of the
year,
the harvests of fruit, and for the stability of all the world, we
beseech
you . . . - For
the
welfare of our holy fathers, Mar so and so,
Catholicos-Patriarch, and Mar so and so,
Metropolitan, and Mar so and so, the
bishop,
and for all their fellow-servants, we beseech you . . . -
For kings who hold power in this world, we beseech you . . .- O
merciful God, who in mercy governs all, we beseech you . . . -
For orthodox presbyters and deacons, and all our brotherhood in
Christ, we beseech you . . . - You
who
are rich in your mercies and overflowing in your compassion, we beseech
you . . . - Who
are
from of old, and whose power continues from generation to generation,
we beseech you . . . - Who
in
your nature are good and the Giver of all good things, we beseech you
. . . - Who
do
not take delight in the death of a sinner, but rather that he turn from
his wickedness and live, we beseech you. . . -
Who are glorified in heaven and worshipped on earth, we
beseech
you . . . - Who
by
your birth [or Epiphany, or Fast, or Entrance, or Resurrection, or
Ascension,
or Descent, or Holy Cross] made the earth to be glad and the heavens to
rejoice, we beseech you . . . - To
whom
immortality belongs naturally, and who dwell in gladsome light, we
beseech you . . . -
O Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe in you,
we beseech you . . . - Save
all
of us, O Christ our Lord, in your loving-kindness, and increase with
us your tranquillity and peace, and have mercy upon us. Let us pray.
Peace
be with us. And on ordinary days he adds:
Bow down. And the people kneel.
And he adds its
companion:
Let us pray and beseech God, the Lord of all. And
they respond: Amen -
That he might hear the voice of our prayer, receive our
petition,
and have mercy upon us -
For the holy catholic Church here and everywhere, let us
pray . . . -
And they respond: Amen -
That his tranquillity and peace may dwell within her until
the end of the world -
For our fathers the bishops, let us pray . . . -
That they may stand at the head of their flocks spotlessly
and blamelessly all the days of their life -
Especially for the welfare of our holy fathers, Mar so
and so, Catholicos-Patriarch, and Mar so
and
so, Metropolitan, and Mar so and so,
the bishop, let us pray . . . -
That he may preserve and establish them at the head of all
their flocks, that they may feed and serve and prepare for the Lord a
perfect
people which is zealous for good and virtuous deeds -
For presbyters and deacons who are in this ministry of
truth,
let us pray . . . -
That with a good heart and a pure mind they may serve
before
him - For
every
chaste and holy order, the children of the holy catholic Church,
let us pray . . . -
That they may complete the good course of their holiness
and receive from the Lord a good hope and promise in the land of life -
For the memorial of the blessed St. Mary, the holy Virgin,
the mother of Christ our Savior and Life-giver, let us pray . . .
- That the Holy Spirit who dwelt in her may sanctify us in
his loving-kindness, perfect in us his will, and seal in us his truth
all
the days of our life -
For the memorial of the prophets, apostles, martyrs, and
confessors, let us pray . . . -
That by their prayers and sufferings he might provide for
us, with them, a good hope and salvation, and make us worthy of their
blessed
memorial and their living and steadfast promise in the kingdom of heaven
- For
the
memorial of our holy fathers, Mar Diodore, Mar Theodore, and Mar
Nestorius,
bishops and teachers of the truth, and Mar Ephraim, Mar Narsai, and Mar
Abraham, and all the saints and trustworthy teachers, let us pray . . .
- That
by
their prayers and petitions the pure truth of the doctrine of their
confession and of their faith might be preserved in all the holy
catholic
Church until the end of the world -
For the memorial of our fathers and brothers, the true
believers
who have departed and gone out from this world in this true faith and
orthodox
confession, let us pray . . . -
That he may loose and dismiss for them their offenses and
transgressions, and make them worthy to take delight with the just and
righteous who have been acceptable to him -
For this land and its inhabitants, and for this city (or
village) and those who dwell in it, and for this habitation
and its caretakers, and especially for this our company, let us pray .
. . - That
he
may cause to pass away from us in his loving-kindness the sword,
captivity,
robbery, earthquakes, hail, famine, pestilence, and all evil diseases
which
are inimical to the body -
For those who have strayed from this true faith and are
held
in the snares of Satan, let us pray . . . -
That he might turn the hardness of their hearts, that they
might know that God the father of truth is one, and his Son, Jesus
Christ
our Lord - For
those
who are ill with grievous afflictions and tested by evil spirits,
let us pray . . . -
That he might send to them the angel of mercies and
healing,
that he might treat and heal and make whole, and might comfort them in
the multitude of his loving-kindness and mercies -
For the poor and the destitute, the orphans, widows,
harassed,
afflicted, and distressed in spirit who are in this world, let us pray
- That
he
might provide for them in his loving-kindness, sustain them in his
mercies,
comfort them in his compassion, and deliver them from him who governs
them
with unjust force -
Pray and ask for mercies from God, the Lord of all, that
you may be for him a kingdom of priests and holy people. Cry out to the
Lord, the mighty God, with all your heart and all your soul, for he is
God, the compassionate Father, and merciful and gracious, and he takes
no delight in the destruction of one whom he has fashioned, but only
that
he should turn to him and live before him. And especially ought we to
pray
to, confess, worship, glorify, honor, and exalt the one God, the
worshipful
Father, the Lord of all, who in his Christ fashioned a good hope and
salvation
for our souls, that he might fulfill with us his loving-kindness,
mercies,
and compassion until the end. And they respond:
Amen - Arise
in
the power of God. And the congregation
responds:
Glory be to his holy name! And they stand. He
continues: With petition and supplication we ask for the
angel
of peace and mercies. And they respond:
From you, O Lord -
Night and day all the days of our life we ask for
continued
tranquillity for your Church and a life without sins -
From you . . . -
We ask for the unity of love, which is the bond of
perfection,
in the harmony of the Holy Spirit -
From you . . . -
We ask for the pardon of sins and for those things which
help our life and appease your Godhead -
From you . . . -
We ask for the mercies of the Lord and his compassion
continually
at every season -
From you . . . -
Let us commit our souls and one another to the Father,
Son,
and Holy Spirit. And they respond:
To you, O Lord our God.
And while it is said, the
priest
goes to take up the Mysteries to the altar.
- While taking up the gifts to the altar, the priest takes the
paten
and a deacon the chalice, and they say the Anthem: I
waited confidently for the Lord. -
The poor shall eat and be satisfied. The body of Christ
and
his precious blood are on the holy altar. In awe and love let us all
draw
near to him. And with the angels let us cry aloud unto him, Holy, holy,
holy Lord God. Repeat two times.
Then the priest takes the
chalice
in his right hand, and the paten in his left hand, while crossing his
hands.
And a deacon says:
Let us pray. Peace be with us.
Then the priest says:
Let us lift up praise to your glorious Trinity always and for ever. May
Christ, who was sacrificed for our salvation, and who commanded us to
make
a remembrance of his death, burial, and resurrection, accept this
sacrifice
from our hands in his grace and mercies for ever. Amen. (Another
which they say in the Fast when they place the Mysteries upon the altar:
May the Holy Mysteries, which were perfected for our salvation, be for
the pardon of the debts of the people who receive them through the grace
and mercies of Christ for ever.)
Then he strikes the paten on
the chalice three times, and each time he says: By your
command,
our Lord and our God.
- Repeat. - These
glorious,
holy, life-giving, and divine Mysteries are placed and arranged
upon the absolving altar until the coming of our Lord the second time
from
heaven, to whom be glory always and for ever, amen.
Then he arranges the
Mysteries
upon the altar and covers the Mysteries with a veil carefully.
- And they say: Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Upon the holy
altar
let there be a Memorial of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ. From
everlasting to everlasting. O apostles of the Son and friends of
the Only-begotten, pray that there may be tranquillity in the creation.
Let all the people say, amen and amen. Your
Memorial, O our father, is upon the holy altar with the just who were
celebrated
and the martyrs who were crowned.
- Behold, all the departed have gone to rest in your hope,
that at the glorious resurrection you might raise them in glory.
-
And they go out to the nave,
and the priest gives the deacons the cross and Gospel. And he says:
May Christ our Lord make you worthy to meet him with confidence. Amen.
-
And when the Karozutha is
finished,
the priest says: O Lord God of hosts, we supplicate and ask
of you, fulfill with us your grace and pour forth through us your gift,
and may the mercies and compassion of your Godhead be for the pardon of
the debts of your people, and for the forgiveness of the sins of all the
sheep of your pasture, whom you have chosen for yourself in your grace
and mercies, O Good One and Friend of men, Lord of all, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit for ever.
Then the deacons say in a
loud
voice: Bow down your heads for the laying-on of hands and
receive
a blessing. And the people bow down their heads
with the deacons.
And the priest recites this
laying-on
of hands in his heart, softly, while inclining: O Lord God of
hosts repeat, yours is the holy
catholic
church, for through the great suffering of your Christ the flock of your
pasture was purchased, and through the grace of the Holy Spirit, who is
consubstantial with your glorious Godhead, the degrees of ordination to
the true priesthood are given. In your mercifulness, my Lord, you have
deemed the vileness of our feeble nature worthy to be made designated
members
in the great body of the holy catholic church, to administer spiritual
assistance to the souls of the faithful. Therefore, O my Lord, fulfill
with us your grace, and pour forth your gift through us, and may the
mercies
and compassion of your Godhead be upon us and upon this people whom you
have chosen for yourself. And he straightens
himself
out, lifts up his voice, and says: O my Lord, grant us in
your
compassion that we may all together equally, all the days of our lives,
please your Godhead with good works of righteousness which satisfy and
propitiate the glorious will of your Lordship. May we be worthy, with
the
aid of your grace, to lift up to you praise, honor, confession, and
worship
at every hour, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever. -
Then the deacons enter the
altar
and say: Let him who has not received Baptism depart. Let him
who has not accepted the sign of life depart. Let him who does not
receive
it depart. Go, hearers, and watch the doors!
-
Then they
bind up the veil, and the priest begins the appropriate Anthem of the
Mysteries,
and those in the altar repeat it. -
And the priest bows toward the four sides of the Bema: first he
bows to the east two times, and then to the right, and then to the east
once. And he rises, and then bows to the east two times, and then to the
left once, to the east once, and behind him once. Then they open the
curtains
of the altar and the deacons go out to meet the priest. Then the priest
sings the Doxology in the Anthem of the Mysteries, descends, and departs
from all the people. - And
when
he comes to the deacons they bow to him together, and the deacons say:
Bless, O my Lord. Let us pray. Peace be with us.
- And he says to them: May God the Lord of all be
satisfied with your ministry, and may he adorn you with all graces. May
he enrich you with every endowment of his gifts for ever. Amen.
-
Then he ascends the step of
the
porch, and when he comes to the door of the chancel, which is the altar,
he bows, and the deacons all say together: Let us pray. Peace
be with us. And he rises and stretches out his
hands and says: Our hearts being sprinkled and cleansed of an
evil conscience, may we be deemed worthy to enter the holy of holies,
high
and exalted. May we purely, worthily, and in holiness stand before your
holy altar and offer to you spiritual and reasonable sacrifices in true
faith. And he continues: You are
just,
O Good One who does not keep anger for ever, nor for ever retain your
wrath.
Turn your face from my sins and blot out all my offenses in the great
abundance
of your mercifulness, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for
ever.
But if he lacks opportunity, he says:
May our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all in his grace and mercies for
ever.
Amen.
The priest goes up to the
door
of the altar, and he bows, rises, and stretches out his hands upward,
saying
with all his voice: We believe in one God, the Father
almighty,
Maker of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord, Jesus
Christ,
the Son of God, the Only-begotten, the First-born of all creatures, who
was begotten of his Father before all worlds and not made, true God of
true God, consubstantial with his Father, by whom the worlds were
fashioned
and everything was made, who for us men and for our salvation descended
from heaven and became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and became man; he
was conceived and born of the Virgin Mary; he suffered and was crucified
in the days of Pontius Pilate, and was buried and rose on the third day,
as it is written, and ascended to heaven and sat down at the right hand
of his Father; and he is going to come in order to judge the dead and
the
living; and in one Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from
the Father, the life-giving Spirit; and in one holy, apostolic, and
catholic
church; and we confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and the
resurrection of our bodies, and life for ever and ever. Amen -
And they go in quickly and
bow
three times. (And at his entrance the priest places his hands upon the
heads of all the deacons on one side, then on the other side, resting it
upon their heads. - If he is
a bishop, or metropolitan, or catholicos, he remains on the raised
space,
his face looking to the west, until they finish the Creed.) And bowing
before the altar, the priest says: May God, the Lord of all,
be with us, all in all, in his grace and mercies for ever. Amen.
Here the priest washes his
hands,
and they complete the signings of the altar until they are done. And
when
a deacon begins to proclaim the Karozutha, then the priest stands in the
middle of the altar and turns his head a little toward the deacons on
the
right and on the left, and says: Bless, O my Lord. Pray for
me, my brothers. And they answer him in this
way:
May Christ hear your prayers, receive your supplications, and accept
your
oblation in the goodness of his compassion for ever. Amen.
The Karozutha:
Let
us pray. Peace be with us. Pray for the memorial of our fathers, the
catholicoi
and bishops, and all presbyters, deacons, young men, and virgins; all
those
who have departed and gone from this world in the true faith; all our
fathers
and brothers; all our sons and daughters; all faithful, Christ-loving
kings;
all prophets and apostles; and all martyrs and confessors, here and
everywhere,
that God may crown them at the resurrection from the dead, and give us
a good hope and portion with them, and an inheritance and life in the
kingdom
of heaven. -
And may this oblation be accepted with confidence. May it
be hallowed by the word of God and by the Holy Spirit, that it may be a
benefit to us, and salvation and life for ever and ever in the kingdom
of heaven through the grace of Christ.
Then the priest says to the
deacon
who assists: May God the Lord of all strengthen you to sing
his praises. And he turns his face to the altar
and offers three genuflections, while at each genuflection he draws
nearer
to it. And at the beginning of a genuflection he begins to supplicate in
this manner, speaking softly with his lips this prayer of Mar Bar Sauma:
Glory to you, O Finder of the lost. Glory to you, O
Gatherer
of the dispersed. Glory to you, who bring near the far off. Glory to
you,
who return the erring to the knowledge of the truth. Glory to you, my
Lord,
for you have called me, even feeble me, in your grace, and have brought
me near unto you in your compassion, and have established me as a
designated
member in the great body of your holy catholic church, to offer before
you this living, holy, and acceptable sacrifice, which is the memorial
of the passion, death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ,
- through whom you were well-pleased and reconciled to
forgive
the sins of all men.
Here I make known to your
love,
my lord, how the priest draws near before the altar: now then, when the
priest draws near, supplicating, he bows until he arrives at the altar.
Then he bows, rises, and kisses the middle. Then he bows, rises, and
kisses
its right horn. Then he bows, rises, and kisses its left horn. Then he
bows, rises, and kisses the middle, the right side, and the left side,
and looks toward those on the right side.
Bless, O my Lord. My brothers, pray for me that this
oblation
may be accepted from my hands. And they answer
him: May God the Lord of all strengthen you to fulfill his
will.
May he accept your oblation, and be well-pleased with your sacrifice
which
you offer for us, for yourself, and for the four regions of the world,
through the goodness of his compassion for ever. Amen.
-
Then he repeats,
Glory
to you, O Finder of the lost. Glory to you, O Gatherer of the dispersed.
Glory to you, who bring near the far off. Glory to you, who return the
erring to the knowledge of the truth. Glory to you, my Lord, for you
have
called me, even feeble me, in your grace, and have brought me near unto
you in your compassion, and have established me as a designated member
in the great body of your holy catholic church, to offer before you this
living, holy, and acceptable sacrifice, which is the memorial of the
passion,
death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
- through whom you were well-pleased and reconciled to
forgive
the sins of all men, while bowing and standing,
and kissing the middle, then bowing, standing, and kissing the right
side,
then bowing, standing, and kissing the left side. And he offers a
genuflection,
rises, and kisses the middle, the right side, and the left side, and
looks
toward those on the left side, he being on the right side. And he says:
Bless, O my Lord. Pray for me, my brothers and my beloved, that I may be
deemed worthy to offer before our Lord Christ this living and holy
sacrifice
for myself and for all the community of the holy church, through the
goodness
of his compassion for ever. Amen. -
Then he says, Glory
to
you, O Finder of the lost. Glory to you, O Gatherer of the dispersed.
Glory to you, who bring near the far off. Glory to you, who return the
erring to the knowledge of the truth. Glory to you, my Lord, for you
have
called me, even feeble me, in your grace, and have brought me near unto
you in your compassion, and have established me as a designated member
in the great body of your holy catholic church, to offer before you this
living, holy, and acceptable sacrifice, which is the memorial of the
passion,
death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
- through whom you were well-pleased and reconciled to
forgive
the sins of all men, while bowing according to
the previous order. And when the deacon says: And may the
oblation
be accepted with confdence . . . the priest
bows
before him and speaks (in this manner): This oblation is
offered
for all the living and the dead. May it be accepted from my sinfulness
before the fearful judgment-seat of your greatness, O our Lord, with
confidence.
Then the priest goes down
from
the raised place hastily. He turns his face to the deacon who assists,
bowing to him and speaking in this manner: May Christ confirm
your words and accept the fruit of your lips, and may he pardon the
debts
and sins of all who listen to you.
Then he turns his face
toward
the altar and offers a genuflection, and kneels until the end of the
karozutha.
Then, while kneeling, he recites softly in his heart, supplicatingly,
this
prayer:
Kushapa
Yea, our Lord and our God, repeat,
do not look upon the multitude of our sins, and do not let your Lordship
abhor the burden of our wickednesses, but in your ineffable grace accept
this sacrifice from our hands, and through it grant power and authority,
that it may be enabled to pardon our many sins, that when you are
revealed
at the end of times in the humanity which you took from us, we may find
grace and mercies before you, and may be deemed worthy to sing praise
with
the spiritual companies.
And when the karozutha is
ended
he stands and kisses the altar, and he recites a gehantha, though he
does
not stretch out his hands before the altar. And know that here it is not
right for him to stretch out his hands at all, for he has not received
confidence. But in the other gehanthas he may stretch out his hands, for
he then has received confidence, and at every gehantha he bows before
the
altar at its beginning and at its end. And he should stand away from the
altar about one cubit, his hands separated a like space. He should bow
his head as far as his knees, and at the end of each gehantha he should
kiss the middle of the altar. -
Then he offers
The Hallowing of the
Blessed
Apostles
Mar Addai and Mar Mari
Disciplers of the East
by which the hallowing is made
from
the Saturday of the Resurrection until Annunciation, on Feasts, and
Memorial
of Saints, and on Ordinary Days.
And the priest says:
Bless, O my Lord, bless, O my Lord, bless, O my Lord. My brothers, pray
for me. And they respond: May Christ
hear your prayers. May Christ accept your oblation. May Christ adorn
your
priesthood in the kingdom of heaven, and may he be well-pleased with
this
sacrifice which you offer for yourself, for us, and for utterly all the
world which looks for and awaits his grace and mercies for ever -
Gehantha
The priest recites this first gehantha of the
apostles
softly (in a voice heard by those in the chancel alone, and not secretly
in his heart, as some do ignorantly, nor in a high voice which is heard
by those in the nave, as some do in a disorderly fashion).
We give thanks, O my Lord, for the abundant riches of
your lovingkindnesses toward us, repeat,
for though we are sinners and unworthy, you have deemed us worthy to
administer
the Holy Mysteries of the body and blood of your Christ. We ask for help
from you for the strengthening of our souls,
- that with perfect love and true faith we may administer
your gift to us. Repeat the beginnings of
gehanthas
and their ends.
Qanona
And we will lift up to you praise, honor, confession,
and worship, now, always, and for ever and ever.
And he makes the sign of the
cross over himself, and the people respond: Amen.
If one who is a patriarch,
metropolitan,
or bishop is present, he does not offer up this qanona because of the
honor
of the high priest who is present—it is thus in the cathedral church as
well—but he recites it with the gehantha and raises his voice at "for
ever and ever". And when he says "now", he raises his hand
by its full length, straight up, above his forehead, his fingers
appearing
above his head, while the palm of his hand is toward the west, and he
brings
it down at "now" until it is a little below his breast, and at
the word "always" he brings it to his right shoulder, then his
left, his hand moving out a little beyond his shoulder. By this he makes
known that he associates the people in the blessing. And it is thus for
all first signings of the cross, and the last doxology, and the "in
our unity with one another" of Mar Nestorius. Then the priest continues:
Peace be with you. And the people respond:
And with you and with your spirit. And the
deacon
says: Give the peace, one to another, in the love of Christ.
And they give the peace to one another and say:
For all catholicoi, bishops, presbyters, and deacons, and every member
of a religious profession who has departed from the assembly of the
church,
and for the life and tranquillity of the world, and for the crown of the
year, that it may be blessed and fulfilled in your grace, and for every
child of the church who is worthy of the reception of this oblation
before
you, and for all your servants and handmaidens who stand before you at
this hour, for all of them and for all of us may this oblation be
accepted
for ever. Amen.
And they pass the peace and
read
the diptychs, which is the roll of the living and the dead.
And the deacon says the karozutha:
Let us all in purity and with sighs give thanks and
beseech
and supplicate the Lord. Stand aright and look upon those things which
are done in the fearful Mysteries being hallowed. The priest draws near
to pray, that by his mediation peace may be multiplied for you. Lower
your
eyes, and stretch out your mind to heaven.
At the same time the priest
draws
near before the altar, not delaying as some ignorantly do in various
places
until the deacon says "the priest draws near", and at that time
the priest approaches. - Neither
does
he repeat again the order of the genuflections, having already
completed
the prayer before the altar, but he makes one genuflection alone and
bows
before the altar, inclining and kneeling.
And the priest recites this
kushapa
of Mar Narsai softly:
Kushapa
O Lord God of hosts, repeat,
assist my weakness in your mercifulness, and through the assistance of
your grace make me worthy to offer before you this living and holy
sacrifice,
for the aid of the whole community, and for the praise of your glorious
Trinity, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever -
And as the deacon says:
Watchfully and earnestly beseech and supplicate at this hour. Let no one
venture to speak. Whoever prays, let him pray in his heart. In silence
and awe stand and pray. Peace be with us. The
priest at the same time rises and lifts the veil (discreetly) from the
Mysteries, and winds it round the chalice and paten, saying:
Since you have deemed me worthy of your body and blood, O my Lord, in
the
same way, by your grace make me worthy of confidence before you on the
day of judgment. Amen.
(While offering
incense:
With the myrrh and aloes of Nicodemus your holy body
was
anointed on the day of your burial, and with this incense we too, your
worshipers, sweeten your entombed body as with spices. Then let it be
blessed
by your grace, and let it be hallowed, and may it supply a mystery, and
bring pardon for our debts and sins. May it be as a sweet fragrance for
you, and for your Father, and for the Holy Spirit, now, always, and for
ever and ever.
Another: In the
worshipful
and glorious name of your glorious Trinity may this incense be blessed,
which we offer to your honor and for our absolution for ever. Amen.)
And the priest censes the
table
with the incense, saying: May the sweet incense delight you,
our Lord and our God, which we offer you before your holy altar within
your glorious temple. May it be for the gladness of your holy name, and
for the pardon of your servants and of your flock, O Father, Son, and
Holy
Spirit for ever -
And the priest says to the
deacon:
May Christ strengthen you to do his will continually. And
he continues (in an audible voice):
Qanona
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of
God
the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, now,
always, and for ever and ever. And he signs
over
the Mysteries, and they respond: Amen.
And he continues:
Let your minds be above. And
they respond: With you, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and
of Israel, O glorious King.
And he continues:
The oblation is offered to God, the Lord of all. And
they respond: It is meet and right.
And he lifts up his hands
above
at every qanona which does not have "now" in it. And the deacon
(who is on the bema) says: Peace be with us. And
the priest kneels and prays in his heart, and says this kushapa softly:
Kushapa
Lord, Lord, grant us boldness before you, that with
the
liberty which is from you we may fulfill this living and holy ministry,
our consciences cleansed of all wickedness and bitterness. Sow within us
love, tranquillity, and unity with one another and with all men. -
And he rises and kisses the
altar.
- Also it is necessary to know this, that at the beginning of
each
gehantha and at its end he makes a genuflection and kisses the altar.
And
the priest continues, his hands outstretched (from now on) in an orderly
fashion, and he says this gehantha. -
Gehantha
Worthy of praise from every mouth, repeat,
and confession from every tongue, and adoration and exaltation from
every
creature is the worshipful and glorious name of your glorious Trinity,
O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for you created the world in your grace
and its inhabitants in your mercifulness; you saved men in your
compassion,
and showed great grace unto mortals. Thousands upon thousands of those
on high bow down and worship your majesty, O my Lord, and ten thousand
times ten thousand holy angels and spiritual hosts, the ministers of
fire
and spirit, glorify your name,
- and with holy cherubim and spiritual seraphim offer
worship
to your Lordship, repeat,
Qanona
crying and singing praise without ceasing, calling,
one
to another, and saying, and they respond,
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts, for heaven and earth are full
of his praises, and of the nature of his being, and of the excellency of
his glorious splendor.
- Hosanna in the heights. Hosanna to the son of David.
Blessed
is he who came and comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the
heights.
And with each cry of "holy" the priest
makes a genuflection before the altar. And he kneels and says this
kushapa.
Kushapa
(Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts, for
heaven
and earth are full of his praises, and of the nature of his being, and
of the excellency of his glorious brightness, even as "heaven and
earth are filled by me" says the Lord.) You are holy, O God, the Father
of truth, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and earth is named. You are
holy, O eternal Son, by whose hand everything came to be. You are holy,
O Holy Spirit, being through whom all is hallowed.
- Woe is me! Woe is me! For I am amazed. For I am a man of
unclean lips, and I dwell among a people whose lips are unclean, and my
eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. How terrible is this place,
for today I have seen the Lord face to face, and this is nothing if not
the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
- And now let your grace be upon us, O Lord, repeat,
and cleanse our uncleanness, and hallow our lips, and, O my Lord, mingle
the voices of our feebleness with the hallowing of the seraphim and the
praises of the angels. Glory to your mercies, for you have associated
creatures
of dust with spiritual beings. And he rises and
says: Bless, O my Lord, bless, O my Lord, bless, O my Lord,
my brothers, pray for me. And he recites this
gehantha softly:
Gehantha
And with the heavenly hosts we give thanks to you, O
my
Lord, repeat, even we, your feeble,
unworthy, and miserable servants, for you have brought about great grace
in us which we cannot repay, for you clothed yourself with our humanity,
that you might make us alive by your Godhead. You have exalted our
humble
state, raised up our fallen condition, given new life to our mortality,
forgiven our debts, set right our sinfulness, enlightened our minds,
and,
our Lord and our God, you have condemned our enemies,
- and granted victory to the feebleness of our unworthy
nature
in the abundant mercies of your grace. Repeat.
Qanona
And for all your aids and graces towards us we will
lift
up to you praise, honor, confession, and worship, now, always, and for
ever and ever.
- And he signs over the Mysteries, and they respond:
Amen. And the deacon (who is on the bema) says:
Pray in your minds. Peace be with us. And the
priest adds this kushapa secretly while kneeling.
Kushapa
O Lord God of hosts, accept this oblation (from my
unworthy
hands) for all the holy catholic church, for all the just and righteous
fathers who were well-pleasing before you, for all the prophets and
apostles,
for all the martyrs and confessors, for all the mourning and distressed,
for all the needy and harassed, (for all priests, kings, and rulers,)
for
all the ill and afflicted, for all the departed who have died and gone
out from among us, for this people which looks for and awaits your
mercies,
- and for my unworthiness, misery, and poverty. Repeat.
Yea, our Lord and our God, according to your mercies and the abundance
of your kindness, deal with your people and with my misery, not
according
to my sins and offenses, but may we—I and these—be deemed worthy of the
pardon of debts and the forgiveness of sins through this holy body which
in true faith we receive through the grace which is from you. Amen.
- And he rises and says: Bless, O my Lord. Three
times.
Kushapa of the
Departed
When there is an
oblation
for the departed he reads this:
I worship your grace, O my Lord, and I confess your
mercifulness,
for though I am not worthy because of my sins, you have brought me near
to you in your compassion, and have established me a minister and
mediator
of these glorious and holy Mysteries, while I beseech you and supplicate
your Lordship that they may be for the tranquillity and peace of the
world,
for the preservation of your holy church, for the increase of the true
faith, for the exaltation of the righteous, for the pardon of sins, for
the acceptance of the penitent, (for the finding of the lost, for the
stability
of the members of the household,) for the return of those far away, for
the encouragement of the weak, for the relief of the harassed, for the
comforting of the afflicted, for the healing of the sick, for the supply
of the poor, and for a good memorial of the departed. Provide for all of
us, O my Lord, those things which are helpful and pleasing to your
Lordship.
-
Yea, O Lord God of hosts, repeat,
may this oblation be accepted in the heights above from the hands of
your
sinful and offending servant, as the oblation of Abel in the plain, of
Noah in the ark, of Abraham in the sacrifice of his son, of Elijah on
Mount
Horeb, of the widow in the treasury, and of the apostles in the upper
room,
along with the oblation of the just and righteous fathers who in
generation
after generation have offered their oblations.
- Yea, our Lord and our God, may this oblation be accepted for
all
the holy catholic church, that it might be established and preserved
unshaken,
for priests, kings, and rulers, that they might be confirmed in the
tranquillity
of the churches and in the peace of the regions, for the poor, needy,
and
harassed, for the mourning, distressed, and tormented, for all the
departed
who have separated and gone from among us, and for all those who stand
before your holy altar asking for prayer through my sinfulness. Answer
their requests, pardon their debts, and blot out their sins. And
surround,
O my Lord, this land and its inhabitants and this village (or
city) and those who dwell in it with a mighty bulwark, and
cause
to pass away from it in your grace hail, famine, pestilence, locust,
crawling
locust, and canker-worm. May the Destroyer have no authority among us,
nor the Enemy rejoice over us. And for so and so,
- and he names the cause or concern while kneeling before the
altar, and every cause of his own and of others he enters here before
God.
(Yea, our Lord and our God, according to your mercies
and the multitude of your kindnesses, deal with your people and with my
misery, not according to my sins, but may we—I and these—be deemed
worthy
of the pardon of debts and the forgiveness of sins through this holy
body
which we receive in true faith through the grace which is from you.
Amen.)
- And he rises and says: Bless, O my Lord, bless,
O my Lord, bless, O my Lord. My brothers, pray for me.
And he continues,
reciting
this gehantha softly:
Gehantha
O my Lord, in your many ineffable mercies, repeat,
make a good and acceptable memorial for all the just and righteous
fathers
who were well-pleasing before you through the commemoration of the body
and blood of your Christ which we offer you upon your pure and holy
altar,
as you taught us. Bring to pass your tranquillity and peace in us all
the
days of the world.
- Yea, our Lord and our God, bring to pass your
tranquillity
and peace in us all the days of the world, repeat,
that all the inhabitants of the earth may know you—that you alone are
God,
the Father of truth, and that you sent our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son
and your Beloved, and he, our Lord and our God, came and taught us in
his
life-giving gospel all the purity and holiness of the prophets and
apostles,
of the martyrs and confessors, of the bishops and teachers, of the
presbyters
and deacons, and of all the children of the holy catholic church
- who have been signed with the living seal of holy Baptism.
And when he says "who have
been signed" let him sign the throne from below upward and from the
right to the left while inclining.
- Here he stretches out upon his face and says: We
too,
my Lord, your feeble, unworthy, and miserable servants who are gathered
in your name and stand before you at this hour, and have received by
tradition
the example which is from you, while rejoicing, glorifying, exalting,
and
commemorating, perform this great, fearful, holy, life-giving, and
divine
Mystery of the passion, death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ.
And may there come, O
my
Lord,
your Holy Spirit, and may he rest upon this oblation
of
your servants. May he bless it and hallow it, and may it be for us, O my
Lord, for the pardon of debts, the forgiveness of sins, the great hope
of resurrection from the dead, and for new life in the kingdom of heaven
with all who have been well-pleasing before you. And for all this great
and marvelous dispensation towards us we will give thanks to you and
praise
you without ceasing in your church, which is saved by the precious blood
of your Christ
- with unclosed mouth and open face, repeat,
When he says "and may there come, O my Lord"
the priest rises and lifts up his hands above, and the deacon says:
In silence and awe stand and pray. Peace be with us.
Qanona
while lifting up praise, honor, confession, and
worship
to your living, holy, and life-giving name, now, always, and for ever
and
ever. And he signs over the Mysteries, and they
respond: Amen.
- And he offers a genuflection before the altar (though he
does
not bring his head to the earth, while employing the words "have mercy
upon me", the censer in his right hand. And he intercedes with priestly
supplications.) But he does not kneel.
And he continues:
O Christ, the peace of those above and the great
tranquillity
of those below, make your tranquillity and peace to dwell, O my Lord, in
the four regions of the world, and especially in your holy catholic
church.
Reconcile the priesthood with the kingdom, and bring wars to an end from
the ends of the earth. Scatter the divided nations which desire war,
that
we may inhabit a quiet and tranquil dwelling-place, in all chastity and
the fear of God.
He continues: I
give
thanks to you, my Father, Lord of heaven and earth, Father, Son, and
Holy
Spirit, for though I am a sinner and feeble, because of the abundance of
your mercy you have deemed me worthy by your grace to offer before you
these fearful, holy, life-giving, and divine Mysteries of the body and
blood of your Christ, that I may minister to your people, the sheep of
your pasture, the pardon of their debts, the forgiveness of their sins,
the salvation of their souls, the reconciliation of all the world, and
the tranquillity and peace of all the churches.
He continues:
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your
loving-kindness.
O Christ the King, have mercy upon me.
And according to the multitude of your mercies blot
out
my sins. O Christ the King, glory to your name.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. O
Christ the King, have mercy upon me.
And cleanse me from my sins. O
Christ
the King, glory to your name.
For I acknowledge my offenses. O
Christ the King, have mercy upon me.
And my sins are always before me. O
Christ the King, glory to your name.
I have sinned against you alone. O
Christ the King, have mercy upon me.
And I have committed my wickedness in your presence. O
Christ the King, glory to your name.
For you shall be justified by your word and
vindicated
by your judgments. O Christ the King, have mercy
upon me.
For I was conceived in wickedness, and in sins my
mother
conceived me. O Christ the King, glory to your
name.
You have delighted in the truth.
O Christ the King, have mercy upon me.
And have made known the hidden things of your wisdom.
O Christ the King, glory to your name.
Sprinkle me with hyssop and I shall be cleansed. O
Christ the King, have mercy upon me.
Wash me with it and I shall be whiter than snow. O
Christ the King, glory to your name.
Satisfy me with your delight and gladness. O
Christ the King, have mercy upon me.
And my prostrate bones shall rejoice. O
Christ the King, glory to your name.
Turn your face from my sins. O
Christ
the King, have mercy upon me.
And blot out all my offenses. O
Christ the King, glory to your name.
Create in me a pure heart, O God. O
Christ the King, have mercy upon me.
And renew your steadfast Spirit within me. O
Christ the King, glory to your name.
Do not cast me away from your presence. O
Christ the King, have mercy upon me.
And do not take your Holy Spirit from me. O
Christ the King, glory to your name.
Instead, restore to me your delight and your
salvation.
O Christ the King, have mercy upon me.
And let your glorious Spirit uphold me. O
Christ the King, glory to your name.
That I may teach the wicked your way. O
Christ the King, have mercy upon me.
And sinners may be turned toward you. O
Christ the King, glory to your name.
And then:
I have lifted up my eyes toward you, O you who dwell
in
the heavens.
As the eyes of servants are toward their masters,
And as the eyes of a handmaid are toward her
mistress,
So our eyes are toward you, O Lord our God,
Until you have mercy upon us. Have mercy upon us, O
Lord,
have mercy upon us.
I have washed my hands in purity,
And I have gone round your altar, O Lord.
(And he offers incense in
the
censer and says) the prayer of the incense. -
May our prayer and petition please you, our Lord and
our
God, and the fragrance of our pleasant censer be for your satisfaction,
as the censer of Aaron the priest within the tabernacle. Restore our
souls
with our bodies, and be reconciled to your creation because of your many
mercies, O Creator of pleasant roots and sweet spices, Lord of all,
Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.)
And he begins the
order
Of the Signation and
Fraction:
Sweeten, O our Lord and our God, the odor of our
uncleanness
and our stench with the pleasant aroma of the sweetness of your love,
and
by it cleanse us of the marks of sin. O good Shepherd who went out in
search
of us, found our lost condition, and took delight in our return, pardon
my debts and sins, both those which I am aware of and those which I do
not perceive, in your grace and mercies. Repeat
three times. -
And he says: Bless, O my Lord, bless, O my
Lord,
bless, O my Lord.
- The mercifulness of your grace has brought us near, O
our
Lord and our God, to these glorious, holy, life-giving, and divine
Mysteries,
though we are not worthy. Repeat three times.
(And the deacon answers him:
In truth, my Lord, we are not worthy. Pardon us, O my Lord, though we
are
not worthy because of our many sins.)
And at the end of each time
that
he says "have brought us near" he folds his hands upon his breast
in the form of a cross and kisses the middle of the altar, and the right
side, then the left. And he picks up the upper Bukhra, which is in the
middle of the paten, with both hands, though they do not touch, and
lifts
it up in the air as far as they can reach, and looks upward.
And he says:
Praise
to your holy name, O our Lord Jesus Christ, and worship to your Lordship
at all times for ever. Amen.
- For [this is] the living and life-giving bread which
descended
from heaven and gives life to utterly all the world, for those who eat
of it do not die and those who receive it are saved by it and by it are
pardoned and live for ever. Amen. And they
respond:
Amen. And he kisses the Bukhra in the sign of
the cross, though he does not bring it to his lips except in a
figurative
manner, and he turns it in a circle before his eyes, upward and
downward,
and from right to left. And he says: Glory to you, O my Lord.
Glory to you, O my Lord. Glory to you, O my Lord, on account of your
ineffable
gift to us for ever. Amen. And they respond:
Amen.
And he clasps the Bukhra
with
both hands and says: We draw near, O my Lord, in the true
faith
of your name toward these holy Mysteries, and we break in your
compassion
and sign in your mercifulness the body and blood of your Beloved, our
Lord
Jesus Christ, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit for ever.
- And they respond: Amen. And with the name of
the Trinity he breaks the Bukhra in his hands discreetly into two
halves.
(And it is right to know that these signings, according to the opinion
of Mar Eliya of Nisibis, keep us from introducing a "quaternity"
into our fraction.) Some sign the host here with their thumb at the
moment
of the fraction, but you must beware of this effrontery, for it is not
necessary to sign here, only to break in the name of the Trinity while
they are held in both hands. And he places the half in his left hand in
its place, not as it was previously positioned, but differently,
arranging
the broken piece to face the chalice. And with the half in his right
hand
he signs the blood in the chalice from east to west and from north to
south,
dipping a third of the half in his hand into the chalice, that is, a
third
of both portions. But he signs the chalice with the half which is from
the Bukhra, not with the upper side and its edge, as others are
accustomed
to doing, but with the broken place, looking at the top of the half as
it comes from east to west and saying: The precious blood is signed
with the life-giving body of our Lord Jesus Christ in the name of the
Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit for ever.
- That is, from east to west toward himself, "and of the
Holy Spirit" from north to south toward the paten. Thus he signs the
body on the paten in the same way with the half in his hand, saying:
The holy body is signed with the absolving blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit for
ever.
And they respond: Amen.
- And he grasps both halves with both hands and holds them
with
one another as though not broken. And his fingers and thumbs should be
bound round the halves like a circle. And he says: These
glorious,
holy, life-giving, and divine Mysteries are set apart, hallowed,
perfected,
fulfilled, united, commingled, joined, and sealed, one with another, in
the worshipful and glorious name of the glorious Trinity, the Father,
Son,
and Holy Spirit, that they may be to us, O my Lord, for the pardon of
debts
and the forgiveness of sins, for the great hope of the resurrection from
the dead, and for new life in the kingdom of heaven, to us and to the
holy
church of Christ our Lord, here and everywhere, now, always, and for
ever
and ever. - And
with
"now" he makes a break with his thumb in the place which
was dipped in the blood, and then places the halves on the paten, one
upon
the other, in the sign of the cross, the broken piece which was held in
his left hand below, facing the chalice, and the broken piece which was
held in his right hand above facing the west toward the priest, so that
the break in it faces the chalice, a type of the break in the right side
of our Lord. And he wipes his hands well, and signs himself on the
forehead
with his thumb with the sign of the cross, and then the deacons around
him. And he says: May Christ receive your ministry. May
Christ
make your face to shine. May Christ preserve your life. May Christ
nurture
your youth. And let him loose the veil which is
circling round the paten and chalice, and say: Glory to you,
O our Lord, for you have called me in your mercifulness. Glory to you,
O our Lord, for though I am not worthy, you have ordained me in your
grace
a minister and mediator of your gift and of your glorious, holy,
life-giving,
and divine Mysteries. In the goodness of your compassion make me worthy
of the pardon of debts and the forgiveness of sins; and for all the
abundant
provision toward my feebleness we will lift up to you glory, honor,
confession,
and worship, now, always, and for ever and ever. Then:
Glory to you, O God. Glory to you, O eternal Son. Glory to you, O Holy
Spirit, the Sanctifier of all for ever.
- And they respond: Amen. Then
he
bows before the altar, and rises and kisses its middle. And he cries
out like one giving good news and says:
Qanona:
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of
God
the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of us,
now,
always, and for ever and ever.
- And they respond: Amen. And
he
signs over himself, lifting up his hands a little above, and on one
side and the other, his fingers being somewhat visible, for this signing
is understood as being for the people, although the priest signs over
himself.
- And the deacon proclaims the karozutha: 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 consider his resurrection. For on our behalf the Only-begotten of
God
took from men a mortal body and a rational, sentient, and immortal soul,
and by his life-giving laws and holy commandments brought us from error
to the knowledge of the truth. And after all his dispensation for us,
the
First-fruits of our nature was tested by the cross, rose from the dead,
and ascended to heaven. And he committed to us his holy Mysteries, that
by them we might recall all his grace toward us. Let us, then, with
overflowing
love and a lowly will, receive the gift of eternal life, and with pure
prayer and manifold sorrow, partake of the Mysteries of the church in
the
hope of repentance, turning from our offenses and sorrowing for our
sins,
and asking for mercy and forgiveness from God, the Lord of all. And
the priest speaks softly in his heart, saying: You are
blessed,
O Lord God of our fathers, and exalted and glorious is your name for
ever,
for you have not acted toward us according to our sins, but in the
multitude
of your mercies you have delivered us from the dominion of darkness, and
have summoned us to the kingdom of your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus
Christ.
(Through him you have loosed and destroyed the dominion of death, and
have
given us eternal life which is indestructible. And now that you have
made
us worthy to stand before your pure and holy altar, and to offer to you
this living, holy, and unbloody sacrifice, make us worthy in your
mercifulness
to receive this, your gift, in all purity and holiness. And may it not
be to us for judgment and vengeance, but for mercy and the forgiveness
of sins, for resurrection from the dead, and for eternal life. And may
we all serve your glory, and be made pure sanctuaries and holy temples
for your dwelling, that when we have been united to the body and blood
of your Christ we may appear with all your saints at his great and
glorious
manifestation, for to you, and to him, and to the Holy Spirit belong
glory,
honor, confession, and worship, now, always, and for ever and ever.)
While this is said the
priest
breaks the body, and then dips the gemorta for the children.
- And at the end of the karozutha the deacon continues:
We overlook the offenses of our fellow-servants. They
respond: Lord, pardon the sins and offenses of your servants.
Deacon: We purify our consciences
from
divisions and strife. They respond:
Lord, pardon the sins and offenses of your servants. Deacon:
Our souls being cleared of wrath and enmity. They
respond: Lord, pardon the sins and offenses of your servants.
Deacon: Let us take the sacrament
and
be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. They respond:
Lord, pardon the sins and offenses of your servants. Deacon:
In unity and with a mingling of our minds let us receive in mutual
agreement
the communion of the Mysteries. They respond:
Lord, pardon the sins and offenses of your servants. Deacon:
That they may be to us, O my Lord, for the resurrection of our bodies
and
for the salvation of our souls. They respond:
And for eternal and unending life. -
And when the karozutha is
ended
the deacon says: Let us pray. Peace be with us.
The priest recites softly,
in
his heart: Pardon in your compassion, O my Lord, the sins and
offenses of your servants, and hallow our lips in your loving-kindness,
that they may yield the fruits of glory to your exalted Godhead with all
your saints in your kingdom.
And if there are chalices
which
are not consecrated, he here signs them and straightens himself up from
the gehantha, lifting up his voice and saying: And make us
worthy,
our Lord, and our God, to stand before you continually without spot,
with
a pure heart and with confidence; and with the liberty which is from
you,
through the mercies given to us, that we may all equally cry out and say
in this manner: And they respond:
Our
Father in heaven, may your name be hallowed. May your kingdom come. May
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us our necessary
bread
today, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not
lead
us to the test, but deliver us from the Evil One. For yours is the
kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever, amen.
Qanona
On Feasts of the Lord, instead of "make
us worthy", this is said:
Make your tranquillity to dwell among us and your
peace
within our hearts. May our tongue proclaim your truth and may your cross
be the guardian of our souls, while we make our mouths into new harps
and
speak with fiery lips. Make us worthy, my Lord, with the liberty which
is from you, to pray before you this pure and holy prayer, which your
life-giving
mouth taught your true disciples, the sons of your Mysteries: Whenever
you pray, pray in this manner, giving thanks and saying, and
they respond: Our Father in heaven, may your name be
hallowed.
May your kingdom come. May your will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven.
Give us our necessary bread today, and forgive us our debts as we
forgive
our debtors. And do not lead us to the test, but deliver us from the
Evil
One. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever
and
ever, amen.
And the priest
recites
this prayer softly:
O Lord God of hosts, our good God and our merciful
Father,
we beseech you and supplicate the abundance of your mercy, do not, my
Lord,
bring us to the test, but deliver us from the Evil One and his hosts,
for
yours is the kingdom, power, might, strength, and dominion, in heaven
and
on earth, now, always, and for ever and ever. Amen. Or
this, sometimes said in an audible voice, in a labored manner:
- Yea our Lord and our God, we beseech you and supplicate
the mercifulness of your grace, do not, my Lord, do not, my Lord, lead
us to the test, but save and deliver us from the Evil One and his hosts,
for yours is the kingdom, power, might, strength, and dominion, in
heaven
and on earth, now, always, and he signs over
himself
and lifts up his voice, and for ever and ever.
- And they respond: Amen. And
the
priest says: Peace be with you. And
the people answer: And with you and with your spirit. And
he continues: The Holy Thing is perfectly meet for the holy.
And the people answer: One holy
Father,
one holy Son, one holy Spirit. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.
(On Feasts of the Lord they
say
here the Qanona "You Are Terrible" [see after the hallowing of
Mar Nestorius] while they draw back the curtains of the altar and the
choirs
in the chancel are set in array. And those within begin softly and say:
You are terrible, O God Most High, from your holy place for ever and
ever.
Blessed is the honor of the Lord from his place. And
they repeat it with a loud voice, and the people in the nave answer the
same. - The verses are said
in the chancel. - And when
they
have finished they open the curtains.)
And the deacon who leads the
litany comes to the priest and says: Let us pray. Peace be
with
us. And the priest takes the hand of the deacon
and places it upon the chalice and says to him: May the grace
of the Holy Spirit be with you and with us and with the partakers hereof
in the kingdom of heaven for ever. Amen. And
the
deacon replies: With you and with us and with the partakers
hereof in the kingdom of heaven.
And the deacon says:
Give praise to the living God. (And the people
answer: Praise be to him in his church, and may his mercies
and compassion be upon us at all times and seasons.) And
they say "of the Bema" for the day. -
The Anthem for Days
of
the Mysteries
Blessed is your body and blood, O our Lord, for you
have
granted pardon to the nations, and through it you have sanctified our
nature
that we may sing glory to your Lordship.
And the deacon who reads the
Apostle comes near before the priest and says: Bless, O my
Lord.
Let us pray. Peace be with us. And he puts upon
him the humeral veil and places the paten upon his arms, saying:
May divine grace be with you and with us and with the partakers hereof
for ever.
Then the deacon who says the
"Peace" draws near and says: Let us pray. Peace be
with us. And the priest takes the chalice and
gives to him, saying: May the grace of the Holy Spirit be
with
you and with us for ever.
And when the anthem is
ended,
the deacon who bears the chalice cries out and says: Bless,
O my Lord. Then the priest shall bless the
people
in the nave. (With the word "gift" he shall leave the deacon
who bears the paten upon the raised place of the altar and come to the
door of the chancel.) And he says in an audible voice: The
gift
of grace of our Life-giver, our Lord Jesus Christ, be perfected in all
of us through his mercies. And he makes the
sign
of the cross over the people (at the door of the chancel), and the
people
answer: For ever and ever. Amen. Then
he
shall turn, bow, and go out with him, and he shall distribute the
sacrament
to the people. And they say the verses of the anthem.
- Of the mysteries: My brothers, receive the body of
the Son, says the church, and drink his cup in faith in the kingdom.
And when the priest gives
the
body he says: The body of our Lord to the chaste priest or
to the deacon of God, or to the honorable believer for the
pardon
of debts.
And the deacon says
concerning
the chalice: The precious blood for the pardon of debts, a
spiritual
feast unto eternal life, to the chaste priest or
deacon
of God, and everyone according to his rank.
Teshbokhta of thanksgiving
on
Sundays, which was composed by Mar Aprim:
O our Lord Jesus, worshipful king, who conquered the
tyrant,
death, by your suffering. -
O Son of God who promised us new life in the kingdom
on
high. -
Remove from us all harm, and make tranquillity and
mercies
to dwell in our land. -
That on the day of your appearing we may live before
you,
and go out to meet you according to your will. -
With hosannas we will give thanks to your name for
your
grace toward our race. -
For your mercies have multiplied toward our humanity,
and your love has shone forth upon our mortality. -
You have blotted out our debts with your pardon.
Glory
to your name for your gift. -
Blessed is your honor from within your place, you who
forgive debts because of your mercies. -
Make us worthy by your grace to confess and worship
your
Godhead. -
And to your Lordship at all seasons we will lift up
glory,
amen and amen. -
And on Feasts of the
Lord (composed by Yazdin the Great)
Strengthen, O our Lord, the hands which reach out and
take the sacrament for the pardon of debts. -
Make them worthy every day to yield fruit to your
Godhead.
-
Make worthy the mouths which have given praise
worthy,
that they may sing glory within the sanctuary. -
May the ears which have heard the sound of your
praises
never hear, O my Lord, the sound of disquiet. -
May the eyes which have seen your great compassion, O
my Lord, see again your blessed hope. -
Make the tongues which have cried out "holy"
to speak the truth. -
Lead the feet which have walked within the churches
into
the land of light. -
Renew the bodies which have eaten your living body
with
new life. -
Increase all assistance to our assembly which
worships
your Godhead. -
May your great love remain with us, and by it may we
excel
in rendering glory. -
Open the door to all our petitions, and may our
service
also enter in before you. -
And they continue as above:
Remove from us all harm, and make tranquillity and
mercies
to dwell in our land. -
That on the day of your appearing we may live before
you,
and go out to meet you according to your will. -
With hosannas we will give thanks to your name for
your
grace toward our race. -
For your mercies have multiplied toward our humanity,
and your love has shone forth upon our mortality. -
You have blotted out our debts with your pardon.
Glory
to your name for your gift. -
Blessed is your honor from within your place, you who
forgive debts because of your mercies. -
Make us worthy by your grace to confess and worship
your
Godhead. -
And to your Lordship at all seasons we will lift up
glory,
amen and amen. -
And on Memorials of
the
Departed and Ordinary Days
(By Mar Timatheos
the
Catholicos)
May the Mysteries which we have received in faith be
for
us, O my Lord, for the pardon of debts. -
You are the likeness of a servant and of the Maker, O
Christ, the King of the ages. -
By your body and blood you have pardoned and forgiven
the faults and debts of all who have believed in you. -
Make us all worthy at your appearance to go out to
meet
you with confidence. -
And with the ranks of heavenly beings to lift up
glory,
amen and amen. -
And when the people have
received
the sacrament, the priest returns the paten of the Mysteries to its
place.
And when the priest goes in the deacon proclaims: Let us all,
therefore, who through the gift of grace of the Holy Spirit have drawn
near, and have been deemed worthy, and have participated in the
reception
of these glorious, holy, life-giving, and divine Mysteries, together
confess
and glorify God their Giver. And they respond:
Glory to him for his ineffable gift.
And the deacon says:
Let us pray. Peace be with us. And the priest
prays in a loud voice: It is meet, O my Lord, every day, and
right at all times, and worthy at every hour, to confess, worship, and
glorify the fearful name of your greatness, for you, O my Lord, through
your grace, have made worthy the weak nature of mortal men to hallow
your
name with spiritual beings, to participate in the Mysteries of your
gift,
to take delight in the sweetness of your words, and to lift up voices of
glory and thanksgiving to your exalted Godhead at every hour, O Lord of
all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever. And
they respond: Amen. Bless, O my Lord.
And he prays a second time:
May Christ, our God, our Lord, our King, our Savior, our Life-giver, and
the one who forgives our sins, who by his grace and mercies has deemed
us worthy to receive his precious, all-sanctifying body and blood, grant
us to please him in our thoughts, words, deeds, and affairs. And may
this
earnest which we have received and are receiving be to us, O my Lord,
for
the pardon of debts and the forgiveness of sins, for the great hope of
the resurrection from the dead, and for new life in the kingdom of
heaven
with all who have been well-pleasing before you in your grace and
mercies
for ever. Amen.
And with the word of the
priest
one of the deacons binds up the curtains, and while the priests are
completing
one another in the chancel they say this Psalm:
Glorify the Lord from the heavens. The
Son who gives us his body and blood.
Glorify him in the heights. The
Son who gives us his body and blood.
Glorify him, all his angels. The
Son who gives us his body and blood.
Glorify him, all his hosts. The
Son who gives us his body and blood.
Glorify him, sun and moon. The
Son
who gives us his body and blood.
Glorify him all stars and light. The
Son who gives us his body and blood.
Glorify him, O heaven of heavens. The
Son who gives us his body and blood.
Let the waters above the heavens glorify the name of
the
Lord. The Son who gives us his body and blood.
For he spoke and they came into being, and he
commanded
and they were created. The Son who gives us his
body
and blood.
And he establishes them for ever and ever. The
Son who gives us his body and blood.
And they continue
Glorify the Lord all you nations. For
his gift to us.
Glorify him all peoples. For
his
gift to us.
For his goodness is increased toward us. For
his gift to us.
Truly the Lord is for ever. For
his gift to us.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy
Spirit. The Son who gives us his body and blood.
From everlasting and for ever and ever. The
Son who gives us his body and blood.
Let all the people say amen and amen. The
Son who gives us his body and blood. [Three times]
And they continue:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be hallowed. May your kingdom come.
Holy, holy, you are holy, our Father in heaven,
for
heaven and earth are full of the grandeur of your glory. Angels and men
cry out to you, Holy, holy, you are holy. Our Father in heaven,
may your name be hallowed. May your kingdom come. May your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven. Give us our necessary bread today, and
forgive
us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us to the test,
but deliver us from the Evil One. For yours is the kingdom, and the
power,
and the glory, for ever and ever, amen. Glory be
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, from everlasting
to everlasting, amen and amen. Our Father in heaven, may your
name
be hallowed. May your kingdom come. Holy, holy,
you
are holy, our Father in heaven, for heaven and earth are full of the
grandeur
of your glory. Angels and men cry out to you, Holy, holy, you are holy.
But on ordinary days they
say:
O my Lord, glory and honor, repeat
confession and worship, and continual thanksgiving we are obliged to
lift
up to your glorious Trinity for the gift of the holy Mysteries which you
have given us in your compassion for the pardon of our debts, O Lord of
all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever. And
they respond: Amen, bless, O my Lord.
Another: Blessed
is
your worshipful honor from your exalted place, O Christ, you who forgive
our debts and sins and make our offenses to pass away through your
glorious,
holy, life-giving, and divine Mysteries, O Christ, the Hope of our
nature,
always and for ever. And they say:
Our Father in heaven . . .
The Sealing
For Sundays, Feasts,
and Memorials
The priest goes out and stands at the great door
of
the altar on the right side, and he blesses the people in an audible
voice,
saying:
He who blesses us with all spiritual blessings in
heaven
through Jesus Christ our Lord, and summons us to his kingdom, and calls
us and brings us near to his desirable blessings which do not pass away,
nor cease, nor depart—as he advised and promised in his life-giving
Gospel,
saying to the blessed company of his disciples, Amen, amen I say to you,
whoever eats my body and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him, and
I will raise him up at the last day, and he does not come to judgment
but
passes from death to eternal life—may the same bless our company and
guard
our standing. May he beautify our people who came and took delight in
the
power of his glorious, holy, life-giving, and divine Mysteries. By the
living sign of the cross of the Lord may you be sealed and preserved
from
all harm, hidden and open, now, always, and for ever and ever. And
they respond: Amen. And the people
are completed by the priest.
The sealing for ordinary days (within the
chancel):
May our Lord Jesus Christ, whom we have served, celebrated, and honored
in his glorious, holy, life-giving, and divine Mysteries, deem us worthy
of the seemly glory of his kingdom, of delight with his holy angels, of
confidence before him, and of standing at his right hand in the
Jerusalem
above through his grace and mercies, to whom be glory; and upon us and
all creation may the right hand of his goodness rest, now, always, and
for ever and ever.
Another for ordinary
days, for an oblation for the departed.
At the door of the
chancel.
To him who pardons our debts by his body and blots
out
our sins by his blood be praise in his church, and upon you, O people of
the Lord and sheep of his pasture, may he pour out his good things, and
shower your houses with his blessings and gifts. May our Lord and our
God
deliver you from the Evil One and his hosts by the prayer of Mar Augen
and his companions, and may you be sealed and preserved from all harm,
hidden and open, now, always, and for ever and ever.
Prayer when anyone receives
the
sacrament: Sanctify our bodies by your holy body. Pardon our
debts by your precious blood. Cleanse our consciences with the hyssop of
your compassion, O Christ, the Hope of our nature, Lord of all, Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
For the ordering of the
Mysteries:
Let not your living body, O my Lord, which we have eaten, or your
victorious
blood which we have drunk be to us, O my Lord, for judgment and
vengeance,
but for the pardon of debts and for the forgiveness of sins, for the
great
hope of the resurrection from the dead, for new life in the kingdom of
heaven, and for confidence before you with the just and righteous who
have
pleased you, O Christ, the Hope of our nature, Lord of all, Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit for ever.
Another: Since we
have taken your body openly, may your Spirit dwell in us in a hidden
manner,
and may we go out to meet you cheerfully and sing to you three-fold
glory
with the just who fulfill your will, O Christ, the Hope of our nature,
Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.
Another: Since we
have taken your body from the paten, and have drunk your blood from the
chalice, make us worthy, my Lord, to sing glory with the robber in
paradise,
along with the just who fulfill your will, Lord of all, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit for ever.
The Sealing
Since you have made us worthy, my Lord, to take
delight
in your holy body and blood, so make us worthy to take delight in your
kingdom, which will not pass away or perish, with all your saints, now,
always, and for ever and ever.
The Order of the
Mysteries
is ended,
with the Hallowing of
the
blessed Apostles,
Mar Addai and Mar Mari,
Disciplers of the East.
Amen.
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