The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
The Vesperal Beginning
(The Priest makes the sign of the Cross with the Gospel Book and exclaims:)
Priest: Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen.
(The Introductory Psalm 103 is read, describing the glory of creation.)
Reader: Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with honor and majesty... In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord. Bless the Lord, O my soul! The sun knows its going down. You make darkness, and it is night... O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all.
(The Great Litany:)
Deacon: In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For the peace of the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For this holy house and for those who enter it with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For our Archbishop (Name), for the honorable priesthood, the diaconate in Christ, for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For our country, for those in civil authority, and for our armed forces, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For this city, for every city and land, and for the faithful who live in them, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For seasonable weather, for abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For those who travel by land, sea, and air; for the sick, the suffering, the captives and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by Your grace.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Commemorating our most holy, pure, blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another, and our whole life unto Christ our God.
People: To You, O Lord.
(The Kathisma - Psalms of the Psalter - are read.)
(The "Lord, I have cried" Psalms are sung with Lenten stichera:)
People: Lord, I have cried unto You, hear me! Hear me, O Lord! Lord, I have cried unto You, hear me! Receive the voice of my prayer when I cry unto You. Hear me, O Lord!
Let my prayer arise in Your sight as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. Hear me, O Lord!
Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and a door of enclosure round about my lips.
Incline not my heart to evil words, to make excuses for sins.
(The Vesperal Entrance with the Censer:)
Deacon: Wisdom! Stand upright!
(The Hymn "Gladsome Light" is sung:)
People: O Gladsome Light of the holy glory of the Immortal Father, heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ! Now that we have come to the setting of the sun and behold the light of evening, we praise God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. For it is right at all times to worship You with voices of praise, O Son of God and Giver of Life. Therefore all the world glorifies You.
The Readings
Deacon: Wisdom!
Reader: The reading from Genesis.
Deacon: Let us be attentive!
(The first reading is read.)
(The Solemn Blessing: The Priest takes a lighted candle and the censer, and making the sign of the Cross toward the East and then the People, exclaims:)
Priest: The Light of Christ illumines all!
People: (Prostrate themselves in silence.)
Deacon: Wisdom!
Reader: The reading from Proverbs.
Deacon: Let us be attentive!
(The second reading is read.)
(The special Lenten hymn "Let my prayer arise" is sung with prostrations. The Priest stands before the Altar, censing:)
Priest: Let my prayer arise in Your sight as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
People: Let my prayer arise in Your sight as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
Priest: Lord, I have cried unto You, hear me! Receive the voice of my prayer when I cry unto You.
People: Let my prayer arise in Your sight as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
Priest: Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and a door of enclosure round about my lips.
People: Let my prayer arise in Your sight as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
Priest: Incline not my heart to evil words, to make excuses for sins.
People: Let my prayer arise in Your sight as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
Priest: Let my prayer arise in Your sight as incense...
People: ...and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
(The Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian with three prostrations:)
Priest: O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk. (Prostration)
But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Your servant. (Prostration)
Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother, for You are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen. (Prostration)
The Great Entrance
(During this Entrance, the Holy Gifts—already consecrated—are carried in total silence. The people prostrate themselves. The Priest and Deacon emerge from the North Door and enter the Altar through the Holy Doors.)
People (Hymn): Now the powers of heaven minister with us invisibly; for behold, the King of Glory enters. Behold, the mystical sacrifice, all accomplished, is upborne by angelic hosts.
(The Gifts are carried in.)
Let us draw near with faith and love, that we may become partakers of life everlasting. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Holy Communion
(The Litany of Supplication leads to the Lord's Prayer:)
Priest: And make us worthy, Master, with boldness and without condemnation, to dare call You, the heavenly God, Father, and to say:
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.
Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Priest: The Presanctified Holy Things are for the holy.
People: One is Holy, One is Lord: Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
(Communion Hymn:)
People: O taste and see how good the Lord is. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
(The Priest communicates and then the People.)
Priest: With fear of God, faith, and love, draw near.
People: I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Receive the Body of Christ; taste of the fountain of immortality.
People: Blessed be our God, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The Dismissal
Priest: Save, O God, Your people and bless Your inheritance.
People: We have seen the true Light; we have received the heavenly Spirit; we have found the true faith, worshipping the undivided Trinity, for the Trinity has saved us.
People: Let our mouths be filled with Your praise, O Lord, that we may sing of Your glory. For You have made us worthy to partake of Your holy, divine, immortal, and life-creating Mysteries. Keep us in Your holiness that all the day we may meditate upon Your righteousness. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
(The Prayer Behind the Ambo:)
Priest: O Almighty Master, Who have made all creation in wisdom, and by Your inexpressible providence and great goodness have brought us to these all-holy days for the purification of our souls and bodies, for the controlling of passions and for the hope of the Resurrection; Who after the forty days did deliver into the hands of Your servant Moses the Tables of the Law in characters divinely traced: enable us also, O Good One, to fight the good fight, to complete the course of the Fast, to keep the faith undivided, to shatter the heads of invisible serpents, and to be shown as victors over sin, and without condemnation to attain and worship Your holy Resurrection. For blessed and glorified is Your most honorable and majestic name, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen. Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth and for evermore. (3x)
Priest: May Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-pure and holy Mother; by the power of the precious and life-giving Cross; of the holy, glorious, and all-laudable Apostles; of the holy, glorious, and victorious Martyrs; of our holy and God-bearing Fathers; of our father among the saints, Gregory the Dialogist, Pope of Rome; of the holy and righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna; and of all the saints: have mercy on us and save us, for He is good and loves mankind.
People: Amen.