INTROIT
Ps 24:6, 3, 22
Remember that Your compassion, O Lord, and Your kindness are from of old; let not our enemies exult over us; deliver us, O God of Israel, from all our tribulations.
Ps 24:1-2
To You I lift up my soul, O Lord; in You, O my God, I trust; let me not be put to shame.
Glory Be to the Father…
Remember that Your compassion, O Lord, and Your kindness are from of old; let not our enemies exult over us; deliver us, O God of Israel, from all our tribulations.
COLLECT
Mercifully hear our prayers, we beseech You, O Lord; and stretch forth the right hand of Your Majesty against all things hostile to us.
Through our Lord…
EPISTLE
Lesson from the book of Exodus
Ex. 24:12-18
In those days, the Lord said to Moses, Come up to Me on the mountain and, while you are there, I will give you the stone tablets on which I have written the law and the commandments that you may teach the children of Israel. So Moses set out with Josue, his aide, and went up to the mountain of God. The elders, however, had been told by him, Wait here for us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur are staying with you. If anyone has a complaint, let him refer the matter to them. After Moses had gone up, a cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled upon Mount Sinai. The cloud covered it for six days, and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the Lord was seen as a consuming fire on the mountaintop. But Moses passes into the midst of the cloud as he went up on the mountain; and there he stayed for forty days and forty nights.
Thanks be to God.
GRADUAL
Ps 24:17-18
Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of distress, O Lord.
℣. Put an end to my affliction and my suffering, and take away all my sins.
COLLECT
We beseech You, O Lord, look graciously upon the fervor of Your people, who mortify themselves in the flesh through abstinence: that they may be refreshed in spirit by the fruit of these good works.
Through our Lord…
EPISTLE
Lesson from the book of Kings
3 Kgs. 19:3-8
In those days, Elias came to Bersabee of Juda, and left his servant there, and he went forward one day’s journey into the desert. And when he was there, and sat under a juniper tree, he requested for his soul that he might die, and said, It is enough for me, Lord, take away my soul: for I am no better than my fathers. And he cast himself down, and slept in the shadow of the juniper tree: and behold an angel of the Lord touched him, and said to him, Arise and eat. He looked, and behold there was at his head a hearth cake, and a vessel of water: and he ate and drank, and fell asleep again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said to him, Arise, eat: for you have yet a great way to go. And he arose, and ate, and drank, and walked in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights, to the mount of God, Horeb.
GRADUAL
Ps 24:17-18, 1-4.
Bring me out of distress, O Lord; put an end to my affliction and my suffering, and take away all my sins.
℣. To You, I lift up my soul, O Lord. In You, O my God, I trust; let me not be put to shame, let not my enemies exult over me.
℣. No one who waits for You shall be put to shame; those shall be put to shame who heedlessly break faith.
GOSPEL
Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
Matt 12:38-50
At that time, certain of the Scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying: Master, we would see a sign from You. But He answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, and no sign shall be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For even as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Ninive will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. But when the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he roams through dry places in search of rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house which I left’; and when he has come to it, he finds the place unoccupied, swept and decorated. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So shall it be with this evil generation also. While He was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and His brethren were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. And someone said to Him, Behold, Your mother and Your brethren are standing outside, seeking You. But He answered and said to him who told Him, Who is My mother and who are My brethren? And stretching forth His hand toward His disciples, He said, Behold My mother and My brethren! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.
OFFERTORY
Ps 118:47-48
I will delight in Your commands, which I love exceedingly. And I will life up my hands to Your commands which I love.
SECRET
We offer You, O Lord, this sacrifice of atonement, that You would mercifully absolve our sins and direct our faltering hearts.
Through our Lord…
PREFACE
Lent
It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God; Who by this bodily fast, dost curb our vices, dost lift up our minds and bestow on us strength and rewards; through Christ our Lord. Through whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, the Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with these we entreat Thee that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted while we say with lowly praise:
COMMUNION
Ps 5:2-4
Attend to my sighing, heed my call for help, my King and my God! To You, I pray, O Lord.
POSTCOMMUNION
By receiving Your sacrament, O Lord, may we be cleansed of our secret sins and delivered from the snares of our enemies.
Through our Lord…
PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
Prayer over the people
Let us pray.
Bow your heads to God.
O Lord, we beseech You, shed light upon our minds by the brightness of Your glory, so that we may see what we must do and have strength to do what is right.
Through our Lord…