Web Site Home - Theology Home - Hierarchy Home - Locations Home - Education Home - Stewardship Home - Links Home - Vendors Home - Alphabetical Index Home - Thesaurus Home - Sitemap Home - Arabic fonts Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information CenterHoly and Glorious Pascha - Preparation - Vespers of Clean Monday - the First Day of Great Lent - Forgiveness Vespers with Service of Forgiveness (Eve of 40th Day before the Transition Period)Print information only (Do not print the Table of Contents)
A short "Service of Forgiveness" is done during the "Forgiveness Vespers". These are the Vespers of Clean Monday on the evening of the Fourth Sunday of Triodion: Sunday of Cheesefare / Forgiveness Sunday. The reason for the "Forgiveness Vespers" with "Service of Forgiveness" is that we need to enter the holy season of Great Lent free from resentments and grudges, that is without holding anything against anyone. Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ has told us to do this: "So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother (or sister) has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother (or sister), and then come and offer your gift" (Mt. 5:23-24). Some parishes have moved the "Service of Forgiveness" to the end of the Divine Liturgy on the Fourth Sunday of Triodion: Sunday of Cheesefare / Forgiveness Sunday or following a lunch break after the Divine Liturgy. Forgiveness VespersThe Forgiveness Vespers text is from The Lenten Triodion published by the Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, MA), Roslindale, Massachusetts, United States. This book is available from Sophia Press, Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, Massachusetts, United States) We use the Sunday night Lenten Format. Often normal tones are used until the Great Prokimenon. After it, the doors are closed and lenten tones are used. Often the priest changes from bright to dark vestments at that point. At "O Lord, to You I call..." we sing 10 stichera: 4 penitential stichera in the Tone of the week (Tone 1), then three from the Triodion, and finally three stichera to the Saint of the day from the Menaion, with their Theotokion. Stichera of Repentance 10. How deep is the ocean of my transgressions, O God my Savior! I am sinking into the abyss of sin: stretch out Your hand to me as You did to Peter! Save me, O God, and have mercy on me!9. O Savior, I stand condemned by my wicked thoughts and deeds! Put into my heart the desire to repent, that I may cry out to You, O my God: "Save me in Your goodness, and have mercy on me!" 8. Another world awaits you, O my soul; and the Judge is going to make public your secret thoughts and your sinful deeds. Do not persist in evil, but hasten to cry aloud: "O my Judge and my God, have mercy on me and save me!" 7. O my Savior, do not turn away from Your servant, captive as I am to laziness and sin. Stir up my heart to repentance, instead; and make me a worker in Your vineyard, O Lord, granting me the wages of those who came at the eleventh hour and Your great mercy. Stichera from Triodion (Tone 1) 6. As we set out on the course of the Fast, let us hasten to tame our flesh through abstinence. With prayer and tears, let us seek the Lord our Savior. In order that He may forget our evil deeds, let us say to Him: "We have sinned against You, O Christ our King! Save us as You saved the people of Nineveh of old. In Your compassion, grant us a share in Your heavenly Kingdom!"5. When I think of my deeds, deserving every punishment, I despair of myself, O Lord. Behold, I have despised Your precious commandments and have wasted my life like the Prodigal. Therefore, I entreat You: cleanse me in the waters of repentance; and through prayer and fasting, make me shine with light, for You alone are merciful. Do not reject me, O Benefactor of all, whose goodness exceeds all measure. 4. Let us enter the season of the radiant Fast with joy, giving ourselves to the spiritual combat. Let us purify our spirint and cleanse our flesh. As we fast from food, let us abstain also from every passion. Rejoicing in the virtues of the Spirit, may we persevere with love, so as to be worthy to see the solemn Passion of Christ our God, and with great spiritual gladness to behold His holy Resurrection. Three stichera to the Saint of the day from the Menaion, with their Theotokion. Entrance with the censer. "O Joyful Light." Great Prokimenon (Tone 8). APOSTICHA 1. O Lord, the light of Your grace has risen and shines upon our souls. Behold, now is the acceptable time: the season of repentance is here. Let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, that we may pass through the Great Fast as through a great sea, and reach the goal of the third-day Resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord and the Savior of our souls! After the Apolysis, but before "Through the prayers...", the ceremony of forgiveness is held. During it, often the final hymns ofParaclisis are sung, as below. (Tone 2)
~ Gracious Virgin, victory will come to those who put their trust in the strength of your arm, for we sinners, who stoop under the weight of our sins, have none before God to plead For us but you. Service of ForgivenessThe Service of Forgiveness text is from Byzantine Melkite Euchologion published by the Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, MA), Roslindale, Massachusetts, United States. This book is available from Sophia Press, Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, Massachusetts, United States) The priest bows and says: Brethren respond: The brethren bow and say: The priest responds: The priest says: -For our Orthodox Christians of true faith. -For our public authorities, that they may be protected by God. -For our most reverend bishop N. and all our brethren in Christ. -For those who are away from us, our parents and our brethren. -For those who have mercy on us and those who serve us. -For those who hate us and those who love us. -For those who have asked us, unworthy as we are, to pray
for them. -For the release of captives. -For the travelers by sea, air and land. -For those afflicted with sickness. -Let us pray also for abundance of the fruits of the earth. -For all our parents and brethren departed from this life, for
those who rest in this place and in every other place. -Let us pray also for ourselves. -Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ,
our God, have mercy on us and save us. Pascha CycleClean Monday is within the Pascha Cycle. Great and Holy Monday is between Holy and Glorious Palm Sunday--Shaneeneh and Great and Holy Tuesday. How to determine when Clean Monday occursGreat Lent is Forty Days. More Information
Web Site Home - Theology Home - Hierarchy Home - Locations Home - Education Home - Stewardship Home - Links Home - Vendors Home - Alphabetical Index Home - Thesaurus Home - Sitemap Home - Arabic fonts Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center Martha Liles Web URL address: Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center or https://www.mliles.com/melkite/ E-mail: mliles@mliles.com or mliles@mliles.com Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is
an unofficial Melkite Greek Catholic Web site and has not been reviewed or
approved by any Melkite clergy person. Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is
dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles), Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck), and Donna (Donna Bertha Liles Campbell). Bucky fell asleep in
the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000, Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001, and Donna fell asleep in the Lord on March 9, 2020. This site copyright©2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020 Martha Liles. All rights reserved.
|