Sunday of the Faithful Departed

SUNDAY OF THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED
Ramsho
INTRODUCTION

DOXOLOGY
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as we begin and until we conclude.
May mercy and compassion be poured forth upon us
in this world and the next.
O Lord, our God, to you be glory for ever.
Amen.

OPENING PRAYER
Lord God,
help us to offer you praise, thanksgiving and prayer
in memory of the faithful departed who have gone to
you from this passing world.
May they enter your paradise of joy and be seated at
your banquet table.
Do not summon them to judgment , for who can appear
just in your sight,
you who are the good and just One.
We will join them in glorifying you,
now and for ever. Amen.

GREETING
Peace be with the Church and her children.

PRAISE OF THE ANGELS
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace on earth and good will to all.

Praise the Lord all you nations,
glorify him all you peoples,

for steadfast is his mercy toward us,
and the truth of the Lord endures for ever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever.
and peace on earth and good will to all.

PSALMODY
FIRST PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O God,
may the dead who rest in your hope enter into the
happiness of your saints.
With them may we rejoice eternally in your sight
and give you glory and honor,
now and for ever. Amen.

PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
O, my God,
you brighten the darkness about me.

Psalm 18: 17-32
He reached out from on high and grasped me;
he drew me out of the deep waters.

He rescued me from my mighty enemy
and from my foes, who were too powerful for me.

They attacked me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord came to my support.

He set me free in the open,
and rescued me, because he loves me.

The Lord rewarded me according to my justice;
according to the cleanness of hands he requited me;

For I kept the ways of the Lord
and was not disloyal to my God;

For his ordinances were all present to me,
and his statutes I put not from me,

But I was wholehearted toward him,
and I was on my guard against guilt.

And the Lord requited me according to my justice,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

Toward the faithful you are faithful,
toward the wholehearted you are wholehearted,

Toward the sincere you are sincere,
but toward the crooked you are astute;

For lowly people you save
but haughty eyes you bring low;

You indeed, O Lord, give light to my lamp;
O my God, you brighten the darkness about me;

For with you aid I run against an armed band,
and by the help of my God I leap over a wall.

God’s way is unerring,
the promise of the Lord is fire-tried;
he is a shield to all who take refuge in him

For who is God except the Lord?
Who is a rock, save our God?

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.

Antiphon:
O, my God,
you brighten the darkness about me.

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O God,
reclothe the faithful departed in wedding garments,
that they may go out to meet you at your second coming
when the angels will separate the just from sinners,
and you will come to judge mankind with justice.
May they stand at the right hand of you who are the resurrection,
and we will glorify and praise you,
now and for ever. Amen.

EVENING PSALMS
Psalm 141:1-4
O Lord, to you I call; hasten to me;
harken to my voice when I call upon you.

Let my prayer come like incense before you;
the lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice.

O Lord, set a watch before my mouth,
a guard at the door of my lips.

Let not my heart incline to the evil
of engaging in deeds of wickedness

With men who are evildoers;
and let me not partake of their dainties.

Psalm 142
With aloud voice I cry out to the Lord;
with a loud voice I beseech the Lord.

My complaint I pour out before him;
before him I lay bare my distress.

When my spirit is faint within me,
you know my path.

In the way along which I walk
they have hid a trap for me.

I look to the right to see,
but there is no one who pays me heed.

I have lost all means of escape;
there is no one who cares for my life.

I cry out to you, O Lord:
I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

Attend to my cry,
for I am brought low indeed.

Rescue me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me.

Lead me forth from prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.

The just shall gather around me
when you have been good to me.

Psalm 119: 105-112
A lamp to my feet is your word,
a light to my path.

I resolve and swear
to keep your just ordinances.

I am very much afflicted;
O Lord, give me life according to your word.

Accept, O Lord, the free homage of my mouth,
and teach me your decrees.

Though constantly I take my life in my hands,
yet I forget not your law.

The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but from your precepts I have not strayed.

Your decrees are my inheritance forever;
the joy of my heart they are.

I intend in my heart to fulfill you statutes
always to the letter.

Psalm 117
Praise the Lord, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!

For steadfast is his mercy toward us,
and the truth of the Lord endures for ever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.

Alleluia.

[HYMN]
ˇThe Hymn, “The Resurrection of Christ” (page 165) may
be sung following the Evening Psalms.

HOOSOYO
PROEMION
Praise, glory and honor to him who calls the dead to life
and makes those who sleep in death arise.
Judge the living, God of gods, Lord of lords, King of kings,
One in being in a Trinity of persons,
the Good One, to whom is due glory and honor this evening,
and all the days of our lives,
now and for ever.
Amen.

SEDRO
Christ our God,
on the last day you will come in glory to judge the living and the dead,
each person will stand before your throne
to hear judgment from your mouth and receive retribution from your hand.
Then the light of truth will shine,
the secrets of consciences will be revealed,
and men and women will be divided to your left and right.
The just will be in glory and joy and raise up songs of praise and glory.
The evil ones will be in confusion and, full of sadness,
they will burst into tears and sobbing with no one able to help them.
Lord Jesus Christ,
we ask you to allow those who rest in your peace,
who ate your body and drank your blood,
to meet you carrying their burning lamps and clothed in
wedding garments, that they may rest
in the heavenly dwelling place,  Jerusalem on high.
In your mercy, accept the alms, prayers, intercessions and
sacrifices which the Church offers you on their behalf.

Through the intercession of your Mother and saints,
deliver them from present suffering and let us, the living,
also claim a share of their joy which you promised
to your elect,
that all may praise you, now and for ever.
Amen.

QOLO
Lord, may your cross save those in your Church who have died,
that they may escape from darkness and be clothed in wedding garments.

May they go forth to meet you with the wise virgins
holding their lamps burning with the oil of good works and glorifying your
mercy for ever.

ETRO
Christ our God,
we offer you the perfume of our incense and prayers this evening,
in memory of the deceased who rest in the heart of your mercy.
Spare them torments and grant them dwelling places in your peace;
console those who have been affected by their loss and enfold
in your mercy all the living.
We will join them in glorifying you,
now and for ever.
Amen.

READINGS
MAZMOORO
Since my youth and up to now, my eyes have watched for you
and now I rest in your hope; make my soul rest with your saints.

May your cross enlighten me, because the shadows of death
encircle me; save me from torments and make me worthy
to enter your paradise.

Lord, may your deceased servants rest in your mercy,
that they may stand at your right hand with the just.

SYNAXARION
Today the Maronite Church commemorates all the faithful Christians who have departed this life in the faith.
This feast is the Syrian Church’s equivalent to the feast of All Souls in the Latin Church.
As we have just prayed in the Hoosoyo, we ask our Lord Jesus Christ to welcome all our deceased brothers and sisters, who have been nourished with his body and blood, into his kingdom of light. Not knowing the state of perfection they have achieved in their lives, we commend them to the mercy of God with hope and expectation.
It is a Christian obligation for us to help our brothers and sisters through our prayers and the offering of the Divine Mysteries for their salvation. For though they have not yet reached the joy of the righteous and the just, they are called to ultimately enter the kingdom of light and peace.
Our intercession can bring them nearer to the day of eternal happiness.
We should pray in a special way for those who have been near us, our relatives, friends and benefactors who have died. At the same time we should pray for the deceased members of our parish and for all the departed who have no one to pray for them.
We command the faithful departed to the Lord that by his cross he may lead them into the eternal wedding feast, and newly arrived in God’s kingdom may they intercede before him on our behalf.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
A Reading from the Book of Job
Job 7: 1-21
Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery? Are not his days those of a hireling? He is a slave who longs for the shade, a hireling who waits for his wages. So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been told off for If in bed I say, “When shall I arise?” then the night drags on; I am filled with restlessness until the dawn. My flesh is clothed with worms and scabs;
my skin cracks and festers; My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope. Remember that my life is like the wind; I shall not see happiness again. The eye that now sees me shall no more behold me; as you look at me, I shall be gone. As a cloud dissolves and vanishes, so he who goes down to the nether world shall come up no more. He shall not again return to his house; his place shall know him no more. My own utterance I will not restrain; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

Am I the sea, or a monster of the deep, that you place a watch over me? Why have you set me up as an object of attack; or why should I be a target for you? When I say, “My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint,” Then you affright me with dreams and with visions terrify me, So that I should prefer choking and death rather than my pains. I waste away: I cannot live forever; let me alone, for my days are but a breath. What is man, that you make much of him, or pay him any heed? You observe him with each new day and try him at every moment! How long will it be before you look away from me, and let me alone long enough to swallow my spittle? Though I have sinned, what can I do to you, O watcher of men? Why do you not pardon my offense, or take away my guilt? For soon I shall lie down in the dust; and should you seek me I shall then be gone.

A Reading from the Book of Revelation
Revelation 20: 11-15
Next I saw a large white throne and the one who was sitting on it. The earth and the sky fled from his presence and there was no place for them. I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, the book of life. The dead were judged according to their deeds, by what was written in the scrolls. The sea gave up its dead; then Death and Hades gave up their dead. All the dead were judged according to their deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire. This pool of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the pool of fire.

SUPPLICATION
O compassionate Lord, hear our prayers
and open your door to our requests.
Have mercy on our dead, our teachers,
and all who now sleep in the true faith.

They have asked us to pray for them in your Mysteries;
pardon the offenses which they have committed against your majesty.
From your book, erase their sins and faults and
may they attain the joy of paradise, the dwelling] of the just.

May those who have departed this life in the true faith,
who have partaken of your body and blood, the treasure of forgiveness,
stand at your right hand, O Good One.
May they be treated as your closest friends, Peter and John
the beloved.

When you judge the nations with justice,
do not treat us according to our faults.
And then we will celebrate the great glory of God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in a perfect love.

HOOTOMO
Let us thank, adore, and praise the holy and glorious Trinity:
Father, Son, ✛Holy Spirit.
Amen.

TRISAGION
Lord, have mercy
Lord, have mercy
Lord, have mercy

Holy are you, O God;
Holy are you, O Strong One;
Holy are you, O Immortal One;
have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, forgive us and have mercy on us.
Lord, hear us and have mercy on us.
Lord, accept our worship and our prayers.
Lord, come to our assistance and have mercy on us.

LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who are in heaven;
hallowed be your name;
your kingdom come;
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil,
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen.

O Lord, the night and the day are yours;
you uphold the light and the sun.
Through your power you direct the sequence of the seasons.
O Lord,
you have brought the day to its close and called forth the night;
be for us that great Day that never ends.
In the evening let your light shine in our hearts,
and in the darkness of the night enlighten us with the knowledge of your truth.
And so, through all the days of our lives,
we shall praise you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
To you be glory and may your mercy rest upon us,
now and for ever.
Amen.

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE
Let us thank God for all the graces he has bestowed on us
this day which has passed in calm and peace.

Let us recall our failings against the commandments of God
and the Church in thought, word, deed or omission

We ask for God’s pardon as we pray:
“Forgive us, Jesus!”

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Glory be to you, O Lord.
Glory be to you, O Lord.
Glory be to you, O Lord.

God,
Father in heaven,
by your living and holy name,
keep us from evil an lead us not into temptation;
for we call upon you, O Lord, our God, our constant hope,
glory to you for ever.

O Lord, our Lord,
may our humble worship be pleasing to you;
may our prayers come before you and our actions give
you honor.
Let you mercy, kindness, help, graces and divine love
be poured abundantly upon us poor sinners,
both in heaven and on the earth
which you have created in your goodness.
O Lord, our God, to you be glory for ever.
Amen.

DISMISSAL
Peace be with you.
And with your spirit
O God,
through the prayers of your Mother and the saints who have
believed in you;
through the prayers of the prophets, apostles, martyrs and
confessors;
through the prayers of the just, the priests, the holy fathers, pastors and teachers of the truth faith;
and through the prayers of N., Pope of Rome, N., our Patriarch, and N., our Bishop,
forgive your people and have mercy on your flock.
May God bless, forgive, sanctify, purify, and keep each of the faithful united with us in this spiritual office.
May mercy and compassion be upon us and all the faithful who
dwell here.
May peaceful rest be granted to those who have died in the faith.
May the faithful who live here experience the protection of
Christ’s victorious cross.
May we and all his servants, who adore him with bowed heads,
receive the mercy of the holy and glorious Trinity
Father, Son, ✛ Holy Spirit, to whom be glory now and for ever.
Amen.

May God forgive your sins,
pardon your failings,
and deliver you from the power of the enemy.
May he grant you the remission of your offenses.
Go in peace, and pray to Christ for me.