THURSDAY OF MYSTERIES Ramsho (Wednesday Evening)

THURSDAY OF MYSTERIES 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
O God,
may we celebrate your Passover,
not with the leaven of evil,
but with that of justice.
Thus shall we be worthy to see your face
and be seated at your right hand,
where we shall praise and glorify you,
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 towards 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 Christ our Lord,
your Passover fills us with indescribable joy and suffering.
It is the image of your sufferings and your salvation, of your death and your resurrection.
It is the fulfillment of the Mystery of your love in the bread and the wine.
Purify us with your blood, O Paschal Lamb,
so that we may die to evil and live with you in justice.
We shall give your glory,
now and for ever. Amen.

PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;

Beside restful waters he leads me ;
he refreshes my soul.

He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side

With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.

You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;

You anoint my head with oil,
my cup overflows.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for years to come.

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

Antiphon:
You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.

HYMN
In the Mystery of the altar, my Lord is with me always; in the sublime Mystery, Jesus becomes food; in the sacrifice, the Son of God is man and God.

He gave them the sacrifice by saying a word which leaves no doubt:
“This is my body; take from my hands and eat.”
After the meal and thanksgiving, he said the same words about the wine:
“Drink, my people, for this is my blood.”

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O Paschal Lamb,
you are sacrificed each day on the altars of the Church and distributed as food for hungry souls,
grant that we may share in the fruit of your sacrifice and nourish ourselves with your body and blood.
We shall praise and glorify you in this world and the next, for ever. Amen.

EVENING PSALMS
Psalm 141: 1-4
O LORD, to you I call; hasten to me;
hearken 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 a loud 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 your statutes
always to the letter.

Psalm 117

Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!

For steadfast is his mercy towards 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.

[SOOGHITO/HYMN]
O Lord, we have battled in your arena to the point of exhaustion.
We have borne the day of combat and the heat of ordeal.
In the service of your covenant, we have kept watch
during the night, confident in the fulfillment of your promise, We have made use of our talents with no concern for the pain.
On the Day of reckoning, when all will be laid before your throne of judgment, in your kindness, do not forget
what we have endured.
We belong to the Church, to which you have entrusted the treasure of hope;
Do not shame us as lazy servants or strangers,
but open your door for us that we may enter into the
dwelling of your chosen ones.

HOOSOYO
PROEMION
Praise, glory and honor to the Paschal Lamb,
who is found in every Passover,
and who renews his sacrifice on the altar every day:
by his death he gives life to all.

To the Good One is due glory and honor this evening,
and all the days of our lives,
now and for ever. Amen.

SEDRO
O Christ,
Word of the eternal God,
One in being with the Father,
you became man to save us all.
You submitted yourself to the law and the Temple
to lead us to worship in spirit and in truth.
In your person you fulfilled the harsh law
to change it into a light yoke for us.
You received the baptism of penance to share with us
the baptism of justification.
You washed the feet of your disciples to teach us humility and love.
You observed the Passover of the lamb
in order to become our Passover and our Lamb.
We eat your body and drink you blood;
we are purified by your sacrifice,
we are saved by your death;
and we are reborn by your resurrection.
For this we thank you, praise you and glorify you.
Recalling that Passover, we ask you to bathe our souls with your Spirit.
Enlighten our hearts with the fire of your love,
that we may be worthy to enter into your paradise
where we shall share in your goodness and praise you, your Father, and your Holy Spirit,
for ever. Amen.

QOLO
Behold your Son who always forgives us,
he redeemed us in an awesome way.

He willingly became man and ,
from the heights of the cross,
he shed his pure blood.

ETRO
O Christ our God,
pure victim and awaited salvation,
with our incense (prayer) receive the praise we offer to you today in memory of your passion.
We do this as a pledge of the offering of our works
which we present to you throughout the day,
so that our lives may be sanctified
and our sins be erased by your sacrifice.
May we obtain your salvation
and sing your praise for ever. Amen.

READINGS
MAZMOORO
Today, Christ sends his disciples to prepare the
Passover for him in the upper room.
The lamb symbolizes him and the sacrifice is an image of his own.

“Take and eat, this is my body,
Take and drink, this is the cup of my blood for the
forgiveness of sins.”

May God, who accepted the prayers of our ancestors
receive our prayers and have mercy on us.

SYNAXARION
Today we commemorate the institution of the mystery of the Lord’s body and blood and his command of humble service as exemplified by his washing of his disciples’ feet.
Each year the people of Israel celebrated the great event of their passover from the bondage of slavery in Egypt to the freedom of the Promised Land. This feast of the Passover had many dimensions to it; its origins are recounted in the Book of Exodus.
In order to force the pharaoh to set the Israelites free, the Lord sent a series of plagues to the Egyptians. Finally, the Lord sent the angel of death to kill all the first-born of the Egyptians — children and animals. The Israelites, however, were told to sacrifice a lamb an mark their door posts with its blood, they were then to eat the lamb and be ready to depart from Egypt. The angel of death passed over the homes of the

Israelites and destroyed the first-born of the Egyptians. The Israelites were allowed by the Pharaoh to go into the desert in order to worship the Lord. The Israelite women did not have time to bake leavened bread before they left and so the unleavened dough which they carried into the desert baked in the sun. When they reached the Red Sea, Moses parted the water and the people of Israel crossed in safety. The pharaoh became angry and sent soldiers after the Israelites but at the command of Moses the waters returned to their place and the soldiers drowned.
Each year as the Jews celebrated the Passover, they sacrificed a lamb and ate unleavened bread in fulfillment of the command that they yearly celebrate the Passover.
On the night before he died, Jesus ate the Passover supper with his disciples. As he gave them the broken bread he told them that it was his body and when he gave them the cup of wine he proclaimed that it was his blood. Thus he established the new Passover and instituted the new covenant. And, as he commanded, the Church has continued to celebrate the mysteries of his body and blood and received them in faith.
Christ is the new Passover lamb who nourishes us with his body and blood. Thus the Church sings:
Holy are you, O Passover Lamb and the one who eats it.
Holy are you, who distributes your body and blood as food and drink . . .
Glory to you, O eternal Passover, now and for ever.
At that same meal Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and so taught them that they must be willing to serve others in humility.
Today our SAvior poured water into a basin.
He blessed it, tied a towel around his waist and
willingly began to wash his disciples feet.
Glory be to the most High; he came to earth
out of love for us. He humbled himself and endured
suffering for our salvation. He taught his Church
humility through this example.
May the body and blood of Christ, our Passover, nourish and strengthen us that we might serve God and each other in true humility and love.

SCRIPTURE READINGS
A Reading from the Book of Exodus
Exodus 12: 1-14
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall stand at the head of your calendar; you shall reckon it the first month of the year. Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth

of this month every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household. If a family is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join the nearest household in procuring one and shall share in the lamb in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it. The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take it from either the sheep or the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present, it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight. They shall take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb. That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. It shall not be eaten raw or boiled, but roasted whole, with its head and shanks and inner organs. None of it must be kept beyond the next morning; whatever is left over in the morning shall be burned up. “This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in flight. It is the Passover of the LORD. For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every first-born of the land, both man and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt — I, the LORD! But the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you. “This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution.
A Reading from the First Letter of John
1 John
4: 11-21
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.

God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
A Reading from the Gospel of John
John 13-15
Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end. The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Master, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.” Jesus said to him, “Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all.” For he knew who would betray him; for this reason, he said, “Not all of you are clean.” So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them,

“Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do. Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it. I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen. But so that the scripture might be fulfilled,
‘The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.’ From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified, “Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant. One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ side. So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant. He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him, “Master, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.” So he dipped the morsel and [took it and] handed it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. After he took the morsel, Satan entered him. So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him. Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or to give something to the poor. So he took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.

When he had left, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Jews, ‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Simon Peter said to him, “Master, where are you going?”
Jesus answered him] “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later.” Peter said to him, “Master, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times.”
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.

Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.

“Anyone who loves me
will be true to my word,

A man who does not live in me
Is like a withered, rejected branch,
Picked up to be thrown in the fire and burnt.

They will harry you
As they harried me.

SUPPLICATION
Blessed are you, O evening!
You are the fulfillment of the evening in Egypt.
During this evening, the Lord eats bitter herbs and
becomes the great Passover.
One Passover passes away,
another Passover remains for ever:
the symbol and the fulfillment.

Blessed are you, O upper room!
Here the Lord broke his body;
a common place becomes the highpoint of the
whole world.
Moses received a covenant on the mountain
which was fulfilled in this common place
and covers the entire earth.

In you is manifested the vision of Abraham
when he sacrificed the ram to the angels.
In you the seraphim trembled
because they saw the Son girded with a cloth,
wash the feet of his disciples in a basin.
No one can speak of the shame of the one who
betrayed him.

Our Lord washed the bodied of the brothers in a basin, a symbol of mutual understanding.
He makes us enter the water again so that we might be united to him.
Thus, we shall be in agreement and feel no hostility
toward others.

EPHREMIAT
He carries his cross as Isaac carried the wood
when he was led to the sacrifice on the mountaintop.
Isaac was saved by a ram and was freed.
Jesus saved mankind with a true sacrifice.

Mary said:
O my child, this is indeed your desire,
but for me it is a great misfortune.
Your pain destroys my strength and breaks my heart.
All of you along the way, is there a heart broken
like mine?
They seized my Son, who had consoled me in my loneliness.

My Child, your back bends beneath the weight of the cross.
My Child, you are covered with wounds and your blood flows.
Your head is cut with the thorns of the crown.
How can I face your humiliation?

They brought Simon to carry the cross.
His sacred body is nothing but a ruin,
his strength falters and he is near death.
He walks to the mountaintop,
without having committed any wrong.

HOOTOMO
Let us confess, adore, and praise the holy and glorious Trinity: Father, Son, + and Holy Spirit.

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, Holy Spirit.
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 an 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 and lead us not into temptation:
for we c all 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 your mercy, kindness, help, grace 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 also with you.

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, the pastors and doctors of true faith;

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, an 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 his victorious cross.
May we and all his servants who adore him with bowed head, receive the mercy of the holy and glorious Trinity:
Father, Son, + and 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.