Great Saturday of the Light Morning

GREAT SATURDAY OF THE LIGHT Safro

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 Christ,
on this second day of your death and burial,
be for us, as Jonah was for the people of Nineveh,
a symbol of faith and repentance.
Receive our contrite hearts
which you have visited today with the announcement
of salvation.
Then, we shall glorify 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 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,
grant us faith through your salvific death,
hope through your glorious resurrection,
and love through your divine person.
Then one day we shall share in your resurrection,
just as we have shared today in the memory of your
entombment.
Praise and glory be to you, for ever. Amen.

PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
Though you have made me feel many bitter
afflictions, you will again revive me.

Psalm 71
In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.

In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.

Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.

O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the criminal and the violent.

For you are my hope, O Lord:
my trust, O God, from my youth.

On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength;
constant has been my hope in you.

A portent am I to many,
but you are my strong refuge!

My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
with your glory day by day.

Cast me not off in my old age;
as my strength fails, forsake me not,

For my enemies speak against me,
and they who keep watch against my
life take counsel together.

They say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue and seize him,
for there is no one to rescue him.”

O God, be not far from me;
my God, make haste to help me.

Let them be put to shame and consumed who attack my life; let them be wrapped in ignominy and disgrace who seek
to harm me.

But I will always hope
and praise you ever more and more.

My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation,
though I know not their extent.

I will treat of the mighty works of the Lord:
O God, I will tell of your singular justice.

O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds;

And now that I am old and gray,
O God, forsake me not

Till I proclaim your strength
to every generation that is to come.

Your power and your justice,
O God, reach to heaven.

You have done great things;
O God, who is like you?

Though your have made me feel many bitter afflictions, you will again revive me;
from the depths of the earth you will once more raise me.

Renew your benefits toward me,
and comfort me over and over.

So will I give you thanks with music on the lyre,
for your faithfulness, O my God!

I will sing your praises with the harp,
O Holy One of Israel!

My lips shall shout for you
as I sing your praises;

My soul also, which you have redeemed,
and my tongue day by day shall discourse on your justice.

How shamed and how disgraced
are those who sought to harm me!

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

Antiphon:
Though you have made me feel many bitter
afflictions, you will again revive me.

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O Lord,
you are the sacrifice which pleased God and redeemed us.
You nourished us, brought us salvation,
gave us the pledge of a glorious resurrection,
and promised us eternal life.
Grant that we may enjoy the fruits of your sacrifice
and bury the old man that the new man may live.
We shall praise and glorify you, for ever. Amen.

NUHRO (HYMN OF LIGHT)
The Light of the just and joy of the upright is Christ Jesus, our Lord, Begotten of the Father, he manifested himself to us.
He came to rescue us from darkness and to fill us with the radiance of his light.

Day is dawning upon us; the power of darkness is fading away.
From the true Light there arises for us the light which illumines our darkened eyes.

His glory shines upon the world and enlightens the very depths of the abyss.
Death is annihilated, night has vanished, and the gates of Sheol are broken.

Creatures lying in darkness from ancient times are clothed in light.
The dead arise from the dust and sing because they have a Savior.

He brings salvation and grants us life.
He ascends to his Father on high.
He will return in glorious splendor and shed his light on those gazing upon him.

Our King comes in majestic glory,
Let us light our lamps and go forth to meet him.
Let us find our joy in him, for he has found joy in us.
He will indeed rejoice us with his marvelous light.

Let us glorify the majesty of the Son and give thanks to the almighty Father, who,
in an outpouring of love, sent him to us, to fill us with hope and salvation.

When he manifests himself, the saints awaiting him in weariness and sorrow,
will go forth to meet him with lighted lamps.
The angels and guardians of heaven will rejoice in the glory of the just and upright people of the earth;
together, crowned with victory, they will sing hymns and psalms.
Stand up then and be ready!
Give thanks to our King and Savior, who will come in great glory to gladden us with his marvelous light in his kingdom.

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

THIRD PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O Christ,
grant that we may grow in faith,
in the mystery of your nature and your will,
that we may equally grow in an understanding of the
mystery of your sufferings,
your strength and your divine person.
Thus we shall live in spirit and in truth,
and glorify you,
now and for ever. Amen.

MORNING PSALMS
Psalm 148
Alleluia.

Praise the LORD from the heavens,
praise him in the heights;

Praise him, all you his angels,
praise him, all you his hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens.

Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for he commanded and they were created;

He established them forever and ever;
he gave them a duty which shall not pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth;
you sea monsters and all depths;

Fire and hail, snow and mist,
storm winds that fulfill his word;

You mountains and all you hills,
you fruit trees and all you cedars;

You wild beasts and all tame animals,
you creeping things and you winged fowl.

Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,

Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys,

Praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;

His majesty is above earth and heaven,
and he has lifted up the horn of his people.

Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,
from the children of Israel, the people close to him.

Alleluia.

Psalm 149: 1-6
Alleluia.

Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.

Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.

For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.

Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;

Let the high praises of God be in their throats.

Alleluia.

Psalm 150
Alleluia.

Praise the LORD in his sanctuary,
praise him in the firmament of his strength.

Praise him for his mighty deeds,
praise him for his sovereign majesty.

Praise him with the blast of the trumpet,
praise him with lyre and harp.

Praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipe.

Praise him with sounding cymbals,
praise him with clanging cymbals.

Let everything that has breath
praise the LORD!

Alleluia.

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.

HOOSOYO
PROEMION
Praise, glory and honor to the One who by his entombment buried the sinful man,
and by his resurrection produced the new man of grace, who lives according to the example of God
in justice and holiness of truth.

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

SEDRO
Who among us can describe the events which took place in Jerusalem during these days
and what happened to Jesus of Nazareth;
how the high priests and leaders delivered him to be
condemned to death and crucified him!
Who can understand the width and the length,
the height and the depth, of the love of Christ?
The love of Christ was revealed most clearly
when he died on the cross.
It is this love alone which can make us understand
what he endured in suffering and in death.
Without it, we could understand nothing.
Love is the key to his mystery,
he loved to the extremity of love, even to death;
he died for his friends.
We beseech you, O Christ,
on this second day of your entombment, as you await your resurrection,
to awaken this love in our hearts,
that we may know your love which surpasses all understanding.
May our new life be filled with the fullness of God.
As you visited the just in their dwellings
and enabled them to enter paradise,
grant rest to our dead,
that they may celebrate your heavenly
resurrection.
With them, we shall give glory to you, your Father,
and your Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen.

QOLO
On the Sabbath, the sacred day of rest,
Christ remains in his tomb, awaiting the third day.

This third day is Sunday,
the day of his glorious resurrection
when he became our resurrection and the First-born
of those who rest.

ETRO
O Christ,
accept our prayer and find rest on this Sabbath,
when your body is resting in a tomb
and when your soul descends to the realms of the dead to announce salvation to those who rest there.
Grant that we may enjoy eternal rest in your
heavenly paradise,
and glorify you, your Father and your Holy Spirit,
for ever. Amen.

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

On this day, Adam, the father of all,
prostrated himself before the Lord;
the fathers and prophets who were awaiting him, adored him.

May all the powers kneel at the name of Jesus, both in heaven and in hell.

SCRIPTURE READINGS
A Reading from the First Letter to the Thessalonians
Thessalonians
2: 9-20
You recall, brothers, our toil and drudgery. Working night and day in order not to burden any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers. As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children, exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you conduct yourselves as worthy of the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory. And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly, that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe.
For you, brothers, have become imitators of the churches of God that are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you suffer the same things from your compatriots as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and persecuted us; they do not please God, and are opposed to everyone, trying to prevent us from speaking to the Gentiles that they may be saved, thus constantly filling up the measure of their sins.
But the wrath of God has finally begun to come upon them. Brothers, when we were bereft of you for a short time, in person, not in heart, we were all the more eager in our great desire to see you in person. We decided to go to you — I, Paul, not only once but more than once — yet Satan thwarted us. For what is our hope or joy or crown to boast of in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming if not you yourselves? For you are our glory and joy.
A Reading from the Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 27: 62-66
The next day, the one following the day of preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember that this impostor while still alive said, ‘After three days I will be raised up.’ Give orders, then, that the grave be secured until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal him and say to the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’ This last imposture would be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “The guard is yours; go secure it as best you can.” So they went and secured the tomb by fixing a seal to the stone and setting the guard.

HOOTOMO
GREAT DOXOLOGY

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and joy filled hope to all.
We praise you, we adore you, we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord and Creator, King of heaven, God the Father almighty, Lord God, only Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son and Word of the Father,
you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sin of the world, hear us and receive our prayer.
You are seated in glory at the right hand of your Father, forgive us and have mercy on us;
For you alone are holy,
you alone are the Lord, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.

At all times, and all the days of our lives, we worship you and praise your holy and blessed name,
which is and has been from age to age.
Blessed are you, Lord almighty, God of our fathers.
May your name be glorified, praised and exalted for ever.
To you be glory, praise and exaltation, God of all,
Father of truth, with the only Son and the living and Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

CONCLUDING PRAYER
O God,
you are before all ages and exist from age to age;
you are resplendent and glorified in unsearchable light; through your word, you bring forth light and give us a new day.
O radiant Day and source of all light,
we glorify you, adore you and offer you praise night and day; accept our praise and answer our prayer.
Send us your abundant blessings, through the mercy of your Christ.
To him, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be glory, honor and power,
now and for ever. Amen.