Ascension Thursday Morning

ASCENSION OF OUR LORD 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
Lord God,
on the morning of your ascension may we raise our thoughts and our hearts to you.
In reminding us that you are going to the Father to prepare a place for us with him according to your word,
you have promised not to let us remain orphans,
but to send us the Consoler.
We hope that you will come and take us
that we may be with you to praise you, with your Father, and your Holy Spirit, 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,
you left the Father and you came into the world,
then you left the world and returned to your Father;
in your person you brought all creation to him.
To him you returned power over all things
so that God might be all in all.
Grant that we may ascend to him with you and remain at his right hand;
then shall we praise you, with him, and your Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen.

PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are; O Lord.

Psalm 93
The Lord is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the Lord and girt about with strength;

And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.

Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O Lord.

The floods lift up, O Lord,
the floods lift up their voice;
the floods lift up their tumult.

More powerful than the roar of may waters,
more powerful than the breakers of the sea—
powerful on high is the Lord.

Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, for length of days.

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

Antiphon:
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are; O Lord.

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O Christ,
prepare a place for us in your heavenly kingdom,
so that our hearts may be where our treasure is.
Send us the Consoler to console us in this strange dwelling and let the Holy Spirit of truth lead us to complete truth.
Then we shall be consoled by the hope of your vision, live in the truth of your Holy Spirit,
and praise you in this strange dwelling and in the
heavenly kingdom,
now and 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,
send us your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth,
so that he may live in us and be in us.
May he bear witness to you in all hearts,
teach us all things and remind us of everything you
told us.
May he lead us to complete truth
so that through him and with him we may praise you,
in the unity of the Trinity, 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 descended into the depths of the earth
in order to raise us to the heights of heaven.
He clothed our corruptible bodies with incorruptibility and our mortal bodies with immortality.
To the Good One is due glory and honor this morning,
and all the day of our lives,
now and for ever. Amen.

SEDRO
O Christ,
you humiliated yourself and made yourself obedient even unto death on the cross,
that is why God raised you on high.
You completed the work he gave you

and he glorified you with the glory that you had with him before the beginning of the world.
You lived in the lowliness of the human body,
made yourself the companion of publicans and sinners, and yet God made you to sit at his right hand in glory.
Raise up to yourself the desire of our hearts;
by faith, steady our footsteps in your path;
through hope, remove the difficulties of life;
in your mercy, protect us from the false steps of sin; by your Holy Spirit, console us for the sadness of our exile.
Faced with crossroads, guide us on the right path;
in our perplexity, enlighten us with the light of
certainty,
so that we may be the children of light and work as long as it is day.
Thus, when this world’s sun sets,
the sun of your Day of glorious light shall shine upon us and we shall praise you, your Father, and your Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen.

QOLO
When they learned of your approaching departure, the hearts of the apostles were troubled, and they became saddened.

You said to them: “Because I told you that, sadness fills your hearts. Let your hearts cease to be troubled and afflicted! Yes believe in God, believe also in me.”

We believe, O Lord, that you came from God and that you are returning to him. Glory be to you!

ETRO
O Lord,
accept the incense and prayers we offer you on this morning of the feast of your ascension.
Grant that through them we may prepare ourselves to
receive the Holy Spirit, the Consoler you promised
to send us.
May we one day, occupy that place you are preparing for us close to your Father.
Then, meeting you in the heavenly dwelling,
we shall praise you, your Father, and your Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen.

READINGS
MAZMOORO
Glory to the One who ascended to the heavens in order to send us the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, the Consoler.

You rose on high and sent us the Holy Spirit of truth, the Consoler.

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

SCRIPTURE READINGS
A Reading from the Prophet Micah
Micah 2: 10-13
“Up! Be off, this is no place to rest”; For any trifle you exact a crippling pledge. If one, acting on impulse, should make the futile claim: “I pour you wine and strong drink as my prophecy,” then he would be the prophet of this people. I will gather you, O Jacob, each and every one, I will assemble all the remnant of Israel; I will group them like a flock in the fold, like a herd in the midst of its corral; they shall not be thrown into panic by men.
With a leader to break the path they shall burst open the gate and go out through it; Their king shall go through before them, and the LORD at their head.
A Reading from the First Letter of Peter
1 Peter 3: 15-22
But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.

For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit. In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water. This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

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 an 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.