Wednesday Evening The Ascension

ASCENSION OF OUR LORD 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,
grant that we may fittingly celebrate the feast of your ascension
with pure hands raised to you in supplication,
chaste souls filled with grace and with hearts enflamed with love.
May we direct our desires to the spot where you arose, and glorify you with the angelic hosts,
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,
you descended to the depths of the earth and rose to the heights of heaven,
being in each state fully God and yet perfect man.
Nothing can surpass your exaltation and nothing can attain your humiliation;
may you be glorified in your humiliation and in your exaltation, now and for ever. Amen.

PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
You have ascended on high, taken captives,
receive men as gifts.

Psalm 68: 19-36
You have ascended on high, taken captives,
received men as gifts—
even rebels; the Lord God enters his dwelling.

Blessed day by day be the Lord,
who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation.

God is a saving God for us;
the Lord, my Lord, controls the passageways of death.

Surely God crushes the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crowns of those who stalk about in their guilt.

The Lord said: “I will fetch them back from Bashan;
I will fetch them back from the depths of the sea,

So that you will bathe your feet in blood;
the tongues of your dogs will have their share of
your enemies.”

They view your progress, O God,
the progress of my God, my King, into the sanctuary;

The singers lead, the minstrels follow,
in their midst the maidens play on timbrels.

In your choirs bless God;
bless the Lord, you of Israel’s well-spring!

There is Benjamin, the youngest, leading them;
the princes of Judah in a body,
the princes of Zebulun, thee princes of Naphtali.

Show forth, O God, your power,
the power, O God, with which you took our part;

For your temple in Jerusalem
let the kings bring you gifts.

Rebuke the wild beast of the reeds,
the herd of strong bulls and the bullocks, the nations.

Let them prostrate themselves with bars of silver;
scatter the peoples who delight in war.

Let nobles come from Egypt;
let Ethiopia extend its hands to God.

You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God,
chant praise to the Lord
who rides on the heights of the ancient heavens.

Behold, his voice resounds, the voice of power;
“Confess the power of God!”

Over Israel is his majesty;
his power is in the skies.

Awesome in his sanctuary is God, the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!

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

Antiphon:
You have ascended on high, taken captives,
receive men as gifts.

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O Christ,
you ascended into the heights and yet did not leave us, for you remain with us in the great sacrament of your love, and have promised to remain with us until the end of the world.

Give us then the gift of these two mysterious presences and grant that by faith we may see you in them
and so see you face to face in heaven,
where you are seated at the right hand of the Father, and give you praise and glory, 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.

HOOSOYO
PROEMION
Praise, glory and honor to the One who is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He came down to earth,
was nailed to the cross,
buried in the tomb,
and was raised from death and rose to heaven.
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,
with your ascension you ended your stay on earth,
but you continue to care for us from heaven,
because between the two there are unbreakable bonds
that make you the head of redeemed humanity,
and make us the members of your mystical body.
We are dependent upon you, our Creator and Savior,
for ever,
you who support us and make us live.
You ascended to the right hand of the Father, because you came from him;
you returned to him to prepare a place for us beside him, so that we might be there with you.
You told us where you were going and what our path to you should be.
When Thomas said to you: “Lord, we do not know where you are going, how shall we know the way?”
You answered him: “I am the way, truth and life. No one reaches the Father except through me.”

Lord, we beg you to walk with us on your way which leads to the Father;
direct our gaze and our desires towards him,
guide our footsteps in his direction,
and through and with you we shall come to him
and shall praise you, with your Father, and your Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen.

QOLO
While he was speaking to them, he rose into the heavens; they looked at him, but a cloud obstructed their vision.

Men of Galilee, this Jesus who ascended to heaven will come again in the same way, in which you saw him rise to heaven.

ETRO
O Christ,
in memory of your ascension
and with the perfume of our incense and our prayers
raise our thoughts and our desires to you;
let not the law of life turn us from you,
nor passing vanities obstruct your presence.
May nothing stop us on our way to you
and no trick allow us to deviate from you.
Then we shall come to the place where you are and praise you, 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.

SYNAXARION
The Ascension took place forty days after Easter on the Mount of Olives, between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, in the presence of the Virgin and many of the disciples. He rose “and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” He, who is one in being with the Father, gave us a place in heaven, by virtue of his human nature, for he said, “I will go to prepare a place for you.” This feast is a feast of redemption and of victory; it calls us to our true homeland, that is, heaven where Christ awaits us. To him be glory, for ever. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READINGS
A Reading from the Prophet Zechariah
Zechariah 14: 1-4
Lo, a day shall come for the LORD when the spoils shall be divided in your midst. And I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle: the city shall be taken, houses plundered, women ravished; half of the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be removed from the city. Then the LORD shall go forth and fight against those nations, fighting as on a day of battle. That day his feet shall rest upon the Mount of Olives, which is opposite Jerusalem to the east. The Mount of Olives shall be cleft in two from east to west by a very deep valley, and half of the mountain shall move to the north and half of it to the south.
A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 1: 1-12
In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.” When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.

While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away.

SUPPLICATION
O Son, by your resurrection you saved the Church from error; hear our supplications and have mercy on us.

You reconciled heaven and earth, grant peace to your Church and keep her children in the light of the cross.

The disciples stood watching him leave until a cloud obstructed their view. “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up at the skies? He is going to the Father to prepare a place for you and he will send you the Holy Spirit of truth, the Consoler.”

Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, but he returned to heaven, to seat himself at the right hand of the Father, and intercede for us.

You received, O Christ, the glory that was yours near the Father, before the world was created; you carried out the mission that the Father gave you.

Glory to the One who descended from heaven to redeem us; adoration to the One who ascended into the heavens to raise us; thanksgiving to the Holy Spirit, who came to console and sanctify us. Glory, adoration and thanksgiving to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the one God. Amen.

The Virgin Mary, your Mother, and the apostles, prophets and martyrs intercede for us; O God, through their prayers strengthen the weak, comfort the sick, grant pardon to the deceased, and forgive the faults of us poor sinners.

Exalt, O Lord, the memory of your Mother and your saints; through their prayers grant pardon to our deceased. Through the prayers of your Mother, the prophets, apostles and martyrs, watch over the living, and in your mercy forgive those who have died.

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 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 and 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 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, 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 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.