INTRODUCTORY RITES
Entrance Psalm or Hymn
As the ministers go in procession to the entrance of the sanctuary, the congregation stands and sings either the following Psalm (A) or Hymn (B):
(A) Psalm 84:2-9
How lovely your dwelling,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and flesh cry out
for the living God.
As the sparrow finds a home
and the swallow a nest to settle her young.
My home is by your altars,
Lord of hosts, my king and my God!
Happy are those who dwell in your house!
They never cease to praise you.
Happy are those who find refuge in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrim roads.
As they pass through the Baca valley,
they find spring water to drink.
Also from pools the Lord provides water
for those who lose their way.
They pass through outer and inner wall
and see the God of gods in Zion.
Lord of hosts, hear my prayer;
listen, God of Jacob.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever.
OR:
(B) An Appropriate Hymn
Entrance Dialogue
Cel: I have entered your house, O Lord, and have worshiped before your throne. O King of heaven, forgive all my sins.
Cong: O King of heaven, forgive all our sins.
Cel: Pray to the Lord for me.
Cong: May the Lord accept your offering and have mercy on us through your prayer.
Doxology
Cel: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
Cong: Amen.
Opening Prayer
Cel: O Lord our God, through our commemoration of your being found in the temple, grant us calm and untroubled consciences, that we may reflect upon your hidden mysteries and your pure life. Fill us, O Lord, particularly with the knowledge of your humble incarnation, your lowly birth and you obedience to the heavenly Father. Fashion our lives into worthy testimonies of your own, so we may glorify you in all that we say and do, for we praise you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
Cong: Amen.
Greeting
Cel: Peace be with the Church and her children
Hymn of the Angels
Cong: Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth and good will to all.
PRAYER OF FORGIVENESS (HOOSOYO)
Proemion
Cel: To the praise and glory of the Most Holy Trinity.
Cel: May we be worthy to glorify the Father, who sent his Son for our salvation, and to praise the Son, whom the prophets and men of old longed to see. He came to explain the ways of his Father to the scribes and pharisees in the temple. May we honor the living Spirit, who spoke through prophets and apostles. Glory and honor are due to Christ, the good One, on this feast and all the days of our lives, now and for ever.
Cong: Amen.
Sedro
Cel: Blessed are you, our Lord and God, Jesus Christ. You accepted our human nature in order to sanctify us and to raise us to yourself. With Mary and Joseph, you obediently went to the temple in Jerusalem to fulfill to law which you had put in the hands of the prophets in times past. On this day instruct us also, O divine Teacher, that we may belong to the household of God, as members of his living temple, for our lives have no meaning except in God.
Gracious Lord, we now ask you to turn the light of your gaze upon our thoughts. Let us know of your love for us which is at the source and foundation of all your commands. Guide us, that we may joyfully embrace your sacred counsels. Protect and inspire those who shepherd your Church and enlighten us, so we may understand their apostolic teachings. Uproot from your Church every heresy and tendency which leads to destruction, so that your gospel may become a beacon of light and a harbor of safety. Let our hearts know true happiness, that we may enjoy your living Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
Cong: Amen.
Hymn
The congregation sits and the hymn is then sung.
Cong: Glory be to the hidden One, who became visible by his birth. Glory be to the living One, who tasted death by his birth. The image of his majesty and the form of his mystery, we have seen them both with our eyes and minds.
Blessed is the Shepherd, who became a lamb for our pardon. Blessed is the shoot, who became a cup for our salvation. Blessed is the plowman, who became a grain of wheat; planted in the earth, he was harvested a sheaf.
Glory be to the One, who came to us as the First-born. Glory be to the silent One, who spoke by his Word. His Word took a body, that we may apprehend his might; his Word took a body, that the bodies of our race may find life through his body.
Etro
Cel: O divine Son, you pleased the Father by your submission to his will and by your holy life. Accept this incense and the prayers that accompany it. From your lofty dwelling place send health for our souls, food for our lives, courage for our endeavors, and rest for our dead. And we will glorify you, now and for ever.
Cong: Amen.
Trisagion
The congregation stands and the Trisagion is then sung three times.
Cel: Holy are you, O God. Holy are you, O Strong One. Holy are you, O Immortal One.
Cong: Have mercy on us.
Cel: O holy and immortal Lord, sanctify our minds and purify our consciences, that we praise you with pure hearts and listen to your Holy Scriptures. To you be glory, for ever.
Cong: Amen.
SERVICE OF THE WORD
Psalm of the ReadingsAll sit for the psalm of the readings.
Cong: Blessed is the Son who reconciled heights and depths and all in them. Blessed be Christ the King who came to regenerate us.
Cel: Heavens are filled by him and the angels praise him in glory; yet, he was born and laid in a manger. Behold! All creation adores before him.
Cong: Glory be to the Son of God, who became the Son of the Virgin. Glory be to the One, who crowns martyrs and gives rest to the departed.
Reading(s)
Reader: A reading from the ...
The reader then asks for the celebrant’s blessing:
Reader: Father, give your blessing.
The celebrant blesses the reader. The reader then continues:
Reader: Brothers and sisters ...
The reader concludes the reading by singing or saying:
Reader: Praise be to God always!
Alleluia
Meanwhile, the congregation stands and sings:
Cong: Alleluia! Alleluia!
Cantor: “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s home?” (Luke 2:49)
Cong: Alleluia!
Gospel
Deacon: Before the good news of our Savior, announcing life to us all, let us offer this incense. O Lord, we ask for your mercy.
The celebrant burns incense while two subdeacons (servers) hold lighted candles on each side of the Book of Gospels.
Cel: Peace be with you.
Cong: And also with you.
Cel: Let us be attentive to the gospel of life and salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded by the (evangelist Mark/Luke) (apostle Matthew/John).
The celebrant incenses the Book of Gospels three times. Meanwhile, the deacon proclaims:
Deacon: Remain silent, O Listeners, for the holy gospel is about to be announced to you. Listen and give glory and thanks to the living Word of God.
The celebrant begins the gospel using one of the following:
At the conclusion of the gospel, he sings or says:
Cel: This is the truth. Peace be with you.
Cong: Praise and blessings to Jesus Christ for his living word to us.
Homily
The congregation sits. The celebrant then gives a homily based on the readings and the liturgy of the day.
Creed
At the conclusion of the homily, the congregation stands and sings or says the Creed.
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered, died, and ware buried.
On the third day he rose again
in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
with the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified,
He has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
The liturgy continues with the Pre-Anaphora