Books - Sources
Horologion - Midnight Office
For a Weekday
Menaion - November 21
The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos
__________
MIDNIGHT OFFICE
PRIEST
Blessed is our God always, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
( Amen. )
Glory to You, O God, glory to You.
Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, present in all places and filling all things, treasury of good things and giver of life: come; take Your abode in us; cleanse us of every stain, and save our souls, O Good one. [GOA]
READER
Trisagion Prayers.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, forgive our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Your name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy 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. [GOA]
PRIEST
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to ages of ages.
READER
Amen. Lord, have mercy. (12)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down before God our King.
Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ God our King.
Come, let us worship and bow down before Him, Christ our King and God.
Psalm 50 (51).
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy; and according to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from my lawlessness and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my lawlessness, and my sin is always before me. Against You only have I sinned and done evil in Your sight; that You may be justified in Your words, and overcome when You are judged. For behold, I was conceived in transgressions, and in sins my mother bore me. Behold, You love truth; You showed me the unknown and secret things of Your wisdom. You shall sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed; You shall wash me, and I will be made whiter than snow. You shall make me hear joy and gladness; my bones that were humbled shall greatly rejoice. Turn Your face from my sins, and blot out all my transgressions. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your guiding Spirit. I will teach transgressors Your ways, and the ungodly shall turn back to You. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall greatly rejoice in Your righteousness. O Lord, You shall open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. For if You desired sacrifice, I would give it; You will not be pleased with whole burnt offerings. A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a broken and humbled heart God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, in Your good pleasure to Zion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be built; then You will be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with offerings and whole burnt offerings; then shall they offer young bulls on Your altar. [SAAS]
If the Lity was not sung at Vespers, sing the following:
CHOIR
Idiomela. For the Feast.
From Menaion - - -
Mode 1.
Let heaven above greatly rejoice today, and let the clouds rain down gladness, because of the very extraordinary great works of our God. For behold, the Maiden, prefigured by the gate that faces east, has been born of a barren and fruitless mother, according to a promise; and she is dedicated to God to be His dwelling, as she is brought to the Temple today as a blameless offering. Let David greatly rejoice, playing his psaltery and singing, “The virgins behind her shall be brought to the King; her neighbors shall be brought.” And she is taken inside the tabernacle of God, to where the mercy seat is, to be raised to become the dwelling of the Son, who was born of the Father without flux before the ages, for the salvation of our souls. [SD]
Mode 4.
Today the Theotokos, the temple that contains God, is led into the Temple of God; and Zacharias welcomes her. Today the Holy of Holies is exultant, and the chorus of Angels mystically celebrates. Together with them let us also keep the feast today, and with Gabriel let us cry aloud: Rejoice, O Maiden full of grace, the Lord is with you; and He has the great mercy. [SD]
Mode 4.
Come, all believers, let us sing hymns in praise of the only all-blameless Maiden. The Prophets announced in advance, that she would be brought to the Temple. Before the ages, she was fore-ordained to be the Mother; and in the latter times, she was shown to be Theotokos. O Lord, at her intercessions, grant to us Your peace and the great mercy. [SD]
Glory. Both now.
From Menaion - - -
Idiomelon. Mode pl. 1.
A joyous day has dawned, a most venerable feast day. For today, she who would be a virgin before childbirth, and who would remain a virgin after childbirth, is brought to the Temple. Zacharias the elder, the father of the Forerunner, rejoices and in ecstasy announces: “She has arrived, she who is anticipated by an afflicted people! She comes, as one holy, to the holy Temple, to be dedicated as the dwelling place of the King of all!” Let Joakeim the forefather be glad, and let Anna be exultant, for they offered to God the blameless Maiden, like a three-year old heifer. Μothers, rejoice with them, and virgins, leap for joy, and barren women, join in dance; for the kingdom of heaven has been opened to us, by the girl who was fore-ordained to be the Queen of all. O people everywhere, rejoice and be glad! [SD]
READER
Trisagion Prayers.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, forgive our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Your name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy 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. [GOA]
PRIEST
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to ages of ages.
READER
Amen.
Apolytikion.
From Menaion - - -
Mode 4.
Today is the prelude of God’s good pleasure, and the proclamation of humanity’s salvation. In the temple of God, the Virgin is presented openly, and in herself she announces Christ to all. Let us, then, with a great voice cry aloud to her: “Rejoice, you are the fulfillment of the Creator’s dispensation.” [SD]
Lord, have mercy. (40)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Greater in honor than the Cherubim, and in glory greater beyond compare than the Seraphim; you without corruption gave birth to God the Word, and are truly Theotokos. You do we magnify.
In the name of the Lord, Father, bless!
PRIEST
May God have compassion on us and bless us; may his face shine upon us and have mercy on us.
READER
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Holy father, give the blessing!
PRIEST
May Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-pure and all-immaculate holy Mother, (local patron saint); of the holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, as He is good, benevolent, and merciful God.
Let us pray for the peace of the world.
CHOIR (intoned after each petition)
Lord, have mercy.
PRIEST
For the pious and Orthodox Christians.
For our our Archbishop (name).
For our nation.
For the armed forces.
For our absent fathers, brothers and sisters.
For those who help us and those who serve us.
For those who hate us and those who love us.
For those who have asked us, the unworthy, to pray for them.
For the release of the captives.
For those sailing the seas.
For those laid up with illnesses.
Let us also pray for the abundance of the fruits of the earth.
And for all our fathers and brethren departed this life, those who lie here in peace, and the Orthodox everywhere.
Let us say for ourselves, also: Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.
CHOIR
Amen.