In Præsentatione Beatæ Mariæ VirginisPresentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

℣ O Lord, ✠ open my lips.

℟ And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

℣ O God, ✠ come to my assistance.

℟ Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Alleluia.

Ant. Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God, * intercede for us.

Ant. Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God, * intercede for us.

Come, let us exult in the Lord. Let us shout joyfully to God, our Savior. Let us anticipate his presence with confession, and let us sing joyfully to him with psalms.

Ant. Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God, * intercede for us.

For the Lord is a great God and a great King over all gods. For the Lord will not drive away his people. For in his hand are all the limits of the earth, and he beholds the heights of the mountains.

Ant. intercede for us.

For the sea is his, and he made it, and his hands established the dry land. (kneel) Come, let us adore and fall prostrate before God, and let us weep before the Lord who made us. For he is the Lord our God, and we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

Ant. Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God, * intercede for us.

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts: as in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness, where your fathers tempted me; they tested and saw my works.

Ant. intercede for us.

For forty years, I was near to that generation, and I said: These have always strayed in heart. But they have not known my ways. To them I swore in my wrath: They shall not enter into my rest.

Ant. Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God, * intercede for us.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. intercede for us.

Ant. Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God, * intercede for us.

He whom earth, sea, and stars

worship, adore, and proclaim,

who governs the threefold frame of the world,

the womb of Mary bears.

He whom moon, sun, and all things

serve through the ages,

poured through with the grace of heaven,

the maiden's womb carries.

Blessed is the Mother in her office,

whose heavenly Maker,

holding the world in his fist,

was enclosed under the ark of her womb.

Blessed at the announcement of heaven,

fruitful by the Holy Spirit,

he who was desired by the nations

was born from her womb.

To you, O Jesus, be glory,

who were born of a Virgin,

with the Father and the gracious Spirit

unto ages of ages.

Amen.

At the Nocturn

Ant. The Lord our God has been mindful * for ever of his covenant.

Psalm 104(1-15) [1]

104:1 Confess to the Lord, and invoke his name. * Announce his works among the nations.

104:2 Sing to him, and sing psalms to him. * Describe all his wonders.

104:3 Be praised in his holy name. * Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

104:4 Seek the Lord, and be confirmed. * Seek his face always.

104:5 Remember his miracles, which he has done, * his portents and the judgments of his mouth:

104:6 you offspring of Abraham his servant, * you sons of Jacob his elect.

104:7 He is the Lord our God. * His judgments are throughout the entire earth.

104:8 He has remembered his covenant for all ages: * the word that he entrusted to a thousand generations,

104:9 which he assigned to Abraham, * and his oath to Isaac.

104:10 And he stationed the same for Jacob with a precept, * and for Israel with an eternal testament,

104:11 saying: To you, I will give the land of Canaan, * the allotment of your inheritance.

104:12 Though they may have been but a small number, * very few and foreigners there,

104:13 and though they passed from nation to nation, * and from one kingdom to another people,

104:14 he allowed no man to harm them, * and he reproved kings on their behalf.

104:15 Do not be willing to touch my anointed ones, * and do not be willing to malign my prophets.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. The Lord our God has been mindful for ever of his covenant.

Ant. The Lord increased * his people: and strengthened them against their enemies.

Psalm 104(16-27) [2]

104:16 And he called a famine upon the land, * and he crushed every foundation of the bread.

104:17 He sent a man before them: * Joseph, who had been sold as a slave.

104:18 They humbled his feet in shackles; the iron pierced his soul, * until his word arrived.

104:19 The eloquence of the Lord inflamed him. * The king sent and released him; the ruler of the people set him free.

104:21 He established him as master of his house * and ruler of all his possessions,

104:22 so that he might instruct his princes as himself, * and teach his elders prudence.

104:23 And Israel entered into Egypt, * and Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham.

104:24 And he multiplied his people greatly, * and he strengthened them over their enemies.

104:25 He turned their heart to hate his people, * and to deal deceitfully with his servants.

104:26 He sent Moses, his servant, * and Aaron, the one whom he chose.

104:27 He placed with them signs of his word, * and portents in the land of Ham.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. The Lord increased his people: and strengthened them against their enemies.

Ant. God led out * his people in exultation, and his chosen ones in gladness.

Psalm 104(28-45) [3]

104:28 He sent darkness and made it dark, * and he did not contradict his own words.

104:29 He turned their waters into blood, * and he slaughtered their fish.

104:30 Their land brought forth frogs, * even in the inner chambers of their kings.

104:31 He spoke, and there came forth common flies * and gnats, in every region.

104:32 He gave them a shower of hail * and a burning fire, in the same land.

104:33 And he struck their vineyards and their fig trees, * and he crushed the trees of their region.

104:34 He spoke, and the locust came forth, and the caterpillar, * of which there was no number.

104:35 And it devoured all the grass in their land, * and it consumed all the fruit of their land.

104:36 And he struck all the first-born in their land, * the first-fruits of all their labor.

104:37 And he led them out with silver and gold, * and there was not an infirm one among their tribes.

104:38 Egypt was joyful at their departure, * for the fear of them lay heavy upon them.

104:39 He spread a cloud for their protection, * and a fire, to give them light through the night.

104:40 They petitioned, and the quail came; * and he satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

104:41 He ruptured the rock and the waters flowed: * rivers gushed in the dry land.

104:42 For he had called to mind his holy word, * which he spoke to his servant Abraham.

104:43 And he led forth his people in exultation, * and his elect in rejoicing.

104:44 And he gave them the regions of the Gentiles, * and they possessed the labors of the peoples,

104:45 so that they might observe his justifications, * and inquire about his law.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. God led out his people in exultation, and his chosen ones in gladness.

Ant. The Lord saved them * for his name's sake.

Psalm 105(1-15) [4]

105:1 Confess to the Lord, for he is good, * for his mercy is with every generation.

105:2 Who will declare the powers of the Lord? * Who make a hearing for all his praises?

105:3 Blessed are those who keep judgment * and who do justice at all times.

105:4 Remember us, O Lord, with good will for your people. * Visit us with your salvation,

105:5 so that we may see the goodness of your elect, so that we may rejoice in the joy of your nation, * so that you may be praised along with your inheritance.

105:6 We have sinned, as have our fathers. * We have acted unjustly; we have wrought iniquity.

105:7 Our fathers did not understand your miracles in Egypt. * They did not remember the multitude of your mercies.

105:7 And they provoked you, while going up to the sea, * even the Red Sea.

105:8 And he saved them for the sake of his name, * so that he might make known his power.

105:9 And he rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up. * And he led them into the abyss, as if into a desert.

105:10 And he saved them from the hand of those who hated them. * And he redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

105:11 And the water covered those who troubled them. * Not one of them remained.

105:12 And they believed his words, * and they sang his praises.

105:13 They quickly forgot his works, * and they did not wait for his counsel.

105:14 And they coveted their desire in the desert, * and they tempted God in a waterless place.

105:15 And he granted to them their request, * and he sent abundance into their souls.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. The Lord saved them for his name's sake.

Ant. They forgot God * who saved them.

Psalm 105(16-31) [5]

105:16 And they provoked Moses in the camp, * and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.

105:17 The earth opened and swallowed Dathan, * and it covered the congregation of Abiram.

105:18 And a fire broke out in their congregation. * A flame burned up the sinners.

105:19 And they fashioned a calf at Horeb, * and they adored a graven image.

105:20 And they exchanged their glory * for the likeness of a calf that eats hay.

105:21 They forgot God, who saved them, * who did great things in Egypt: miracles in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea.

105:23 And he said that he would destroy them, * yet Moses, his elect, stood firm before him in the breach,

105:24 in order to avert his wrath, lest he destroy them. * And they held the desirable land to be nothing.

105:25 They did not trust in his word. And they murmured in their tabernacles. * They did not heed the voice of the Lord.

105:26 And he lifted up his hand over them, * in order to prostrate them in the desert,

105:27 and in order to cast their offspring among the nations, * and to scatter them among the regions.

105:28 And they were initiated into Baal of Peor, * and they ate the sacrifices of the dead.

105:29 And they provoked him with their inventions, * and ruination was multiplied in them.

105:30 Then Phinehas stood up and placated him: * and so the violent disturbance ceased.

105:31 And it was reputed to him unto justice, * from generation to generation, even forever.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. They forgot God who saved them.

Ant. When they were in tribulation * the Lord saw them: and heard their prayer.

Psalm 105(32-48) [6]

105:32 And they provoked him at the Waters of Contradiction, * and Moses was afflicted because of them, for they exasperated his spirit.

105:33 And he spoke distinctly with his lips. * They did not destroy the nations, about which the Lord had spoken to them.

105:35 And they were mixed among the Gentiles. And they learned their works, and they served their graven images, * and it became a scandal to them.

105:37 And they sacrificed their sons * and their daughters to demons.

105:38 And they shed innocent blood: * the blood of their sons and of their daughters, which they sacrificed to the graven images of Canaan.

105:39 And the land was infected with bloodshed, and was contaminated with their works. * And they fornicated according to their own inventions.

105:40 And the Lord became furiously angry with his people, * and he abhorred his inheritance.

105:41 And he delivered them into the hands of the nations. * And those who hated them became rulers over them.

105:42 And their enemies afflicted them, and they were humbled under their hands. * Many times, he delivered them.

105:43 Yet they provoked him with their counsel, * and they were brought low by their iniquities.

105:44 And he saw that they were in tribulation, * and he heard their prayer.

105:45 And he was mindful of his covenant, * and he repented according to the multitude of his mercies.

105:46 And he provided for them with mercies, * in the sight of all those who had seized them.

105:47 Save us, O Lord our God, * and gather us from the nations,

105:47 so that we may confess your holy name * and glory in your praise.

105:48 Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, from ages past, even to all ages. * And let all the people say: Amen. Amen.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. When they were in tribulation the Lord saw them: and heard their prayer.

Ant. They cried out to the Lord * and he delivered them from their distress.

Psalm 106(1-14) [7]

106:1 Confess to the Lord, for he is good, * for his mercy is with every generation.

106:2 Let those who have been redeemed by the Lord say so: those whom he redeemed from the hand of the enemy * and gathered from the regions,

106:3 from the rising of the sun and its setting, * from the north and from the sea.

106:4 They wandered into solitude in a waterless place. * They did not find the way to a city of habitation.

106:5 They were hungry, and they were thirsty. * Their soul fainted within them.

106:6 And they cried out to the Lord in tribulation, * and he rescued them in their necessity.

106:7 And he led them in the right way, * so that they might go forth to a city of habitation.

106:8 Let his mercies confess to the Lord, * and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.

106:9 For he has satisfied the empty soul, * and he has satisfied the hungry soul with good things:

106:10 those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, * shackled by extreme poverty and by iron.

106:11 For they exasperated the eloquence of God, * and they irritated the deliberation of the Most High.

106:12 And their heart was brought low with hardships. * They were weakened, and there was no one to help them.

106:13 And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation, * and he freed them from their distress.

106:14 And he led them out of darkness and the shadow of death, * and he broke apart their chains.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. They cried out to the Lord and he delivered them from their distress.

Ant. They themselves saw * the works of God and his wonders.

Psalm 106(15-30) [8]

106:15 Let his mercies confess to the Lord, * and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.

106:16 For he has crushed the gates of brass * and broken the iron bars.

106:17 He has taken them up, from the way of their iniquity. * For they were brought low, because of their injustices.

106:18 Their soul abhorred all food, * and they drew near even to the gates of death.

106:19 And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation, * and he delivered them in their necessity.

106:20 He sent his word, and he healed them, * and he rescued them from their utter destruction.

106:21 Let his mercies confess to the Lord, * and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.

106:22 And let them offer sacrifice with the sacrifice of praise, * and let them announce his works in exultation.

106:23 Those who descend to the sea in ships, * making their livelihood in the great waters:

106:24 these have seen the works of the Lord * and his wonders in the deep.

106:25 He spoke: and a windstorm stood up, * and its waves were exalted.

106:26 They ascend even to the heavens, and they descend even to the abyss. * Their soul will waste away in distress.

106:27 They were troubled, and they moved like a drunkard, * and all their wisdom was consumed.

106:28 And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation, * and he led them out of their distress.

106:29 And he replaced the storm with a breeze, * and its waves were stilled.

106:30 And they were joyful that it was stilled, * and he led them into the haven that they desired.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. They themselves saw the works of God and his wonders.

Ant. The righteous shall see * and rejoice, and shall understand the mercies of the Lord.

Psalm 106(31-43) [9]

106:31 Let his mercies confess to the Lord, * and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.

106:32 And let them exalt him in the Church of the people, * and praise him in the chair of the elders.

106:33 He has turned rivers into desert * and sources of water into dry places,

106:34 a fruit-bearing land into salt ground, * because of the malice of those who dwell in it.

106:35 He has turned a desert into pools of waters, * and a land without water into sources of water.

106:36 And he has gathered the hungry together there, * and they constructed a city of habitation.

106:37 And they sowed fields and planted vineyards, * and they produced the fruit of nativity.

106:38 And he blessed them, and they were multiplied exceedingly. * And he did not diminish their beasts of burden.

106:39 And they became few, * and they were afflicted by the tribulation of evils and of sorrow.

106:40 Contempt was poured over their leaders, * and he caused them to wander in an impassable place, and not on the way.

106:41 And he helped the poor out of destitution, * and he stationed families like sheep.

106:42 The upright will see, and they will rejoice. * And every iniquity will block its mouth.

106:43 Who is wise and will keep these things? * And who will understand the mercies of the Lord?

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. The righteous shall see and rejoice, and shall understand the mercies of the Lord.

℣ Let them exalt the Lord in the assembly of the people.

℟ And praise him in the seat of the elders.

The Our Father is said silently as far as And lead us not into temptation:

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 also forgive those who trespass against us:

℣ And lead us not into temptation:

℟ But deliver us from evil.

Absolution. May the almighty and merciful Lord absolve us from the bonds of our sins.

℟ Amen.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May he bless us who lives and reigns without end.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 1

Here begins Jonah the Prophet

Jonah 1:1-4

1 And the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying:

2 Rise and go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach in it. For its malice has ascended before my eyes.

3 And Jonah rose in order to flee from the face of the Lord to Tarshish. And he went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish. And he paid its fare, and he went down into it, in order to go with them to Tarshish from the face of the Lord.

4 But the Lord sent a great wind into the sea. And a great tempest took place in the sea, and the ship was in danger of being crushed.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ A people worthy of praise,

* whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying: You are the work of my hands, Israel my inheritance.

℣ Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people chosen as his inheritance.

℟ whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying: You are the work of my hands, Israel my inheritance.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May she whose feast we celebrate, the Virgin of virgins, intercede for us to the Lord.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 2

Jonah 1:5-7

5 And the mariners were afraid, and the men cried out to their god. And they threw the containers that were in the ship into the sea in order to lighten it of them. And Jonah went down into the interior of the ship, and he fell into a deep sleep.

6 And the helmsman approached him, and he said to him, 'Why are you weighed down with sleep? Rise, call upon your God, so perhaps God will be mindful of us and we might not perish.'

7 And a man said to his shipmate, 'Come, and let us cast lots, so that we may know why this disaster is upon us.' And they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

Jonah 1:8-12

8 And they said to him: 'Explain to us what is the reason that this disaster is upon us. What is your work? Which is your country? And where are you going? Or which people are you from?'

9 And he said to them, 'I am Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.'

10 And the men were greatly afraid, and they said to him, 'Why have you done this?' (For the men knew that he was fleeing from the face of the Lord, because he had told them.)

11 And they said to him, 'What are we to do with you, so that the sea will cease for us?' For the sea flowed and swelled.

12 And he said to them, 'Take me, and cast me into the sea, and the sea will cease for you. For I know that it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.'

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ The Lord sent his Angel and shut the mouths of the lions,

* and they did not defile me, because before him no iniquity was found in me.

℣ God sent his mercy and his truth: he rescued my soul from the midst of lion cubs.

℟ and they did not defile me, because before him no iniquity was found in me.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ and they did not defile me: because before him no iniquity was found in me.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the King of Angels lead us to the company of the citizens on high.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 3

From the book On the Orthodox Faith by Saint John Damascene

Book 4, chapter 15

Joachim joined in marriage to himself that most excellent woman Anna, worthy of the highest praises. But, just as the ancient Anna, laboring under the disease of sterility, brought forth Samuel through prayer and promise; so also this woman likewise, through supplication and promise, received the Mother of God from God, that in this too she might yield to none of the illustrious matrons. And so Grace — for that is what the name Anna signifies — brings forth the Lady — for that is what the name Mary denotes. Truly indeed has she become Lady of all created things, since she became the Mother of the Creator. She was brought into the light in Joachim's house by the Sheep Pool, and was led to the Temple. And thereafter, planted in the house of God and fattened by the Spirit, like a fruitful olive tree, she became the dwelling place of all virtues; so that, having withdrawn her mind from every concupiscence of this life and of the flesh, and thus having preserved her soul a virgin together with her body, in the manner befitting her who was to receive God in her womb.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

Te Deum

O God, we praise you; * O Lord, we acclaim you.

Eternal Father, * all the earth reveres you.

To you all the Angels, * the heavens and all the Powers of heaven:

To you the Cherubim and Seraphim * cry out in endless praise:

(A bow is made) Holy, Holy, Holy * Lord God of hosts;

Heaven and earth are filled * with the majesty of your glory.

The glorious choir of Apostles * sings to you,

the noble company of Prophets * praises you,

the white-robed army of Martyrs * glorifies you.

Holy Church throughout the earth * proclaims you,

the Father * of boundless majesty;

your true and only Son, * worthy of adoration;

and the Holy Spirit, * the Paraclete.

You, O Christ, * are the King of glory.

You are * the Father's everlasting Son.

(A bow is made) When you resolved to save the human race, * you did not spurn the Virgin's womb.

You overcame the sting of death * and opened the Kingdom of Heaven to those who put their faith in you.

You are seated at the right hand of God * in the glory of the Father.

We believe you are the Judge * who is to come.

(The following verse is said kneeling) And so we beg you, help your servants, * redeemed by your most precious blood.

Number them * among your Saints in eternal glory.

Save your people, Lord, * and bless your inheritance.

Shepherd them * and raise them to eternal life.

Day by day * we bless you,

(A bow is made, according to custom) and we praise your name * for endless ages evermore.

Be gracious, Lord, on this day, * and keep us from all sin.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, * have mercy.

May your mercy be upon us, Lord, * as we place our trust in you.

In you, O Lord, I rest my hope: * let me never be put to shame.

The rest is omitted unless Lauds is said separately.

℣ O Lord, hear my prayer.

℟ And let my cry come before you.

Let us pray.

O God, who on this day willed that blessed Mary ever-Virgin, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, should be presented in the temple: grant, we pray, that, through her intercession, we may merit to be presented in the temple of your glory.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son: who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

℟ Amen.

℣ O Lord, hear my prayer.

℟ And let my cry come before you.

℣ Let us bless the Lord.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℣ May the souls of the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

℟ Amen.