Ode 9. The Irmos.

After the small litany, the Exapostilarion sung slowly and solemnly:

Let us complete our morning prayer to the Lord. ****

Glory. **Tone 2**

At Lauds we insert 4 Idiomel Stichera, doubling them.

With pure souls and undefiled lips, come, let us magnify the unsullied and all-pure Mother of Emmanuel, as through her we offer intercession to the one born of her, ‘Spare our souls, Christ God, and save us’.

After the Litany and the Prayer at the Bowing down of heads, the Aposticha:

Then the Superior says:

Tone 1

Revealed as ungrateful, wicked and envious, the wretched Judas calculates the price of a gift worthy of God, through which she was released from the debt of her sins, and he traffics in the grace of God’s love. Spare our souls, Christ God, and save us.

Priest: For you are a God of mercies and of pity, and to you we give glory, to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages.

Psalm 148

Judas goes to the lawless rulers and says, ‘What are you willing to give me, and I shall hand over to you who want him Christ whom you seek?’ So he exchanged Christ’s fellowship for gold. Spare our souls, Christ God, and save us.

Glory. Both now.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the highest. To you praise is due, O God.

Unrelenting in blind avarice, why have you forgotten that the world is not equal to the soul, as you were taught; for in despair, traitor, you hanged yourself. Spare our souls, Christ God, and save us.

Then the Superior says:

Praise him, all his angels: Praise him, all his Powers. To you praise is due, O God.

With pure souls and undefiled lips, come, let us magnify the unsullied and all-pure Mother of Emmanuel, as through her we offer intercession to the one born of her, ‘Spare our souls, Christ God, and save us’.

Then the prayer of St Ephrem with 4 full and 12 small metanias

Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you stars and light.

Again and again in peace, let us pray to the Lord. ****

Then at once

Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord.

Lord, have mercy. ****

For he spoke and they came into being; he commanded and they were created.

Help us, save us, have mercy on us and keep us, O God, by your grace. ****

He established them for ever and ever; he made an ordinance, and it shall not pass away.

Lord, have mercy. ****

Praise the Lord from the earth; praise him, you sea-monsters and all deeps;

Calling to remembrance our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us entrust ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God. ****

Fire and hail, snow and ice and storm-wind; things that do his word.

To you, O Lord. ****

Mountains and all hills, fruiting trees and all cedars;

For all the Powers of heaven praise you, and to you we give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and for ever and to the ages of ages. ****

Beasts of the wild, and all cattle, creeping things and winged birds;

Tone 3. Model Melody.

Kings of the earth and all peoples, rulers and all judges of the earth;

Your bridal chamber, O my Saviour, I see all adorned, but I have no garment so that I may enter it. Make bright the mantle of my soul, O Giver of light, and save me! (**x3**)

Young men and maidens: old men and youths together, let them praise the name of the Lord; for his name alone has been exalted.

His praise is above earth and heaven, and he will exalt the horn of his people.

A hymn for all his holy ones; for the children of Israel, a people that draws near him. ****

Psalm 149

Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the Church of the holy ones.

Let Israel rejoice in him that made him, let the children of Sion be joyful in their king.

Let them praise his name in the dance; let them sing his praise with timbrel and with harp.

For the Lord is well-pleased with his people; he will exalt the meek with salvation.

His holy ones will exult in glory, and rejoice upon their beds.

The high praises of God in their mouths, and two-edged swords in their hands,

To exact vengeance among the nations, punishments among the peoples.

To bind their kings in fetters; and their nobles in shackles of iron.

To execute upon them the judgement that is decreed; such glory will be for all his holy ones. ****

Psalm 150

Praise God in his saints; praise him in the firmament of his power.

Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to the greatness of his majesty. ****

By Monk Kosmas. Tone 1

A harlot knowing you, the Son of the Virgin, to be God, imploring you with weeping, for she had done things worthy of tears, said, ‘Loose my debt, as I unloose my hair; love one who loves, though justly hated, and along with tax-collectors I shall proclaim you, O Benefactor, who love humankind’.

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet; praise him with lute and harp.

The harlot mixed the sweet myrrh of great price with tears, poured it over your immaculate feet and kissed them. Her you justified at once, but grant us pardon, who suffered for us and save us.

Praise him with timbrel and dance; praise him with strings and pipe.

When the sinful woman offered myrrh, then the disciple made an agreement with the lawless. The one rejoiced as she emptied out something of great price, while the other hurried to sell the One beyond price. She acknowledged the Master; he was parted from the Master. She was set free while Judas became the slave of the foe. Dreadful is sloth! Great is repentance! Grant it to me, Saviour, who suffered for us, and save us.

Praise him with tuneful cymbals; praise him with loud cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

O the wretchedness of Judas! He watched the harlot kissing your feet and began plotting with guile the kiss of betrayal. She untied her locks and he was being bound by rage, bringing foul-smelling wickedness instead of myrrh; for envy does not know how to prefer its advantage. O the wretchedness of Judas! From it, O God, deliver our souls.

The sinful woman ran for the myrrh, to buy myrrh of great price, to anoint with myrrh the Benefactor, and to the myrrh-seller she cried, ‘Give me the myrrh, that I may anoint the One who has wiped away all my sins’.

Both now. **Tone 6. .**

The woman drowned by sin found you, the harbour of salvation, and emptying out myrrh with tears, she cried out to you, ‘See, the one who has authority to pardon sins. See, the One who waits for the repentance of the sinful. But, Master, save me from the tempest of my sin through your great mercy’.

To you glory is due, O Lord, our God, and to you we give glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and to ages of ages. Amen.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men. We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you, we thank you for your great glory. O Lord, heavenly King, God the almighty Father. O Lord, only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Lord God, lamb of God, Son of the Father, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us, who takes away the sins of the world. Receive our prayer, you who sit on the right hand of the Father and have mercy upon us. For you alone are holy, you alone are Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Every day I will bless you, and praise your name for ever and ever. I said, Lord, have mercy upon me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against you. Lord, I have run to you for refuge; teach me to do your will for you are my God. For with you is the source of life, and in your light we shall see light. O continue your merciful kindness toward those who know you.

Grant, Lord, this day to keep us without sin. Blessed are you, Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is your name for to the ages. Amen. May your mercy, Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped in you. Blessed are you, Lord, teach me your statutes. Blessed are you, Master, make me understand your statutes. Blessed are you, Holy One, enlighten me with your statutes. Lord, your mercy is for ever; do not scorn the work of your hands. To you praise is due, to you song is due, to you glory is due, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, have mercy.

Help us, save, have mercy on us and keep us, O God, by your grace.

That the whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless, let us ask the Lord.

Grant this, O Lord. ****

An Angel of peace, a faithful guide and guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask of the Lord.

Pardon and forgiveness of our sins and offences, let us ask of the Lord.

Things good, and profitable for our souls, and peace for the world, let us ask of the Lord.

That we may live out the rest of our days in peace and repentance, let us ask of the Lord.

A Christian end to our life, painless, unashamed and peaceful, and a good defence before the dread judgement seat of Christ, let us ask.

Commemorating our all-holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us entrust ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

To you, O Lord.

Peace to all. ****

And to your spirit. ****

Let us bow our heads to the Lord. ****

To you, O Lord. ****

For yours it is to show mercy and to save us, O our God, and to you we give glory, to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. ****

Tone 6

Today Christ comes to the house of the Pharisee and a sinful woman draws near and flings herself at his feet, crying, ‘See one who has been drowned by sin, without hope because of her deeds, yet not rejected with loathing from your goodness, and give me, Lord, forgiveness of my evil deeds and save me’.

We have been filled in the morning with your mercy, O Lord, and we have rejoiced and been glad in all our days.

The harlot spread out her hair for you, the Master; Judas spread out his hands to the lawless: she to receive forgiveness, he to receive silver. And so we cry to you, sold and who set us free, ‘Lord, glory to you!’

Let us be glad, for all the days you have afflicted us, for the years we have suffered adversity. Look upon your servants and your works, and guide their children.

A woman foul-smelling and defiled drew near, pouring tears upon your feet, O Saviour, and proclaiming your passion. ‘How can I gaze upon you, Master? For you have come yourself to save a harlot. You roused Lazarus from the tomb after four days, raise me who am dead from the deep. Accept me in my misery, Lord, and save me’.

And may the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us. Direct the work of our hands, O direct the work of our hands. ****

By Monk John. Same Tone. Model melody.

Rejected because of her life, well-known because of her ways, she approached you carrying sweet myrrh and crying, ‘You, who were born of a Virgin, do not cast me out, who am a harlot. Joy of the Angels, do not despise my tears; but, Lord, as I repent, accept me, whom you did not thrust from you when I sinned, through your great mercy’.

**By the Nun Kassiani.**

Lord, the woman who had fallen into many sins, perceiving your divinity, took up the role of myrrh-bearer, and with lamentation brings sweet myrrh to you before your burial. ‘Alas!’, she says, ‘for night is for me a frenzy of lust, a dark and moonless love of sin. Accept the fountains of my tears, you who from the clouds draw out the water of the sea; bow yourself down to the groanings of my heart, you who bowed the heavens by your ineffable self-emptying. I shall kiss your immaculate feet, and wipe them again with the locks of my hair, those feet whose sound Eve heard at dusk in Paradise, and hid herself in fear. Who can search out the multitude of my sins and the depths of your judgements, my Saviour, saviour of souls? Do not despise me, your servant, for you have mercy without measure’.

How good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High. To declare your love in the morning, and your truth every night.

Holy God, Holy Strong, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (**three times**).

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. 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 to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen

Our Father, in heaven, may your name be hallowed, your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. ****

Our Father**, we say the following Apolytikion:**

Standing in the temple of your glory, we think we stand in heaven, O Mother of God. O gate of heaven, open to us the door of your mercy.

Lord have mercy (**x40**). Greater in honour than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God the Word, truly the Mother of God we magnify you. In the name of the Lord, bless, Father. ****

Blessed be he who is. ****

The Superior:

Heavenly King, establish our rulers: strengthen the faith: calm the nations: make the world peaceful: guard well this holy : assign our fathers and brothers who have gone before us to the tents of the just, and accept us in repentance and confession, as you are good and love humankind. ****

Lord and Master of my life, do not give me a spirit of sloth, idle curiosity, love of power and useless chatter. (

**Prostration**)

Rather accord to me, your servant, a spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love. (

**Prostration**)

Yes, Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults, and not to condemn my brother; for you are blessed to the ages of ages. Amen. (

**Prostration**) ****

We then make 12 small metanias, then one further great metania as we repeat the last line of the prayer.

Come let us worship**, and the First Hour, during which we do not add a Kathisma of the Psalter, nor at the Ninth Hour.**