Last night was such a blessing. Helping my children light candles and pray for a loved one in the hospital. Seeing my son want to go up and kiss “Baby Jesus” (aka icon of grown up Jesus) twice. Mostly it was hearing and praying and chanting words that my spirit needs – words of confession, repentance, adoration, and praise.
“I will sing unto the Lord throughout my life, I will chant to my God for as long as I have my being. May my words be sweet unto Him, and I will rejoice in the Lord. O that sinners would cease from the earth, and they that work iniquity, that they should be no more.”
“Unto the Lord in mine affliction have I cried, and He heard me. O Lord, deliver my soul from unrighteous lips and from a crafty tongue. ”
“Woe is me, for my sojourning is prolonged; I have tented with the tentings of Kedar, my soul hath long been a sojourner.”
“Let my prayer arise in Thy sight as incense; and the let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice.”
“Set, O Lord, a watch before my mouth and a protecting door about my lips.”
Prayer of St. Ephraim:
“Oh Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, meddling, lust of power and idle talk” (prostration)
“But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant.” (prostration)
“O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sins and not to judge my brother, for Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.” (prostration)
“Now the pow’rs of heaven invisibly with us do serve. Lo, the King of glory, the King of glory enters in.”
“Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
Note: Liturgy, or Divine Liturgy, is service in which Communion is offered. The “Gifts” refer to the bread and wine of Communion. “Pre-sanctified” means that the gifts were previously blessed. In this case, the Pre-Sanctified Liturgy is always on Wednesday, and the gifts were blessed the previous Sunday. (You can’t have a Divine Liturgy on a weekday during Lent, so we use the gifts from Sunday.) Basically the Pre-sanctifieds are Vespers with a portion of the Divine Liturgy.