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The Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria
The Church of the Virgin Mary and St.Athanasius
Mississauga, On, Canada
THE AGPEYA Prayer Book of the Seven Canonical
Hours
The Midnight Prayer - The Second Watch
Then
the worshipper recites:
The service of the Second Watch of the Midnight prayer we offer to
Christ our King and our God, beseeching Him to forgive us our sins. From
the Psalms of our father David, the prophet and the king, may his
blessings be with us all. Amen.
PSALM
116
Oh,
praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His
merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures
forever. Praise the Lord. ALLELUIA.
PSALM
117
Oh,
give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Let Israel now say, “His mercy endures forever.” Let the house of
Aaron now say, “His mercy endures forever.” Let those who fear the
Lord now say, “His mercy endures forever.” I called on the Lord in
distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. The Lord is
on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me
among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who
hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in
man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in
princes.
All
nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; But in the name of the Lord
I will destroy them. They surrounded me like bees; They were quenched
like a fire of thorns; For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
You pushed me violently, that I might fall, but the Lord helped
me.
The
Lord is my strength and song; And He has become my salvation. The voice
of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; the right
hand of the Lord does valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly. I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord has chastened me severely,
but He has not given me over to death. Open to me the gates of
righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the Lord.
This
is the gate of the Lord, through which the righteous shall enter. I will
praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation. The
stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This
was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the
Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Save
now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of
the Lord. God is the Lord, and He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice
with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise
You; You are my God, I will exalt You. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for
He is good! For His mercy endures forever. ALLELUIA
PSALM
119
In
my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me. Deliver my soul, O
Lord, from lying lips and from a deceit full tongue. What shall be given
to you, or what shall be done to you, you false tongue? Sharp arrows of
the warrior, with coals of the broom tree! Woe is me, that I dwell in
Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! My soul has dwelt too
long with one who hates peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they
are for war. ALLELUIA.
PSALM
120
I
will lift up my eyes to the hills-- From whence comes my help? My help
comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your
foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who
keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you
by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all
evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going
out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.
ALLELUIA.
PSALM
121
I
will lift up my eyes to the hills-- From whence comes my help? My help
comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your
foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who
keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you
by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all
evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going
out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.
ALLELUIA.
PSALM
122
Unto
You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the
eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a
maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
until He has mercy on us. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!
For we are exceedingly filled with contempt. Our soul is exceedingly
filled with the scorn of those who are at ease, with the contempt of the
proud. ALLELUIA.
PSALM
123
“If
it had not been the Lord who was on our side,” Let Israel now say--
“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up
against us, then they would have swallowed us alive, when their wrath
was kindled against us; Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the
stream would have gone over our soul; Then the swollen waters would have
gone over our soul.”
Blessed
be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. Our soul has
escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken,
and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made
heaven and earth. ALLELUIA.
PSALM
124
Those
who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but
abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord
surrounds His people from this time forth and forever. For the scepter
of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest
the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity. Do good, O Lord, to
those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts. As for
such as turn aside to their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them away
with the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel! ALLELUIA.
PSALM
125
When
the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who
dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with
singing. Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great
things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are
glad. Bring back our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the South.
Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth
weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with
rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. ALLELUIA.
PSALM
126
Unless
the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain who build it; Unless the
Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for
you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; For
so He gives His beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the
Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a
warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has
his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with
their enemies in the gate. ALLELUIA.
PSALM127
Blessed
is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you eat the
labour of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house,
your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus
shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you out of
Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!
ALLELUIA.
PSALM
128
“Many
a time they have afflicted me from my youth,” Let Israel now say-- “Many
a time they have afflicted me from my youth; Yet they have not prevailed
against me. The flowers plowed on my back; They made their furrows long.”
The Lord is righteous; He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked. Let
all those who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back. Let them be as
the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, with which
the reaper does not fill his hand, nor he who binds sheaves, his arms.
Neither let those who pass by them say, “The blessing of the Lord be
upon you; We bless you in the name of the Lord!” ALLELUIA.
Gospel
(Luke 7:36-50 )
Holy,
Holy, Holy. A passage from the Gospel according to Saint Luke, may his
blessings be with us all. Amen.
Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the
Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city
who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the
Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood
at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her
tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet
and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had
invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were
a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is
touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to
you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.” "There was a certain creditor who
had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And
when they had othing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.
Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered
and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him,
“You have rightly judged.”
Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I
entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed
My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You
gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the
time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has
anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins,
which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is
forgiven, the same loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are
forgiven.” And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to
themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Then He said to the
woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Glory
be to God forever. Amen.
The Litanies for the Second Watch
We
worship You O Christ…
Grant me, Lord, a fountain of many tears like that which You first
granted to the woman who was a sinner. Make me worthy to shed my tears
on Your feet which have freed me and took me to the right path. I bring
unto You a precious ointment, to acquire through repentance a purified
life, that I may hear that voice full of joy, "Your faith has saved
you."
"Zoksapatri
ke Eiyou-ke agi-you epnevmaty" (Glory be to the Father, and to the
Son, and to the Holy Spirit.)
When I am conscience of my many sins, and when I think of Your judgment,
I fear and tremble and run to You, O God, do not turn away my
supplications. My undefiled Lord, have mercy on me.
"Kenin
ke aa-ee ke-ic-touce e-on-ace ton e-onon Amen."(Both now and
forever and unto the age of all ages, Amen.)
The heavens praise You, O You full of grace, the ever Virgin bride. We
glorify your pure birth of Jesus Christ, which is beyond our
comprehension. O mother of God, mother of Mercy and Salvation, make
intercession for the salvation of our souls.
"Kenin ke aa-ee ke-ic-touce e-on-ace ton
e-onon Amen."(now and forever and unto the age of all ages,
Amen.)
O
Heavenly King, and Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who is in every
place, and fills all, You who are the Treasure of goodness, and Giver of
life, graciously come and dwell in us, purge away all stain, O Good-One,
and save our souls.
"Zoksapatri
ke Eiyou-ke agi-you epnevmaty" (Glory be to the Father, and to the
Son, and to the Holy Spirit.)
Just
as you were with Your Disciples, O Saviour, and gave them peace,
graciously come also and be with us, save us, and deliver our souls.
"Kenin
ke aa-ee ke-ic-touce e-on-ace ton e-onon Amen."(Both now and
forever and unto the age of all ages, Amen.)
Whenever
we stand in Your Holy sanctuary, we are considered as those standing in
Heaven. O Mother of God, You who are the gate of heaven, open unto us
the door of mercy.
KYRIE
ELEISON
O
Lord, hear us, have mercy on us, and forgive us our sins.
KYRIE
ELEISON (Lord have mercy) 41 times
HOLY HOLY HOLY
Holy,
Holy, Holy, O Lord of Saba-outh, Heaven and earth are full of Your glory
and dignity. Have mercy on us O God the Father, Almighty. O Holy
Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, God of powers be with us. For we have
no other helper in our tribulations and adversities but You.
Loose,
remit, and forgive us O God our iniquities, which we committed willingly
and unwillingly, which we committed knowingly and unknowingly, the
hidden and the manifest.
O
Lord, remit it unto us, for the sake of Your Holy Name, which is called
upon us, according to Your mercy, O Lord, and not according to our sins.
Make
us worthy to pray thankfully: Our Father Who art in heaven ...
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