THE DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. JAMES (8)
The Universal Litany:
The deacon begins the Universal Litany: In peace let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Save us, have mercy upon us, pity and keep us, O God, by Your grace. For the peace that is from above, and the loving kindness of God, and the salvation of our souls; Let us beseech the Lord. For the peace of the whole world, and for the unity of all the holy churches of God; Let us beseech the Lord. For those who bear fruit laboring in the holy churches of God; for those who remember the poor, the widows and the orphans, the strangers and the needy; and for those who have requested our prayers; Let us beseech the Lord. For those in old age and infirmity, for the sick and the suffering, for those troubled by unclean spirits, for their speedy deliverance and their salvation; Let us beseech the Lord. For those passing their days consecrated to You in virginity, celibacy, and discipline; for all those living in holy matrimony; and for the holy solitaries keeping vigil on mountains and in the caves of the earth; Let us beseech the Lord. For Christians sailing, traveling, dwelling among strangers, and for our brothers in captivity, in exile, in prison, and in slavery; for their peaceful return, Let us beseech the Lord. For the remission of our sins and the forgiveness of our transgressions, and for our deliverance from all tribulation, chastisement, danger, and affliction, and from the uprising of our enemies; Let us beseech the Lord. For favorable weather, for peaceful showers, beneficent dews, an abundance of fruits, for the perfect close of a good season, and for the crowning of the year; Let us beseech the Lord. For all those here present and praying with us in this sacred hour, and at every season; for blessings upon their households and on their labors; Let us beseech the Lord. For every Christian soul in tribulation and distress, needing the mercy and succor of God; for the return of the erring, the health of the sick, the deliverance of captives; and for the rest of all those who have fallen asleep before us; Let us beseech the Lord. For the hearing and acceptance of our prayer before God, and asking that He send down upon us the fullness of His rich mercies and compassion, with the anointing of His Holy Spirit. Let us beseech the Lord. Let us now commemorate our allholy, pure, most glorious, blessed Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, together with all the holy and just, that we may all find mercy through their prayers and intercessions. And for the precious, heavenly, pure, glorious, awe-filled, and divine gifts offered here, and for the salvation of the priest who stands and offers them; Let us beseech the Lord our God.
People (Thrice): Lord, have mercy.
The priest makes the sign of the cross over the gifts, and, prays each of the following (Thrice): Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill among men. Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim Your praise. Let my mouth be filled with Your praise, O Lord, that I may tell of Your glory and Your majesty all the day. For Yours is the glory of the Father; Amen. And of the Son; Amen. And of the Holy Spirit; Amen. Now and always, and forever.
Bowing to both sides of the altar, the Priest says: Magnify the Lord with me, together let us exalt His name.
The people answer, bowing: The Holy Spirit shall come upon You, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow You.
Then the priest: O Sovereign Lord, You who have visited us in Your compassion and in Your untold mercies, and has freely given to us, Your lowly, sinful, and unworthy servants, boldness to stand at Your holy altar and to offer to You this holy and bloodless sacrifice for our sins, and for those of the people: Look upon me Your unprofitable servant, and blot out my transgressions. For Your compassion's sake, purify my heart and lips from all defilement of flesh and spirit, and remove from me every shameful and foolish thought, and fit me by the power of Your allholy Spirit for this service; and receive me graciously by Your goodness as I draw near to Your altar. And be pleased, O Lord, that these gifts brought by my hands may be acceptable. Bend down to my weakness; cast me not away from Your presence, and reject not my unworthiness; but pity me according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your mercies pass over my failings and transgressions: That having come before Your glory without condemnation, I may be counted worthy of the salvation of Your only begotten Son, and of the illumination of Your allholy Spirit; that I may not be cast out as a slave of sin, but as Your servant may find grace, and mercy, and forgiveness before You, both in this world, and in that which is to come. Amen.
I beseech You, Almighty Sovereign, all powerful Lord, hear my prayer: For You work all in all, Almighty Father, and we seek the help and succor that comes from You, and Your only begotten Son, and Your good and life-giving and consubstantial Spirit, now and forever. O God, who through Your great and unspeakable love, sent forth Your only-begotten Son into the world, that He might turn back the lost sheep, turn not away from us sinners, who cling to You by this holy and bloodless sacrifice; for we trust not in our own righteousness, but in Your good mercy, by which You purchased our race. We entreat and beseech Your goodness that it may not be to our condemnation that this mystery of salvation is ad-ministered by us, but for the remission of our sins, for the renewal of our souls and bodies, for well pleasing You, our God and Father, in the mercy and love of Your only-begotten Son, with whom You are blessed, together with Your allholy and good and lifegiving Spirit, now and always, and forever. O Lord God, who created us and brought us into life, who has shown us the way of salvation, and has granted us the revelation of heavenly mysteries, and has appointed us to this ministry in the power of Your allholy Spirit, grant, O Sovereign, that we may become servants of Your new testament, and ministers of Your pure mysteries. Receive us as we draw near to Your holy altar, according to the greatness of Your mercy, that we may become worthy of offering You gifts and sacrifices for our transgressions and for those of the people; and grant to us, O Lord, with all fear and a pure conscience, to offer to You this spiritual and bloodless sacrifice, and graciously receiving it upon Your holy and spiritual altar above the heavens as a sweet spiritual fragrance, send down in answer upon us the grace of Your allholy Spirit. O God, look upon us, and bless our service, and accept it, as You accepted the gifts of Abel, the sacrifices of Noah, the priestly offices of Moses and Aaron, the peace offerings of Samuel, the repentance of David, and the incense of Zachariah. As You accepted from the hand of Your apostles this true service, so accept also in Your goodness from the hands of us sinners these offered gifts; and grant that our offering may be acceptable, and sanctified by Your Holy Spirit, as propitiation for our transgressions and those of the people; and for all the souls that have fallen asleep before us: That we also, Your humble, sinful, and unworthy servants, being counted worthy and without guile to serve at Your holy altar, may receive the reward of faithful and wise stewards, and may find grace and mercy in the awesome day of Your just and good judgment.
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