Long aspazeste, Ibrahim Ayad

Tasbeha
Psalmody
Praises
Midnight praises
Coptic
Convent
Saturday
Liturgy and Life

Saturday Midnight Praises- Metropolitan Youssef at St. Mary & St. Demiana Convent

3rd Canticle + Aripsalin + Tenoweh Ensok of Great Lent

In my throbbing heart I have hid Your place,
Deep in my bosom is Your dwelling place.

I have forsaken the world and its pleasures,
And abandoned all so I may live with You.

I have no desire, nor passion, nor
Have I a thought but to follow You.

And my father Jacob I know his secret,
Now I know how he chased after you.

O kind-heart O how sweet are You!
Mighty and exalted glorious above all

O mighty one with a whip in Your palm,
as Your heart overflows with love for all mankind.

The world is not enough to contain all of You,
How then could my heart compose all of You.

I have forsaken the world and all of its pleasures,
And abandoned all so I may live with You.

Lord, I have deserted all but not You,
In the sojourn of my life I have none but You.

And my thoughts I've prevented from wandering
So where ever You are there my thoughts also

I have forgotten family and my friends,
And even forgot myself for Your love.

I forgot them all in love of You.
O joy of my heart, so don't forget Your child.

You are not far from my soul that awaits
Your visiting call in the calm silence.

Truly You're in heaven, however every
Heart that lived in Your love is also Your heaven.

Here are my eyes and I have closed them
From seeing the world so that I could see You,

And likewise my ears, I have cleared them
From all idle talk, so I could hear Your voice.

In my throbbing heart I have hid Your place,
Deep in my bosom is Your dwelling place.

My Throbbing Heart

Shutting the Door in Prayer - Written by Fr. Matthew the Poor (from Spiritual Economy)

Singary Psalm(Resurrection)|Cathedral Chorus|المزمور السنجارى|خورس الاكليريكية + المعلم ابراهيم عياد

Your star appeared to the magi, •
O king who is prior to time. •
O you tribes of the earth, •
gather together to worship him; •
he who was born upon the earth.

A visible marvel, the magi saw. • 
Life [himself] emerged and came forth. • 
They offered their gifts to him, • 
praising God who was born, saying, • 
“Glory be to you, O holy one.”

Behold, the Virgin has given birth! • 
[Son of] God has become [Son of] man! • 
God the Logos came to us! • 
Great is this mystery: • 
the birth of Emmanuel.

She came to be a temple for God. • 
This miracle is wonderful. • 
He chose to dwell within her. • 
O you tribes of the earth, • 
let us bless this holy place. 

The rod in the hand of Aaron • 
dwelt with God and befriended him . • 
Her branches sprouted and blossomed • 
by means of the magi and the Hebrews.  • 
Draw near to bow down to him.

Light from Light dawned on us • 
and we have abounded in joy, • 
singing and chanting with the magi, • 
“O faithless [ones], let us believe • 
in the coming of [the Lord] Christ."

Coptic Antiphon for the Nativity - Your Star Appeared to the Magi

Your Heart Will Never Find Rest (English) -- Abouna Mina Shaheid

Kiahk Sunday Theotokia 1st Explanation Fr. Antonious Takla & Mina Morcos StAbanoubStAnthony

www.coptichymnsinenglish.com/altar-responses

Deacon Responses

Responses

Litany of the Oblations (Melismatic)

His Grace shares with us words from St. Isaac the Syrian,St. Basil the Great, and St. Mark the Ascetic about giving thanks.

St. Isaac the Syrian the great ascetic of the 7th century begins his 2nd ascetical homily saying, “The thanksgiving of the recipient incites the giver to give gifts greater than the first…Nor does any gift remain without addition, except that which is received without thanksgiving. The fool’s portion is small in his eyes.”

St. Isaac teaches us a simple and beautiful principle of the spiritual life: If I want the graces and gifts that I currently enjoy in my life to increase then I need to realize and give thanks to God and others for those that have already been given. Giving thanks is what assures them that we value what they have graciously given us. As St. Isaac says, we would be foolish to ignore God’s generosity and think that our portion of gifts from God is small and simply consider prayer a matter of requesting more without appreciation and gratitude. Without times of thanksgiving and selfless praise.

St. Basil the Great clearly instructs us, “Do not start your prayer by a request, lest it is thought that if it was not for the request, you would not have prayed.”

For this reason we begin all our prayers in the Church with Thanksgiving saying, “we thank You for everything, concerning everything, and in everything. For You have covered us, helped us, guarded us, accepted us to Yourself, spared us, supported us, and have brought us to this hour.”

We repeat this prayer in Church in the Liturgy, before raising incense, at baptisms, at weddings, at funerals, but also in our homes constantly when we pray the Agpeya as a family or on our own. 

The Psalmist says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, / And forget not all His benefits” (Ps 103:2).

But sadly, how many of us take a moment to not just say the Thanksgiving Prayer, but stop and actually give thanks—to remember—to not forget—all God’s blessings? Not just for the new and unique things in our life, but also for the things we may most take for granted.

Several weeks ago there was a story told of a 93 year old man in Italy that recovered from coronavirus in the hospital, and he was told to pay for the ventilator for one day, and the old man cried. The doctor advised him not to cry over the bill.

But the old man said “I am not crying because of the money I have to pay. I can pay all the money." I cry because I have been breathing God's air for 93 years, but I never pay for it. It takes 5,000 Euros to use a ventilator in a hospital for one day. Do you know how much I owe God?! I didn't thank God for that before."

Like this man, we also likely have many things we take for granted: the food we eat, the clean water we drink and wash with, our physical and mental health, the Church, our families and all the people and circumstances and second chances in our life which God used and continues to use to build our relationship with Him.

St. Mark the Ascetic of the 5th century instructs that the remembrance of God’s blessings is the answer to the question we often ask and are asked: “How do I begin living a life according to God?”

Whether we are struggling with weaknesses of loneliness or loss of purpose or despair, or sins of envy & judging others or pride; or if we want to grow in the virtues: to truly rejoice, to pray, to acquire humility—thanksgiving is a necessary weapon at the beginning and all throughout our life with God and others helping us to both overcome sins and habits as well as grow in the virtues.

Therefore, as an exercise this week, let us sit quietly with God remembering and writing our past and present experiences and aspects of our life for which we have seldom or maybe never offered thanks to God and neighbor.

Let us stand before God for at least 2 minutes daily. 120 seconds. With no requests, no complaints, but rather let us thank Him: “for everything, concerning everything, and in everything.”

ABBA Give me a WORD

ABBA Give me a WORD: Start with Giving Thanks by HG Bishop Basil

The official SoundCloud and podcast for the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States under the auspices of His Grace Bishop Youssef.

ABBA Give me a WORD: Start with Giving Thanks by HG Bishop Basil

SUSCopts