Having prayed for the unity of the faith, and the communion of His all-holy and adorable Spirit;
Let us commend ourselves and one another, and our whole life, to Christ our God:
The People.
Amen.
The Priest prays.
XXXVIII. God and Father of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ, the glorious Lord, the blessed essence, the bounteous goodness, the God and Sovereign of all, who art blessed to all eternity, who sittest upon the cherubim, and art glorified by the seraphim, before whom stand thousand thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand hosts of angels and archangels: Thou hast accepted the gifts, offerings, and fruits brought unto Thee as an odour of a sweet spiritual smell, and hast been pleased to sanctify them, and make them perfect, O good One, by the grace of Thy Christ, and by the presence of Thy all-holy Spirit.
Sanctify also, O Lord, our souls, and bodies, and spirits, and touch our understandings, and search our consciences, and cast out from us every evil imagination, every impure feeling, every base desire, every unbecoming thought, all envy, and vanity, and hypocrisy, all lying, all deceit, every worldly affection, all covetousness, all vainglory, all indifference, all vice, all passion, all anger, all malice, all blasphemy, every motion of the flesh and spirit that is not in accordance with Thy holy will:
(Aloud.)
And count us worthy, O loving Lord, with boldness, without condemnation, in a pure heart, with a contrite spirit, with unshamed face, with sanctified lips, to dare to call upon Thee, the holy God, Father in heaven, and to say,
The People.
Our Father, which art in heaven: hollowed be Thy name; and so on to the doxology.
The Priest, bowing, says (the Embolism [4131] ):--
And lead us not into temptation, Lord, Lord of Hosts, who knowest our frailty, but deliver us from the evil one and his works, and from all his malice and craftiness, for the sake of Thy holy name, which has been placed upon our humility:
(Aloud.)
For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
The People.
Amen.
The Priest.
XXXIX. Peace be to all.
The People.
And to thy spirit.
The Deacon.
Let us bow our heads to the Lord.
The People.
To Thee, O Lord.
The Priest prays, speaking thus:--
To Thee, O Lord, we Thy servants have bowed our heads before Thy holy altar, waiting for the rich mercies that are from Thee.
Send forth upon us, O Lord, Thy plenteous grace and Thy blessing; and sanctify our souls, bodies, and spirits, that we may become worthy communicants and partakers of Thy holy mysteries, to the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting:
(Aloud.)
For adorable and glorified art Thou, our God, and Thy only-begotten Son, and Thy all-holy Spirit, now and ever.
The People.
Amen.
The Priest says aloud:--
And the grace and the mercies of the holy and consubstantial, and uncreated, and adorable Trinity, shall be with us all. [4132]
The People.
And with thy spirit.
The Deacon.
In the fear of God, let us attend.
The Priest says secretly:-- [4133]
O holy Lord, that abidest in holy places, sanctify us by the word of Thy grace, and by the visitation of Thy all-holy Spirit: for Thou, O Lord, hast said, Ye will be holy, for I am holy. O Lord our God, incomprehensible Word of God, one in substance with the Father and the Holy Spirit, co-eternal and indivisible, accept the pure hymn, in Thy holy and bloodless sacrifices; with the cherubim, and seraphim, and from me, a sinful man, crying and saying:--
He takes up the gifts and saith aloud:--
XL. The holy things unto holy.
The People.
One only is holy, one Lord Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father, to whom be glory to all eternity.
The Deacon.
XLI. For the remission of our sins, and the propitiation of our souls, and for every soul in tribulation and distress, needing the mercy and succour of God, and for the return of the erring, the healing of the sick, the deliverance of the captives, the rest of our fathers and brethren who have fallen asleep aforetime;
Let us all say fervently, Lord, have mercy:
The People (twelve times).
Lord, have mercy. [4134]
Then the Priest breaks the bread, and holds the half in his right hand, and the half in his left, and dips that in his right hand in the chalice, saying:--
The union of the all-holy body and precious blood of our Lord and God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Then he makes the sign of the cross on that in his left hand: then with that which has been signed the other half: then forthwith he begins to divide, and before all to give to each chalice a single piece, saying:--
It has been made one, and sanctified, and perfected, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever.
And when he makes the sign of the cross on the bread, he says:--
Behold the Lamb of God, the Son of the Father, that taketh away the sin of the world, sacrificed for the life and salvation of the world.
And when he gives a single piece to each chalice he says:--
A holy portion of Christ, full of grace and truth, of the Father, and of the Holy Spirit, to whom be the glory and the power to all eternity.
Then he begins to divide, and to say:--
XLII. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. In green pastures, and so on. [4135]
Then,
I will bless the Lord at all times, and so on. [4136]
Then,
I will extol Thee, my God, O King, and so on. [4137]
Then,
O praise the Lord, all ye nations, and so on. [4138]
The Deacon.
Sir, pronounce the blessing.
The Priest.
The Lord will bless us, and keep us without condemnation for the communion of His pure gifts, now and always, and for ever.
And when they have filled, [4139] the Deacon says:--
Sir, pronounce the blessing.
The Priest says:--
The Lord will bless us, and make us worthy with the pure touchings of our fingers to take the live coal, and place it upon the mouths of the faithful for the purification and renewal of their souls and bodies, now and always.
Then,
O taste and see that the Lord is good; who is parted and not divided; distributed to the faithful and not expended; for the remission of sins, and the life everlasting; now and always, and for ever.
The Deacon.
In the peace of Christ, let us sing:
The Singers.
O taste and see that the Lord is good.
The Priest says the prayer before the communion.
O Lord our God, the heavenly bread, the life of the universe, I have sinned against Heaven, and before Thee, and am not worthy to partake of Thy pure mysteries; but as a merciful God, make me worthy by Thy grace, without condemnation to partake of Thy holy body and precious blood, for the remission of sins, and life everlasting. [4140]
XLIII. Then he distributes to the clergy; and when the deacons take the disks [4141] and the chalices for distribution to the people, the Deacon, who takes the first disk, says:--
Sir, pronounce the blessing.
The Priest replies:--
Glory to God who has sanctified and is sanctifying us all.
The Deacon says:--
Be Thou exalted, O God, over the heavens, and Thy glory over all the earth, and Thy kingdom endureth to all eternity. [4142]
And when the Deacon is about to put it on the side-table [4143] the Priest says:--
Blessed be the name of the Lord our God for ever.
The Deacon.
In the fear of God, and in faith and love, draw nigh.
The People.
Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. [4144]
And again, when he sets down the disk upon the side-table, he says:--
Sir, pronounce the blessing.
The Priest.
Save Thy people, O God, and bless Thine inheritance.
The Priest again. [4145]
Glory to our God, who has sanctified us all.
And when he has put the chalice back on the holy table, the Priest says:--
Blessed be the name of the Lord to all eternity.
The Deacons and the People say:--
Fill our mouths with Thy praise, O Lord, and fill our lips with joy, that we may sing of Thy glory, of Thy greatness all the day.
And again:--
We render thanks to Thee, Christ our God, that Thou hast made us worthy to partake of Thy body and blood, for the remission of sins, and for life everlasting. Do Thou, in Thy goodness and love, keep us, we pray Thee, without condemnation.
The prayer of incense at the last entrance.
XLIV. We render thanks to Thee, the Saviour and God of all, for all the good things Thou hast given us, and for the participation of Thy holy and pure mysteries, and we offer to Thee this incense, praying: Keep us under the shadow of Thy wings, and count us worthy till our last breath to partake of Thy holy rites for the sanctification of our souls and bodies, for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven: for Thou, O God, art our sanctification, and we send up praise and thanksgiving to Thee, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Deacon begins in the entrance.
Glory to Thee, glory to Thee, glory to Thee, O Christ the King, only-begotten Word of the Father, that Thou hast counted us, Thy sinful and unworthy servants, worthy to enjoy thy pure mysteries for the remission of sins, and for life everlasting: glory to Thee. [4146]
And when he has made the entrance, the Deacon begins to speak thus:--
XLV. Again and again, and at all times, in peace, let us beseech the Lord.
That the participation of His Holy rites may be to us for the turning away from every wicked thing, for our support on the journey to life everlasting, for the communion and gift of the Holy Spirit;
Let us pray.
The Priest prays.
Commemorating our all-holy, pure, most glorious, blessed Lady, the God-Mother and Ever-Virgin Mary, [4147] and all the saints that have been well-pleasing to Thee since the world began, let us devote ourselves, and one another, and our whole life, to Christ our God:
The People.
To Thee, O Lord.
The Priest.
XLVI. O God, who through Thy great and unspeakable love didst condescend to the weakness of Thy servants, and hast counted us worthy to partake of this heavenly table, condemn not us sinners for the participation of Thy pure mysteries; but keep us, O good One, in the sanctification of Thy Holy Spirit, that being made holy, we may find part and inheritance with all Thy saints that have been well-pleasing to Thee since the world began, in the light of Thy countenance, through the mercy of Thy only-begotten Son, our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ, with whom Thou art blessed, together with Thy all-holy, and good, and quickening Spirit: for blessed and glorified is Thy all-precious and glorious name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to all eternity.
The People.
Amen.
The Priest.
Peace be to all.
The People.
And to thy spirit.
The Deacon.
XLVII. Let us bow our heads to the Lord.
The Priest.
O God, great and marvellous, look upon Thy servants, for we have bowed our heads to Thee. Stretch forth Thy hand, strong and full of blessings, and bless Thy people. Keep Thine inheritance, that always and at all times we may glorify Thee, our only living and true God, the holy and consubstantial [4148] Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to all eternity.
(Aloud.)
For unto Thee is becoming and is due praise from us all, and honour, and adoration, and thanksgiving, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever.
The Deacon.
XLVIII. In the peace of Christ let us sing:
And again he says:--
In the peace of Christ let us go on:
The People.
In the name of the Lord. Sir, pronounce the blessing. [4149]
Dismission prayer, spoken by the Deacon.
Going on from glory to glory, we praise Thee, the Saviour of our souls. Glory to Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit now and ever, and to all eternity. We praise Thee, the Saviour of our souls.
The Priest says a prayer from the altar to the sacristy.
XLIX. Going on from strength to strength, and having fulfilled all the divine service in Thy temple, even now we beseech Thee, O Lord our God, make us worthy of perfect loving-kindness; make straight our path: root us in Thy fear, and make us worthy of the heavenly kingdom, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom Thou art blessed, together with Thy all-holy, and good, and quickening Spirit, now and always, and for ever.
The Deacon.
L. Again and again, and at all times, in peace let us beseech the Lord.
Prayer said in the sacristy after the dismissal.