St Sharbel

Entrance Hymn

Christ, the True Light from Above

Syriac: msheeho natareh l’eedtokh

or msheeho natareh l’eedtokh (Abdallah)

Christ, the true light from above,
you have filled the world with light,
and you freed it from despair
and dispelled the dark of sin.
O Face of our Savior, look on us with love;
grant abundant life.
From Saint Sharbel’s hermitage
light has dawned for all to see,
a light of great love that reveals your face, O Lord.
May his prayers obtain for us eternal light
when we leave this passing world.

O Saint Sharbel, in your life
you served God most faithfully
as you prayed in solitude,
nourished by the Spirit’s grace.
And now you have gained a place among the saints
in the choirs on high.
Intercede for us, we pray, holy son of Lebanon,
that we may receive pardon for our sins and faults.
May our sick and those in need be given help
and departed souls find rest.

Opening Prayers

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

Holy Father, make us worthy to celebrate today the feast of your chosen one, Saint Sharbel, and meditate on his life and his love, taking him as an example and patron. Like him, may we be completely united to you and enter into the ranks of your chosen ones, whom you blessed and allowed to share in the sufferings of your beloved Son on earth and in his glory in heaven. We praise and thank you, your only Son, and your Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.

Prayer of Forgiveness (Husoyo)

Proemion

Let us raise glory, honor, and praise to the Father Most Holy, who calls us to share in his holiness; and to the beloved Son, who gives us the grace of adoption, by his birth, death, and resurrection; and to the Holy Spirit, who continuously reveals to us and makes perfect in us the work of the Father and the Son. To the Good One be glory and honor, on this feast, and all the days of our lives, and forever. Amen.

Sedro

O Christ our God, you called Father Sharbel to follow in your footsteps guided by the light of your life and your sacrifice on the cross. You wanted his life to be a witness to you.
Following your example, he lived in solitude in the wilderness. He fasted and prayed and was victorious over temptation. He carried the cross of an arduous ascetical life and suffered the pains of mortification. With you, he offered himself as an offering to the heavenly Father.
Now, O Christ our God, we ask you, through the intercession of Saint Sharbel and with the fragrance of this incense, to grant us, like him, a radiant face and a pure heart, and keep our eyes fixed on you, so that we do not turn away from your love, from our faith in you, and from the hope of your glory. Make us worthy to stand with him at your right hand in your eternal kingdom, and to raise glory and thanks to you, to your Father, and to your Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.

Hymn (Qolo)

Saint Sharbel Had Spent His Nights

Syriac:

Saint Sharbel had spent his nights
deep in prayer while waiting for the light to dawn.
His heart held the cares of all
as he prayed for those who yearned for heaven’s joy.
Alleluia! How blest is he!

To Adam God spoke these words:
“You will shed your tears and suffer for your sin.”
Yet strong was Saint Sharbel’s faith,
and, like Christ, he shed his tears for all the world.
Alleluia! How blest is he!

O great Saint from Lebanon,
from the land of mountains and of cedar trees,
we ask you to intercede
and implore the Lord to keep her in his care.
Alleluia! We ask your prayers.

Etro

O God, be pleased with our prayers and the fragrance of our incense as you were pleased by Saint Sharbel’s love and yearning for you. Shower your grace upon us, and inspire us to love you with a great love worthy of your name given to us as a living and eternal sign. We raise glory to you, forever. Amen.

Qadishat Aloho (Trisagion)

ܩܰܕܺܝܫܰܬ ܐܰܠܳܗܳܐ. ܩܰܕܺܝܫܰܬ ܚܰܝܶܠܬܳܢܳܐ. ܩܰܕܺܝܫܰܬ ܠܳܐ ܡܳܝܽܘܬܳܐ. ܐܶܬܪܰܚܰܡ ܥܠܰܝܢ.

Qadishat Aloho. Qadishat Hayeltono. Qadishat lo moyuto. EtraHam 3alayn.

You are holy, O God. You are holy, O Strong One. You are holy, O Imortal One. Have mercy on us.

قُدُوسٌ أَنْتَ يا الله، قُدُوسٌ أَنْتَ يا قَوِي، قُدُوسٌ أَنْتَ يا مَنْ لا يَموتْ، إِرْحَمْنا

Holy and immortal Lord, sanctify our minds and purify our consciences, that we may praise you with purity and listen to your Holy Scriptures. To you be glory forever. Amen.

Epistle

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the . Your blessing, Father.

Glory to the Lord of Paul and the apostles! May the mercy of God descend upon the reader and the listeners and upon this parish and her children forever. Amen.

Brothers and Sisters:
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:28-39)

Praise be to God always!

Gospel

Alleluia! Alleluia!
“The righteous will flourish like the palm tree, 
and grow like a cedar of Lebanon.”
(Psalm 92:13)
Alleluia!

Before the proclamation of the Gospel of our Savior, announcing life for our souls, we offer this incense and ask for your mercy, O Lord.

Peace be with you.

And with your spirit.

From the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew, who proclaimed life to the world.
Let us listen to the proclalation of life and salvation for our souls.

Remain silent, O listeners, for the Holy Gospel is about to be proclaimed to you.
Listen and give glory and thanks to the Word of the living God.

The Apostle wrote:
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
(Matthew 13:36-43)

This is the truth! Peace be with you!

Praise and blessings to Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, for giving us his words of life.

The Feast of Saint Sharbel Makhlouf

♰الْمَجْدُ للهِ! ♰Praise be to God always!♰ܬܶܫܒܽܘܚܬܳܐ ܠܰܐܠܳܗܳܐ! ♰