Sapro on Friday
Eniono
The cross is a token of peace; the cross is a sign of victory; it is the cross by which we are saved and in which we
all glory.
By Your cross, Lord Jesus, and by the prayer of the mother who bore You, remove and banish from us the scourge and rod
of wrath.
Blessed is He who made the cross a ladder for the children of Adam, by which the patriarchs, the prophets, apostles,
and martyrs ascended.
The cross reigns in heaven, the cross reigns on earth, may the cross be a stronghold to the churches and the
monasteries.
We will not fear the evil one, because the Lord is with us, and we are clothed in his strong armor and in it we all
glory.
May He, who carried the cross on his shoulder and went forth from Sion, sprinkle the dew of His mercy on the bones of
the departed.
Glory be to the Father... Now and ever...
Eqbo
Glory to Jesus, who was crucified on Golgotha in Jerusalem and cried with His voice and the rocks were rent and the
dead arose and sang praise.
Qolo
By Your cross You cut off the head of the tyrant, Lord of all, and by Your valor You loosed the hold of greedy death and
for that we cry: glory to the power of Your Being, Lord of all. Stomen Kalos, Kurieleison
Lord in the morning you shall hear my voice, halleluia
On Your great morning when You shall come, Lord, do not, Lord, say to us, I know you not, wheYou have given us Your
holy body as a pledge and Your victorious blood in propitiation for the world, halleluia, in which the peoples rejoice and
sing praise.
Of the Mother of God
The hidden One, who is hidden from all, came to birth and was clothed in flesh of a virgin mother; He left the chariot
with its wheels of dread and was carried wondrously on the knees of Mary, halleluia, blessed be He who came forth from her
and delivered us from the curse.
On the Cross
The Holy Cross has hallowed our souls, the cross of pardon has pardoned our offences; the cross has cast down the evil
one and his power, and has given victory to its worshippers, who rejoice in its festival, halleluia, keep us, Lord, beneath
the wings of Your cross.
Of the Saints
Peace be with the prophets, peace be with the apostles, peace be with the martyrs, who loved the Lord of peace, and peace
be with the holy Church, in which dwell the sons of peace.
Of a Saint
At Your doors, O Church, watchers stand by night and by day, and guard you from the evil one; Simon, the foundation,
and Paul, the architect, and John, who was the friend of the bridegroom, halleluia, and David, the harp of the Holy Spirit.
Of Friday
On Friday, which is the sixth day, wicked men set up the cross of the most High, and on Friday again they pierced His
side with a lance and there flowed from it for us the blood and water of life, halleluia, in propitiation for the peoples,
who confessed and believed in Him.
Of the Morning
How fearful is the morning on which the Lord will come, and will roar like a lion and the creation will tremble; the
judge will sit and the books will be opened and all those things which are hidden he will bring to light, halleluia, you
who know the things which are hidden, have pity and have mercy upon me.
Of Repentance
Your judgement, Lord, is severe and our sins are many, and justice threatens and I cannot escape; by that love which
brought you to the place of judgement for our sakes, do not enter into judgement with us and do not remember our
faults, halleluia, just judge, have pity and have mercy upon us.
Of the Departed
Lord, do not forget and do not cast away our departed, who await your resurrection; raise up their bodies, Christ, full
of mercy, and may rest be with them at all times, halleluia, and may they offer praise to you who raise them up.
Quqlion
Through You we shall strike down our enemies, halleluia, and in your name we shall trample upon our foes. You are He
who saved us from our foes, halleluia, and put to shame our enemies.
Glory be to the Father... Now and forever...
Eqbo
By Your cross You have trodden down and overthrown the enemy, who had prevailed over our race; and therefore we worship
Your life-giving cross. Stomen Kalos, Kurieleison
Qolo
Beneath Your wings protect us, Lord, halleluia
In the morning the living cross will suddenly appear and from end to end of the earth it will manifest its victory; those
who denied it will confess it, though they like it not, and the blessed martyrs will rejoice in it and receive their
crowns. By it we will confess and worship You, Lord, because by Your death and resurrection we have life; blessed id He
who made His cross a stronghold for our souls.
Glory be to the Father...
The king Constantine looked in the sky and saw a token of wonder, the sign of the cross; and, when he inquired into
the vision, it was said to him: by this sign of life you shall gain the victory. He cast down the images and destroyed
the idols and gave honor to the cross alone; blessed is he who has made the cross a stronghold for our souls.
B'outho of Mar Jacob
Moriyo rahem melain oo aa darein. Son, who by your cross delivered the Church from error, grant her your peace and keep
her children by the cross of light
The wood of the cross went up from Jerusalem and was honored in all the places through which it passed. The king
Constantine heard that the cross had arrived and took with him his army and went out to meet it.
He saw the cross and bowed down and worshipped before it and stretched forth his hands and lifted up his voice in praise:
I give thanks to you, Son of God, who have given the cross to me, that by it I may fight against the power of the enemy.
By the mercy which showed compassion to the thief on the right hand, have compassion on us also, Son of God, and have
mercy upon us.
The above selected prayers are taken from the Book of Common of the Syrian Church, otherwise known as the Shimo Namaskaram as translated by Bede Griffiths from Syriac to English. A full copy of the rich
prayers of our tradition can be purchased directly from the publishers at Gorgias Press.