Sapro on Saturday
Eniono
Do not enter into judgement with your servants, Lord, to whom You have given Your body and blood as a pledge
May the memory of Mary be a blessing to us and may her prayer be a stronghold for our souls.
Prophets, apostles, and holy martyrs, beseech and beg for mercy for us all.
Let us beg the martyrs and beseech them that they may be intercessors for us.
Have mercy on us, just judge, and forgive us our offences in the abundance of your grace.
When there is no comforter or friend to deliver, then be to me, Lord, an advocate because I have taken refuge in You.
Glory be to the Father... Now and ever...
Glory be to Him who magnifies the memory of His mother and glorifies His saints and raises the dead.
Eqbo
Make us worthy of that morning on which the just rejoice and the martyrs receive the reward of their labors. Stomen
Kalos, Kurieleison
Qolo
The servants who did the will of the Lord.
In the morning the laborers of our Lord, who have worked in his vineyard, will ask for their wages, and say to him: give
us our wages, who have labored from morning to evening; he will say to them: I will give you what I promised you, and I
will add yet more; I will give you an open face at the resurrection.
Of the Mother of God
The spirit of fire rent the flames and trod upon the coals amid the wheels of the chariot and cleft the air, when
he descended and came to Nazareth to Mary, and said to her: peace be with you, our Lord is with you, blessed one, the fruit
of your womb shall bring to an end the shame of the house of Adam.
Of the Saints
Come, let us take refuge in the apostles, who by their afflictions were pleasing to Christ and from him received the
Holy Spirit and the keys of the heights and the depths; blessed is He, who magnified them on earth and made them preachers
and, behold, today their memories are celebrated in the creation.
Of a Saint
Blessed is He who perfected your martyrdom and wove a crown of victory for you, O noble athlete, holy Mar (X); behold,
the heights and the depths and all that is in them rejoice in your memory and offer praise to the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit.
Of Repentance
Open to me the door of your compassion, cried the penitent son before his father; I have sinned against heaven and in
your sight and I am not worthy to be called your son; receive me as a hired servant and I will be in your house as a slave,
and forgive me my fault, for you are a merciful God.
Of the Departed
Blessed is he who has magnified our resurrection and made firm the hope of our rising again; the blessed Paul is a
witness, when he refutes the doubter and says: foolish man, the seed which you sow, if it does not die, does not live; and
he showed that the race of Adam shall rise in glory.
Quqlion
Your priests shall be clothed with righteousness and your saints with glory, halleluia, because of David your servant,
do not turn away the face of your anointed. If your sons will keep my covenant, halleluia, and the testimony which I
taught them.
Glory be to the Father... Now and forever...
Eqbo
The feet, which have stood in the holy place in purity and holiness, shall tread the gates of Paradise and dwell with
the angels. Stomen Kalos, Kurieleison
Qolo
God created Adam and sat down and contemplated him, and saw how fair he was and how like the creature was to his
creator. The earthly one came and went among the trees of Paradise and the angels wondered at the earthly one to see how
he was exalted.
Glory be to the Father...
When the priesthood was handed down, Moses and Aaron received it together; Moses gave it to Zachariah, Zachariah gave it
to John, John gave it to our Lord, and our Lord gave it to the apostles; the apostles gave it to the four quarters of
creation.
B'outho of Mar Jacob
Moriyo rahem melain oo aa darein. Give rest to Your priests among the just, Son of God in that kingdom which has no
end among the saints.
Christ the bridegroom, call your servants from desolation and awaken your priests; because they took no pleasure in
passing joys, reward them with good things for the torments which they endured for your love.
Because they were strangers, let them be refreshed in the marriage-chamber of light full of joy; the fair crown of
youth they despised and put away and they set their souls firm against pleasures and loved your name.
Lord, let us not hear that, voice, which cuts off hope; we have acknowledged you, Lord, do you acknowledge us 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.