A LITANY FOR PEACE, REPENTANCE, AND THE SUFFERING CHURCH IN THE LANDS OF THE APOSTLES

“Christ Weeping Over Jerusalem,” by William Hole, 1907, Scottish National Trust

A Lenten Service of Intercession and Remembrance in a Time of War in the Middle East

✠ THE ORDER FOR A LITANY IN TIME OF WAR AND TRIAL ✠

Opening Sentences

Officiant:

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

(Psalm 34:18)

Officiant:

Let us humble ourselves before Almighty God, seeking His mercy for the world, His comfort for the afflicted, and His peace among the nations.

All kneel.

Officiant:

O Lord, open Thou our lips.

People:

And our mouth shall show forth Thy praise.

Officiant:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

People:

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

✠ THE TRISAGION ✠

All:

Holy God,

Holy Mighty,

Holy Immortal,

Have mercy upon us.

Officiant: 

Holy God,

Holy Mighty,

Holy Immortal,

Have mercy upon us.

All:

Holy God,

Holy Mighty,

Holy Immortal,

Have mercy upon us.

✠ APPOINTED LESSONS FOR THE SERVICE ✠

✠ Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 2:2–4

Reader:

A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.

And it shall come to pass in the last days,

that the mountain of the Lord’s house

shall be established in the top of the mountains,

and shall be exalted above the hills;

and all nations shall flow unto it.

And many people shall go and say,

Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the house of the God of Jacob;

and he will teach us of his ways,

and we will walk in his paths:

for out of Zion shall go forth the law,

and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

And he shall judge among the nations,

and shall rebuke many people:

and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruninghooks:

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

neither shall they learn war any more.

Officiant:

The Word of the Lord.

People:

Thanks be to God.

✠ Psalm for Peace: Psalm 122

I was glad when they said unto me:

We will go into the house of the Lord.

Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is builded as a city

that is at unity in itself.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

they shall prosper that love thee.

Peace be within thy walls,

and plenteousness within thy palaces.

For my brethren and companions’ sakes,

I will now say, Peace be within thee.

Because of the house of the Lord our God

I will seek to do thee good.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

✠ New Testament Reading: Romans 12:17–21

Reader:

A Reading from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Romans.

Recompense to no man evil for evil.

Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you,

live peaceably with all men.

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath:

for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him;

if he thirst, give him drink:

for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

Be not overcome of evil,

but overcome evil with good.

Officiant:

The Word of the Lord.

People:

Thanks be to God.

✠ The Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew 5:9–12, 43–48

Deacon/Officiant:

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew.

People:

Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

Blessed are the peacemakers:

for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake:

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,

and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:

for great is your reward in heaven:

for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Ye have heard that it hath been said,

Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

But I say unto you,

Love your enemies,

bless them that curse you,

do good to them that hate you,

and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:

for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,

and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Be ye therefore perfect,

even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Deacon/Officiant:

The Gospel of the Lord.

People:

Praise be to Thee, O Christ.

✠ THE GREAT LITANY FOR PEACE ✠

Officiant:

Let us pray in peace to the Lord.

People:

Lord, have mercy.

For the peace which is from above, and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.

People:

Lord, have mercy.

For the peace of the whole world, for the welfare of the holy Churches of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.

People:

Lord, have mercy.

For the lands made holy by the footsteps of the Apostles, in Jerusalem, Antioch, Damascus, Mesopotamia, and Persia, and for all who dwell therein, let us pray to the Lord.

People:

Lord, have mercy.

For the peoples of Israel, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, and the neighboring lands; that God would restrain violence, preserve life, and guide the nations in wisdom, let us pray to the Lord.

People:

Lord, have mercy.

For rulers and leaders of the nations, that they may turn from hatred and pride, and seek justice, mercy, and reconciliation, let us pray to the Lord.

People:

Lord, have mercy.

For the innocent who suffer in war, especially the children, families, the elderly, and the defenseless, that the Lord may shelter them beneath His mercy, let us pray to the Lord.

People:

Lord, have mercy.

For refugees, captives, the wounded, the hungry, and the homeless, that the Lord may send them comfort and deliverance, let us pray to the Lord.

People:

Lord, have mercy.

For the faithful remnant of Christians throughout the Middle East, heirs of the Apostles and witnesses to the ancient faith, that they may be strengthened in hope and preserved in safety, let us pray to the Lord.

People:

Lord, have mercy.

For our persecuted brothers and sisters of the Eastern Churches, Orthodox, Oriental, and Assyrian, who endure hardship for the Name of Christ, that their witness may shine as a light in darkness, let us pray to the Lord.

People:

Lord, have mercy.

For the Church of Jerusalem, the Mother of all Churches, and for the city where our Lord suffered, died, and rose again, that it may once more become a place of reconciliation and peace, let us pray to the Lord.

People:

Lord, have mercy.

For the Church of Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians, that her faithful may remain steadfast in the Gospel, let us pray to the Lord.

People:

Lord, have mercy.

For the lands of Damascus, where Saul encountered the risen Christ and was transformed into Paul the Apostle, that hearts hardened by war may be softened by divine grace, let us pray to the Lord.

People:

Lord, have mercy.

For the lands of Mesopotamia and Persia, where the Gospel once spread across Asia through the ancient Church of the East, that the light of Christ may not be extinguished there, let us pray to the Lord.

People:

Lord, have mercy.

✠ COMMEMORATION OF THE FALLEN ✠

Officiant:

Let us remember before God all those who have died in the violence of war, soldiers and civilians alike, known and unknown, named and unnamed.

Silence is kept.

Officiant:

O God, whose mercies cannot be numbered:

Accept our prayers on behalf of the souls of Thy servants departed this life in the turmoil of war.

Grant them rest where the light of Thy countenance shineth;

and forgive the sins which they have committed through human frailty.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

People:

Amen.

✠ PRAYERS FOR THE INNOCENT DEAD ✠

Officiant:

O righteous Judge and merciful Savior,

we commend unto Thy compassion the souls of all innocent victims of violence.

Remember, O Lord, the children whose lives were taken before their time,

the mothers and fathers who mourn them,

and the families broken by grief.

Receive these little ones into the brightness of Thy Kingdom,

where sorrow and sighing are no more.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

People:

Amen.

✠ LENTEN PRAYER OF REPENTANCE FOR THE NATIONS ✠

All kneel.

All:

O Lord and Master of our life,

take from us the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle words.

But grant unto us Thy servants

the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love.

Yea, O Lord and King,

grant us to see our own sins and not to judge our brother.

For blessed art Thou unto ages of ages.

Amen.

✠ COLLECT FOR THE SUFFERING CHURCH ✠

Officiant:

O Lord Jesus Christ,

who didst plant Thy Church in the lands of the Apostles

and didst sanctify those regions by Thy holy life, death, and resurrection:

Look with mercy upon Thy servants who suffer there today.

Strengthen the faithful remnant of Thy Church;

protect the persecuted;

comfort the sorrowful;

and grant that the light of Thy Gospel may again shine brightly in those lands.

Through Thee, O Christ, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost,

one God, world without end.

People:

Amen.

✠ PRAYER FOR TRUE AND LASTING PEACE ✠

Officiant:

O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed:

Grant unto the nations of the earth the spirit of wisdom and reconciliation;

that hatred may cease,

violence may end,

and all peoples may dwell together in justice and peace.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

People:

Amen.

✠ FINAL DOXOLOGY ✠

Officiant:

Let us bless the Lord.

People:

Thanks be to God.

Officiant:

The peace of God, which passeth all understanding,

keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God,

and of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

And the blessing of God Almighty,

✠ the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,

be amongst you and remain with you always.

People:

Amen.

✠ May this Holy and Great Lent deepen our repentance, strengthen the suffering Church, still the ravings of the heathen, the heretics, and the false covenant, who seek to bring about the Apocalypse for their own vain glory and the love of the Spirit of Antichrist, and hasten the coming of the Kingdom where Christ shall reign in peace over all nations. ✠