Intercessions

The Three Great Intercessions (Litanies)

God speaks to us through His Church (Lections), now His Church prays to Him on our behalf.

• 1- She asks for God's peace to be poured in our hearts. She also asks for the peace of the president (king), the armies, magistrates, councilors, our neighbors etc. Lastly she asks Him for the forgiveness of our sins so that we may not fall under the dominion of death and lose our peace.
• 2- She prays for the clergymen, especially the Pope, for they need special power to take care of God's people. We pray for them and they for us. We pray to Him to accept their prayers, which they make on our behalf and ours as well on their behalf.
• 3- She also prays for the holy assembly (ecclesia). We desire to see all mankind become children of God and members in Christ's Body, enjoying their free salvation.

Until now, in the Coptic Church, these intercessions still preserve their liturgical type. They are offered as a corporate act involving the whole church, in which each order - laity, deacon and presbyter - must actively discharge his own separate and distinctive function within the fulfillment of the "priestly" activity of the whole Body of Christ.

It is with just sorrow that in many churches the deacon's part has completely disappeared and the congregation's prayer has been reduced to a single word "Amen."

In the fourth century in Jerusalem, these intercessory prayers were shifted to be said after the consecration, as a part of the celebrant's Eucharistic prayer, instead of at the end of the liturgy of the catechumens.

The Creed

It is a natural response to the divine voice of the Lections and the ecclesiastic prayers in the intercessions. By it the believers declare their faith, carrying the word of God to the end of the earth.

We sing it, for it is a beautiful, simple and complete hymn. It describes the divine plan for our salvation in our lives, the Passion, Death, Resurrection and the Ascension of the Son of God, and the work of the Holy Spirit in us. It also describes the "Mystery of the Church" which waits for her entire triumph with her Bridegroom in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Text of the Three Great Prayers

Presbyter: Again let us pray to God Almighty, the Father of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. We pray and beseech Your goodness, O You, Lover of mankind, remember O Lord the peace of Your One, Only, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church of God.

Deacon: Pray for the peace of the One, Only, Catholic, Apostolic Church of God.

Congregation: Kyrie Elieson (Lord have mercy).

P: Which is from one end of the world to the uttermost ends thereof, all nations and all flocks do You bless them. Grant that Your heavenly peace be poured into all our hearts, also grant unto us the peace of this life.

The king (president), the soldiers the rulers, the counselors, the people, our neighbors, our coming in and going out. Adorn them with all peace, O King of peace, grant us Your peace. For You have given us everything. Possess us unto You, O God our Savior, for we know none but You. We call upon You Your holy Name. May our souls live by Your Holy Spirit, and let not the death of sin have power over us, we Your servants, nor over any of Your people.

C: Lord have mercy.

P: Again let us pray to God the Almighty, the Father of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. We pray and beseech Your goodness O You Lover of mankind. Lord, remember our Patriarch the honored father and Pope "Shenouda III" and his brothers in the apostolic service the Patriarch of Antioch "Ignatius Awas", and the Patriarch of Eritrea "Abouna Philopos"

D: Pray for our father "Shenouda III" Pope and Patriarch, and

Archbishop of the great city Alexandria...…

C: Lord, have mercy.

P: Protect and keep him for us for many years and peaceful times, fulfilling his Patriarchate (which You entrusted him with) in peace and according to Your holy and blessed Will. Preaching the Word of truth in an orthodox manner, and shepherding your people in purity and justice.

We also ask You to preserve for us with our Orthodox bishops and the proto-priests, the priests and deacons and all the fullness of Your one Catholic and Apostolic Church. Accept their prayers on our behalf and for Your people, as well as our prayers for them. Receive and accept these prayers, as a sweet aroma, on Your holy, eloquent and heavenly altar.

Subdue without fail all their enemies under their feet. As for the clergymen, keep them in peace and righteousness in Your holy Church.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P: We also ask God the Pantocrator, the Father of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ. We entreat Your goodness, O' Lover-of-Mankind, remember O' Lord, our gatherings. Bless them.

D: Pray for this holy church, and for our gatherings.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P: Allow us to have them without prevention or hindrance, that we may hold them according to Your Holy and Blessed Will

Grant us O' Lord houses of prayer, houses of purity (he stretches his hands westwards), and houses of blessing (he stretches his hands northwards). Grant them unto us, O Lord, and unto Your servants coming after us forever (he stretches his hands southward, making the sign of the cross).

Eliminate all idol worship from the world. Trample and humiliate Satan and his evil powers under our feet. Abolish all intrigues and their instigators. Eliminate all dissension of the corrupt heresies. Humiliate the enemies of Your holy Church, O' Lord, as You have always done. Remove their vanity; show them their weaknesses. Shatter their envy, their intrigues, their madness, their wickedness and their slander, which they commit against us.

Lord, bring them all to no avail; disperse their counsel, O' God, as you have dispersed the counsel of Ahithophel.

C: Amen, Lord, have mercy.

P: (The celebrant, turning to the East, censes the presbyters, as he says):

Arise O Lord God, let all Your enemies be scattered. Let all that hate Your holy Name flee from before Your face.

(Then turning to the west, he censes the people):

But let Your people be blessed a thousand - thousand fold, and ten-thousands ten-thousand fold.

May they fulfill Your will, through the grace and mercies and loving (philanthropy) of mankind that belong to Your Only begotten Son, our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, (he offers incense thrice towards the altar). It is due unto You, with Himself and the Holy Spirit, the life-giving and con-substantial with You, all glory, honor, dominion and worship, now and all times and unto the ages of all ages Amen.