WIXLIB

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the lifegiving proclamation from St. Luke, the Evangelist, and St.John, the Apostle, who publish the good news of life andsalvation to the world.Priest:People: Blessed is He Who has come, and is to come in the name ofthe Lord. Praise be to Him who sent Him for our salvation. MayHis grace and mercy be upon us all, forever.Now in the time of the Incarnation of our Lord and ourGod and our Savior Jesus Christ, The Word of Life, GodIncarnate of the Holy Virgin Mary, these things did come topass in this manner. †Priest:People:Priest:So we believe and confess.(Luke 3:15-21)3Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasonedin their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ ornot, John answered, saying to all, ―I indeed baptize youwith water; but One mightier than I is coming, whosesandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptizeyou with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan isin His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out Histhreshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; butthe chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.‖ And withmany other exhortations he preached to the people. ButHerod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerningHerodias, his brother Philip‘s wife, and for all the evilswhich Herod had done, also added this, above all, that heshut John up in prison. When all the people werebaptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized;3The Koodashakramam appoints Romans 5:20-6:4 and St. Luke 3:15,16; St.John 3:5-6; The Lectionary (MOC Publications 2003 ed., p. 78), however,indicates the longer selections included herein.9

and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And theHoly Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove uponHim, and a voice came from heaven which said, ―Youare My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.‖(John 3:1-8)There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, aruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night andsaid to Him, ―Rabbi, we know that You are a teachercome from God; for no one can do these signs that Youdo unless God is with him.‖ Jesus answered and said tohim, ―Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is bornagain, he cannot see the kingdom of God.‖ Nicodemussaid to Him, ―How can a man be born when he is old?Can he enter a second time into his mother‘s womb andbe born?‖ Jesus answered, ―Most assuredly, I say to you,unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enterthe kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh isflesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do notmarvel that I said to you, ‗You must be born again.‘ Thewind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it,but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. Sois everyone who is born of the Spirit.‖Priest:† Peace be unto you all.HYMN (MANEESO)(Tune: Paadayan thinmakale )Wash me of my iniquities, O Lord!Hy-ssop also shall never cleanse my sinsMosaic water does not remo-ve themOnly sprinkling in Divine baptismal fontAnd Your great mercy can wash - my - sins!Deacon:10Kurielaison.Wash me thoroughlyfrom my sins. Evenhyssop is not able towash me clean fromthe sins I havecommitted.Thesymbolicwateraccording to the Lawis also not enough towash me from my sin.Yet, it is only possiblethrough the sprinklingintheDivineBaptismal font andyour great mercy.

SILENT PRAYERPriest: Giver of light who enlightens the bodies and souls,who said, “From darkness light shall shine forth,” whogave blissful purification by the water of salvation, andgranted divine consecration through the holy oil andunity with our Lord Jesus Christ by receiving His HolyBody and Blood. O merciful Lord, who has called thisYour servant, by divine invitation, from the darkness ofdeception to the way of life-giving teachings; we beseechYou Lord, to inscribe his/her name in the Book of Life.(WRITE NAME IN BAPISTMAL REGISTER)Count him/her among the congregation of yourworshippers, and may the light of Your countenanceshine on him/her. May the victorious Cross of JesusChrist be sealed in his/her heart and mind that he/shemay flee from the vanities of this world and escape all thewickedness of the adversary by keeping Your divinecommandments.PRAYERGrant him/her, O Lord Your divine breath, whichYour Only Begotten Son breathed upon His holydisciples.Priest:[The Priest breathes on the face of the child thrice, in the form of aCross] Drive away from his/her mind the residues of idolatry.Prepare him/her to receive Your Holy Spirit and newbirth through water and Spirit. Make him/her worthy ofthe remission of sins through Your Only Begotten Son,our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ; with Him andwith Your Holy Spirit glory and honor and power are dueto You; now and at all times, forever and ever. P: Amen.11

[And the priest turns to the candidate and signs on his/her forehead threetimes without oil saying:]Priest:[Name] is signedDeacon: Barekmor:Priest:† In the name of the FatherPeople: Amen.Priest:† And of the SonPeople: Amen.Priest:† And of the living and Holy Spirit, unto life everlastingPeople: Amen.Deacon:Kurielaison.SILENT PRAYERI call upon You, Lord God Almighty, through YourOnly Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Drive away, OLord, all the evil sprits and banish all their opposing andsecret works so that, by the abiding of Your Holy Spirit,this soul that has been presented unto You may bereceived with purity and holiness. Shine forth, O Lord,and grant power to the words of faith which arepronounced in the name of Your Anointed One. May wenot speak with vain lips, but with Your grace and withYour power, which delivers the world from the evil one.Priest:12

PRAYER OF ADJURATION (EXORCISM)[Now the priest turns to the West towards the candidate and the candidateturns to the East, and he pronounces over them this PRAYER OFADJURATION, and he makes nine signs of the Cross over them saying:]We call upon You, O Lord our God, Creator of allthings visible and invisible, while we lay our hand upon thisYour child whom we seal in Your Holy and exalted Name.May all demons, and unclean spirits be driven away fromYour child and image, who is Your creation and the work ofyour hands. Hear us O Lord and cleanse this Your servantfrom the snares of the adversary.Priest:Listen to me, you perverse, unclean and rebellious onewho oppresses this creature of God.Enemy of righteousness who violates the holy and divine law,I adjure you by the glory of the great king and commandyou to depart with dread and be subject to the authority of theAlmighty Lord by Whose command the earth is firmlyfounded on the waters, and the sand is placed as the boundaryfor the seas.I adjure you by God, Who has all authority in heaven andon earth, by Him Who created all things and by Whoseprovidence they are preserved, by Him Who sustains theheavenly beings and strengthens those who are on the earth.I adjure you in the name of the Redeemer Who sent thelegion of demons into swine and drowned them in the water. Iadjure you in the name of God Who drowned the hardhearted Pharaoh, his horsemen, and chariots in the depths ofthe sea.I adjure you by Jesus Christ, Who with power and divineauthority ordered the deaf and dumb spirit saying: ―Get out ofthe man and dare not enter into him again.‖13

Stand in fear of the dreadful name of God of Whom thecreated angels and archangels tremble; in Whose presence allthe heavenly powers and ministers stand in awe; Whom thecherubim and seraphim dare not behold; in Whose presencethe sky trembles and the depths shiver; the heavenly hostsworship Him with reverence and the whole universe declaresHis glory. Stand in fear of the dreadful name of God Who fastenedthe first rebellious one in chains of darkness and sent him tohell.Stand in fear of the judgment to come; tremble and depart. Donot approach or afflict this creature of God. Dwell not inGod‘s creation, for it is not the dwelling place of demons, butthe temple and dwelling place of the Living God Who said: ―Ishall dwell in them, and walk with them; I shall be their Godand they shall be my people.‖ As for you, O evil spirit, Hehas made you detestable and void of virtues and fuel for theunquenchable fire. I adjure you by God Who is holy and victorious, theFather, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, depart from this servantof God and go to the pathless deserted lands where there is nowater, where your dwelling place should be. Make haste,protest not: may you be uprooted and perish completely.Be banished from God‘s creation, O you accursed one,unclean spirit, spirit of deception and fuel for theunquenchable flames. Make haste, and do not resist. God,the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit shall eradicate you and driveyou out from His creation that you be destroyed andtormented in the tormenting fire. Whereas, He shall preserveHis servant, the work of His hands till the day of salvation.All power and authority belong to Him, and to Him we lift upglory and honor now and at all times, forever and ever. People: Amen.14

AN ALTERNATE PRAYER OF ADJURATIONIn Your holy name, O Lord God, I seal and castout from this Your creation all the evil and wickedspirits. . Depart, deceitful and rebellious one, andlet Your servant be purified from deceitful spirits. FearO unclean spirit, the coming judgment. Do notassail the creature of God, because he/she is not thedwelling place of demons, but is the temple of God. Iadjure you in the name of the Father, Son, andHoly Spirit to be uprooted and expelled. O unclean spirit,make haste and do not resist.Priest:People: Amen[The candidate is made to turn to the West and the priest turns towards the East.The Godfather/Godmother renounces Satan three times while he/she holds theleft hand of the one being baptized with his/her left hand and repeats this vowthree times:]I, [Name] who am being baptized,renounce you Satan, your armies, your messengers,all the fear of you, and all of your deceitfulness.Godparent:[The face of the candidate is turned to the East and the Priest turns to the West,while the Godfather/Godmother holds the right hand of the candidate withhis/her right hand, and says the profession of faith three times:]I, [Name] who am being baptized, confessand believe in You, Lord Jesus Christ and in all thedoctrines which You have divinely entrusted to theProphets, the Apostles, and the Holy Fathers.Godparent:[The Godfather/Godmother repeats the following three times after the priest:]I have renounced Satan and I haveconfessed in Lord Jesus Christ. (3)Godparent:15

[The priest begins the Nicene Creed]Priest:We believe in one true GodPeople: the Father Almighty / Maker of heaven and earth / andof all things, visible and invisible/And in the One Lord Jesus Christ / the only-begotten Son ofGod / begotten of the Father / before all worlds / Light ofLight / True God of True God / begotten, not made / being ofone essence with the Father / and by whom all things weremade/ †Who for us men / and for our Salvation / came downfrom heaven/ † And was incarnate of the Holy Virgin Mary /Mother of God / by the Holy Spirit / and became Man/ †andwas crucified for us / in the days of Pontius Pilate / andsuffered, and died / and was buried/ And the third day roseagain / according to His will / and ascended into heaven / andis seated on the right hand of His Father / and is coming againin His great glory / to judge both the living and the dead /whose kingdom shall have no end/And in the One living Holy Spirit / the Life-giving Lord of all/ who proceeds from the Father / and who with the Father andthe Son / is worshipped and glorified / who spoke by theprophets and the Apostles/And in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church / Andwe acknowledge one Baptism / for the remission of sins / Andlook for the resurrection of the dead / and the new life in theworld to come. Amen.SILENT PRAYERO Lord, You sent Your Holy Spirit and created thisYour servant from nothingness and brought him/her intoexistence. He/she has been made worthy of HolyBaptism through Your love of mankind. Establishhim/her on the foundation of the holy Apostles, and plantPriest:16

him/her as a true sapling in Your Holy Church. SendYour Holy Spirit upon him/her so that he/she may beworthy of the sacramental anointing. Fill him/her withYour divine gifts. Make Your light shine in the heart ofthis Your worshipper, so that he/she may be free from theslavery of sin.[Now the priest puts his thumb into the oil of anointing (Siath/blessed olive oil)and signs the one being baptized on his/her forehead, saying:]Priest: [Name] is sealed with the oil of gladness, thathe/she may be worthy of adoption as son by beingborn again;Deacon: Barekmor:Priest:† In the name of the FatherPeople: Amen.Priest:† And of the SonPeople: Amen.Priest:† And of the living and Holy Spirit, unto life everlastingPeople: Amen.17

[The priest stands before the baptismal font. He takes warm water in his righthand and cold water in his left hand and he places the right hand over the leftin the form of a Cross and says this prayer while mixing this water:]Priest: Through the supplication of our feebleness, O Lord,we pray that this water may be mixed with the power andoperation of Your Holy Spirit, so that this may be aspiritual womb and a crucible which brings forthincorruptibility. May this water be to Your servant, whois being baptized, the garment of incorruptibility anddeliverance from the bonds of sins. For You are the giverof all good gifts, and to † You we offer glory, and toYour Only-Begotten Son and to Your Holy Spirit nowand forever and ever.People: Amen[The priest covers the baptismal font with sosapa.]HYMN (KUKOYO)(Tune: Ke-lpin boothala )Listen - to this all people – HalleluiahThe wa-ter was mixed by John for Ba-ptismChrist went - down in the river, sanctify-ing itAs He came up – out of the waterEarth and heaven – gave honor to Him.Sun and - moon did worship him, the clouds did a-doreThe Lord – was baptized and did bless all the watersHalleluiah – Through them compassion1.18

O, come and listen to me – HalleluiahWho has – ever seen no-ble sisters, such as theseHoly – and pure Baptism and the Holy - ChurchOne gives birth to – spiritual childrenWhile the other nurtures these new onesAll those born from the water – in Ba-ptismThe Church - receives and offers them unto the LordHalleluiah, born in the Spirit. Barekmor.2.Priest: - † Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost HalleluiahListen to all this, All People! Halleluiah!John mixed the waters for baptism. Christ sanctified the watersand went down into and was baptized in them. As He came up outof the water, the earth and heaven gave honor to Him. The sunand moon worship Him and the clouds adore Him, the Lord whowas baptized and who sanctified all waters for the purification ofthe world. Haleluiah Through them, let there be compassion forall.Come, Listen to me – Halleluiah!Who has ever seen two noble sisters, such as the pure Baptisteryand the Holy Church; the one gives birth to the new spiritualchildren and the other nurtures them; whomsoever the Baptisterybears from the water, the Holy Church receives and presents tothe altar, Halleluiah, born in the Spirit.[Priest removes sosappa from over the baptismal font and waves it over waters]3.How great it is when the priest extends his right handOpening the font, astoun-ding holy AngelsBehold mortal – standing above flamesHe calls out to- the Holy SpiritHis desires are fulfilled when - the Spirit descendsSancti-fying waters for forgiveness of sins.Halleluiah – o - HalleluiahUnto the ages of ages, and for ever more Halleluiah19

4. The Baptismal font became a fountain of lifeWhen Father, Son, and Holy Spirit hallowed it.Father proclaimed – ―My belov-ed Son‖Son bowed down His - head for BaptismHoly – Spirit descended on Him like – a doveHoly – Trinity, Who gives - life to the whole worldHalleluiah – in this we believe. Morio rahem How miraculous is the time when the priest stretches out his handsand opens the Baptismal font! The heavenly hosts are astounded tobehold the mortal standing above the flame. He calls upon the HolySpirit to descend from above. His desire is hastily fulfilled when theHoly Spirit sanctifies the Baptistery for the remission of sins.Halleluiah, HalleluiahWhen the Baptistery was sanctified by the Father, the Son and theHoly Spirit, it became a fountain of life. The Father’s voice washeard saying, “This is my beloved Son.” The Son was bending Hishead to be baptized and the Holy Spirit was descending upon Himlike a dove. Holy Trinity by Whom the worlds gained life,Halleluiah, Halleluiah.Deacon:KurielaisonSILENT PRAYERYou have given us, O Lord, the wellspring of truepurification, which removes stains and marks of sins.Even now O Lord, through the intercession of us sinners,grant Your divine breath which Your Only Begotten Sonbreathed on His holy disciples.Priest:PRAYERBecause You are the Savior and the Purifier andthe Giver of all good things, we offer praise to † You andto Your Only Begotten Son and to Your Holy Spirit, nowand forever.People:Amen.Priest:20

[Now the priest breathes three times upon the water in the form of a cross,from west to east and from south to north, praying loudly:]Priest:Lord, turn to this water and sanctify it. Deacon:Kurielaison.SILENT PRAYERO Lord, may the head of the dragon, the murdererof mankind, be crushed under the sign of Your cross. We pray to You, O Lord: Drive away from this water allthe aerial and invisible demons and let not the evil spiritof darkness be hidden in this water, nor the uncleanspirit of obscurity that causes mortal troubles and mentaldisturbance, be allowed to go down into this water withthis child who is to be baptized. Put away from him/herall the operations of the adversary.Priest:PRAYERTherefore, Your Church and Your flock redeemedby Your † Cross stand by the waters of the River Jordanhumbly beseeching You and Your Father saying:Priest:People: Have mercy on us, O God Father Almighty.Priest: O Lord, we Your weak and sinful servants, whilereceiving Your grace, raise up thanks and praise untoYou for all Your gifts and blessings.INVOCATION OF THE HOLY SPIRITDeacon: Barekmor. How awesome is this hour! How fearful isthis time, my beloved, wherein the Living Holy Spirit takes wingand descends from the topmost heights of heaven and broods andrests upon this water of the baptismal font, and sanctifies it. Withcalmnessandawe,thereforestandandpray.People: Peace be with us and good-will be to us all.21

SILENT PRAYER[The priest bows, flutters his hands over the water and calls down the Holy Spirit:]Have mercy on us, O God Father Almighty; andsend Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon this water whichis being sanctified, from Your prepared dwelling placeand from Your boundless bosom. He is Personal), andpre-eminent, the Lord and life-giver. He spoke throughthe Law and the Prophets and the Apostles. He is presentin all places, fills all space, and perfects in holiness thosewho obey Your perfect will, not as a servant but as Lord,pure in nature, working in myriad

"Holy, Holy, Holy is God, The One who comes for Baptism." He who hallows the Seraphim, came for baptism, blessed the waters and gave new life to the children of Adam by washing/baptism in water and spirit. Glory to the Father, and to the Only Begotten Son, and to the Holy Spirit Who by Divine power through water and spirit has