Continuing from my post yesterday on my work toward a Gnostic Liturgy of the Hours, I put together a Little Gnostic Divine Office for evening again under the inspiration of the service for the same as found in the BCP. As an ecumenical service for Gnostics across different traditions, there are some further considerations to be made, especially in regards to the rotation of readings.
A Little Gnostic Divine Office for Evening
An Act of Confession
Officiant We have come before God and before you and before the ordinances of the Holy Church that we may receive pardon and penance for all our sins in thought, word and deed from our birth until now and we ask of God mercy and of you that you pray for us to the Holy Father of Mercy that He forgive us.
People Lord, have mercy.
Officiant By our tongues we fall into idle words, vain talk, mockery and malice, detraction of our brothers and sisters whom we are not worthy to judge nor to condemn their faults.
People Lord, have mercy.
Officiant For numerous are the sins by which we daily offend God, night and day, in thought, in word and deed, wittingly and unwittingly, and especially by the desires the evil spirits bring to us in the flesh which clothes us.
People Lord, have mercy.
Officiant May the almighty and ineffable God, have mercy on us, forgive us our short-comings and draw us nearer to the light of gnosis. Amen.
The Invitatory and Psalter
All stand
Officiant God, come to my assistance.
People Lord, make haste to help us.
Officiant and People
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as
it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Except in Lent, Alleluia may be added.
O Gracious Light Phos hilaron
O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing thy praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Thou art worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified though all the worlds.
Then follows
The Psalm or Psalms Appointed
At the end of the Psalms is sung or said
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
The Lessons
One or two lessons, as appointed, are read, the Reader first saying
A Reading (Lesson) from _______________.
A citation giving chapter and verse may be added.
After each Lesson the Reader may say
The Word of the Lord.
Answer Thanks be to God.Or the Reader may say
Here ends the Lesson (Reading)
A Hymn of Grace for Gnosis from the Hymns of Hermes
We give Thee grace, Thou highest and most excellent! For by Thy Grace we have received the so great Light of Thy own Gnosis. O holy Name, fit Name to be adored, O Name unique, by which God only must be blest through worship of our Sire, of Thee who deignest to afford to all a Father’s piety, and care, and love, and whatsoever virtue is more sweet than these, endowing us with sense, and reason, and intelligence;-with sense that we may feel Thee; with reason that we may track Thee out from appearances of things; with means of recognition that we may joy in knowing Thee.
Saved by Thy Power divine, let us rejoice that Thou hast shown Thyself to us in all Thy Fullness. Let us rejoice that Thou hast designed to consecrate us, still entombed in bodies, to Eternity.
For this is the sole festival of praise worthy of man-to know Thy Majesty.
We know Thee; yea, by the Single Sense of our intelligence, we have perceived Thy Light supreme,-O Thou True Life of life, O Fecund Womb that giveth birth to every nature!
We have known Thee, O Thou completely filled with the Conception from Thyself of Universal Nature! We have known Thee, O Thou Eternal Constancy!
Form the whole of this our prayer in worship of Thy Good, this favour only of Thy Goodness do we crave: that Thou wilt keep us constant in our Love-of-knowing- Thee, and let us ne’er be cut off from this kind of Life.
The Prayers
The People stand.
Officiant The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Officiant Let us pray.The Lord’s Prayer
Officiant and People
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our tresspasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.O Holy Mother a 13th Century Cathar prayer
Officiant and People
O Holy Mother
Rightful Queen of all the faithful souls
Who never erred
Who never lied
Follower of the rightful course
Who never doubted
Lest we should accept death
In the realm of the false god;
As we do not belong to this realm
And this realm is not ours:
Teach us Thy Gnosis
And to love what Thou lovest.
Amen.
Prayer of Thanksgiving from the Nag Hammadi Library
Officiant
The thanksgiving of one who attains to You is one thing: that we know You. We have known You, intellectual light. Life of life, we have known You. Womb of every creature, we have known You. Womb pregnant with the nature of the Father, we have known You.
People
Eternal permanence of the begetting Father, thus have we worshiped Your goodness. There is one petition that we ask: we would be preserved in knowledge. And there is one protection that we desire: that we not stumble in this kind of life. Amen
Then may be said
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Optionally, the Officiant may lead the Dance
The Hymn of Jesus & Dance
Officiant
I have recognized myself and gathered myself
together from all sides. I have sown no children to the ruler of
this world, but have torn up his roots;
I have gathered together my limbs that were scattered
abroad and I know thee who thou art.Officiant
and People Amen. Amen. Amen.
Officiant For the Logos danceth.
People Amen!
Officiant And the Sophia danceth.
People Amen.
Officiant The Ogdoad playeth to our dancing.
People Amen.
Officiant The Dodecad danceth above us.
People Amen.
Officiant The Heptad danceth with us.
People Amen.
Officiant Yea, and we all dance the dance!
Officiant
and People He who danceth not, knoweth not
what is being done.
Officiant May we all within the All forever dance.Officiant
and People Amen. Amen. Amen.
At present the suggested format for readings is to loosely follow those outlined according to the A, B, C yearly cycle in the Revised Common Lectionary. Naturally, some variations will need to be modified as a more comprehensive liturgical format is innovated or used in accordance to one’s pre-existing Gnostic community.
The current format, according to the Revised Common Lectionary is as follows:
Year A: 2007-2008, 2010-2011, 2013-2014
Year B: 2008-2009, 2011-2012, 2014-2015
Year C: 2009-2010, 2012-2013, 2015-2016
Readings for the Gnostic Gospels can be chosen from those suggested in A Gnostic Book of Hours, combining the readings of Laudes, Prime, and Terce for the Morning Office and None, Vespers and Compline for the Evening Office. These, naturally, can change according to one’s specific liturgical tradition.
Ethiopic-inspired painting of St.Tekle Haimanot by Laura James
