For the record, this is my first post. I recently purchased the Holy Transfiguration Monastery Prayer Book and am having some trouble. I am hours from any orthodox church or mission so I ask the members of this forum for assistance. I have no problem with the morning prayers or small compline.
I am having trouble with a few sections of the vespers service. I have a psalter from the same monastery so I have no trouble with the Kathisma.
However, right afterwards there is a section in the small litany where the deacon says "Again and again, in peace let us pray to the lord . . ." I assume this is the Lord's Prayer? (p. 51)
Another section, after the appointed readings also has the deacon says "Let us all say with our whole soul and with our whole mind, let us say . . ." (p. 57) What is said here? (The ellipses appear again on page 58).
Also, on page 59 in this service there is a section in the Prayer of St. Symeon where the reader says. " Holy God. All-Holy Trinity. Our Father." In this case is that ALL that is said or is it short hand for the Trisagion prayers?
Forgive me for my ignorance. I have been richly blessed in the last month of saying these prayers regularly. I was inspired by Fr. Josiah Trenham's lecture series on prayer.
When you are reading a service privately, the normal practice is to omit the Deacon's and Priest's lines. Typically, when the deacon says "again and again, in peace let us pray to the Lord. . ." what will follow is a small litany. Instead of the small litany, the normal practice is to say "Lord have mercy" three times, and then "Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen." If it is the great litany being replaced, the number of "Lord have mercies" increases to twelve. The line "Let us say with our whole soul and with our whole mind, let us say..." would come before the appointed scriptural readings for the day. That too would be omitted when praying alone.
