The Office of Kneeling - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

32 THIRD KNEELING
faithful promise.
There is no death, O Lord, unto us Thy servants when we go
forth from the body and come to Thee (our) God, but a passing
from pain to gladness and goodness and rest and rejoicing. And
though we have sinned against Thee, forgive us and be gracious
unto us and unto them, for none is free from blemish before
Thee, even though his life be but for one day upon earth, except
Thee alone, O our Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst manifest Thyself
sinless upon earth (and) by Whom we all hope to find mercy and
forgiveness of sins. Do Thou, therefore, as a Good and
Compassionate God forgive us and them also and remit and
pardon our transgressions, the mortal and forgivable, the known
and unknown, the manifest and hidden, those in deed and in
word and in thought, and those (committed) in all our
conversations and our emotions.
And to those who have gone before to rest, give freedom and
repose; bless us who now remain and grant to us and to all Thy
people a good and peaceful end; open the gates of Thy mercy and
clemency at Thine awful Second Coming, and make us worthy for
Thy Kingdom. For Thou art the rest of our souls and bodies, and
we offer unto Thee praise with the Father (Who is) without
beginning and Who is timeless with the Holy Spirit the Co-
Essential, the Good One (and) the Possessor of power (and) the
Giver of Life, now and at all times and unto the age of ages.
Amen. Lord have mercy.
Then the priest says: “Our Father Who art in Heaven … ,” and
he raises the cross and says the Three Absolutions, and the
people and the priests kiss the cross and the Gospel. The
people say, “Kyrie Eleison” thrice, and after this the deacons
chant this Canon which belongs to the feast according to its
tune: