How to Benefit from the Holy Liturgy - Pope Kirillos Scientific Family

3. The SECOND HOAS : is Psalm 135, with the chorus:
“Thank the Lord for the Lord is good and His mercy
endures forever.” This is repeated at the end of every verse
of the Hoas. The Hoas is a thanksgiving praise by the church
to God for His goodness and His everlasting mercy.
4. The THIRD HOAS : is the song of the three young
men in the fiery furnace. The church sings this hymn as if
to lead the whole creation, earthly and heavenly to praise
and glorify God. There are two chorus in the Third Hoas
:-
• ‘More blessed and more exalted forever’ repeated six
times;
• ‘Praise Him and exalt Him forever’ repeated 34 times.
Total is 40, which is a perfect number, symbolising the
perfect praise offered by the church to her God.
5. CONGREGATION OF SAINTS : The struggling
church here on earth asks for the intercessions and prayers of
the victorious church together with all her saints: St Mary
the mother of God, then the angels, the patriarchs, prophets,
apostles, martyrs and saints. Doxologies are then said in the
same manner of commemoration to glorify the saints and ask
for their prayers.
6. The FORTH HOAS : is comprised of the last three
psalms : 148, 149, 150. It resembles the Third Hoas
regarding the leadership of the church and the whole of
creation praising and glorifying God.
7. EPSALIA : every day of the week has a special Epsalia
which serves and glorifies the name of our Lord. It has a
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