Raising the Morning and Evening Incense During The Holy Great Fast

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As the Holy Great Fast approaches on and we begin to prepare ourselves for the fifty-five days of fasting prior to the Feast of the Holy Resurrection, I would like to encourage everyone to observe this fast from its beginning. Practice this fast in prayer, repentance, and spiritual readings with all strictness ensuring all the benefits and blessings it can afford. As a penitent practice, fasting is designed to strengthen our spiritual life.

Attend the Divine Liturgies faithfully and understand the Coptic Church Rites during the Holy Great Fast:

Monday through Friday during the Holy Great Fast the Raising of Morning Incense or the "Matins" does not immediately precede the Divine Liturgy but is prayed separately in the early morning. There will be no Raising of the Evening Incense or "Vespers" as the Divine Liturgies conclude late in the day.

Hymns are chanted in the penitent tune of the fast without the use of cymbals. The only exceptions to this rule is the Friday of the week preceding the Holy Passion Week which denoted the conclusion of the fast, when we thank the Lord for the blessings of the Holy Great Fast.

The Morning Incense:

The Thanksgiving Prayer begins the Rite of Raising the Morning Incense. The Verses of the Cymbals are omitted but rather the congregation responds with "Lord Have Mercy" in the longer Holy Great Fast tune. After the priest recites "the prayers for the sick and those traveling," the congregation sings the Doxologies for the days of the "Holy Great Fast" before the "Doxology for St. Mary".

Following "God Have Mercy upon Us", the congregation chants "Lord Have Mercy" three times and the candles are extinguished, the lights turned off, the curtain of the altar closed and the prophecies are solemnly read. Following the reading of the prophecies, the curtain is reopened, the lights turned on, the candles lit, and the Litanies of the Morning Incense of the Holy Great Fast are prayed. The congregation performs a metanoia and says "Lord Have Mercy" following each intercession.

The Holy Gospel is then read, and the congregation responds the Holy Great Fast "Holy Gospel response". The "Five Short Prayers" and the "Absolution" are then followed by the "end of service hymn" concluding with the words "Our Lord Jesus Christ Who Fasted for us forty days and forty nights to save us from our sins."

During the Rite of Saturdays and Sundays during the Holy Great Fast there are no metanoias. The Divine Liturgies directly proceed after Matins and the Vespers services are prayed. The cymbals are used and the hymns are chanted in the tune of "Blessed are the Merciful."

Morning and Evening Incense:

The Holy Great Fast "Verses of the Cymbals" is said before the verses for St. Mary. The Doxologies for Saturdays and Sundays of the Holy Great Fast are recited before the Doxology for St. Mary. The Holy Gospel Response for Saturday and Sunday is said. The Raising of the Incense ends the same as during the weekdays.

The Rite of Matins during the three days of Jonah's Fast, "The Fast of the Ninevites", is much the same as that of the weekdays of the Holy Great Fast with these exceptions:

the Doxology for the Fast of Jonah is said instead of the Holy Great Fast Doxologies,
the Holy Gospel responses for the Fast of Jonah are read,and
the end-of-service hymn to be chanted is the yearly one.

"Happy are those who long to be just and good, for they shall be completely satisfied"
(Matthew 5:6).