THE PROSKOMEDE
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Deacon:
Amen.
Then the priest takes a prosphoron in his left hand, and in his right hand the holy spear,
and making therewith the sign of the Cross thrice over the seal of the prosphoron, he
says:
Priest:
In remembrance of our Lord and God and Savior,
Jesus Christ.
Thrice.
And immediately he thrusts the spear into the right side of the seal, and cutting he says:
Priest:
He was led as a sheep to the slaughter.
And into the left side:
Priest:
And as a blameless lamb before his shearer is dumb,
so He openeth not His mouth.
And into the upper side of the seal:
Priest:
In His lowliness His judgment was taken away.
And into the lower side:
Priest:
And who shall declare His generation?
And the deacon, gazing reverently at this Mystery, holding his orarion in his hand, says
at each of these incisions:
Deacon:
Let us pray to the Lord.
After the prosphoron has been cut on all four sides he says:
Deacon:
Take away, Master.
The priest having thrust the holy spear obliquely into the right side of the prosphoron,
takes away the holy bread, saying:
Priest:
For His life is taken away from the earth.
And the priest having laid it inverted on the holy diskos, the deacon says: