Fifth Sunday of Great Lent according to the Lectionary of the Syrian Orthodox Church

This hymn is from the Holy Qurbana on the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent. The rough translation of the hymn is:

O Lord who straightened the woman who was bend over, straighten up our hearts that is bend over with sin.

O Lord who sent the legion of demons into the sea, send our evil deeds into the sea and forgive our sins.

O Meshia the true light, who gave sight to the blind man, open up our spiritual eyes, so that we may love your commandments.

O Holy Trinity, one in essense, Father Son and Holy Spirit we glorify thee.




This hymn is about the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Here is a rough translation:

When Adam was mortally wounded, the Prophets nor the Levite Priests didnt help him.

The Lord of the Prophets came and picked him up.
He cleaned and bandaged his wounds.
He gave two gifts, his body and precious blood, for his care.
And He committed him to his Father.

O Lord, who in his great mercy, took care of me, I glorify thee. Alleluia..


St. John Chrysostom teaches us that the Good Samaritan is our Lord Jesus Christ and the man attacked by the robbers is Adam or every human being. We are mortally wounded by sin. The Good Samaritan, Christ our Savior, comes down from Heaven to earth to heal us wounded men.

He finds us and pours in oil. His oil, administered in Baptism, Chrismation, and Unction, heals through the mystical work of the Life-giving Spirit Who extends the healing of Christ, pours the Life of God into our bodies, souls, and spirits, and thereby heals our delusion, darkness and alienation.

Next, the Good Samaritan pours in wine, offering us His pure blood for our battered souls. As St. John says, by mixing the Holy Spirit with His blood, He brought life to man. Then Christ our God sets the man upon His own animal, or as John expands the thought: Taking flesh upon His own divine shoulders, He lifted it toward the Father in Heaven.

Then the Lord ...brought him to an inn, and took care of him (Lk. 10:34). Our Lord brings us poor travelers and pilgrims in this life, into the wonderful and spacious inn, this universal Church. You and I do not join the Church; it is Gods gift to us for our deliverance. When considering the arrangement with the innkeeper for the mans continuing care, St. John connects the innkeeper through the Apostle Paul to the high priests and teachers and ministers of each church. And St. John understood the Blessed Apostle to be saying to the many ministers of the Church: Take care of the people of the Gentiles whom I have given to you in the Church. Since men are sick, wounded by sin, heal them, putting on them a stone plaster, that is, the Prophetic sayings and the Gospel teachings, making them whole through the admonitions and exhortations of the Old and New Testaments.


On the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, the lectionary of the Syriac Church has two different Gospel passages. The West Syriac tradition has the "Parable of the Good Samaritan" as the reading for the day while the East Syriac tradition has the "Healing of the crippled woman" as the Gospel Reading.

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