One of the most amazing things that the Friends of St. Sharbel do is promote Ramsho, or the Maronite evening prayer. Similar to Vespers, this prayer is traditionally said in the evening time by monks and lay people at the same time throughout the world. It’s always humbling to think that we can join together in perpetual prayer with the rest of the Church.
Ramsho has a very rich history in that due to the Syriac tradition that the Maronite Church emerges from, it was originally comprised in Aramaic, the same language that Christ himself spoke. The Ramsho that we have today is brought to us by the Maronite Church, who have translated their version of the Divine Office. The Prayer of the Faithful contains three main prayer hours: Safro which is morning prayer, Ramsho which is evening prayer, and Sootoro which is night prayer.
While other hours of the Prayer of the Faithful are just as beautiful as Ramsho, and have powerful graces which come from them, Ramsho is a prayer that many people find they have the time for. Often in our secular life, we are forced to rush out of our homes for work early, or we are simply unable to do prayer later at night because of family obligations or a tight sleeping schedule. Ramsho normally takes place around 6:00 PM, which means that after we return home from our jobs or end our day of chores, we are able to reground ourselves in prayer.
Ramsho, like the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Horus, is built around praying the Psalms, which rotates on a schedule during the Liturgical year. Prayers are attached to the Psalms before and after, hymns are sung, and Qolo and Etro (the offering of incense) is performed near the end. Supplications are offered, and before a final examination of conscience and dismissal, the Trisagion is offered, which I find to be the most beautiful part of the Maronite prayer. I find myself naturally praying the Trisagion in Syriac, which is found in the Maronite Liturgy as well.
TRISAGION
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Holy are you, O God;
Holy are you, O Strong One;
Holy are you, O Immortal One;
have mercy on us
Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, forgive us and have mercy on us.
Lord, hear us and have mercy on us.
Lord, accept our worship and our prayers.
Lord, come to our assistance and have mercy on us.
One of the most common complaints that I experience when talking to fellow Catholics about the Liturgy of the Hours or praying the Psalms in general, is that it can be so difficult to figure out which prayer is said, what Psalms are being used, or that you have to have a giant Psalter or Brief. Thankfully, MaroniteFaith.Com has a very easy to follow along system. You simply click the week you’re in, the day, and choose Morning, Evening, or Night prayer. Its really that simple
Maronite Faith
Maronite Faith is a great resource that I constantly use. There you can find the daily readings, information on the Maronite Church, Saints, and a whole host of resources to begin understanding this ancient part of the Catholic Church.
