Brief Overview of Lilyo

I'd like to make a post on Lilyo since I haven't posted anything in a while, as I don't have much time to work on the office itself either. Lilyo the longest office of the day. It should begin being said at midnight and contains four qawme (watches - like sentinel watches), each of which have a different devotion. This office has the most extensive structure, as it essentially is like four composite canonical hours (with the final watch being longest than the other three).

Like both Safro and Ramsho, Lilyo opens with a prayer that sets the general theological mood of the office followed by the greeting of peace and the singing of the Gloria. For Sunday's Lilyo, it begins with:

May Your love, Lord, drive away the burden of sleep from our members, the overwhelming of negligence from our minds, and listlessness and lassitude from our bodies. Make us worthy to be wakeful in body, watchful in soul, sincere in mind and holy in thought so that we may praise and ting Your glory at all times: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and at all times, forever.

The initial section is concluded with a qolo rotated with the verses of Psalm 134 and Psalm 88:2-3. Following the conclusion of this initial portion of Lilyo, the office enters its first qawmo. The first three qawme are devoted to those whom we ask for intercessions (as well as pray for).

The first qawmo is to the Yoldat Aloho, Mary. The entire qawmo is Marian, and is structured like a minor canonical hour (minus the initial prayer and Psalm 91, since that is already completed by the beginning prayer and Gloria). There is a hoosoyo with its typical components (proemion, sedro, qolo, etro) and concluded by a bo'otho (like any office). Each of the first three qawme has a very sort qolo of only 2-verse length and two verses of psalms (technically one and the other verse being the doxology, which is usually the second-to-last in the recitation of psalms). As an example of the Marian theme of the qawmo, even the Psalm for the qolo is [a] Marian [typology], Psalm 45:9. Likewise, the following qawmo of martyrs is themed for martyrs and the third qawmo of the departed.

Since the first three qawme are structurally the same, it would be redundant to go over all three. The fourth qawmo does not have an explicit written devotional purpose but the theme is clear - it is in praise of God. It begins with an opening prayer and a qolo rotated with the Song of the Three Youths of the Fiery Furnace (the book of Daniel is one of my favorites). Following this qolo is a sooghito, which leads into the hoosoyo. After this, there is a mazmooro followed by a large recitation of psalms (148, 149, 150, 117). A bo'otho follows this, however, contrary to the norm, it is not the conclusion to the office. 

The conclusion to Lilyo is a unique hymn called the Hoyen Lhatoye (He Spares Sinners). It begins with the line:

He who spares sinners, spare us on the day of judgment and remit us of our debts in Your mercifulness. On the day of Your Apocalypse, make us worthy of Your bridal chamber.

Although the hymn is different for each day, the beginning and the end are standardized. The beginning is indicative of the prayer having a penitential nature. However, rarely are Syriac prayers penitential in the sense of a Latin prayer. Instead, this hymn begins:

Holy, holy, holy are You at all times, glorious God who sanctifies the sanctified. You are sanctified by the fiery seraphim on high and blessed by blessed by the powerful cherubim with glory.

I hope this has been a sufficient look at the Lilyo office of Sunday. I look forward to completing it and uploading it so that it becomes available to be prayed.

Our Lord, accept our service, our prayers, come to our aid and have mercy on us!