GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 2
Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
Come, let us adore God the Word,
Who was born of the Father before all ages,
and was incarnate of the Virgin Mary;
for of His own free will He suffered the Cross
and submitted Himself to burial,
and arose from the dead to save me, a sinful one.
The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
Christ our Saviour cancelled the decree that was written against us,
by nailing it to the Cross;
and He abolished the dominion of Death.
Let us glorify His Resurrection on the third day.
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
Let us, together with the archangels, sing of Christ’s resurrection;
for He is the Redeemer and Saviour of our souls.
He will come again in awesome glory and mighty power
to judge the world which He has fashioned.
In Tone 2
Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Come, let us faithfully celebrate the brilliant, divine Transfiguration.
Having been renewed in spirit,
we shall climb to the summit of virtue;
and having learned with the apostles
the revelation of the strange mysteries,
we shall glorify the Lord and Saviour.
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Rejoice and be happy, O faithful!
The Church now celebrates this precious and bright feast.
The Master of all is transfigured.
He is resplendent in the dawn of ineffable splendour,
shining more brightly than the sun.
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
This is the God and the Creator of all.
Through his great mercy He took on the appearance of a slave.
He now heals the wounds of ancient times.
By his gleaming countenance
He revealed the glow of divinity in his body.
The terrified apostles fell to the ground;
they bowed before the Master of all.
In Tone 1
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
O holy apostle Matthias,
you filled the choir from which Judas fell away.
You cast out the darkness of idol-worship
with the splendour of your wise words.
Now pray that Christ may grant peace and great mercy to our souls.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
O holy apostle Matthias,
you filled the choir from which Judas fell away.
You cast out the darkness of idol-worship
with the splendour of your wise words.
Now pray that Christ may grant peace and great mercy to our souls.
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
O blessed Matthias,
you flowed like a river filled with divine water
and watered the earth with your mystical streams,
thus causing it to bear much fruit.
Pray that Christ may grant peace and great mercy to our souls.
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
O God-inspired Matthias,
the universe shines in the brightness of your inspired teaching;
for your instructions have illumined and enlightened all.
They have guided all to an understanding of God;
they have transformed into dwellings of brightness
those who had lived in the darkness of vain illusions
and in the darkness of life without God.
In Tone 6, Glory…
Grace was poured out through your lips, O glorious apostle Matthias.
You were a luminary in the Church of Christ.
You taught the disciples to believe in the consubstantial Trinity,
in the one divinity.
In Tone 2, Now…
O Virgin, the shadow of the Law passed away
with the realization of grace.
For as the bush had burned without being consumed,
so you gave birth while a virgin
and you remained a virgin.
Instead of the pillar of fire there rose the Sun of Justice.
Instead of Moses, Christ God came forth,
the Saviour of our souls.
Readings
(1) Acts 1:15-26; (2) 1 John 3: 21 through 4: 6; (3) 1 John 4: 11 -16
Aposticha
In Tone 2
Your Resurrection, O Christ our Saviour,
has enlightened the whole universe;
and, through it, You call back to Yourself all Creation.
Almighty God, glory to You!
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
By the wood of Your Cross, O Saviour,
You have abolished the curse of the tree;
by Your burial You have destroyed the power of death;
and by Your Resurrection You enlightened the human race.
We, therefore, cry out to You:
O Christ our God, Giver of Life, glory to You!
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
O Christ, when You were nailed to the Cross,
the distorted nature of creation was made manifest.
The soldiers showed their inhumanity by piercing Your side with a lance,
and the people showed their ignorance of Your power
by asking that Your tomb be sealed.
But, in Your mercy, You accepted burial
and then arose on the third day.
O Lord, glory to You!
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
O Christ, Giver of Life,
You freely endured the Passion for the sake of mortals.
In Your power You descended into Hades;
and snatching, as from a mighty monster, the souls of those who awaited Your coming,
You placed them in Paradise.
Therefore, show Your great mercy to us who glorify Your Resurrection,
and cleanse our souls.
In Tone 2, Glory…
Filled with divine ambition, O apostle Matthias,
you laboured zealously for God the almighty
who revealed you worthy of divine miracles.
Now you abide with the heavenly hosts and behold our God.
Pray to the Word, Christ our God,
to grant his great mercy to us.
Now…
You were transfigured in glory on Mount Tabor, O Christ our God,
and You showed your disciples the glory of your divinity.
Now also pour out the light of your knowledge upon us
and, in your goodness and your love for all of us,
guide us in the way of your divine commandments.
Troparia
In Tone 2
When You went down to death, O Life Immortal,* You struck Hades dead with the blazing light of Your divinity.* When You raised the dead from the nether world,* all the powers of heaven cried out:* “O Giver of Life, Christ our God, glory be to You!”
In Tone 3, Glory…
O holy apostle Matthias, intercede with the all-merciful God* that He may grant us forgiveness of our sins.
In Tone 7, Now…
You were transfigured on the mount, O Christ God,* showing Your glory to Your disciples as much as they could bear.* Make Your eternal light shine* also on us who are sinners,* through the prayers of the Mother of God** O Giver of Light, glory to You!
DIVINE LITURGY
Antiphon 1
Shout to the Lord, all the earth, sing now to His name, give glory to His praise.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; Your lightning lit up the world.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
You have clothed Yourself in praise and splendour; You robe Yourself in light as with a cloak.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Glory… Now… Only-begotten Son…
Antiphon 3
Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord, let us acclaim God, our Saviour.
Son of God, transfigured on the mountain, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Let us come before His face with praise, and acclaim Him in psalms.
Son of God, transfigured on the mountain, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
For God is the great Lord, and the great king over all the earth.
Son of God, transfigured on the mountain, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Entrance:
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ.
Son of God, transfigured on the mountain, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 2: When You went down to death, O Life Immortal,* You struck Hades dead with the blazing light of Your divinity.* When You raised the dead from the nether world,* all the powers of heaven cried out:* “O Giver of Life, Christ our God, glory be to You!”
Troparion, Tone 7: You were transfigured on the mount, O Christ God,* showing Your glory to Your disciples as much as they could bear.* Make Your eternal light shine* also on us who are sinners,* through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Giver of Light, glory to You!
Troparion, Tone 3: O holy apostle Matthias, intercede with the all-merciful God* that He may grant us forgiveness of our sins.
Kontakion, Tone 2: You rose from the tomb, O almighty Saviour;* and Hades, seeing this wonder, was stricken with fear; and the dead arose.* Creation saw and rejoices with You, and Adam exults.* And the world, my Saviour, sings Your praises for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 4: Your radiant message,* O wondrous apostle Matthias,* has shone like the sun throughout the world* enlightening the Church of the nations with grace.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 7: You were transfigured on the mount, O Christ God,* and Your disciples saw Your glory as much as they could;* that when they saw You crucified* they might know that You suffered willingly*, and might proclaim to the world* that You are truly the brightness of the Father.
Prokeimenon, Tone 4
How great are Your works, O Lord, You have made all things in wisdom.
verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul; O Lord, my God, You are exceedingly great. (Psalm 103:24, 1)
Epistle
1 Corinthians 9:2-12;Acts 1:12-17,21-26
Gospel
Matthew 18:23-35; Luke 9:1-6
Hymn to the Mother of God
O my soul, magnify the Lord transfigured on the mountain.
And the Irmos, Tone 4: Your forgiving birth was received as incorrupt; for it was God who came forth from your womb; He appeared on earth in the flesh, and made His dwelling among us. Thus, O Mother of God, all of us magnify you.
Communion Hymn
We will walk in the light of Your face, O Lord,* and rejoice in Your name forever.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 88:16, 17)