GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 4
Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
We never cease to adore Your life-giving Cross, O Christ our God,
And we glorify Your resurrection on the third day.
For You, Almighty One, have thereby restored the corrupted nature of all
and reopened the way to heaven,
since You alone are gracious and You love mankind.
The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O Saviour, You have absolved the penalty of disobedience,
committed through the tree of Eden,
by willingly being nailed to the tree of the Cross.
As Almighty God, You descended into Hades
and broke asunder the bonds of death.
We, therefore, venerate Your resurrection from the dead,
and joyfully cry out to You:
Almighty Lord, glory to You!
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
O Lord, You have battered down the gates of Hades,
and by Your death You have dissolved the realm of death.
You have freed mankind from corruption,
bestowing life, incorruption, and Your great mercy upon the world.
Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Come, all you people,
let us sing the praises of our Saviour’s resurrection on the third day.
For we have, thereby, been delivered from the invincible bonds of Hades,
and we have received incorruption, together with eternal life.
Therefore, we cry out to You
after Your crucifixion, burial, and resurrection:
Save us by Your resurrection, for You love mankind.
In Tone 8
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
What shall we call you, Apostle?
Heaven, for you have made an account of the glory of God for us.
Lightning, for you illumine the world with radiance.
A cloud, for you rain down in a torrent the knowledge of God.
A chalice pouring the rich wine of wisdom to gladden our hearts:
pray to the Lord that he may save our souls.
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
What shall we call you, Apostle?
Heaven, for you have made an account of the glory of God for us.
Lightning, for you illumine the world with radiance.
A cloud, for you rain down in a torrent the knowledge of God.
A chalice pouring the rich wine of wisdom to gladden our hearts:
pray to the Lord that he may save our souls.
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
How shall we address you, chosen of God?
A river, flowing forth to us from paradise?
The ark of the new covenant ratified by Christ our God:
the illuminator, made radiant by the never-setting light:
the lampstand enlightening the Church:
your words are the bread of life, the divine table, the cup of joy:
pray to the Lord that He may save 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.
How shall we address you, chosen of God?
A river, flowing forth to us from paradise?
The ark of the new covenant ratified by Christ our God:
the illuminator, made radiant by the never-setting light:
the lampstand enlightening the Church:
your words are the bread of life, the divine table, the cup of joy:
pray to the Lord that He may save our souls.
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
What shall we call you, God-inspired speaker?
A faithful steward of the mysteries of Christ,
a servant of the divine tent not made with human hands,
perfected in the fullness of time by the builder of wisdom,
He entrusted to you the new law of grace,
inscribed in Sion on tablets hewn from the rock of love:
faithful witness, pray to Him that our souls may be saved.
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
What shall we call you, glorious one?
The treasury of heavenly gifts;
the steadfast physician of our souls and bodies;
the fellow-labourer of Paul and his companion in travel and hardship;
the author of the acts of the apostles.
Luke, your exceeding goodness has won for you measureless praise:
pray to the Lord that He may save our souls.
In Tone 6, Glory…
Apostle of Christ, compiler of divine dogmas and foundation of the Church.
You were the attendant and imitator of Paul, the vessel of election.
By wisdom you have rescued us from the turmoil of ignorance,
for our hearts were in the depths of destruction.
Wherefore we beseech you, most admirable Luke, the pride of Antioch,
pray to our Saviour and God,
for those who celebrate your most honourable memory in faith.
In Tone 4, Now…
O Mother of God, because of You David the Prophet
became an ancestor of God;
he foretold and sang a joyous hymn of praise
and cried out to Him who worked wonders in you:
“The Queen stood at your right hand.”
God revealed you as a life-giving mother,
when He chose to be incarnate of you without a father.
He renewed in man His image which the passions had corrupted.
He found the lost sheep in the mountains, carried it on His shoulders,
offered it to the Father, generously numbered it among the powers of heaven,
and saved the whole world, since He is Christ of great and rich mercy.
Readings
(1) 1 John 1-7; (2) James 1:1-12; (3) Jude 1-7, 17-25
Aposticha
In Tone 4
In being lifted upon the Cross, O Lord,
You abolished the curse which we had inherited from our ancestors.
By going down into Hades,
You freed from eternal captivity those imprisoned there,
and granted incorruption to the human race.
We, therefore, praise Your life-giving and redeeming resurrection.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
By hanging on the Cross, O Almighty One,
You shook the whole creation to its foundations.
When You Yourself were laid in the grave,
You raised to life those who had been lying in the graves,
and You granted life and incorruption to mankind.
We, therefore, praise and glorify Your resurrection on the third day.
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
O Christ, the lawless people showed their ingratitude to You, their Benefactor,
by delivering You to Pilate who condemned you to be crucified.
But You willingly suffered death and burial;
and, as God, You rose by Your own power on the third day,
granting us everlasting life and great mercy.
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
The women, shedding bitter tears, came to see You in Your tomb;
and not finding Your body, they lamented, saying:
O Saviour and King of All, how were You stolen?
What place holds Your life-bearing body?
An angel answered them, saying:
Do not weep, but go and proclaim that the Lord is risen,
filling our hearts with joy;
for He alone is most compassionate.
In Tone 6, Glory…
All-wise Apostle, faithful labourer of the Saviour,
witness of the triumph of His passion,
you have completed the race, you have kept the faith,
harvesting the peoples from the darkness of error,
offering us as a sweet-smelling oblation to the heavenly King.
Now you stand before the Judge of all:
pray that He may rescue us from our sins and deliver us from eternal death,
when He comes in glory on the day of judgment.
Now…
Christ the Lord, our Creator and Redeemer,
came forth from your womb, O most pure Virgin.
He clothed Himself in our human flesh
to set us free from the original curse of Adam.
Therefore, O Mary, we praise you, without ceasing,
as the true Virgin Mother of God,
and we sing with the angels:
Rejoice, O Lady, advocate, protector, and salvation of our souls.
Troparia
In Tone 4
When the disciples of the Lord learned from the angel* the glorious news of the resurrection* and cast off the ancestral condemnation,* they proudly told the apostles:* “Death has been plundered!* Christ our God is risen,*granting to the world great mercy.”
In Tone 5
Let us praise with sacred songs the holy apostle Luke,* the recorder of the joyous Gospel of Christ* and the scribe of the Acts of the Apostles,* for his writings are a testimony of the church of Christ:* he is the physician of human weaknesses and infirmities.* He heals the wounds of our souls,** and constantly intercedes for our salvation!
Glory… Now…
Rejoice, O Virgin, impassable gateway of the Lord! * Rejoice, protective wall of those who take refuge in you! * Rejoice, peaceful haven untroubled by storms! * Rejoice, Virgin who has not known wedlock * and yet has given birth in the flesh to your Creator and God! * O Mother of God, never cease to intercede ** for those who praise and worship your Son.
DIVINE LITURGY
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 4: When the disciples of the Lord learned from the angel* the glorious news of the resurrection* and cast off the ancestral condemnation,* they proudly told the apostles:* “Death has been plundered!* Christ our God is risen,* granting to the world great mercy.”
Troparion, Tone 5: Let us praise in sacred hymns the celebrated Luke* herald of the acts of the apostles,* brightly shining author of the Good News of Christ,* scribe of things unwritten which he wrote for Christ’s Church.* He is a physician for the feeble,* healing nature’s ailments and the maladies of souls* and he prays unceasingly for all of us.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 4: My Saviour and Deliverer from the grave* as God raised out of bondage the children of the earth* and shattered the gates of Hades;* and as Master, He rose on the third day.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 2: Let us praise a genuine preacher of piety, the godly Luke,* a star of the Church and eloquent speaker concerning ineffable mysteries.* For the Word who alone knows the human heart* chose him with the wise Paul to teach the gentiles.
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)
Prokeimenon, Tone 8
Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth, and their word unto the ends of the world. (Psalm 18:5)
Epistle
Galatians 2:16-20; Colossians 4:5-9, 14, 18
Alleluia, Tone 4
verse: Poise yourself and advance in triumph and reign in the cause of truth, and meekness, and justice.
verse: You have loved justice and hated iniquity. (Psalm 44:5, 8)
verse: The heavens shall confess our wonders, O Lord, and Your truth in the church of the saints.
verse: God is glorified in the assembly of the saints. (Psalm 88:6, 8)
Gospel
Luke 8:5-15; Luke 10:16-21
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1)* Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth,* and their word unto the ends of the world.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 18:5)