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.
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Although You died and were buried,
the angel yet declared You as Master.
He said to the women: Come and see where the Lord was placed;
for He is risen as He foretold,
because He is almighty.
Therefore, we worship You, the only Immortal One,
and we beseech You to have mercy on us, O Giver of Life.
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
O Christ, You have abolished the curse of the tree by Your Cross;
You have destroyed the power of Death by Your burial,
and You enlightened the human race by Your Resurrection.
Therefore, we cry out to You:
O God and Benefactor, glory to You!
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
O Lord, the gates of death opened before You in fear,
and the gatekeepers of Hades were filled with dread at the sight of You.
You smashed the gates of brass and crushed the posts of iron.
Then You burst our chains asunder,
and led us out from the darkness, away from the shadow of death.
In Tone 1
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
I was entrusted with a sinless and loving land,
but I sowed the ground with sin and reaped with a sickle the ears of slothfulness;
in thick sheaves I garnered my actions,
but winnowed them not on the threshing floor of repentance.
But I beg You, my God, the pre-eternal husbandman,
with the wind of Your loving-kindness winnow the chaff of my works,
and grant to my soul the corn of forgiveness;
shut me in Your heavenly storehouse
and save me.
3. For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
I was entrusted with a sinless and loving land,
but I sowed the ground with sin and reaped with a sickle the ears of slothfulness;
in thick sheaves I garnered my actions,
but winnowed them not on the threshing floor of repentance.
But I beg You, my God, the pre-eternal husbandman,
with the wind of Your loving-kindness winnow the chaff of my works,
and grant to my soul the corn of forgiveness;
shut me in Your heavenly storehouse
and save me.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Brethren, let us learn the meaning of this mystery.
For when the Prodigal Son ran back from sin to his Father’s house,
his loving Father came out to meet him and kissed him.
He restored to the Prodigal the tokens of his proper glory,
and mystically he made glad on high, sacrificing the fatted calf.
Let our lives, then, be worthy of the loving Father who has offered sacrifice,
and of the glorious Victim
who is the Saviour of our souls.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Brethren, let us learn the meaning of this mystery.
For when the Prodigal Son ran back from sin to his Father’s house,
his loving Father came out to meet him and kissed him.
He restored to the Prodigal the tokens of his proper glory,
and mystically he made glad on high, sacrificing the fatted calf.
Let our lives, then, be worthy of the loving Father who has offered sacrifice,
and of the glorious Victim
who is the Saviour of our souls.
In Tone 2, Glory…
Of what great blessings in my wretchedness have I deprived myself!
From what a kingdom in my misery have I fallen!
I have wasted the riches that were given to me,
I have transgressed the commandment.
Alas, unhappy soul!
You are henceforth condemned to the eternal fire.
Therefore before the end cry out to Christ our God:
Receive me as the Prodigal Son, O God,
and have mercy upon me.
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.
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 6, Glory…
I have wasted the wealth which the Father gave to me,
and in my wretchedness I have fed with dumb beasts.
Yearning after their food, I remained hungry and could not eat my fill.
But now I return to the compassionate Father
and cry out with tears:
I fall down before Your loving-kindness,
receive me as a hired servant, and save me.
Now…
Christ the Lord, my Maker and Saviour,
came out of your pure womb in the likeness of me, O Woman without stain,
and He delivered Adam from the original curse.
Therefore, O Woman all pure,
since you are the Mother of God and a true Virgin,
we never tire of calling to you the salutation of the angel:
“Hail, O Lady,
O our intercessor, our shield,
and the Redemptress of our souls!”
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!”
Glory… Now…
O Mother of God, the mysteries which surround you are exceedingly glorious,* and beyond the power of understanding.* For you retained the seal of purity,* and your virginity remained inviolate;* yet you are acknowledged, without doubt,* to be the Mother who gave birth to the true God.* We beg you, therefore, to entreat Him to save our souls.
DIVINE LITURGY
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!”
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 3: Foolishly have I fled from Your glory, O Father,* wasting the wealth You gave me on vices.* Therefore, I offer You the words of the Prodigal:* Loving Father, I have sinned before You.* Take me, for I repent, and make me as one of Your hired hands.
Prokeimenon, Tone 2
The Lord is my strength and my song of praise, and He has become my salvation.
verse: The Lord has indeed chastised me, but He has not delivered me to death. (Psalm 117:14,18)
Epistle
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
Alleluia, Tone 2
verse: The Lord will hear you in the day of tribulation; the name of the God of Jacob will shield you.
verse: Lord, grant victory to the king and hear us in the day that we shall call upon You. (Psalm 19:2,10)
Gospel
Luke 15:11-32
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 148:1)