GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 5
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
With Your precious Cross, O Christ,
You have put the Devil to shame.
With Your Resurrection You have deadened the sting of Death.
We, therefore, glorify You, O only-begotten Son of God.
- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O Christ, Who granted resurrection to mankind,
You were led like a lamb to the slaughter.
Then the princes of Hades were struck with terror
as they saw the gates of their tearful domain being lifted up;
for Christ, the King of Glory, entered therein
and exclaimed to those in chains: Go forth from here!
And to those in darkness: Go forth into the light!
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
What a great wonder!
The Creator of invisible beings suffered in the flesh for mankind,
and rose from the dead as immortal.
Come, therefore, all you nations and adore Him;
for through His compassion we have been freed from the snares of the Devil,
and we have learned to praise the one God in three Persons.
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
We offer to You our evening worship,
O Light Whom the darkness of night can never extinguish.
For in these latter days Your radiance has appeared to the world,
shining in Your flesh as light reflected in a mirror.
Your brilliance has descended even to the depths of Hades and dissolved its gloom.
O Lord, Giver of Light, glory to You;
for You have shown the radiance of Your Resurrection to all the nations.
In Tone 8
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
O blessed Thaddeus,
having drawn close to the heavenly light,
you became a light because of your divine communion,
and you dispersed the night of idolatry.
Because you led souls to the Almighty,
we glorify Christ and venerate your illustrious memory.
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
O Thaddeus, blessed and illustrious apostle of the Lord,
after the divine and glorious Resurrection
and most holy Ascension of Christ,
you received the mission to preach the divine message
to your city, Edessa.
By words and miracles you converted Abgar, the ruler of the city.
With him you strengthened everyone in the truth.
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
O blessed and God-wise Thaddeus,
through your holy touch, the blind saw and the lame walked.
The sick were healed, the weak were encouraged,
and the ignorant were enlightened.
You were filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit;
for this reason we praise you, O blessed one.
In Tone 4
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
O praiseworthy one, you suffered many tortures.
Then you passed over to the painless repose,
to the light that knows no evening,
to the bright joy, and to the eternal delight of God.
Therefore, we bless you today as we observe your holy feats,
O God-loving sufferer of the passion.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
After various painful tortures, you were cast into the sea.
God, the Saviour of all, rescued you, O long-suffering Bassa.
By divine power He crushed the power of the enemy
and illumined the minds of the devout beyond understanding.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Having sung about the divine passion
like a melodious bird in a meadow,
you called your honourable disciples.
With them you fled from the snare of error.
O Bassa, God-wise and worthy of admiration,
with them you made your home in the heavenly kingdom.
O most blessed one, pray for us.
In Tone 6, Glory… Now…
Come, let us celebrate the universal Dormition of the immaculate Theotokos.
Today the angels glorify the passage of the Mother of God with joy.
They summon us to sing out:
Rejoice, for you have passed from earth and inhabit the heavenly abode.
Rejoice, since the choir of disciples was gathered into one group
by means of a swift cloud.
Rejoice, our hope and salvation.
The Christian people bless you unceasingly.
In Tone 5, Now…
A symbol of the undefiled Virgin and bride
was revealed in the Red Sea.
There, Moses divided the waters;
here, Gabriel is the messenger of the miracle.
There, the Israelites crossed the deep and their feet were not even wet;
here, the Virgin gives birth to Christ without human seed.
There, the sea remained uncrossed after the passing of Israel;
here, the immaculate remained incorrupt after giving birth to Emmanuel.
Therefore, O immortal God, who appeared in the flesh as true Man,
have mercy on us!
Aposticha
In Tone 5
O Christ our Saviour,
we lift up our voices to glorify You.
For, in Your love for mankind,
You became incarnate without leaving heaven;
You accepted the Cross and death;
You cast down the gates of Hades;
and on the third day You arose from the dead
for the salvation of our souls.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
O Giver of Life,
streams of forgiveness, life, and salvation
poured forth from Your pierced side upon us all.
By accepting physical death, You granted us immortality;
by lying in the tomb, You freed us from Hades,
and as God, by rising from the dead,
You raised us with Yourself in glory.
Therefore, we cry out to You:
O Lover of mankind, glory to You!
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
O Lover of mankind,
Your crucifixion and descent into Hades are most wondrous.
For, as God, You thereby conquered the power of Hades,
and raised up in glory, with Yourself, those who were long imprisoned there.
You reopened Paradise and enabled them to enter.
Grant forgiveness of sins to us
who glorify Your Resurrection on the third day,
for You alone are all-merciful.
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
O Lover of mankind,
You accepted suffering in the flesh
and rose from the dead on the third day.
Therefore, heal the passions of our flesh,
raise us from our dreadful iniquities, and save us.
In Tone 8, Glory… Now…
Choirs of virgins mystically stand around the bier of the Virgin Mother,
and the souls of the just surround it.
The former bring the gift of virginity instead of myrrh;
the latter bring spiritual songs with virtue.
It is fitting for the Mother of God as a queen
to be surrounded by those who glow with virtues.
We who have entered upon a chaste life
shall go down together with them
to the burial of the Mother of our God,
blessing her with hymns and spiritual songs.
Troparia
In Tone 5
Let us, the faithful, acclaim and worship the Word* co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit,* and born of the Virgin for our salvation.* For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh,* to suffer death and to raise the dead,* by His glorious Resurrection.
In Tone 1, Glory… Now…
In giving birth you retained your virginity,* in falling asleep you did not abandon the world, O Mother of God.* You passed into life, for you are the Mother of Life,* and by your prayers* you deliver our souls from death.
DIVINE LITURGY
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 5: Let us the faithful acclaim and worship the Word,* co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit,* and born of the Virgin for our salvation.* For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh, to suffer death* and to raise the dead by His glorious resurrection.
Troparion, Tone 1: In giving birth you retained your virginity,* in falling asleep you did not abandon the world, O Mother of God.* You passed into life, for you are the Mother of Life,* and by your prayers* you deliver our souls from death.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 5: You, my Saviour, descended to Hades,* and as the Almighty, You shattered its gates.* With Yourself You, as the Creator, raised the dead and shattered the sting of death,* and delivered Adam from the curse, O Lover of Mankind.* And so we cry out: “Save us, O Lord.”
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 2: The tomb and death could not hold the Mother of God,* unceasing in her intercession and unfailing hope of patronage,* for, as the Mother of Life, she was transferred to life* by Him Who had dwelt in her ever-virgin womb.
Prokeimenon, Tone 5
You, O Lord, will guard us and will keep us* from this generation and for ever.
verse: Save me, O Lord, for there is no longer left a just man. (Psalm 11:8,2)
Epistle
2 Corinthians 1:21-2:4
Alleluia, Tone 5
verse: Your mercies, O Lord, I will sing for ever; from generation to generation I will announce Your truth with my mouth.
verse: For You have said: Mercy shall be built up for ever; in the heavens Your truth shall be prepared. (Psalm 88:2,3)
Gospel
Matthew 22:1-14
Hymn to the Mother of God
Seeing the pure one’s falling asleep, angels marvelled in wonder how the Virgin could ascend from earth to heaven.
And the Irmos: O pure Virgin, in you are conquered the bounds of nature,* for childbirth remains virginal and death is betrothed to life.* Virgin after childbearing and alive and death, O Mother of God,* never cease to save your inheritance.
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 148:1)