The Feast of the Holy Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas is transferred from June 11 to June 9 this year.
GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 4
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
You drew the ends of the earth out of the depths of vainglory
and evil ungodliness
with the net of your words, O divinely eloquent Apostle.
You brought them with faith to Christ God,
Who had given you such grace.
You are His divine disciple and the preacher of His mysteries,
O Apostle Bartholomew.
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
You drew the ends of the earth out of the depths of vainglory
and evil ungodliness
with the net of your words, O divinely eloquent Apostle.
You brought them with faith to Christ God,
Who had given you such grace.
You are His divine disciple and the preacher of His mysteries,
O Apostle Bartholomew.
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Jesus our God, the Sun of glory
sent you to the whole world like a ray of light
to disperse the gloom of ungodliness, O all-glorious one,
and to enlighten all who sit in the darkness of ignorance.
You made them heirs of the light, O divinely wise Bartholomew!
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Jesus our God, the Sun of glory
sent you to the whole world like a ray of light
to disperse the gloom of ungodliness, O all-glorious one,
and to enlighten all who sit in the darkness of ignorance.
You made them heirs of the light, O divinely wise Bartholomew!
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Submitting to the will of Him Whose will all things obey,
you imitated Him as a teacher of righteousness.
Because of His suffering on the Cross,
you stand before your ultimate desire,
joining the chorus with the Angels and Apostles,
O glorious Bartholomew.
You rejoiced as you drank the cup of death.
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
You have received invincible authority and power, O Apostle,
over demons in the Name of Christ,
to drive away the princes of darkness.
You travelled over the earth illumining it as brightly as the sun.
You were the first to arrive in Rome, O Barnabas,
preaching the saving coming of Christ.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
You imitated the First Goodness
and the essential and all-divine life.
You became a good man in essence, O Barnabas,
receiving a name meaning “Son of Consolation.”
By the goodness of your character and purity of your mind,
you showed yourself to be a true disciple of Christ!
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
You were an instrument well tuned by the action of the Spirit, O Barnabas.
You committed yourself to summoning the nations,
guiding them to the knowledge of Christ by your words and deeds.
You have enlightened all to confess the true divinity of Jesus,
the Friend of Man and the Saviour of our souls!
In Tone 6, Glory…
O all praised Barnabas,
radiant vessel of the Holy Spirit and “Son of Consolation,”
even before Paul you were the foremost of the seventy disciples;
with Paul you preached the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Therefore, fulfilling your talk of grace with your deeds,
you offered yourself as an immaculate whole burnt offering to Christ, your Teacher.
O glorious Apostle, we pray to you:
“Ever pray that our souls may be saved in peace!”
Now…
Who would not call you blessed, O Virgin most holy?
Who would not sing a hymn of praise
to the glory of your giving birth without pain or travail?
The Only-begotten Son Himself,
begotten of the Father before all ages,
was made flesh out of you in a manner
that cannot be explained, O Woman most pure!
And for our sake, He Who is God by nature
assumed the nature of a man.
He is not divided into two persons;
He is understood to have two natures
without commixion or confusion.
O noble and blessed Woman,
intercede with Him that He may mercy on our souls.
Readings
1 Peter 1:3-9; 1 Peter 1:13-19; 1 Peter 2:11-24
Aposticha
In Tone 1
Your proclamation of salvation, O Apostles and seers of God,
has gone out into all the earth,
enlightening the souls of those who were lost,
bringing to Christ those who were illumined by grace of God.
Therefore pray that He may grant our souls peace and great mercy!
Their proclamation has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the universe.
O all-radiant beacons of Christ,
most pure vessels containing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit through faith,
O all-wise Apostles, O pillars of the Church,
all-glorious heavens declaring to all the glory of God:
entreat Him that He may grant out souls peace and great mercy!
The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork.
O blessed ones, you brought to Christ God
the nations that were ransomed by His blood.
He was well pleased to be born on earth,
and He freely endured the Cross and death.
O glorious ones, entreat Him now
that He may grant our souls peace and great mercy!
In Tone 8, Glory…
O all-praised Barnabas, Apostle of the Saviour,
you are a vessel of faith, the “Son of Consolation,”
the calm harbour of the storm-tossed.
Since you have boldness, ever pray for our souls
that we may be preserved in peace on the day of your memorial!
Now…
O Virgin, You have never known wedlock,
Yet You conceived God in the flesh
in a manner which words can never describe.
You thus became the Mother of God on high.
O Immaculate Lady, receive the supplication of your servants
and grant us the cleansing of our sins.
Accept now our prayers and beseech God to save all of us.
Troparia
In Tone 1
Receiving the Spirit as He came in fiery tongues,* you preached the coming of the Word in the flesh.* While one of you was beheaded for the Gospel, * the other endured stoning for the sake of the faith.* You have been sent to adorn the choirs of heaven, O Bartholomew and Barnabas.* We honour your memory and ask that you intercede* with God to forgive our sins.
Glory… Now…
O Holy Tabernacle, when Gabriel called out to you:* Rejoice, O Virgin, full of grace,* the Lord of All became incarnate of you,* as the righteous David had foretold.* In bearing your Creator, you have shown yourself to surpass the vastness of the heavens.* We, therefore, cry out: Glory to Him Who dwelt in you!* Glory to Him Who came forth from you!* Glory to Him Who has set us free* through your life-giving birth!
DIVINE LITURGY
At the beginning of the Liturgy, immediately after Blessed be the Kingdom… and Amen, we all kneel and sing the following in Tone 6:
Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who are everywhere present and filing all things, Treasury of all blessings and Giver of Life: come, dwell within us, and cleanse us from every stain, and save our soul, O Gracious Lord.
Antiphon 1
The heavens tell the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of his hand.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Saviour, save us.
Day to day pours forth the message and night proclaims this knowledge to night.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Saviour, save us.
Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Saviour, save us.
Glory… Now… Only-begotten Son…
Third Antiphon
Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord,* let us acclaim God, our Saviour.
O good Advocate,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Let us come before His face with praise,* and acclaim Him in psalms.
O good Advocate,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
For God is the great Lord,* the great king over all the earth.
O good Advocate,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Entrance
Come, let us worship* and fall down before Christ.
O good Advocate,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 8: Blessed are You, O Christ our God who revealed the fishermen as most wise* by sending them the Holy Spirit;* through them You caught the entire world.* Loving Master, glory to You.
Troparion, Tone 1: Receiving the Spirit as He came in fiery tongues,* you preached the coming of the Word in the flesh.* While one of you was beheaded for the Gospel, * the other endured stoning for the sake of the faith.* You have been sent to adorn the choirs of heaven, O Bartholomew and Barnabas.* We honour your memory and ask that you intercede* with God to forgive our sins.
Kontakion, Tone 4: O Bartholomew, Apostle of the Lord,* you appeared to the world as a shining star.* You enlightened with the splendor of your teachings and the wonder of your miracles* all those who honour you.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 3: O Barnabas, you became a perfect and faithful servant of the Lord.* You were the first of the seventy disciples* worthy to be the companion of Paul in his preaching.* You proclaimed to all that Christ is the Saviour.* Therefore, we celebrate your holy memory with hymns and songs.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 8: When the Most high descended and confused the tongues,* He parted the nations.* He called all to unity;* and with one voice* we glorify the all-Holy Spirit.
Prokeimenon, Tone 8
Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth,* and their words unto the ends of the world.
verse: The heavens tell the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of His hand. (Psalm 19:5,2)
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
Romans 2:14-29; Acts 11:19-30
Alleluia, Tone 1
verse: By the Lord’s words the heavens were established, and by the Breath of His mouth all their host.
verse: The Lord has looked down from heaven and beheld the whole human race.
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
Matthew 5:33-41; Luke 10:16-21
Hymn to the Mother of God
O my soul, magnify the one Divinity in three Persons.
Irmos: Rejoice, O Queen, boast of the virgins and mothers, for every tongue, though capable and eloquent, cannot hymn you as is your due, and every mind is confounded in seeking to comprehend the way in which you gave birth. Wherefore with one accord we glorify you.
Communion Hymn
Your good Spirit will lead me* to the land of righteousness. (Psalm 142:10)* Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth,* and their word unto the ends of the world.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 18:5)