Saints Cyril and Methodius were brothers from Thessalonica of distinguished and wealthy parents, Leo and Maria. The older brother Methodius spent ten years as an officer among the Macedonian Slavs and thus learned the Slavic language. After that Methodius withdrew to Mount Olympus and dedicated himself to the monastic life of asceticism. It was here that Cyril (Constantine) later joined him. When the Khazarite king, Kagan, requested preachers of the Faith of Christ from Emperor Michael III then, by command of the emperor, these two brothers were found and sent among the Khazars. Convincing King Kagan of the Faith of Christ, they baptized him along with a great number of his chief assistants and even a greater number of the people. After a period of time, they returned to Constantinople where they compiled the Slavonic alphabet consisting of thirty-eight letters and proceeded to translate ecclesiastical books from Greek into Slavonic. At the request of Prince Rastislav, they traveled to Moravia where they spread and established the devout Faith and multiplied books and distributed them to the priests to teach the youth. At the request of the pope, Cyril traveled to Rome where he became ill and died on February 14, 867 A.D. Then Methodius returned to Moravia and labored to strengthen the Faith of Christ among the Slavs until his death. Following his death – he died in the Lord on April 6, 885 A.D. – his disciples, THE FIVE FOLLOWERS, with St. Clement, the bishop at the head, crossed the Danube River and descended to the south into Macedonia, where from Ohrid they continued their labor among the Slavs begun by Cyril and Methodius in the north. (The Prologue of Ohrid)
GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 3
10. By Your Cross, O Christ our Saviour,
the power of Death has been vanquished,
and the deceit of the devil has been destroyed.
Therefore, mankind, saved by faith,
offers You hymns of praise forever.
9. O Lord, all creation has been enlightened by Your Resurrection,
and Paradise has been reopened;
therefore, all creation extols You
and offers You hymns of praise forever.
8. I glorify the power of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
and I praise the dominion of the undivided Divinity,
the consubstantial Trinity
who reigns forever and ever.
In Tone 1
7. O ineffable goodness who created the human form,
You came to heal those who are ill.
O Christ, by Your word You raised the Paralytic at the Sheep Pool;
You healed the suffering of the woman with the flow of blood;
You showed mercy to the tormented daughter of the Canaanite woman;
and You did not disdain the prayer of the centurion.
Because of this we cry out in praise:
O Almighty Lord, glory to You!
6. O ineffable goodness who created the human form,
You came to heal those who are ill.
O Christ, by Your word You raised the Paralytic at the Sheep Pool;
You healed the suffering of the woman with the flow of blood;
You showed mercy to the tormented daughter of the Canaanite woman;
and You did not disdain the prayer of the centurion.
Because of this we cry out in praise:
O Almighty Lord, glory to You!
5. The Paralytic was like an unburied dead man,
and when he saw You, O Lord, he cried out:
Have mercy on me, for my bed has become my grave.
Of what use is my life?
I have no need for the Sheep Pool,
for there is none to put me into the water.
Therefore, I come to You, O Fountain of all healing,
that with all I may cry to You:
O Lord Almighty, glory to You!
In Tone 2
4. With what crowns of praise shall we adorn the divinely-wise teachers,
the voices of wisdom sounding amid clouds of darkness,
enlightening those in the shadow of death with the light of the Gospel!
The great preachers of the undivided Trinity who grafted barren unbelievers
as branches into the fruitful tree of the orthodox Church
that they might obtain from Christ our God peace and great mercy.
3. With what songs of praise shall we glorify the divinely-wise teachers:
the golden-mouthed Cyril
who reached the heights of wisdom through his sweet preaching,
humbling the fierce pride of Islam!
And Methodius, the lover of solitude,
who in silence received the fruits of the Spirit.
Through their prayers, Christ our God, grant us great mercy.
2. With what hymns of praise shall we magnify the divinely-wise teachers:
Cyril, who chose to live with wisdom in his youth.
He multiplied his talents to the glory of God;
and Methodius who renounced the things of this world for love of Christ.
He strove like an angel for the kingdom of heaven.
Through them, we have come to know God,
the eternal Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
receiving from Christ our God great mercy!
1. With what spiritual songs shall we magnify you, most blessed teachers?
For the sake of the salvation of the Slavs you became equals to the apostles.
You laboured to enlighten them by the lamp of the Word of God,
opening for them the door of the written Word.
As we enter, we understand the blessed teaching of Christ,
receiving from Him peace and great mercy.
In Tone 5, Glory…
Jesus went up to Jerusalem to the Sheep Pool
which in Hebrew was called Bethesda.
And there lay a great multitude of sick people in its five porticoes;
for the angel of the Lord went down at certain times and stirred the water,
granting healing to those who approach in faith.
The Lord saw there a man with a chronic illness,
and He asked him: Do you want to be healed?
The sick man replied:
I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred.
I have spent my money on physicians
and received no help from anyone.
The Physician of soul and body said to him:
Take up your pallet and walk;
proclaim to the whole world
the greatness of My mercy and My mighty deeds.
In Tone 3, Now…
O Lady most honourable,
how could we be rapt in wonder
at your giving birth to the incarnate God
who without a mother was born of a Father before all ages.
You gave Him birth in the flesh without a father,
without a man’s instrumentality.
He is God and man whose two natures are intact,
neither one losing any of its properties.
Therefore, O Virgin Mother, intercede with Him
to save the souls of those who believe and profess in true faith
that you are the Mother of God.
Readings
(1) Deuteronomy 1:8-17; (2) Deuteronomy 10:14-21; (3) Wisdom 3:1-9
Aposticha
In Tone 3
O Christ, who darkened the sun by Your passion
and enlightened all creation by Your Resurrection,
accept our evening prayer, for You love mankind.
The Paschal Stichera are now sung in the customary manner:
Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered.
Today a sacred Pascha is revealed to us: a new and holy Pascha; a mystical Pascha; a Pascha which is Christ the Redeemer; a blameless Pascha; a great Pascha; a Pascha of the faithful; a Pascha which has opened for us the gates of Paradise; a Pascha which sanctifies all the faithful.
As smoke vanishes, let them vanish!
Come from that scene O women bearers of glad tidings, and say to Zion: Receive from us the glad tidings of joy of Christ’s Resurrection: Exult and be glad, and rejoice, O Jerusalem, seeing Christ the King who comes forth from the tomb like a Bridegroom in procession!
So let sinners perish before the face of God, but let the righteous scatter rejoice!
The myrrh-bearing women at the break of dawn drew near to the tomb of the Life Giver. There they found an angel sitting upon a stone, he greeted the, with these words: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? Why do you mourn in the incorrupt amid corruption? Go, proclaim the glad tidings to His disciples.”
This is the day which the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Pascha of beauty! The Pascha of the Lord! Pascha! A Pascha worthy of all honour has dawned on us. Pascha! Let us embrace each other joyously! Pascha, ransom from affliction! For today as from a bridal chamber Christ has shown forth from the Tomb, and filled the women with joy saying: “Proclaim the glad tidings to the Apostles!”
In Tone 8, Glory…
Rejoice, blessed ones who enlightened us with the knowledge of God!
Rejoice, Cyril, living source of spiritual wisdom:
you quenched the thirst of the Slavic people!
Rejoice, Methodius, pure dwelling of prayer:
now you stand in the glory of Christ.
Therefore never cease to pray that we may glorify Him
as we magnify you throughout the ages!
Now…
This is the day of Resurrection, let us be illumined by the Feast! Let us embrace each other! Let us call “brothers and sisters” even those that hate us and forgive all by the Resurrection, and so let us cry:
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs, giving life.
Troparia
In Tone 3
Let the heavens be glad, let the earth rejoice,* for the Lord has done a mighty deed with His arm.* He trampled death by death. He became the first-born of the dead;* He saved us from the abyss of Hades* and granted great mercy to the world.
In Tone 4, Glory…
As equals to the apostles in the way you lived* and teachers of the Slavic lands,* O Cyril and Methodius, divinely wise,* intercede with the Master of all* to confirm the Slavic nations in orthodoxy and oneness of mind;* to grant peace to the world and save our souls.
Now…
O Mother of God, the mystery hidden from all eternity* and unknown even to the angels,* was revealed through you to those on earth:* God took on our human nature* and united it to His divine nature in a perfect but unconfused union.* Then, He willingly accepted the cross for our sake* and thereby raised again the first created man,*and saved our souls from death.
DIVINE LITURGY
After Blessed is the kingdom sing Christ is risen (3).
Troparion, Tone 3Let the heavens be glad, let the earth rejoice,* for the Lord has done a mighty deed with His arm.* He trampled death by death. He became the first-born of the dead;* He saved us from the abyss of Hades* and granted great mercy to the world.
Troparion, Tone 4: As equals to the apostles in the way you lived* and teachers of the Slavic lands,* O Cyril and Methodius, divinely wise,* intercede with the Master of all* to confirm the Slavic nations in orthodoxy and oneness of mind;* to grant peace to the world and save our souls.
Glory…
Kontakion, Tone 3:Lord, as of old You raised the Paralytic,* lift my soul by Your divine presence,* for by my many sins and foolish actions, I, too, am now afflicted and crippled.* Raise me, that being saved I may cry to You: Glory to Your power, O merciful Christ.
Now…
Kontakion, Tone 8:Though You descended into a tomb, O Immortal One,* yet You destroyed the power of Hades;* and You rose as victor, O Christ God,* calling to the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice!* and giving peace to Your Apostles:* You, who grant resurrection to the fallen.
Prokeimenon, Tone 1
Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us* as we have hoped in You.
verse: Rejoice in the Lord, O you just; praise befits the righteous.
Prokeimenon, Tone 7
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His venerable ones.
verse: What shall I render to the Lord for all the things He has rendered to me? (Psalm 115:15,12)
Epistle
Acts 9:32-42; Hebrews 7:26-8:2
Alleluia, Tone 5
verse: Of Your mercies, O Lord, I will sing forever; with my mouth I will proclaim Your truth from generation to generation.
verse: For You have said, “Mercy will be established forever.”
verse: Your priests shall clothe themselves with justice, and Your venerable ones shall rejoice.
verse: For the Lord has chosen Sion; he has chosen it for His dwelling. (Psalm 131:9,13)
Gospel
John 5:1-15; John 10:9-16
Hymn to the Mother of God
The Angel cried out to the One full of Grace: O chaste Virgin, rejoice! And again I say, Rejoice! Your Son has risen from the tomb on the third day, and raised the dead. Let all people rejoice! Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem! for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Exult now and be glad, O Sion! And you, O chaste Mother of God, take delight in the resurrection of your Son.
Communion Verse
Receive the Body of Christ;* taste the fountain of immortality.* Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance;* of evil hearsay he shall have no fear.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 111:6)
Notes:
Instead of Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, we sing: Christ is risen.
Instead of We have seen the true light we sing: Christ is risen.
Instead of May our lips be filled, we sing Christ is risen, thrice.
Instead of Blessed be the name of the Lord we sing Christ is risen thrice.
After the priest sings: Glory to You, Christ God, the people sing: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs, giving life. Lord, have mercy, thrice. Give the blessing. Then we sing Christ is risen, thrice. At the end the following is sung: And to us He granted life eternal, we bow down before His resurrection on the third day.