Myron was a priest in the town of Achaia of wealthy and prominent origin and by nature was kind and meek, both a lover of God and of man. During the reign of Emperor Decius and, on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, pagans charged into the church, dragged Myron out from the service and subjected him to torture. During the time of torture in the fire, an angel appeared to him and encouraged him. After that, they began to cut his skin in strips from his head to his feet. The martyr grabbed one such strip of his skin and, with it, struck the torturer – the judge – on the face. The judge Antipater, as though possessed, took a sword and killed himself. Finally, they took Myron to the city of Cyzicus and there slew him with the sword in the year 250 A.D. (Prologue of Ohrid)
GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 1
10. Accept our evening prayer, O holy Lord,
and grant us forgiveness of sins,
for You alone manifested the Resurrection to the world.
9. O you people, walk around Zion and encompass her.
And there give glory to Him Who is risen from the dead.
For He is our God
Who delivers us from our sins.
8. Come you people, praise and worship Christ.
Glorify His Resurrection from the dead;
for He is our God Who delivered the world
from the deceit of the enemy.
7. Rejoice, O you heavens;
sound the trumpets, you foundations of the earth;
cry out with joy, O you mountains.
For behold, Emmanuel has nailed our sins to the Cross;
the Giver of Life has put Death to death;
and the Lover of Mankind
has raised up Adam.
In Tone 2
6. With what lips shall we call the Theotokos blessed?
For we are poor and worthless!
She is truly more honourable than the whole creation;
more holy than the cherubim and all the angels!
She is the unshakable throne of the King;
the house in which the Most High came to dwell;
the holy place of God!
Today, on her divine memorial,
she richly grants the faithful great mercy!
5. What spiritual songs shall we now offer you, all-holy one?
For by your deathless Dormition you have sanctified the whole world,
and have passed over to the celestial places
where you contemplate the beauty of the King of all.
As His Mother, you rejoice at this
together with the ranks of escorting angels
and with the souls of the righteous!
With them, pure one, ask for us peace and great mercy!
4. What songs of awe did they offer you then, Virgin,
when all the apostles of the Word
stood around your deathbed and cried out with wonder:
The palace of the King is now departing;
the ark of holiness now is raised on high!
Let the gates be lifted up that the gate of God
may enter in with great joy,
unceasingly asking great mercy for the world!
In Tone 2
3. When the conflagration set by the godless was consuming every land
you were set ablaze, blessed one, by the burning of the Spirit.
You preached the Word, Who in His goodness,
wrapped himself in flesh taken from the divine Virgin Maiden!
Therefore, strengthened by the might of grace,
you endured fire, torments and cruel persecutions.
2. When the shameful enemy strove with flatteries
to sway you from your intention,
adorned with courage you opposed him steadfastly!
You endured the pains which brought you to a painless rest:
To the Kingdom of heaven and everlasting delight,
all-praised Martyr Myron!
1. Martyr, when the enemy flogged you with thongs of hide,
destroying your holy flesh with constant lashings,
you turned your gaze to Christ, the contest’s Judge.
He stretched out His hand of divine might to you!
Therefore, having completed the race,
you received great honours, all-courageous athlete Myron!
In Tone 2, Now…
She who is higher than the heavens
and more glorious than the cherubim;
who is honoured more highly than all creation;
who by reason of her surpassing purity
became the receiver of the ever-lasting Essence —
today commends her all-pure soul into the hands of her Son.
Together with her all things are filled with joy,
and she grants us great mercy!
In Tone 1, Now…
Let us sing a hymn of praise to the Virgin Mary,
glory of the whole world!
She was herself formed by human seed,
yet she became the Mother of the Master, the Gate of heaven,
the theme of the angels’ hymn and beauty of the faithful.
She was seen as being heavenly
and the Tabernacle of the Godhead.
She indeed tore down the wall of enmity between God and man,
and brought peace in its place, she opened up the kingdom of heaven.
Let us therefore cling fast to her for she is the anchor of faith,
and let us receive as our stronghold the Lord Who was born of her.
Be of good cheer, then, and have confidence, O people of God,
for He will fight our enemies for us, He is all-powerful!
Aposticha
In Tone 1
O Christ, by Your Passion we have been freed from suffering;
and by Your Resurrection we have been delivered from corruption.
O Lord, glory to You!
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
Let all creation rejoice, let the heavens be glad,
let the nations clap their hands with joy.
For Christ our Saviour, in His love for mankind,
has nailed our sins to the Cross;
He has put Death to death,
and by raising our fallen forefather, Adam,
He has given life to all mankind.
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
O God, You are above all understanding;
You are King and Lord of heaven and earth.
Yet of Your own free will,
You allowed Yourself to be crucified because of Your love for mankind.
When You descended below,
Hades was filled with bitterness as You confronted it;
but the souls of the just received You with great joy.
Adam arose when he saw You, his Creator, down in the depths.
What a wonder this is!
You are the life of all and have tasted death
in order to dispel the darkness of the world with Your light.
O Lord, risen from the dead, glory to You!
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
The myrrh-bearing women were filled with grief
as they hastened with spices to Your tomb;
but they did not find Your most pure body.
Instead, they found an angel
who proclaimed Your unique and glorious Resurrection,
and commanded them to announce to Your Apostles:
The Lord is risen, granting great mercy to the world.
In Tone 2, Glory… Now…
The all-immaculate Bride and Mother
in whom the Father was well-pleased:
She who was preordained by God to be the holy abode
of the union without confusion,
delivers her undefiled soul to her Maker and God today.
The bodiless powers receive her in a divine manner;
she who is truly the Mother of Life departs to life!
She is the lamp of the unapproachable Light
the salvation of the faithful and the hope of our souls.
Troparia
In Tone 1
Though the stone was sealed by the Judeans* and soldiers guarded Your most pure body,* You arose, O Saviour, on the third day* and gave life to the world.* And so the heavenly powers cried out You, O Giver of Life:* Glory to Your Resurrection, O Christ!* Glory to Your Kingdom!* Glory to Your saving plan!** O only Lover of Mankind.
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 1: Though the stone was sealed by the Judeans,* and soldiers guarded Your most pure body,* You arose, O Saviour, on the third day,* and gave life to the world.* And so the heavenly powers cried out to You, O Giver of Life:* Glory to Your resurrection, O Christ!* Glory to Your kingdom!* Glory to Your saving plan,* O only Lover of mankind.
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 1: You arose in glory from the tomb* and with Yourself You raise the world.* All humanity acclaims You as God.* and death has vanished.* Adam exults, O Master,* and Eve, redeemed from bondage now, cries out for joy:* “You are the One, O Christ, Who offer resurrection to all.”
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 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. (Psalm 32:22,1)
Epistle
1 Corinthians 4:9-16
Alleluia, Tone 1
verse: God gives me vindication, and has subdued people under me.
verse: Making great the salvation of the king, and showing mercy to His anointed, to David, and to His posterity forever. (Psalm 17:48,51)
Gospel
Matthew 17:14-23
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.* V
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 148:1)