Quadratus, one of the Seventy, was a disciple of the Great Apostles. He preached the Gospel in Athens and was at first bishop of Athens after St. Publius, and afterward bishop of Magnesia. Quadratus was highly educated in secular wisdom, and rich in the grace of the Holy Spirit. His biographer says of him: He was as the morning star among the clouds (Sirach 50:6). The clouds were the darkness of Hellenic paganism, without the light of piety. The Holy Apostle Quadratus, through the word of God, shone upon the Hellenes as a great light, illuminating the darkness, destroying the foul sacrifices, crushing the idols, and destroying the demonic temples by his prayer. However, darkness always hates the light, and the pagans hated holy Quadratus. First they stoned him, as once the Jews did St. Stephen. Then they threw him into prison and gave him no bread until he gave up his holy soul, and went to dwell in the Kingdom of Christ, his God.
St. Quadratus wrote an Apologia for Christianity and gave it to Emperor Hadrian. This Apologia had such an effect on the pagan emperor that he ordered that Christians not be persecuted without specific cause. St. Quadratus suffered in about the year 130. He is buried in the city of Magnesia, where he suffered. (Prologue of Ohrid)
GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 6
10. O Christ, You won the victory over Hades,
You ascended the Cross so that You might raise up with Yourself
all those who dwelt in the darkness of death.
Almighty Saviour, You are free from death
and bestow life by Your divine light.
We, therefore, beseech You to have mercy on us.
9. Today Christ has conquered Death.
He has risen from the grave as He foretold,
bestowing great joy upon the world.
Therefore, let us all lift up our voices and sing:
O Fount of Life, O Light Whom no one can approach,
Almighty Saviour, have mercy on us.
8. O Lord, where can we sinners flee from You,
for You are present in all creation?
You are present in heaven, for it is Your dwelling place.
Your power prevails in Hades where You conquered Death.
O Master, Your sustaining hand touches even the depths of the sea.
Where, then, can we take refuge except in You?
We, therefore, prostrate ourselves before You and pray:
O Lord, risen from the dead, have mercy on us.
7. We exult in Your Cross, O Christ,
and we sing the glory of Your Resurrection.
For You are our God, and we have no other Lord but You.
In Tone 6
6. By its elevation the Cross is like an appeal to the whole creation.
We adore the blessed passion of Christ our God
who was suspended on it.
By this Cross, Christ destroyed the one who had destroyed us.
In His great goodness, He brought us back to life after we had been dead.
In His mercy He clothed us with beauty
and made us worthy of heaven.
Therefore, we exalt His Name with great rejoicing
and glorify His infinite condescension.
5. By its elevation the Cross is like an appeal to the whole creation.
We adore the blessed passion of Christ our God
who was suspended on it.
By this Cross, Christ destroyed the one who had destroyed us.
In His great goodness, He brought us back to life after we had been dead.
In His mercy He clothed us with beauty
and made us worthy of heaven.
Therefore, we exalt His Name with great rejoicing
and glorify His infinite condescension.
4. O precious Cross of the Lord,
Moses prefigured you when he stretched out his arms to heaven
and thus defeated the haughty Amalek.
You are the pride of the faithful
and the strength of those who struggle,
the glory of the apostles, the courage of the just,
and the salvation of the saints.
Therefore, at the sight of your elevation,
the whole creation rejoices, exalts, and glorifies Christ
whose goodness joined together those who had strayed.
3. O precious Cross of the Lord,
Moses prefigured you when he stretched out his arms to heaven
and thus defeated the haughty Amalek.
You are the pride of the faithful
and the strength of those who struggle,
the glory of the apostles, the courage of the just,
and the salvation of the saints.
Therefore, at the sight of your elevation,
the whole creation rejoices, exalts, and glorifies Christ
whose goodness joined together those who had strayed.
2. O most venerable Cross of the Lord,
the angels surround you with joy at your elevation today.
You raise up those who had fallen and had been delivered to death
for having eaten of the forbidden tree.
Therefore, we praise you with our lips,
begging for sanctification, saying:
Exalt Christ our gracious God, O you nations,
and adore His divine footsteps forever.
1. O most venerable Cross of the Lord,
the angels surround you with joy at your elevation today.
You raise up those who had fallen and had been delivered to death
for having eaten of the forbidden tree.
Therefore, we praise you with our lips,
begging for sanctification, saying:
Exalt Christ our gracious God, O you nations,
and adore His divine footsteps forever.
In Tone 2, Glory…
Come, all you people,
let us venerate the blessed Cross of the Lord through which eternal justice came to us.
He who deceived Adam, the first man, was conquered by a tree,
and the same who fettered the royal creation by his cunning
has been cast down into nothingness.
The venom of the serpent has been washed away by the divine blood of Christ.
The curse of the rightful sentence was lifted when the just Christ was condemned unjustly.
By God’s plan, death that had come from a tree would be conquered by a Tree,
and suffering would be healed by the suffering of the Lord.
Glory to the active presence of Your providence in our lives, O Christ, our King.
Through it You have brought salvation for all,
for You are gracious and the Lover of mankind.
In Tone 6, 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.
Aposticha
In Tone 6
O Christ our Saviour,
the angels in heaven sing the praises of Your Resurrection;
make us on earth also worthy
to extol You with a pure heart.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
Almighty God, You destroyed the brazen gates and bars of Hades,
and raised up fallen mankind.
Therefore, with one accord, we cry out:
O Lord, risen from the dead, glory to You!
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
Christ willed to renew us from our corruption of old
by being nailed to a cross and placed in a tomb.
When the women came to anoint His body they tearfully cried out:
O, what sorrow afflicts us!
O Saviour of All, how could You consent to occupy a grave?
If you truly willed this, then why did You allow Your body to be stolen?
How were You removed?
What place now conceals Your life-bearing body?
O Lord, appear to us as You promised
and put an end to out tears.
As they were lamenting, an angel appeared and cried out to them:
Do not weep, but tell the Apostles that the Lord is risen,
granting sanctification and great mercy to the world.
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
O Christ, You were crucified of Your free will,
and by Your burial You imprisoned Death.
As God, You rose in glory on the third day,
granting life and great mercy to the world.
In Tone 8, Glory… Now…
Of old, Moses prefigured Your Cross
while vanquishing Amalek and obtaining victory over him.
David the psalmist called it Your footstool
and directed us to adore it.
We sinners indeed venerate Your Cross today, O Christ our God.
With our unworthy lips we extol You,
for You deigned to be crucified on it;
and we entreat You, O Lord:
Together with the thief, make us worthy of Your kingdom.
Troparia
In Tone 6
Angelic powers were upon Your tomb* and the guards became like dead men;* Mary stood before Your tomb* seeking Your most pure body.* You captured Hades without being overcome by it.* You met the Virgin and granted life.* O Lord, risen from the dead,* glory to You!
In Tone 1, Glory… Now…
Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance,* grant victory to Your faithful people against enemies,* and protect Your community by Your Cross.
DIVINE LITURGY
Antiphon 1
O God, my God, hear me; why have You forsaken me? The words of my transgressions put salvation far from me.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
O God, I will call to You by day but You will not listen; and by night, yet it will not be foolish of me.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
But You, the praise of Israel, dwell in the holy place.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Glory… Now… Only-begotten Son…
Antiphon 3
Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord, let us acclaim God, our Saviour.
Son of God, crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Let us come before His face with praise, and acclaim Him in psalms.
Son of God, crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
For God is the great Lord, and the great king over all the earth.
Son of God, crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Entrance:
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ.
Son of God, crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 6: Angelic powers were upon Your tomb* and the guards became like dead men;* Mary stood before Your tomb* seeking Your most pure body.* You captured Hades without being overcome by it.* You met the Virgin and granted life.* O Lord, risen from the dead,* glory be to You!
Troparion, Tone 1: Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance.* Grant victory to Your faithful people against enemies,* and protect Your community by Your cross.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 6: With His life-giving hand* Christ our God, the Giver of life,* raised all the dead from the murky abyss* and bestowed resurrection upon humanity.* He is for all the Saviour,* the resurrection and the life, and the God of all.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 4: By Your own choice, O Christ our God,* You were lifted on the cross.* Grant Your mercies to Your new community* that bears Your Name.* By Your power gladden the faithful people,* and grant them victory against enemies.* May they have the help of Your instrument of peace,* the invincible sign of victory.
Prokeimenon, Tone 7
Exalt the Lord our God,* and bow in worship at the footstool of his feet, for it is holy.
verse: The Lord reigns, let the people tremble. (Psalm 98:5,1)
Epistle
Galatians 2:16-20
Alleluia, Tone 1
verse: Remember Your congregation which You acquired from the beginning.
verse: But God is our king before the ages; He has wrought salvation in the midst of the earth. (Psalm 73:2,12)
Gospel
Mark 8:34-9:1
Hymn to the Mother of God
O my soul, magnify the most precious cross of the Lord.
And the Irmos, Tone 8: You are a mystical Paradise, O Mother of God, who though untilled, have brought forth Christ. He has planted upon earth the life-giving Tree of the Cros
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1)* Let the light of Your countenance, O Lord,* shine upon us.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 4:7)
At the end of Liturgy we sing:
To Your Cross, O Master, we bow in veneration, and we glorify Your holy Resurrection. (3)