Great Vespers for the feast is served in the evening on Tuesday, March 24.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 2
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
All the arrows of the Enemy have pierced my over-burdened heart;
it now lies in the tomb of laziness,
hardened as the rock of the tomb.
But You, O Saviour, who by the wood of your Cross
have given life to the captives in Hades,
awaken me and give me life,
that in fear I may glorify your divinity.
Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
I have always loved the treasure of my deadly pleasures,
and with the aid of the Evil One,
without conscience, I have delighted in trivialities.
I have disregarded my groaning spirit as another Lazarus,
and I hunger for food from on high.
Save me, O Word of God, from the threatening fire,
that I may glorify your mercy and your love for humankind.
In Tone 3
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Today Lazarus gives up his spirit.
Bethany laments and cries for the one
whom You, O Saviour, shall raise from the dead,
to strengthen, by your friend, the belief in your divine Resurrection,
which vanquishes death and gives us life.
Therefore, we glorify and praise You.
In Tone 6
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Gabriel stood in your presence, O holy Virgin,
and revealed the eternal plan to you.
He greeted you and announced:
Rejoice, O earth that has not been sown!
Rejoice, O burning bush that was not consumed!
Rejoice, O unsearchable depth!
Rejoice, O bridge which leads to heaven;
O high ladder which Jacob saw!
Rejoice, O vessel of divine manna!
Rejoice, O invocation of Adam!
The Lord is with you.
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Gabriel stood in your presence, O holy Virgin,
and revealed the eternal plan to you.
He greeted you and announced:
Rejoice, O earth that has not been sown!
Rejoice, O burning bush that was not consumed!
Rejoice, O unsearchable depth!
Rejoice, O bridge which leads to heaven;
O high ladder which Jacob saw!
Rejoice, O vessel of divine manna!
Rejoice, O invocation of Adam!
The Lord is with you.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
The blameless Maiden said to the captain of the heavenly hosts:
You appear to me as a mortal,
and your words go beyond human thought.
You have said that God is with me,
and that He shall take up abode in my womb.
Tell me then, how am I to become a holy temple for the Infinite One,
the Lord Who rides on the Cherubim?
Do not mislead me with deceit,
for I have known no pleasure and have not approached wedlock.
Therefore, how shall I give birth to a child?
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
The blameless Maiden said to the captain of the heavenly hosts:
You appear to me as a mortal,
and your words go beyond human thought.
You have said that God is with me,
and that He shall take up abode in my womb.
Tell me then, how am I to become a holy temple for the Infinite One,
the Lord Who rides on the Cherubim?
Do not mislead me with deceit,
for I have known no pleasure and have not approached wedlock.
Therefore, how shall I give birth to a child?
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
The archangel then said to her:
Whenever God wills, the order of nature is overcome,
and that which is beyond human power is accomplished.
Therefore, O most pure and everlasting One, believe my true words.
She then cried out, saying:
Let it now be done to according to your word,
and I will give birth to the One Who is without flesh.
He will take flesh from me,
so that by the union He may raise the human race to the original dignity,
for He alone is all-powerful.
Glory… Now…
The archangel Gabriel was sent from heaven
to bring to the Virgin glad tidings of her conception.
When he came to Nazareth,
he marvelled at the miracle and thought to himself:
How is it that He Whom the heavens cannot comprehend
is now being born of a virgin?
The One Who has heaven for a throne and earth for a footstool
is being enclosed within a virgin’s womb.
He, upon whom the six-winged Seraphim and the many-eyed Cherubim cannot gaze,
wills to become incarnate of her by a single word.
The Word of God is at hand.
Then why do I stand by and not say to the Virgin:
Rejoice, O Full of Grace; the Lord is with you!
Rejoice, O pure Virgin and Maiden Bride!
Rejoice, O Mother of the Life!
Blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Prokeimenon I, Tone 4
To fear the Lord is the first stage of wisdom.
verse: I will thank the Lord with all my heart in the meeting of the just and their assembly.
Reading I
Genesis 31 :3-16
Prokeimenon II, Tone 4
They are lights in the darkness for the upright; they are generous, merciful and just.
verse: Happy are those who fear the Lord, who take delight in all his commands.
Reading II
Proverbs 21 :3-21
Reading III
Genesis 28:10-17
Reading IV
Ezekiel 43:27-44:4
Reading V
Proverbs 9:1-11
Deign, O Lord
Aposticha
In Tone 1
Clothed in the God-woven purple of freedom
and in the fine linen of incorruption,
you have mocked your own dignity, O my soul.
You have sought pleasure and wealth in sin,
looking down on your friends as the rich man on Lazarus the poor.
That you may not be chastised with him,
become poor in spirit
and cry to the Lord who became poor for your sake:
O Lord, who wore the purple of mockery before your crucifixion
and who were stripped and crucified for my sake,
grant me the robe of your kingdom
and deliver me from eternal shame.
I have lifted up my eyes to You enthroned in heaven. Behold, as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, as the eyes of a maid are on the hands of her mistress, so are our eyes on the Lord our God until He has mercy on us.
Clothed in the God-woven purple of freedom
and in the fine linen of incorruption,
you have mocked your own dignity, O my soul.
You have sought pleasure and wealth in sin,
looking down on your friends as the rich man on Lazarus the poor.
That you may not be chastised with him,
become poor in spirit
and cry to the Lord who became poor for your sake:
O Lord, who wore the purple of mockery before your crucifixion
and who were stripped and crucified for my sake,
grant me the robe of your kingdom
and deliver me from eternal shame.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us; for we have been filled with shame; our soul is all too full of the mockery of the rich, of the contempt of the proud.
How beautiful is the manner of your exchange, O saints;
for you have given your blood and received heaven.
Truly, you have done well!
You have obtained immortality by forsaking corruptible things.
Making a single choir with the angels,
you sing unceasingly the praises of the consubstantial Trinity.
In Tone 4, Glory… Now…
Today there come glad tidings of joy: it is the feast of the Virgin.
Things below are joined to things above.
Adam is renewed, Eve set free from her ancient sorrow;
and the Tabernacle of the human nature which the Lord took upon Himself,
making divine the substance He assumed, is consecrated as a Temple of God!
O mystery! The manner of emptying is unknown,
the fashion of His conceiving is ineffable.
An angel ministers at the wonder; a virgin womb receives the Son.
The Holy Spirit is sent down; the Father on high gives His consent;
and so the covenant is brought to pass by common counsel.
In Him and through Him are we saved,
and together with Gabriel let us cry aloud to the Virgin:
“Rejoice, you who are full of grace: the Lord is with you.
From you has Christ our God and our Salvation taken human nature,
rising it up to Himself.
Pray to Him that our souls may be saved.”
Song of Symeon
Trisagion Prayers
Festal Troparion
In Tone 4
Today is the crown of our salvation,* and the unfolding of the eternal mystery;* the Son of God becomes the Virgin’s Son,* and Gabriel brings the tidings of grace.* With him let us also cry to the Mother of God:* Rejoice, Full of grace! The Lord is with you!
Ektenia
Three Prostrations
Great Dismissal with commemoration of the feast.
Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is served in the evening on Wednesday, March 25.
No kathisma reading.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 5
Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
I am rich in all sorts of passion,
and I am clothed in a garment of hypocrisy,
as I revel in the intemperance of sin.
My lack of mercy is beyond measure,
and I disregard my spirit lying before the gates of repentance.
Starved of every good thing, I suffer from illness.
But You, O Lord, make me like Lazarus who was poor in sin,
so that I will not have to beg for a drop of water
for my tongue suffering from thirst in the eternal fire.
Make me dwell in the bosom of the patriarch Abraham. O Lover of mankind.
The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
With your souls filled with unquenchable love,
you endured the most terrible sufferings without ever denying Christ;
and you laid low the impudence of the torturers.
You kept the faith unwavering and unharmed
and have gone to dwell in heaven.
Therefore, having the boldness to approach the Lord,
beg Him to grant us his great mercy.
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
As You walked in the flesh, O Jesus,
in the land beyond the Jordan,
You said to those who were with You:
Our friend Lazarus has died and has been placed in the tomb.
But I rejoice for you, my friends,
for you will learn that I know all things,
and that with God, I am one,
even though by nature I appear in human form.
Therefore, let us go and give life to Lazarus
so that death may recognize this victory,
and the perfect consummation I shall bring about
by granting great mercy to the world.
Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
O faithful, let us imitate Martha and Mary,
and offer virtuous deeds as ambassadors before the Lord,
that when He comes, He may uplift our minds which now lie dead
and full of misery in the tomb.
Without life, they have no sense of what they are neglecting,
and they are unaware of the awesomeness of God.
Behold, O Lord, now give life to all and grant us your great mercy,
as once You had pity on your friend Lazarus,
and by your awesome power, raised him from the dead.
In Tone 6
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Lazarus has been in the tomb for two days,
and he sees all generations of the dead.
He beholds such strange and awesome things
and a countless number held within the power of death.
His relatives weep bitterly before his tomb;
but Christ is on his way to give life to his friend,
that He may stir up the same joy in the hearts of all.
Blessed are You, O Saviour; have mercy on us.
In Tone 4
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
In the sixth month, the archangel was sent to the pure Virgin.
Telling her to rejoice, he announced the good tidings
that the Saviour would be born of her.
Having accepted his greeting, she conceived the eternal God
who ineffably deigned to become incarnate
for the salvation of our souls.
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
The Mother of God, upon hearing, did not understand
the message of the archangel
because he was speaking the words of glad tidings to her.
She accepted his greeting with faith
and conceived You, the eternal God.
Therefore, we joyfully sing to You:
O God, You became incarnate, without change, from her;
and You grant peace and great mercy to the world.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Behold, the promised One now manifests himself to us.
It is beyond comprehension that God unites himself to the human race.
At the word of the archangel, deceit is cast out
because the Virgin receives the Joy.
The things of the earth become like heaven;
the world is freed of the original curse.
Let creation rejoice,
and may voices cry out:
O our Creator and Deliverer,
O Lord, glory to You!
In Tone 1
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
The archangel Gabriel, the spirit who sees God face to face,
gazes upon the brilliant, saving, and gleaming Light.
He sings heavenly and awesome hymns with the ranks on high.
He implores God to grant peace and great mercy to our souls.
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
The great mystery, previously unknown to the angels and hidden from eternity,
is made known to you alone, O Gabriel.
When you came to Nazareth, you told it to the pure One.
Together with her, implore God to grant peace
and great mercy to our souls.
You made the winds your messengers, and flaming fire your ministers.
O prince of angels, all-perfect Gabriel,
you are filled with the divine brightness.
You fulfil the wishes and commands of the Almighty.
Save those who lovingly venerate you.
Always ask God to grant peace and great mercy to our souls.
In Tone 6, Glory… Now…
The archangel Gabriel was sent from heaven
to bring to the Virgin glad tidings of her conception.
When he came to Nazareth,
he marvelled at the miracle and thought to himself:
How is it that He whom the heavens cannot comprehend
is now being born of a virgin?
The One who has heaven for a throne and earth for a footstool
is being enclosed within a virgin’s womb.
He, upon whom the six-winged Seraphim and the many-eyed Cherubim cannot gaze,
wills to become incarnate of her by a single word.
The Word of God is at hand.
Then why do I stand by and not say to the Virgin:
Rejoice, O Full of Grace; the Lord is with you!
Rejoice, O pure Virgin and maiden bride!
Rejoice, O Mother of the Life!
Blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Prokeimenon I, Tone 4
I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
verse: I love the Lord, for He has heard the cry of my appeal.
Reading I
Genesis 43:26-45:16
Prokeimenon I, Tone 4
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make; I will call on the Lord’s name.
verse: I trusted, even when I said:· I am sorely afflicted.
Reading II
Proverbs 21:23- 22:4
Reading III
Exodus 3:1-8
Reading IV
Proverbs 8:22-31
Small Ektenia & Trisagion Hymn
Prokeimenon, Tone 4
Proclaim from day to day* the good tidings of our God’s salvation.
verse: Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. (Psalm 95:2,1)
Epistle
Hebrews 2:11-18
Alleluia, Tone 1
verse: He will descend like rain on a fleece, and like drops dripping on the earth.
verse: Let His name be blessed through the ages; His name exists before the sun. (Psalm 71:6, 17)
Gospel
Luke 1:24-38
Hymn to the Mother of God
O earth, announce good news of great joy; praise God’s glory, O heavens.
and the Irmos: Let no hand of the profane touch God’s living ark,* but instead let the lips of those who are believers* sing out ceaselessly in the words of the angel,* crying out with great joy to the Mother of God:* Hail, O Full of Grace! The Lord is with you.
Communion Hymn
For the Lord has chosen Sion;* He has chosen it for His dwelling. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. (Psalm 131:13)