GREAT VESPERS
First Kathisma is read.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 5
Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
With Your precious Cross, O Christ,
You have put the Devil to shame.
With Your Resurrection You have deadened the sting of sin
and have saved us from the gates of Death.
We, therefore, glorify You, O only-begotten Son of God.
The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O Christ, who granted resurrection to all people,
You were fed like a lamb to the slaughter.
Then the princes of Hades were struck with terror
as they saw the gates of their tearful domain being lifted up;
for Christ, the King of Glory, entered therein
and exclaimed to those in chains: Go forth from here!
And to those in darkness: Go forth into the light!
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
What a great wonder!
The Creator of invisible beings suffered in the flesh for mankind
and rose from the dead as immortal.
Come, therefore, all you nations and adore Him;
for through His compassion we have been freed from the snares of the Devil,
and we have learned to praise the one God in three Persons.
In Tone 2
Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
The man who was born blind from birth asked himself:
Was I born blind because of the sin of my parents,
or am I a living sign of the unbelief of the nations?
I am not content to ask whether it is night or day;
my feet can no longer endure tripping upon the stones.
I have not seen the brightness of the sun,
nor have I seen the image and likeness of my Creator.
Yet I beseech You, O Christ, our God,
to look upon me and have mercy on me.
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
The man who was born blind from birth asked himself:
Was I born blind because of the sin of my parents,
or am I a living sign of the unbelief of the nations?
I am not content to ask whether it is night or day;
my feet can no longer endure tripping upon the stones.
I have not seen the brightness of the sun,
nor have I seen the image and likeness of my Creator.
Yet I beseech You, O Christ, our God,
to look upon me and have mercy on me.
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Passing by the Temple, Jesus saw a man who was blind from birth.
He had compassion on him and put mud on his eyes.
He said to him: Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.
He washed and recovered his sight;
then he rendered glory to God.
But his neighbours said to him:
Who opened your eyes which no one before could heal?
And he answered them, saying: A man called Jesus.
He told me to go and wash in the pool of Siloam, and now I see.
He is in truth Christ the Messiah, of whom Moses wrote in the Law.
He is the Saviour of our souls.
In Tone 4
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
The wondrous Simon, boast of the apostles,
passed across the earth like a brilliant lightning bolt!
He dispelled the darkness of idolatry
with his saving, brilliant and divine teachings!
He enlightened all people to glorify one God in Three Persons,
indivisible and undivided!.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
The wondrous Simon, boast of the apostles,
passed across the earth like a brilliant lightning bolt!
He dispelled the darkness of idolatry
with his saving, brilliant and divine teachings!
He enlightened all people to glorify one God in Three Persons,
indivisible and undivided!
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Like a rolling wheel, the blessed Simon ran swiftly through the ends of the earth!
He burned away the madness of idolatry from all the land,
lighting brilliant beacons with piety,
he kindled luminous fires of grace for the faithful
that they may worship one God in Three Persons,
indivisible and undivided!
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
The most radiant and all-wondrous apostle Simon,
the teacher of the nations, the net of God,
draws us up from the depth of perdition with the height of theology!
The true preacher now wisely leads all to the knowledge of Christ.
He sets before us his accomplishments
as a pleasing feast of all good things!
In Tone 5, Glory…
As You walked along, O Lord,
You found a man who had been blind from birth.
In surprise, the disciples asked You:
Was it because of the sin of this man or his parents
that he was born blind, O Master?
But You, O Saviour, answered them, saying:
Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents,
but that the works of God would be revealed in him.
I must accomplish the works of Him who sent Me,
which no one else can work.
As You said that, You spat on the ground
and made mud from the dust to anoint his eyes.
And You said to him: Go and wash in the pool of Siloam.
When he washed, he was healed and cried out to You:
O Lord, I believe!
And he bowed down and worshiped You.
Therefore, we also cry out to You: Have mercy on us!
Now…
A symbol of the undefiled Virgin and bride
was revealed in the Red Sea.
There, Moses divided the waters;
here, Gabriel is the messenger of the miracle.
There, the Israelites crossed the deep and their feet were not even wet;
here, the Virgin gives birth to Christ without human seed.
There, the sea remained uncrossed after the passing of Israel;
here, the immaculate remained incorrupt after giving birth to Emmanuel.
Therefore, O immortal God, who appeared in the flesh as true Man,
have mercy on us!
Readings
(1) 1 John 3:21-4:6; (2) 1 John 4:11-16; (3) 1 John 4:20-5:5
Aposticha
In Tone 5
O Christ our Saviour,
we lift up our voices in song to glorify You.
For, in Your love for mankind,
You became incarnate without leaving heaven;
You accepted the Cross and death;
You cast down the gates of Hades;
and on the third day You arose from the dead
for the salvation of our souls.
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 worthy of veneration; 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 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 them, 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 6, Glory…
Most holy Simon, disciple and apostle of Christ,
like a high flying eagle you soared over creation!
You burned up the falsehood of idolatry with the fiery sound of your teachings,
leading the nations out of the depths of ignorance
into the knowledge of God.
Now pray to Christ that He be merciful to us on the day of judgment!
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 5
Let us the faithful acclaim and worship the Word,* co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit,* and born of the Virgin for our salvation.* For He willed to be lifted up on the cross inn the flesh,* to suffer death and to raise the dead* by His glorious Resurrection.
In Tone 3, Glory…
Holy Apostle Simon, intercede with the merciful God* to grant forgiveness of sins to our souls.
Now…
We sing your praises, O Virgin;* for, as the Mother of God, you always intercede for the salvation of the human race.* It is from you that our God and Your Son took flesh. * Then, by suffering the passion on the Cross,* and out of love for mankind, He delivered us from corruption.
DIVINE LITURGY
After Blessed is the kingdom we sing Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs, giving life, thrice.
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 5: Let us the faithful acclaim and worship the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, and born of the Virgin for our salvation. For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh, to suffer death and to raise the dead by His glorious resurrection.
Troparion, Tone 3: Holy Apostle Simon, intercede with the merciful God* to grant forgiveness of sins to our souls.
Glory be to the Father and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 4: Blinded in the eyes of my soul, I come to You, O Christ, like the man who was blind from birth, and I cry in repentance: You are the brilliant light of those in darkness.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
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 myrrhbearing women: Rejoice!* and giving peace to Your Apostles:* You, who grant resurrection to the fallen.
Prokeimenon, Tone 8
Pray and give praise to the Lord our God; pray and give praise to the Lord our God
verse: In Judea God is known; His name is great in Israel.
Epistle
Acts 16:16-34
Alleluia, Tone 8
verse: Look upon me and have mercy.
verse: Direct my steps according to Your Word.
Gospel
John 9:1-38
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 Hymn
Receive the Body of Christ;* taste the fountain of immortality.* Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia.
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.