GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 2
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
What crowns of praise shall we weave for Peter and Paul?
They were separated in the body but united in spirit,
and outstanding as the preachers of God.
The one indeed led the apostles,
while the other laboured more than all the rest.
Christ our God, showing great mercy,
fittingly crowns them with immortal glory.
Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
What crowns of praise shall we weave for Peter and Paul?
They were separated in the body but united in spirit,
and outstanding as the preachers of God.
The one indeed led the apostles,
while the other laboured more than all the rest.
Christ our God, showing great mercy,
fittingly crowns them with immortal glory.
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
What crowns of praise shall we weave for Peter and Paul?
They were separated in the body but united in spirit,
and outstanding as the preachers of God.
The one indeed led the apostles,
while the other laboured more than all the rest.
Christ our God, showing great mercy,
fittingly crowns them with immortal glory.
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
With what beautiful hymns shall we praise Peter and Paul?
They are wings of divine knowledge,
spreading out to the far ends of the earth
and soaring aloft to heaven.
They are two heads of the Gospel of grace,
two feet of the preaching of the truth,
two rivers of wisdom and two arms of the Cross,
through which the merciful Christ casts down the pride of demons.
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
With what beautiful hymns shall we praise Peter and Paul?
They are wings of divine knowledge,
spreading out to the far ends of the earth
and soaring aloft to heaven.
They are two heads of the Gospel of grace,
two feet of the preaching of the truth,
two rivers of wisdom and two arms of the Cross,
through which the merciful Christ casts down the pride of demons.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
With what beautiful hymns shall we praise Peter and Paul?
They are wings of divine knowledge,
spreading out to the far ends of the earth
and soaring aloft to heaven.
They are two heads of the Gospel of grace,
two feet of the preaching of the truth,
two rivers of wisdom and two arms of the Cross,
through which the merciful Christ casts down the pride of demons.
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
With what spiritual songs shall we praise Peter and Paul?
They slew the godless tongues of idolaters.
They are fearful swords of the Spirit and notable ornaments of Rome,
nourishers of the whole world
and the God-inspired tablets of the new covenant.
Christ, in His great mercy, has proclaimed their honour in Sion.
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
With what spiritual songs shall we praise Peter and Paul?
They slew the godless tongues of idolaters.
They are fearful swords of the Spirit and notable ornaments of Rome,
nourishers of the whole world
and the God-inspired tablets of the new covenant.
Christ, in His great mercy, has proclaimed their honour in Sion.
In Tone 4, Glory…
Christ asked three times: Peter, do you love Me?
Thereby He satisfied the three-fold denial;
and Simon, understanding the mystery, cried to the Lord:
You know all things; You know that I love You.
After this, Christ said to him:
Feed my sheep, feed my lambs;
feed those sheep which I have fashioned for salvation with my own blood.
Therefore, O blessed Apostle of God,
beseech Him to grant us great mercy.
Now…
O Mother of God, David the prophet and forefather of Christ foretold in song
the great things that would happen to you.
He revealed that you would be a queen,
standing at the right hand of God,
and that you would be the Mother of Life and Intercessor for the world.
He prophesied that God, in his good will toward mankind,
would become incarnate of you without a human father.
Thus He would restore His image within us,
which had become disfigured by our passions.
He would seek out the lost sheep that was trapped in the hills;
He would lift it upon His shoulder and carry it to His Father
who would place it in the midst of His heavenly hosts.
In like manner, Christ will save the world because of His great and abundant mercy.
Readings
(1) 1 Peter 1: 3-9; (2) 1 Peter 1: 13 – 19; (3) 1 Peter 2: 11-24
Lytia
In Tone 2
Come today, O assemblies of the faithful,
O choirs full of praise, O beautiful gathering,
O chosen craftsmen of grace,
we are crowning Peter and Paul with worthy praises.
They sowed the Word in its fullness;
through them the grace of the Spirit was poured out abundantly.
And being the vine of the true vineyard,
they divided up for us a ripe cluster, making our hearts joyful.
Let us sing to them with clear expression,
and with a clean conscience let us say:
Rejoice, O destroyers of the unwise
and the servants of the spiritual ones.
Rejoice, O intermediaries for the good who banish evil.
Let us beseech them to always pray to the Creator and Teacher
to grant an enduring peace to the world
and great mercy to our souls.
Let us praise as intercessors for the world,
the teachers and foundations of the Church of Christ,
its true pillars and walls,
trumpets of the divine teachings and sufferings of Christ,
the prime apostles Peter and Paul.
They travelled throughout the earth,
as though with a plough, sowing the faith,
and planted a knowledge of God in all,
revealing the Word of the Trinity.
O Peter, rock of foundation, and Paul, O chosen vessel,
you were harnessed together to the will of Christ.
You raised up all creation to a knowledge of God:
the nations, the cities, and the islands.
Indeed, you lifted up anew the Hebrews into the Church,
and now you pray that our souls be saved.
O Peter, the first of the glorious apostles and rock of faith!
wondrous Paul, orator and lamp stand of the holy churches,
standing before the divine throne,
pray to Christ for us.
O Paul, spokesman of the Lord and foundation of doctrine!
Once you were a persecutor of Jesus the Saviour,
and then indeed you were among the first of the apostles, O blessed one.
You saw the ineffable One, O wise Apostle.
You were transported up to the third heaven, and you exclaimed:
Come with me and do not be deprived of the good things.
In Tone 3
O citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem,
behold the rock of faith and the orator of the Church of Christ,
the two men of the Trinity and fishers of the world,
today are departing from the earth.
Suffering the passion, they ascend to God,
and they pray to Him with confidence to save our souls.
In Tone 5, Glory…
The wisdom of God and the Word who is co-eternal with the Father
has truly foretold in the Gospel, O all-praiseworthy Apostles,
that you are the two most fruitful vines;
for you bore in your branches the ripe and beautiful cluster
from which we believers are now nourished
and whose taste brings us both sweetness and delight.
Therefore, O Peter, rock of faith, and Paul, pride of the universe,
strengthen the flock that became yours through your teachings.
Now…
We bless you, O Theotokos and Virgin;
and we faithful ones glorify you always.
You are the ineffable city, the mighty wall,
the powerful mediatrix, and the haven of our souls.
Aposticha
In Tone 1
O glorious apostle Paul,
who can describe your bondage and sorrow in the cities,
your tribulations and hardships,
your vigils and sufferings?
You have suffered hunger, thirst, and cold,
nakedness and scourging with rods,
the crossing of wilderness, shipwreck and stonings.
You have both angelic and human character,
bearing all with the help of Christ who strengthened you,
so that you might gain the world for Christ, your Lord.
We, who celebrate your memory in faith,
beseech you to intercede for the salvation of our souls.
Through all the world their voice resounds; their message reaches to the ends of the earth.
O glorious apostle Paul,
who can describe your bondage and tribulations in the cities?
Who can tell the hardships and struggles you went through in the preaching of Christ
that you might win all people and present the Church to Christ?
O apostle Paul, teacher of the Churches,
pray that the Church may be strengthened by your teachings
until the end of time.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
Let us extol Peter and Paul,
the two great luminaries of the Church;
for they have shone forth with the firmness of faith,
transcending the sun in brilliance.
By the rays of their preaching
they led the Gentiles from ignorance to divine knowledge.
Therefore, one of them was nailed upon the cross,
thus making his way into heaven
where he received the Kingdom from Christ himself.
The other was beheaded with the sword and carried to the Saviour,
where he received the blessing that he deserved.
Both declared that the unjust ones laid hands against the Lord.
By their powers, therefore, O Christ our God,
take your anger away from us and make firm our faith,
for You are the Lover of Mankind.
In Tone 6, Glory…
Today a delightful feast has shone forth to the ends of the earth,
the all-solemn memorial of the most wise and first apostles, Peter and Paul.
Therefore, let Rome receive the glad tidings, rejoicing;
and let us feast on this solemn day, crying out to them:
Rejoice, O Peter, apostle and special friend of the Teacher, Christ our God.
Rejoice, O truly beloved Paul,
preacher of the faith and teacher of the universe.
Because of your privilege, O holy ones,
beseech Christ our God to save our souls.
Now…
Christ the Lord, our Creator and Redeemer,
came forth from your womb, O most pure Virgin.
He clothed himself in our human flesh
to set us free from the original curse of Adam.
Therefore, O Mary, we praise you, without ceasing,
as the true Virgin Mother of God,
and we sing with the angels:
Rejoice, O Lady, advocate, protector, and salvation of our souls.
Troparia
In Tone 4
As the leaders of the apostles* and teachers of the whole world,* intercede with the Master of all* to grant peace to the world* and to our souls great mercy. (2)
In Tone 1
Rejoice, Virgin Mary, Mother of God, full of grace,* The Lord is with you.* Blessed are you among women,* and blessed is the fruit of your womb.* For you have given birth to Christ, the Saviour and Deliverer of our souls.
DIVINE LITURGY
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 4: As the leaders of the apostles* and teachers of the whole world,* intercede with the Master of all* to grant peace to the world* and to our souls great mercy.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen
Kontakion, Tone 2: You received Your inspired and steadfast preachers, Your chief disciples,* into the enjoyment of Your good things and into repose.* You, Who alone know the heart, accept their labours and death* more gladly than any holocaust.
Prokeimenon, Tone 8
Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth, and their word unto the ends of the world.
verse: The heavens tell the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of His hands. (Psalm 18:5,2)
Epistle 2
Corinthians 11:21-12:9
Alleluia, Tone 1
verse: The heavens shall confess our wonders, O Lord, and Your truth in the church of the saints.
verse: God is glorified in the assembly of the saints. (Psalm 88:6,8)
Gospel
Matthew 16:13-19
Hymn to the Mother of God
O my soul, magnify Peter the solid rock of Christ’s Church and Paul her chosen vessel.
and the Irmos, Tone 4: You, most glorious Bride and all holy Mother of God,* in song do we magnify;* for the Maker of all things seen and unseen* was born of you.
Communion Hymn
Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth,* and their word unto the ends of the world.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 18:5)