GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 7
Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
Come, let us rejoice in the Lord,
Who destroyed the power of death
and enlightened the human race;
and let us cry out with the angels:
Glory to You, our Creator and Saviour!
The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O Saviour, for our sake You suffered crucifixion and burial;
and, as God, You destroyed death by Your death.
Therefore, we adore Your resurrection on the third day
and we sing: Glory to You, O Lord!
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
On seeing the resurrection of the Creator,
the Apostles were amazed,
and they sang an angelic hymn of praise:
This is the glory of the Church,
this is the richness of the Kingdom!
O Lord, Who suffered for our sake, glory to You!
Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
O Christ, although You were taken captive by Your enemies,
I still acknowledge You as my God,
and am not ashamed of You;
I will not hide the fact that You were nailed to the Cross.
Your death is my life, almighty Lord,
and I extol Your resurrection.
O Lover of mankind, glory to You!
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
In fulfilment of the prophecy of David,
Christ revealed His majesty to His disciples in Sion.
He showed Himself to be worthy of equal praise
with His Father and the Holy Spirit;
for He existed from all eternity as God the Word, without a body;
then, out of love for mankind, He became incarnate,
and for our sake He was put to death as a man;
finally, by His own power He arose from the dead.
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
O Christ, of Your own free will, You descended into Hades;
and, as God the Lord, You destroyed death.
On the third day You arose from the dead and raised up Adam
from the bonds of Hades and corruption.
In joy he cried out and said:
Glory to Your resurrection, O Lover of mankind!
In Tone 6
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
O Word and lover of Mankind,
infinite and beyond description in Your taking flesh for our sake,
the nobles assembly of Fathers proclaimed that You are both perfect man and perfect God,
one person in two perfect natures with two perfect wills.
Therefore, we profess that You are one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
We sing a hymn of praise to the Fathers, and we adore You.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
O glorious Fathers of the Councils,
you demonstrated that Pyrrhus, Sergius, and Onuphrius,
Dioscorus, and Nestorius were in error
concerning the doctrines of Christ.
You save the flock by teaching the true principle
that Christ is one divine person in two natures.
This Christ we adore as perfect man and perfect God,
one with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
O holy Fathers, we honour you and sing to you a hymn of praise.
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
The Fathers of the Councils, inspired by God,
declare and explain that in Christ
there is a divine act and a divine will,
uncreated and infinite:
the act and will of the Son of God.
There is also a human act and a human will:
those of the Son of Man.
Thus, they proclaim that Christ is one divine person having two natures,
the one is divine and the other is human.
Therefore, we the faithful honour these Fathers every year
and glorify Christ who glorified them.
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
The Fathers of the Councils proclaim to us today
that the eternal Trinity is one God and one Lord.
They explain the Trinity is of one nature,
consubstantial, of one will and one act,
not divided nor shared but existing in the simplicity of God’s being.
They define that this will and act of God
had no beginning and will never have and end.
Therefore, we the faithful glorify these Fathers
as the equals of the Apostles,
for they taught all people the true doctrine of God.
In Tone 6, Glory…
Let us honour today those mystical trumpets of the Spirit,
namely the God-mantled Fathers,
who speaking of divine things,
sang in the midst of the Church a hymn in unison,
teaching that the Trinity is one,
not differing in substance or Godhead,
refuting Arius and defending the orthodox faith.
They always intercede with the Lord
to have mercy on our souls.
In Tone 7, Now…
Immaculate Mother of God,
you became a mother outside the laws of nature,
remaining a virgin in a way that exceeds all description
and human understanding.
The wonder of your birth-giving could not be told in human language,
for your conception of Christ blinded intelligence,
and your birth-giving exceeded understanding:
for whenever God so desires, the laws of nature are broken.
Wherefore, we all firmly believe that you are the Mother of God,
and we eagerly beseech you to intercede for the salvation of our souls.
Readings
(1) Genesis 14:14-20; (2) Deuteronomy 1:8-11, 15-17; (3) Deuteronomy 10:14-21
Aposticha
In Tone 7
O Saviour of the world, You arose from the grave,
and together with Your own flesh You raised up mankind.
O Lord, glory to You!
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
Come, let us worship Christ Who arose from the dead
and enlightened all creation.
For by His resurrection on the third day,
He set us free from the oppression of Hades,
granting us life and His great mercy.
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
O Christ, Lover of mankind,
You descended into Hades and destroyed death.
Then You arose on the third day;
and, together with Yourself You lifted up all of us
who glorify Your mighty resurrection.
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
O Lord, what a fearful sight it was to see You lying in the tomb as if asleep.
Yet on the third day You arose in great power,
and at the same time You raised up Adam who joyfully cried out:
Glory to Your resurrection, O Lover of mankind!
In Tone 4, Glory…
O holy Fathers of the Councils,
you are the faithful keepers of the Apostles’ traditions.
By proclaiming that the three persons of the Holy Trinity
are one and consubstantial,
you refuted the blasphemy of Arius.
By teaching that the Holy Spirit is a distinct person,
one with the Father and the Son,
you put Macedonius, Severus and other heretics to shame.
Therefore, we beseech you to intercede for us,
preserving us from heresy and error
and keeping our lives blameless in God’s sight.
Now…
O most pure Virgin, hear the petitions of your servants.
Remove the burdens which oppress us,
and deliver us from our sorrows;
for you are the only firm and constant support on whom we rely.
O Mother of God, never permit us who call upon you
to be overwhelmed by our cares.
Hasten to fulfill the supplications of all who, in faith, cry out to you:
Rejoice, O Lady, helper of all mankind,
the joy, the refuge, and the salvation of our souls.
Troparia
In Tone 7
By Your cross You destroyed death;* You opened Paradise to the thief;* You changed the lamentation of the myrrh-bearers to joy,* and charged the apostles to proclaim* that You are risen, O Christ our God,* offering great mercy to the world.
In Tone 8, Glory…
Christ our God, You are glorified above all,* You established our fathers as beacons on earth* and through them guided all of us to the true faith.** Glory to You, most compassionate Lord.
Now…
O gracious Lord, for the sake of mankind You were born of a virgin: * through Your death on the Cross You conquered Death; * and through Your resurrection You revealed Yourself as God. * O merciful Lord, do not disdain those whom You have created with Your own hands, * but show forth Your love for mankind. * Accept the intercession which the Mother, who bore You, makes in our behalf. ** O Saviour, save Your despairing people.
DIVINE LITURGY
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 7: By Your cross You destroyed death;* You opened Paradise to the thief;* You changed the lamentation of the myrrh-bearers to joy,* and charged the apostles to proclaim* that You are risen, O Christ our God,* offering great mercy to the world.
Troparion, Tone 8: Christ our God, You are glorified above all,* You established our fathers as beacons on earth* and through them guided all of us to the true faith.* Glory to You, most compassionate Lord.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 6: The Son who ineffably shone from the Father* was born two-fold of nature from a woman.* Beholding Him, we do not reject the image of His form;* but depicting it, we revere it faithfully.* Therefore, the Church, holing the true faith,* kisses the icon of Christ’s becoming man.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Theotokion, Tone 6: Undaunted patroness of Christians,* O steadfast intermediary with the Creator,* turn not away from the suppliant voices of sinners,* but in your kindness come to help us who cry out to you in faith.* Be quick to intercede, make haste to plead,* for you are ever the patroness of those who honour you, O Mother of God.
Prokeimenon, Tone 4
Blessed are You, Lord God of our fathers,* and praised and glorified is Your Name forever.
verse: For You are righteous in everything that You have done to us. (Daniel 3:26-27)
Epistle
Hebrews 13:7-16
Alleluia, Tone 1
verse: The God of gods, the Lord, spoke and summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
verse: Gather to Him His devout ones, who with sacrifice make covenant with Him. (Psalm 49:1, 5)
Gospel
John 17:1-17
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens,* praise Him in the highest.* Rejoice in the Lord, O you just;* praise befits the righteous.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalms 184:1; 32:1)