GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 8
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
O Christ, during this spiritual service,
we sing to You these evening prayers,
commemorating the mercy You have shown us
by Your resurrection.
- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O Lord, O Lord, do not cast us away from Your face;
but in Your kindness have mercy on us
through Your resurrection.
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
Rejoice, O holy Zion,
the Mother of Churches and the dwelling-place of God;
for you were the first to receive the forgiveness of sins
through the resurrection.
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Christ the Word was begotten by God the Father before all ages;
yet in these latter times,
He freely willed to take flesh from the Virgin who did not know man.
By His death on the cross and His resurrection,
He saved mankind from the ancient curse of death.
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
O Christ, we glorify Your resurrection;
for by rising from the dead
You freed the race of Adam from the sufferings of Hades,
and as God You granted eternal life
and great mercy to the world.
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Glory to You, O Christ our Saviour,
the only-begotten Son of God;
for You were nailed to the cross,
and then arose from the dead on the third day.
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
We glorify You, O Lord;
for of Your own free will You suffered crucifixion for our salvation.
Almighty Saviour, we worship You.
We implore You not to cast us away from Your face;
but hear our prayer and save us by Your resurrection,
for You truly love mankind.
In Tone 4
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
The most wise Abibus, the wondrous Samonas, and the glorious Gurias,
the three passion-bearers who have formed a common choir for the faithful,
now join our chorus and rejoice with us;
for God has granted to the souls of the martyrs
to behold spiritually the things that are taking place.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
You endured pain and unbearable torments,
you suffered valiantly, O Samonas, Abibus, and blessed Gurias,
martyrs who are equal in number to the Trinity.
Now you enjoy the bliss of the eternal delight of Christ,
Who grants you the reward of your labours.
Entreat Him fervently that our souls may be saved!
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Having gone over to the serene harbour,
to the quiet life and to the all-tranquil haven,
you have exchanged your pains for abiding dispassion.
You have received fitting honours from God
as a reward from God for your labours,
O blessed passion-bearing martyrs.
In Tone 2, Glory…
Edessa rejoices, for she is enriched with the shrine of the three martyrs,
holy Abibus, Samonas and Gurias.
She cries out, summoning the Christ-loving flock:
“Come, all who love the martyrs,
be illumined on their splendid memorial!
Come and rejoice, all who love the feasts of the Church!
Come and behold the heavenly lights who lived on earth!
Come and hear what a bitter death the valiant and steadfast ones
endured for the sake of everlasting life!
As guarantors of the Truth they saved the virgin who was thrown alive in a grave,
committing the pitiless murderer who reviled them to condemnation.
They pray earnestly to the Holy Trinity
that those who celebrate their memory in faith
may be delivered from corruption, temptations and all evil.
In Tone 8, Now…
Out of his love for mankind
the King of heaven appeared on earth and dwelt with men,
for He assumed a human body from the pure Virgin
and was seen in the flesh He received from her.
He is the One and only God having two natures but not two persons.
Wherefore we profess and declare the truth
that Christ our God is perfect God and perfect Man.
O Mother, who knew not carnal union,
intercede with Him that He may have mercy on our souls.
Aposticha
In Tone 8
O Jesus, You descended from heaven
so that You might ascend the cross.
O immortal Life, You came to die.
You are the true light to those who live in darkness,
and You are the resurrection of the fallen.
Therefore, O Saviour of all, we glorify You.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. * Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
Let us glorify Christ, the Saviour of our Souls
Who arose from the dead.
For He took upon himself a soul and a body,
and during His passion He separated the one from the other.
His pure soul went down to conquer Hades,
while His holy body lay uncorrupted in the grave.
For He has made the world firm. * which shall not be moved.
O Christ, we glorify Your resurrection with psalms and hymns.
For by Your victory over death
You delivered us from the sufferings of Hades,
and as God You granted us eternal life and great mercy.
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, * for length of days.
O Lord of all, Creator of heaven and earth,
You are above all understanding.
Through Your passion on the cross
You freed us from the sufferings of Hades.
And, after condescending to be buried, You arose in glory;
and with Your mighty arm You also raised up Adam.
O most merciful Lord, we glorify You;
for by Your resurrection on the third day
You granted us remission of sins and eternal life.
In Tone 2, Glory…
Come, O lovers of the martyrs,
let us honour with hymns Christ’s most excellent martyrs,
Gurias, Abibus, and Samonas.
They most wonderfully worked miracles,
for they did not refuse to respond to the oath of the maiden,
but, fulfilling her request, they saved the daughter,
and requited the lawless Goth.
Through their supplications, O Christ our God,
save our souls, as You are good and the Lover of man!
Now…
We now behold a new wonder,
greater than the wonders of old.
For who has ever known a mother to bear a child without the help of man?
Who has known a mother to hold in her arms the Source of all Creation?
It was God’s own will to be born in this manner;
and you, O most pure Virgin, carried Him as an infant in your arms.
Because of this, you can approach God with the boldness of a mother.
Therefore, we venerate you, and ask you to always beseech Him
to have mercy on us and save our souls.
Troparia
In Tone 8
You came down from on high, O Merciful One,* and accepted three days of burial* to free us from our sufferings.* O Lord, our life and our resurrection,* glory be to You.
In Tone 1
Be swayed by the pains that the saints have suffered for You, O Lord,* and heal all our pains,* O Lover of mankind, for this we pray.
Now…
O Holy Tabernacle, when Gabriel called out to you:* Rejoice, O Virgin, full of grace,* the Lord of All became incarnate of you,* as the righteous David had foretold.* In bearing your Creator, you have shown yourself to surpass the vastness of the heavens.* We, therefore, cry out: Glory to Him Who dwelt in you!* Glory to Him Who came forth from you!* Glory to Him Who has set us free* through your life-giving birth!
DIVINE LITURGY
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 8: You came down from oh high, O Merciful One,* and accepted three days of burial* to free us from our sufferings.* O Lord, our life and our resurrection,* glory be to You.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 8: When You rose from the tomb,* You also raised the dead and resurrected Adam.* Eve exults in Your resurrection,* and the ends of the world celebrate Your rising from the dead,* O most merciful One.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Theotokion, Tone 8: To you, O Mother of God,* the invincible leader,* we, your servants, ascribe these victory hymns* in thanksgiving for our deliverance from evil.* With your invincible power free us from all dangers* that we may cry out to you:* “Hail, O bride, and pure Virgin!”
Prokeimenon, Tone 8
Pray and give thanks to the Lord our God.
verse: In Judea God is known; His name is great in Israel. (Psalm 76:12, 2)
Epistle
Ephesians 4:1-6
Alleluia, Tone 8
verse: Come, let us rejoice in the Lord; let us acclaim God our Saviour.
verse: Let us come before His countenance with praise and acclaim Him with psalms. (Psalm 95:1, 2)
Gospel
Luke 10:25-37
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 148:1)