GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 3
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
By Your Cross, O Christ our Saviour,
the power of Death has been vanquished
and the deceit of the devil has been destroyed.
Therefore, mankind, saved by faith,
offers You hymns of praise forever.
- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O Lord, all creation has been enlightened by Your resurrection,
and Paradise has been reopened;
therefore, all creation extols You
and offers You hymns of praise forever.
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
I glorify the powers of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
and I praise the dominion of the undivided Divinity,
the consubstantial Trinity,
Who reigns forever and ever.
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
We adore Your precious Cross, O Christ,
and with hymns of praise we glorify Your Resurrection;
for by Your wounds we have all been healed.
In Tone 4
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Before Your noble suffering and cross, O Master,
You took Your chosen apostles to Mount Tabor,
showing them Your glory.
When they saw You transfigured and more brilliant than the sun,
they fell to the ground and cried out:
You are the eternal Light and the radiance of the Father;
and although unchanged, You appear in the flesh.
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
O God the Word, You are from all eternity,
and You are clothed with light as with a robe.
Transfigured before Your disciples, You shone more brightly than the sun.
Moses and Elijah stood at Your side
revealing You as the Lord of the living and the dead.
They glorified Your ineffable work of salvation,
Your mercy, and great compassion,
by which You saved the world which was lost in sin.
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
You were born of a virginal cloud and became flesh
and were transfigured in Mount Tabor, O Lord.
A bright cloud surrounded You:
the voice of the Father clearly told the disciples that You are His beloved Son,
for You are the same essence as He and You share His throne.
At this sight, Peter spoke with wonder and said:
It is good for us to be here.
He did not realize what he had said, O most merciful Benefactor.
In Tone 6
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Putting aside superstition, Persian corruption, and evil worship,
you wisely ran to God
who in the wisdom of His providence rules the heavens.
As an apostle, you healed the illnesses of the animals
as well as the infirmities of those who came to you in His name.
O Mediator of Christ,
pray with confidence that He may save our souls.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
O venerable one, you gave your life to the Lord
through fasting, ardent prayer, and all-night vigils,
unceasing hymns and angelic purity.
You received the power to perform miracles
because the Lord knows how to honour His servants.
Pray with confidence that He may save our souls.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
You clothed yourself with the armour of the Cross,
and covered yourself with the indestructible shield of faith.
You were awesome to the hostile demons.
You routed them by the strength of your faith
and by your intercession before God.
You saved travellers from the harm which could come their way.
O Dometius, faithful servant of Christ,
pray with confidence that He may save our souls.
In Tone 6, Glory… Now…
O Christ our God, when You willed to prefigure Your resurrection,
You chose three disciples, Peter, James, and John;
and You went up with them to Mount Tabor.
At the moment of Your Transfiguration, O Saviour,
the mountain was flooded with light,
and Your disciples fell with their faces to the ground;
for they could not bear the sight of Your countenance
upon which no one may gaze, O Word.
Angels attended with trembling and awe;
the heavens were afraid;
and the earth shook to its very foundations
when they saw the Lord of glory come upon the earth.
In Tone 3, Now…
O Lady most honourable,
how can we but be rapt in wonder
at you giving birth to the Incarnate God
who, without a mother, was born of the Father before all ages?
You gave Him birth in the flesh without a father,
without a man instrumentality.
He is God and man whose two natures are intact,
neither one losing any of its properties.
Therefore, O Virgin Mother,
intercede with Him to save the souls
of those who believe and confess in true faith
that you are the Mother of God.
Aposticha
In Tone 3
O Christ, Who darkened the sun by Your passion
and enlightened all creation by Your resurrection,
accept our evening prayer; for You love mankind.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
O Lord, Your life-giving Resurrection has enlightened the entire universe
and has revived Your creation which lay in corruption.
Therefore, we, who have been released from the curse of Adam, cry out to You:
Almighty Lord, glory to You!
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
O God, although in Your divine nature You are unchangeable,
yet in Your human nature You underwent change by suffering in the flesh.
All creation was prostrate with fear
when it saw You hanging on the Cross,
and it groaned in sorrow as it sang the praises of Your long-suffering.
But You descended into Hades and arose on the third day,
granting life and great mercy to the world.
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
You suffered death, O Christ, to deliver mankind from death.
And when You arose from the dead on the third day,
You enlightened the world
and resurrected all who acknowledge You as God.
In Tone 5, Glory… Now…
Come, let us ascend the mountain of the Lord
and go into the house of our God.
Let us contemplate the glory of His Transfiguration,
the glory of the only-begotten Son of God the Father.
From His light, let us receive light;
and raised up by the Holy Spirit,
let us sing the praises of the consubstantial Trinity forever.
Troparia
In Tone 3
Let the heavens be glad, let the earth rejoice,* for the Lord has done a mighty deed with His arm.* He trampled death by death. He became the first-born of the dead;* He saved us from the abyss of Hades* and granted great mercy to the world.
In Tone 7, Glory… Now…
You were transfigured on the mount, O Christ God,* showing Your glory to Your disciples as much as they could bear.* Make Your eternal light shine* also on us who are sinners,* through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Giver of Light, glory to You!
DIVINE LITURGY
Antiphon 1
Shout to the Lord, all the earth, sing now to His name, give glory to His praise.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; Your lightning lit up the world.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
You have clothed Yourself in praise and splendour; You robe Yourself in light as with a cloak.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Glory… Now… Only-begotten Son…
Antiphon 3
Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord, let us acclaim God, our Saviour.
Son of God, transfigured on the mountain, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Let us come before His face with praise, and acclaim Him in psalms.
Son of God, transfigured on the mountain, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
For God is the great Lord, and the great king over all the earth.
Son of God, transfigured on the mountain, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 3: Let the heavens be glad, let the earth rejoice,* for the Lord has done a mighty deed with His arm.* He trampled death by death. He became the first-born of the dead;* He saved us from the abyss of Hades* and granted great mercy to the world.
Troparion, Tone 7: You were transfigured on the mount, O Christ God,* showing Your glory to Your disciples as much as they could bear.* Make Your eternal light shine* also on us who are sinners,* through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Giver of Light, glory to You!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 3: You rose from the tomb, O compassionate Lord,* and led us out from the gates of death.* Today Adam exults and Eve rejoices,* and the prophets together with the patriarchs* unceasingly acclaim the divine might of Your power.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 7: You were transfigured on the mount, O Christ God,* and Your disciples saw Your glory as much as they could;* that when they saw You crucified* they might know that You suffered willingly*, and might proclaim to the world* that You are truly the brightness of the Father.
Prokeimenon, Tone 3
Sing to our God, sing; sing to our King, sing.
verse: Clap your hands, all you nations; shout unto God with the voice of joy. (Psalm 46:7,2)
Epistle
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Alleluia, Tone 3
verse: In You, O Lord, have I hoped that I may not be put to shame for ever.
verse: Be a protector unto me, O God, and a house of refuge to save me. (Psalm 30:2,3)
Gospel
Matthew 19:16-26
Hymn to the Mother of God
O my soul, magnify the Lord transfigured on the mountain.
And the Irmos, Tone 4: Your forgiving birth was received as incorrupt; for it was God who came forth from your womb; He appeared on earth in the flesh, and made His dwelling among us. Thus, O Mother of God, all of us magnify you.
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 148:1)