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!
In Tone 6
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Dying your sacred vestments in your own blood,
you were sanctified, O illustrious Babylas,
and thus entered into the Holy of Holies.
You rejoice now forever in the presence of God,
radiant with beauty in your martyrdom,
sharing the life of the angels in all purity.
Thus we venerate you,
celebrating your holy solemnity with love, O blessed hierarch.
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Bound by iron chains, you unswervingly followed the path
leading to the heavenly city, O venerable hierarch Babylas,
adorned with your wounds as with precious jewels.
There, as a true conqueror, an invincible martyr, a holy priest,
you sing with the angels the pure and holy hymn:
“Holy, holy, holy are You, O Consubstantial Trinity!”
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
At the head of your spiritual flock, O venerable hierarch Babylas,
you led them to safe pastures of the Faith in the depth of your wisdom.
You protected them from the beasts,
delighting in the Most High God, your Shepherd,
whom you preached before the impious, O blessed one,
rejoicing to be immolated as a spotless lamb
in the company of innocent children.
With them, you were offered as a victim of pleasing fragrance
in a whole-burnt offering.
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.
In the storm, you contemplated, insofar as it was possible, the Bodiless One.
In the cloud, you saw the Immaterial One;
the divine glory made you radiant in God,
and that enabled you to penetrate the mysteries of God,
but grace was given to those who wished the things above.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
For the people who awaited the Lord,
you were a priest according to the Law, O Moses,
a valiant general for their armies, striking Egypt with blows,
dividing the Red Sea with your staff,
drowning the base and arrogant Pharaoh with his troops.
And, despite their ingratitude,
you led and nourished Israel in the desert.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
“Moses, make haste to remove the sandals from your feet,
for the place where you are standing is holy ground.
Do not wear that garb, for their leather is symbolic of having been put to death.
Behold, in the burning bush
you see the wondrous mystery of the virginal handmaid of God.”
Thus spoke the Lord to Moses on Mount Horeb.
In Tone 6, Glory…
The Church holds your holy struggles
to be a support and foundation, O hieromartyr Babylas:
you keep it protected, a refuge from the ravenous wolves,
as it proclaims your sublime accomplishments
and magnifies together with you
the infants immolated for Christ in your company,
O blessed one.
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.
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 6, Glory…
Fighting for the faith before the tribunal of the tyrant, you cried out,
“Here I am, with the children which God has given me!”
You were crowned together with them in the heavens, O hieromartyr Babylas,
and you ceaselessly intercede before God
that our souls be saved from the snare of the enemy.
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 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 4
O holy hieromartyr Babylas,* you lent yourself to the apostles’ way of life* and succeeded them on their throne.* Inspired by God, you found the way to contemplation through the practice of virtue;* wherefore you became a perfect teacher of truth,* fighting for the Faith unto the shedding of your blood.** Intercede with Christ God that He may save our souls.
In Tone 2, Glory…
O Lord, we celebrate today the memory of Your Prophet Moses;* wherefore we implore You to save our souls!
Now…
O Mother of God, the mysteries which surround you are exceedingly glorious,* and beyond the power of understanding.* For you retained the seal of purity,* and your virginity remained inviolate;* yet you are acknowledged, without doubt,* to be the Mother who gave birth to the true God.* We beg you, therefore, to entreat Him to save our souls.
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.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 7: No longer shall the dominion of death be able to hold humanity,* for Christ went down shattering and destroying it s powers.* Hades is bound.* The prophets exult with one voice.* The Saviour has come for those with faith, saying:* “Come forth, O faithful, to the resurrection!”
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Theotokion, Tone 7: O all-praised treasury of our resurrection, we hope in you,* bring us up from the pit and depth of sin,* for you have saved those subject to sin* by giving birth to our Salvation,* O Virgin before childbirth, and Virgin in childbirth,* and still a Virgin after childbirth.
Prokeimenon, Tone 7
The Lord will give strength to His people;* the Lord will bless His people with peace.
verse: Bring to the Lord, O you sons of God; bring to the Lord young rams. (Psalm 28:11,1)
Epistle
2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Alleluia, Tone 7
verse: It is good to give praise to the Lord; and to sing to Your name, O Most High.
verse: To announce Your mercy in the morning, and Your truth every night. (Psalm 91:2,3)
Gospel
Matthew 25:14-30
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 148:1)