GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 1
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
Accept our evening prayer, O holy Lord,
and grant us forgiveness of sins,
for You alone manifested the Resurrection to the world.
- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O you people, walk around Zion and encompass her.
And there give glory to Him Who is risen from the dead.
For He is our God
Who delivers us from our sins.
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
Come you people, praise and worship Christ.
Glorify His Resurrection from the dead;
for He is our God Who delivered the world
from the deceit of the enemy.
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Rejoice, O you heavens;
sound the trumpets, you foundations of the earth;
cry out with joy, O you mountains.
For behold, Emmanuel has nailed our sins to the Cross;
the Giver of Life has put Death to death;
and the Lover of Mankind
has raised up Adam.
In Tone 4
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
O Master, You were raised upon the Cross.
With You was raised the fallen nature of Adam.
For this reason, as we lift up your precious Cross, O Lover of Mankind,
we beg for your might from on high and call out:
O Most High, since You are the merciful God,
save all those who venerate the exaltation
of your precious, light-bearing, and heavenly Cross.
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
O Master, the psalmist saw, as though already present,
the footstool on which You rested your most pure feet.
Today we lovingly venerate your most precious Cross as we devoutly raise it.
Entreating You, we cry out:
O Most High, You have sanctified us by your divine Cross.
Make us partakers of your compassion and grace beyond words.
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
O Christ, we bow to your most holy Cross
as to the invincible armour,
an unconquerable shield, and a divine sceptre.
Through it the world is saved and Adam rejoices.
We on earth praise and venerate it with hymns.
We bless its raising, and we ask for cleansing.
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Having purified your soul and body from its passions,
you became a temple of the Holy Spirit.
You adorned yourself with priestly oil.
O Eumenius, you were an outstanding intercessor
who spoke with the holy angels
and an heir to the glory of the Lord.
You supplicate for those who venerate you.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Your glorious life was illumined by virtues,
and it glowed through the splendor of miracles.
O blessed one, you were glorified to the ends of the earth.
O miracle-worker worthy of honor,
you were made free from error, a brilliant master,
a dweller with the saints,
a hierarch, and a citizen of the Holy City along with the angels.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
We have gathered together to venerate the apostle of Crete,
the unshakable foundation of the Church, Bishop Eumenius.
He is magnified in miracles and glorified in many powers.
As a light of the faithful,
he illumined those whose hearts were darkened.
In Tone 2, Glory…
Hidden in the earth as a divine treasure,
the Cross of the Giver of Life now appeared in the heavens to the godly king,
and its inscription spiritually signified his victory over the enemy.
Rejoicing with faith and love,
he was inspired by God and hastened to raise on high
the Cross that he had seen in his vision.
With great zeal he brought it forth from the bosom of the earth
for the deliverance of the world and the salvation of our souls.
In Tone 1, Now…
Let us sing a hymn of praise to the Virgin Mary,
glory of the whole world!
She was herself formed by human seed,
yet she became the Mother of the Master, the Gate of heaven,
the theme of the angels’ hymn and beauty of the faithful.
She was seen as being heavenly
and the Tabernacle of the Godhead.
She indeed tore down the wall of enmity between God and man,
and brought peace in its place, she opened up the kingdom of heaven.
Let us therefore cling fast to her for she is the anchor of faith,
and let us receive as our stronghold the Lord Who was born of her.
Be of good cheer, then, and have confidence, O people of God,
for He will fight our enemies for us, He is all-powerful!
Aposticha
In Tone 1
O Christ, by Your Passion we have been freed from suffering;
and by Your Resurrection we have been delivered from corruption.
O Lord, glory to You!
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
Let all creation rejoice, let the heavens be glad,
let the nations clap their hands with joy.
For Christ our Saviour, in His love for mankind,
has nailed our sins to the Cross;
He has put Death to death,
and by raising our fallen forefather, Adam,
He has given life to all mankind.
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
O God, You are above all understanding;
You are King and Lord of heaven and earth.
Yet of Your own free will,
You allowed Yourself to be crucified because of Your love for mankind.
When You descended below,
Hades was filled with bitterness as You confronted it;
but the souls of the just received You with great joy.
Adam arose when he saw You, his Creator, down in the depths.
What a wonder this is!
You are the life of all and have tasted death
in order to dispel the darkness of the world with Your light.
O Lord, risen from the dead, glory to You!
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
The myrrh-bearing women were filled with grief
as they hastened with spices to Your tomb;
but they did not find Your most pure body.
Instead, they found an angel
who proclaimed Your unique and glorious Resurrection,
and commanded them to announce to Your Apostles:
The Lord is risen, granting great mercy to the world.
In Tone 4, Glory… Now…
Moses prefigured the power of your precious Cross, O Christ,
when he conquered Amalek, his enemy, in the wilderness of Sinai.
When he stretched out his arms in the form of a cross,
the people were strengthened.
Now these images are fulfilled in us.
Today the Cross is exalted, and the devils are put to flight.
Today all creation is freed from corruption.
Through the Cross every gift of grace has shone upon us.
Therefore, rejoicing, we bow down before You and say:
How marvelous are your works, O Lord; glory to You!
Troparia
In Tone 1
Though the stone was sealed by the Judeans* and soldiers guarded Your most pure body,* You arose, O Saviour, on the third day* and gave life to the world.* And so the heavenly powers cried out You, O Giver of Life:* Glory to Your Resurrection, O Christ!* Glory to Your Kingdom!* Glory to Your saving plan!** O only Lover of Mankind.
In Tone 1, Glory… Now…
Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance, * grant victory to Your faithful people against enemies, * and protect Your community by Your Cross.
DIVINE LITURGY
Antiphon 1
O God, my God, hear me; why have You forsaken me? The words of my transgressions put salvation far from me.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
O God, I will call to You by day but You will not listen; and by night, yet it will not be foolish of me.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
But You, the praise of Israel, dwell in the holy place.
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, crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Let us come before His face with praise, and acclaim Him in psalms.
Son of God, crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
For God is the great Lord, and the great king over all the earth.
Son of God, crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 1: Though the stone was sealed by the Judeans,* and soldiers guarded Your most pure body,* You arose, O Saviour, on the third day,* and gave life to the world.* And so the heavenly powers cried out to You, O Giver of Life:* Glory to Your resurrection, O Christ!* Glory to Your kingdom!* Glory to Your saving plan,* O only Lover of mankind.
Troparion, Tone 1: Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance.* Grant victory to Your faithful people against enemies,* and protect Your community by Your cross.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 1: You arose in glory from the tomb* and with Yourself You raise the world.* All humanity acclaims You as God.* and death has vanished.* Adam exults, O Master,* and Eve, redeemed from bondage now, cries out for joy:* “You are the One, O Christ, Who offer resurrection to all.”
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 4: By Your own choice, O Christ our God,* You were lifted on the cross.* Grant Your mercies to Your new community* that bears Your Name.* By Your power gladden the faithful people,* and grant them victory against enemies.* May they have the help of Your instrument of peace,* the invincible sign of victory.
Prokeimenon, Tone 7
Exalt the Lord our God,* and bow in worship at the footstool of his feet, for it is holy.
verse: The Lord reigns, let the people tremble. (Psalm 98:5,1)
Epistle
Galatians 2:16-20
Alleluia, Tone 1
verse: Remember Your congregation which You acquired from the beginning.
verse: But God is our king before the ages; He has wrought salvation in the midst of the earth. (Psalm 73:2,12)
Gospel
Mark 8:34-9:1
Hymn to the Mother of God
O my soul, magnify the most precious cross of the Lord.
And the Irmos, Tone 8: You are a mystical Paradise, O Mother of God, who though untilled, have brought forth Christ. He has planted upon earth the life-giving Tree of the Cross. Therefore, today as we raise it on high we bow low and we magnify you.
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1)* Let the light of Your countenance, O Lord,* shine upon us.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 4:7)
At the end of Liturgy, we sing:
To Your Cross, O Master, we bow in veneration, and we glorify Your holy Resurrection. (3)