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 6
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
You strangled the ungodly Arius and the impious Macedonius
with the strong cords of your teachings!
With your true words of doctrine,
you strengthened multitudes of the orthodox faithful, hieromartyr and father!
Therefore, the Lover of mankind accepted your brilliant confession,
revealing you to be a dweller in His Kingdom!
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Christ has crowned you with a bright wreath of righteousness, blessed bishop!
You have kept the faith; you have finished your course,
and He has adorned your confession, truly wondrous one!
Therefore, since you have received your inheritance in heaven,
Pray to the Saviour for those who sing praises to you!
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Most blessed Paul, the namesake of confession,
you are the intercessor for those who praise you in faith:
deliver us from all misfortune and every sin,
from the storm of the passions and from tyranny,
for you are an invincible martyr, father, a rightly-accepted bishop!
You have acquired boldness before Christ our God!
In Tone 1, Glory…
Clothed in the vestments of a bishop, venerable father,
you imitated your namesake, Paul.
You endured persecution and tribulations;
by constant toil you overthrew the blasphemous teachings of Arius!
You suffered for the Unoriginate and Consubstantial Trinity;
you cast down the impious Macedonius who fought against the Spirit!
You gave a clear explanation of the orthodox faith to all,
for you are united with the immaterial angels.
Together with them, pray that our souls may be saved!
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…
Venerable one, you sailed the deep of fasting with the sail of abstinence.
You escaped the storm of the passions.
Therefore, as the namesake of the divine Paul,
you endured persecution and tribulations.
You were maltreated amidst the blasphemies of the heretics.
You cast down the opinions of Arius and vanquished the heresy of Nestorius.
Therefore you were revealed as a zealot of the Church of Christ!
Entreat Him, blessed hierarch, that our souls may be saved!
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 3, Glory…
For confessing the divine faith, the Church has likened you to another Paul among her priests!* Abel cries out to the Lord together with you, as does the holy blood of Zacharias.* Beseech Christ God, holy father,* that He may grant our souls great mercy!
Now…
We sing your praises, O Virgin;* for, as the Mother of God, you always intercede for the salvation of the human race.* It is from you that our God and Your Son took flesh. * Then, by suffering the passion on the Cross,* and out of love for mankind, He delivered us from corruption.
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 75:12,2)
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 94:1,2)
Gospel
Luke 10:25-37
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 148:1)