GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 4
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
We never cease to adore Your life-giving Cross, O Christ our God,
And we glorify Your resurrection on the third day.
For You, Almighty One, have thereby restored the corrupted nature of all
and reopened the way to heaven,
since You alone are gracious and You love mankind.
- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O Saviour, You have absolved the penalty of disobedience,
committed through the tree of Eden,
by willingly being nailed to the tree of the Cross.
As Almighty God, You descended into Hades
and broke asunder the bonds of death.
We, therefore, venerate Your resurrection from the dead,
and joyfully cry out to You:
Almighty Lord, glory to You!
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
O Lord, You have battered down the gates of Hades,
and by Your death You have dissolved the realm of death.
You have freed mankind from corruption,
bestowing life, incorruption, and Your great mercy upon the world.
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Come, all you people,
let us sing the praises of our Saviour’s resurrection on the third day.
For we have, thereby, been delivered from the invincible bonds of Hades,
and we have received incorruption, together with eternal life.
Therefore, we cry out to You
after Your crucifixion, burial, and resurrection:
Save us by Your resurrection, for You love mankind.
In Tone 2
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
When Julianna saw the blessed martyr Barbara during her terrible trial
suffering from her many wounds,
her body painfully torn in many places,
she cried out with tears of compassion:
Word of God and Lover of mankind
grant this day that I may be her companion in martyrdom!
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Saints Barbara and Julianna,
you are of those who alone have a true vocation for righteous living,
for you attacked the enemy and gravely wounded him!
Thus you are worthy of glorification by Christ God
for you trampled underfoot the destroying passions and their evil,
giving the means of healing to all the faithful!
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Most pure martyr Barbara,
when you were sentenced to die you faced sweet death with joy!
You swiftly fulfilled the act of martyrdom slain by the hand of your most evil parent.
You were offered up as fruit to God!
Therefore with the wise virgins you truly rejoice
as you behold the light of Christ, your Bridegroom!
In Tone 8
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
What shall we call you, holy theologian John?
Another David, for your hymns are as the psalms for us?
You are the temple of the Spirit and the pipe of the Good Shepherd.
You sweeten our ears and gladden our minds.
You cause the ranks of the Church to rejoice!
Your teachings are a river of honey, flowing to the ends of the earth.
Pray that our souls may be saved!
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
What shall we call you, Father John, the messenger of God?
Shining star of the Holy Trinity?
You enlighten our eyes with delightful teaching.
You have entered into the cloud of divine knowledge
Like Moses you behold mysteries beyond words or speech.
You proclaim the music of His wisdom.
Pray that our souls may be saved!
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
What shall we call you, blessed one?
A shining lampstand? A faithful minister of divine mysteries?
A joyful star for the Church, enlightening those who dwell in darkness?
A well-tuned organ and sweet-sounding harp?
Pray that our souls may be saved!
In Tone 6, Glory…
You abandoned your home, your people and earthly riches.
You fled the hatred of an evil father, Barbara;
you were wedded to God in a bond of love,
therefore He took you to Himself rejoicing.
Pray that he may save our souls.
In Tone 4, Now…
O Mother of God, because of You David the Prophet
became an ancestor of God;
he foretold and sang a joyous hymn of praise
and cried out to Him who worked wonders in you:
“The Queen stood at your right hand.”
God revealed you as a life-giving mother,
when He chose to be incarnate of you without a father.
He renewed in man His image which the passions had corrupted.
He found the lost sheep in the mountains, carried it on His shoulders,
offered it to the Father, generously numbered it among the powers of heaven,
and saved the whole world, since He is Christ of great and rich mercy.
Aposticha
In Tone 4
In being lifted upon the Cross, O Lord,
You abolished the curse which we had inherited from our ancestors.
By going down into Hades,
You freed from eternal captivity those imprisoned there,
and granted incorruption to the human race.
We, therefore, praise Your life-giving and redeeming resurrection.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
By hanging on the Cross, O Almighty One,
You shook the whole creation to its foundations.
When You Yourself were laid in the grave,
You raised to life those who had been lying in the graves,
and You granted life and incorruption to mankind.
We, therefore, praise and glorify Your resurrection on the third day.
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
O Christ, the lawless people showed their ingratitude to You, their Benefactor,
by delivering You to Pilate who condemned you to be crucified.
But You willingly suffered death and burial;
and, as God, You rose by Your own power on the third day,
granting us everlasting life and great mercy.
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
The women, shedding bitter tears, came to see You in Your tomb;
and not finding Your body, they lamented, saying:
O Saviour and King of All, how were You stolen?
What place holds Your life-bearing body?
An angel answered them, saying:
Do not weep, but go and proclaim that the Lord is risen,
filling our hearts with joy;
for He alone is most compassionate.
In Tone 6, Glory…
The sound of your teachings has gone out into all the earth, venerable father John!
Therefore you have found the reward of your labours in the heavens.
You destroyed the hosts of demons and reached the ranks of angels
whose life you blamelessly followed!
Since you have boldness before Christ our God,
entreat peace for our souls!
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 4
When the disciples of the Lord learned from the angel* the glorious news of the resurrection* and cast off the ancestral condemnation,* they proudly told the apostles:* “Death has been plundered!* Christ our God is risen,*granting to the world great mercy.”
In Tone 8
Let us honour the holy martyr Barbara,* for as a bird she escaped the snares of the enemy,** and destroyed them through the help and defense of the cross!
In Tone 8, Glory…
Champion of orthodoxy, teacher of purity and of true worship,* the enlightener of the universe and the adornment of the hierarchs:* all-wise father John, your teachings have gleamed with light upon all things.** Intercede before Christ our God to save our souls!
Now…
O gracious Lord, for the sake of mankind You were born of a virgin;* through Your death on the cross You conquered death;* and through Your resurrection You revealed yourself as God.* O merciful Lord, do not disdain those whom You have created with Your own hands,* but show forth Your love for mankind.* Accept the intercession which the Mother, who bore You, makes in our behalf.* O Saviour, save Your despairing people!
DIVINE LITURGY
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 4: When the disciples of the Lord learned from the angel* the glorious news of the resurrection* and cast off the ancestral condemnation,* they proudly told the apostles:* “Death has been plundered!* Christ our God is risen,* granting to the world great mercy.”
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 4: My Saviour and Deliverer from the grave* as God raised out of bondage the children of the earth* and shattered the gates of Hades;* and as Master, He rose on the third day.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Theotokion, Tone 4: By your birth, O immaculate one,* Joachim and Anna were freed from the reproach of childlessness,* and Adam and Eve* from the corruption of death.* And your people, redeemed from the guilt of their sins,* celebrate as they cry out to you:* “The barren one gives birth to the Mother of God* and nourisher of our life.”
Prokeimenon, Tone 4
How great are Your works, O Lord* You have made all things in wisdom.
verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul: O Lord my God, You are exceedingly great. (Psalm 103:24,1)
Epistle
Colossians 1:12-18
Alleluia, Tone 4
verse: Poise yourself and advance in triumph and reign in the cause of truth, and meekness, and justice.
verse: You have loved justice and hated iniquity. (Psalm 44:5,8)
Gospel
Luke 17:12-19
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 148:1)