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 1
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Manifestly illumined by the rays of the Spirit,
O divinely revealed Timothy,
you were shown to be a most radiant beacon,
passing over all the earth and enlightening it with grace.
Pray now, that our souls be granted peace
and great mercy.
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
O divinely wise Timothy,
you drank of the torrent of sweetness
and, emulating Christ, with godly wisdom have given drink
to those who fervently desire the understanding of God.
To Him have you now joyously departed,
contemplating the all-radiant glory of the Trinity
and infinitely powerful peace.
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Placing yourself in submission to Paul,
conversing with the Spirit through writing,
you became wholly radiant with light,
a generous husbandman, and an earnest favorite of the Lord,
living in chastity and piety, O divinely wise Timothy;
and you have been vouchsafed crowns of victory
as a lawful athlete.
In Tone 1
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
O most blessed Anastasius, boast of the martyrs,
who achieved splendid victories over falsehood,
you bear in your name a standard of fame,
being borne aloft everywhere as a steadfast victor.
And now do you raise up from sinful falls
those who honor your memory with faith.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
O martyr Anastasius,
achieving a splendid victory over falsehood,
you received a twofold crown for your ascetic struggle
and your steadfast contest, and your opposition, even unto death.
And Christ the Master has given you
the ability to work miracles, as is meet.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
The ends of the world now hymn your miracles,
O wonder-worker Anastasius;
for Christ has adorned you,
rewarding with miracles you who endured tortures for His sake;
and after your death you were counted worthy
of immortal glory and blessedness.
In Tone 8, Glory…
Chosen by God before to be the disciple of the wise Paul,
you learned things divine;
and having lived in goodness and preserved the Faith unadulterated
even unto the shedding of your blood,
you were shown to be a faithful hierarch, O Apostle Timothy.
Therefore, you denounced the idolaters
and, wounded by staves and stones,
received the crown of martyrdom.
Wherefore, O most blessed one, pray for us who celebrate
your most honored memory with faith.
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 2, Glory…
O Christ, You magnified the power of the precious Cross
in Judea and in Babylon,
for because of it they came to know
the feast of Your life-creating resurrection:
And now the right laudable and glorious athlete Anastasius,
a martyr of countless miracles,
has become for them a liberator
from the captivity of the madness of idolatry,
joining chorus with the angels and praying for our souls.
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 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 4
Having learned goodness and maintaining continence in all things,* you were divinely arrayed with a good conscience as befits a priest* and you drew ineffable truths from the chosen vessel.* You have kept the faith* and completed a course equal to his, bishop and martyr Timothy.** Pray to Christ God that our souls may be saved!
In Tone 4, Glory…
Your holy martyr Anastasius, O Lord,* through his sufferings has received an incorruptible crown from You, our God!* For having Your strength, he laid low his adversaries,* and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.** Through his intercessions, save our souls!
Now…
O Mother of God, the mystery hidden from all eternity* and unknown even to the angels,* was revealed through you to those on earth:* God took on our human nature* and united it to His divine nature in a perfect but unconfused union.* Then, He willingly accepted the cross for our sake* and thereby raised again the first created man,*and saved our souls from death.
DIVINE LITURGY
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.
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.
Theotokion, Tone 3: Today the Virgin stands before us in the church* and together with the choirs of saints invisibly prays to God for us.* Angels are worshipping with hierarchs,* Apostles exult with prophets,* for the Mother of God prays in our behalf to the eternal God.
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 Timothy 1:15-17
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
Luke 18:35-43
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 148:1)