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.
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
O Saviour, with the angels we sing the praises of Your resurrection on the third day.
For the very ends of the universe have, thereby, been enlightened,
and we have been saved from the deceit of the enemy.
Therefore, we cry out to You,
Almighty Saviour, Giver of Life, and Lover of Mankind:
Save us by Your resurrection.
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
O Christ our God, You have demolished the brazen gates of Hades.
You have broken asunder the bonds of death,
and lifted up the fallen human race.
Therefore, we cry out with one accord:
O Lord, Who arose from the dead, glory to You!
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
O Lord, Your birth from the Father is timeless and eternal;
Your incarnation from the Virgin is beyond the understanding of all,
and beyond the expression of our words.
Your descent into Hades and victory over Death
caused Satan and his angels to tremble with fear.
Your resurrection on the third day
brought to mankind incorruption and great mercy.
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.
You were the last successor of John the Theologian
and you followed in his steps!
You rose from the east, but appeared in the west,
illumining all with the lighting flashes of godly preaching.
There you departed from the world, most wise one,
shining out to God, crowned with the splendor of grace!
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Most wise bearer of God,
your relics were given to your city in a holy way.
They were hallowed in splendor by your suffering,
illumining us with grace by their return.
They have become the cause of our solemn feast,
filling with gladness inspired by God
and delighting with sweet fragrance
those who honor you with devotion!
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Before, you shone from the east upon the lands of the west
more brightly than the morning star.
Now, in the return of your divine relics,
you have spread beams of light upon the earth from the evening sky.
You entreat Christ to deliver from corruption and misfortune
those who celebrate your most honored memory with faith!
In Tone 8, Glory…
God-bearing Ignatius,
you soared on high to Christ Whom you desired.
You have received the reward of the holy ministry of Christ’s Gospel
which you fulfilled in the shedding of your blood.
Therefore, as the wheat of the immortal Husbandman,
you were ground by the teeth of wild beasts
and were revealed to be sweet bread for Him.
Pray for us, blessed athlete!
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 1, Glory…
Blessed Ignatius, your soul was strong and firm as a stone.
You cried out with great longing to Him who loves you:
it is not a material fire burning within me,
but the voice of the living water which dwells within my heart.
It continually cries: come to the Father!
Therefore in your desire to be with Christ
and being inflamed with the Holy Spirit,
you urged the beasts speedily to take you from this world
and send you to Christ whom you desired.
Pray to Him that He may save our souls!
Now…
O Mother of God, the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled,
since you remained a virgin both before and after giving birth.
For it was God Who was born of you to restore our human nature.
Therefore, do not overlook your servants who supplicate you in your temple.
Since you have held the merciful Lord in your arms,
be compassionate toward your servants,
and beseech Him to save 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 4, Glory…
Having shared the way of life of the apostles,* and having become a successor to their thrones,* labouring you found the divinely inspired way to contemplation.* Therefore, forthrightly ministering the word of truth,* you shed your blood for the faith, O hieromartyr, Ignatius.* Intercede with Christ our God for the salvation of 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 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
1 Timothy 4:9-15
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 19:1-10
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 148:1)