GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 5
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
With Your precious Cross, O Christ,
You have put the Devil to shame.
With Your Resurrection You have deadened the sting of Death.
We, therefore, glorify You, O only-begotten Son of God.
- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O Christ, Who granted resurrection to mankind,
You were led like a lamb to the slaughter.
Then the princes of Hades were struck with terror
as they saw the gates of their tearful domain being lifted up;
for Christ, the King of Glory, entered therein
and exclaimed to those in chains: Go forth from here!
And to those in darkness: Go forth into the light!
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
What a great wonder!
The Creator of invisible beings suffered in the flesh for mankind,
and rose from the dead as immortal.
Come, therefore, all you nations and adore Him;
for through His compassion we have been freed from the snares of the Devil,
and we have learned to praise the one God in three Persons.
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
We offer to You our evening worship,
O Light Whom the darkness of night can never extinguish.
For in these latter days Your radiance has appeared to the world,
shining in Your flesh as light reflected in a mirror.
Your brilliance has descended even to the depths of Hades and dissolved its gloom.
O Lord, Giver of Light, glory to You;
for You have shown the radiance of Your Resurrection to all the nations.
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Let us glorify Christ, the Author of our Salvation;
for by His Resurrection from the dead,
the world has been delivered from the deception of Satan.
The choirs of angels rejoice as the treachery of evil spirits vanishes.
Fallen Adam arises, and the Devil is vanquished.
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Those who guarded the tomb of Christ
were told by the evil men who hired them:
Take this silver and keep silent.
Tell no one of the Resurrection of Christ;
rather tell everyone that while you were sleeping His body was stolen.
But who has ever heard of a body being stolen,
a body which had already been anointed?
Why would anyone take a body from the grave naked,
and leave the burial shroud in the tomb?
Do not deceive yourselves, O people of Judea.
Study the teachings of the Prophets,
and you will come to understand that Jesus Christ is Almighty God,
and truly the Saviour of the world.
In Tone 6
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
O Word and lover of Mankind,
infinite and beyond description in Your taking flesh for our sake,
the nobles assembly of Fathers proclaimed that You are both perfect man and perfect God,
one person in two perfect natures with two perfect wills.
Therefore, we profess that You are one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
We sing a hymn of praise to the Fathers, and we adore You.
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
O glorious Fathers of the Councils,
you demonstrated that Pyrrhus, Sergius, and Onuphrius,
Dioscorus, and Nestorius were in error
concerning the doctrines of Christ.
You save the flock by teaching the true principle
that Christ is one divine person in two natures.
This Christ we adore as perfect man and perfect God,
one with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
O holy Fathers, we honour you and sing to you a hymn of praise.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
The Fathers of the Councils, inspired by God,
declare and explain that in Christ
there is a divine act and a divine will,
uncreated and infinite:
the act and will of the Son of God.
There is also a human act and a human will:
those of the Son of Man.
Thus, they proclaim that Christ is one divine person having two natures,
the one is divine and the other is human.
Therefore, we the faithful honour these Fathers every year
and glorify Christ who glorified them.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
The Fathers of the Councils proclaim to us today
that the eternal Trinity is one God and one Lord.
They explain the Trinity is of one nature,
consubstantial, of one will and one act,
not divided nor shared but existing in the simplicity of God’s being.
They define that this will and act of God
had no beginning and will never have and end.
Therefore, we the faithful glorify these Fathers
as the equals of the Apostles,
for they taught all people the true doctrine of God.
In Tone 6, Glory…
Let us honour today those mystical trumpets of the Spirit,
namely the God-mantled Fathers,
who speaking of divine things,
sang in the midst of the Church a hymn in unison,
teaching that the Trinity is one,
not differing in substance or Godhead,
refuting Arius and defending the orthodox faith.
They always intercede with the Lord
to have mercy on our souls.
In Tone 5, Now…
A symbol of the undefiled Virgin and bride
was revealed in the Red Sea.
There, Moses divided the waters;
here, Gabriel is the messenger of the miracle.
There, the Israelites crossed the deep and their feet were not even wet;
here, the Virgin gives birth to Christ without human seed.
There, the sea remained uncrossed after the passing of Israel;
here, the immaculate remained incorrupt after giving birth to Emmanuel.
Therefore, O immortal God, who appeared in the flesh as true Man,
have mercy on us!
Readings
(1) Genesis 14:14-20; (2) Deuteronomy 1:8-11, 15-17; (3) Deuteronomy 10:14-21
Aposticha
In Tone 5
O Christ our Saviour,
we lift up our voices to glorify You.
For, in Your love for mankind,
You became incarnate without leaving heaven;
You accepted the Cross and death;
You cast down the gates of Hades;
and on the third day You arose from the dead
for the salvation of our souls.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
O Giver of Life,
streams of forgiveness, life, and salvation
poured forth from Your pierced side upon us all.
By accepting physical death, You granted us immortality;
by lying in the tomb, You freed us from Hades,
and as God, by rising from the dead,
You raised us with Yourself in glory.
Therefore, we cry out to You:
O Lover of mankind, glory to You!
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
O Lover of mankind,
Your crucifixion and descent into Hades are most wondrous.
For, as God, You thereby conquered the power of Hades,
and raised up in glory, with Yourself, those who were long imprisoned there.
You reopened Paradise and enabled them to enter.
Grant forgiveness of sins to us
who glorify Your Resurrection on the third day,
for You alone are all-merciful.
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
O Lover of mankind,
You accepted suffering in the flesh
and rose from the dead on the third day.
Therefore, heal the passions of our flesh,
raise us from our dreadful iniquities, and save us.
In Tone 4, Glory…
O holy Fathers of the Councils,
you are the faithful keepers of the Apostles’ traditions.
By proclaiming that the three persons of the Holy Trinity
are one and consubstantial,
you refuted the blasphemy of Arius.
By teaching that the Holy Spirit is a distinct person,
one with the Father and the Son,
you put Macedonius, Severus and other heretics to shame.
Therefore, we beseech you to intercede for us,
preserving us from heresy and error
and keeping our lives blameless in God’s sight.
Now…
O most pure Virgin, hear the petitions of your servants.
Remove the burdens which oppress us,
and deliver us from our sorrows;
for you are the only firm and constant support on whom we rely.
O Mother of God, never permit us who call upon you
to be overwhelmed by our cares.
Hasten to fulfil the supplications of all who, in faith, cry out to you:
Rejoice, O Lady, helper of all mankind,
the joy, the refuge, and the salvation of our souls.
Troparia
In Tone 5
Let us, the faithful, acclaim and worship the Word* co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit,* and born of the Virgin for our salvation.* For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh,* to suffer death and to raise the dead,* by His glorious Resurrection.
In Tone 8, Glory…
Christ our God, You are glorified above all,* You established our fathers as beacons on earth* and through them guided all of us to the true faith.** Glory to You, most compassionate Lord.
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 5: Let us the faithful acclaim and worship the Word,* co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit,* and born of the Virgin for our salvation.* For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh, to suffer death* and to raise the dead by His glorious resurrection.
Troparion, Tone 8: Christ our God, You are glorified above all,* You established our fathers as beacons on earth* and through them guided all of us to the true faith.* Glory to You, most compassionate Lord.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 6: The Son who ineffably shone from the Father* was born two-fold of nature from a woman.* Beholding Him, we do not reject the image of His form;* but depicting it, we revere it faithfully.* Therefore, the Church, holing the true faith,* kisses the icon of Christ’s becoming man.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Theotokion, Tone 6: Undaunted patroness of Christians,* O steadfast intermediary with the Creator,* turn not away from the suppliant voices of sinners,* but in your kindness come to help us who cry out to you in faith.* Be quick to intercede, make haste to plead,* for you are ever the patroness of those who honour you, O Mother of God.
Prokeimenon, Tone 4
Blessed are You, Lord God of our fathers,* and praised and glorified is Your Name forever.
verse: For You are righteous in everything that You have done to us. (Daniel 3:26-27)
Epistle
Hebrews 13:7-16
Alleluia, Tone 1
verse: The God of gods, the Lord, spoke and summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
verse: Gather to Him His devout ones, who with sacrifice make covenant with Him. (Psalm 49:1,5)
Gospel
John 17:1-17
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens,* praise Him in the highest.* Rejoice in the Lord, O you just;* praise befits the righteous.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalms 184:1; 32:1)