Texts for Great Vespers and Divine Liturgy for September 17, 2017.
GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 6
10. Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
O Christ, You won the victory over Hades,
You ascended the Cross so that You might raise up with Yourself
all those who dwelt in the darkness of death.
Almighty Saviour, You are free from death
and bestow life by Your divine light.
We, therefore, beseech You to have mercy on us.
9. The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
Today Christ has conquered Death.
He has risen from the grave as He foretold,
bestowing great joy upon the world.
Therefore, let us all lift up our voices and sing:
O Fount of Life, O Light Whom no one can approach,
Almighty Saviour, have mercy on us.
8. Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
O Lord, where can we sinners flee from You,
for You are present in all creation?
You are present in heaven, for it is Your dwelling place.
Your power prevails in Hades where You conquered Death.
O Master, Your sustaining hand touches even the depths of the sea.
Where, then, can we take refuge except in You?
We, therefore, prostrate ourselves before You and pray:
O Lord, risen from the dead, have mercy on us.
7. Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
We exult in Your Cross, O Christ,
and we sing the glory of Your Resurrection.
For You are our God, and we have no other Lord but You.
In Tone 1
6. If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
The Cross is exalted;
the demons are driven away!
The thief opens the gates of Paradise;
death is slain and is visibly despised!
Christ is magnified!
Therefore, rejoice, all earth-born,
for the curse has been lifted!
5. I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Come, all lovers of God!
Beholding the exaltation of the precious Cross
let us magnify it together,
giving glory to the one Deliverer and God as we cry out:
As You were crucified on the wood of the Cross:
Do not turn from us who pray to You!
4. From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
In days of old, Moses changed bitterness into sweetness.
He delivered Israel, prophetically inscribing the image of the Cross!
As we, the faithful, ever make the sign of the Cross mystically in our hearts,
we are saved by its might!
In Tone 4
3. For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
The virgin maidens bound together by the law of nature
manifestly made stronger by love of the Creator,
loosed the bonds of deception with faith!
They manfully trampled the enemy
and were radiantly adorned with the crown of victory!
Now they rejoice, dwelling in the heavenly bridal chamber!
2. Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
The all-praised Faith and glorious Love
together with divinely wise Hope,
revealed themselves to be namesakes of the splendid virtues!
As athletes, they cast down the evil one
who had deceived our first mother with guile.
Now they are deified and pray for us all,
dwelling in the mansions of Paradise!
1. Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Faith, Hope and Love, the daughters of Sophia,
sought with faith the beauty of the Bridegroom.
They united themselves to Him, adorning themselves with divine wounds;
they despised the fire, manifold tortures and a shameful death!
For their sake, Lord, free us from evils!
In Tone 1, Glory…
Exalted today, the Tree of life,
on which the pre-eternal King wrought salvation on the face of the earth,
planted on the place of the skull,
sanctifies the ends of the earth!
The temple of the Resurrection is renewed!
The angels rejoice in heaven;
men celebrate on earth, crying out like David and saying:
Exalt the Lord our God!
worship at His footstool, for it is holy,
granting great mercy to the world!
In Tone 6, Now…
Who would not call you blessed, O Virgin most holy?
Who would not sing a hymn of praise
to the glory of your giving birth without pain or travail?
The Only-begotten Son Himself,
begotten of the Father before all ages,
was made flesh out of you in a manner
that cannot be explained, O Woman most pure!
And for our sake, He Who is God by nature
assumed the nature of a man.
He is not divided into two persons;
He is understood to have two natures
without commixion or confusion.
O noble and blessed Woman,
intercede with Him that He may mercy on our souls.
Aposticha
In Tone 6
O Christ our Saviour,
the angels in heaven sing the praises of Your Resurrection;
make us on earth also worthy
to extol You with a pure heart.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
Almighty God, You destroyed the brazen gates and bars of Hades,
and raised up fallen mankind.
Therefore, with one accord, we cry out:
O Lord, risen from the dead, glory to You!
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
Christ willed to renew us from our corruption of old
by being nailed to a cross and placed in a tomb.
When the women came to anoint His body they tearfully cried out:
O, what sorrow afflicts us!
O Saviour of All, how could You consent to occupy a grave?
If you truly willed this, then why did You allow Your body to be stolen?
How were You removed?
What place now conceals Your life-bearing body?
O Lord, appear to us as You promised
and put an end to out tears.
As they were lamenting, an angel appeared and cried out to them:
Do not weep, but tell the Apostles that the Lord is risen,
granting sanctification and great mercy to the world.
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
O Christ, You were crucified of Your free will,
and by Your burial You imprisoned Death.
As God, You rose in glory on the third day,
granting life and great mercy to the world.
In Tone 1, Glory… Now…
Prefiguring Your Cross, O Christ,
the patriarch Jacob crossed his hands on the heads of his grandsons
as he gave them his blessing.
Raising the Cross on high today,
we cry out, Saviour:
Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians over their adversaries,
as You once gave victory to Constantine.
Troparia
In Tone 6
Angelic powers were upon Your tomb* and the guards became like dead men;* Mary stood before Your tomb* seeking Your most pure body.* You captured Hades without being overcome by it.* You met the Virgin and granted life.* O Lord, risen from the dead,* glory to You!
In Tone 1, Glory… Now… Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance.* Grant victory to Your faithful people against enemies,* and protect Your community by Your cross.
DIVINE LITURGY
Antiphon 1
O God, my God, hear me; why have You forsaken me? The words of my transgressions put salvation far from me.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
O God, I will call to You by day but You will not listen; and by night, yet it will not be foolish of me.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
But You, the praise of Israel, dwell in the holy place.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Glory… Now… Only-begotten Son…
Antiphon 3
Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord, let us acclaim God, our Saviour.
Son of God, crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Let us come before His face with praise, and acclaim Him in psalms.
Son of God, crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
For God is the great Lord, and the great king over all the earth.
Son of God, crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Entrance
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ.
Son of God, crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 6: Angelic powers were upon Your tomb* and the guards became like dead men;* Mary stood before Your tomb* seeking Your most pure body.* You captured Hades without being overcome by it.* You met the Virgin and granted life.* O Lord, risen from the dead,* glory be to You!
Troparion, Tone 1: Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance.* Grant victory to Your faithful people against enemies,* and protect Your community by Your cross.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 6: With His life-giving hand* Christ our God, the Giver of life,* raised all the dead from the murky abyss* and bestowed resurrection upon humanity.* He is for all the Saviour,* the resurrection and the life, and the God of all.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 4: By Your own choice, O Christ our God,* You were lifted on the cross.* Grant Your mercies to Your new community* that bears Your Name.* By Your power gladden the faithful people,* and grant them victory against enemies.* May they have the help of Your instrument of peace,* the invincible sign of victory.
Prokeimenon, Tone 7
Exalt the Lord our God,* and bow in worship at the footstool of his feet, for it is holy.
verse: The Lord reigns, let the people tremble. (Psalm 98:5,1)
Epistle
Galatians 2:16-20
Alleluia, Tone 1
verse: Remember Your congregation which You acquired from the beginning.
verse: But God is our king before the ages; He has wrought salvation in the midst of the earth. (Psalm 73:2,12)
Gospel
Mark 8:34-9:1
Hymn to the Mother of God
O my soul, magnify the most precious cross of the Lord.
And the Irmos, Tone 8: You are a mystical Paradise, O Mother of God, who though untilled, have brought forth Christ. He has planted upon earth the life-giving Tree of the Cross. Therefore, today as we raise it on high we bow low and we magnify you.
Communion Hymn
Let the light of Your countenance, O Lord,* shine upon us.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 4:7)
At the end of Liturgy, we sing:
To Your Cross, O Master, we bow in veneration, and we glorify Your holy Resurrection. (3)