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Event Information:
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Sun09Dec2018
Twenty-ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Tone 4; Conception of Saint Anna when she conceived the Most Holy Mother of God
Note from Royal Doors: For most of the Byzantine Church, the Feast of the Conception of Saint Anna is of a lower rank. In present usage, the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church officially ranks this feast as an All-Night Vigil. We at Royal Doors have done our best to ensure that we follow proper texts for this feast. However, the verses for the Lytia are strongly influenced by the Latin Church's understanding of the Immaculate Conception and, when sung, may seem strange in the context of the other liturgical hymnography for the day. We await the day when one from our midst writes new texts for the Lytia verses more in line with the Byzantine theological/liturgical mindset.
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 4
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
The barren Anna leaped for joy
when she gave birth to Mary the Virgin
who in turn will give birth in the flesh to God the Word.
Overflowing with happiness, she cried out:
Rejoice with me, all tribes of Israel,
for I have conceived and put aside my burden of childlessness
as the Creator has deigned.
He heard my prayer and healed the pains of my yearning heart.- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
The barren Anna leaped for joy
when she gave birth to Mary the Virgin
who in turn will give birth in the flesh to God the Word.
Overflowing with happiness, she cried out:
Rejoice with me, all tribes of Israel,
for I have conceived and put aside my burden of childlessness
as the Creator has deigned.
He heard my prayer and healed the pains of my yearning heart.- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
O Anna, the One who made waters gush forth from a rock
bestows as a fruit of your womb, the ever-Virgin Lady.
Through her, our salvation will come.
Because of this you were delivered from shame.
No longer will you be on earth as a fruitless soil,
for you have produced an earth
which will bring forth the Tree of Life.
According to His will, He delivered mankind from all shame
when He became man out of His compassionate mercy.- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
O Anna, the One who made waters gush forth from a rock
bestows as a fruit of your womb, the ever-Virgin Lady.
Through her, our salvation will come.
Because of this you were delivered from shame.
No longer will you be on earth as a fruitless soil,
for you have produced an earth
which will bring forth the Tree of Life.
According to His will, He delivered mankind from all shame
when He became man out of His compassionate mercy.- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
The sayings of the prophets are now being fulfilled:
the holy mountain is planted in the womb;
the divine ladder is set up;
the throne of the great king is ready;
the God-inspired city is being adorned.
The unburnable bush is beginning to bud forth,
and the treasure house of grace is overflowing.
It is spreading over the rivers of unfruitfulness of the God-wise Anna
whom we glorify.- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
The sayings of the prophets are now being fulfilled:
the holy mountain is planted in the womb;
the divine ladder is set up;
the throne of the great king is ready;
the God-inspired city is being adorned.
The unburnable bush is beginning to bud forth,
and the treasure house of grace is overflowing.
It is spreading over the rivers of unfruitfulness of the God-wise Anna
whom we glorify.In Tone 2, Glory…
Today the mystery which has been announced from eternity,
whose depth angels and men cannot measure,
appears in the arms of Anna.
Mary, the maiden of God is prepared
to be the dwelling of the Kings of the ages
who will renew our human nature.
Let us entreat her with a pure heart and say:
Since you are the intercessor for all Christians,
implore your Son and God to 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.Readings
(1) Genesis 28:10-17; (2) Ezekiel 43:27-44:4; (3) Proverbs 9:1-11Litiya
In Tone 1
It is fitting that the Queen of heaven and earth,
who is more precious than the Cherubim,
and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim,
be conceived and remain immaculate as the angels,
so that they who are servants of the Lord
can boast of their own Queen, the Mother of God.
Glory and praise to the Lord who willed it so,
the Creator of all things.It is fitting that the unique and chosen woman
be conceived without sin,
and the power of Satan is now taken away;
for the Mother of God will never bow before him.
Glory and praise to the Lord who willed it so,
the Creator of all things.It is fitting that the Second Eve
be created and remain without sin
in the manner of the Second Adam;
for the rebirth of mankind now takes place,
just as the fall came through the first Adam and the first Eve.
Christ has renewed all through his new birth,
and it was Mary that gave birth to Him.
Glory and praise to the Lord who willed it so,
the Creator of all things.Glory… Now…
Before the nativity of the Son of God,
it was fitting for the Father
to bestow the most pure conception upon the Mother of God,
who is betrothed of the Holy Spirit,
that she might be filled with heavenly gifts
in a manner beyond all other creatures.
Glory and praise to the Lord who willed it so,
the Creator of all things.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 2, Glory…
On this day the royal purple appears,
descending from the root of David.
The mystical flower of Jesse buds forth;
from her shall blossom Christ our God,
the Saviour of 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 1
Rejoice, Virgin Mary, Mother of God, full of grace!* The Lord is with you.* Blessed are you among women,* and blessed is the fruit of your womb.* For you have given birth to Christ, the Deliverer and Saviour of our souls. (2)In Tone 4
Today the chains of barrenness are shattered,* for having heard the prayer of Joachim and Anna,* against all hope God has openly promised* the birth of the Maiden of God,* from whom the very Infinite One will be born as a man,* the One who commanded the angels to cry to her:** Rejoice, O full of grace, the Lord is with you.
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.”Troparion, Tone 4: Today the chains of barrenness are shattered,* for having heard the prayer of Joachim and Anna,* against all hope God has openly promised the birth of the Maiden of God,* from whom the very infinite One will be born as a man,* the One who commanded the angels to cry to her:* rejoice, O full of grace, the Lord is with you.
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 forever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 4: Today the whole world celebrates* the conception by Anna,* which was brought about by God Himself,* for she has ineffably borne the one who will bear the Word.
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)Prokeimenon, Tone 4
God is wonderful in His saints,* the God of Israel. (Psalm 67:36)Epistle
Colossians 1:12-18; Galatians 4:22-31Alleluia, Tone 4
verse: Poise yourself and advance in triumph and reign in the cause of truth, and meekness, and justice.(Psalm 44:5)
verse: You have loved justice and hated iniquity. (Psalm 44:8)
verse: The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their protector in time of trouble. (Psalm 36:39)
verse: The Lord will help them and rescue them; He will deliver them from sinners and save them, for they hoped in Him. (Psalm 36:40)Gospel
Luke 17:12-19; Luke 8:16-21Hymn to the Mother of God
O my soul, magnify the glorious conception of the Mother of God.
and the Irmos, Tone 1: Let us the faithful magnify the Mother of God,* wellspring ever-flowing and life-receiving,* the light-bearing lamp of grace,* the living temple and tabernacle all pure,* even more spacious than heaven and earth.Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1)* Rejoice in the Lord, O you just;* praise befits the righteous.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 32:1)