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Event Information:
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Sun31Mar2019
Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast: St. John Climacus, Octoechos, Tone 4. Our Venerable Father Hypatius, Bishop of Gangra (312-37)
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!In Tone 8
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
O holy father John,
truly have you ever carried on your lips the praises of the Lord,
and with great wisdom have you studied the words of Holy Scripture,
that teach us how to practice the ascetic life.
So have you gained the riches of grace,
and you have become blessed,
overthrowing all the purposes of the ungodly.- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
O holy father John,
truly have you ever carried on your lips the praises of the Lord,
and with great wisdom have you studied the words of Holy Scripture,
that teach us how to practice the ascetic life.
So have you gained the riches of grace,
and you have become blessed,
overthrowing all the purposes of the ungodly.- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Most glorious father John,
with the fountain of your tears you have cleansed your soul,
and by keeping vigils through the night
you have gained God’s mercy.
You were raised on wings, O blessed one,
to the love of Him and of His beauty;
and as is right you dwell now in His unending joy,
with your fellow soldiers in the spiritual fight,
O holy saint of God.- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
O holy father John,
through faith you have lifted up your mind on wings to God;
hating the restless confusion of this world,
you have taken up your Cross;
and, by following Him who sees all things
you have subjected your rebellious body to His guidance through ascetic discipline,
by the power of the Holy Spirit.In Tone 5, Glory…
O holy father,
hearing the voice of the Gospel of the Lord,
you have forsaken the world, counting as naught its riches and its glory;
and so you have cried out to all:
“Love God,
and you shall find eternal grace.
Set nothing higher than His love,
that, when He comes in glory,
you may find rest with all the saints.”
at their prayers, O Christ, guard and 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.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…
Let us honour John, angel upon earth and man of God in heaven,
adornment of the world, joy of the good and virtuous, glory of the ascetics.
For planted in the house of God he has blossomed with the flower of holiness,
and spread abroad like a cedar in the desert,
causing the sheep of Christ’s spiritual flock to increase
in sanctity and righteousness.Now…
O wondrous event exceeding every miracle that ever happened!
Who ever heard that a mother could conceive without a man,
and that she would hold in her arms the One who contains the whole universe?
This was the will of the One who was born of you.
Woman most pure,
never cease to intercede for those who honour you,
together with the One you carried in your arms as a child.
You have the power of a Mother:
therefore, intercede with Him that He may have mercy on us
and 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.”Glory... 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
DIVINE LITURGY
The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is celebrated today.
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 1: O John, our God-bearing father,* you were shown to be a citizen of the desert,* an angel in bodily form,* and a worker of miracles.* Through fasting, prayers and vigils you received heavenly gifts* to heal the sick and the souls of those who, in faith, run to you.* Glory to Him who gives you strength.* Glory to Him who crowned you.* Glory to Him who works healing for all through you.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 4: On the heights of true abstinence,* the Lord established you as a reliable star,* giving light for guidance to the ends of the earth,* O father John, our teacher.
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 8
The venerable ones will exult in glory* and they shall be joyful in their beds.Epistle
Hebrews 6:13-20; Ephesians 5:9-19Alleluia, 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)
verse: They who are planted in the hose of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. (Psalm 91:14)Gospel
Mark 9:17-31; Matthew 4:25-5:12Hymn to the Mother of God
In you, O Full of Grace, all creation rejoices: the angelic ranks and all the human race. Sanctified temple and spiritual paradise, virgins’ pride and boast, from whom God is made flesh and became a little Child; and He who is our God before all ages, He made your womb a throne, and He made it wider that all the heavens. In you, O Full of Grace, all creation rejoices. Glory be to you.Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1)* The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance;* of evil hearsay he shall have no fear.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 111:6)