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Event Information:
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Sun15Aug2021
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Tone 3; The Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary; Kievan-Caves Icon of the Mother of God (1073)
Feast of the Mother of God. Holy day of obligation.
GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man...” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 3
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
By Your cross, O Christ our Saviour,* the power of Death has been vanquished* and the deceit of the devil has been destroyed.* Therefore, mankind, saved by faith,* offers You hymns of praise forever.
- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O Lord, all creation has been enlightened by Your resurrection,* and paradise has been reopened;* therefore, all creation extols You* and offers You hymns of praise forever.
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
I glorify the power of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;* and I praise the dominion of the undivided Divinity,* the consubstantial Trinity,* who reigns forever and ever.
- Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
We adore Your precious cross, O Christ,* and with hymns of praise we glorify Your resurrection;* for by Your wounds we have all been healed.
In Tone 1
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
O what a wonder! The Source of Life is placed in a tomb;* the grave becomes a ladder to heaven.* Rejoice, Gethsemane, holy chamber of the Mother of God!* As for us, O faithful,* let us cry out with Gabriel, the prince of angels:* Rejoice, O woman full of grace, the Lord is with you,* the Lord, Who because of you, bestows great mercy upon the world.
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
O Lady, marvellous are your mysteries.* You have become the throne of the Most High,* and today you are taken from earth to heaven.* Your glory shines forth with the radiance of divine grace* and surpasses every other splendour.* Rise up to the heavens, all you virgins,* together with the Mother of our King, and cry out:* Rejoice, O Woman full of grace, the Lord is with you,* the Lord, Who because of you,* bestows great mercy upon the world.
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Behold, all the heavenly hosts,* the Dominations, Thrones, and Principalities,* Virtues, Powers, Cherubim, and Seraphim,* sing a hymn of glory to your Dormition.* The entire human race rejoices at your glory;* and kings, together with the Angels and Archangels, sing out to you:* Rejoice, O Woman full of grace, the Lord is with you,* the Lord, Who because of you,* bestows great mercy upon the world.
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.
The heavens rejoice in your glorious Dormition,* and the angelic hosts are filled with joy;* all the universe is exalting* as they sing hymns of farewell to you,* O Mother of the Master of the universe,* O all-holy Virgin who did not know wedlock.* You have delivered mankind from the condemnation of old.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
At the divine command* the chosen apostles hastened from the ends of the universe to bury you;* and, seeing you carried from earth to heaven,* they praised you with the words of Gabriel:* Rejoice, O bearer of the entire Divinity!* Rejoice, O Virgin, for you alone brought heaven and earth together* in giving birth to your Son.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
You have given birth to Life,* and now by your holy Dormition* you have crossed the borders into eternal life.* The Angels, Principalities, and the Virtues,* the prophets, the apostles, and all creation form a procession,* and your Son receives your pure soul into His immaculate hands,* O Virgin Mother and Bride of God.
In Tone 1
Glory… Now…
The holy apostles were taken up from every corner of the world* and carried upon clouds by the command of God.* They gathered around you pure body, O Source of Life,* and kissed it with reverence.* As for the most sublime powers of heaven,* they came with their own leader* to escort and to pay their last respects to the most honourable body* that had contained Life itself.* Filled with awe, they marched together with the apostles in silent majesty,* professing to the princes of heaven in a hushed voice:* Lift up your gates and receive, with becoming majesty,* the Mother of the Light that never fades,* because, through her, salvation was made possible for mankind.* She is the One upon whom no one may gaze,* and to whom no one is able to render sufficient glory;* for the special honour that made her sublime is beyond understanding.* Therefore, O Most Pure Mother of God,* forever alive with your Son, the Source of Life,* do not cease to intercede with Him* that He may guard and save Your people from every trouble;* for you are our intercessor.* To you we sing a hymn of glory* with loud and joyful voice, now and forever.
Readings
(1) Genesis 28:10-17; (2) Ezekiel 43:27 - 44:4; (3) Proverbs 9:1-11
Lytia
In Tone 1
Because the disciples had been both the eyewitnesses and servants of the Word,* it was also fitting that they should witness the final mystery,* the Dormition of His Mother according to the flesh.* They not only saw the ascension of the Saviour from earth to heaven,* but they were also witnesses to the translation of the Mother who bore Him.* They came to Zion to escort the Virgin, who surpasses the Cherubim,* as she hastened in her journey to heaven.* With them, let us also bow low* before the One who intercedes for our souls.
In Tone 2
She is higher than the heavens,* more glorious than the Cherubim,* and more honourable than all creation.* Her outstanding purity became the dwelling place of eternal divinity.* Today she places her all-pure soul into the hands of her Son.* With her, the universe is filled with joy,* and the grace of salvation is given to us.
The most pure Spouse, the Mother of the One in Whom the Father is well-pleased,* she whom God had chosen to become the dwelling place of His natures* that had been united without confusion,* today delivers her most pure soul to her divine Creator.* The angels welcome her in a divine manner,* and the Mother of Life is now transferred to life.* She is the lamp of the inaccessible brightness,* the hope of our souls, and the salvation of believers.
In Tone 3
Come, all you ends of the earth,* let us praise the blessed passing of the Mother of God.* She delivers her sinless soul into the hands of her Son;* through her holy Dormition the world is given new life.* With psalms and hymns and spiritual canticles,* the whole world celebrates in joy* together with the angels and apostles.
In Tone 5
Glory…
Come, all you lovers of the feast,* let us form choirs and fill the Church with our hymns* in honour of the falling asleep of the Ark of God.* Today heaven indeed opens its bosom* to receive the Mother of the One whom the universe cannot contain.* The earth gives back the Source of Life* and receives the blessing of the Lord.* The choir of angels and apostles look with awe* as they see the One who gave birth to the Prince of Life* now herself pass from life to life.* Let us all bow together before her and say:* O Lady, do not forget the children of your house* who celebrate your holy Dormition in faith.
Now…
O people, sing to the Mother of our God;* for, on this day, she delivers her radiant soul into the most pure hands* of the One Who took flesh of her without seed.* In His presence she intercedes unceasingly* that He grant peace and great mercy to the world.
Aposticha
In Tone 3
O Christ, who darkened the sun by Your passion* and enlightened all creation by Your resurrection,* accept our evening prayer; for You love mankind.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
O Lord, Your life-giving resurrection has enlightened the entire universe* and has revived Your creation which lay in corruption.* Therefore, we, who have been released from the curse of Adam, cry out to You:* Almighty Lord, glory to You!
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
O God, although in Your divine nature You are unchangeable,* yet in Your human nature You underwent change by suffering in the flesh.* All creation was prostrate with fear* when it saw You hanging on the cross,* and it groaned in sorrow as it sang the praises of Your long-suffering.* But You descended into Hades and arose on the third day,* granting life and great mercy to the world.
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
You suffered death, O Christ, to deliver mankind from death.* And when You arose from the dead on the third day,* You enlightened the world* and resurrected all who acknowledge You as God.
In Tone 4
Glory… Now…
O Virgin Mother of God,* at the time you were carried up to the One born of you* in a manner beyond understanding,* James and Peter were present;* James, the brother of the Lord and first bishop,* and Peter, the honourable head of the apostles and prince of theologians.* The whole college of apostles was also there,* all in one accord proclaiming things divine,* praising the astounding mystery of Christ,* and with joy, preparing your body, O most glorious One,* source of Life and temple of God.* The most holy angelic powers,* were rapt in wonder at the sight of this miracle,* and they said to each other:* Lift up your gates to receive the Mother of the Creator of heaven and earth.* Come, let us all sing hymns to her noble and holy body* that has contained the invisible Lord.* Therefore, we also celebrate your feast;* and, O woman worthy of all praise, we cry out:* O glorious Lady, exalt the Christian peoples* and intercede with Christ God that He may save our souls.
Troparia
In Tone 1
In giving birth you retained your virginity,* in falling asleep you did not abandon the world, O Mother of God.* You passed into life, for you are the Mother of Life,* and by your prayers* you deliver our souls from death. (thrice)
DIVINE LITURGY
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 3: Let the heavens be glad, let the earth rejoice,* for the Lord has done a mighty deed with His arm.* He trampled death by death. He became the first-born of the dead;* He saved us from the abyss of Hades* and granted great mercy to the world.
Troparion, Tone 1: In giving birth you retained your virginity,* in falling asleep you did not abandon the world, O Mother of God.* You passed into life, for you are the Mother of Life,* and by your prayers* you deliver our souls from death.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 3: You rose from the tomb, O compassionate Lord,* and led us out from the gates of death.* Today Adam exults and Eve rejoices,* and the prophets together with the patriarchs* unceasingly acclaim the divine might of Your power.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 2: The tomb and death could not hold the Mother of God,* unceasing in her intercession and unfailing hope of patronage,* for, as the Mother of Life, she was transferred to life* by Him Who had dwelt in her ever-virgin womb.
Prokeimenon, Tone 3
Sing to our God, sing; sing to our King, sing.
verse: Clap your hands, all you nations; shout unto God with the voice of joy. (Psalm 46:7,2)
Prokeimenon, Tone 3
verse: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Epistle
1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Philippians 2:5-11
Alleluia, Tone 3
verse: In You, O Lord, have I hoped that I may not be put to shame for ever.
verse: Be a protector unto me, O God, and a house of refuge to save me. (Psalm 30:2,3)
verse: Rise up, O Lord, to the place of Your rest, You and the ark of Your holiness. (Psalm 131:8)
Gospel
Matthew 19:16-26; Luke 10:38-42, 11:27-28
Hymn to the Mother of God
Seeing the pure one’s falling asleep, angels marvelled in wonder how the Virgin could ascend from earth to heaven.
And the Irmos: O pure Virgin, in you are conquered the bounds of nature,* for childbirth remains virginal and death is betrothed to life.* Virgin after childbearing and alive after death, O Mother of God,* never cease to save your inheritance.
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1)* I will take the chalice of salvation;* and I will call upon the name of the Lord.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 115:13)