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Event Information:
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Fri23Feb2024
Holy Priest-Martyr Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (155-56).
Great Fast Day 12. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat. According to liturgical prescriptions, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated today.
MATINS ON FRIDAY MORNING
Sessional Hymn I, Tone 5
The place of the skull has become Paradise;* for as soon as the wood of the Cross was planted there at once it bore the fruit of life,* even You, O Saviour who have brought us joy.* Glory be to You.
Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool for He is holy.
The wood of Your Cross, O our Saviour, has brought salvation to the world;* for You, the joy of all, were nailed upon it willingly,* and have delivered from the curse those that dwell on earth.* O Lord, glory be to You.
God is wonderful in His saints, the God of Israel.
Today the memorial of the victorious martyrs shines with light from heaven.* The choir of angels keeps the festival,* and mankind celebrates the feast with them.* For they intercede before the Lord,* that He may have mercy on our souls.
Glory… Now…
When Your Mother beheld You, O Christ,* hanging by Your own free choice upon the Cross between two thieves,* then with a mother’s grief her heart was pierced and she cried out:* ‘O sinless Son, how are You nailed unjustly to the Cross as an evildoer?* It is because in Your surpassing love* You will to restore mankind to life.’
Sessional Hymn II, Tone 4
Having raised ourselves above the carnal and earthy passions through fasting,* let us exalt the Lord who has been exalted upon the Cross,* and has thereby raised up the world.* Let us attentively drink of the cup of contrition;* and let us reflect upon that day and hour* at which we shall stand before the eternal Judge.
Glory… Now…
When Your unwedded Mother beheld You hanging upon the Cross,* she lamented bitterly and cried out to You:* “What is this strange and new wonder, O my Son?* How is it that the lawless people have nailed You, the Life of all, to the Cross,* O my sweetest Light,?”
Sessional Hymn, Tone 5
The grace of Your Cross shines forth, O Lord, enlightening all the inhabited earth;* utterly destroying the power of devils, adorning the season of fasting;* strengthened thereby have mercy on us.
Glory… Now…
When the Mother who bore You without the pangs of childbirth* beheld You lifted up upon the Cross,* weeping, she lamented crying aloud:* “Woe is me, O my sweetest Son!* I am wounded in the depths of my soul,* seeing You now nailed upon the Cross* as a malefactor, between two thieves.”
Canon
Ode 5
Irmos: The wicked will not behold Your glory, O Christ,* but we who rise early to hymn You shall behold You,* the Only-Begotten effulgence of Your Father’s divinity,* O Lover of mankind.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
Of Your own will, O Master, You were exalted upon the Cross, casting down the enemy. Of Your own will also, raise me up in Your compassion, for I am cast down into the pit of sensual pleasure.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
My soul has been darkened by corrupt passions, enlighten me O Jesus, as when stretched out upon the Cross, having darkened the sun, You gave light to the whole of the inhabited world.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
Grant me, O Christ, a peaceful voyage across the sea of the Fast; still the troubled waters of my mind, and anchor me in the haven of the Resurrection.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
With pure minds let us noetically honour the pure One, the beauty of Jacob; and adorning ourselves with spiritual struggles, let us praise her with reverence as the Mother of our God.
Irmos: Upon those who worship You by night O Christ,* have mercy, and grant them peace,* for Your commandments are light and healing to Your servants,* O Lover of mankind.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
Crucified, You released me from corruption; and pierced by a lance, You have made me immortal. I glorify Your ineffable mercy, O Christ, for You have come to save me.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
Stretching out Your arms upon the Cross, O Lord, You slew the invisible Amalek and thereby rescued Your people: wherefore we hymn Your might.
Glory…
A Godhead in three Hypostases, one Sovereignty above all essence. Let us praise the beginningless Father, the Son. and the Holy Spirit.
Now…
Him whom the heavens could not contain, have you conceived within your womb and given birth as a child; O awesome wonder transcending speech! Wherefore we all sing in praise of you, O most pure One.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You.
For my sake You endure crucifixion, partake of vinegar, and cry aloud “It is finished:” help me to finish the course of the season of the Fast and deem me worthy to behold Your arising.
Katavasia: Upon those who worship You by night O Christ,* have mercy, and grant them peace,* for Your commandments are light and healing to Your servants,* O Lover of mankind.
Ode 8
Irmos: The Offspring of the Theotokos saved the holy children in the furnace.* He who was then prefigured has now been born on earth,* and He gathers all creation to hymn you:* all you works praise the Lord and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
Nailed to the Cross for the sake of Your loving-kindness, You opened Paradise to the Thief, and now I have fallen among thieves through the cunning of the evil one; heal my soul and my whole body which have been grievously wounded, and in Your love for mankind open to me the gates of repentance.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
Through fasting let us sanctify our flesh and enrich our souls with the virtues. Let us feed the poor and thus acquire unfailing wealth in the heavens, and so let us cry: “O all you works of the Lord, praise the Lord and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages.”
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
At Your Passion all creation shook with fear, seeing You nailed upon the Cross, O supremely good Saviour, and since My mind is also shaken by the assaults of the serpent: I pray You, O compassionate One, establish it firmly upon the rock of Your will.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
You are the Portal of God that has remained closed, and through which the Lord alone has passed: direct me on the divine path of piety and open to me the gates of salvation, O Virgin who are full of the grace of God, for you alone are the Protection of all, and to you do I flee for refuge.
Second Canon in Tone V:
Irmos: The Fashioner of all creation, whom the angels fear:* let us praise, O people, and supremely exalt throughout all ages!
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
The all-holy Tree upon which You, O my Christ, were crucified, do I hymn, and supremely bless throughout all ages.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
The transgressors crucified and killed You on Golgotha, O Christ: but You live and save us throughout the ages.
We bless the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Lord.
In a strange manner the Trinity is divided yet remains undivided as God. Him do we supremely exalt throughout all ages.
Now…
Intercede for those who sing your praises, O Most pure One, that they may be delivered from every danger and temptation.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You.
Having strengthened me by the power of the Cross, O Lord, grant me to courageously complete the course of the Fast.
We praise, we bless, and we worship the Lord, hymning and supremely exalting Him throughout all ages!
Katavasia: The Fashioner of all creation, whom the angels fear:* let us praise, O people, and supremely exalt throughout all ages!
Ode 9
Irmos: A cornerstone not cut by hand, O Virgin,* was cut from thee the unhewn mountain:* even Christ, who has joined together the disparate natures;* therefore rejoicing we magnify you, O Theotokos.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
The prophet saw You, O Saviour, as a stone quarried from the mountain of the Virgin; and at Your Crucifixion You rend stones asunder. O all-merciful One, free me who am weighed down by the heavy stones of spiritual inattentiveness.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
Fast, O my soul, from wickedness, and take delight in divine love. Open wide the door to every virtuous thought, and by abstinence and prayer guard your entrance against evil.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O my Master and Saviour, through Your Cross You condemned the enmity that made me an enemy of God. Save me, defiled as I am by passions and darkened by sins, that I be not sent to the punishment of Gehenna.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
When You shall come in glory to judge the world, spare me, O Christ, destroy the dark mist of my wickedness by the prayers of her who gave birth to You, and make me an inheritor of Your heavenly Kingdom.
Irmos: O Isaiah, rejoice and be glad!* The Virgin has conceived in her womb,* and has borne a Son, Emmanuel,* who is both God and man;* and Orient is His name;* we magnify Him and we call the Virgin blessed.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
By Your Crucifixion You opened Paradise again and deliver me from the eternal death of disobedience, wherefore rejoicing I partake of life, and magnify You as my God, O Lover of mankind.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
O Lord, Your life-creating Cross has turned the seal of the curse into a seal of blessing, for beholding You raised upon it, we who before were dead are raised to life, and chanting Your praises, we magnify You as our Master.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You.
O honoured Trinity, consubstantial, beginningless, source of life, undivided Unity, I sing Your praises: The Father unbegotten, the Word and Son begotten, and the Holy Spirit, save us who glorify You.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You.
Beyond understanding is your childbearing, O Mother of God. For without a man, you conceived, and in virginity you gave birth; and the Child borne from you is God, wherefore we magnify Him, O Virgin, and you we call blessed.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You.
O precious Cross, my strength and refuge, bestow upon me light and joy; purify me through abstinence and deliver me from temptation, that I may glorify You, and magnify Christ the Master.
Katavasia: O Isaiah, rejoice and be glad!* The Virgin has conceived in her womb,* and has borne a Son, Emmanuel,* who is both God and man;* and Orient is His name;* we magnify Him and we call the Virgin blessed.
Aposticha
Tone 8
Slaying the passions, the present Fast brings the promise of healing* to those grievously wounded by sin.* God has bestowed the Fast upon us to help us:* let us honour and accept it* as if it were the divinely-written tablets of the Law, given through Moses.* Let us not choose wanton self-indulgence, through which the tablets were once shattered;* let us not perish with those whose carcasses fell in the wilderness.* Let us not be like the Jews, of a sad countenance,* rather, let us rejoice with the Church.* Let us not be hypocrites like the Pharisees,* but in the spirit of the Gospels let us put on the beauty of holiness,* glorying in the Cross of Christ the Redeemer of our souls.
In the morning, fill us with Your love; we shall exult and rejoice all our days. Give us joy to balance our affliction for the years when we knew misfortune. Show forth Your work to Your servants; let Your glory shine on their children.
Slaying the passions, the present Fast brings the promise of healing* to those grievously wounded by sin.* God has bestowed the Fast upon us to help us:* let us honour and accept it* as if it were the divinely-written tablets of the Law, given through Moses.* Let us not choose wanton self-indulgence, through which the tablets were once shattered;* let us not perish with those whose carcasses fell in the wilderness.* Let us not be like the Jews, of a sad countenance,* rather, let us rejoice with the Church.* Let us not be hypocrites like the Pharisees,* but in the spirit of the Gospels let us put on the beauty of holiness,* glorying in the Cross of Christ the Redeemer of our souls.
Let the favour of the Lord be upon us: give success to the work of our hands, give success to the work of our hands.
What shall we call you, O saints?* Cherubim, for Christ has rested upon you?* Seraphim, for without ceasing you have glorified Him?* Angels, for you have renounced the flesh?* Powers, for you perform miracles?* Manifold are your names, but greater are your gifts of grace:* pray that our souls be saved.
Glory… Now…
“What is this strange wonder?” cried the Virgin to the Lord, as a mother to her child.* “The bitter pangs I knew not when I bore You, O my Son,* have now pierced my heart.* O Light of my eyes, I cannot bear to see You nailed upon the Cross.* But hasten to arise, as You have promised,* that with all the world I may glorify Your dread and salvific dispensation.”
PRESANCTIFIFIED LITURGY ON FRIDAY EVENING
At Psalm 140
Tone 4
Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation.* According to the multitude of Your mercies visit my soul,* and release me from the burden of my transgressions,* for You alone love mankind.
The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation.* According to the multitude of Your mercies visit my soul,* and release me from the burden of my transgressions,* for You alone love mankind.
In Tone 5
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
You were not concerned about all these earthly matters,* and you courageously braved the tortures.* You did not sin against hope,* having confidence in God’s love for humankind;* thus you were made heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven,* O most praise-worthy martyrs.* Ask for peace for the world and great mercy for our souls.
Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Putting on the shield of faith* and fortifying themselves with the symbol of the Cross,* Your saints, O Lord, bravely went of their own accord to torture.* They defeated the craft and insolence of the devil.* By their supplications, O all-powerful God,* send peace to the world and great mercy to our souls
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Intercede for us, O holy martyrs,* that we may be delivered from our iniquities;* for the grace to pray for us is given to you.
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
With your souls filled with unquenchable love,* you endured the most terrible sufferings without ever denying Christ;* and you laid low the impudence of the torturers.* You kept the faith unwavering and unharmed,* and have gone to dwell in heaven.* Therefore, having the boldness to approach the Lord,* beg Him to grant us His great mercy.
Tone 5
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Rejoice, O sacred and light-bearing head, venerated by the angels,* which of old was severed by a sword* and cut down the shame of impurity with sharp reproofs,* wellspring of miracles which give drink to the faithful,* and which proclaimed the saving advent of the Saviour* and of old perceived the coming of the Spirit which took up His abode in you* who stood between the grace of the Old and New Covenants.* Entreat Christ God to grant our souls great mercy!
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Rejoice, O sacred and light-bearing head, venerated by the angels,* which of old was severed by a sword* and cut down the shame of impurity with sharp reproofs,* wellspring of miracles which give drink to the faithful,* and which proclaimed the saving advent of the Saviour* and of old perceived the coming of the Spirit which took up His abode in you* who stood between the grace of the Old and New Covenants.* Entreat Christ God to grant our souls great mercy!
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
The head of the Forerunner,* which once was concealed in an earthen vessel, has appeared,* manifestly given up from the bosom of the earth* and pouring forth streams of healing;* for in the waters did he wash the head of Him* that even now covers the chambers of the firmament with waters* and rains down divine remission upon men.* Wherefore, let us bless it as truly most glorious,* and in its discovery let us joyously keep festival,* entreating Christ to grant our souls great mercy.
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
The head which proclaimed the Lamb of God who has appeared in the flesh,* which with divine commands has declared to all the ways of saving repentance,* which of old denounced the transgression of Herod* and was therefore severed from its body and endured concealment for a time,* has shone forth upon us like a radiant sun, crying out:* Repent, and in compunction of soul now submit to Christ* who grants the world great mercy!
In Tone 5, Glory…
I recall the prophet crying out:* I am ashes and dust.* And again, I looked into the graves and saw bones laid bare and I said:* Which is king or soldier, rich or poor, righteous or sinner?* But, with the just, give rest, O Lord, to Your departed servants,* since You are the Lover of humankind.
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!
Prokeimenon I, Tone 4
Your merciful love and Your truth* will guard me forever.
verse: I waited, I waited for the Lord and He stooped down to me; He heard my cry.
Reading I
Genesis 5:32-6:8
Prokeimenon II, Tone 6
As for me, I said: Lord, have mercy on me;* heal my soul for I have sinned against You.
verse: Blessed are those who consider the poor and the weak. The Lord will save them in the evil day.
Reading II
Proverbs 6:20-7:1
Reading III
Isaiah 40:1-11
Reading IV
Malachi 3
Reading V
Wisdom 4:7-15