Upcoming Days

Event Information:

• Wed

  15

  May

  2024

  Post-feast of the Ascension. Our Venerable Father Pachomius the Great (346).

  VESPERS ON TUESDAY EVENING

  Kathisma Reading

  The appointed psalms are chanted.

  At Psalm 140

  Tone 4

  If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.

  As Your divine disciples watched, You ascended into the heavens,* and sit at the right hand of the Father,* though You were not separated from Him, as the transcendent Son:* and as You promised, You sent forth the Comforter,* that He might fashion earthly heavens* out of Your wise and divinely-speaking sacred Apostles.

  I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.

  O Jesus, You assumed flesh out of the abundance of Your inexpressible goodness;* and You, O immortal One, willingly endured death upon the Cross.* But then, when three days had passed, You arose from the dead.* And again, after forty days, You ascended to the place, from where You had before descended,* to lead mankind to the Father and to bestow peace upon the world.

  From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.

  As they saw You taken up upon the clouds O Lord, the wise Apostles lamented,* and filled with sorrow, they cried aloud to You with tears:* Leave us not orphaned whom You have loved;* Rather, send down to us as You promised, O Compassionate One,* Your Divine and Holy Spirit,* that He might shed His light upon our souls.

  Tone 6

  For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

  Extending all your desire to God, you forsook the beauty of the world as fleeting,* and offered yourself to Christ, O most wise Pachomius,* purifying yourself in every way by abstinence,* showing forth patience opposition to the burning of the passions;* and enduring the torment of your conscience, O divinely wise one,* you received an imperishable crown as one victorious.

  Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.

  Through active vision you have now drawn nigh to union with God,* casting from you the coarse covering of the body,* having rejected the passionate attachment of the flesh* and become illuminated by His effulgence and grace and divine radiance,* and deified at His behest,* that you might ascend to that which is higher.* And having now become blessed, O God-bearer,* entreat Christ with boldness in behalf of our souls.

  Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.

  Having surpassed every sense, you conversed with the Master in purity,* transcending the flesh, O most honoured Pachomius,* restraining the passions with higher thought,* and destroying the arrogance of the demons, you trampled them underfoot.* And dwelling now in the mansions of heaven,* be mindful of all who honour your memory,* entreating Christ with boldness in behalf of our souls.

  Tone 6, Glory…

  Having preserved unharmed that which was created according to the image of God,* and through fasting made your mind master over the pernicious passions,* you ascended, as far as you were able, to that which is in accordance with His likeness;* for having manfully done violence to your nature,* you strove to make that which is worse subject to that which is better,* and to enslave the flesh to the spirit.* Wherefore, you have been shown to be the summit of monastics,* a desert-dweller, a trainer of those who run the good race,* a most excellent model of virtue.* And now in the heavens, the reflections having been abolished, O our father Pachomius,* you gaze in purity upon the Holy Trinity,* praying directly for those who honour you with faith and love.

  Tone 5, Now…

  Come, O assemblies of the faithful,* let us acquire the mind of Christ’s disciples,* that we may sing an unceasing hymn upon the Mount of Olives,* and, like the Apostles, let us cry out with David:* God is gone up in jubilation,* the Lord with the voice of a trumpet,* that He might rescue the kindred of mortal mankind* from the stumbling-blocks of the wicked one* and enlighten our souls.

  Aposticha

  Tone 2

  O new and wondrous deed!* Lo, mortal human nature ascends to the heavens;* for it is now made one with the Word,* who is Almighty God.

  Clap your hands, all nations;* shout to God with a voice of rejoicing.

  There has shone forth today the bright day of the Master’s divine ascent to heaven.* This luminous feast sheds* its radiance upon all the earth.

  God is gone up in jubilation,* the Lord with the voice of the trumpet.

  Even as You sent to Your divine disciples* Your consubstantial Spirit, O Christ,* so send down Your grace to Your people now.

  Tone 6, Glory…

  O venerable father, the sound of your corrections has gone forth into all the earth;* wherefore, you have found the reward of your labours in the heavens,* have destroyed hordes of the demons and attained to the ranks of the angels,* whose life you blamelessly emulated.* As you have boldness before Christ God, ask peace for our souls.

  Tone 5, Now…

  O Lord, as You were being taken up,* to where You were not separated,* the hosts of angels and all the bodiless ones* cried out rejoicing to the powers above:* Lift up the gates, O princes,* and the King of Glory shall enter therein.* For the cherubic throne took You up in the flesh.* O Lord, glory be to You.

  Troparion

  Tone 8

  The divine image was faithfully preserved in you, O father,* for taking up the Cross you followed Christ.* By your deeds you have taught us to see beyond flesh, which passes,* and care for the soul, a thing immortal.* and so, O Venerable Pachomius,* your spirit rejoices with the angels.

  Tone 4, Glory… Now…

  You ascended in glory, O Christ our God;* giving joy to Your disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit,* and assuring them through Your blessing* that You are the Son of God,** the Redeemer of the world.

   

  DIVINE LITURGY

  First Antiphon

  Clap your hands, all you nations;* shout to God with the voice of joy.

  Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save, us.

  For the Lord most high is awesome,* a great king over all the earth.

  Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save, us.

  He has subdued peoples to us,* and nations under our feet.

  Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save, us.

  God ascended amid shouts of joy;* the Lord at the sound of the trumpet.

  Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save, us.

  Glory… Now…  Only-Begotten Son…

  Third Antiphon

  Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord,* let us acclaim God, our Saviour.

  Son of God, who ascended in glory,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.

  Let us come before His face with praise,* and acclaim Him in psalms.

  Son of God, who ascended in glory,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.

  For God is the great Lord,* the great king over all the earth.

  Son of God, who ascended in glory,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.

  Entrance

  Come, let us worship* and fall down before Christ.

  Son of God, who ascended in glory,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.

  Troparia and Kontakia

  Troparion, Tone 4: You ascended in glory, O Christ our God,* giving joy to Your disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit,* and assuring them through your blessing* that You are the Son of God,* the Redeemer of the world.

  Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.

  Kontakion, Tone 6: When you had fulfilled Your plan for us* and united things on earth with those in heaven,* You ascended in glory, O Christ our God,* in no way distant, but remaining inseparable,* You cried to those who love You:* I am with You and there is none against you.

  Prokeimenon, Tone 7

  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;* above all the earth be Your glory.

  verse: My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready. I will sing and make music in my glory. (Psalm 56:6,8)

  Epistle

  Acts 23:1-11

  Alleluia, Tone 2

  verse: God ascended amid shouts of joy; the Lord at the sound of the trumpet.

  verse: Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with the voice of joy. (Psalm 46:6,2)

  Gospel

  John 16:15-23

  Hymn to the Mother of God

  O my soul, magnify the Lord who in glory ascended bodily into the heavens.

  And the Irmos: O Mother of God,* you transcended both mind and word,* and in time, ineffably bore the Timeless One:* it is you who, with one accord,* we, the faithful, magnify.

  Communion Hymn

  God ascended amid shouts of joy;* the Lord at the sound of the trumpet.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 46:6)

  Instead of We have seen the true light we sing:

  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, above all the earth be Your glory.

  Instead of Let our mouths be filled we sing three times:

  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, above all the earth be Your glory.