Event Information:
-
Wed27Nov2024
The Holy Martyr James of Persia; Our Venerable Father Palladius.
Nativity Fast. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat.
VESPERS ON TUESDAY EVENING
Kathisma Reading
The appointed psalms are chanted.
At Psalm 140
Tone 2
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Having forsaken the beauties of the world,* the splendour of your birthright, wealth, and beauty,* and cast aside all sensuality,* and having broken your body through the wounding of the passions,* rejoicing you followed after Christ, O James;* for through your suffering you have now truly become a partaker of glory* and a fellow heir of the kingdom.
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Having forsaken the beauties of the world,* the splendour of your birthright, wealth, and beauty,* and cast aside all sensuality,* and having broken your body through the wounding of the passions,* rejoicing you followed after Christ, O James;* for through your suffering you have now truly become a partaker of glory* and a fellow heir of the kingdom.
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
When the members of your flesh were cut off,* enduring unbearable pain and wounds, O right glorious James, martyr of Christ,* and having manfully trampled the savagery of the tormenters underfoot,* you received a priceless crown of victory;* and now adorned, O blessed one,* you stand with those who suffered with you,* before the throne of your Master.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
When the members of your flesh were cut off,* enduring unbearable pain and wounds, O right glorious James, martyr of Christ,* and having manfully trampled the savagery of the tormenters underfoot,* you received a priceless crown of victory;* and now adorned, O blessed one,* you stand with those who suffered with you,* before the throne of your Master.
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Possessed of boldness before Christ, O ever-memorable martyr,* you fervently intercede for all who celebrate your honoured festival with faith,* delivering them from misfortunes and freeing them from the passions,* rescuing them from besetting evils* and granting their souls salvation by your divine supplications,* that we may glorify your splendid struggles.
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Possessed of boldness before Christ, O ever-memorable martyr,* you fervently intercede for all who celebrate your honoured festival with faith,* delivering them from misfortunes and freeing them from the passions,* rescuing them from besetting evils* and granting their souls salvation by your divine supplications,* that we may glorify your splendid struggles.
Tone 5, Glory…
You astonished all in your bearing of tortures, O James;* for you endured the amputation of your fingers, hands and arms,* and likewise your feet and legs until you were left with your trunk alone;* and then, as you prayed, your precious head was severed.* O much-suffering martyr, never cease to pray to Christ in our behalf* that our souls may find mercy.
Now…
Desiring that all receive salvation, O my sinless Christ,* You were pleased to pay a great price, Your precious blood, for our deliverance.* Wherefore, beholding You nailed, Your Mother, lamenting, rent her hair, saying:* O Child, my all-immaculate Lamb, who desires to deliver the world by Your precious blood,* how have You set to whence I cannot see, O never-setting Sun,* who grants to all enlightenment, peace and great mercy?
Prokeimenon, Tone 1
Your mercy, O Lord, shall follow me* all the days of my life.
verse: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. In green pastures He gives me repose.
Aposticha
Tone 2
О Christ God my Saviour, who saved Peter in the sea,* save me by the power of the Cross,* and have mercy on me.
I have lifted up my eyes to You enthroned in heaven. Behold, as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, as the eyes of a maid are on the hands of her mistress, so are our eyes on the Lord our God until He has mercy on us.
Those who ever enjoyed Your gifts cried out, “Crucify Him!”;* those who slew the righteous ones asked that a malefactor be given to them in place of the Benefactor.* But You kept silence, О Christ,* enduring their savagery, desiring to suffer and thus save us,* in that You love mankind.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us; for we have been filled with shame; our soul is all too full of the mockery of the rich, of the contempt of the proud.
The choirs of the martyrs opposed the tyrants, saying:* “We fight for the King of hosts!* And even if you have subjected us to fire and tortures,* we will not reject the power of the Trinity!”
Tone 8, Glory…
Assembling with faith today, O you who love to look upon things divine,* behold the strange and noetic contest of James of Persia,* who has shone upon us like the star which appeared to the magi,* guiding us to true knowledge;* for that valiant one, when he fell, destroyed those who fought against him,* and when his members were severed,* he rendered those who tortured him impotent,* for he was strengthened by the providence of the Most High, crying out:* “Even though you sever my material limbs, yet I have Christ,* who has spiritually become all things to me!”* Foreseeing the life to come, which lies before all through death,* he hastened to pass over to it,* and abiding therein, he entreats God, the Bestower of crowns,* that He grant cleansing, enlightenment, and great mercy to us* who celebrate his memory.
Now…
O Lord, when the sun beheld You the Sun of righteousness, hanging upon the Tree,* it hid its rays, and the light of the moon was changed to darkness;* and Your all-immaculate Mother was pierced in the depths of her soul.
Troparia
Tone 4
You suffered awful torments at the hands of foreigners,* but you astonished everyone by the heroism of your endurance.* Each time one of your limbs was severed from your body,* you uttered a prayer of thanks to God.* For this you were crowned after your ordeal,* and you have been admitted to the court of heaven.* O long-suffering James, beg Him to save our souls.
Tone 8, Glory…
In you, O holy father Palladius, the faithful image of God shone forth,* for you carried your cross and followed Christ.* You taught by your deeds how to spurn the body, for it passes away;* and how to value the soul, for it is immortal.* Therefore, your soul is forever in happiness with the angels.
Now…
When the Mother beheld upon the cross* the Lamb, the Shepherd, and the Saviour of the world,* she exclaimed tearfully:* The world rejoices at the sight of its redemption,* but my heart is afire as I see Your pain on the cross,* which You accept for the sake of all, O my Son and my God!
DIVINE LITURGY ON WEDNESDAY MORNING
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 4: Your martyr, James, O Lord,* by his passion acquired the crown of incorruptibility from You, our God.* For possessing Your power he overcame the torturers* and shattered the feeble insolence of demons.* By his supplications, save our souls.
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 Palladius,* your spirit rejoices with the angels.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 2: As a bright and unerring star you appeared to the world* proclaiming with your rays the Sun, that is, Christ, O martyr, James,* and you have extinguished all error.* But to us you give light, praying without ceasing for all of us.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 2: Divinely armed with purity of spirit* and mightily wielding the lance of unceasing prayers,* you overcame the powers of demons,* Venerable Palladius, pray without ceasing for all of us.
Prokeimenon, Tone 7
The just man shall be glad in the Lord and shall hope in Him.
verse: Hear, O God, my voice when I make my petition to You. (Psalm 63:11,2)
Epistle
2 Timothy 4:9-22
Alleluia, Tone 4
verse: The just man shall flourish like the palm tree; and he shall grow like the cedar in Lebanon.
verse: They who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish the courts of our God. (Psalm 91:13,14)
Gospel
Luke 20:1-8
Communion Hymn
The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance;* of evil hearsay he shall have no fear.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 111:6)