Event Information:
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Fri29Nov2024
The Holy Martyr Paramon; The Holy Martyr Philomenus; Venerable Acacius of whom testimony is found in “The Ladder of Divine Ascent.”
Nativity Fast. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat.
VESPERS ON THURSDAY 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.
When You were nailed to the Cross, О Saviour,* the sun beheld and dimmed its rays in fear of You,* and the veil of the temple was rent in two;* the earth quaked, and the stones likewise split asunder with trembling,* unable to bear the sight of their Creator and God willingly suffering unjustly upon the Tree,* and reviled by men.
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
When the Cross was set up and You were pierced in the side with the spear, О Sinless Saviour,* the sun hid itself, unable to bear the sight;* the earth trembled, and when You were reviled, the rocks split asunder in fear;* and all creation cried out to You:* Glory be to Your crucifixion whereby You have saved all,* О Word and Lover of mankind!
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Wholly cast down to the ground, wholly wounded,* the most wicked serpent was brought low by a strange fall* when You were uplifted upon the Tree, О Lover of mankind.* And Adam who before was condemned* was loosed from the curse and became saved.* Wherefore, we also pray: Save us all, О Compassionate One,* and grant us Your kingdom!
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.
Manifestly illumined by the brightness of the Spirit of God,* most blessed Paramon,* you despised the total darkness of idolatry.* When your time had come, most blessed one,* you approached the suffering before you with a courageous mind!* Revealed as victorious, you cast down the prideful enemy of all mortals,* as you magnified Christ!* Entreat Him to save and enlighten our souls!
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Witnessing a great multitude slaughtered for the King and God of all, * you burned with divine zeal, Paramon, crying out:* I am ever a true servant of Christ!* Understand, evil tyrants,* for behold, I was summoned and now I come* to be slain like an innocent lamb!* Therefore, do not be deceived:* I am forced to become an acceptable sacrifice to Him* Who for my sake was freely slain in the flesh!
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
The honoured choir of athletes,* three hundred seventy in number,* with faith cast down the falsehood of the evil-doers' idolatry.* You also were crowned with them,* having struggled with a courageous mind, Paramon,* and rejoicing, you joined the choirs of the bodiless hosts!* Ever pray with them that we who honour and bless you* may be delivered from all sorrow and dangers!
Tone 2, Glory… Now…
When the unblemished ewe-lamb beheld her Lamb* willingly led as a man to the slaughter,* she said, weeping:* “Do You now hasten to leave me childless who gave You birth, O Christ,?* What is this that You have done, O Redeemer of all?* Even so I will hymn and glorify Your extreme goodness,* which is beyond understanding and all telling,* O Lover of mankind!”
Prokeimenon, Tone 6
My help is from the Lord,* Who made heaven and earth.
verse: I lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from where my help shall come.
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.
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.
They who ever enjoyed Your gifts cried aloud, “Crucify Him!”;* they who slew the righteous ones asked that a malefactor be released 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.
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.
Having hated the pleasures of life,* the passion-bearers were deemed worthy of the good things of heaven* and have made their abode together with the angels.* By their prayers, О Lord, have mercy and save us.
Tone 2, Glory… Now…
When iniquitous men raised You, the Life of all, up upon the Tree, О Saviour,* Your pure and most immaculate Mother,* standing forth and lamenting, exclaimed:* “O my sweet Child, light of my eyes, woe is me!* How have You suffered to be nailed to the Cross between two evildoers,* О You who have suspended the earth upon the waters?”
Troparia
Tone 4
O Lord our God, your holy martyrs* have deserved the crown of immortality* on account of their good fight.* Armed with your strength, they have vanquished their persecutors* and crushed Satan’s dreadful might.* Through their supplications, O Christ our God, save our souls.
Glory… Now…
O Virgin, all immaculate Mother of Christ God,* a sword pierced your all-holy soul* when you saw your Son and God willingly crucified.* Therefore, O blessed One,* never cease to pray to Him* that He may grant us forgiveness of our sins.
DIVINE LITURGY ON FRIDAY MORNING
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 1: Be swayed by the pains that the saints have suffered for You, O Lord,* and heal all our pains,* O Lover of mankind, for this we pray.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 2: Appearing as radiant lights, O godly martyrs,* you illumine all creation with the brilliance of your miracles,* healing infirmities, always dispelling deep darkness* and praying unceasingly to Christ our God for all of us.
Prokeimenon, Tone 4
To the saints who are in His land, the Lord has made wonderful all His desires in them.
verse: I foresaw the Lord in my sight, for He is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. (Psalm 15:3,8)
Epistle
Titus 1:15-2:10
Alleluia, Tone 4
verse: The just cried out and the Lord heard them, and delivered them out of their afflictions.
verse: The afflictions of the just are many, and out of them all will the Lord deliver them. (Psalm 33:18,20)
Gospel
Luke 20:19-26
Communion Hymn
Rejoice in the Lord, O you just;* praise befits the righteous.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 32:1)