Polyeleos Feast.
GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
Blessed is the man… is sung.
At Psalm 140
Tone 4
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
As radiant as the sun you shone forth, O apostle, with the beams of the Spirit,* and have illumined the whole world with divine knowledge, O blessed one,* and driven away the darkness of polytheism with your divine preaching.* Wherefore, celebrating your all-splendid and right laudable festival today,* we glorify you with piety.
Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
As radiant as the sun you shone forth, O apostle, with the beams of the Spirit,* and have illumined the whole world with divine knowledge, O blessed one,* and driven away the darkness of polytheism with your divine preaching.* Wherefore, celebrating your all-splendid and right laudable festival today,* we glorify you with piety.
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
As radiant as the sun you shone forth, O apostle, with the beams of the Spirit,* and have illumined the whole world with divine knowledge, O blessed one,* and driven away the darkness of polytheism with your divine preaching.* Wherefore, celebrating your all-splendid and right laudable festival today,* we glorify you with piety.
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
You have thundered forth sacred and saving doctrines upon the whole world, O all-wise one,* have cleansed all creation of the madness of idolatry, O divinely wise one,* and have enlightened the people with the radiance of the knowledge of God.* And, demolishing the temples of the idols through grace,* you raised up churches to the praise of our God.
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
You have thundered forth sacred and saving doctrines upon the whole world, O all-wise one,* have cleansed all creation of the madness of idolatry, O divinely wise one,* and have enlightened the people with the radiance of the knowledge of God.* And, demolishing the temples of the idols through grace,* you raised up churches to the praise of our God.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
You have thundered forth sacred and saving doctrines upon the whole world, O all-wise one,* have cleansed all creation of the madness of idolatry, O divinely wise one,* and have enlightened the people with the radiance of the knowledge of God.* And, demolishing the temples of the idols through grace,* you raised up churches to the praise of our God.
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Seated in the heights of divine knowledge, O James,* you received the grace of the Spirit,* which appeared to you in the guise of fire* and manifestly consumed all the idolatrous filth of impiety with a tongue of fire.* Wherefore, we praise you as an apostle and herald of God,* celebrating today your holy festival.
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Seated in the heights of divine knowledge, O James,* you received the grace of the Spirit,* which appeared to you in the guise of fire* and manifestly consumed all the idolatrous filth of impiety with a tongue of fire.* Wherefore, we praise you as an apostle and herald of God,* celebrating today your holy festival.
Glory…
Manifestly receiving the grace of the divine Spirit, O James,* you were numbered among the sacred choir of the apostles.* Wherefore, by His descent from the heavens and His mighty inspiration,* He illumined you with a tongue of fire,* and you have consumed the thorny ungodliness of the heathen.* Entreat Christ God, O divine herald, that our souls be saved.
Now…
O Mother of God, because of You* David the Prophet became an ancestor of God;* he foretold and sang a joyous hymn of praise* and cried out to Him who worked wonders in you:* “The Queen stood at your right hand.”* God revealed you as a life-giving mother,* when He chose to be incarnate of you without a father.* He renewed in man His image* which the passions had corrupted.* He found the lost sheep in the mountains,* carried it on His shoulders,* offered it to the Father,* generously numbered it among the powers of heaven,* and saved the whole world, since He is Christ of great and rich mercy.
[Prokeimenon]
Readings
(1) 1 John 1:1-7; (2) James 1:1-12; (3) Jude 1:1-25
Aposticha
Tone 4
You have obtained invincible authority over demons, Apostle James,* and in the name of Christ power to drive away the princes of darkness.* You passed through the earth as a radiant sun enlightening all lands, glorious one:* preaching Christ’s first and second coming.
Their proclamation has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the universe!
James, you were a man of true action,* showing forth the original grace of divine, natural life.* You were called the son of the grace of God.* Because of the purity of your mind and your goodness,* you were manifest as a sincere disciple of Christ.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork!
As a well-made instrument, apostle James,* you gave yourself to the calling in of the Gentiles.* You led them divinely, instructing them in the knowledge of Christ,* and by both deed and word,* you brought all to confess the true divine nature of Jesus,* who is the Saviour of our souls.
Tone 5, Glory…
We praise in faith, glorious James, the honourable day of your memory:* not because you are the son of Alpheus,* but because you are Christ’s apostle; a preacher of his ineffable incarnation.* Since you stand before the throne of the Master,* with the angels, the choirs of apostles and martyrs,* pray without ceasing that our Saviour and God will save us.
Now…
O most pure Virgin,* you are the temple, the gate, the palace, and the throne of the King.* Christ, our Redeemer and Lord,* appeared through you to those who slumbered in darkness.* For He, as the Sun of Righteousness,* wishes to enlighten those whom He created with His own hands* according to His own image.* Therefore, O Lady, whom we always praise in song,* we beseech you to intercede with Christ for the salvation of our souls;* for, as His Mother, you can approach Him with the greatest confidence.
Troparia
Tone 3
Holy apostle James, intercede with the merciful God* to grant to our souls* forgiveness of sins.
Glory… Now…
We sing your praises, O Virgin;* for, as the Mother of God, you always intercede for the salvation of the human race.* It is from you that our God and Your Son took flesh.* Then, by suffering the passion on the Cross,** and out of love for mankind, He delivered us from corruption.
DIVINE LITURGY ON EDNESDAY MORNING
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 3: Holy apostle, James, intercede with the merciful God* to grant our souls* forgiveness of sins.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 2: With praises let us all extol James as a herald of God;* he firmly planted the doctrines of wisdom in the souls of the godly.* For he stands before the Master’s throne of glory* and rejoices with all the angels* unceasingly praying for all of us.
Prokeimenon, Tone 8
Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth,* and their words unto the ends of the world.
verse: The heavens tell the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of His hand.
Epistle
1 Corinthians 4:9-16
Alleluia, Tone 1
verse: The heavens shall confess Your wonders, O Lord, and Your truth in the church of the saints.
verse: God is glorified in the assembly of the saints.
Gospel
Luke 10:16-21
Communion Hymn
Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth,* and their words unto the ends of the world.* Alleluia, alleluia, * alleluia.