Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Tone 7; the Holy Grand Prince Vladimir (Volodymyr), Equal-to-the-Apostles, Named Basil at Holy Baptism (1015); Holy Martyrs Cyricus and Julitta, His Mother

 


GREAT VESPERS

Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.

At Psalm 140

In Tone 7

  1. Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.

Come, let us rejoice in the Lord,
Who destroyed the power of death
and enlightened the human race;
and let us cry out with the angels:
Glory to You, our Creator and Saviour!

  1. The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.

O Saviour, for our sake You suffered crucifixion and burial;
and, as God, You destroyed death by Your death.
Therefore, we adore Your resurrection on the third day
and we sing: Glory to You, O Lord!

  1. Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!

On seeing the resurrection of the Creator,
the Apostles were amazed,
and they sang an angelic hymn of praise:
This is the glory of the Church,
this is the richness of the Kingdom!
O Lord, Who suffered for our sake, glory to You!

  1. Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.

O Christ, although You were taken captive by Your enemies,
I still acknowledge You as my God,
and am not ashamed of You;
I will not hide the fact that You were nailed to the Cross.
Your death is my life, almighty Lord,
and I extol Your resurrection.
O Lover of mankind, glory to You!

In Tone 4

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

You were a second Constantine in word and deed,
for he was born in a Christian age,
yet lived for many years among the pagans,
while you were born of heathen,
but loved Christ who loved you.
You have gone to Him rejoicing!
Pray ceaselessly to Him for those who honour your memory.

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

You were a second Constantine in word and deed,
for he was born in a Christian age,
yet lived for many years among the pagans,
while you were born of heathen,
but loved Christ who loved you.
You have gone to Him rejoicing!
Pray ceaselessly to Him for those who honour your memory.

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

Brightly shining Mount Sinai, rejoices eternally,
for it is sanctified by the law of Moses and has seen the invisible,
and your great city, Vladimir, also shines brightly and celebrates with joy,
beholding in the Spirit the Son glorified in you with the Father.
Pray to Him to save and enlighten our souls!

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

Brightly shining Mount Sinai, rejoices eternally,
for it is sanctified by the law of Moses and has seen the invisible,
and your great city, Vladimir, also shines brightly and celebrates with joy,
beholding in the Spirit the Son glorified in you with the Father.
Pray to Him to save and enlighten our souls!

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

For the people of Rus’, Vladimir, you were a father in spirit,
a king and true preacher;
an apostle of Christ, announcing the baptism of salvation.
And having thereby brightly illumined your people,
you sanctified them throughout all the lands of your kingdom, blessed one.

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

You were a root of the true faith, Vladimir,
watered by the Holy Spirit.
You put forth for us divinely planted branches with fragrant flowers:
the wondrous Boris, and Hlib, the zealot of godliness;
abundant sources of miracles for all the faithful.
Standing with them before Christ,
pray to Him to save and enlighten our souls.

In Tone 8, Glory…

Come, let us all hasten to celebrate the memory of Vladimir,
the father and guide of the people of Rus’.
He was born of heathens and came to love Christ who loved him,
he has gone to Christ, rejoicing with his grandmother Olga.
He taught all his people to believe and worship one God in Trinity;
he destroyed the idols, and trampled them underfoot.
He nurtured for us Boris and Hlib, his precious posterity.
We now honour their memory with joy and faith,
and keep the feast with love.
May they pray to the Lord
to grant victory to the orthodox Christians over their adversaries;
to grant peace to the whole world, and to save our souls!

In Tone 7, Now…

Immaculate Mother of God,
you became a mother outside the laws of nature,
remaining a virgin in a way that exceeds all description
and human understanding.
The wonder of your birth-giving could not be told in human language,
for your conception of Christ blinded intelligence,
and your birth-giving exceeded understanding:
for whenever God so desires, the laws of nature are broken.
Wherefore, we all firmly believe that you are the Mother of God,
and we eagerly beseech you to intercede for the salvation of our souls.

carnal union, intercede with Him that He may have mercy on our souls.

Readings
(1) 1 Kings 8:22-30; (2) Isaiah 61:10-62:5; (3) Isaiah 60:1-14

Lytia

In Tone 2

Today the memory of the pious Prince Vladimir
has sprung up like a fountain of myrrh;
for having come to love Christ, he shamed the idols,
and raised up churches to Him Who endured much reproach for our sake,
and he has received a kingdom and a crown in the heavens.

In Tone 6, Glory…

Come, let us all hasten with faith
to the honourable commemoration of our father of Rus’,
our teacher and leader, Basil;
for since the time of his birth he loved Christ, Who also loved him;
and to Him he ascended,
rejoicing with the first mother, Helen.
With him we also keep festival with love,
asking that he pray to the Lord for us,
that He grant peace to the world
and save our souls.

Now…

My Maker and Redeemer, Christ the Lord,
was born of you, O most pure Virgin.
By accepting my nature, He freed Adam from his ancient curse.
Unceasingly we magnify you as the Mother of God!
Rejoice, O celestial Joy!
Rejoice, O Lady: the Protection, Intercession and Salvation of our souls!

Aposticha

In Tone 7

O Saviour of the world, You arose from the grave,
and together with Your own flesh You raised up mankind.
O Lord, glory to You!

The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.

Come, let us worship Christ Who arose from the dead
and enlightened all creation.
For by His resurrection on the third day,
He set us free from the oppression of Hades,
granting us life and His great mercy.

For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.

O Christ, Lover of mankind,
You descended into Hades and destroyed death.
Then You arose on the third day;
and, together with Yourself You lifted up all of us
who glorify Your mighty resurrection.

Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.

O Lord, what a fearful sight it was to see You lying in the tomb as if asleep.
Yet on the third day You arose in great power,
and at the same time You raised up Adam who joyfully cried out:
Glory to Your resurrection, O Lover of mankind!

In Tone 8, Glory…

Assemblies of the orthodox faithful, let us praise Vladimir the great:
teacher of godliness, preacher of the faith, and first among the princes of Rus’.
Let us crown him as equal to the apostles, with praises and spiritual songs:
rejoice, most brave soldier of Christ!
For you wearied the enemy and caused him to perish
and having delivered us from his wiles, you led us to Christ, our King and God!
Now, most-blessed and praise-worthy prince,
pray that peace and health be granted to orthodox Christians,
and victory over their adversaries,
and for our souls, great mercy!

Now…

O Virgin, You have never known wedlock,
Yet You conceived God in the flesh
in a manner which words can never describe.
You thus became the Mother of God on high.
O Immaculate Lady, receive the supplication of your servants
and grant us the cleansing of our sins.
Accept now our prayers and beseech God to save all of us.

Troparia

In Tone 1
Rejoice, Mother of God, Virgin Mary full of grace!* The Lord is with you.* Blessed are you among women,* and blessed is the fruit of your womb.* For you have borne Christ, the Saviour* and Deliverer of our souls. (2)

In Tone 4
You resembled the merchant who sought the pearl of great price,* O Vladimir, glorious in might:* seated on the throne of Kiev, the divinely saved mother of the cities of Rus’,* as a seeker you sent envoys to the Imperial City* to know the orthodox faith,* and found Christ the pearl, who chose you as another Paul,* and removed your blindness both spiritual and bodily in the holy font.* Therefore, we your people feast your falling asleep.** Pray that the leaders of Rus’ be saved with those entrusted to them.

 


DIVINE LITURGY

Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 7: By Your cross You destroyed death;* You opened Paradise to the thief;* You changed the lamentation of the myrrh-bearers to joy,* and charged the apostles to proclaim* that You are risen, O Christ our God,* offering great mercy to the world.

Troparion, Tone 4: You resembled the merchant who sought the pearl of great price,* O Vladimir, glorious in might:* seated on the throne of Kiev, the divinely-saved mother of the cities of Rus’,* as a seeker you sent envoys to the Imperial City* to know the orthodox faith,* and found Christ the pearl, who chose you as another Paul,* and removed your blindness both spiritual and bodily in the holy font.* Therefore we, your people, feast your falling asleep.* Pray that the leaders of Rus’ be saved with those entrusted to them.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Kontakion, Tone 7: No longer shall the dominion of death be able to hold humanity,* for Christ went down shattering and destroying it s powers.* Hades is bound.* The prophets exult with one voice.* The Saviour has come for those with faith, saying:* “Come forth, O faithful, to the resurrection!”

Now and for ever and ever. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone 8: You emulated Paul the great apostle,* O glorious Vladimir;* late in life you abandoned your zeal for idols as childish thinking,* and as a full-grown man you were adorned with divine baptism’s royal purple.* Standing with joy in the presence of Christ the Saviour,* pray that the leaders of Rus’ may be saved with those entrusted to them.

Prokeimenon, Tone 7
The Lord will give strength to His people;* the Lord will bless His people with peace.
verse: Bring to the Lord, O you sons of God; bring to the Lord young rams. (Psalm 28:11,1)

Prokeimenon, Tone 3
Sing to our God, sing; sing to our King, sing. (Psalm 46:7)

Epistle
1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Galatians 1:11-19

Alleluia, Tone 7
verse: It is good to give praise to the Lord; and to sing to Your name, O Most High. (Psalm 91:2)
verse: To announce Your mercy in the morning, and Your truth every night. (Psalm 91:3)
verse: I have exalted one chosen from among My people. (Psalm 88:20)
verse: Indeed, My hand shall sustain him, and My arm shall make him strong. (Psalm 88:22)

Gospel
Matthew 14:14-22; John 10:1-8

Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1)* The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance;* of evil hearsay he shall have no fear.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 111:6)