GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 8
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
Most strange wonder!
The Creator of all became a Beggar,
clothing Himself in our fleshly nature.
He wished to live with mankind in his compassion.
He showed the Hebrews a multitude of wonders:
He healed the paralytic in Bethsaida, saying to him:
Rise, take up your bed and walk!
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
My Lord, my Saviour and God,
wishing to raise up fallen mortals,
wandered over the earth.
In His compassion He healed the diseases of all;
He passed by the Sheep’s Pool
and by a word revealed Himself
to a man paralyzed thirty-eight years.
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Lord, the Jews were poisoned with envy.
Your good works became fuel for their madness.
They had always been transgressors of the law.
Now they seek to kill You, the true Life,
because You made a man whole on the Sabbath,
who before had been paralyzed.
In Tone 4
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Having gathered together today,
we praise you, O George, as a valiant martyr.
You kept the faith and completed the course
and received from God the crown of victory.
Entreat Him to deliver from tribulations and corruption
those who faithfully observe your precious memory.
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Drawing hope from your firmness of mind, O glorious one,
you willingly persevered to martyrdom like a lion.
Scorning the body as something that would wither,
you were wisely concerned with your incorruptible soul.
Covered with wounds by various forms of torture, O George,
like gold you were purified sevenfold.
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
You suffered martyrdom in behalf of the Saviour, O glorious one,
by a death similar to his voluntary death.
You reign gloriously with Him,
clothed with the resplendent purple robes of your blood,
and you are adorned with the sceptre of your sufferings.
O great-martyr George,
you are resplendent in your crown of victory
throughout all generations.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
With faith as your armour and with grace as your shield,
with the cross as your spear, you waged war.
You were invincible in facing the foes, O George.
Like a mighty warrior, you destroyed the camps of the demons.
Now you are dancing joyfully with the angels.
Indeed you defend, sanctify, and save the faithful who invoke you.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
We recognize you as a very bright star,
a sun shining in the firmament of the heavens,
a very precious pearl sparkling more than a gem.
O George the conqueror, we glorify you
as a son of the day and a courageous martyr.
We commemorate you as a defender of the faithful in tribulations.
In Tone 6, Glory…
You were true to your name, O warrior George,
for you took the cross of Christ upon your shoulders.
You ploughed well the land made barren by the deceits of the devil;
you rooted out the weeds of idol worship
arid planted the vine of the true faith.
Therefore, your healing overflows to the faithful throughout the whole world,
and you have shown yourself to be the righteous gardener of the Trinity.
Pray for peace in the world and salvation for our souls.
In Tone 5, Now…
A man lay sick by the Sheep’s Pool.
Seeing You, Lord, he cried to You:
There is no man to lower me into the pool when the water is stirred.
Another always goes before me and receives healing,
while I lie here in misery.
Immediately the Saviour was moved to pity, and said to him:
It was for you that I became man;
because of you I was clothed in mortal flesh!
Yet you say: I have no man!
I tell you, take up your bed and walk!
All things obey and submit to Your power, Lord!
Remember us all, and have mercy, holy Lover of mankind!
Readings
(1) Isaiah 43:9-14; (2) Wisdom 3:1-9; (3) Wisdom 4:7-15
Lytia
In Tone 1
Because of his glorious suffering,
the brilliant warrior George rejoices with the powers above.
At this time we also rejoice with them.
He has inspired the faithful on earth
to observe the feast and to celebrate with them.
Because of that he was considered a servant of Christ.
Let us, therefore, worthily venerate him
who prays unceasingly to the God of all to grant us great mercy.
You produced the best by valiant sufferings
and offered up your fruitful toils, O blessed martyr George.
Strengthening your yearning by faith and scorning fear by hope,
you revealed your love for heaven.
You showed courage to us.
By your fervent prayers ask for peace for our souls,
the cleansing of our sins,
and great mercy for us.
In Tone 4
Come, O assembly of the faithful.
Come, let us celebrate the feast.
Today is manifested the glorious memory of George the martyr.
Sparkling with virtues, he is invisibly illuminating our hearts.
Therefore, let us cry out with one mind:
Rejoice, O warrior of Christ the great king!
Rejoice, O most splendid and rich one!
O most blessed one, in our behalf, implore Christ our God, the Master of all,
that we may be preserved from temptations of the Evil One
and that our souls may be saved.
In Tone 5, Glory… Now…
Come, let us be filled with delight.
Spring has come and brought forth the Resurrection of Christ.
Come, let us be joyful.
The commemoration of the martyr has arrived and illumines the faithful.
Therefore, come, O lovers of feasts;
let us celebrate that mystery.
For, as a good soldier, he courageously overcame and confounded the torturers.
He was an imitator of the passion of Christ the Saviour.
He did not spare his earthen vessel,
but exposed it naked, allowing it to suffer tortures.
Let us cry out to him:
O Martyr, pray that our souls may be saved.
Aposticha
In Tone 4
With psalms and hymns
the people are praising your glorious memory, O George;
for you shone forth as a beautiful bearer of the light,
and you are radiant with grace.
Therefore, the angelic ranks now dance with joy.
The martyrs and apostles are praising the struggles
of the suffering ones, O Martyr.
They are exalting the Saviour, Christ our God, who glorified you.
Implore Him to save and illumine our souls.
The just will flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon.
You have put on the shield of Christ, O George,
and you were not found by those who were hunting you.
Inflamed with the fire of Christ,
you scoffed at the barbarity of the meaningless idols.
You exclaimed to Christ, to the warrior king, and to the transgressors:
Neither wild beasts nor wheels of torture,
neither fire nor sword shall ever separate me from the love of Christ my God.
Implore Him now to save and enlighten our souls.
Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courtyard of our God.
O crown-bearer George,
you scorned the various instruments of torture and the terrifying weapons.
Therefore, we crown your resplendent memory with flowers of hymns,
and we kiss your precious relics with faith.
Since you stand before the Master’s throne,
pray unceasingly that He save and enlighten our souls.
In Tone 4, Glory…
Let us spiritually praise the great-martyr George,
the living steel of endurance.
He was tried by fire and branding irons
and sharp instruments of torture for the sake of Christ.
These various tortures ravaged the body which is perishable by nature;
but love conquered nature,
persuading the beloved to make his way through death to Christ our God,
the Saviour of our souls.
In Tone 1, Now…
With Your pure hand, You created mankind;
You came to heal the sick, compassionate Christ!
You raised the paralytic at the Sheep’s Pool by Your word,
You cured the woman of her painful hemorrhage.
You had mercy on the Canaanite woman’s daughter.
You did not reject the centurion’s request.
Therefore we cry to You:
Glory to You, almighty Lord!
Troparia
In Tone 4
O victorious great-martyr George,* as a liberator of captives and helper of the poor,* physician of the sick,* and champion of kings, entreat Christ God to save our souls. (twice)
In Tone 1
Hail, 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.
DIVINE LITURGY
After the priest has exclaimed, Blessed be the Kingdom… and the people have responded, Amen, the clergy sing the Paschal Troparion once and the people repeat it. Then, the clergy sing the first half, and the people conclude it.
Paschal Troparion
Christ is risen from the dead,* trampling death by death,* and to those in the tombs* giving life.
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 3: Let the heavens be glad, let the earth rejoice,* for the Lord has done a mighty deed with His arm.* He trampled death by death. He became the first-born of the dead;* He saved us from the abyss of Hades* and granted great mercy to the world.
Troparion, Tone 4: O victorious great-martyr George,* as a liberator of captives and helper of the poor,* physician of the sick* and champion of kings,* entreat Christ our God to save our souls.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 4: You showed yourself a most honourable harvester of godliness,* for it was God who cultivated you.* You gathered the sheaves of virtues;* for, sowing in tears, you reaped in gladness;* and in shedding your blood, you received Christ.* By your prayers, O holy one, you grant pardon of transgressions of all.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 8: Though You descended into a tomb, O Immortal One,* yet You destroyed the power of Hades;* and You rose as victor, O Christ God,* calling to the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice!* and giving peace to Your Apostles:* You, who grant Resurrection to the fallen.
Prokeimenon, Tone 1
Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped in You.
verse: Rejoice in the Lord, O you just; praise befits the righteous. (Psalm 32:22,1)
Prokeimenon, Tone 7
The just man shall be glad in the Lord and shall hope in Him. (Psalm 63:11)
Epistle
Acts 10:1-16; Acts 12:1-11
Alleluia, Tone 1
verse: Of Your mercies, O Lord, I will sing forever; with my mouth I will proclaim Your truth from generation to generation. (Psalm 32:22)
verse: For You have said, “Mercy will be established forever.” (Psalm 32:1)
verse: The just man shall flourish like the palm tree; and he shall grow like the cedar in Lebanon. (Psalm 91:13)
verse: They who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish the courts of our God. (Psalm 91:14)
Gospel
John 6:56-69; John 15:17-16:2
Hymn to the Mother of God
The Angel cried out to the One full of Grace: O chaste Virgin, rejoice! And again I say, Rejoice! Your Son has risen from the tomb on the third day, and raised the dead. Let all people rejoice! Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Exult now and be glad, O Sion! And you, O chaste Mother of God, take delight in the resurrection of your Son.
Communion Hymn
Receive the Body of Christ;* taste the fountain of immortality.* 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)