Transferred from May 21
GREAT VESPERS
At Psalm 140
In Tone 1
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
Now the tongues of fire begin a new way of speech;
now God’s mighty works are revealed,
that all the earth born may believe!
This is truly the sign that salvation has come to all peoples!
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
You have sent power unto Your disciples from on high, O Christ!
You have sent the Holy Spirit, and all things are fulfilled!
You have revealed Yourself—the Truth—to us,
those that hope in You, good One, shall never be confounded!
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
You have fulfilled Your promise!
You have sent Your Comforter to the world, in fiery tongues!
With holy fire He melts the sins of all!
He dwells within all of us who seek Him in purity of heart!
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.
You gave Your precious cross as a most powerful weapon to the emperor.
Through it he reigned righteously on earth, shining with godliness.
And by Your compassion he was counted worthy of Your heavenly kingdom.
Therefore with him we glorify Your dispensation, almighty Jesus,
Saviour of our souls, and Lover of mankind!
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
You gave Your precious cross as a most powerful weapon to the emperor.
Through it he reigned righteously on earth, shining with godliness.
And by Your compassion he was counted worthy of Your heavenly kingdom.
Therefore with him we glorify Your dispensation, almighty Jesus,
Saviour of our souls, and Lover of mankind!
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
As the King of kings, the Lord who reigns over all,
You, Lover of mankind, granted Your servant the wisdom of Solomon
the meekness of David, and the orthodox faith of the Apostles!
Therefore we glorify Your dispensation, almighty Jesus,
Saviour of our souls, and Lover of mankind!
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
As the King of kings, the Lord who reigns over all,
You, Lover of mankind, granted Your servant the wisdom of Solomon
the meekness of David, and the orthodox faith of the Apostles!
Therefore we glorify Your dispensation, almighty Jesus,
Saviour of our souls, and Lover of mankind!
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Emperor of eternal memory,
first you willingly submitted the purple to Christ,
recognizing Him as true God and King of all,
the great Benefactor and Source of victory.
You saw Him set above every principality and power.
Therefore Jesus made the kingdom prosper for you, lover of virtue,
for He is the Saviour of our souls, and Lover of mankind!
In Tone 2, Glory…
Constantine the great, most powerful emperor,
you received the finest of rich gifts from God making you pre-eminent.
Enlightened by the rays of the most Holy Spirit through baptism,
you appeared invincible while you reigned,
receiving the world as a free gift of the Creator.
You ruled the city with faithfulness.
Since therefore you have boldness before Him,
never cease to pray to Christ
that all who celebrate your memory in faith
may be granted forgiveness of sins and great mercy!
In Tone 1, Glory… Now…
Let us celebrate Pentecost,
the coming of the Spirit!
The promised day and the fulfilment of our hope;
the mystery which is as great as it is precious.
Therefore we cry to You:
Maker of all and Lord, glory to You!
Readings
(1) 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30; (2) Isaiah 61:10-62:5; (3) Isaiah 60:1-16
Aposticha
In Tone 2
You received the sceptre from God, Constantine, first emperor of Christians.
The hidden symbol of salvation appeared to you on earth.
Having the life-giving Cross as an invincible weapon, blessed saint,
you brought all the nations to the feet of Rome,
and yourself were led to God.
I have exalted one chosen out of the people!
The womb that bore you is truly blessed and sanctified, divinely crowned Constantine:
beloved of the world, and joy of Christians!
You are the glory, wealth and champion of orphans and widows,
the protector of the lowly and those in need;
you restore the afflicted, and rescue those in bonds!
God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness!
With longing and love for Christ,
the mother of a sweet offspring made haste to come to holy Sion,
to the sacred place where our Saviour was crucified in His desire to save us.
Raising the Cross there, she cried, rejoicing:
glory to Him who has given me what I desired!
In Tone 8, Glory…
Brightly shining moon and star of evening,
you were turned from unbelief to faith in the true God.
You were led to sanctify the people and city.
Beholding the figure of the Cross in the sky, you heard from above:
Conquer with this Cross in which lies victory over your enemies!
Receiving wisdom from the Holy Spirit, you were anointed as holy emperor,
anointing and supporting the Church of God,
father of orthodox emperors, Constantine,
equal to the apostles whose relics pour forth healing:
ever intercede for our souls!
In Tone 1, Now…
You have renewed Your disciples, Christ,
by giving them a multitude of languages
by which to proclaim You,
the eternal Word and God,
Who grants our souls great mercy!
Troparion
In Tone 8
After seeing the image of Your cross in the heavens, O Lord,* and receiving like Paul the summons that was not from men,* Your apostle among kings entrusted into Your hands the imperial city.* Always save it in peace by the prayers of the Mother of God,* only Lover of mankind.
Glory… Now…
Blessed are You, O Christ our God, for You have given us wise fishermen. After sending them Your Holy Spirit, You caught all the world through them – O loving Master, glory to You!
DIVINE LITURGY
At the beginning of the Liturgy, immediately after Blessed be the Kingdom… and Amen, we all kneel and sing the following in Tone 6:
Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who are everywhere present and filing all things, Treasury of all blessings and Giver of Life: come, dwell within us, and cleanse us from every stain, and save our soul, O Gracious Lord.
Antiphon 1
The heavens tell the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of his hand.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Saviour, save us.
Day to day pours forth the message and night proclaims this knowledge to night.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Saviour, save us.
Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Saviour, save us.
Glory… Now… Only-begotten Son…
Third Antiphon
Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord,* let us acclaim God, our Saviour.
O good Advocate,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Let us come before His face with praise,* and acclaim Him in psalms.
O good Advocate,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
For God is the great Lord,* the great king over all the earth.
O good Advocate,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Entrance
Come, let us worship* and fall down before Christ.
O good Advocate,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 8: Blessed are You, O Christ our God who revealed the fishermen as most wise* by sending them the Holy Spirit;* through them You caught the entire world.* Loving Master, glory to You.
Troparion, Tone 8: After seeing the image of Your cross in the heavens, O Lord,* and receiving like Paul the summons that was not from men,* Your apostle among kings entrusted into Your hands the imperial city.* Always save it in peace by the prayers of the Mother of God,* only Lover of mankind.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 3: Today Constantine and Helen his mother reveal the cross,* the all-precious wood which shames those who refuse to believe.* Rulers with faith possess it as a weapon against foes;* a glorious standard frightful in battle revealed for the sake of all.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 8: When the Most high descended and confused the tongues,* He parted the nations.* He called all to unity;* and with one voice* we glorify the all-Holy Spirit.
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. (Psalm 19:5,2)
Prokeimenon, Tone 7
The just man shall be glad in the Lord and shall hope in Him. (Psalm 63:11)
Epistle
Romans 1:1-7, 13-17; Galatians 1:11-19
Alleluia, Tone 1
verse: By the Lord’s words the heavens were established, and by the Breath of His mouth all their host.
verse: The Lord has looked down from heaven and beheld the whole human race.
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
Matthew 4:25-5:13; John 10:1-8
Hymn to the Mother of God
O my soul, magnify the one Divinity in three Persons.
And the Irmos: Rejoice, O Queen, boast of the virgins and mothers, for every tongue, though capable and eloquent, cannot hymn you as is your due, and every mind is confounded in seeking to comprehend the way in which you gave birth. Wherefore with one accord we glorify you.
Communion Hymn
Your good Spirit will lead me* to the land of righteousness. (Psalm 142:10)* The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance;* of evil hearsay he shall have no fear.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 111:6)