Feast of the Mother of God. Holy day of obligation.
GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 3
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
By Your cross, O Christ our Saviour,* the power of Death has been vanquished* and the deceit of the devil has been destroyed.* Therefore, mankind, saved by faith,* offers You hymns of praise forever.
- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O Lord, all creation has been enlightened by Your resurrection,* and paradise has been reopened;* therefore, all creation extols You* and offers You hymns of praise forever.
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
I glorify the power of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;* and I praise the dominion of the undivided Divinity,* the consubstantial Trinity,* who reigns forever and ever.
- Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
We adore Your precious cross, O Christ,* and with hymns of praise we glorify Your resurrection;* for by Your wounds we have all been healed.
In Tone 1
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
O what a wonder! The Source of Life is placed in a tomb;* the grave becomes a ladder to heaven.* Rejoice, Gethsemane, holy chamber of the Mother of God!* As for us, O faithful,* let us cry out with Gabriel, the prince of angels:* Rejoice, O woman full of grace, the Lord is with you,* the Lord, Who because of you, bestows great mercy upon the world.
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
O Lady, marvellous are your mysteries.* You have become the throne of the Most High,* and today you are taken from earth to heaven.* Your glory shines forth with the radiance of divine grace* and surpasses every other splendour.* Rise up to the heavens, all you virgins,* together with the Mother of our King, and cry out:* Rejoice, O Woman full of grace, the Lord is with you,* the Lord, Who because of you,* bestows great mercy upon the world.
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Behold, all the heavenly hosts,* the Dominations, Thrones, and Principalities,* Virtues, Powers, Cherubim, and Seraphim,* sing a hymn of glory to your Dormition.* The entire human race rejoices at your glory;* and kings, together with the Angels and Archangels, sing out to you:* Rejoice, O Woman full of grace, the Lord is with you,* the Lord, Who because of you,* bestows great mercy upon the world.
In 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.
The heavens rejoice in your glorious Dormition,* and the angelic hosts are filled with joy;* all the universe is exalting* as they sing hymns of farewell to you,* O Mother of the Master of the universe,* O all-holy Virgin who did not know wedlock.* You have delivered mankind from the condemnation of old.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
At the divine command* the chosen apostles hastened from the ends of the universe to bury you;* and, seeing you carried from earth to heaven,* they praised you with the words of Gabriel:* Rejoice, O bearer of the entire Divinity!* Rejoice, O Virgin, for you alone brought heaven and earth together* in giving birth to your Son.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
You have given birth to Life,* and now by your holy Dormition* you have crossed the borders into eternal life.* The Angels, Principalities, and the Virtues,* the prophets, the apostles, and all creation form a procession,* and your Son receives your pure soul into His immaculate hands,* O Virgin Mother and Bride of God.
In Tone 1
Glory… Now…
The holy apostles were taken up from every corner of the world* and carried upon clouds by the command of God.* They gathered around you pure body, O Source of Life,* and kissed it with reverence.* As for the most sublime powers of heaven,* they came with their own leader* to escort and to pay their last respects to the most honourable body* that had contained Life itself.* Filled with awe, they marched together with the apostles in silent majesty,* professing to the princes of heaven in a hushed voice:* Lift up your gates and receive, with becoming majesty,* the Mother of the Light that never fades,* because, through her, salvation was made possible for mankind.* She is the One upon whom no one may gaze,* and to whom no one is able to render sufficient glory;* for the special honour that made her sublime is beyond understanding.* Therefore, O Most Pure Mother of God,* forever alive with your Son, the Source of Life,* do not cease to intercede with Him* that He may guard and save Your people from every trouble;* for you are our intercessor.* To you we sing a hymn of glory* with loud and joyful voice, now and forever.
Readings
(1) Genesis 28:10-17; (2) Ezekiel 43:27 – 44:4; (3) Proverbs 9:1-11
Lytia
In Tone 1
Because the disciples had been both the eyewitnesses and servants of the Word,* it was also fitting that they should witness the final mystery,* the Dormition of His Mother according to the flesh.* They not only saw the ascension of the Saviour from earth to heaven,* but they were also witnesses to the translation of the Mother who bore Him.* They came to Zion to escort the Virgin, who surpasses the Cherubim,* as she hastened in her journey to heaven.* With them, let us also bow low* before the One who intercedes for our souls.
In Tone 2
She is higher than the heavens,* more glorious than the Cherubim,* and more honourable than all creation.* Her outstanding purity became the dwelling place of eternal divinity.* Today she places her all-pure soul into the hands of her Son.* With her, the universe is filled with joy,* and the grace of salvation is given to us.
The most pure Spouse, the Mother of the One in Whom the Father is well-pleased,* she whom God had chosen to become the dwelling place of His natures* that had been united without confusion,* today delivers her most pure soul to her divine Creator.* The angels welcome her in a divine manner,* and the Mother of Life is now transferred to life.* She is the lamp of the inaccessible brightness,* the hope of our souls, and the salvation of believers.
In Tone 3
Come, all you ends of the earth,* let us praise the blessed passing of the Mother of God.* She delivers her sinless soul into the hands of her Son;* through her holy Dormition the world is given new life.* With psalms and hymns and spiritual canticles,* the whole world celebrates in joy* together with the angels and apostles.
In Tone 5
Glory…
Come, all you lovers of the feast,* let us form choirs and fill the Church with our hymns* in honour of the falling asleep of the Ark of God.* Today heaven indeed opens its bosom* to receive the Mother of the One whom the universe cannot contain.* The earth gives back the Source of Life* and receives the blessing of the Lord.* The choir of angels and apostles look with awe* as they see the One who gave birth to the Prince of Life* now herself pass from life to life.* Let us all bow together before her and say:* O Lady, do not forget the children of your house* who celebrate your holy Dormition in faith.
Now…
O people, sing to the Mother of our God;* for, on this day, she delivers her radiant soul into the most pure hands* of the One Who took flesh of her without seed.* In His presence she intercedes unceasingly* that He grant peace and great mercy to the world.
Aposticha
In Tone 3
O Christ, who darkened the sun by Your passion* and enlightened all creation by Your resurrection,* accept our evening prayer; for You love mankind.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
O Lord, Your life-giving resurrection has enlightened the entire universe* and has revived Your creation which lay in corruption.* Therefore, we, who have been released from the curse of Adam, cry out to You:* Almighty Lord, glory to You!
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
O God, although in Your divine nature You are unchangeable,* yet in Your human nature You underwent change by suffering in the flesh.* All creation was prostrate with fear* when it saw You hanging on the cross,* and it groaned in sorrow as it sang the praises of Your long-suffering.* But You descended into Hades and arose on the third day,* granting life and great mercy to the world.
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
You suffered death, O Christ, to deliver mankind from death.* And when You arose from the dead on the third day,* You enlightened the world* and resurrected all who acknowledge You as God.
In Tone 4
Glory… Now…
O Virgin Mother of God,* at the time you were carried up to the One born of you* in a manner beyond understanding,* James and Peter were present;* James, the brother of the Lord and first bishop,* and Peter, the honourable head of the apostles and prince of theologians.* The whole college of apostles was also there,* all in one accord proclaiming things divine,* praising the astounding mystery of Christ,* and with joy, preparing your body, O most glorious One,* source of Life and temple of God.* The most holy angelic powers,* were rapt in wonder at the sight of this miracle,* and they said to each other:* Lift up your gates to receive the Mother of the Creator of heaven and earth.* Come, let us all sing hymns to her noble and holy body* that has contained the invisible Lord.* Therefore, we also celebrate your feast;* and, O woman worthy of all praise, we cry out:* O glorious Lady, exalt the Christian peoples* and intercede with Christ God that He may save our souls.
Troparia
In Tone 1
In giving birth you retained your virginity,* in falling asleep you did not abandon the world, O Mother of God.* You passed into life, for you are the Mother of Life,* and by your prayers* you deliver our souls from death. (thrice)
DIVINE LITURGY
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 1: In giving birth you retained your virginity,* in falling asleep you did not abandon the world, O Mother of God.* You passed into life, for you are the Mother of Life,* and by your prayers* you deliver our souls from death.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 3: You rose from the tomb, O compassionate Lord,* and led us out from the gates of death.* Today Adam exults and Eve rejoices,* and the prophets together with the patriarchs* unceasingly acclaim the divine might of Your power.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 2: The tomb and death could not hold the Mother of God,* unceasing in her intercession and unfailing hope of patronage,* for, as the Mother of Life, she was transferred to life* by Him Who had dwelt in her ever-virgin womb.
Prokeimenon, Tone 3
Sing to our God, sing; sing to our King, sing.
verse: Clap your hands, all you nations; shout unto God with the voice of joy. (Psalm 46:7,2)
Prokeimenon, Tone 3
verse: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Epistle
1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Philippians 2:5-11
Alleluia, Tone 3
verse: In You, O Lord, have I hoped that I may not be put to shame for ever.
verse: Be a protector unto me, O God, and a house of refuge to save me. (Psalm 30:2,3)
verse: Rise up, O Lord, to the place of Your rest, You and the ark of Your holiness. (Psalm 131:8)
Gospel
Matthew 19:16-26; Luke 10:38-42, 11:27-28
Hymn to the Mother of God
Seeing the pure one’s falling asleep, angels marvelled in wonder how the Virgin could ascend from earth to heaven.
And the Irmos: O pure Virgin, in you are conquered the bounds of nature,* for childbirth remains virginal and death is betrothed to life.* Virgin after childbearing and alive after death, O Mother of God,* never cease to save your inheritance.
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1)* I will take the chalice of salvation;* and I will call upon the name of the Lord.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 115:13)