VESPERS ON TUESDAY EVENING
Kathisma Reading
The appointed psalms are chanted.
At Psalm 140
Tone 4, Podoben “As one valiant among the martyrs…”
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Lifted up upon the Cross, pierced by a spear,* Your fingers bloodied, О supremely good Master, You signed our emancipation;* and tearing apart the record of the sins of Adam, our forefather,* You freed human nature.* О Compassionate One, we hymn Your goodness, which passes understanding.
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
We hymn Your sufferings, О Jesus our Master:* the Cross, the spear and the reed, the sponge and the nails,* the beatings, the purple robe and the crown of thorns,* the spittings and mockery which You willingly endured.* I magnify Your long-suffering, О only Innocent One, Bestower of life,* and I glorify You with faith, О Lover of mankind.
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
I bow down before Your precious Cross, kissing it with love, О Supremely good One,* and I glorify Your condescension, boundless mercy,* ineffable compassions and rich goodness, which pass understanding,* for thereby You have saved the race of mankind,* which was held fast in the darkness of transgressions.* Glory to Your crucifixion, О Christ!
Tone 8, Podoben “O all-glorious wonder…”
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Nurtured on the milk of faith, you attained maturity in Christ,* for the sake of your many torments and tribulations, O Galaction,* having become an acceptable sacrifice and a perfect immolation* through your voluntary onslaught, O you who are most rich.* O your firm and steadfast faith, whereby you received God,* O you who are now deified most perfectly!
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Artfully did you seek out the Wellspring of good things most earnestly desired,* and with the splendours thereof you illumined soul and mind, O you who are blessed of God;* and with mighty opposition you cast down the ancient tyrant of great craft, much suffering martyr Epistemis,* O divine adornment of monastics.
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
The two all-radiant luminaries of the noetic East* shine forth with grace and piously illumine all creation* with the transcendent splendours of their sufferings and the divine flames of healings.* And honouring their most splendid feast, we glorify Christ* who illumines all for their sake.
Tone 8, Glory… Now…
Beholding You nailed to the Cross* and accepting suffering of Your own will, O Master Jesus,* Your Virgin Mother cried out;* Woe is me, O my sweet Child!* How is it that You unjustly endure wounds,* O Physician who heals the infirmity of men* and in Your lovingkindness delivers all from corruption?
Prokeimenon, Tone 1
Your mercy, O Lord, shall follow me* all the days of my life.
verse: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. In green pastures He gives me repose.
Aposticha
Tone 4
You have given Your Cross to us as an invincible weapon, О Christ;* and with it we triumph over the assaults of the alien one.
I have lifted up my eyes to You enthroned in heaven. Behold, as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, as the eyes of a maid are on the hands of her mistress, so are our eyes on the Lord our God until He has mercy on us.
Ever possessing Your Cross as a help, О Christ,* we easily trample underfoot the snares of the enemy.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us; for we have been filled with shame; our soul is all too full of the mockery of the rich, of the contempt of the proud.
As you have boldness before the Saviour, О saints,* unceasingly pray for us sinners,* asking remission of transgressions and great mercy for our souls.
Tone 4, Glory… Now…
The most pure one, beholding Christ, the Lover of mankind, crucified,* His side pierced by a lance,* cried out, lamenting: What is this, O my Son?* How have these thankless people rewarded You for the good things You have done for them?* Do You hasten to leave me childless, O most Beloved?* I marvel, O Compassionate One, at Your voluntary crucifixion!
Troparia
Tone 4
Your holy martyrs, O Lord,* by their passions acquired the crowns of incorruptibility from You, our God.* For possessing Your power they overcame the torturers* and shattered the feeble insolence of demons.* By their supplications, save our souls.
Glory… Now…
O Virgin, all immaculate Mother of Christ God,* a sword pierced your all-holy soul* when you saw your Son and God willingly crucified.* Therefore, O blessed One,* never cease to pray to Him* that He may grant us forgiveness of our sins.
DIVINE LITURGY ON WEDNESDAY MORNING
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 4: Your holy martyrs, O Lord,* by their passions acquired the crowns of incorruptibility from You, our God.* For possessing Your power they overcame the torturers* and shattered the feeble insolence of demons.* By their supplications, save our souls.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 2: As bright and unerring stars you appeared to the world* proclaiming with your rays the Sun, that is, Christ, O martyrs,* and you have extinguished all error.* But to us you give light, praying without ceasing for all of us.
Prokeimenon, Tone 4
To the saints who are in His land,* the Lord has made wonderful all His desires in them.
verse: I foresaw the Lord always in my sight, for He is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. (Psalm 15:3,8)
Epistle
Colossians 3:17-4:1
Alleluia, Tone 4
verse: The just cried out and the Lord heard them, and delivered them out of their afflictions.
verse: The afflictions of the just are many, and out of them all will the Lord deliver them. (Psalm 33:18,20)
Gospel
Luke 9:44-50
Communion Hymn
Rejoice in the Lord, O you just;* praise befits the righteous.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 32:1)