Nativity Fast.
VESPERS ON WEDNESDAY EVENING
Kathisma Reading
The appointed psalms are chanted.
At Psalm 140
Tone 2
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Like spiritual rivers issuing forth separately from Eden, О wise ones,* you have watered the whole earth and, having ploughed it,* have sown the preaching of salvation and reaped right fruitful grain, the souls of the saved,* laying them up in the noetic granaries like riches of great price,* О disciples of the Lord.
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
From the darkness of passions and pleasures free my heart,* which is sorely distressed by the passions,* О you who are luminaries of the noetic East, most radiant heralds of the Sun,* who announce to all Him who has banished the night of unbelief.* Him do you entreat, that He enlighten also our minds,* in that you were eyewitnesses to Him.
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Bearing the saving Word* which was written by the Spirit through the finger of the Father,* you were truly shown to be divinely inscribed tablets of the new grace,* initiates of His mysteries and animate scrolls;* therefore, you traversed all the ends of the earth,* manifestly showing all mankind the orthodox faith* and the path which leads to the heavens.
Tone 1
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
With the dye of your precious blood* you made make for yourself a costly robe of purple,* and, having arrayed yourself therein,* you truly dwell in the kingdom on high, standing before God, the King of all.* Entreat Him that He grant to our souls peace and great mercy.
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
With Sebastian there suffered Zoe, Mark and Marcellinus,* and the divinely wise Tiburtius,* enduring threefold waves of torments;* and they have now made their abode in divine peace devoid of pain,* wherein they pray that peace and great mercy be granted to our souls.
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
O blessed invincible martyrs,* having forsaken earthly things,* you have hastened to the heavens,* adorned with your wounds and splendidly arrayed in your honoured sufferings.* Pray that peace and great mercy be granted to our souls.
Tone 1, Glory… Now…
In your womb you bore Christ, the Fire of divinity, O all-pure one.* Beseech Him now that He quench the easily kindled matter of my passions,* deliver me from everlasting fire,* and vouchsafe me the splendour of the righteous* when He comes to judge all things.
Prokeimenon, Tone 5
O Lord, save me by Your name,* and in Your power be a judge for me.
verse: O God, hear my prayer; listen to the words of my mouth.
Aposticha
Tone 2
Throughout the whole world You magnified the names of Your preeminent apostles, О Saviour,* for they learned heavenly things and imparted ineffable healings to mortals.* They who were fishermen healed diseases by their handkerchiefs alone;* they who were Jews theologized the doctrines of grace.* For their sake, О You who are full of loving-kindness,* grant us great mercy.
In the morning, fill us with Your love; we shall exult and rejoice all our days. Give us joy to balance our affliction for the years when we knew misfortune. Show forth Your work to Your servants; let Your glory shine on their children.
We, who are ever assailed by the actions of the unrighteous,* yet truly find refuge in You, who are God,* offer to You the voice of Your disciples, saying:* Save us, О our Instructor, for we are perishing!* And we pray: Show now to our enemies that You protect and save from misfortunes* those who have recourse to the supplications of the apostles,* overlooking their sins in Your great goodness.* О Lord, glory be to You!
Let the favour of the Lord be upon us: give success to the work of our hands, give success to the work of our hands.
Great is the glory you have acquired by faith;* for you not only vanquished the enemy in your sufferings,* but in death you drive away evil spirits and heal the infirm, О physicians of souls and bodies.* Pray to the Lord, that our souls may find mercy.
Tone 2, Glory… Now…
Like a fruitful olive tree,* the Virgin brought You forth as the Fruit of life,* bearing to the world, the fruit of rich and great mercy.
Troparia
Tone 4
O Lord our God, your holy martyrs* have deserved the crown of immortality* on account of their good fight.* Armed with your strength, they have vanquished their persecutors* and crushed Satan’s dreadful might.* Through their supplications, O Christ our God, save our souls.
Glory… Now…
O Virgin Mother of God,* we acknowledge that the Word of the Father, Christ our God,* was incarnate of you, the only pure one and the only blessed one.* Therefore, we sing to you a hymn of praise and we exalt you.
DIVINE LITURGY ON THURSDAY MORNING
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 1: Be swayed by the pains that the saints have suffered for You, O Lord,* and heal all our pains,* O Lover of mankind, for this we pray.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 2: Appearing as radiant lights, O godly martyrs,* you illumine all creation with the brilliance of your miracles,* healing infirmities, always dispelling deep darkness* and praying unceasingly to Christ our God 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 in my sight, for He is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. (Psalm 15:3,8)
Epistle
Titus 1:5-2:1
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 20:9-18
Communion Hymn
Rejoice in the Lord, O you just;* praise befits the righteous.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 32:1)