VESPERS ON MONDAY 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.

О Christ, who alone are without sin,* who alone are without guile, who alone are the Wellspring of goodness:* Behold my oppression, behold my tribulation.* Wash all the wounds of my stripes, and in Your mercy save Your servant,* that, having driven the clouds of slothfulness far from me,* I may glorify You, my supremely good Saviour.

I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.

Look, О my lowly soul!* Behold your works, which are all-defiled!* Behold your nakedness and, alas, your isolation!* For you shall be separated from God and the angels,* and cast into endless torment.* Come to your senses, arise, make haste and cry aloud:* I have sinned, О Saviour!* Grant me forgiveness, and save me!

From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.

I have grievously defiled my body* and brought corruption upon my soul and heart by my vile thoughts;* I have wounded all my senses, have blinded my eyes,* have stopped up mine ears with filth, and have defiled my tongue;* and all that I have is shameful.* Therefore, falling down before You, I cry aloud:* О Master Christ, I have sinned against You!* I have sinned; forgive and save me!

Tone 6

For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

Having set yourself wholly aside for the Master from your youth,* you desired Him, and followed in His steps;* and having been cleansed of all the defilement of the passions,* you were enriched with divine grace,* that you might work healings and perform most glorious miracles;* and you became a martyr, remaining unmoved by all the assaults of the torments,* through the power of Him who was slain upon the Cross.* Earnestly entreat Him in behalf of our souls.

Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.

Though your blessed, enduring and invincible body was pierced with nails, O athlete Charalampius,* you kept your soul steadfast and your mind inviolate;* for divine desire richly enkindled you, O glorious one,* and exhorted you to endure all manner of torment, O passion-bearing martyr,* who shared in the sufferings of Christ.* Entreat Him with boldness in behalf of our souls.

Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.

Having suffered, you inherited all-radiant joy, and ineffable glory,* and everlasting rejoicing, O venerable priest, honoured athlete, valiant warrior,* who with the streams of your blood* manifestly drowned the armies and hosts of the serpent,* and by grace and divine prayer you truly raised the dead,* praying with boldness in behalf of our souls.

Tone 6, Glory… Now…

A sword pierced your heart, O all-pure Mistress,* as Symeon said, when you beheld Him who shone ineffably forth from you,* condemned by the iniquitous and lifted up upon the Cross,* tasting vinegar and gall, His side pierced,* His hands and feet run through with nails;* and, lamenting, you exclaimed, crying out maternally:* What is this new mystery, O my Child most sweet?

Prokeimenon

Tone 4

The Lord will hearken to me* when I cry to Him.

verse: When I called upon You, O God of my righteousness, You hearkened to me.

Aposticha

Tone 8

With fasting let us hasten to wash away the filth of our transgressions,* and by means of mercy and compassion to the poor,* let us enter the bridal chamber of the Bridegroom Christ,* who has bestowed upon us great mercy.

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.

With fasting let us hasten to wash away the filth of our transgressions,* and by means of mercy and compassion to the poor,* let us enter the bridal chamber of the Bridegroom Christ,* who has bestowed upon us great mercy.

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.

O you martyrs of the Lord,* we beseech you, to pray before our God:* asking that abundant compassion be bestowed upon our souls* and that our many sins be cleansed.

Glory… Now…

The most glorious and most pure Theotokos, the true Mother of God,* Let us piously venerate with praises rejoicing,* greeting her as did the Angel:* Rejoice! holy Mother of the incarnate Son of God;* Rejoice! habitation of the Holy Spirit,* ever interceding on our behalf that our souls be saved.

Troparia

Tone 4

Your martyr, Charalampius, O Lord,* by his passion acquired the crown of incorruptibility from You, our God.* For possessing Your power he overcame the torturers* and shattered the feeble insolence of demons.* By his supplications, save our souls.

Glory… Now…

Let us poor sinners hasten with fervour to the Mother of God;* let us humbly kneel before her and say from the depth of our hearts:* O Lady, be kind to us and help us.* Hasten, for we are perishing under a multitude of sins.* Do not turn away your servants empty-handed,* for you are their only hope and protection.

DIVINE LITURGY ON TUESDAY MORNING

Troparia and Kontakia

Troparion, Tone 4: Your martyr, Charalampius, O Lord,* by his passion acquired the crown of incorruptibility from You, our God.* For possessing Your power he overcame the torturers* and shattered the feeble insolence of demons.* By his 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 a bright and unerring star you appeared to the world* proclaiming with your rays the Sun, that is, Christ, O martyr, Charalampius,* and you have extinguished all error.* But to us you give light, praying without ceasing for all of us.

Prokeimenon, Tone 7

The just man shall be glad in the Lord and shall hope in Him.

verse: Hear, O God, my voice when I make my petition to You. (Psalm 63:11,2)

Epistle

Jude 1-10

Alleluia, Tone 4

verse: The just man shall flourish like the palm tree; and he shall grow like the cedar in Lebanon.

verse: They who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish the courts of our God. (Psalm 91:13,14)

Gospel

Luke 22:39-42; 22:45-23:1

Communion Hymn

The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance;* of evil hearsay he shall have no fear.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 111:6)