Day 4 of the Great Fast. Abstention from meat and foods that contain these ingredients. According to liturgical prescriptions, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated today.
LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS ON WEDNESDAY EVENING
At Psalm 140
Tone 8
Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
O faithful, while fasting bodily,* let us also fast in spirit.* Let us loosen every bond of injustice;* let us tear apart the strong chains of violence;* let us rip up all unjust assertions;* let us give bread to the hungry* and welcome the poor and homeless to our houses,* that we may receive from Christ our God, His great mercy.
The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O faithful, while fasting bodily,* let us also fast in spirit.* Let us loosen every bond of injustice;* let us tear apart the strong chains of violence;* let us rip up all unjust assertions;* let us give bread to the hungry* and welcome the poor and homeless to our houses,* that we may receive from Christ our God, His great mercy.
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
What honour and praise can fittingly be ascribed to the saints?* They bowed their necks under the sword for You,* the One who left the heavens and came down.* They shed their blood for You,* the One who took the form of a servant.* By emulating Your poverty* they humbled themselves unto death.* By their prayers, have mercy on us, O Lord,* according to Your compassion.
Tone 2
Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Jesus, the true spiritual Sun,* sent you as lightning through all the world,* to overcome the darkness of error* by the brightness of your divine teachings;* O holy apostles, who have seen the Lord,* beseech Him to send His light and His mercy on us.
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Elijah ascended in the divine chariot of his virtues,* and by his fasting he was carried to the heights of heaven in glory.* Strive, O my humble soul, as he did,* fast and shed all evil, malice, envy, and corrupting luxury* so that you may be delivered from all eternal pain of death* and cry out to Christ:* O Lord, glory be to You!
Tone 5
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
O divine apostles,* fervent intercessors for the world and defenders of the faithful.* You received from Christ our God the boldness to intercede for us.* We beseech you that we may pass this solemn time of the Fast untroubled* and receive the grace of the consubstantial Trinity.* O great and glorious preachers, pray for our souls.
Tone 8
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
With the light of his discourse, Archippus illumined the people* and delivered them from the darkness of unbelief;* and having suffered and trampled down the enemy,* he made haste to the never-waning Radiance and rejoices now with the angels.* Through his prayers, O Master, bestow great mercy upon all.
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 light of his discourse, Archippus illumined the people* and delivered them from the darkness of unbelief;* and having suffered and trampled down the enemy,* he made haste to the never-waning Radiance and rejoices now with the angels.* Through his prayers, O Master, bestow great mercy upon all.
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Dragged along, pierced through,* and beset by all manner of other cruel tortures, O blessed one,* you did not deny Christ, nor did you render worship to graven images.* Therefore, you received a crown, and pray that great mercy be granted to all.
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
With the divine streams of your blood* you sanctified the earth, O divinely wise martyr;* by your wounds you wounded a multitude of evil demons,* and, ever pouring forth healings, you heal the most grievous of sufferings.* Therefore, in your supplications, O blessed one, ask that all receive great mercy.
Tone 3, Glory… Now…
By your great power, O pure one,* deliver us from sorrows and save us from death!* Protect us from every attack of the devil;* free us from every affliction.* Pray without ceasing to your Son,* that He may deliver us from every oppression.
Prokeimenon I, Tone 5
You, O Lord, will guard us, and will keep us,* from this generation, and forever!
verse: Save me, O Lord, for there is no longer left a just man.
Reading I
Genesis 1:24-2:3
God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: the quadrupeds, the creeping things, and the wild animals of the earth according to their kind.” It was so. So God made the wild animals of the earth according to their kind, the cattle according to their kind, and all the creeping things on earth according to their kind. God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of heaven, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth.” So God made man; in the image of God He made him; male and female He made them. Then God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of heaven, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing herb that sows seed on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. I also give every green plant as food for all the wild animals of the earth, for all the birds of heaven, and for everything that creeps on the earth in which is the breath of life.” It was so. Then God saw everything He had made, and indeed, it was very good. So evening and morning were the sixth day.
Thus heaven and earth and all their adornment were finished. And on the seventh day God finished the works He made, and He rested on the seventh day from all the works He made. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His works God began to make.
Prokeimenon II, Tone 6
Look at me and answer me* O Lord my God!
verse: How long, O Lord, will You forget me? How long will You hide Your face from me?
Reading II
Proverbs 2:1-22
My son, if you receive the words of my commandment
And hide them within yourself,
Your ear will be obedient to wisdom,
And you will incline your heart to understanding;
You will entrust it to your son as an admonition.
For if he calls upon wisdom,
And you utter your voice for understanding;
If you seek perception with a strong voice,
If you seek her as silver
And search for her as treasure,
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord
And find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom,
And from His face come knowledge and understanding;
And He stores up salvation for the upright;
He will protect their journey,
That He might guard the ways of His ordinances;
And He will carefully guard the way of those who reverence Him.
Then you will understand righteousness and judgment,
And accomplish successfully every good path for yourself.
For if wisdom comes into your mind,
And the perception in your soul seems to be good,
Then good counsel will guard you,
And holy thinking will keep you;
That it might rescue you from an evil way
And from a man who speaks nothing trustworthy.
Woe to those who forsake the paths of uprightness
So they may walk in the ways of darkness,
Who delight in evils
And rejoice in evil perversion,
Whose ways are crooked
And their paths devious,
So they may cause you to be far from the straight way
And a stranger to righteous judgment.
My son, do not lay hold of evil counsel,
Nor forsake the teaching of your youth
And forget the divine covenant;
For it establishes its house with death,
And its paths beside Hades with the dead;
All who journey there do not return,
Nor do they lay hold of straight paths;
For they do not comprehend the years of life.
For if they walked in good paths,
They would find the smooth paths of righteousness.
The inhabitants of the land will be good,
And the simple will be left in it;
For the upright will dwell in the land,
And the holy will be left in it.
MATINS ON THURSDAY MORNING
Sessional Hymn I, Tone 3
O apostles and eyewitnesses, you were made divine heralds of the truth and teachers of the Church. For you trampled underfoot the error of idolatry, and clearly you proclaimed the Trinity. O blessed saints, pray to the Triune God that we may be granted His great mercy.
Their voice is gone throughout all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.
Come, and let us sing in praise of the apostles, since they are our helmsmen. For they overcame the error of idolatry; they have led us to the light of life and taught us to give glory to the Trinity. With all the faithful, then, we celebrate their honoured memory and we glorify the Saviour.
God is wonderful in His saints, the God of Israel.
Shielded by the armour of Christ and taking up the weapons of the faith, as brave soldiers you cast down the ranks of the enemy. Setting your hope in the life to come, gladly you endured all the tyrants’ threats and scourging; and so you have received crowns of victory, O martyrs of Christ, strong in soul.
Glory… Now…
Vine that has never known the husbandman, O Virgin, you have borne the ripe Cluster of grapes. From Him we receive the wine of salvation, making glad the souls and bodies of all. Therefore we call you blessed, for you are the cause of many good things, and for ever with the Angel we cry out to you: Rejoice, O full of Grace.
Sessional Hymn II, Tone 2
O Word of God, You made Your disciples beacons* illumining the ends of the earth by their preaching!* Illumine our hearts with the light of the virtues;* Cleanse us through fasting;* Grant Your servants repentance and conversion* That we may glorify You, O Saviour,* O only supremely good One!
Glory…
O Word of God, You made Your disciples beacons* illumining the ends of the earth by their preaching!* Illumine our hearts with the light of the virtues;* Cleanse us through fasting;* Grant Your servants repentance and conversion* That we may glorify You, O Saviour,* O only supremely good One!
Now…
O Theotokos turn not away from me who am in need of your help!* for my soul trusts in you: have mercy on me!
Sessional Hymn III, Tone 5
We entreat you, O twelve apostles:* intercede for us that we may in peace practice abstinence,* the most glorious of those virtues that abide in heaven,* so that we may gain the fruits of salvation!* for you are indeed a strong support to us on earth* and a refuge for our souls!
Glory…
We entreat you, O twelve apostles:* intercede for us that we may in peace practice abstinence,* the most glorious of those virtues that abide in heaven,* so that we may gain the fruits of salvation!* for you are indeed a strong support to us on earth* and a refuge for our souls!
Now…
O Theotokos, in truth we confess you to be worthy of all praise;* truly higher than the heavens and more holy than the Cherubim.* Through you we sinners gain salvation and find protection in temptations!* cease not to intercede on our behalf,* for you are a strong support and refuge for our souls!
Canon, Tone 2
Ode 4
Irmos: From a Virgin You came forth, not as an ambassador, nor as an Angel,* but the very Lord Himself incarnate, and saved me, the whole man;* wherefore I cry to You:* Glory to Your power, O Lord!
Glory to You our God, glory to You.
Become as lightning, my soul, receiving the flashing rays of abstinence, and flee from the obscurity of sin: that through the Divine Spirit the light of forgiveness may enlighten you as the rising sun.
Glory to You our God, glory to You.
The deceiver enticed and captured me with the hook of pleasure. But, as you caught the whole world in your net by your preaching O apostles, deliver me also from his malice.
Glory to You our God, glory to You.
Glorious apostles, you shine as rays from the Sun of glory, dispelling the eclipse of delusion. Let your light also fall on me, for I am darkened by every evil.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
O Virgin I cry out to you day and night in my affliction, encircled by your help and strength, I shall be saved, and easily leap the hurdle of sensual pleasure.
Irmos: The works of Your dispensation, O Lord,* filled the prophet Habakkuk with wonder,* for You have come to bring salvation to Your people,* and to save all Your anointed ones.
Glory to You our God, glory to You.
Effulgent with the radiance of the sun of righteousness, O apostles, you give light to this earthly world, driving away the gloomy darkness of delusion.
Glory to You our God, glory to You.
O apostles, lyres of the Saviour, played by the Spirit; preaching to the ends of the earth, you sing a melody pleasing to the ear, converting the world to God.
Glory…
Let us glorify the Trinity, unity in essence; let us sing the praises of the one Lord God, the Father unbegotten, the Son begotten, and the Spirit of life.
Now…
A virgin has conceived, O Lord, and given birth to You, Emmanuel; for You have come to bring salvation to Your people, and to save all of Your anointed ones in Your love for mankind.
Glory to You our God, glory to You.
O divine and honoured company of twelve apostles, we entreat you to pray to Christ on our behalf, that with a firm resolve we may pass through the period of the forty days.
Katavasia: The works of Your dispensation, O Lord,* filled the prophet Habakkuk with wonder,* for You have come to bring salvation to Your people,* and to save all Your anointed ones.
Ode 8
Irmos: The three holy children were not obedient* to the decree of the tyrant;* and cast into the furnace they confessed God, singing:* O all you works of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Glory to You our God, glory to You.
Let us abstain from every pleasure; let us enrich our powers of perception through fasting, and let us drink gladly the cup of compunction, as we sing: all you works of the Lord, bless the Lord!
Glory to You our God, glory to You.
O apostles, when you sit with Christ to judge all mankind, even though I deserve condemnation for my many sins, intercede on my behalf, that I may be granted a place at His right hand.
Glory to You our God, glory to You.
Cleansed by the fast, let us go up into the chariot of the divine virtues, making our mind ascend on wings to the heights of heaven, as we sing: all you works of the Lord, bless the Lord!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
O Virgin, you bore the fire of the Godhead, yet remained unconsumed, burn up the passions of our souls, for in faith we call upon you with the angelic salutation, since it is you alone who brought us joy!
Irmos: Your venerable children sang Your praises in the furnace, O Christ,* and they cried aloud: all you works of the Lord, bless the Lord!
Glory to You our God, glory to You.
We praise the trumpets of the spirit, the disciples of Christ, and we cry aloud: all you of the Lord, bless the Lord!
Glory to You our God, glory to You.
We praise the disciples of Christ who offer intercession for the world and drive away all delusion, and we cry aloud: all you works of the Lord, bless the Lord!
Let us bless the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Lord!
We praise the all-holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Spirit, and we sing: all you works of the Lord, bless the Lord!
Now…
With all mankind we sing the praises of your ineffable childbearing, and with true devotion we cry aloud, pure virgin: all you works of the Lord, bless the Lord!
Glory to You our God, glory to You.
Pray for us, O apostles, that we may complete these days of cleansing in peace, as we cry aloud: all you works of the Lord, bless the Lord!
We praise, we bless, and we worship the Lord, hymning and supremely exalting Him throughout all ages!
Katavasia: Your venerable children sang Your praises in the furnace, O Christ,* and they cried aloud: all you works of the Lord, bless the Lord!
Magnificat
Ode 9
Irmos: You contained within your womb* the God whom nothing can contain,* and have brought forth joy to the world,* wherefore we sing your praises, O Virgin Theotokos.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Cast into the gaping deep of sensual pleasure, I call upon the abyss of Your tender compassion: O Helmsman, save me!
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O fountain of compassion, grant to me compunction and cries of sorrow, that I may lament the boundless ocean of my evil deeds.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
By the holy prayers of Your disciples, Jesus grant that I may venerate Your divine passion and Your awesome Resurrection.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
You have made our earthly nature heavenly, O all-immaculate Virgin, for God took up His dwelling in your womb: deliver us all from all dangers!
Irmos: O Christ, we magnify Your all-immaculate and pure mother,* for in a manner surpassing nature,* she bore You in the flesh,* delivering us from all manner of deception.
Glory to You our God, glory to You.
The apostles prophetically drew the water of immortality from the font of the Saviour, ever giving the thirsty drink from the teachings of His life.
Glory to You our God, glory to You.
O apostles, princes of the King of heaven, you have subdued the whole inhabited earth, so that it honours Him alone, worshiping and giving glory to Him as God.
Glory…
Trinity, undivided unity, all-creative and all-powerful, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are my God, and Lord and light; I sing Your praises and I worship You.
Now…
We and every generation call you blessed, O pure Virgin mother, for you are the mercy-seat of the universe, O you who have ineffably borne the Saviour and creator.
Glory to You our God, glory to You.
O choir of apostles, keep safe those who praise you, and grant that they may pass with a contrite heart through all the days of the light-giving fast.
Katavasia: O Christ, we magnify Your all-immaculate and pure mother,* for in a manner surpassing nature,* she bore You in the flesh,* delivering us from all manner of deception.
Aposticha, Tone 3
You have appointed repentance for me, a sinner, O Lord,* and because of Your boundless mercy, desired to save me, who am unworthy,* wherefore I fall down before You in prayer:* humble my soul through fasting,* for I have fled to You, O Lord,* who alone are abundant in 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.
You have appointed repentance for me, a sinner, O Lord,* and because of Your boundless mercy, desired to save me, who am unworthy,* wherefore I fall down before You in prayer:* humble my soul through fasting,* for I have fled to You, O Lord,* who alone are abundant in mercy!
Let the favour of the Lord be upon us: give success to the work of our hands.
Even after death you shone like beacons in the world, O holy martyrs!* Having struggled in right noble endeavours;* wherefore, having boldness before Christ,* entreat Him to have mercy on our souls.
Glory… Now…
O Theotokos, intercessor for all who pray to you:* in you do we have boldness,* in you do we boast,* and in you do we place all our hope.* Pray to Him who was born from you,* on behalf of your unprofitable servants.