Day 25 of the Great Fast. According to liturgical prescriptions, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated today.

LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS ON WEDNESDAY EVENING

At Psalm 140

Tone 4

Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.

The Fast that brings integrity has now run half its course.* These past days have proved acceptable,* and now we see the need of the days to come.* Our perception of their value will make them yield more abundant fruit.* Therefore, let us beseech Christ our Benefactor* who fasted and endured the Cross for us:* Grant that we might share in Your divine Pascha without condemnation* and pass our lives in peace,* worthily glorifying You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Tone 5

The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.

Those who do good deeds in secret* and receive a spiritual reward,* do not boast in public about their deeds,* but they carry them in their hearts;* and He who sees the secret deeds of all* grants us the reward of self-control.* Let us then complete this Great Fast without putting on a gloomy face;* but while praying in the secrecy of our souls,* let us cry out unceasingly:* Our Father, who art in heaven,* lead us not into temptation, we pray,* but deliver us from evil.

Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!

With your souls filled with unquenchable love, O holy martyrs,* you endured the most terrible sufferings without ever denying Christ;* and you laid low the impudence of the torturers.* You kept the faith unwavering and unharmed* and have gone to dwell in heaven.* Therefore, having the boldness to approach the Lord,* beg Him to grant us His great mercy.

Tone 1

Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.

Let us all wash our souls in the water of the Fast* and approach the precious and all-praiseworthy Cross of the Lord.* Let us faithfully bow to it,* drawing divine illumination from it* and reaping the fruit of eternal salvation,* which is peace and great mercy.

If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.

O precious Cross, the boldness of the apostles,* You are revered by the Archangels, Powers and Principalities.* Save from all evil those who bow before You,* and make us worthy to pass through the course of the Fast in a holy way,* that we may see Your salvation and holy Resurrection.

Tone 7

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

Bowing before the Cross of the Lord on this day, let us sing:* Rejoice, O Tree of Life;* You are the joy of the world who destroy Hades and Death;* Your strength puts the demons to flight.* You are the invincible weapon and support of believers;* preserve and sanctify those who bow before You.

Tone 6

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

You were arrayed in the vestments of a bishop,* thrice-blessed one:* You entered the holy of holies,* with pure lips, like an angel, sending up praise to your Master! * As the godly shepherd of Rome,* enlightened with deifying splendour,* you taught the faithful the theology of the faith,* divinely radiant Gregory:* teacher of the church* and initiate of the mysteries of the grace of God!

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

Ever cleaving to the Lord,* and united to the divine fire in purity, hierarch,* you set down the liturgy of the presanctified gifts,* thus sanctifying the faithful during the days of the fast;* rescuing them from the snares of the enemy.* You guided them into the fold of heaven,* revealing yourself to be a pillar a fire* through the splendour of your piety * and the brightness of your divine teachings,* God-bearing Father Gregory!

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

Holy Gregory,* you preserved blamelessly the bishop’s holy anointing.* By the grace of Christ you caused its gifts to increase like talents, * in all things you were well pleasing to the only Lord of glory: * in love and meekness, in ardour of faith,* in compassion and prayer.

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

Thus, divinely eloquent one, in the meadow of salvation,* you faithfully shepherded the reason-endowed flock of Christ.* Today your divine memorial, most honoured one,* shines forth like the sun to the ends of the earth,* joyfully enlightening all the faithful with mystical splendours!* We assemble to honour it with holy psalms and hymns,* entreating you to beseech Christ, divinely glorious one,* on behalf of those who sing your praises.

Tone 8

Glory… Now…

Today the inaccessible Lord draws me close to Him.* He endures His Passion to free me from my passions.* He who gives light to the blind, receives spitting from impure lips* and permits Himself to be scourged to save the captives.* When His Mother, the Virgin, saw Him on the Cross, she sighed and said:* Alas, O my beloved Child!* You surpass every mortal in beauty; yet You are now without charm or attraction,* having neither grace, nor form, nor life.* Alas! O Light of my eyes,* a sword pierces my heart, and I suffer inwardly to see You so.* I sing and praise Your Passion,* I venerate Your infinite mercy,* O long-suffering Lord, glory to You.

Prokeimenon I, Tone 4

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,* who alone does wondrous things.

verse: O God, give Your judgment to the king, and to the king’s son Your justice.

Reading I

Genesis 9:18-10:1

The sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. Then Noah began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard. So he drank of the wine and was drunk and naked in his house. Now Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walking backwards they covered their father’s nakedness. Since their faces were turned away, they did not see his nakedness. Thus when Noah became sober and knew what his younger son had done to him, he said:

“Cursed be Canaan;
A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
He also said,
“Blessed be the Lord God of Shem,
And Canaan shall be his servant.
May God enlarge Japheth,
And let him dwell in the habitations of Shem.
Let Canaan be his servant as well.”

Now Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died. Now this is the genealogy of Noah’s sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and sons were born to them after the flood.

Prokeimenon II, Tone 4

To be near God is my happiness.* I have made the Lord God my refuge.

verse: How good God is to Israel, to those who are pure of heart.

Reading II

Proverbs 12:23-13:9

Nothing unrighteous will ever be pleasing to the righteous,
But the ungodly will be filled with evil things.
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
But he who shows faithfulness is acceptable to Him.
A man of understanding is a throne of perception,
But the heart of the undiscerning will meet with curses.
The hand of the chosen shall prevail easily,
But the deceitful shall be for captivity.
A fearful word troubles the heart of a righteous man,
But a good message makes him glad.
A righteous arbiter shall be his own friend,
But the decisions of the ungodly are unreasonable.
Evil things shall pursue sinners,
And the way of the ungodly will lead them astray.
A deceitful man will not gain his prey,
But a pure man is a precious possession.
In the ways of righteousness there is life,
But the ways of remembering wrongs are unto death.
An astute son is obedient to his father,
But a disobedient son is for destruction.
A good man eats from the fruits of righteousness,
But the souls of the lawless will destroy themselves before their time.
He who guards his mouth keeps his own soul,
But he who is hasty with his lips will dismay himself.
Every idle man has desire,
But the hands of the courageous are diligent.
A righteous man hates an unrighteous word,
But an ungodly man is ashamed and will not have confidence.
Righteousness guards the simple,
But sin makes the ungodly worthless.
There are those with nothing who make themselves rich,
And there are those, though very rich, who humble themselves.
The ransom of a man’s soul is his own wealth,
But the poor man does not withstand a threat.
Light is with the righteous continually,
But the light of the ungodly is extinguished.

MATINS ON THURSDAY MORNING

Sessional Hymn I, Tone 6

As You were present in the midst of Your disciples, O Saviour,* and gave them peace,* come also to us and save us.

Their voice is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.

Your disciples, O Jesus, were sent to the ends of the earth,* and in their zeal for the true faith they caught the nations like fish* and brought them as an offering to You, O loving Lord.* And trusting in their prayers we cry to You:* Bestow upon Your people Your great mercy.

God is wonderful in His saints, the God of Israel.

The memorial of Your martyrs, O Lord, is like the Paradise in Eden,* for it brings joy to all creation.* Through their prayers grant us peace and Your great mercy.

Glory… Now…

Hallowed Lady, Mother of Christ our God,* you have borne ineffably the Maker of all.* In union with the holy apostles, pray to Him at all times,* that in His love He may release us from the passions* and grant us the remission of our sins.

Sessional Hymn II, Tone 1

O glorious apostles, firmly established by the might of the Cross,* you have destroyed the falsehoods of the enemy, interceding on behalf of our souls.* Therefore you rejoice today in its veneration,* praying on our behalf to Him* who alone is the Lover of mankind.

Glory… Now…

O Mary, holy tabernacle of the Master,* raise us up who have fallen into the pit, of wicked despair, transgressions and afflictions;* for you are the salvation, the help and the mighty protection of sinners,* and you save your servants.

Sessional Hymn III, Tone 7

Beholding, O Lord, Your Cross before us today,* we approach it in faith with hymns and songs,* adoring it in reverent fear and joy.* Sanctify Your servants and grant peace to Your world by its manifestation before us,* for You alone are plenteous in mercy.

Glory… Now…

O Lord, we are Your people and the sheep of Your pasture;* bring us back, who have strayed into corruption;* and as a Shepherd gather us the scattered sheep together;* and have mercy on Your flock O Lover of mankind,* and, by the intercessions of the Theotokos, have compassion upon us,* for You alone are free from sin.

Canon

Ode 4

Irmos: On divine watch let the God-inspired Habakkuk stand with us,* and show forth the light-bearing angel clearly saying:* Today salvation is come to the world,* for Christ is risen as Almighty.

Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.

O Holy Cross, which grants us sanctifying grace, you are the firm foundation and glory of the apostles, placed before us for our adoration today, you are exalted throughout the whole inhabited world; lightening the burden of the season of the Fast for us.

Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.

Moses foreshadowed the Cross, stretching out his arms and defeating Amalek. Let us emulate him, stretching out our arms in fasting and prayer, that we may conquer the host of demons, who from malicious envy ever war against us.

Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.

With the divine plough of the Cross you have tilled the earth, O disciples of God, making it fruitful with the harvest of true piety. Therefore singing your praises, we ever glorify Christ.

Most holy Theotokos, save us.

O Mother of the good and loving God, fill my soul to overflowing with goodness, which the evil one has corrupted by wicked habits, miserably deceiving me; that being found worthy of salvation, I may ever sing your praises, O exceedingly hymned one.

Irmos: Assured of Your coming in the flesh, O Christ,* the Prophet Habakkuk cried aloud: Glory to Your power, O Lord.

Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.

Your all-holy Cross has been placed before us today: let us approach and venerate it, for it is the horn of our salvation.

Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.

When your grace and image comes, it scatters the dark multitude of demons; O Cross of Christ, you are an invincible weapon.

Glory…

Unity in Essence, Trinity of Hypostases, I praise and I honour You, the Father, Son, and Most Holy Spirit.

Now…

O all-immaculate Maiden, without knowing a man you have conceived God, who holds the ends of the earth in the hollow of His hand.

Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You.

O apostles, intercessors for the world, pray that we also may be saved, who hold the Cross of Christ as our weapon.

Katavasia: Assured of Your coming in the flesh, O Christ,* the Prophet Habakkuk cried aloud: Glory to Your power, O Lord.

Ode 8

Irmos: This chosen and holy day is the first of the Sabbaths,* the queen and lady, the feast of feasts,* and the festival of festivals,* wherein we bless Christ throughout all ages.

Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.

Rejoice, O divine tripartite Cross; upon which One of the Trinity was affixed in the flesh, who has delivered us prisoners, from the abyss of godlessness, therefore we supremely exalt Him throughout the ages.

Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.

Receiving power and strength through the Cross, the disciples of the Word set free those held fast in the bitter bondage of the evil one, hymning Your praise: “We supremely exalt You throughout the ages.”

Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.

Woe is me! How fearful shall be that judgment seat upon which You shall sit, O Word, revealing to me my hidden deeds, exposing before all my lack of spiritual sense! But, O Christ, since You are by nature merciful, spare me then.

Most holy Theotokos, save us.

Without departing from the bosom of the Father, O Jesus, You rested on the bosom of the Virgin; for the restoration of the race of mankind, whose nature, in Your tender compassion, You assumed; therefore mankind sings Your praises throughout the ages.

Irmos: The King of glory, who is alone without beginning,* before whom all the powers of heaven stand in awe and the hosts of angels tremble:* O you priests praise and you people supremely exalt Him* throughout the ages.

Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.

We reverently honour the week of the veneration of the Cross; as one in which we fall down and worship the precious Wood and cry aloud: “O you priests praise and you people supremely exalt Him throughout all ages.”

Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.

How strange is this wonder, O King of the ages! For we Your servants have been granted to behold and venerate the Wood upon which You have been crucified. Therefore with reverent fear we sing Your praises throughout the ages.

We bless the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Lord.

O Holy and consubstantial Trinity, the Father, Son, and Most holy Spirit, I glorify Your undivided dominion, and sing the praises of Your only Kingdom throughout all ages.

Now…

Having created Adam in His image, and having assumed Adam’s nature He came forth to free him from the curse. “O you priests praise and you people supremely exalt Him throughout all ages.”

Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You.

As the twelve-stringed harp of the Church, O apostles, you sing the praises of the Word of wisdom. Entreat Him, that those who honour you may behold the Passion of the Lord and glorify Him throughout the ages.

We praise, we bless, and we worship the Lord, hymning and supremely exalting Him throughout all ages!

Katavasia: The King of glory, who is alone without beginning,* before whom all the powers of heaven stand in awe and the hosts of angels tremble:* O you priests praise and you people supremely exalt Him* throughout the ages.

Magnificat

Ode 9

Irmos: Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has arisen upon you;* dance now and be glad, O Sion,* and exult, O pure Theotokos,* in the arising of Him whom you bore.

Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.

O Church of God, be radiant with joy, illumined by the rays of the Cross exalted by you before all, for the veneration of all the faithful; and you hosts of demons, full of darkness, be scattered.

Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.

The divine Cross is the might of abstinence, the strength of those who fast, the champion of those who struggle; therefore, gathering before it with all the faithful, let us joyfully fall down and worship it.

Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.

O glorious apostles, divine foundations of the Church of Christ, preserve us all upon the sure foundation of true piety, and establish us upon the firm rock of Him who has chosen you.

Most holy Theotokos, save us.

O pure One, at the behest of the Archangel you conceived Joy: grant that soul-destroying melancholy be banished from my heart, and replaced with the sorrow that brings joy, that I may receive the Divine comforter.

Irmos: O most pure Mother and Virgin,* you contained within your womb the Word whom nothing can contain,* and gave birth to Him in the flesh.* In our hymns, we magnify you.

Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.

Prefiguring the truth that was to come, O precious Wood, of old you made sweet the waters of Marah. Make sweet my abstinence, O Cross of Christ, which I venerate today.

Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.

You are the unconquerable weapon of the King, the strength of his army, the firm foundation of his council. O Cross of Christ, and in our hymns, we magnify you.

Glory…

We magnify You, the beginningless Father and Master, coeternal Word, and Holy Spirit, with all the faithful in true reverence.

Now…

We magnify in our hymns you, the glorious and only Theotokos, who has contained within your womb, the Word whom nothing can contain, giving birth to Him in the flesh.

Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You.

With your fiery tongues, O apostles, you have burnt up all deception and planted true piety throughout the World, therefore in our hymns we magnify you.

Katavasia: O most pure Mother and Virgin,* you contained within your womb the Word whom nothing can contain,* and gave birth to Him in the flesh.* In our hymns, we magnify you.

Aposticha

Tone 7

Let us, O faithful, strive to emulate the repentance of the Publican,* and not the vain boasting of the Pharisee;* rather, let us offer cries of sorrow from the depth of our heart,* to the compassionately loving God of all.* For He Himself has given us this commandment, saying:* “Every man that exalts himself shall be abased,* and he that humbles himself shall be exalted;* therefore with one accord let us cry to Him:* God be merciful to us sinners and save us.

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.

Let us, O faithful, strive to emulate the repentance of the Publican,* and not the vain boasting of the Pharisee;* rather, let us offer cries of sorrow from the depth of our heart,* to the compassionately loving God of all.* For He Himself has given us this commandment, saying:* “Every man that exalts himself shall be abased,* and he that humbles himself shall be exalted;* therefore with one accord let us cry to Him:* God be merciful to us sinners and save us.

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.

Breathing one purpose and looking to a single hope,* vying with each other in the end of their lives,* the passion-bearers looked upon death for Christ as the only entry into life.* O strange Wonder!* Though the tortures may have been suspended,* they seized hold of them as men seize hold of treasure,* saying one to another: “Even though we may not die today,* yet in concordance with the laws of life* a day shall come in which we shall surely pass.* Let us turn that which is inevitable,* into something of generous love;* let us willingly make our own that which is the fate of all,* and let us purchase life with death.”* By their intercessions, O God, have mercy on us.

Glory… Now…

Through the prayers of the Theotokos,* grant peace to the life of us who cry o You:* O merciful Lord, glory be to You!