A day when the faithful are highly encouraged to participate in the Divine Liturgy. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat.

VESPERS ON THURSDAY EVENING

Kathisma Reading

The appointed psalms are chanted.

At Psalm 140

Tone 1

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

Blessed martyrs, you defeated the enemy by the power of your spirit,* courageously standing in the holy faith, and laying down your lives for it,* now you stand before the Most High,* asking of Him for peace to our country,* and great mercy to our souls.

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

Shining like the sun, in the land of darkness and violence,* showing the light of the Catholic faith, for which you suffered,* perishing from steel bullets, giving your souls,* you gave yourselves into the hands of the Almighty Lord.

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

Neither hunger nor trouble, nor the atrocities of enemies,* nor a truly blessed death, could separate you from the love of God,* and like lambs to the slaughter,* you followed Your shepherd,* for this you received heavenly crowns,* pray unceasingly for our souls.

Tone 8

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

How shall we call you blessed, O warriors of the great King and God,* who bravely defeated impiety,* which could not force you to renounce the faith of your parents,* from Him you have received an eternal reward,* so pray to Him that our souls may be saved.

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

How shall we glorify you, O blessed Nykyta, Vincent, Ivan and Constantine,* Michael, Onufriy, Philip the glorious,* who shone with divine light in the darkness that enveloped our land,* and now you enlighten us, keeping us in peace and unity,* pray without ceasing that our souls may be saved.

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

How do you enlighten us, O long-suffering Maxim, Danylo and Constantine,* Bartholomew, Luke and Ignatius,* so that we do not go astray, and do not follow the enemy of our souls,* you have defeated him, O ascetics of the holy faith,* so pray that our souls may be saved.

Tone 6, Glory…

Rejecting ungodly counsel, enduring courageously in temptation,* and accepting the martyr’s crown,* O glorious martyrs, you glorified the Lord Christ,* with whom you now reign forever,* pray to him unceasingly for all of us,* who honour your memory with faith.

Now…

Who would not call you blessed, O Virgin most holy?* Who would not sing a hymn of praise* to the glory of your giving birth without pain or travail?* The Only-begotten Son Himself,* begotten of the Father before all ages,* was made flesh out of you in a manner* that cannot be explained, O Woman most pure!* And for our sake, He who is God by nature* assumed the nature of a man.* He is not divided into two persons;* He is understood to have two natures* without commixion or confusion.* O noble and blessed Woman,* intercede with Him that He may have mercy on our souls.

Prokeimenon, Tone 6

My help is from the Lord,* Who made heaven and earth.

verse: I lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from where my help shall come.

Readings

(1) Isaiah 43:9-14; (2) Wisdom 3:1-19; (3) Wisdom 5:15-6:3

Aposticha

Tone 8

O thirteen most glorious martyrs,* you had a terrible death for nothing,* bravely standing in the defence of the holy faith,* clothed with heavenly glory, you are counted among the righteous,* with whom we glorify you.

The just cried out, and the Lord heard them.

O thirteen most glorious martyrs,* accepting the cup of patience,* you invoked the divine name, God Almighty,* who gave you strength to endure,* and graced you with glory and eternal light, O God-seers.

Many are the trials of the just,* but out of them all, the Lord will save them.

O thirteen invincible martyrs,* you voluntarily gave yourselves to death,* sanctifying your native land with your blood,* in which your descendants  followed this path of martyrdom,* therefore, today, celebrating your memory, we ask you:* ask Christ for great mercy for our people.

Tone 3, Glory…

Let us come today and glorify our martyrs* who met their enemies without hatred,* who came with their ungodly intentions,* to persuade them to apostatize from their faith,* they gave up their lives for this,* and the Lord accepted their sacrifice,* so now crowned with a heavenly crown, pray for our souls.

Now…

O Virgin Mother, you conceived the Son of God without seed* by the will of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.* He was begotten by the Father, without a mother, from all eternity.* Yet for our sake, He was born of you in the flesh without a human father,* and you nursed Him as an infant with your milk.* Therefore, never cease to entreat Him to deliver our souls from affliction.

Troparia

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… Now…

O Holy Tabernacle, when Gabriel cried out to you:* Rejoice O Virgin, full of grace,* the Lord of all became incarnate of you,* as the righteous David had foretold.* In bearing your Creator, you have shown yourself to surpass the vastness of the heavens.* We, therefore, cry out: Glory to Him who dwelt in you!* Glory to Him who came forth from you!* Glory to Him who has set us free through your life-giving birth!

DIVINE LITURGY ON FRIDAY 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

2 Peter 1:1-10

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

Mark 13:1-8

Communion Hymn

Rejoice in the Lord, O you just;* praise befits the righteous.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 32:1)