Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat.

VESPERS ON THURSDAY EVENING

Paschal Beginning

Kathisma Reading

The assigned psalms are chanted.

At Psalm 140

Tone 4

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

O you who was vouchsafed life immortal* when you preached Christ the Life-giver, the Son and Word* who is consubstantial and equally everlasting* with the unoriginate Father who begat Him,* then you burned up the tinder of heresies with thy fiery tongue, O glorious one,* expelling Arius from the Church of Christ;* and with your divine discourses you enlightened the hearts or the pious, O wise one,* that they might worship the Trinity in one essence.

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

Like a divine river aflood with the waters of the Spirit* were you shown to be, O all-wondrous one,* overflowing with divine doctrines,* setting all the fullness of the Church afire,* and overwhelming the assembly of the heretics* in the depths of your divine words and the abyss of your understandings, O father.* For you, O all-wise one, divine Athanasius who are most rich,* preached Christ the Master who is consubstantial with the Father who begat Him.

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

As a recounter of the mysteries of God and a divine hierarch,* you patiently endured* tribulations and persecutions,* attacks and lengthy exiles, O blessed one,* for the sake of the faith of Christ,* clearly proclaiming Christ to be consubstantial, equally everlasting,* equal in His activity and equally everlasting* with the primal and equally unoriginate Father.* Wherefore, He Himself has manifestly adorned you* with all-radiant teachings* and shown you to the whole world as all-splendid.

Tone 5

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

O venerable father, divinely revealed Athanasius,* you were known from your infancy to be a beacon for the Church,* shining with all-radiant visions and enriched by all manner of virtues,* burning up heresies with the spiritual fire of your discourses* and guiding all the faithful with the all-divine effulgence of the Trinity,* who is understood in one Godhead, sharing equally everlasting glory.* Entreat and ever make supplication to the Trinity,* that oneness of mind, peace, and great mercy* be given to all the world.

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

O venerable father, divinely eloquent Athanasius,* having magnificently been called the namesake of immortality,* you tread the path which leads thereto;* and, manifestly enriched by the splendour of life, O divinely wise one,* and having acquired a pure mind, you were found to be a champion of the Word,* receiving your breath through the all-holy Spirit.* Illumined by Him, you vanquished your enemies;* protected by Him, you showed yourself to be implacable;* and, deified by Him, you communed with Him, O holy one.* Entreat Him, that He grant to all* oneness of mind, peace, and great mercy.

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

O venerable father Athanasius, preacher of God,* having endured tribulations and frequent perils,* You have now been vouchsafed the food of paradise.* Residing now within the divine mansions,* you have drawn nigh, as a victor, to the tree of life incorruptible,* adorned with a crown of righteousness* and invested with the diadem of the kingdom of the Most High, O blessed one;* and, resplendent with beauty, pray to Christ, O divinely wise one,* ask of Christ, that He grant to the Church* oneness of mind, peace, and great mercy.

Tone 6, Glory…

Let us all hymn Athanasius, the holy hierarch of Christ;* for, having set at nought all the teachings of Arius,* he manifestly proclaims throughout all the world the might of the Holy Trinity,* the one indivisible God in three Persons,* whom he entreats in behalf of us who celebrate his memory with faith.

Tone 2, Now…

Jesus came to the disciples while the doors were shut,* and granted them peace and fearlessness.* Whereupon He says to Thomas:* Why do you not believe that I have arisen from the dead?* Bring your hand here and place it in My side, and see;* because you have disbelieved, all have learned of My Passion and Resurrection,* and they shall all cry out with you:* O my Lord and my God, glory be to You.

Aposticha

Tone 1

The venerable Cross of the Saviour* is an invincible wall for us;* for setting our hopes thereon, we are all saved.

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.

Receive our evening prayers, O Holy Lord,* and grant us remission of sins;* because You alone have revealed the Resurrection to the world.

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 Lord, by the intercession of all the Saints and the Theotokos,* grant us Your peace, and have mercy upon us,* since You alone are compassionate.

Tone 3, Glory…

Again, the Nile flowing with gold,* the namesake of immortality, arriving for his annual commemoration,* pours forth golden torrents of immortality in goodly floods,* producing the food of immortality;* and with exalted divine sounds he teaches all to worship the indivisible might of the Trinity,* pours forth divine doctrines, gives drink to the thoughts of the faithful,* and prays for our souls.

Tone 8, Now…

O Thomas, touch My side with your hand, says Christ,* and come, feel the imprints of the nails.* Examine them in faith;* believe in Me, and be not unbelieving.* And when Thomas touched the Master with his finger, he cried out with a great voice:* You are my God and Lord; O compassionately loving One, glory be to You.

Troparion

Tone 3

Holy Father Athanasius,* you became a stronghold of orthodoxy,* strengthening the Church through your divine teachings,* opposing the heretical opinion of Arius,* explaining and teaching that the Son is equal in nature to the Father.* Holy Father, intercede with Christ God to grant us great mercy!

Tone 7, Glory… Now…

While the tomb was sealed, O Christ God, You dawned as life from the sepulcher, and while the doors were shut, You came to Your disciples, the Resurrection of all, renewing a right spirit in us through them, according to Your great mercy.

DIVINE LITURGY ON FRIDAY MORNING

After the priest has exclaimed, Blessed be the Kingdom… and the people have responded, Amen, the clergy sing the Paschal Troparion once and the people repeat it. Then, the clergy sing the first half, and the people conclude it.

Paschal Troparion

Christ is risen from the dead,* trampling death by death,* and to those in the tombs* giving life.

First Antiphon

Shout to the Lord, all the earth,* sing now to His name, give glory to His praise.

Through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Saviour, save us.

Say unto God, “How awesome are Your works!* Because of the greatness of Your strength Your enemies will flatter You.”

Through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Saviour, save us.

Let all the earth worship You and sing to You,* let it sing to Your name, O Most High!

Through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Saviour, save us.

Glory… Now… Only-begotten Son…

Third Antiphon

Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord, let us acclaim God, our Saviour

Son of God, risen from the dead, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.

Let us come before His face with praise, and acclaim Him in psalms.

Son of God, risen from the dead, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.

For God is the great Lord and the great king over all the earth.

Son of God, risen from the dead, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.

Troparia and Kontakia

Troparion, Tone 7: While the tomb was sealed, O Christ God, You dawned as life from the sepulchre, and while the doors were shut, You came to Your disciples, the Resurrection of all, renewing a right spirit in us through them, according to Your great mercy.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone 8: With his searching hand, Thomas explored Your life-giving side, O Christ God. For when You entered while the doors were shut, he called out to You with the rest of the Apostles: You are my Lord and my God!

Prokeimenon, Tone 3

Great is our Lord and great is His strength;* and of His knowledge there is no end.

verse: Praise the Lord, for a psalm is good; may praise be sweet to our God. (Psalm 146:5,1)

Epistle

Acts 5:1-11

Alleluia, Tone 8

verse: Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord, let us acclaim God our Saviour.

verse: For God is the great Lord and the great king over all the earth. (Psalm 94:1,3)

Gospel

John 5:30-6:2

Hymn to the Mother of God

The Angel cried out to the One full of Grace: O chaste Virgin, rejoice! And again I say, Rejoice! Your Son has risen from the tomb on the third day, and raised the dead. Let all people rejoice! Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Exult now and be glad, O Sion! And you, O chaste Mother of God, take delight in the resurrection of your Son.

Communion Hymn

Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem.* Praise your God, O Sion.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm147:1)

Instead of Blessed is He Who comes… we sing:

Christ is risen from the dead,* trampling death by death,* and to those in the tombs* giving life.

Instead of We have seen the true light… we sing:

Christ is risen from the dead,* trampling death by death,* and to those in the tombs* giving life.

Instead of May our mouths be filled… we sing three times:

Christ is risen from the dead,* trampling death by death,* and to those in the tombs* giving life.

Instead of Blessed be the name of the Lord… we sing three times:

Christ is risen from the dead,* trampling death by death,* and to those in the tombs* giving life.

At the dismissal, instead of Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and ever. Amen. we chant:

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death,* and to those in the tombs giving life.

After the final Amen, the Troparion Christ is risen is sung as at the beginning of the Liturgy, but with the addition:

And to us He has granted life eternal;* we bow down before His resurrection on the third day.