Resurrectional Gospel 8.
GREAT VESPERS ON SATURDAY EVENING
Kathisma Reading
Blessed is the man… is sung.
At Psalm 140
Tone 5
Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
With Your precious cross, O Christ,* You have put the Devil to shame.* With Your resurrection You have deadened the sting of sin,* and have saved us from the gates of death.* We, therefore, glorify You, O only-begotten Son of God.
The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O Christ, who granted resurrection to mankind,* You were led like a lamb to the slaughter.* Then the princes of Hades were struck with terror* as they saw the gates of their tearful domain being lifted up;* for Christ, the King of Glory, entered therein* and exclaimed to those in chains: Go forth from here!* And to those in darkness: Go forth into the light!
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
What a great wonder!* The Creator of invisible beings suffered in the flesh for mankind,* and rose from the dead as immortal.* Come, therefore, all you nations and adore Him;* for through His compassion we have been freed from the snares of the Devil,* and we have learned to praise the one God in three Persons.
Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
We offer to You our evening worship,* O Light whom the darkness of night can never extinguish.* For in these latter days Your radiance has appeared to the world,* shining in Your flesh as light reflected from a mirror.* Your brilliance has descended even to the depths of Hades and dissolved its gloom.* O Lord, Giver of Light, glory to You;* for You have shown the radiance of Your resurrection to all the nations.
Tone 4
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
O faithful, with sacred hymns let us bless Cleopas, Andronicus, Silvanus and Agabus,* Ananias and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Rufus and Sosthenes,* Linus and Stachys, Stephen, Timon, Hermas, Phlegon,* Mark, Luke, Sosipater, Jason and Gaius, Tychicus and Philemon.
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
As is meet, let Narcissus and Trophimus be praised,* with Caesanus, Zenas and Aristarchus,* Mark, Silas and Gaius, Quartus, Hermes and Asyncritus,* Apollos and Cephas, Clement and Justus,* Quartus, Erastus, Luke, Onesiphorus, Carpus,* Euodias, Matthias and James, Urban and Aristobulus,* Tychicus and Aristarchus.
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Let us honour the honoured preachers of God:* Prudens, Herodion and Artemas,* Philologus, Olympas and Rodion, Apelles and Amplias,* Patrobus and Mark, Tertius and Thaddeus, the wondrous Epenetus,* Achaius, Aquila, Lucius, Barnabas and Fortunatus,* and glorious Apollos and Crispus.
Tone 2
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
When you wounded your soul with divine desire, O most blessed one,* rejoicing you took up your cross and followed after Christ;* and having mortified the wisdom of the flesh through abstinence,* you received the living activity of the Spirit,* enabling you to banish the winter of infirmities with the fervour of your right acceptable prayers.* Together we bless you.
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
When you cleansed the sight of your soul through earnest prayers and most steadfast fasting, O father,* you became a temple of the three-sunned Godhead;* and receiving the divine anointing of the priesthood of God* you entered within the inaccessible, offering up in sacrifice Him that was slain for your sake,* for the sake of an ineffable companionship.
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Manifest as meek and guileless, O father Theoctistus,* in wholeness of character you truly inherited the land of the meek;* and deified through communion with God, you delighted in the sustenance of true joy and gladness.* Do not cease to remember us here that ardently honour you* and celebrate your godly repose.
Tone 3, Glory…
Splendid has the past feast been, and most glorious is the present day,* for thereon did the magi do homage to the Saviour,* and hereon a glorious servant has baptized the Master.* Then piping shepherds, beholding the Lord, marvelled;* and now the voice of the Father has proclaimed His only-begotten Son.
Tone 5, Now…
A symbol of the undefiled Virgin and bride* was revealed in the Red Sea.* There, Moses divided the waters;* here, Gabriel is the messenger of the miracle.* There, the Israelites crossed the deep and their feet were not even wet;* here, the Virgin gives birth to Christ without human seed.* There, the sea remained uncrossed after the passing of Israel;* here, the immaculate remained incorrupt after giving birth to Emmanuel.* Therefore, O immortal God, who appeared in the flesh as true Man,* have mercy on us!
Prokeimenon, Tone 6
The Lord reigns,* He is clothed in majesty.
verse: Robed is the Lord and girt about with strength.
verse: For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
verse: Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
Aposticha
Tone 5
O Christ our Saviour,* we lift up our voices in song to glorify You.* For, in Your love for mankind,* You became incarnate without leaving heaven;* You accepted the cross and death;* You cast down the gates of Hades;* and on the third day You arose from the dead* for the salvation of our souls.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
O Giver of Life,* streams of forgiveness, life, and salvation* poured forth from Your pierced side upon us all.* By accepting physical death, You granted us immortality;* by lying in the tomb, You freed us from Hades,* and as God, by rising from the dead,* You raised us with Yourself in glory.* Therefore, we cry out to You:* O Lover of mankind, glory to You!
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
O Lover of mankind,* Your crucifixion and descent into Hades are most wondrous.* For, as God, You thereby conquered the power of Hades,* and raised up in glory, with Yourself, those who were long imprisoned there.* You reopened Paradise and enabled them to enter.* Grant forgiveness of sins to us* who glorify Your resurrection on the third day,* for You alone are all-merciful.
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
O Lover of mankind,* You accepted suffering in the flesh* and rose from the dead on the third day.* Therefore, heal the passions of our flesh,* raise us from our dreadful iniquities, and save us.
Tone 6, Glory… Now…
Christ the Truth came to the Jordan to be baptized by John;* and he said to Him: “I have need to be baptized of You,* and You come to me?* I, being hay, dare not come in contact with fire!* Sanctify me, O Master, by Your divine manifestation!”
Troparia
Tone 5
Let us the faithful acclaim and worship the Word,* co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit,* and born of the Virgin for our salvation.* For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh, to suffer death* and to raise the dead by His glorious Resurrection.
Tone 3
O holy apostles, intercede with the all-merciful God,* that He may grant us forgiveness of our sins.
Tone 8, Glory…
In you, O holy father Theoctistus, the faithful image of God shone forth,* for you carried your cross and followed Christ.* You taught by your deeds how to spurn the body, for it passes away;* and how to value the soul, for it is immortal.* Therefore, your soul is forever in happiness with the angels.
Tone 4, Now…
Make ready, O Zebulon, and prepare yourself, O Nephtali;* O river Jordan, stop and receive with joy the Master coming to be baptized.* O Adam, rejoice with the first mother, Eve,* and do not hide yourselves as before in paradise.* For having seen you unclothed Christ has appeared to clothe you with the first robe:* He has appeared to renew all creation.
GREAT MATINS ON SUNDAY MORNING
Usual Beginning
Hexapsalm
Great Litany
God the Lord, Tone 5
Troparia, Tone 5
Let us the faithful acclaim and worship the Word,* co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit,* and born of the Virgin for our salvation.* For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh, to suffer death* and to raise the dead by His glorious Resurrection. (2)
Tone 3
O holy apostles, intercede with the all-merciful God,* that He may grant us forgiveness of our sins.
Tone 8, Glory…
In you, O holy father Theoctistus, the faithful image of God shone forth,* for you carried your cross and followed Christ.* You taught by your deeds how to spurn the body, for it passes away;* and how to value the soul, for it is immortal.* Therefore, your soul is forever in happiness with the angels.
Tone 4, Now…
Make ready, O Zebulon, and prepare yourself, O Nephtali;* O river Jordan, stop and receive with joy the Master coming to be baptized.* O Adam, rejoice with the first mother, Eve,* and do not hide yourselves as before in paradise.* For having seen you unclothed Christ has appeared to clothe you with the first robe:* He has appeared to renew all creation.
Psalter Reading
Stasis I: Psalms 9, 10
Stasis II: Psalms 11, 12, 13
Stasis III: Psalms 14, 15, 16
Small Litany
Sessional Hymn I, Tone 5
Let us celebrate the Cross of the Lord,* let us honour His holy Burial with hymns,* and let us exulting, glorify His Resurrection.* For with Himself He has raised the dead from their graves,* and as God having despoiled the dominion of death* and the might of the devil,* He has shone forth light upon those in Hades.
Arise, O Lord my God, let Your hands be lifted on high; forget not Your poor to the end.
O Lord, You who put death to death, was called dead;* You who have emptied the tombs was placed in a tomb;* above, the soldiers stood guarding the grave,* below, You raised the dead from all ages.* O Lord, All-powerful and Incomprehensible,* glory be to You!
Glory… Now…
Rejoice holy mountain upon which God has walked;* Rejoice! living bush unconsumed by fire;* Rejoice! O only bridge of creation to God, who leads mortals to eternal life;* Rejoice! Maiden undefiled, who has born without wedlock* the salvation of our souls.
Psalter Reading
Stasis I: Psalm 17
Stasis II: Psalms 18, 19, 20
Stasis III: Psalms 21, 22, 23
Small Litany
Sessional Hymn II, Tone 5
O Lord, after Your Resurrection on the third day,* and after the worship of the Apostles, Peter cried to You;* The women had courage, and I was afraid;* the Thief confessed You as God, and I denied You:* will You no longer call me a disciple,* or will You once again declare me a fisher of the deep?* Receive me in my penitence, O God, and save me!’
I will confess You, O Lord, with my whole heart, I will tell of all You wonders.
O Merciful Lord, the lawless Ones nailed You between two condemned thieves* and pierced Your side with a lance,* but You, who destroyed the gates of Hades,* suffered burial and arose on the third day;* The women ran to see You and announced the Resurrection to Your Apostles.* O supremely exalted Saviour whom the Angels hymn,* O blessed Lord, glory be to You.
Glory… Now…
The Bride who knew not wedlock, the Birthgiver of God,* who turned Eve’s grief to joy,* we the faithful hymn and worship,* for you have redeemed us from the ancient curse.* And now, O All-hymned most holy one,* cease not to make intercession for the salvation of our souls.
Evoglitaria
Small Litany
Hypakoe, Tone 5
The Myrrh-bearing women, amazed in their minds by the vision of the Angel* yet enlightened in their souls by the divine Resurrection,* announced the glad tidings to the Apostles:* Proclaim among the nations the Resurrection of the Lord,* who works in us through wonders,* and who grants us great mercy.
Gradual Hymns, Tone 5
Antiphon 1
When I am troubled I sing to You like David,* O my Saviour:* Deliver my soul from a deceitful tongue.
Blessed is the life of those* who dwell in the desert places,* Divine love gives them wings.
Glory… Now…
By the Holy Spirit all things are unshaken,* both visible and invisible;* for He has sovereign power,* being undeniably one of the Trinity.
Antiphon 2
Lift up yourself to the mountains,* O my soul;* go to that place from whence comes our help.
Let Your right hand hover over me,* O Christ,* and guard me from every misfortune.
Glory… Now…
Let us sing to the Holy Spirit, as we contemplate God:* You are God, life, love, light, and intellect,* You are goodness,* and You reign to the ages.
Antiphon 3
Filled with great joy at the words of those who say to me:* “Let us go into the courts of the Lord,”* I offer up my prayers.
Fearful things are accomplished in the house of David;* for a fire is found there,* burning every shameful thought.
Glory… Now…
To the Holy Spirit belongs the lordship of life,* for from Him every living being hath its breath,* as also from the Father* together with the Son.
Prokeimenon, Tone 5
Arise, O Lord my God, lift up Your hand*, for You shall reign forever.
verse: I will confess to You, O Lord, with my whole heart, I will recount all Your marvellous works.
Let everything that lives, Tone 5
Gospel
John 20:11-18
Hymn of Resurrection
Psalm 50
Verses at Psalm 50
Canon, Tone 5
Ode 1
Canon of the Resurrection
Irmos: Christ, who breaks the battles,* with uplifted arm shook horse and rider into the Red Sea,* but Israel he saved,* singing a song of victory.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
The congregation of the Hebrews preserved no mother’s love for you who gave them every good; they crowned you with thorns, O Christ, you who had loosed from the punishing thorns the first ancestor of man.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
Giver of life, you bent down to the pit without danger of falling and raised me up who had fallen; you bore with my evil-smelling corruption, O Christ, yourself untouched, and made me fragrant with the sweet oil of the divine nature.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
The curse is lifted, sorrow has ceased; O blessed one and full of grace, you have caused joy to spring up for the faithful for from you Christ has flowered, our blessing for ever.
Canon of the Most Holy Mother of God
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
Virgin Mother, all-pure, entreat Christ, the light which dwelt in you and lights the world with Godhead’s shining rays, to shine on all who sing your praises.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
Full of grace, arrayed in the beauty of virtues, you received by the Spirit’s overshadowing radiance a majesty which fashions beauty and makes beautiful the whole creation.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
Of old, the bush on Sinai, undergoing the fire yet not consumed, foreshadowed you, O Virgin, for beyond the mind’s conceiving you, a virgin, bore a child and stayed a virgin still.
Canon for the Forefeast of Theophany
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
Let creation rejoice, and let the lands of the Gentiles chant, for Jesus, the King of all the earth, comes forth to accomplish our salvation through the streams of the Jordan.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
Arrayed in flesh from the Virgin’s blood, a in a robe of royal purple, O Lord, You come naked to the river’s streams, thereby clothing my nakedness.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
As You are the Son of the all-unoriginate Father, O Compassionate One, You humbly approach the son of Zacharias, requesting baptism, that through grace Thou might make us children of God.
Canon to the Seventy Apostles
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
As disciples of Christ who for our sake revealed Himself in fleshly matter, O all-praised ones, you have illumined all the world with the radiance of piety, driving away the darkness of godlessness.
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
As beacons of most godly aspect, Crispus, Prochorus, Andronicus, Thaddeus and Nicanor followed after Christ, forsaking the pollution and impermanence of corruptible things.
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
With the might of the Spirit did you overcome the might of the destroyer; and with the strength of divine understanding did you heal those totally paralyzed by the savagery of godlessness.
Glory… Now…
Let us honour the palace of God the King, wherein He made His abode as was His pleasure; and let us lift up our voices in song to her who alone is the Theotokos who has not known man, for her sake have we been deified.
Katavasia: The Lord mighty in battle uncovered the foundation of the deep* and led His servants on dry ground;* but He covered their adversaries with the waters,* for He has been glorified.
Ode 3
Canon of the Resurrection
Irmos: Your command fixed firm the earth upon nothing* and sovereignty poised its vast bulk;* make firm your Church on the immovable rock of your commandments,* O Christ, alone good and Lover of man.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
Those who sucked honey from the rock brought you gall for your wonders in the wilderness, O Christ. Vinegar for manna the ungrateful sons of Israel gave you in exchange for your deeds of goodness.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
Covered of old by a light-radiant cloud they laid life, O Christ, in the grave: but, you rose of your own power, and you granted mystically to all the faithful the Spirit’s overshadowing shining from above.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
Mother of God, virginally and without a mother’s pain you bore him, the outshining of the untouched Father; therefore, since you conceived the Word made flesh, in true faith we proclaim you Bearer of God.
Canon of the Most Holy Mother of God
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
You are now most clearly seen by all, O most revered, to be that ladder down which, for us, the Most High came to set right corrupted nature. For through you the supremely good was well-pleased to dwell in the world.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
O Virgin, the mystery long ago foreseen, and known before the ages by God all-knowing, now in these last times has reached its consummation, made clearly manifest within your womb.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
The condemnation of the ancient curse is done away, pure Virgin, by your mediation. For the Lord is seen in you, mortal nature’s solitary boast, and as supremely good he has poured his blessing out on all.
Canon of the Forefeast of Theophany
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
As God who has mastery over all, You bear the guise of a servant; and to a servant You come in the flesh, O Compassionate One, freeing us from slavery to the enemy through Your divinely accomplished baptism.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
From where have You come to the river’s streams? What manner of cleansing do You desire? What defilement seeks You to wash away? I sing to Your lovingkindness and condescension which pass understanding, O Word!
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
Seeking the lamb which the savage wolf tore asunder through deception, O Christ, You stand in the Jordan’s streams, crying out to the Forerunner: Come and baptize Me!
Canon to the Apostles
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
The Word sent you forth, O most wise ones, like rivers throughout all the world, filling it with floods of the Spirit of God and removing the flame of godlessness by grace.
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
Let us hymn the godly Timon, Silas and Silvanus; and with faith let us praise the glorious Epenetus, Urban and Agabus, the true preachers of Christ.
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
Being already blessed, having truly acquired God, the blessed Teacher, O most wise ones, those who before were accursed you showed forth as partakers to the blessedness of God.
Glory… Now…
O Virgin Mother, truly pure were you before giving birth, during birthgiving, and after birthgiving; for you gave birth to God whom the company of angels has most splendidly heralded.
Katavasia: The Lord who grants strength to our kings,* and exalts the horn of His anointed,* is born of a Virgin and comes to baptism.* Therefore let us, the faithful, cry aloud:* None is holy as our God* and none is righteous save You, O Lord.
Kontakion of the Forefeast, Tone 4
Today the Lord stood in Jordan’s current telling John:* Do not be afraid to baptize Me,* for I have come to save Adam, the first man.
Ikos
I do not demand of you that you pass the bounds of propriety, O Forerunner. I do not tell you: Say to Me what you say to the iniquitous and what you teach sinners. Only baptize Me, keeping silent and awaiting what shall come of the baptism. For in this wise you shall receive a dignity greater than all the prophets. For none of them ever beheld Me save in figures and shadows and indistinct images. But you see Me standing before you. For I am come to save Adam the first-created!
Kontakion of the Apostles, Tone 2
Come, you faithful people.* Let us praise the seventy disciples of Christ with heavenly hymns.* Through them we have come to adore the Holy Trinity,* and they are still a light of faith for us.
Ikos
With sacred hymnody, O faithful, let us together praise the choir of the seventy apostles: Stephen, Prochorus, Silas and Nicanor, Mark, Matthias and Herodion, Crescens and Phlegon, Barnabas, Linus and Olympas, Ananias, Luke and Asyncritus, and the rest; for they remain beacons of the divine Faith.
Sessional Hymn, Tone 3
O unshakeable pillars of the Church,* as you are disciples of God, the Foundation of piety,* preserve it unharmed, dispelling the temptations of the deceiver,* and ever entreating Christ God to grant us great mercy.
Tone 1, Glory … Now…
When Jesus had been born of the Virgin Mary* and was baptized of John in the Jordan,* the Spirit, seen in the guise of a dove, descended upon Him.* Therefore, we the angels to the prophet said, crying aloud:* Glory to Your advent, O Christ!* Glory to Your Kingdom!* Glory to Your economy, O You who alone love mankind!
Ode 4
Canon of the Resurrection
Irmos: Habakkuk in prophecy, O Christ, apprehending your divine emptying, in trembling awe cried out to you: For the salvation of your people, to make safe your anointed, you have come.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
O Good One, the most bitter streams of Meribah you sweetened by a tree, and thus in sign prefigured your pure cross which slays the bitter taste of sin.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
You accepted a cross for the tree of knowledge, my Saviour, gall for sweet food, and for the corruption of death you shed the blood of God.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
Untouched, you conceived incorruptibly in your womb; a Virgin, guarded to bring forth God in the flesh, you bore a child without pain and were virgin after the birth.
Canon of the Most Holy Mother of God
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
With heart and soul and voice, with all devotion I confess you, the pure one, truly to be the Mother of God. And by your prayers, O Virgin, I reap salvation’s fruit and am saved.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
The giver of all good, who fashioned from nothing the whole order of the universe, was content to be fashioned of you, the spotless one, for the salvation of all who sing your praises in faith and longing love.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
The choirs beyond the world hymn your child-bearing, O spotless one, and rejoice to see the salvation of those who know that you, Virgin undefiled, are truly Mother of God.
Canon of the Forefeast
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
When the stream of the Jordan beheld You, O Lord, it drew back. But our nature, which has been laid low by the many passions, doing homage to You, has turned back to the heavens.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
The sun was struck with fear, beholding You, the Sun, naked in the flesh and mystically illumining our whole nature which has been stripped naked through the dark transgression, O Master.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
Lo! the cleansing, deliverance, renewal and enlightenment of all is come to His own! Let us therefore cleave to Him through purity of life!
Canon to the Apostles
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
Like stallions did the divinely wise disciples of the Saviour enter the sea of paganism and trouble it; and they saved the faithful by holy water and the Spirit.
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
Prudens, Apelles and Philologus, Herodion, Rufus and Patrobus have shone like the sun upon the earth and have enlightened the faithful, delivering them from the darkness of unbelief.
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
O glorious ones, the Compassionate One, having brought you together, launched you like sharp arrows, bolts to fell the enemy and to heal by the grace of God those grievously wounded.
Glory… Now…
The most blessed choir of those who of old uttered prophecies in the Spirit, O all-pure one, now in godly manner, with sacred and divine utterances, call you the portal of Heaven and the mountain densely wooded.
Katavasia: He whom You have called, O Lord, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness,’* heard Your voice when You had thundered upon many waters, bearing witness to Your Son.* Wholly filled with the Spirit that had come, he cried aloud:* ‘You are Christ, the wisdom and the power of God.’
Ode 5
Canon of the Resurrection
Irmos: To you, clothed with light as a garment,* early I rise and cry out.* Lighten my darkened soul,* O Christ, only compassionate.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
In dishonour and inglorious form, of his own will the Lord of glory hung upon the cross, and inconceivably thus procured for me divine glory.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
You have changed my clothing for the garment of incorruption, O Christ, for uncorrupted you tasted the corruption of death in the flesh, and on the third day rose from the tomb.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
Mother of God, you set free our first father’s nature from the curse, for without seed you gave birth to Christ our righteousness and redemption.
Canon of the Most Holy Mother of God
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
All-revered, Bearer of God, all the prophets announced you as truly her who should become the Mother of God; for you alone were found pure and wholly undefiled.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
Reverently we acknowledge you as the shining cloud ofliving water which showered upon us in despair Christ, the rain of incorruption.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
One beloved, wholly beautiful and undefiled, in virginity sealed: God, the only compassionate, dwelt in you and loved you.
Canon of the Forefeast
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
Let us bring to Christ a pure life as an offering of fruit, for He who alone is the sinless Creator of all comes to wash away the defilement of sins with the waters and grace.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
O people who from of old have been sitting in the darkness of sorrows, a Light which fades not away has appeared to us! Behold, and be illumined with the rays thereof, and hymn the grace of Him that has appeared!
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
To Your great Forerunner do You come, O most compassionate. Lord, bringing a great mystery to pass, ineffably magnifying humanity through baptism.
Canon to the Apostles
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
Receiving, as apostles, the authority to bind and to loose, O all-praised ones, you released those bound with the bonds of unbelief. Therefore, joining chorus, we faithfully celebrate your memory.
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
With divine hymnody let Aristarchus be honoured, together with Tertius, Jason and Sosthenes, Caesar and Mark, Luke and Sosipater, Quartus and the godly Apelles, Clement and Epaphras, and Erastus the most wise.
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
The Lord sent you forth, as He did the twelve, to uproot all impiety and to plant the knowledge of God splendidly among all men, O glorious apostles, intercessors for our souls.
Glory… Now…
Enlighten the eyes of my heart, O Virgin, and illumine men with the radiance of repentance. From everlasting darkness deliver me, O portal of light, O refuge of all Christians who hymn you with faith.
Katavasia: Jesus, the Prince of Life,* has come to set loose from condemnation Adam the first-formed man;* and though as God He needs no cleansing,* yet for the sake of fallen man He is cleansed in the Jordan.* In its streams He slew the enmity* and bestows the peace that passes all understanding.
Ode 6
Canon of the Resurrection
Irmos: Lord Christ, calm the soul-destroying waves of the raging sea of passions* and, O compassionate, lead me up from corruption.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
Our first ancestor fell into corruption, Lord Christ, tasting forbidden fruit; and he was brought back to life by your Passion.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
You, the life, came to Hell and to the corrupter became corruption; thus, Lord Christ, through corruption you brought, as fountain springing, resurrection.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
The Virgin bore a child and after bearing still was pure; holding him up in her arms who supports the whole creation she is truly Virgin Mother.
Canon of the Most Holy Mother of God
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
The cause of all, giving being to all, when he took our flesh had you as cause, all-spotless Mother of God.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
We know you to be a springing well of life-sustaining remedies for those who run in faith to your far-famed protection, O Lady, all-spotless.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
You bore for us the giver of life and cause of salvation, who bestows eternal redemption on those who proclaim you to be in truth the Mother of God.
Canon of the Forefeast
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
Vested in human form, Christ comes to His servant asking baptism, by grace showing forth the enslaved to be liberated from passions.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
Being water, full of mysteries, O our only Lord, as a river of peace have You come to the river, asking to be baptized by the least drops thereof, O You that alone are sinless.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
The choir of angels on high marvel, beholding You naked who covers heaven with clouds; and they cry out: What is this Your great condescension towards mankind?
Canon to the Apostles
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
O apostles, manifest as animate clouds, you have sprinkled the saving water of life upon all the world, and have bedewed the hearts of the faithful.
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
The power of your divine words vanquished the great evil of the rhetors and made wise the ignorant who had become foolish through the knowledge of deception, O all-wise ones.
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
Let the divine Prudens and Trophimus, the glorious Philemon, Aristarchus, Onesiphorus and the most renowned Tychicus, be exalted as disciples of the Word.
Glory… Now…
I hymn you; O you that alone are all-hymned! I ever glorify you, O divinely glorious one! And I bless you whom all generations call blessed, O divinely blessed Virgin.
Katavasia: The Voice of the Word, the Candlestick of the Light, the Morning Star and Forerunner of the Sun,* cried in the wilderness to all the peoples:* ‘Repent and be cleansed while there is yet time.* For lo, Christ is at hand,* Who delivers the world from corruption.’
Kontakion, Tone 6
Down to Hell you have gone, my Saviour, and shivered its gates to atoms, Almighty; you have raised the dead with yourself as Creator, crushed the sting of death, O Christ, and set Adam free from the curse, Lover of man. Therefore we all cry out to you: save us, O Lord.
Ikos
The women heard the angel’s words, shed their lamentations, changed to gladness, trembling, saw the resurrection. And Christ drew near in greeting: Joy to you, take courage, I have overcome the world, and set the prisoners free. Run to the disciples and ay: I go before you into Galilee to pr claim the good news. Therefore we all cry out to you: Save us, O Lord.
Ode 7
Canon of the Resurrection
Irmos: The Lord of the fathers, most highly exalted,* quenched the fire and rained his dew* on the young men in unison singing:* Blessed are you, O God.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
Clothed with flesh as bait for the hook, by your divine power you dragged the serpent down, and brought back those who cried: Blessed are you, O God.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
He, the unbounded, who brought into being and knitted together the boundless immensities of earth, in the flesh was concealed in the grave; and we sing to him: Blessed are you, O God.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
All-holy, you bore one person in two natures, God has taken bodily form and we sing to him: Blessed are you, O God.
Canon of the Most Holy Mother of God
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
The infinite, the only blessed, ever unchanged, as the compassionate was joined to flesh as a person in you, the All-holy.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
With one voice we glorify you, O Lady, Mother of God, all-spotless bride and throne of your Creator; to him we sing: Blessed are you, O God.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
Hallowed by the Spirit through him who made you, O Virgin, you became the Mother of the Lord of all creation; to him we sing: Blessed are you, O God.
Canon of the Forefeast
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
How can the river’s streams admit You who are the Torrent of sweetness, O Christ? How can the Forerunner stretch forth his hand over You who with Your hand has created all and has delivered us from the hands of the deceiver?
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
As You are Yourself a stream of goodness, how is it that You come to the streams of the Jordan seeking to give the waters of incorruption as drink to us who through wicked eating have been cast down into corruption through the hatred of the serpent?
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
Let the mountains pour forth joy, and let the hills leap up in gladness; let the rivers clap their hands, for Christ has appeared and comes to the river to drown men’s transgressions.
Canon to the Apostles
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
Casting the word as a net, up from the depths did you draw the far-flung nations; and confirming their thoughts with signs and wonders, O wise apostles, you were guides for the erring.
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
Having entered the harbour most calm, you were shown to be saviours of those tempest-tossed on the sea of evils, and wise helmsmen who cry out: Blessed are You, O Lord God of our fathers!
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
Let us all bless Euodias and Carpus, Tychicus and Cephas, Justus and Artemas, and Zenas the glorious, for they are Disciples of Christ who chant: Blessed are You, O Lord God of our fathers!
Glory… Now…
A mercy seat have you been for us that are ever sinning, O all-immaculate one, having given birth supernaturally to Christ who takes away the sins of the world, to whom we cry out: Blessed are You, O Lord God of our fathers!
Katavasia: The breath of the wind heavy with dew* and the descent of the angel of God preserved the Holy Children from all harm,* as they walked in the fiery furnace.* Refreshed with dew in the flames,* they sang in thanksgiving:* ‘Blessed are You and praised above all, O Lord God of our fathers.’
Ode 8
Canon of the Resurrection
Irmos: The young men in the furnace devised a chorus of all creation for you, the Creator of all,* and in song they proclaimed it:* All you his works, sing to the Lord,* and highly exalt him throughout all the ages.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
As if it were against your will, of that so longed for cup of your saving Passion you prayed that it might not be: two wills to two natures corresponding you bear, O Christ, throughout all the ages.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
At your descent, Creator of all, Hell the fool gave up all those who of old had been slain by deceit, and who now, O Christ, highly exalt you throughout all the ages.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
O Virgin, beyond thought, in divine and human manner, by the word you bore the Lord, while remaining virgin; we, his creatures, bless and highly exalt you throughout all the ages.
Canon of the Most Holy Mother of God
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
Now has the grief of our first parents ceased for joy has come forth from you, the Mother of God. So we sing your praises without ceasing, O Virgin, and highly exalt you throughout all the ages.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
Standing in loving desire as one choir with us the bodiless hosts sing your incomprehensible bringing to birth and highly exalt it with us throughout all the ages.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
From you, O Maid, the Lord of all has come forth, a translucent stream of immortality, washing away the mean and sordid stains of those who sing to you in faith, and highly exalt you throughout all the ages.
Canon of the Forefeast
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
Elisha clove the river’s streams with the mantle of Elijah, foreshadowing the grace of baptism which Christ, our only Benefactor, doth accomplish, going up to them therefore.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
The glorious Prophet Elisha once prefigured the grace of baptism, making waters that before were barren fruitful through salt, through the power of our God who has manifested Himself.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
Every valley is filled with divine gifts, and every contrary hill is laid low, and the crooked ways are made straight again through the appearance of our incarnate God.
Canon to the Apostles
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
Having cultivated stony minds with the plough of the word, O most glorious ones, therein you sowed the seed of salvation and have reaped a multitude of the saved, the grain of piety, an hundredfold, O most wise apostles of the Lord.
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
Let us with divine praises honour James, Cleopas, Barnabas and Stephen, the most wise Narcissus, Mark, Aristobulus and Apelles, crying out: Sing to the Lord, you works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
Bearing the cross instead of a breastplate, you courageously arrayed yourselves against all the legions of the serpent, O most wise apostles, and vanquished them. And with faith you netted the men he had captured, and brought them to the Master, the Bestower of life.
Glory… Now…
O wonder more exalted than all wonders! How is it that you give birth, yet remain virgin, O all-holy Bride of God? For you bore the Word who is co-unoriginate with the Father. To Him do we all sing: Sing to the Lord, you works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
We praise, we bless, we worship the Lord. We extol and exalt Him above all for ever.
Katavasia: The Babylonian furnace, as it poured forth dew,* foreshadowed a marvellous mystery:* how the Jordan should receive in its streams the immaterial fire,* and should encompass the Creator,* when He was baptized in the flesh.* Him do you peoples bless and exalt above all for ever.
Ode 9
Canon of the Resurrection
Irmos: Rejoice and sing, Isaiah,* the Virgin has conceived and bears a son, Emmanuel,* God and man, his name the Dayspring;* we magnify him and we call the Virgin blessed.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
Fallen man, Lord Christ, you assumed; wholly joined to him in a virginal womb, sin alone excepted, wholly you have freed him from corruption by your pure sufferings.
Glory to your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
Your pure and life-giving side, Lord Christ, was emptied of the blood which flowed from God, and sacrifice to idols ceased; and all we of the earth bring to you the sacrifice of praise.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
Not God bodiless, nor yet mere man, the pure and honourable Maid bore to us, but perfect man and perfect God, in very truth; we magnify him, together with the Father and the Spirit.
Canon of the Most Holy Mother of God
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
Ever-virgin Mother of God, from your pure blood, beyond nature, a flesh has been fashioned, not from man, without seed, with mind and soul, for the Creator of all, the only-begotten Son of the Father.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
All-holy Virgin Mother, you have established a way of escape from the ungovernable assault of death, for in truth and beyond understanding you brought forth in flesh life eternal; by which Hell, attacking with cruel jaws, was destroyed.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
All-spotless, in robe of tasselled gold, radiant in holy virtues shining, your Son, seated on his kingly throne, has set you on his right hand, assuring fitting honours for you as his Mother.
Canon of the Forefeast
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
O Christ who with Your hands fashioned man, You go down under the hand of the Forerunner, humbling Yourself as a man, that You might exalt me who of old was humbled and perished. Glory to Your glorious and strange economy!
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
The cleansing and enlightenment of souls is prepared! The loosing of grievous bonds is come! Be glad, O river Jordan! Make merry, all creation! Clap your hands, earth and sea, glorifying the all-good Christ!
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You!
As You are the fullness of all good things, You come crying out to Your servant who has been filled with holiness and who marvels at Your condescension: Draw nigh and baptize Me, for I wish to fill the nature of mortals with sanctification and purification!
Canon to the Apostles
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
O Christ, heal the contrition of our hearts through the prayers of them that loved You, that preached You as God and Lord, the Creator of all, among all the nations, and dispelled all the gloom of idolatry with the light of their preaching.
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
Like bolts of lightning have Luke and Hermas, Mark and Ananias, Matthias and the sacred Olympus enlightened the world, and have manifestly illumined the fullness of the faithful. Let us today faithfully honour them with sacred hymns of honour.
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
Let us stand reverently in the house of the Lord and bless the sacred heralds and disciples, rich in angelic wisdom, the saviours, defenders and intercessors for all that honour their memory.
Holy Seventy Apostles, pray to God for us!
Aquila, Achaicus, the glorious Lucius and Fortunatus, together with the sixty-six other favourites and sacred disciples of Christ, have been illumined with the immaterial life of the Spirit. And they illumine the hearts of all through their light-bearing commemoration today.
Glory… Now…
The radiance of the splendour of your birthgiving has shone forth and illumined all the world and destroyed the prince of darkness, O all-pure Theotokos, boast of angels and salvation of all men that praise you with unceasing voices.
Katavasia: Every tongue is at a loss to praise you as is due:* even a spirit from the world above is filled with dizziness,* when it seeks to sing your praises, O Theotokos.* But since you are good, accept our faith:* You know well our love inspired by God,* for you are the Protector of Christians and we magnify you.
Small Litany
Holy is the Lord
Hymn of Light
When Mary saw two angels inside the grave,* she was seized with fright.* She did not recognize Christ but thought that He was the gardener;* she said to Him: “Sir, where have You placed the body of Jesus?”* She knew from His voice that He was the Saviour,* and she obeyed Him when He said:* “Touch Me not for I am going to My Father.* Tell this to My disciples.”
Glory…
O all-praised apostles and disciples of the all-compassionate Christ, you who beheld God: fall not silent in your supplications in behalf of us that keep your memory with love, that we may find remission of sins and divine grace on the day of Judgment.
Now…
Make ready, O Zabulon! Adorn yourself, O Nephthali! Receive, O Jordan, the Creator and God of all, who comes to you in the flesh, desiring to wash our sins away!
Praises
Stichera of the Praises, Tone 5
You came forth from the grave, O Lord, which had been sealed by the transgressors of the law,* just as You were born of the Theotokos.* For the bodiless angels did not know how You were incarnate.* Likewise, the guardian soldiers did not see the moment of your Resurrection;* for these two marvels were concealed from the curious minds* but were revealed to those who worshiped the mystery in faith.* Therefore, grant joy and great mercy to us who offer You praise.
O Lord, You demolished the gates of everlasting damnation,* and You broke asunder the chains of the grave.* You rose from the tomb leaving your wrappings in the grave* in testimony of your three-day burial;* and leaving the guards watching at the tomb,* You preceded your disciples into Galilee.* Great is your mercy, O Lord whom the whole world cannot contain.* O Saviour, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, who suffered for us,* the women hastened to your tomb to behold You.* When they arrived, they saw an angel sitting on the stone of the grave.* He said to them: The Lord is risen!* Go and tell the disciples that the Saviour of our souls is risen from the dead.
Tone 6
Christ is come to the Jordan’s streams,* whose herald appeared before Him;* and He said to the Forerunner:* “Come and wash Me with the waters;* baptize Me who now go down there into, for I have come to wash away the first fall of Adam.”* O our God who has manifested Yourself, glory be to You!
“I have in no wise reckoned the number of the stars of the heights of Heaven,* nor have I measured the earth.”* The Forerunner said to the Master;* “And how can I touch Your head with my hand?* How can I baptize You who holds creation in Your hand?* Therefore, I cry to You:* O our God who has manifested Yourself, glory be to You!”
“Being enthroned together with the Father and the Spirit,* I am borne up in triumph by the legions of the angels.* Yet in My lovingkindness I was born a stranger in the little cave in Bethlehem.* Therefore, lend Me now your right hand,* that in Me I may wash away the transgressions of the world!”
“Of old, in the days of Noah, You drowned sin,* O You who by Your word threw wide the flood-gates of the heavens.* And how will Jordan bear the sight of You?* For already its streams draw back!* All creation recognizes You, and I cry out to You:* O our God who has manifested Yourself, glory be to You!”
Tone 6, Glory…
“That the Father’s good pleasure might be fulfilled,* I have come to earth clothed in poverty.* Heaven is My throne, and the earth My footstool.* I incline My neck before you, for I have come thus to do.* Baptize Me who wash away the transgression of men in Myself”
Tone 2, Now…
You are truly most blessed, O virgin Mother of God.* Through the One who was incarnate of you,* Hades was chained, Adam revived, the curse wiped out,* Eve set free, Death put to death,* and we ourselves were brought back to life.* That is why we cry out in praise;* Blessed are You, O Christ our God,* who finds in this your good pleasure. Glory to You!
Great Doxology
Trisagion Prayers
Troparion, Tone 2
Today salvation has come to the world.* Let us sing to Him who is risen from the tomb,* the Author of Life who has crushed Death by his death* and bestowed on us victory and great mercy.
Insistent Litany
Litany of Supplication
Great Dismissal
DIVINE LITURGY ON SUNDAY MORNING
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 5: Let us the faithful acclaim and worship the Word,* co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit,* and born of the Virgin for our salvation.* For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh, to suffer death* and to raise the dead by His glorious resurrection.
Troparion, Tone 4: Make ready, O Zebulon,* and prepare yourself, O Nephtali;* O river Jordan, stop and receive with joy* the Master coming to be baptized.* O Adam, rejoice with the first mother, Eve,* and do not hide yourselves as before in paradise.* For having seen you unclothed* Christ has appeared to clothe you with the first robe:* He has appeared to renew all creation.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 4: Today the Lord stood in Jordan’s current telling John:* Do not be afraid to baptize Me,* for I have come to save Adam, the first man.
Prokeimenon, Tone 6
Save Your people, O Lord,* and bless Your inheritance.
verse: Unto You I will cry, O Lord my God, lest You turn from me in silence. (Psalm 27:9,1)
Epistle
2 Timothy 4:5-8
Alleluia, Tone 8
verse: God, be merciful to us and bless us.
verse: Make the light of Your face shine upon us and have mercy on us. (Psalm 66:2)
Gospel
Mark 1:1-8
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 148:1)