Polyeleos Feast. Post-feast of Pentecost.
VESPERS ON TUESDAY EVENING
Kathisma Reading
The appointed psalms are chanted.
At Psalm 140
Tone 1
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
It is proper and natural that the rational heavens* proclaim with tongues of fire to all the nations,* the glory of God, who has adorned the heavens by means of fire;* and who, by the Son and the Spirit, has rendered luminous* the world which our senses know.
Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
When Christ’s disciples had gathered in Sion, as He said,* then did the Spirit come down upon them, as was promised.* Appearing as fire, showing the Apostles to be teachers,* who spoke of the hidden things of the Trinity* while breathing forth fire.
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
The Divine Spirit came upon the sacred Apostles,* making of them heavenly swords.* Thus they consecrated all the earth to God the Creator* as they cut down the impious ones.* By them the swords of the evil one have been destroyed,* that our souls may be saved.
Tone 4
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
You drew the ends of the earth out of the depths of vainglory* and evil ungodliness* with the net of your words, O divinely eloquent Apostle.* You brought them with faith to Christ God, * Who had given you such grace.* You are His divine disciple and the preacher of His mysteries,* O Apostle Bartholomew.
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Jesus our God, the Sun of glory* sent you to the whole world like a ray of light* to disperse the gloom of ungodliness, O all-glorious one,* and to enlighten all who sit in the darkness of ignorance.* You made them heirs of the light, O divinely wise Bartholomew!
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Submitting to the will of Him Whose will all things obey,* you imitated Him as a teacher of righteousness.* Because of His suffering on the Cross,* you stand before your ultimate desire,* joining the chorus with the Angels and Apostles,* O glorious Bartholomew.* You rejoiced as you drank the cup of death.
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
You have received invincible authority and power, O Apostle,* over demons in the Name of Christ,* to drive away the princes of darkness.* You travelled over the earth illumining it as brightly as the sun.* You were the first to arrive in Rome, O Barnabas,* preaching the saving coming of Christ.
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
You imitated the First Goodness* and the essential and all-divine life.* You became a good man in essence, O Barnabas,* receiving a name meaning “Son of Consolation.”* By the goodness of your character and purity of your mind,* you showed yourself to be a true disciple of Christ!
Tone 6, Glory…
O all praised Barnabas,* radiant vessel of the Holy Spirit and “Son of Consolation,”* even before Paul you were the foremost of the seventy disciples;* with Paul you preached the Gospel to the ends of the earth.* Therefore, fulfilling your talk of grace with your deeds,* you offered yourself as an immaculate whole burnt offering to Christ, your Teacher.* O glorious Apostle, we pray to you:* “Ever pray that our souls may be saved in peace!”
Tone 2, Now…
We have seen the true Light;* we have received the Heavenly Spirit;* we have found the true Faith,* we worship the undivided Trinity;* for He has saved us.
Prokeimenon, Tone 1
Your mercy, O Lord, shall follow me* all the days of my life.
verse: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. In green pastures He gives me repose.
Readings
(1) 1 Peter 1:3-9; (2) 1 Peter 1:13-19; (3) 1 Peter 2:11-24
Aposticha
Tone 1
Your proclamation of salvation, O Apostles and seers of God,* has gone out into all the earth,* enlightening the souls of those who were lost,* bringing to Christ those who were illumined by grace of God.* Therefore pray that He may grant our souls peace and great mercy!
Their proclamation has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the universe.
O all-radiant beacons of Christ,* most pure vessels containing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit through faith,* O all-wise Apostles, O pillars of the Church,* all-glorious heavens declaring to all the glory of God:* entreat Him that He may grant out souls peace and great mercy!
The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork.
O blessed ones, you brought to Christ God* the nations that were ransomed by His blood.* He was well pleased to be born on earth,* and He freely endured the Cross and death.* O glorious ones, entreat Him now* that He may grant our souls peace and great mercy!
Tone 8, Glory…
O all-praised Barnabas, Apostle of the Saviour,* you are a vessel of faith, the “Son of Consolation,”* the calm harbour of the storm-tossed.* Since you have boldness, ever pray for our souls* that we may be preserved in peace on the day of your memorial!
Tone 6, Now…
O Lord, the descent of the Holy Spirit, which enveloped Your Apostles,* made them to speak with other tongues.* Hence, the strange wonder was thought to be drunkenness by the unbelievers,* but to the believers it was a cause of salvation.* Wherefore, we beseech Your to grant us also His illumination,* O Lover of mankind.
Troparion
Tone 1
Receiving the Spirit as He came in fiery tongues,* you preached the coming of the Word in the flesh.* While one of you was beheaded for the Gospel, * the other endured stoning for the sake of the faith.* You have been sent to adorn the choirs of heaven, O Bartholomew and Barnabas.* We honour your memory and ask that you intercede* with God to forgive our sins.
Tone 8, Glory… Now…
Blessed are You, O Christ our God who revealed the fishermen as most wise* by sending them the Holy Spirit;* through them You caught the entire world.* Loving Master, glory to You.
DIVINE LITURGY ON WEDNESDAY MORNING
At the beginning of the Liturgy, immediately after Blessed be the Kingdom… and Amen we all kneel and sing the following in Tone 6, samohlasnyj:
Heavenly King, Advocate, Spirit of Truth, Who are everywhere present and fill all things, Treasury of Blessings, Bestower of Life: come, and dwell within us; cleanse us of all that defiles us, O Good One, save our souls.
Antiphon 1
The heavens tell the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of his hand.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Saviour, save us.
Day to day pours forth the message and night proclaims this knowledge to night.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Saviour, save us.
Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
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.
O good Advocate,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Let us come before His face with praise,* and acclaim Him in psalms.
O good Advocate,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
For God is the great Lord,* the great king over all the earth.
O good Advocate,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Entrance
Come, let us worship* and fall down before Christ.
O good Advocate,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 8: Blessed are You, O Christ our God who revealed the fishermen as most wise* by sending them the Holy Spirit;* through them You caught the entire world.* Loving Master, glory to You.
Troparion, Tone 1: Receiving a fiery tongue in the power of the Spirit, to all you preached the Word that has come in the flesh.* For its sake, O Bartholomew, you were beheaded* and Barnabas endured stoning.* Together you form an adornment* for the choir of apostles.* And so we feast your memorial* and ask you to pray Christ God* to grant us forgiveness of sins.
Kontakion, Tone 4: You have appeared to the world like a brilliant sun,* O apostle Bartholomew.* With the rays of your teaching and awesome miracles* you lead to the Light all who honour you.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 3: You became the Lord’s true servant, O Barnabas,* shown to be the foremost of the Seventy.* With Paul you set your teaching in a clear light* making known to all the Saviour who is Christ.* Therefore, we feast your memory with hymns, O apostle.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 8: When the Most high descended and confused the tongues,* He parted the nations.* He called all to unity;* and with one voice* we glorify the all-Holy Spirit.
Prokeimenon, Tone 8
Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth,* and their words unto the ends of the world.
verse: The heavens tell the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of His hand. (Psalm 19:5,2)
Prokeimenon, Tone 8
Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth,* and their words unto the ends of the world.
Epistle
Romans 1:18-27; Acts 11:19-30
Alleluia, Tone 1
verse: By the Lord’s words the heavens were established, and by the Breath of His mouth all their host.
verse: The Lord has looked down from heaven and beheld the whole human race.
verse: The heavens shall confess our wonders, O Lord, and Your truth in the church of the saints.
Gospel
Matthew 5:20-26; Luke 10:16-21
Hymn to the Mother of God
O my soul, magnify the one Divinity in three Persons.
And the Irmos: Rejoice, O Queen, boast of the virgins and mothers, for every tongue, though capable and eloquent, cannot hymn you as is your due, and every mind is confounded in seeking to comprehend the way in which you gave birth. Therefore with one accord we glorify you.
Communion Hymn
Your good Spirit will lead me* to the land of righteousness.* Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth,* and their words unto the ends of the world.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia.