Day 3 of the Great Fast. Abstention from meat and foods that contain these ingredients. According to liturgical prescriptions, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated today.
MATINS FOR WEDNESDAY MORNING
Sessional Hymn I, Tone 8
When the thief beheld the Author of life hanging upon the Cross, he said:* ‘If it were not God made flesh that is crucified with us,* the sun would not have hid its rays nor would the earth have quaked and trembled.* But, all-foreboding Lord, remember me in Your Kingdom.
Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool for He is holy.
In the midst, between two thieves, Your Cross became a balance-beam of righteousness.* For the one was carried down to hell by the burden of blasphemy;* the other was lightened of his sins and brought to the knowledge of God.* O Christ our God, glory to You.
God is wonderful in His saints, the God of Israel.
Steadfastly you have trod, O holy martyrs, the narrow way of sorrow* and endured the troubled waters of temptation.* Now you have received a dwelling-place with the ministering angels,* having proved yourselves a rock of patient fortitude, a firm foundation of the Faith.* Pray to Christ our God for the salvation of our souls.
Glory… Now…
When she who bore Him saw upon the Cross* the Lamb and Shepherd and Saviour of the world, she said weeping:* ‘The world rejoices, for it receives deliverance;* but inwardly I burn, seeing Your Crucifixion which You suffer for all men,* O my Son and God.’
Sessional Hymn II, Tone 2
By Your passion, O loving Lord,* You have given all mankind freedom from passions,* putting to death the passions of my flesh by Your Cross.* Count me worthy, then, to see Your divine passion:* that having been well-pleasing to Your glory in the fast,* I may receive Your great and abundant mercy!
Glory… Now…
Beholding You, O Christ, stretched dead upon the tree,* Your virgin Mother cried out with bitter tears:* O my son, what is this fearful mystery?* How do You give eternal life to all,* and yet suffer willingly a shameful death upon the Cross?
Sessional Hymn III, Tone 2
O Lord, You have consecrated and given us* this light-giving season of abstinence,* enable us all to pass through it in compunction and sincerity,* living in peace by the power of the Cross,* O only Lover of Mankind!
Glory… Now…
Guarded by the precious Cross of Your son,* O pure Lady and Theotokos,* we easily turn away all the assaults of the enemy!* Therefore, we rightly call you blessed,* for you are the mother of Light and the only hope of our souls!
Canon
Ode 1
Irmos: The desert of the barren Church of the nations* blossomed like a lily* at Your coming, O Lord,* therein has my heart been established.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Let us crucify our members through abstinence; and as it is written, let us be vigilant in prayer, living after the example of Him who suffered; By His Passion, putting to death the passions.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Rejecting the bitter food of sin, let us seek to please Christ, Who of His own will tasted gall and by the Cross cast down the author of evil.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Sin has become a habit for me, and it drags me down to complete perdition. But by Your Cross deliver me from my sinfulness, O compassionate and abundantly merciful One!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
O you who bore the Master, Sovereign Lady of all creation, set me free from bondage to the deceitful enemy!
Irmos: O Lord, who slayed sin upon the tree, firmly establish us in You,* and in the hearts of us who hymn You plant the fear of You.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord
From the tree of the Cross does the flower of abstinence grow for all the world. Let us then accept the fast with love and take pleasure in the fruit of Christ’s divine commandments.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord
Abstaining from the passions, let us crucify our flesh for the sake of the Lord: By our life in Christ, let us all show that the pride of the flesh is dead.
Glory…
I glorify three Hypostases in one Nature, Father, Son, and Spirit, the one power of the Godhead, one Kingdom over all and one effulgence!
Now…
Your child-bearing, O pure one, fills our hearts with fear, for it is God who has become man, before time begotten from the Father, and in the last days brought forth by you through a virgin birth.
Glory to You our God, glory to You!
I praise Your Crucifixion, O Christ, and the piercing of Your divine side, from which each day I draw an immortal drink and am sanctified.
Katavasia: O Lord, who slayed sin upon the tree, firmly establish us in You,* and in the hearts of us who hymn You plant the fear of You.
Ode 8
Irmos: The fiery furnace in Babylon, by divine decree divided its action,* burning up the Chaldeans,* while at the same time refreshing the faithful youths who sang:* All you works of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The furnace of the passions consumes my soul; but quench its flames with the dew of Your mercy. For in Your self-abasement, O Benefactor, at Your crucifixion, You made a fountain of dispassion flow forth from Your pure side.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Lifted up upon Your Cross, O Christ, You have raised up us who were fallen into evil, whereby I also have slipped into the depths of sin: Bring me out and set me firmly on the rock of salvation, that I may glorify Your power!
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Through the lance that pierced Your side, O Christ, You have cleansed my heart from the corruption of the passions. I have been wounded by the poisonous bite of the serpent. Heal me in every part, and make me walk unwavering upon the paths of God.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
We all honour you, undefiled Virgin, as the shining lamp and candlestick in which the fire of the Godhead came to dwell, bringing light to those held fast in the dark night of corruption, and we bless your childbearing, O blessed among women!
Irmos: To Him Who of old prefigured the miracle of the Virgin,* to Moses in the burning-bush on Mount Sinai,* let us sing, bless, and supremely exult* throughout all ages.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord
Let us praise Him who was crucified upon the tree between two malefactors, and whose life-giving side was pierced by a lance. Let us bless and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages!
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord
You judge all the earth, yet You stood before the judgment seat of Pilate! You were struck on the cheek, mocked, and hung upon the Cross, thereby delivering me from the corruption of the ancient sin throughout all ages.
Let us bless the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Lord!
One Godhead, One in Trinity, Undivided in Nature yet divided in Hypostases, indestructible power, Father, Son, and Spirit, we sing Your praises throughout all ages!
Now…
O pure Birthgiver of God, gate of heaven and door of salvation, accept the prayer of all Christians who call you blessed throughout all ages!
Glory to You our God, glory to You!
O Cross of Christ, You brought the thief to faith, and me to the season of the fast: Count me worthy to venerate You at the forthcoming feast, and therewith to be filled with life.
We praise, we bless, and we worship the Lord, hymning and supremely exalting Him throughout all ages!
Katavasia: To Him Who of old prefigured the miracle of the Virgin,* to Moses in the burning-bush on Mount Sinai,* let us sing, bless, and supremely exult* throughout all ages.
Ode 9
Irmos: The Son of the Beginningless Father, God and Lord,* has appeared to us incarnate of a Virgin,* to enlighten those in darkness, and to gather the dispersed;* therefore the all-hymned Theotokos do we magnify.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
More brightly than the sun does the fast shine upon us all, bringing to us the light of Grace, proclaiming the good news of the Cross of the precious passion, and the saving day of the Resurrection.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Let us love chastity and flee from fornication! Let us gird our loins with temperance that we may appear in purity before the Saviour of our souls, Who alone is pure and desires the purification of all.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Nail my flesh with the fear of You, O Christ, Who nailed the sin of Adam to the Cross. Loose me from the bonds of wickedness, shatter the arrows of the evil one with Your lance, O Master, and deliver me from all his mischief.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
O Virgin Maiden who bore Christ the Lord the just Judge who alone is ever ready to forgive, deliver me from condemnation, and from fire and torment, that I rightly deserve to suffer because of my delight in sin.
Irmos: To the pure and most pure mother and Virgin,* do we the faithful devoutly chant with hymns,* and as the Theotokos* we magnify her.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord
How great is Your compassion! For You endured the Cross, the nails and the lance, O Lord, for my sake, who am condemned to corruption. Therefore, I sing Your praises, O Christ.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord
With all Your people we worship Your life-giving passion, the Cross, the reed, the nails and the lance, praising You in our hymns, O Christ.
Glory…
Unity in three coequal Hypostases, undivided Trinity, sovereign nature: Father, Son, and divine Spirit, save us all.
Now…
O Theotokos, mercy-seat of the world; rejoice! For ever fleeing to you for refuge, we sinners gain reconciliation with God.
Glory to You our God, glory to You!
Through Your Cross, O loving Lord, You have given me strength: Grant that I may complete the time of the fast with right proper courage!
Katavasia: To the pure and most pure mother and Virgin,* do we the faithful devoutly chant with hymns,* and as the Theotokos* we magnify her.
Aposticha, Tone 5
Come, let us battle thoughts of passion through fasting,* shielding ourselves with spiritual wings* that we may endure the enemy’s storm with ease!* That we may be found worthy of adoring the Cross of the Son of God* who was voluntarily slain for the world,* that we may spiritually celebrate the Saviour’s resurrection from the dead!* Ascending the mountain with the disciples,* we shall glorify the one who received all authority from the Father,* the Son and Lover of mankind!
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.
Come, let us battle thoughts of passion through fasting,* shielding ourselves with spiritual wings* that we may endure the enemy’s storm with ease!* That we may be found worthy of adoring the Cross of the Son of God* who was voluntarily slain for the world,* that we may spiritually celebrate the Saviour’s resurrection from the dead!* Ascending the mountain with the disciples,* we shall glorify the one who received all authority from the Father,* the Son and Lover of mankind!
Let the favour of the Lord be upon us: give success to the work of our hands.
Invincible martyrs of Christ,* you defeated deceit by the power of the Cross* and received the grace of eternal life!* You feared not the threats of your torturers!* and were gladdened by being wounded by them,* and now your blood has become the healing of our souls!* Pray that our souls may be saved!
Glory… Now…
“What is this sight which I see, which my eyes behold, O Master?* How is it that You Who sustain all creation,* are upon the Tree and die, granting life to all?”* thus said the Theotokos weeping, upon seeing God and man* Who had shone forth ineffably from her* hanging upon the Cross.
LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS ON WEDNESDAY EVENING
At Psalm 140
Tone 8
Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
O faithful, while fasting bodily,* let us also fast in spirit.* Let us loosen every bond of injustice;* let us tear apart the strong chains of violence;* let us rip up all unjust assertions;* let us give bread to the hungry* and welcome the poor and homeless to our houses,* that we may receive from Christ our God, His great mercy.
The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O faithful, while fasting bodily,* let us also fast in spirit.* Let us loosen every bond of injustice;* let us tear apart the strong chains of violence;* let us rip up all unjust assertions;* let us give bread to the hungry* and welcome the poor and homeless to our houses,* that we may receive from Christ our God, His great mercy.
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
What honour and praise can fittingly be ascribed to the saints?* They bowed their necks under the sword for You,* the One who left the heavens and came down.* They shed their blood for You,* the One who took the form of a servant.* By emulating Your poverty* they humbled themselves unto death.* By their prayers, have mercy on us, O Lord,* according to Your compassion.
Tone 2
Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Jesus, the true spiritual Sun,* sent you as lightning through all the world,* to overcome the darkness of error* by the brightness of your divine teachings;* O holy apostles, who have seen the Lord,* beseech Him to send His light and His mercy on us.
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Elijah ascended in the divine chariot of his virtues,* and by his fasting he was carried to the heights of heaven in glory.* Strive, O my humble soul, as he did,* fast and shed all evil, malice, envy, and corrupting luxury* so that you may be delivered from all eternal pain of death* and cry out to Christ:* O Lord, glory be to You!
Tone 5
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
O divine apostles,* fervent intercessors for the world and defenders of the faithful.* You received from Christ our God the boldness to intercede for us.* We beseech you that we may pass this solemn time of the Fast untroubled* and receive the grace of the consubstantial Trinity.* O great and glorious preachers, pray for our souls.
Tone 4
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Noble and victorious martyrs,* you were revealed in the final times* as unwaning stars in the Church’s honoured firmament.* You illumined all beneath the sun, all-praised ones,* with the splendour of your sufferings,* destroying the darkness of deception!* Therefore we celebrate your radiant and sacred suffering in faith,* enriched by your intercession.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Noble and victorious martyrs,* you were revealed in the final times* as unwaning stars in the Church’s honoured firmament.* You illumined all beneath the sun, all-praised ones,* with the splendour of your sufferings,* destroying the darkness of deception!* Therefore we celebrate your radiant and sacred suffering in faith,* enriched by your intercession.
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Martyrs of Christ,* you were bound after a summary arrest* and shut up in prison for a lengthy time.* You were divine preservers of the faith,* who refused to submit to his evil commands.* Therefore the infamous beast was enraged and slew you with the sword.* Now you have joyfully inherited higher things,* joining yourselves to the Kingdom,* all-glorious two and forty!
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Let us shout the praise of Constantine,* Basoes and Callistus,* Theodore and Theophilus,* and the rest of the divine company of athletes,* for they sacrificed themselves with joy, * electing to die for the Life of all.* Now they rest in the city of the living God,* entreating that on the day of judgment,* we may find remission of sins and complete deliverance.
Tone 4
Glory… Now…
O Mother of Christ our God,* you who gave birth to the Maker of all,* deliver us from every danger,* so that we may cry out to you with one accord:* Rejoice, O only intercessor for our souls!
Prokeimenon I, Tone 5
You, O Lord, will guard us, and will keep us,* from this generation, and forever!
verse: Save me, O Lord, for there is no longer left a just man.
Reading I
Genesis 1:24-2:3
Prokeimenon II, Tone 6
Look at me and answer me* O Lord my God!
verse: How long, O Lord, will You forget me? How long will You hide Your face from me?
Reading II
Proverbs 2:1-22