Day 17 of the Great Fast. Abstention from meat and foods that contain these ingredients.
MATINS ON WEDNESDAY MORNING
Sessional Hymn I, Tone 2
In supplication we offer You, O Lord, Your life-giving Cross, which in Your love You have granted to us Your unworthy servants. Save Your city and its rulers, for they entreat You through the Theotokos, O You who alone love mankind.
Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool for He is holy.
The enemy enslaved Adam through the fruit of a tree; and in the same way, O Lord, You have enslaved the enemy through the tree of the Cross and through Your Passion. As the second Adam You have come to seek the wanderer and restore the dead to life. O God, glory to You.
God is wonderful in His saints, the God of Israel.
O martyrs of the Lord, blessed is the earth on which your blood was shed, and holy are the shrines that have received your bodies. For openly in the arena you triumphed over the enemy, and with boldness you preached Christ. We entreat you, pray to Him that in His love He may grant salvation to our souls.
Glory… Now…
Beholding You, O Christ, stretched dead upon the Tree, Your Virgin Mother cried aloud with bitter tears: ‘O my Son, what is this fearful mystery? How do You, who give life eternal to all, suffer willingly a shameful death upon the Cross?’
Sessional Hymn II, Tone 1
O Christ, stretched and slain upon the Cross,* You slew the serpent our enemy, the origin of evil,* restoring to life those killed by his sting,* wherefore I entreat You, O Saviour:* Enliven my deadened soul, for to You do I turn in prayer and fasting.
Glory… Now…
O Christ, the Ewe-lamb, upon seeing You, her Lamb,* hanging upon the Cross between two malefactors,* cried aloud weeping and bitterly lamenting:* “O most beloved Child, what is this wonder that I see?”* whereupon You replied,* “O most pure Mother,* this same wonder shall bring life to all the world.”
Sessional Hymn III, Tone 3
As we pass through the solemn time of abstinence,* let us trumpet hymns and cry aloud:* Through the Fast life has blossomed forth in the world,* and the death that comes from self-indulgence has been destroyed,* by the power of Your Cross, O Christ the Word,* preserve Your servants.
You willingly endured a violent death in crucifixion, O Compassionate One.* And she who gave birth to You was wounded, beholding You.* By her supplications, for the sake of Your merciful loving-kindness,* have compassion upon the world and save it,* O You who take away the sins of the world.
Canon
Ode 3
Irmos: Let my heart be established in Your will, O Christ God,* who has established a second heaven over the waters,* and founded the earth upon the waters,* O all-powerful One.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
You stretched forth Your arms upon the Cross, and thereby in Your mercy and compassion, slay the sin of Adam, who of old stretched out his hand to the tree of knowledge. O supremely good Word of God.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Firmly establish my understanding, for it has been shaken through the envy of the serpent, by Your Passion subdue the assaults of the passions, for through Your sufferings You granted to the faithful freedom from the passions.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
The grace of the Fast has shone forth, driving out the darkness of sinful self-indulgence; behold, now is the acceptable time and the day of salvation. Let us bring forth fruits of repentance and we shall live.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
Having fallen from the cliff of lustful passions, and through grievous sins, plunged into the abyss; O pure Virgin, the restoration of those who have fallen, raise me up and lead me back to life.
Irmos: Firmly establish our hearts, O Lord,* and grant us light that we may sing Your praise* and glorify You, O Saviour* to the ages of ages.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
O Lord, firmly establish our hearts by Your Cross, that we may not turn away from You to evil thoughts or wicked deeds.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
O Master, heaven and earth were altered visibly, when they beheld Your Passion, and they bore witness that You are in truth the King of all.
Glory…
O Most Holy Trinity, equal in honour and beginningless; Unity, Creator of life and the Source of light; the Father, Son, and Spirit, save me.
Now…
O Mother of God who has not known a man, you alone have given birth to God, yet not lost the incorruption of your pure virginity; remaining inviolate, as you were before childbirth.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You.
O Jesus, I venerate and praise Your scarlet robe, the nails and the Cross, the sponge and the lance, that have given life to all the world.
Katavasia: Firmly establish our hearts, O Lord,* and grant us light that we may sing Your praise* and glorify You, O Saviour* to the ages of ages.
Ode 8
Irmos: To Christ who saved the children that sang His praises and who bedewed the raging furnace,* let us hymn and supremely exalt throughout all ages.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O You who accepted to be numbered with the transgressors, in the abundance of Your mercy be gracious to my sins, that in faith I may glorify You throughout all ages.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
With the lance that pierced Your side, tear up the record of my sins, O Lord, and heal the agony of my heart pierced through by the arrows of wickedness of the evil demons.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Wash clean my heart, blackened by the defilement of sin, with the blood that flowed from Your side, that I may glorify You throughout all ages.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
O you who have borne the heavenly Ear of wheat which feeds all things by His divine power: feed my hungry and humiliated soul.
Irmos: In His divine power the Lord descended into the flames* and was seen walking with the Children of the Hebrews:* O priests, bless and supremely exalt Him* throughout all ages.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
Rejoice, O Cross, for by you the thief in a single moment acknowledged Christ’s divinity, crying: “Lord, remember me in Your Kingdom.” Make us also sharers in that Kingdom.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
Pierced with a spear, O Christ, You turned back the fiery sword and open Paradise again to mortal mankind. Let us enter therein and ever rejoice in the immortal life that comes from You.
We bless the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Lord.
With the Father we worship the Son and the Holy Spirit in a Unity of essence, and from mouths of clay we cry without ceasing: Glory in the highest to God in Trinity.
Now…
You alone, who are full of the grace of God, gave birth while yet remaining a virgin. O great mystery, awesome and marvellous! For you have given birth to God incarnate, the Saviour of the world.
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You.
O Cross of Christ, the hope of the ends of the earth, grant that by thy guidance we may pass calmly over the sea of the holy Fast, saved from the tempest of sin.
We praise, we bless, and we worship the Lord, hymning and supremely exalting Him throughout all ages!
Katavasia: In His divine power the Lord descended into the flames* and was seen walking with the Children of the Hebrews:* O priests, bless and supremely exalt Him* throughout all ages.
Ode 9
Irmos: The ever-flowing wellspring of life,* light-bearing candlestick of grace,* the animate temple, and most pure cloud,* wider than the heavens and the earth,* the Theotokos do we the faithful magnify.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Elisha, as it is written, brought the dead child back to life after fasting: let us also therefore fast, killing the multitude of carnal thoughts, that in the age to come we may receive eternal life.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Alas, O my soul! Fearful is the court of judgment, and terrible the sentence of the Judge. Make haste, repent, and be reconciled to Christ, who for your sake has been nailed upon the Cross, delivering the faithful from condemnation.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Open to me the gates of repentance and close within me the doors through which the passions enter, O Christ, who at Your Crucifixion, granted the thief swift entry into Paradise, that I too may glorify Your goodness.
Most holy Theotokos, save us.
As one cast into the deep waters of sin; I am tossed to and fro by adverse thoughts; I have become a plaything of demons and a slave to pleasure. Help me, O pure Virgin Mother, and guide me to the path of salvation.
Katavasia: Upon Mount Sinai Moses saw you in the bush,* as one who conceived the fire of the Godhead within your womb, and yet remained unconsumed.* Daniel saw you as a mountain not cut by the hand of man,* and Isaiah proclaimed you as the Rod that blossomed forth from the root of David.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
Of Your own will You were given up, surrendering Yourself to murderers; and standing before the judgment seat, You were struck by the hands formed by You. You were crucified and mocked, and pierced by the lance, O Lord; suffering bodily, and enduring all things in Your tender compassion, that we may be saved.
Glory to Your precious Cross, O Lord.
The hosts of angels trembled when they saw You on the Cross, the lights of heaven hid their brightness, the earth quaked, and all things were shaken at the outrage done to You, Lord. By Your divine sufferings, O God, You have accomplished our salvation.
Glory…
The Trinity supreme in Godhead is by Essence an undivided Unity. Though single in Nature, it is distinguished in Hypostases; though indivisible, it is divided; though one, it is three: the Father, Son, and Spirit of Life, watching over all things.
Now…
Who has ever heard of a virgin bearing a child, and a mother who knew not a man? O Mary, this miracle has been accomplished in you, but pray tell me how? “Do not enquire into the mystery of my childbearing: it is altogether true yet transcends the understanding of man.”
Glory be to You, our God, glory be to You.
By Your wounds have we all been healed from the passions of sin: for, raised upon the Cross, You struck down the enemy, the author of evil. Count us worthy to pass through the time of the Fast without condemnation and reach the Resurrection.
Katavasia: Upon Mount Sinai Moses saw you in the bush,* as one who conceived the fire of the Godhead within your womb, and yet remained unconsumed.* Daniel saw you as a mountain not cut by the hand of man,* and Isaiah proclaimed you as the Rod that blossomed forth from the root of David.
Aposticha
Tone 7
Through Your Cross, O Lord, You destroyed death,* which came into the world when Adam ate from the forbidden tree in Paradise.* Through the present Fast deliver us from every pleasure that corrupts the soul;* and, we beseech You, grant that we may labour for the Food which endures to life eternal,* that we may obtain crowns of everlasting joy,* which You have prepared for those who fast earnestly.
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.
Through Your Cross, O Lord, You destroyed death,* which came into the world when Adam ate from the forbidden tree in Paradise.* Through the present Fast deliver us from every pleasure that corrupts the soul;* and, we beseech You, grant that we may labour for the Food which endures to life eternal,* that we may obtain crowns of everlasting joy,* which You have prepared for those who fast earnestly.
Let the favour of the Lord be upon us: give success to the work of our hands, give success to the work of our hands.
O all-praised passion-bearers,* shining upon the whole inhabited earth* like beacons affixed in the firmament,* cry aloud to Christ: O Lord, glory be to You.
Glory… Now…
When You were willingly nailed upon the Tree,* the all-immaculate one upon seeing You,* wept and hymned Your sovereignty.
LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS ON WEDNESDAY EVENING
At Psalm 140
Tone 4
Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
Like the prodigal I squandered my paternal inheritance,* and now I am in desolation.* I dwell in the land of the wicked.* In my folly, I became like the unreasoning beasts,* stripped of all divine grace.* So I return and cry out to You:* O merciful and compassionate Father,* I have sinned, O God.* Receive me as a penitent and have mercy on me.
The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
Like the prodigal I squandered my paternal inheritance,* and now I am in desolation.* I dwell in the land of the wicked.* In my folly, I became like the unreasoning beasts,* stripped of all divine grace.* So I return and cry out to You:* O merciful and compassionate Father,* I have sinned, O God.* Receive me as a penitent and have mercy on me.
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
O martyrs of the Lord,* you are living sacrifices and spiritual offerings* and perfect incense burnt to God.* You are sheep that know God and are known to Him,* and wolves cannot break into His fold.* Pray that we may be led with you* to pasture beside the still waters.
Tone 6
Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
O apostles who have seen God,* and who reflect the light of the spiritual Sun for us,* pray for the illumination of our souls* and deliver us from the gloomy darkness of suffering.* Intercede that we may behold the day of salvation.* Through your prayers and intercessions* cleanse our heart which the Evil One has wounded,* so that, saved by faith, we may ever honour you* who brought the world salvation through your all-wise preaching.
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Into an evil land I have wandered,* prodigal that I am;* the wealth You gave to me, O compassionate Father,* I have squandered in a life filled with vice.* And now in hunger I long for the good I lost;* I am clothed with the shame of my transgression.* I have been stripped of righteous deeds and of divine grace.* Now I cry out that I have sinned.* But I know Your righteousness, O Christ;* in Your kindness receive me as Your hired servant,* through the prayers of Your apostles who love You.
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Apostles of the Lord and bright lights of the universe,* you made us the recipients of salvation,* and like the heavens you proclaim the glory of God;* you are adorned with wonders and bright miracles.* Intercede for us unceasingly before the Lord,* that He may receive our prayers as a pleasing aroma,* and grant that with love we may contemplate and kiss His life-giving Cross.* In Your love for humankind,* grant mercy to us who bow low before Your Cross, O Saviour.
Tone 4
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Loving the ultimate Goal of desire utterly, O venerable ones,* you accounted the beauties of life to be but dung;* and through vigil and prayer, through rain and burning heat,* you acquired those things which alone are lasting;* and having dwelt together as one,* by grace were you shown to be dwellers with the angels.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Loving the ultimate Goal of desire utterly, O venerable ones,* you accounted the beauties of life to be but dung;* and through vigil and prayer, through rain and burning heat,* you acquired those things which alone are lasting;* and having dwelt together as one,* by grace were you shown to be dwellers with the angels.
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Beaten with staves, stoned with rocks, cut down with swords,* you did not break your oneness of mind, O martyrs,* bound together by love and fraternal desire;* yet, slain together,*your members cut off, O passion-bearers,* you have set yourselves upon the altar of God* as unblemished sacrifices.
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Consumed by fire, laid waste by suffocation,* you committed your souls into the hands of the King of all* as unblemished sacrifices, O glorious martyrs;* you have joined yourselves to the choirs of the incorporeal powers,* and inherited everlasting glory.* Pray unceasingly, that they that praise you* may also have a share therein.
Tone 2
Glory… Now…
The Word of God, equal in honour to the Father and the Holy Spirit,* has shone forth from the Virgin in these latter days as a mighty sun,* illuminating heaven and earth from end to end.* He has sent you, O glorious apostles, as light* to illumine with the light of faith all nations living in the darkness of ignorance,* and by divine teachings to lead them to the true faith.
Prokeimenon I, Tone 4
I trust in the goodness of God* forever and ever.
verse: I will thank You forevermore; for this is Your doing.
Reading I
Genesis 7:6-9
Prokeimenon II, Tone 4
When God delivers His people from bondage,* then Jacob will be glad and Israel rejoice.
verse: Fools have said in their hearts: There is no God above.
Reading II
Proverbs 9:12-18