All-Night Vigil Feast. A day when the faithful are highly encouraged to participate in the Divine Liturgy.

GREAT VESPERS FOR ALL-NIGHT VIGIL ON THURSDAY EVENING

Kathisma Reading

Blessed is the man… is chanted.

At Psalm 140

Tone 4

Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!

As is meet, let us glorify John and Basil, with Gregory:* the three heralds of the great Trinity,* the instruments of grace, the harps of the Spirit,* the right famous clarions of proclamation,* awesome and clear of resonance, who thunder forth from the heights* and declare to the ends of the earth the glory of God.

Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.

Let the three champions be honoured as is meet:* the bulwarks of piety, the three apostles added to the twelve,* the rivers pouring forth living water from Eden,* flooding the face of the earth with life-bearing and divine streams,* they who have formed the Faith as the elements form creation.

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

There is no speech nor spoken words,* which are not heard in their voices, he says;* for the proclamation of the divine and wise teachers* has passed over all the land and the sea of creation.* Hence, most excellent things are brought together* and assembled through their divine laws into one Orthodoxy,* for the ends of the earth.

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

With voices of hymnody let us who follow their dogmas* praise the instruments of the Holy Spirit,* the clarions of the truth, the words of orators,* entreating them, as ones who have boldness before the Lord,* that He ever grant*mighty peace to the whole world,* and forgiveness to us all.

Tone 2

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

With what wreaths of praise shall we crown the teachers,* who though in separate bodies were united in spirit,* the God-bearing intercessors equal in number with the Trinity,* the ministers and luminaries who enlighten the universe,* the pillars of the Church, whom Christ our God, who has great mercy,* crowns with wreaths of glory, in that they are victorious?

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

With what beauties of hymnody* shall we crown the God-bearing and heavenly initiates and preachers of the mysteries,* the exceeding most excellent theologians of Orthodoxy,* the great Basil manifest in sanctity,* the godly and divinely eloquent Gregory,* and John of exceeding golden tongue,* whom the Trinity, the Lord, has glorified as is meet,* in that He has great mercy?

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

With what words of praise shall we laud the holy hierarchs,* the peers of the apostles in grace and equal in the honour of spiritual gifts,* the destroyers of impiety, the saviours and guides in word and deed,* the shepherds Christ-like in faith, the earthly angels and heavenly men,* whom Christ, the Lord of glory, has honoured,* in that He hath great mercy?

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

With what wreaths of praise shall we crown Chrysostom,* together with Basil and Gregory, the precious receptacles of the Spirit,* the champions of the unadulterated Faith, the pillars of the Church,* the confirmation of the faithful, the consolation of all sinners,* the wellsprings which pour forth water,* drinking from which we find delight for our souls,* asking forgiveness of transgressions and great mercy?

Tone 6, Glory…

Let us praise today the God-bearing fathers, the mystical clarions of the Spirit,* who in the midst of the Church have chanted the melodious hymns of theology* to the one Trinity immutable in essence and Godhead,* the destroyers of Arians and champions of the Orthodox,* who ever entreat the Lord, that our souls find mercy.

Now…

Who would not call you blessed, O Virgin most holy?* Who would not sing a hymn of praise* to the glory of your giving birth without pain or travail?* The Only-begotten Son Himself,* begotten of the Father before all ages,* was made flesh out of you in a manner* that cannot be explained, O Woman most pure!* And for our sake, He who is God by nature* assumed the nature of a man.* He is not divided into two persons;* He is understood to have two natures* without commixion or confusion.* O noble and blessed Woman,* intercede with Him that He may have mercy on our souls.

Prokeimenon, Tone 6

My help is from the Lord,* Who made heaven and earth.

verse: I lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from where my help shall come.

Reading I

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy.

Behold, I am delivering the land in your presence; go in and inherit the land I swore to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give it to them and their seed after them.’ So I spoke to you at that time, saying, “I alone am not able to bear you. The Lord your God multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude. May the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you, just as He said.” So I took from you wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men and made them leaders over you: leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens; judges to interpret the law for you. Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, “Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the resident alien with him. You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall judge the small and the great; you shall not shrink before any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s. The case too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.”

Deuteronomy 1:8-11, 15-17

Reading II

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy.

Indeed, heaven and heaven of heaven belong to the Lord your God, also the earth and everything in it. The Lord chose your fathers to love them; and He chose their seed after them, you above all nations, as it is this day. Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving him food and clothing. Therefore, love the resident aliens, for you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and hold fast to Him, and take oaths in His name. He is your boast and your God, who did these great and glorious things for you, the things you saw with your own eyes.

Deuteronomy 10:14-21

Reading III

A reading from the Book of Wisdom.

But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torture will ever touch them. In the eyes of the undiscerning they seemed to have died, and their departure was considered to be misfortune, and their passage from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. For though in man’s view they were punished, their hope is full of immortality. Though chastened in a few things, great kindness will be shown them, for God tested them and found them worthy of Himself. He tested them like gold in a furnace and accepted them as a whole burnt offering. In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and they will run about like sparks through straw. They will judge nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall reign over them to the ages. Those who trust in Him will understand truth, and the faithful shall continue with Him in love, because grace and mercy are upon His elect.

Wisdom 3:1-9

Lytia

Tone 2

Come, O servants of the heavenly Trinity,* let us praise the earthly trinity of holy hierarchs,* Basil, the namesake of kingship,* Gregory called the Theologian,* and John who was truly named for grace,* who plumbed the depths of the wisdom of the Spirit:* the currents of the ocean, the ever- flowing wellsprings pouring forth living water,* the lustrous pearls, the lamps to the earth,* the helmsmen of the Church, the trees bearing radiant fruit, the grace-filled builders,* the mouth of my Christ and champions of the Trinity,* who are illumined directly thereby and pray unceasingly in behalf of our souls.

Enlightened by the embers which burn with unbearable Fire,* let us praise them with faith;* for, set afire through union with Him,* they became beacons for the world, showing themselves to be a living power for the poor;* and they manifestly and piously preached the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.* And to them let us say: Rejoice, O divinely wise trinity of the Trinity!

Tone 6

O holy and worshipful Trinity,* glory to Your wise providence!* For You have given to men three great luminaries from among men,* who illumine with the light of Your knowledge* and enlighten with the radiance of Your saving and honourable desires!* For thereby the whole world, enriched with the light of understanding,* is rendered effulgent by Your glory, and hastens to Your blessed kingdom,* exhorting us to hearken to their divine teachings, O Holy Trinity,* hearken to their supplications in our behalf, and, in that You are God most compassionate,* save our souls, O You who love mankind.

Tone 6, Glory…

Assembling together, O you who love the feasts of the Church,* with songs of praise let us hymn the holy hierarchs of Christ,* the glory of the fathers, the pillars of the Faith,* the teachers and preservers of the faithful,* and let us say: Rejoice, O all-wise Basil, beacon and indestructible tower of the Church!* Rejoice, O Gregory the Theologian, celestial mind and greatest among hierarchs!* Rejoice, O most golden John of golden eloquence, manifest preacher of repentance!* O fathers who are thrice rich, cease never in your supplications to Christ* in behalf of those who with faith and love* celebrate your most sacred and divine festival.

Now…

Assembling, O you who love the feasts of the Church,* with songs of praise let us hymn the only Theotokos,* the beauty of virginity, the noetic gladness, the firm rampart of the faithful,* and let us say: Rejoice, O pure Virgin Mother,* radiant lamp and portal of heaven!* Rejoice, O most pure one, sacred tabernacle which contained God in thy womb!* Rejoice, you who beyond dispute surpass all the ranks of heaven!* Therefore, O Mother without husband, O Lady, never cease to preserve your servants,* who ever hymn you with faith and love,* and worship your seedless birth giving.

Aposticha

Tone 1

As is meet, today let us praise together the spiritual initiates of the mysteries,* the noetic clarions of God, the divine reflections:* Basil the great, the divine Gregory of fiery inspiration,* and John, truly golden-mouthed,* who pours forth upon us golden streams of doctrines.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is he death of His faithful.

As is meet, let us praise with hymns the foundation of the Faith,* the godly and vigilant mind,* the most radiant rivers of golden streams and the honoured luminaries,* the champions of the Trinity,* the receptacles of the grace of the Spirit,* the unshakeable pillars,* the confirmation of the Church.

Your priests shall be clothed with holiness; your faithful shall ring out their joy.

O thrice-blessed Basil,* divinely wise Gregory* and most golden and all-honoured John,* instruments of the Spirit, clarions of the divine thunder,* lightning-flashes of preaching, most radiant beacons,* rendered golden and luminous by God:* entreat Christ that He save those who honour you.

Tone 2, Glory…

Today are the souls of mortals borne up on high from earthly things;* today do they become heavenly on the day of the saints’ commemoration;* for the gates of heaven are opened, and the words of the Master are spoken to us.* Words proclaim the Word, and tongues hymn His wonders.* And we cry out to the Saviour:* Glory to You, O Christ God,* for through them has peace been given to the faithful!

Now…

Today is Christ carried into the sanctuary as a babe;* today He becomes subject to the law who gave the law to Moses!* The armies of the angels marvelled, beholding Him who holds all things* borne in the arms of an elderly man.* And, full of reverence, Symeon cried out, rejoicing:* Now let me depart from this fleeting life* to a rest which waxes not old, O Saviour;* for I have seen You and am glad!

Troparia

Tone 4

As equals to the apostles in the way you lived* and teachers of the whole world* intercede with the Master of all to grant peace to the world,* and, to our souls, great mercy. (2)

Tone 1

Rejoice, Mother of God, Virgin Mary full of grace!* The Lord is with you.* Blessed are you among women,* and blessed is the fruit of your womb.* For you have borne Christ, the Saviour and Redeemer of our souls.

DIVINE LITURGY ON FRIDAY MORNING

Troparia and Kontakia

Troparion, Tone 4: As equals to the apostles in the way you lived* and teachers of the whole world,* intercede with the Master of all* to grant peace to the world,* and to our souls great mercy.

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

Kontakion, Tone 2: You received Your inspired and steadfast preachers, Your chief teachers* into the enjoyment of Your good things and into repose.* You who alone glorify Your saints,* accepted their labours and death* more gladly than any holocaust.

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)

Epistle

Hebrews 13:7-16

Alleluia, Tone 4

verse: The heavens shall confess Your wonders, O Lord, and Your truth in the church of the saints.

verse: God is glorified in the assembly of the saints. (Psalm 89:6,8)

Gospel

Matthew 5:14-19

Communion Hymn

Rejoice in the Lord, O you just;* praise befits the righteous.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 32:1)