VESPERS ON TUESDAY EVENING

Kathisma Reading

The appointed psalms are chanted.

At Psalm 140

Tone 7

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

Of old, a tree drove me from paradise,* but now a tree has restored me to paradise* when You were crucified, О Christ.

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

О awesome wonder!* How can the Creator, standing before a created being,* be condemned and crucified for the salvation of mankind?

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

О Cross of Christ,* the amazement of the holy angels and the great wounding of the demons:* Save your servants!

Tone 4

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

Torn by iron claws, beaten with a scourge of cords, your body burned with fire,* you did not deny the saving name of Christ,* nor were you vanquished in mind, nor did you sacrifice to graven images,* but you were a willing whole-burnt offering,* a pure and perfect sacrifice to your Master, O martyr Menas.

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

Your eyes put out, hung upon a tree, burned all over by candles,* scourged with thongs by the cruelty of the judge,* your head cut off by the sword,* you rejoiced, O glorious Victor, passion-bearer of the Saviour,* vanquishing legions of the enemy by the activity of the Holy Spirit.

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

The Lord has crowned you with a diadem of grace, O much suffering Stephanida,* for willingly you gave yourself over to torments with spiritual valour;* bound between two palm trees, you were torn asunder,* and like a sparrow took flight to God,* leaving your flesh in the hands of your tormenters, O right glorious martyr.

Tone 4, Glory…

Again the yearly commemoration of the beacons of the world has dawned for us:* Menas, Victor, and Vincent,* who enlighten the hearts of the faithful by their struggles for Christ and His Cross.* Therefore, in hymns let us honour Christ our God,* who has crowned them with glory and honour.

Now…

The pure Virgin, Your Mother,* beholding the iniquitous men that nailed Your unjustly to the Tree,* was wounded, O Saviour, in the womb, as Simeon foretold.

Aposticha

Tone 7

No longer are we forbidden the Tree of life,* for we have Your Cross as our hope.* О Lord, glory be to You!

I have lifted up my eyes to You enthroned in heaven. Behold, as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, as the eyes of a maid are on the hands of her mistress, so are our eyes on the Lord our God until He has mercy on us.

Suspended upon the Tree, О Immortal One,* You broke the snares of the devil.* О Lord, glory be to You!

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us; for we have been filled with shame; our soul is all too full of the mockery of the rich, of the contempt of the proud.

Caring nothing for all the things of earth, О holy martyrs,* and having manfully preached Christ at the tribunal,* you received from Him rewards for your torments;* but as you have boldness, beseech Him,* as the almighty God, that He save the souls of us who flee to you, we pray.

Tone 7, Glory… Now…

Once you beheld your son upon the Tree,* your heart was pierced by a lance of sadness,* O most-pure One.

Troparia

Tone 4

O Lord and Master, You have made those martyrs who shared in your passion* ornaments of glory for the world.* Therefore, we have an invincible advocate in them.

Tone 8, Glory…

O guide of the true faith, mirror of piety and commendable behaviour,* bright star of the universe, and adornment of pontiffs,* you enlightened us all by our teachings.* O wise Theodore, inspired by God and lyre of the Holy Spirit,* intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls.

Now…

When the Mother beheld upon the cross* the Lamb, the Shepherd, and the Saviour of the world,* she exclaimed tearfully:* The world rejoices at the sight of its redemption,* but my heart is afire as I see Your pain on the cross,* which You accept for the sake of all, O my Son and my God!

AT DIVINE LITURGY ON WEDNESDAY MORNING

Troparia and Kontakia

Troparion, Tone 1: Be swayed by the pains that the saints have suffered for You, O Lord,* and heal all our pains,* O Lover of mankind, for this we pray.

Troparion, Tone 8: Guide of orthodoxy, teacher of piety and purity,* luminary of the world, inspired adornment of monks, O wise Theodore,* you have enlightened all by your teachings, O spiritual trumpet.* Intercede with Christ our God for the salvation of our souls.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Kontakion, Tone 2: Appearing as radiant lights, O godly martyrs,* you illumine all creation with the brilliance of your miracles,* healing infirmities, always dispelling deep darkness* and praying unceasingly to Christ our God for all of us.

Now and for ever and ever. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone 2: You took delight in self-control, O wise one,* and you put the desires of the flesh to sleep.* You were seen to have grown in faith;* and, like the Tree of Life in Paradise, you flourished, O holy father, Theodore.

Prokeimenon, Tone 4

To the saints who are in His land, the Lord has made wonderful all His desires in them.

verse: I foresaw the Lord in my sight, for He is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. (Psalm 15:3,8)

Epistle

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Alleluia, Tone 4

verse: The just cried out and the Lord heard them, and delivered them out of their afflictions.

verse: The afflictions of the just are many, and out of them all will the Lord deliver them. (Psalm 33:18,20)

Gospel

Luke 12:48-59

Communion Hymn

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