GREAT VESPERS

At Psalm 140

In Tone 1

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

By Your death, O Christ, You destroyed the dominion of death;
by Your glorious rising, You gave life to mankind!
You raised the human race with Yourself by Your condescension,
so we sing to You in grateful praise,
celebrating the feast of Your radiant Resurrection on the third day,
for the midpoint of these precious days has shone for us!
Benefactor of our souls, Jesus, the Giver of life!

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

Before Your precious Cross and Passion, almighty Christ,
You performed most glorious miracles among the peoples.
As it is written, in the midst of the feast of the law, You cried:
If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me
and draw the drink of divine water and life!
I grant the water of life and power and wisdom to all,
for this I have willed to become Man, as the Lover of mankind!

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

Seeing me paralyzed on the bed of my sins,
all-merciful Christ,
You took pity on my useless limbs;
You willed to become a Man for me,
flooding me with the great sea of Your love for mankind.
You have come invisibly,
raising me up as the paralytic of old,
teaching me to run in the ways of Your commandments!
Never permit me to depart from You, Savior,
as the people of the Hebrews abandoned You,
even though they witnessed many miracles before Your Passion,
our God, Who willingly suffered in the flesh for our sake!

In Tone 5

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 venerable father, God-bearing Theodosius!
You laboured greatly during this earthly life:
with hymns, fasting, and persistent prayer
you became a model for your disciples.
Today you celebrate with the bodiless ones the angels,
unceasingly glorifying Christ, the Word of God, the Redeemer,
Who died on the cross and delivered the human race from deceit.
Pray to Him, venerable father,
that He grant peace and great mercy to the world.

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

O venerable father, God-bearing Theodosius!
You laboured greatly during this earthly life:
with hymns, fasting, and persistent prayer
you became a model for your disciples.
Today you celebrate with the bodiless ones the angels,
unceasingly glorifying Christ, the Word of God, the Redeemer,
Who died on the cross and delivered the human race from deceit.
Pray to Him, venerable father,
that He grant peace and great mercy to the world.

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

O venerable father, God-bearing Theodosius!
You truly merited the divine life,
having obtained it through purity and fasting;
for while still alive you renounced everything,
and passed over to the true life.
You now are glorifying with the heavenly hosts Him,
Who mystically took flesh from the Virgin and overthrew Hades
and raised those who had fallen asleep from time beyond memory.
Intercede with Him, O venerable father,
that He may grant peace and great mercy to the world.

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

O venerable father, God-bearing Theodosius!
You truly merited the divine life,
having obtained it through purity and fasting;
for while still alive you renounced everything,
and passed over to the true life.
You now are glorifying with the heavenly hosts Him,
Who mystically took flesh from the Virgin and overthrew Hades
and raised those who had fallen asleep from time beyond memory.
Intercede with Him, O venerable father,
that He may grant peace and great mercy to the world.

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

O venerable father, God-bearing Theodosius!
You found life because you loved purity,
and the grace of the Holy Spirit dwelled in within you,
like a most pure light shining upon you.
You now are unceasingly glorifying Christ, Who is one God in two natures,
Who suffered on the cross in the flesh,
but as God was incapable of suffering.
Pray to Him, , O venerable father,
that He may grant peace and great mercy to the world.

In Tone 8, Glory…

Come, let us all gather together and extol our father, Theodosius!
For already in his youth he received a calling from above,
and was given the name Theodosius which means, “God’s gift.”
To Christ-loving princes He was a teacher of the true faith,
to the nobles an unwavering intercessor,
to orphans a merciful father,
to widows an unwearied defender,
to the afflicted a consolation,
to the poor a treasure,
to the monastics a ladder leading to the heavenly heights;
and to those who directly go to him a sprig of ever-flowing water.
He prays unceasingly for the salvation of our souls.

In Tone 2, Now…

When You came to the Temple, O Christ, in the middle of the feast
You taught the people, saying:
Whoever believes in Me, even if he dies, he shall live.
The Jews, Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes, were enraged and cried:
Who is this Man to utter blasphemies?
They did hot understand that You are our God,
glorified with the Father and the Spirit before the ages!  Glory to You!

Readings
(1) Wisdom 4:7-15; (2) Wisdom 3:1-9; (3) Wisdom 5:15-6:3

Aposticha

In Tone 8

O God-wise Theodosius!
From childhood you have been drawn to God
and have completely dedicated yourself to the almighty King.
You brought to Him the fruits of your ascetical labours
crowned with the garlands of virtue.
For this, O glorious one, you have gained a reward
for your good deeds.

Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His faithful.

You are a teacher of ascetics a most radiant star of the land of Rus’
which illuminates the whole nation with miracles.
from your youth God chose you as a pastor of spiritual sheep.
For this reason, the assembly of venerable ascetics accepted you.
We beseech you: pray with them,
that the sins of your flock may be forgiven.

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who takes delight in all His commandments.

Rejoice, O ever-praised Virgin,
who by means of a pillar of fire pointed out the pasture,
where the spiritual flock was to graze.
There, Theodosius erected in your honour a beautifully adorned church
where the faithful, standing before the relics of your ambassador,
honour your falling-asleep, O most pure Mother of God.

In Tone 8, Glory…

Countless monks honour you, father Theodosius, as their teacher,
following in your footsteps,
we have truly learned to live righteously.
Blessed are you who have toiled for Christ and have brought low the power of the enemy,
O friend of the angels and companion of the venerable ascetics.
pray with them to the Lord,
that He may have mercy on our souls.

In Tone 3, Now…

In the middle of the feast,
let us glorify Him Who worked salvation in the midst of the earth!
The Life was hanging on the Tree, between two thieves.
He was silent with the one who blasphemed,
but the one who believed heard: Today you will be with Me in Paradise!
He descended into the tomb, destroying hell,
and arose on the third day, saving our souls!

Troparia

In Tone 8
Raised in virtue, O father Theodosius,* from childhood you loved the monastic life* and attained your desire courageously.* You lived in a cave adorning your life with fasting and radiance* and abided in prayer like the bodiless powers.* You shone like a beacon in the land of Rus’.** Entreat Christ God to save our souls. (2)

In Tone 4, Glory… Now…
When the disciples of the Lord learned from the angel* the glorious news of the resurrection* and cast off the ancestral condemnation,* they proudly told the apostles;* “Death has been plundered!* Christ our God is risen,** granting to the world great mercy.”

DIVINE LITURGY

After the priest has exclaimed, Blessed be the Kingdom… and the people have responded, Amen, the clergy sing the Paschal Troparion once and the people repeat it. Then, the clergy sing the first half, and the people conclude it.

Paschal Troparion
Christ is risen from the dead,* trampling death by death,* and to those in the tombs* giving life.

Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 4: When the disciples of the Lord learned from the angel* the glorious news of the resurrection* and cast off the ancestral condemnation,* they proudly told the apostles:* “Death has been plundered!* Christ our God is risen,* granting to the world great mercy.”

Troparion, Tone 8: Raised in virtue, O father Theodosius,* from childhood you loved the monastic life* and attained your desire courageously.* You lived in a cave adorning your life with fasting and radiance* and abided in prayer like the bodiless powers.* You shone like a beacon in the land of Rus’.* Entreat Christ God to save our souls.

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

Kontakion, Tone 3: Today we revere the star of Rus’, blessed Theodosius,* who shone from the east and came to the west;* for he enriched this whole land and all of us* with gentleness and miraculous wonders* by the practice and the grace of the monastic rule.

Now and for ever and ever. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone 8: Though You descended into a tomb, O Immortal One,* yet You destroyed the power of Hades;* and You rose as victor, O Christ God,* calling to the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice!* and giving peace to Your Apostles:* You, who grant Resurrection to the fallen.

Prokeimenon, Tone 3
Sing to our God, sing; sing to our King, sing.
verse: Clap your hands, all you nations; shout unto God with the voice of joy. (Psalm 46:7,2)

Prokeimenon, Tone 7
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His venerable ones. (Psalm 115:15)

Epistle
Acts 14:20-27; Hebrews 13:7-16

Alleluia, Tone 4
verse: Poise yourself and advance in triumph and reign in the cause of truth, and meekness, and justice. (Psalm 44:5)
verse: You have loved justice and hated iniquity. (Psalm 44:8)
verse: Blessed is the man who fears the Lord; he shall delight exceedingly in His commandments. (Psalm 111:1)
verse: His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth. (Psalm 111:2)

Gospel
John 9:39-10:9; Matthew 11:27-30

Hymn to the Mother of God
The Angel cried out to the One full of Grace: O chaste Virgin, rejoice! And again I say, Rejoice! Your Son has risen from the tomb on the third day, and raised the dead. Let all people rejoice! Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Exult now and be glad, O Sion! And you, O chaste Mother of God, take delight in the resurrection of your Son.

Communion Hymn
Receive the Body of Christ;* taste the fountain of immortality.* Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1)* The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance;* of evil hearsay he shall have no fear.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 111:6)