GREAT VESPERS

Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.

At Psalm 140

In Tone 4

10. Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.

We never cease to adore Your life-giving Cross, O Christ our God,
And we glorify Your resurrection on the third day.
For You, Almighty One, have thereby restored the corrupted nature of all
and reopened the way to heaven,
since You alone are gracious and You love mankind.

9. The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.

O Saviour, You have absolved the penalty of disobedience,
committed through the tree of Eden,
by willingly being nailed to the tree of the Cross.
As Almighty God, You descended into Hades
and broke asunder the bonds of death.
We, therefore, venerate Your resurrection from the dead,
and joyfully cry out to You:
Almighty Lord, glory to You!

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

O Lord, You have battered down the gates of Hades,
and by Your death You have dissolved the realm of death.
You have freed mankind from corruption,
bestowing life, incorruption, and Your great mercy upon the world.

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

Come, all you people,
let us sing the praises of our Saviour’s resurrection on the third day.
For we have, thereby, been delivered from the invincible bonds of Hades,
and we have received incorruption, together with eternal life.
Therefore, we cry out to You
after Your crucifixion, burial, and resurrection:
Save us by Your resurrection, for You love mankind.

In Tone 1

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

The Creator of all things, and our God,
is being brought into the Temple by the virgin Mother.
The aged Simeon receives Him and cries out with joy:
Now You may dismiss your servant in peace,
according to your will, O good One.

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

Receiving from the Virgin the One begotten before all ages,
Simeon took Him in his arms and cried out:
I have seen the Saviour,
the Illumination of your glory to the ends of the earth.
Now You may dismiss your servant in peace, O good One,
since I have seen You today.

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

Near the end of his long life,
Simeon carried in his arms the Saviour
who was born for the salvation of all.
Rejoicing, he cried out:
I have seen the Light of the Gentiles and the Glory of Israel.
Now You may dismiss your servant from here, O God,
according to your command.

In Tone 4

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

You are righteous, perfected, and glorified beyond everyone,
O God-inspired Simeon.
You took into your hands the incarnate and only perfect God.
He came into the world in order to justify it,
and that you might be released from the body which cried out to Him:
Now You may dismiss your servant in peace, O Lover of Mankind,
since I have seen You today.

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

While remaining young in spirit, you became old in body, O Simeon.
You received the promise not to see death until you had seen the young infant.
He was of God the Father before all ages,
yet He humbled himself through the flesh.
You beheld Him and danced for joy
and asked for release from the flesh.
Then you joyfully passed to the heavenly abode.

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

The God-inspired Anna and the wealthy Simeon shone with prophecy.
They manifested themselves as spotless in the Law.
They saw the Giver of the Law revealing himself
as an infant according to our nature.
Therefore, let us joyfully celebrate today
and glorify Christ, the Lover of Mankind.

In Tone 5, Glory…

He who is ancient of days and young in the flesh
is being brought to the Temple by his virgin Mother.
He fulfils the promise of his own law.
Simeon receives Him and says:
Now You may dismiss your servant, according to your word, in peace,
for my eyes have seen your salvation, O Lord.

In Tone 4, Now…

O Mother of God, because of You David the Prophet
became an ancestor of God;
he foretold and sang a joyous hymn of praise
and cried out to Him who worked wonders in you:
“The Queen stood at your right hand.”
God revealed you as a life-giving mother,
when He chose to be incarnate of you without a father.
He renewed in man His image which the passions had corrupted.
He found the lost sheep in the mountains, carried it on His shoulders,
offered it to the Father, generously numbered it among the powers of heaven,
and saved the whole world, since He is Christ of great and rich mercy.

Aposticha

In Tone 4

In being lifted upon the Cross, O Lord,
You abolished the curse which we had inherited from our ancestors.
By going down into Hades,
You freed from eternal captivity those imprisoned there,
and granted incorruption to the human race.
We, therefore, praise Your life-giving and redeeming resurrection.

The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.

By hanging on the Cross, O Almighty One,
You shook the whole creation to its foundations.
When You Yourself were laid in the grave,
You raised to life those who had been lying in the graves,
and You granted life and incorruption to mankind.
We, therefore, praise and glorify Your resurrection on the third day.

For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.

O Christ, the lawless people showed their ingratitude to You, their Benefactor,
by delivering You to Pilate who condemned you to be crucified.
But You willingly suffered death and burial;
and, as God, You rose by Your own power on the third day,
granting us everlasting life and great mercy.

Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.

The women, shedding bitter tears, came to see You in Your tomb;
and not finding Your body, they lamented, saying:
O Saviour and King of All, how were You stolen?
What place holds Your life-bearing body?
An angel answered them, saying:
Do not weep, but go and proclaim that the Lord is risen,
filling our hearts with joy;
for He alone is most compassionate.

In Tone 1, Glory… Now…

He, who once gave the Law to Moses on Sinai,
today submits himself to the prescriptions of the Law.
In his compassion He has become like us for our sakes.
Now the pure God, as a holy infant having opened a pure womb,
is being offered as God to himself.
He is freeing us from the curse of the Law
and granting light to our souls.

Troparia

In 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.”

In Tone 1, Glory… Now…
Rejoice, full of grace, Virgin Mother of God!* From you there dawned the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God,* who enlightens those who dwell in darkness.* And you, O righteous Elder, be glad!* You received in your embrace* the Liberator of our souls,* who grants us resurrection.

DIVINE LITURGY

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 1: Rejoice, full of grace, Virgin Mother of God!* From you there dawned the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God,* who enlightens those who dwell in darkness.* And you, O righteous Elder, be glad!* You received in your embrace* the Liberator of our souls,* who grants us resurrection.

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

Kontakion, Tone 4: My Saviour and Deliverer from the grave* as God raised out of bondage the children of the earth* and shattered the gates of Hades;* and as Master, He rose on the third day.

Now and for ever and ever. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone 1: By Your birth, You sanctified a virgin womb* and fittingly blessed the hands of Simeon.* You have come also now and saved us, O Christ our God;* give peace to Your community in time of war,* and strengthen its rulers, whom You love,* for You alone,* are the Lover of mankind.

Prokeimenon, Tone 4
How great are Your works, O Lord* You have made all things in wisdom.
verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul: O Lord my God, You are exceedingly great. (Psalm 103:24,1)

Prokeimenon, Tone 3
My soul magnifies the Lord,* and my spirit has rejoiced in God, My Saviour.

Epistle
1 Timothy 4:9-15

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: Now, O Master, You dismiss Your servant in peace according to Your word.(Luke 2:29)
verse: For my eyes have seen Your salvation, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people, Israel. (Luke 2:32)

Gospel
Luke 19:1-10

Hymn to the Mother of God
O God-bearing Virgin, hope of Christians, protect and guard and save all those who put their trust in you.
and the Irmos, Tone 3: In the law, the shadow, and the scriptures, we the faithful see a figure: every male child that opens the womb shall be sanctified to God. Therefore do we magnify the first-born Word and Son of the Father who is without beginning, the first-born Child of a Mother who had not known man.

Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1)* I will take the chalice of salvation;* and I will call upon the name of the Lord (Psalm 116:13) Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia.