GREAT VESPERS

Kathisma Reading

“Blessed is the man…” is sung.

At Psalm 140

In Tone 2

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

Come, let us adore God the Word,* who was born of the Father before all ages,* and was incarnate of the Virgin Mary;* for of His own free will He suffered the Cross* and submitted Himself to burial,* and arose from the dead to save me, a sinful one.

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

Christ our Saviour cancelled the decree that was written against us,* by nailing it to the Cross;* and He abolished the dominion of Death.* Let us glorify His resurrection on the third day.

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

Let us, together with the archangels, sing of Christ’s resurrection;* for He is the Redeemer and Saviour of our souls.* He will come again in awesome glory and mighty power* to judge the world which He has fashioned.

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

Although You died and were buried,* the angel yet declared You as Master.* He said to the women: Come and see where the Lord was placed;* for He is risen as He foretold,* because He is almighty.* Therefore, we worship You, the only Immortal One,* and we beseech You to have mercy on us, O Giver of Life.

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

O Christ, You have abolished the curse of the tree by Your Cross;* You have destroyed the power of death by Your burial,* and You enlightened the human race by Your resurrection.* Therefore, we cry out to You:* O God and Benefactor, glory to You!

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 Lord, the gates of death opened before You in fear,* and the gatekeepers of Hades were filled with dread at the sight of You.* You smashed the gates of brass and crushed the posts of iron.* Then You burst our chains asunder,* and led us out from the darkness, away from the shadow of death.

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

Let us all come and prostrate ourselves in the house of the Lord,* singing this hymn of salvation:* O Christ, You were crucified on the tree and rose from the dead;* and You now abide in the bosom of the Father.* Please cleanse us of our sins.

In Tone 6

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 offered yourself wholly to the Master from your youth,* transcending the flesh and worldly love.* You were an excellent monk, most holy Stephen,* and a vessel of the Spirit of God.* You were imprisoned in a narrow hut, blessed one,* but you gave your mind wings to fly to the heavens* to behold the ineffable beauty of Christ our King and God!* Worshipping His image, you suffered greatly!

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

Imprisoned in a dungeon, you fasted for forty days like the Master,* preparing yourself for suffering, holy Stephen,* the confirmation of monks and adornment of martyrs!* Therefore, those who had no mercy, fell upon you like wild beasts,* dragging you like an innocent lamb!* They unjustly tore your body to pieces and cast you out with the evildoers!* You suffered mightily and now you pray boldly on behalf of our souls!

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

Evil men, subject to the iniquity of the lawless emperor,* stoned you without pity, venerable one, like the honoured Protomartyr Stephen.* They crushed your holy head, O father,* dragging you most savagely through the streets,* causing your bowels to spill forth, most blessed one,* showing you no mercy even after you were dead!* How great was your courage! How great were your bearing and endurance!* By them, Stephen, you have received an unfading crown!

In Tone 6

Glory…

Like the great prophet Samuel, Stephen,* you were dedicated to God while yet an infant.* Having ascended the mountain, you were well-pleasing to Him in the monastic life.* You manfully stripped yourself for the contest,* enduring banishment and tribulation with patience!* You bore fetters and imprisonment for his image!* You were dragged and beaten; you were stoned and your head was crushed.* Therefore you were crowned by Christ God!* Entreat Him that those who celebrate your honourable memory* may be delivered from sufferings, temptations and the tribulation to come,* and that our souls may be saved!

In Tone 2

Now…

O Virgin, the shadow of the Law passed away* with the realization of grace.* For as the bush had burned without being consumed,* so you gave birth while a virgin* and you remained a virgin.* Instead of the pillar of fire there rose the Sun of Justice.* Instead of Moses, Christ God came forth,* the Saviour of our souls.

Aposticha

In Tone 2

Your Resurrection, O Christ our Saviour,* has enlightened the whole universe;* and, through it, You call back to Yourself all Creation.* Almighty God, glory to You!

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

By the wood of Your Cross, O Saviour,* You have abolished the curse of the tree;* by Your burial You have destroyed the power of death;* and by Your resurrection You enlightened the human race.* We, therefore, cry out to You:* O Christ our God, Giver of Life, glory to You!

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

O Christ, when You were nailed to the Cross,* the distorted nature of creation was made manifest.* The soldiers showed their inhumanity by piercing Your side with a lance,* and the people showed their ignorance of Your power* by asking that Your tomb be sealed.* But, in Your mercy, You accepted burial* and then arose on the third day.* O Lord, glory to You!

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

O Christ, Giver of Life,* You freely endured the Passion for the sake of mortals.* In Your power You descended into Hades;* and snatching, as from a mighty monster, the souls of those who awaited Your coming,* You placed them in Paradise.* Therefore, show Your great mercy to us who glorify Your resurrection,* and cleanse our souls.

In Tone 6

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 offered yourself wholly to the Master from your youth,* transcending the flesh and worldly love.* You were an excellent monk, most holy Stephen,* and a vessel of the Spirit of God.* You were imprisoned in a narrow hut, blessed one,* but you gave your mind wings to fly to the heavens* to behold the ineffable beauty of Christ our King and God!* Worshipping His image, you suffered greatly!

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

Imprisoned in a dungeon, you fasted for forty days like the Master,* preparing yourself for suffering, holy Stephen,* the confirmation of monks and adornment of martyrs!* Therefore, those who had no mercy, fell upon you like wild beasts,* dragging you like an innocent lamb!* They unjustly tore your body to pieces and cast you out with the evildoers!* You suffered mightily and now you pray boldly on behalf of our souls!

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

Evil men, subject to the iniquity of the lawless emperor,* stoned you without pity, venerable one, like the honoured Protomartyr Stephen.* They crushed your holy head, O father,* dragging you most savagely through the streets,* causing your bowels to spill forth, most blessed one,* showing you no mercy even after you were dead!* How great was your courage! How great were your bearing and endurance!* By them, Stephen, you have received an unfading crown!

In Tone 6

Glory…

Like the great prophet Samuel, Stephen,* you were dedicated to God while yet an infant.* Having ascended the mountain, you were well-pleasing to Him in the monastic life.* You manfully stripped yourself for the contest,* enduring banishment and tribulation with patience!* You bore fetters and imprisonment for his image!* You were dragged and beaten; you were stoned and your head was crushed.* Therefore you were crowned by Christ God!* Entreat Him that those who celebrate your honourable memory* may be delivered from sufferings, temptations and the tribulation to come,* and that our souls may be saved!

Now…

O Virgin, You have never known wedlock,* Yet You conceived God in the flesh* in a manner which words can never describe.* You thus became the Mother of God on high.* O Immaculate Lady, receive the supplication of your servants* and grant us the cleansing of our sins.* Accept now our prayers and beseech God to save all of us.

Troparia

In Tone 2

When You went down to death, O Life Immortal,* You struck Hades dead with the blazing light of Your divinity.* When You raised the dead from the nether world,* all the powers of heaven cried out:* “O Giver of Life, Christ our God, glory be to You!”

In Tone 4

Glory…

Trained in ascetic feats on the mountain,* by the virtue of the Cross you overthrew the assaults of the enemy!* After boldly facing the battle, you crushed the emperor Copronimus* with the weapon of faith!* You were robed in martyrdom, all-blessed one,* and crowned by God for your victory* glorious holy martyr Stephen!

Now…

O Mother of God, the mystery hidden from all eternity* and unknown even to the angels,* was revealed through you to those on earth:* God took on our human nature* and united it to His divine nature in a perfect but unconfused union.* Then, He willingly accepted the cross for our sake* and thereby raised again the first created man,*and saved our souls from death.

 

DIVINE LITURGY

Troparia and Kontakia

Troparion, Tone 2: When You went down to death, O Life Immortal,* You struck Hades dead with the blazing light of Your divinity.* When You raised the dead from the nether world,* all the powers of heaven cried out:* “O Giver of Life, Christ our God, glory be to You!”

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

Kontakion, Tone 2: You rose from the tomb, O almighty Saviour;* and Hades, seeing this wonder, was stricken with fear; and the dead arose.* Creation saw and rejoices with You, and Adam exults.* And the world, my Saviour, sings Your praises for ever.

Now and for ever and ever. Amen.

Theotokion, Tone 2: The tomb and death could not hold the Mother of God,* unceasing in her intercession and an unfailing hope of patronage,* for as the Mother of Life she was transferred to life* by Him Who had dwelt in her ever-virgin womb.

Prokeimenon, Tone 2
The Lord is my strength and my song of praise, and He has become my salvation.
verse: The Lord has indeed chastised me, but He has not delivered me to death. (Psalm 117:14,18)

Epistle: Ephesians 6:10-17 (NRSV)
Brothers and Sisters, finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Alleluia, Tone 2
verse: The Lord will hear you in the day of tribulation; the name of the God of Jacob will shield you.
verse: Lord, grant victory to the king and hear us in the day that we shall call upon You. (Psalm 19:2,10)

Gospel: Luke 13:10-17 (NRSV)
At that time, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.

Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 148:1)