The Repose of Our Holy Father Methodius, Teacher of the Slavs (885) and our Holy Father Eutychius, Archbishop of Constantinople (587) Great Fast Day 38. All-Nighth Vigil Feast. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat. According to liturgical prescriptions, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated today. Sixth Hour – Isaiah 58:1-11; Presanctified – Genesis 43:26-31; 45:1-16; Proverbs 21:23-22:4; Hebrews 7:26-8:2; John 10:9-16
GREAT VESPERS ON TUESDAY EVENING
Kathisma Reading: “Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 2
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Ruled by many passions,* weakened by all the assaults of the evil one,* my heart lies shamefully in the tomb of laziness,* crushed with senselessness as with a stone.* Saviour, by your life-bearing Cross* You gave life to those who were in hell:* Awaken me, and give me life,* so that in fear, I may glorify Your divinity!
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
At the prompting of the evil one,* I have always loved the riches of corrupting pleasure* and without conscience I have delighted in vanity.* I have despised my mind when it groaned like Lazarus* and hungered for the food of God.* Word, deliver me in Your tender mercy from the flames to come* that I may glorify You, Lover of mankind!
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Today Lazarus has died;* Bethany laments for him.* But, Saviour, You shall raise him from the dead, * giving in Your friend assurance of Your awesome Resurrection,* of the death of hell, the life of Adam!* Therefore we sing Your praises!
In 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.
О holy Bishop Methodius,* you took upon yourself task of teaching the law of grace.* By holy letters you brought together and handed on these teachings to your people and your flock,* that by them they could read and contemplate the holy Scriptures,* and they blessed the Lord.* We, therefore, bless you worthily.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
О blessed Methodius,* you followed the words of the Lord,* and truly blessed the Father,* who gave birth to the Word in essence,* and sent forth the all-holy Spirit.* You continue to profess this, crying aloud,* “Truly the Comforter proceeds from the Father and not from the Son.”* Therefore, О divine preacher,* you stand with the fathers of the First Council in their same profession,* pray with them to the Saviour, that he may save us all.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
О father Methodius,* you received apostolic grace from God in abundance.* You were counted worthy of the wonder of prophecy,* seeing the future as if it were present.* Rejoice, О glorious father,* sight of the blind, expeller of demons and healer of the sick.* Grant us forgiveness of sins and great mercy.
In Tone 1
Glory…
О bishop Methodius, renowned citizen of the land of Moravia,* glory and boast of the northern countries,* your lofty preaching calls us together.* Come, О feast-lovers, let us rejoice in faith and exult with him* on the feast of his glorious falling asleep.* May he offer unceasing prayer to Christ our God,* that our souls may be delivered from all troubles and dangers.
Now…
Let us sing a hymn of praise to the Virgin Mary,* glory of the whole world!* She was herself formed by human seed,* yet she became the Mother of the Master, the Gate of heaven,* the theme of the angels’ hymn and beauty of the faithful.* She was seen as being heavenly* and the Tabernacle of the Godhead.* She indeed tore down the wall of enmity between God and man,* and brought peace in its place.* She opened up the kingdom of heaven.* Let us therefore cling fast to her for she is the anchor of faith,* and let us receive as our stronghold the Lord Who was born of her.* Be of good cheer, then, and have confidence, O people of God,* for He will fight our enemies for us,* He is all-powerful!
Prokeimenon, Tone 4
The fear of the Lord* is the beginning of wisdom!
verse: I will give thanks to You, Lord, with my whole heart!
Reading I: Genesis 31:3-16
Prokeimenon, Tone 4
He is merciful, bountiful,* and righteous!
verse: Blessed is the man who fears the Lord!
Reading II: Proverbs 21:3-21
Readings for the Feast: Deuteronomy 1:8-17, Deuteronomy 10:14-21, Wisdom 3:1-9
Aposticha
In Tone 8
O hierarch Methodius, aurora of the intellectual light, light of the church,* ornament of hierarchs and of the monks’ life of fasting the true rule,* you have appeared to us a defender* delivering our souls from the destructive enemy.
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
O hierarch Methodius, you have received from God a great power,* you have driven off with your prayer* a multitude of the evil demons with their attacks* from all those that in faith have recourse to you.
What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?
How can we worthily hymn the great hierarch Methodius,* the venerable mind,* the light God-illumined that enlighten us* and grants the divine understanding,* the confessor of the profound mysteries.* Let us harmoniously say: Hail, O Methodius, the father of fathers.
Glory…
Come, О feast-lovers,* let us rejoice and exult with holy hymns,* the falling asleep of the bishop Methodius, the enlightener of Moravia,* the equal-to-the apostles of the Slavic peoples.* Behold, he rejected the pleasures of the world,* and took the apostolate of the cross on his shoulders,* together with his brother, enlightening the Slavic nations.* After his falling asleep, he received from God the reward of righteousness,* and prays without ceasing,* that our souls may be delivered from all troubles and dangers.
Troparion
In Tone 4
O Christ, bestow from above Your mercies* to those who radiantly feast Your bishop’s falling asleep.* Through the intercession of our father Methodius,* Your holy disciple,* open to us the doors of the Kingdom* and loose the chains of our many sins.
LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS: ON WEDNESDAY EVENING
At Psalm 140
In Tone 5
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
I am rich in all sorts of passions,* and I am clothed in a garment of hypocrisy,* as I revel in the intemperance of sin.* My lack of mercy is beyond measure,* and I disregard my spirit lying before the gates of repentance.* Starved of every good thing, I suffer from illness.* But You, O Lord, make me like Lazarus who was poor in sin,* so that I will not have to beg for a drop of water* for my tongue suffering from thirst in the eternal fire.* Make me dwell in the bosom of the patriarch Abraham, O Lover of humankind.
- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
I am rich in all sorts of passions,* and I am clothed in a garment of hypocrisy,* as I revel in the intemperance of sin.* My lack of mercy is beyond measure,* and I disregard my spirit lying before the gates of repentance.* Starved of every good thing, I suffer from illness.* But You, O Lord, make me like Lazarus who was poor in sin,* so that I will not have to beg for a drop of water* for my tongue suffering from thirst in the eternal fire.* Make me dwell in the bosom of the patriarch Abraham, O Lover of humankind.
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
With your souls filled with unquenchable love, O holy martyrs,* you endured the most terrible sufferings without ever denying Christ;* and you laid low the impudence of the torturers.* You kept the faith unwavering and unharmed* and have gone to dwell in heaven.* Therefore, having the boldness to approach the Lord,* beg Him to grant us His great mercy.
- Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
As You walked in the flesh, O Jesus,* in the land beyond the Jordan,* You said to those who were with You:* Our friend Lazarus has died and has been placed in the tomb.* But I rejoice for you, my friends,* for you will learn that I know all things,* and that with God, I am one,* even though by nature I appear in human form.* Therefore, let us go and give life to Lazarus* so that Death may recognize this victory,* and the perfect consummation I shall bring about* by granting great mercy to the world.
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
O faithful, let us imitate Martha and Mary,* and offer virtuous deeds as ambassadors before the Lord,* that when He comes, He may uplift our minds full of misery which now lie dead in the tomb.* Without life, they have no sense of what they are neglecting,* and they are unaware of the awesomeness of God.* Behold, O Lord, now give life to all and grant us Your great mercy,* as once You had pity on Your friend Lazarus,* and by Your awesome power, You raised him from the dead.
In Tone 6
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Now Lazarus has been in the tomb for two days,* and he sees all generations of the dead.* He beholds such strange and awesome things* and a countless number held within the power of death.* His relatives weep bitterly before his tomb;* but Christ is on His way to give life to His friend,* that He may stir up the same joy in the hearts of all.* Blessed are You, O Saviour; have mercy on us.
In Tone 1
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
All-wise Father George,* you venerated the holy and undefiled icon of Christ with honor!* You were strengthened by His might,* not fearing at all the threats of those who fought against God!* Entreat Him now that our souls may be granted peace and great mercy!
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
All-wise Father George,* you venerated the holy and undefiled icon of Christ with honor!* You were strengthened by His might,* not fearing at all the threats of those who fought against God!* Entreat Him now that our souls may be granted peace and great mercy!
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Glorious Father George,* you endured the wrath of the senselessly enraged ungodly ones;* you saw them exalt themselves in impious arrogance,* and again beheld them when they were openly and utterly crushed* by the providence that moved against the foolish ones!
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Father George, you were a co-worker of God, * a priest and husbandman!* By your words, you brought the souls of the saved to the Master, * bearing fruit a hundred-fold!* Pray that He may grant our souls peace and great mercy!
In Tone 3, Glory… Now…
By your great power, O pure one,* deliver us from sorrows and save us from death!* Protect us from every attack of the devil;* free us from every affliction.* Pray without ceasing to your Son,* that He may deliver us from every oppression.
Prokeimenon I, Tone 4
I walk in the presence of the Lord* in the land of the living.
verse: I love the Lord, for He has heard the cry of my appeal.
Reading I: Genesis 43:26-31 and 45:1-16
Prokeimenon II, Tone 4
I will pay my vows to the Lord,* in the presence of all His people.
verse: I trusted, even when I said: I am sorely afflicted.
Reading II: Proverbs 21:23-22:4
Prokeimenon, Tone 1
My mouth shall speak wisdom and the meditation of my heart understanding.
verse: Hear these things, all you nations; give ear all you inhabitants of the world. (Psalm 28:4,2)
Epistle: Hebrews 7:26-8:2
Alleluia, Tone 2
verse: The mouth of the just man shall meditate wisdom and his tongue shall speak judgment.
verse: The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps will not falter. (Psalm 36:30,31)
Gospel: John 10:9-16