Most Holy Eucharist; The Holy Apostle Jude, Brother of the Lord.

Feast of our Lord and Polyeleos Feast.

English Source: Royal Doors www.royaldoors.net

GREAT VESPERS ON WEDNESDAY EVENING

Kathisma Reading

“Blessed is man…” is sung.

At Psalm 140

Tone 6

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

O Lover of mankind,* when You were at supper with Your faithful disciples* You revealed the great mystery of Your incarnation, saying:* Eat the life-giving bread which is My Body,* and drink the Blood of eternal life.

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

The room, where Christ celebrated the Passover,* became a heavenly tabernacle,* an unbloody supper and a spiritual service,* and the table, on which these mysteries were celebrated,* a spiritual altar.

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

O Bread of heaven, You blessed the bread* and offered thanks to the Father and Begetter.* You also took the chalice and gave it to Your disciples, saying:* Take, eat – this is My Body,* and drink the Blood of incorruptible life.

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

The Lord fed His disciples with heavenly food.* Before His passion He gave them the Bread of Angels,* more wonderful than the manna.* “Your fathers,” said the Lord, “ate manna in the desert and died.* This is the bread that comes down from heaven;* whoever eats this bread shall not die, but shall live forever.”* Grant today that we may also partake of this bread,* through the prayers of the Mother

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

After the disciples had eaten the Mystical Supper,* Christ took bread into His hands, raised His eyes to heaven,* blessed and broke it, gave it to His disciples, saying:* Take eat; this is My Body, which is broken for you* for the remission of sins and life everlasting.

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

You alone possess immortality and dwell in light inaccessible.* How then can You, have fellowship with the idol of sinful darkness?* Therefore, You, Who are that light which enlightens every man,* do not judge or cast our dark and sinful souls into the outer darkness,* but illumine us with Your grace, we beseech You,* O Ocean of mercy, O transubstantial Bread!

Tone 1

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

Most wise and praised Apostle Jude,* your sound has gone out into all the earth,* guiding as lightning to the never-fading Light* those darkened by the delusion of ungodliness.* Since now you are radiant with this Light,* beseech great mercy for our souls!

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

Most wise and praised Apostle Jude,* your sound has gone out into all the earth,* guiding as lightning to the never-fading Light* those darkened by the delusion of ungodliness.* Since now you are radiant with this Light,* beseech great mercy for our souls!

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

As if you were a war-chariot of Christ, O wondrous Jude,* you put down the pride of idols.* By the Word of God, you mystically made captivity captive,* and gained life incorruptible, O glorious Apostle.* Since now you delight in this life,* beseech great mercy for our souls!

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

You were a disciple of our incarnate God,* O Jude, Apostle of Christ.* You were sent by Him truly as a sheep among wolves,* by your speech turning them away from impiety,* bringing them to piety and a godly understanding of the holy Trinity.* Therefore we praise you.

Tone 8, Glory…

You received openly the grace of the divine Spirit, O Apostle Jude,* as a participant in the sacred choir of the Apostles.* When the fiery breath came down from heaven,* breathing forth with a tongue of fire,* you utterly consumed the thorns of idolatry.* O Preacher, entreat Christ God that our souls may be saved!

Tone 4, Glory… Now…

Come, you lovers of feasts,* let us today joyfully celebrate the saving feast of the life-giving Bread* and the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world.* Let us celebrate today, not with the leaven of our sinful past,* but with sweetness of purity and truth.* And, having purified ourselves, let us become His worthy partakers,* in order to obtain the everlasting kingdom of Christ.

Readings

(1) Exodus 16:1-3,11-15; (2) 1 Samuel 21:2-7; (3) 1 Kings 17:2-16

Lytia

Tone 6

David, the forefather of Christ,* played and danced before the overshadowed Ark.* Today, we also worship God in the tabernacle,* Whose human nature the Ark prefigured.* For, here, instead of the manna,* we mysteriously behold the incarnate Divinity,* and instead of the tablets of the Law,* the Lawgiver Christ our God,* Who saves our souls.

In the Old Testament the Ark was overlaid inside and outside with gold.* When the heathens seized it,* the Lord could not suffer to dwell with the idol in the temple,* but dashed it to the ground, smashing its head and both palms of its hands.* Yet, You, O Lover of mankind, Christ our God,* willed to enter the defiled temple of our wretched souls?* Therefore, purify and sanctify our souls, O Lord.

O pure Lamb, Who takes away the sins of the whole world!* for the salvation of mankind You changed bread into Your Body,* and under the form of bread You mysteriously hid Yourself,* body, soul, and divinity.* Today, we, the faithful,* solemnly and fervently worship this Bread with faith.

Tone 2, Glory… Now…

We, the faithful, with trembling,* approach Your Mystical Supper and divine table,* desiring to drink of the fountain of immortality;* but fear and trembling seize us because of our numerous sins.* Through You we wish to be cleansed of them,* by the supplications of our Lady, the Mother of God.

Aposticha

Tone 1

Let us praise the living and heavenly Bread* which, in an unspeakable manner, continually comes down from heaven,* and with one mind let us say:* Rejoice! 0 Body of Christ,* through which we all have been saved.* Rejoice! 0 divine and sacred Blood,* through which we have been redeemed.

By the Bread of the Angels man is fed; He sent them food in abundance.

O marvellous wonder!* You gave Your very self to Your disciples and friends as food, saying:* Eat this bread – it is My Body.* And taking the chalice, You said:* All of you, drink My Blood!

And, as though rain He sent them manna as food, and He gave them bread from heaven.

O divine, most holy, most precious Body of the God-Man and Word!* Save Your servants from all anxiety, temptation, and every kind of assault,* and grant the heavenly kingdom and life,* for the sake of Your mercy.

Tone 8, Glory… Now…

O glorious wonder!* Christ, having taken bread and blessed it,* gave it to His disciples, saying: Take and eat – this is My Body;* take also the chalice.* Then the living and divine Bread came down from heaven at that mystical supper,* and of His own free will gave Himself as food.* Therefore, let everyone examine himself,* and then let him eat and drink for the salvation of soul and life everlasting.

Troparion

Tone 4

Your memorial, O Christ our God,* has shone forth upon the world as a festal day,* for the fishermen learned from You to offer unbloody sacrifice with bread and wine.* And so, we celebrate Your divine memorial,* and doing so cry out, O Lord, glory be to You! (2)

Tone 1

As we know you to be Christ’s relative* and a steadfast martyr,* O Jude, we praise you with sacred hymns.* You trampled on error and kept the faith.* And so on this day as we feast your memory* through your prayers, O apostle,* we receive release from our sins.

 

DIVINE LITURGY ON THURSDAY MORNING

Antiphon 1

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures.

Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for You are with me.

Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.

Glory… Now… Only-Begotten Son…

Antiphon 3

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

Troparion, Tone 4: Your memorial, O Christ our God,* has shone forth upon the world as a festal day,* for the fishermen learned from You to offer unbloody sacrifice with bread and wine.* And so, we celebrate Your divine memorial,* and doing so cry out, O Lord, glory be to You!

Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.

Troparion, Tone 4: Your memorial, O Christ our God,* has shone forth upon the world as a festal day,* for the fishermen learned from You to offer unbloody sacrifice with bread and wine.* And so, we celebrate Your divine memorial,* and doing so cry out, O Lord, glory be to You!

You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.

Troparion, Tone 4: Your memorial, O Christ our God,* has shone forth upon the world as a festal day,* for the fishermen learned from You to offer unbloody sacrifice with bread and wine.* And so, we celebrate Your divine memorial,* and doing so cry out, O Lord, glory be to You!

Entrance

I will offer You a sacrifice of praise; I will call upon the name of the Lord.

Troparia and Kontakia

Troparion, Tone 4: Your memorial, O Christ our God,* has shone forth upon the world as a festal day,* for the fishermen learned from You to offer unbloody sacrifice with bread and wine.* And so, we celebrate Your divine memorial,* and doing so cry out, O Lord, glory be to You!

Troparion, Tone 1: As we know you to be Christ’s relative* and a steadfast martyr,* O Jude, we praise you with sacred hymns.* You trampled on error and kept the faith.* And so on this day as we feast your memory* through your prayers, O apostle,* we receive release from our sins.

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

Kontakion, Tone 2: O Jude, because of your solid mind* you were shown to be a chosen disciple and firm pillar of the Church of Christ.* You proclaimed to the nations His holy word* teaching them to believe in the one God* from Whom you received glory and the gift of healing* to cure the ills of those who flee to you,* O apostle, worthy of all praise.

Now and for ever and ever. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone 4: Behold Christ is present as food for all.* Come, let us fall down and worship Christ our God* hidden under these Mysteries and humbly cry out:* Consume us not by fire through communion, O Master, unworthy as we are,* but be the One who consumes our sins by fire* and purifies our souls.

Prokeimenon, Tone 4

He would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.

verse: Exalt in God, our helper! (Ps 81:16,2)

Prokeimenon, Tone 8

Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

Epistle

1 Corinthians 11:23-32; Jude 1:1-10

Alleluia, Tone 4

verse: The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due season.

verse: You open Your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing. (Ps 144: 15,16)

verse: The heavens shall confess Your wonders, O Lord, and Your truth in the church of the saints. (Psalm 88:6,8)

Gospel

John 6:48-54; John 14:21-24

Communion Hymn

Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood abides in me, and I in him.* Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth,* and their words unto the ends of the world.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia.