Saturday in Cheese Week
We commemorate all our holy and God-bearing Fathers who shone forth in the ascetic life.
VESPERS ON FRIDAY EVENING
After the Psalm of Introduction, we read the eighteenth kathisma from the Psalter.
To Lord, I have cried, six stichera are sung, all from the Triodion:
TONE EIGHT
Come, all ye faithful, and let us praise the assembly of the Holy Fathers, Antony the Great, Evthymios the illustrious, and all their companions. Let us call to mind the story of their lives, for it is a spiritual Paradise of joy, and with gladness let us raise our cry: These are trees the Lord our God has planted; they have flowered and borne fruits of immortal life, as an offering to Christ and as food for our souls. Let us call aloud upon them: O God-bearing and blessed Fathers, pray for our salvation (twice).
Hail, Egypt, land of faith; hail, holy Libya; hail, Thebaid chosen by God; hail, every place and city and country that has nurtured the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, bringing them up in abstinence and toil, offering them to God as men perfect in love. As the stars they guide our souls, and through the brightness of their wonders and the strange marvels they accomplished, they have shed their light spiritually upon all the ends of the earth. All-blessed Fathers, pray for our salvation (twice).
O Fathers of the whole world, who among those born on earth can recount your lives of wonder? What tongue shall tell of your holy contests in the Spirit and your sweat, your feats of virtue and the wasting of your bodies, your wrestling with the passions in vigils, prayers and weeping? Truly ye have lived as angels in the world; ye have utterly defeated the demonic powers, and ye have worked strange and amazing miracles. Therefore pray, all-blessed Fathers, that we may receive eternal joy (twice).
Glory be to the Father…
TONE SIX
Withstanding by ascetic effort the destructive passions, ye preserved in purity the spiritual power of the mind, created in God’s image; and, so far as man is able, ye attained the divine likeness. For bravely ye did violence to your nature, submitting the lower to the higher, making the flesh subject to the Spirit. So ye became perfect in the solitary life, citizens of the desert, teachers to all who run upon the path of self-denial, unerring guides to virtue. And now in heaven, all-holy saints, passing beyond all images and mirrors, ye gaze with clear vision upon the Holy Trinity, and without intermediary ye pray for those who honour you with faith and love.
Both now…
Theotokion in the Tone of the week.
O joyful Light (without the Entrance) and the Prokimenon of the day (Psalm 58):
TONE SEVEN
Thou art my Defender, O God, and Thy mercy shall go before me.
℣. Deliver me from mine enemies, O God, and ransom me from those that rise up against me.
Lesson: Zechariah 8:19–23.
Prokimenon (Psalm 130):
TONE SIX
Let Israel hope in the Lord, from henceforth and for evermore.
℣. Lord, my heart is not exalted, nor are mine eyes lofty.
Then Vouchsafe, O Lord…, and the Litany, Let us complete our evening prayer to the Lord…
Aposticha:
TONE TWO
Let us cleanse ourselves, brethren, from all defilement of flesh and spirit. Let us make the lamps of our souls burn brightly through our love of poverty, not devouring one another by dishonest accusations. For the time is at hand when the Bridegroom shall come to reward each according to his works. In the company of the wise virgins, may we enter with Christ, crying to Him with the voice of the thief: Remember us, O Lord, when Thou comest in Thy Kingdom (twice).
To the Martyrs
Because the holy martyrs intercede for us and sing in praise of Christ, all error is destroyed and mankind is saved by faith.
Glory be to the Father…
TONE EIGHT
The multitudes of monks are our teachers. We honour you, holy Fathers, for through you we have learnt to walk upon the straight path. Blessed are ye, servants of Christ, victorious over the power of the enemy, companions of the angels, fellow-citizens with the righteous and the saints. In the company of them, entreat the Lord that He may have mercy on our souls.
Both now…
Theotokion
to the special melody O marvellous wonder…
SAME TONE
Hail, treasure of purity; hail, pure dwelling-place of immaterial light; hail, crown of our salvation; hail, O all-blameless Virgin, preaching of the apostles, boast of the martyrs, fulfillment of the prophets. Hail, glory of monks and ascetics; hail, salvation of the faithful.
Then Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant…; Holy God…, etc., and the Lord’s Prayer.
Apolytikion:
TONE FOUR
O God of our fathers, who at all times showest lovingkindness to us, take not Thy mercy away from us; but at the prayers of Thy saints guide our lives in peace.
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
Theotokion
The mystery hidden from all ages and unknown to the angels, through thee, O Theotokos, is revealed to those on earth: God is made flesh in a union without confusion, and willingly on our behalf accepts the Cross. Through it He raises Adam and saves our souls from death.
Then the Litany Have mercy upon us, O God…; the Prayer of St. Ephraim once, with three prostration (see p. 136); the prayer O Most Holy Trinity…; Blessed be the Name of the Lord… (three times); Glory be to the Father… Both now…; Psalm 33; Wisdom…, etc., and the Dismissal.
At Small Compline we use the Canon for the Dead in the Tone of the week.
MATTINS ON SATURDAY MORNING
After the Six Psalms and the Great Litany, we sing The Lord is God and the troparion of the day O God of our fathers… (twice); Glory be to the Father… Both now…; and the Theotokion The mystery hidden from all ages…
After the first reading from the Psalter, the following sessional hymns:
TONE EIGHT
Illumined by the light of the Fathers, let us now enter into a Paradise of joy, and refresh ourselves beside the river of delight that flows within it. Looking with wonder at the victory of the saints, let us strive to equal them in virtue, crying to the Saviour: O God, at their intercessions make us sharers in Thy heavenly Kingdom.
Glory be to the Father…
Let us with one accord praise Paul the first monk, Antony the wise and Evthymios, with all the other Fathers. Let us entreat them to intercede with Christ unceasingly on our behalf, as we celebrate their divine and joyful memory, and glorify in songs the Saviour and Lord.
Both now…
Theotokion
We ever give thee thanks and magnify thee, O pure Theotokos; we venerate and praise thy childbearing, O full of grace, and we call upon thee without ceasing: Save us, merciful Virgin, in thy love; deliver us from the fearful scrutiny which we must undergo before the demons, and in the hour of our examination suffer not thy servants to be put to shame.
After the second reading from the Psalter, the following sessional hymns:
TONE EIGHT
Let us all praise in hymns Antony and Evthymios, with all the other Fathers who bore God in their hearts, and let us celebrate their memory. For they intercede with the Lord on behalf of all the world, that we may be delivered from the ancient curse and saved from punishment.
Glory be to the Father…
Walking as it were among the flowers of virtue in the meadow of the God-bearing ascetics, we are filled with a fragrance which is sweet to breathe. Their struggles made them hard as steel in the face of temptations, and by abstinence they held the body in subjection to the spirit, living upon earth the life of angels; and so they have been counted worthy of glory.
Both now…
Theotokion
At the prayers of Thy holy angels and the Forerunner, of the disciples, prophets and martyrs, of all Thy saints and holy monks, and of Thy Virgin Mother, grant, O Christ, that we may walk in Thy light, and through Thy mercy and compassion count us worthy to receive Thy Kingdom.
Psalm 50, and then the Canon to the patron saint of the church or monastery, with six troparia (including the irmos), and the Canon of the Holy Fathers with eight troparia.
Canon of the Holy Fathers
TONE EIGHT
Canticle One
Irmos: O ye people, let us raise a song…
With one accord let us all praise in spiritual songs our divine Fathers, who were renowned for their ascetic life in Egypt, the Thebaid and Libya, in every place and city and land.
Rejoice, Antony the first leader of monks, famous in all the world; and God-bearing Ammoun, the glory of fasting; Arsenios the earthly angel, endued with the power of silence; and Ammonas, bearer of the Spirit.
Be glad, Agathon, sanctified in soul, true vessel of God, with Achilles and Ammois, the flowers of the desert; be glad also, Anoub and Alonios, Amonathas and Anthimos, shining pearls of virtue.
Today let us sing in praise of Aris and Apollos the Great, the lamps of discernment, of Athry and Akakios, the bright torches of obedience; and with them Avvakyris also shines as the morning star.
Avxentios was a mountain in his exalted way of life; Avramios the Great excelled in purity; Aphrodisios and Athenodoros were pillars of abstinence.
Ammonios shines among the ascetics as a star in heaven, along with divine Aninas; and with them shines also Antiochos the Great and Agapitos the renowned.
Let us praise in sacred hymns the great Athanasios who practised the ascetic life on Mount Athos, and became a shining light to the whole inhabited earth; and by his prayers we all are saved.
O wise and blessed Fathers, through your lives inspired by God, ye have become in very truth a Paradise of the Church. Intercede continually before the Lord for each of us by name.
To the Martyrs
Come, ye faithful who love the martyrs, let us honour them year by year with our songs and hymns, and cry aloud with faith to Christ our God: ‘Let us sing to Thee, our only Master.’
Glory be to the Father…
I sing the praises of three Persons truly existing in one Nature, the Father unbegotten, the Son begotten and the Holy Spirit: sovereignty and power without beginning, a single Godhead.
Both now…
Theotokion
Rejoice, all-holy Temple, Fleece on which the dew of God has fallen, sealed Fountain of the waters of immortality. Keep thy flock, O Lady, safe from the attacks of every enemy.
Irmos: O ye people, let us raise a song to our God who works wonders, for He set Israel free from bondage; and with a hymn of victory let us cry aloud: ‘Let us sing to Thee, our only Master.’
Canticle Two
Irmos: See now, see that I am your God, before all ages begotten from the Father, and in the last times conceived without man by the Virgin: and I have destroyed the sin of Adam the forefather in My love for mankind.
Entering now a second Paradise, we are filled with the fragrance of the divinely-planted virtues of the holy ascetics, which they have caused to flower through abstinence and tears, offering to God as fruit their many different ways of life.
Like an angel was the great Vissarion who lived as the birds of heaven; a second Job was Benjamin in his constancy; Vitalios was a watch-fire that saved the harlots for God. And with them let us also praise divine Vitymios and glorious Vavylas.
O Benedict, thou hast become a citizen of heaven through thy holy way of life. The shepherd Vasianos was a dwelling-place of wisdom; and Basil won the crown of obedience, for he dwelt within a tomb while still alive, revealing to us the glory of submission.
Let us sing in honour of Gelasios, renowned master of the passions. Let us praise Gerasimos, whom the wild beasts obeyed, submitting to him because of the perfection of his virtues. Glory be to our father Germanos and to Gaios the wise servant of Christ.
Let us praise David, the veneration and glory of Thessalonica, and Daniel, chosen by God, great in miracles; and with them Daniel of Scetis, Dios and Dalmatos, true leaders of monks and pillars of the faith.
Because of their obedience, Dometianos and Dometios, the wise in God, shine upon us as two beacons more brightly than stars. And let us also praise and glorify all those whose names we do not know.
To the Martyrs
The tombs of the martyrs, who suffered for the Lord’s sake, are an inexhaustible source of blessing to the faithful. Come, let us honour them with songs, and by faith receive healing for our souls and bodies.
Glory be to the Father…
Unity in three Persons, supreme in Godhead and surpassing all perfection, Father unbegotten, Son only-begotten, Spirit proceeding from the Father and made manifest through the Son: single in Essence and in Nature, one Lordship and one Kingdom, save us all.
Both now…
Theotokion
Thou alone hast borne a Child in a way unknown to mankind; thou alone wast not subject to the corruption that comes from nature, for uncorrupted and without seed thou hast undergone childbirth. Therefore, as is right, pure Virgin, in faith we glorify thee as the Theotokos.
Katavasia: See now, see that I am your God…
Canticle Three
Irmos: None is holy as the Lord…
Let us enter a second Paradise, full of the virtues of the Holy Fathers. Let us taste with joy the living and lifegiving fruits which grow there, and with faith let us sing their praises.
Let us honour Evthymios, the brightest of stars, and Helladios, bringer of the morn, with Ephraim inspired by God, and Evlogios the Great. By their works and wonders they have shone to the ends of the earth.
Let praise be sung to Zosimas the wonderful and to all-honoured Zachariah, to Zeno and Zoilos; and let us honour with them Isaiah the Great and Elijah the glorious.
I praise holy Theodore of Therme and illustrious Theodore of Ennaton, with Theodoulas and Theonas; and I honour blessed Theodosios the Great.
Praise be to Theoktistos, the righteous shepherd, to Thalassios, whose mind dwelt in heaven, to the great Theodore of Sykeon, who was exalted upon earth by signs and wonders.
John the Short, John of the Ladder, and the many other saints named John, shine like the stars with glory.
To the Martyrs
O ye who love to gather for the feasts, let us honour year by year with hymns and spiritual songs the memory of the holy martyrs: for they intercede with Christ continually on behalf of all mankind.
Glory be to the Father…
Consubstantial Trinity, Unity supreme in Godhead, distinct in Persons yet single in Nature, unite us in the one will of Thy commandments.
Both now…
Theotokion
O Tabernacle formed by God, overshadowed by the seraphim, Moses depicted thee prophetically, O Virgin, when he spoke of the Holy of Holies, thus prefiguring thine undefiled childbirth by which Christ became incarnate.
Irmos: None is holy as the Lord, and none is righteous as our God, whom all creation praises: none is holy save Thee, O Lord who lovest mankind.
Sessional Hymn
TONE FOUR
to the special melody, Go Thou quickly before us…
Christ, as the Sun of righteousness, sent you forth as rays enlightening the earth, O holy teachers; wherefore, with the divine light of the knowledge of God, O divinely blessed ones, through your godly intercessions, illumine my soul which hath been darkened by evil.
TONE EIGHT
Let us glorify the gentleness and purity of Antony, the great wonders of Evthymios, the solitude and quiet of Paul and Arsenios, the renown of Theoktistos and of all the other holy monks. And with them let us praise in hymns the virgin Evpraxia with all the women wise in God, and let us cry aloud with one accord: Intercede with Christ our God, that those who celebrate with love your holy memory may receive forgiveness of their sins.
Glory be to the Father…
SAME TONE
Ye have broken asunder the bonds of the passions and with strong desire ye have pursued holiness. Ye have been clothed by Christ in a glory that transcends this world; through your labours ye have found rest, and through the toil of abstinence ye have gained the life above. Therefore, as it right, ye rejoice together with the powers on high, and sing in God’s presence with great joy. O God-bearing Fathers, pray that those who celebrate with love your holy memory may receive forgiveness of their sins.
Both now…
Theotokion
SAME TONE
I am held fast in the mire of sin, and there is no strength or courage in me; the tempest of my trespasses has overwhelmed me. Look upon me thy servant, I entreat thee, for thou hast borne the Word who alone loves mankind. Deliver me, O Lady, from sin and from the passions that destroy my soul, and from every ill inflicted by the enemy, that I may sing with joy: Intercede with Christ our God for thy servant, that I may be forgiven my offences; for I have set my hope in thee.
Canticle Four
Irmos: From the overshadowed mountain…
The divine Hilarion was a lantern seen by all the world; in his knowledge of God, great Justin was a mountain; and let us also praise Hierax and Ivestion, great in honour, together with Joseph.
Jeremiah shone as lightning; Ischyrion showed a mighty spiritual strength; and with them Karion, Kopris and Kastor burned like beacons, while Cassian excelled in both the active and the contemplative life.
I think with admiration of Kallistos, who possessed the gift of speech; I praise the good works of Laurence; I publish abroad the noble deeds of Longinos; I venerate the virtues of Lot.
I praise Leontios, who entered the abyss of divine knowledge; I sing of Maximos, wide as the sea in his doctrinal teaching; of Markianos, glory of monasticism; of Mark, ready in obedience, who hearkened unto God.
Makarios the Great was honoured for his virtue, Makarios of Alexandria was a man of God. Praised in their company is Mark the Great and Moses the Ethiopian, with Dalmatois.
I magnify Martinianos and Malchos, who undertook great struggles for the sake of purity; I honour Markellos the abbot, and Millis who raised the dead.
To the Martyrs
O martyrs of Christ, offer to the Maker and Creator unceasing supplications for the peace of the world and for all who honour your memory with praises.
Glory be to the Father…
Strange it is that the Godhead should be One and Three, fully present in each single Person without division: for Father, Son and Holy Spirit are worshipped as one God.
Both now…
Theotokion
Hail, spacious dwelling-place of God; hail, ark of the New Covenant; hail, vessel from which the heavenly Manna has been given to all mortal men.
Irmos: From the overshadowed mountain, from the one Theotokos, the Prophet in divine vision foresaw Thy coming in the flesh, O Word, and he glorified Thy power with fear.
Canticle Five
Irmos: Deliver me, I pray, from the dark night of the passions…
Come, and in the Eden of Paradise let us look upon the ascetic struggles of the Fathers and their victories, which are ever-living flowers, tended by the Lord alone.
The souls of all are watered and refreshed by the words of Neilos and illumined by the lives of Navkratios, Nikon and Nathaniel; and they are filled with joy by Nisthenor.
Xenophon and his sons enlighten us with the bright shining of their virtues, and so does great Orsesios and above all Onuphrios; and who can praise Poemen as he deserves?
Exalted both in action and in word, Pambo deserves our praise and blessing. Let us honour the famous Publius, who bound fast the demons, and with him let us also glorify the renowned Pinnuphrios.
Honour is due to Paphnutios, glorified by God, to Pior, Patermuthios and Paul the Simple, and to Pitiroun the Great, eminent among the Fathers.
With high honour let us glorify Pachomios, star outshining all the other lights of heaven; and let us sing in praise of Palamon, his companion in the ascetic life, of godlike Petronios and Passarion.
To the Martyrs
O undefeated martyrs, as athletes in the arena ye proclaimed Christ our God; ye have received crowns of victory, and now ye sing and dance in joy with the choirs of angels.
Glory be to the Father…
Three in Persons but one in Nature is the God in whose Name we were baptized and in whom we believe: Father, Word and consubstantial Spirit.
Both now…
Theotokion
O Undefiled, at the word of the Angel thou hast borne the Word in a way surpassing words. We entreat thee, never cease to pray to Him that thy flock may be always delivered from danger.
Irmos: Deliver me, I pray, from the dark night of the passions, and enable my spirit, O Christ, to seek Thee early in the morning, guided by the light of Thy commandments.
Canticle Six
Irmos: Held fast by many sins…
Wonderful and worthy of our veneration are the Holy Fathers, with their ascetic struggles for God’s sake, their spiritual wrestling, and their works of healing. Who but they have performed such miracles?
Let us honour Rabbula the wonderful, and also Rufus, Sisois equal of the angels, and with them divine Seridos and Silvanus.
As a four-starred firmament, the four Simeons were revealed on earth: three of them were stylites and one a fool for Christ.
Leader of monks, Savvas the Sanctified shone as the sun among the stars; and next to him shines Serapion, together with Silvanus.
Let us praise Sarmatas and Timothy, Tithois also, with Hyperechios, Pharmuthios, Phokas, Chariton, Chairemon and Psois, and also Or the wise.
May the holy and glorious multitude of the Fathers, those whom we have remembered and those whose names we do not know, deliver from danger all of us who celebrate their memorials with loving hearts.
To the Martyrs
Wonderful art Thou in Thy martyrs, O Lord who lovest mankind, and glorified through their sufferings, their wonders and their works of healing. At their intercessions, save us.
Glory be to the Father…
I sing Thy praises, Trinity without beginning, divine Unity; Light and Lights Thou art, Life and Lives, one Holy and three Holies: Mind, Word and Spirit, the one God.
Both now…
Theotokion
Leap for joy, Jesse the forefather; from thy root has sprung the Flower of Life that saves the world, Christ our God born from the pure Virgin.
Irmos: Held fast by many sins, I fall down like the Prophet before Thy tender mercies. Accept me also in Thy love for mankind, O Lord, and save me.
Kontakion
TONE EIGHT
As preachers of godliness, putting impiety to silence, Thou hast glorified the company of the God-bearing Fathers and made them shine in all the world. At their prayers, keep in perfect peace all who praise and magnify Thee, that they may sing to Thee: Alleluia.
Ikos
I looked at the pleasures of this life and I considered their nature and effect; and, measuring the toil and suffering which they cause, I judged the life of mortal man to be full of misery. You alone would I call blessed, for ye have chosen the better part: to suffer with Christ and to remain with Him, and ever to sing with the prophet David: Alleluia.
Canticle Seven
Irmos: Thou hast refreshed the Children…
Come, and as is right let us offer hymns to the women that lived a life of sanctity, equal to that of the angels, and let us cry: At their intercessions, O God, save all of us.
With faith let us honour Vryaini, who bore Christ in her heart, with godlike Fevronia, Thomais, Hiereia, Platonis and Melanthia.
Let us praise the two Evpraxias, angelic in mind, and also the two Theodoras; and let unceasing hymns and glory be given to all the blessed Anastasias who served God in a marvellous way.
Mary of Egypt was a light to the world, and Mary who was named Marinos shone on the earth as a star; Evphrosyni was bright as the sun in her virtues.
Theodouli was a flame of fire in her asceticism; and with her shone Theodoti, Julitta and blessed Isidora.
Let us honour Marina, whose mind dwelt in heaven, and the great Matrona; and let us praise the wisdom of Synklitiki, Sarah and Justa.
Let us sing in honour of Pelagia, the angel of the Lord, and of Taisia, the lamp of repentance, and of all the other women who shone forth in the ascetic life.
To the Martyrs
As we celebrate the memory of the victorious martyrs, let us entreat the only Giver of Life to grant remission of sins to those who sing the praises of His mercy.
Glory be to the Father…
With one accord we worship and glorify Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and we cry aloud with faith: Glory to Thee our God, Trinity in Unity.
Both now…
Theotokion
O blessed Theotokos Virgin, who hast borne the Saviour and Master of the world, pray to Him at all times for mercy on our souls.
Irmos: Thou hast refreshed the Children with dew in the furnace, and Thou hast preserved Thy Mother as a Virgin after childbirth: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers.
Canticle Eight
Irmos: Glorified in the holy mountain…
Let us all glorify the pastors and wise teachers and hierarchs of the Church of Christ, together with the holy monks; and let us praise the Lord and exalt Him above all for ever.
Let due praise be given to Basil the Great and to Athanasios of many labours, together with Gregory who surpassed all men in theology.
Let us give glory also to John of the Golden Mouth, to the two Cyrils who were pillars of divine wisdom, and to Hesychios the Theologian, with Meletios who discoursed on God.
Let glory be given to Gregory of Nyssa with the two Fathers named Wonderworker; and for ever let us praise Epiphanios, wise in the things of God, and Amphilochios, the shining star.
Let us sing the praises of Metrophanes, the glory of priests, with Nektarios, Attikos, Gennadios and Anatolios, for they have filled our life with light; and let us also honour wise Evsevios and Proklos.
I sing of Nicolas the holy preacher and Sophronios sweet as honey in his speech, of Evlalios and Diadochos, together with Evstathios and Juvenal, chief among the Fathers.
To the Martyrs
Healing of soul and body flow from the tombs of the victorious martyrs as from a fountain. With faith let us draw water from this source, and let us praise and exalt the Lord above all for ever.
We bless the Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
As Unity in Essence I sing Thy praises; as Trinity in Persons I venerate Thee, Father, Son and All-Holy Spirit. The power of Thy Kingdom that has no beginning I glorify unto all ages.
Both now…
Theotokion
O Theotokos, thou hast become the Mountain of God in which Christ came to dwell; and He has made into divine temples all those who sing: Praise ye the Lord and exalt Him above all for ever.
We praise, bless and worship the Lord…
Irmos: Glorified in the holy mountain, the Lord revealed the mystery of the Ever-Virgin to Moses in the burning bush: praise and exalt Him above all for ever.
Canticle Nine
Irmos: The burning bush upon the mountain…
Who can describe the boldness of Ambrose? Who can recount the wisdom of Hierotheos, and the steadfastness with which the Alexanders struggled in defence of the faith?
Let us praise the divine Phaidimos and God-bearing Spyridon, Antipatros, Pambo, Palladios and Nonnos, with Jerome and all-honoured Germanos: for they are shining lights of God.
Let us honour Dionysios, great in the knowledge of God, initiate of the heavenly mysteries, and Clement, who laboured much, with Flavian and Paul the Great, the heralds of the faith.
Let us praise Michael of Synada and Tarasios, Nikephoros and illustrious Theodore, with Theophanes and Jerome, the defenders of the ikons of Christ.
Let praise be given to Peter and Ignatios, who in very truth bore God in their hearts, the apostles of Christ who suffered for His sake, and also to Polycarp and Cyprian the martyr of the Lord.
O holy fathers and hierarchs of the Lord, martyr priests and bishops, and women saints, all those whom we have named and all whose names we do not know: pray for the salvation of our souls.
To the Martyrs
As ye rejoice, O martyrs, in the heavenly mansions of the glory of the Lord, with the choir of the apostles, pray to the Creator for all of us on earth.
Glory be to the Father…
O God, one in three, glory be to Thee without ceasing. Each is God, for Father, Son and Spirit are one in Nature, though threefold and distinct in the splendour of their Persons.
Both now…
Theotokion
The bush which burned with fire and yet was not consumed, that Moses saw of old upon Mount Sinai, was a foreshadowing of thy womb, O Virgin, which received the pure fire of the Godhead.
Irmos: The burning bush upon the mountain revealed in prophecy to the Giver of the Law Christ’s birth from the Ever-Virgin for our salvation: and with never-silent songs of praise we magnify Him.
Exapostilarion
O multitude of holy Fathers who denied the world and took up the Cross, together with the choirs of martyrs, the assembly of hierarchs and the company of holy women, shine upon us with your light, that we may rightly sing the praises of your glorious memory.
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
Let us praise in hymns of joy the God-bearing Fathers who shone forth in the ascetic life, together with the hierarchs and the martyrs and the choirs of holy women: so we shall be sanctified and, through their prayers and the intercessions of the Theotokos, we shall easily accomplish the course of the Fast.
Lauds. Four stichera are sung:
TONE EIGHT
O ye faithful, let us all glorify the multitude of Fathers who lived the ascetic life in holiness. With hymns inspired by God, O brethren, let us praise with one accord the hierarchs of Christ: for they lived in abstinence and pure fasting, and they have made plain to us the Gospel of Christ. And let us also sing the praises of the holy and glorious women who bore God in their hearts, and out of love for Him let us emulate their way of life, that in the world to come we may receive the forgiveness of our trespasses.
O brethren, let us praise and glorify those who shone forth in the ascetic way: here on earth they lived in sanctity and righteousness, and now in joy they are translated to eternal life. With virtue and holiness they ran upon the straight path that leads to the everlasting blessings of the world to come. Let us honour them as they deserve, that through their intercessions we may obtain mercy from God, and eternal joy and glory, and may escape the future punishment from which there is no release.
O choir of all the hierarchs, assembly of the righteous, of the ascetics and the holy women who lived in godliness, intercede, we pray, with the Lord who alone is good and merciful, that He may take pity on us. At your prayers, O saints, may we be delivered from condemnation in the Age to come, and rejoice to all eternity in the blessedness of heaven, crying aloud with ceaseless hymns of praise to the Giver of Life.
O ye faithful, let us celebrate today a solemn festival in memory of the saints, of the hierarchs and ascetics, the martyrs and the holy women. All that is transient and subject to corruption they utterly despised, looking on it as a spider’s web, as dung, that they might gain Christ and His Kingdom, and enjoy the divine blessings that eye has not seen nor ear ever heard. At their prayers, O God, deliver our souls from corruption.
Glory be to the Father…
TONE SIX
Holy Fathers, the fame of your virtuous actions has gone out over all the earth, and in heaven ye have received the reward of your labours. Ye have destroyed the host of demons and now ye dwell with the ranks of the angels, whose lives ye strove to emulate without reproach. Since ye have boldness before the Lord, pray for us, that peace may be granted to our souls.
Both now…
Theotokion
SAME TONE
O Theotokos, thou art the true Vine, that has put forth the fruit of life. We pray thee, O Lady, intercede together with the apostles and all the saints, that mercy may be granted to our souls.
Great Doxology, the troparion O God of our fathers…, two Litanies and the Dismissal.
DIVINE LITURGY
The Typika (Psalms 102 and 145) and the Beatitudes. With the Beatitudes we sing four troparia from Canticle Three of the Canon at Mattins, and four troparia from Canticle Six.
Prokimenon:
TONE SEVEN
The saints shall boast in glory: they shall rejoice upon their beds (Psalm 149:5).
℣. The high praise of God shall be in their mouth (Psalm 149:6).
Epistle: For the day: Romans 14:19–23; 16:25–27.
For the Holy Fathers: Galatians 5:22–6:2.
Alleluia:
TONE TWO
℣ 1. They are planted in the house of the Lord: and shall flourish in the courts of our God (Psalm 91:14).
℣ 2. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: it is fitting for the just to give praise (Psalm 32:1).
Gospel: For the day: Matthew 6:1–13.
For the Holy Fathers: Matthew 11:27–30.
Communion verse: The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance: he will not be afraid of any evil tidings. Alleluia.