Tuesday in the First Week
MATTINS
After the first reading from the Psalter, the sessional hymns of repentance in the Tone of the week.
After the second reading from the Psalter, the following sessional hymns:
TONE TWO
Most blessed is the grace of the holy Fast. For through fasting Moses was glorified, and he received the Law written upon tablets; and through fasting the three Children were made stronger than the fire. Through fasting, then, let us quench the burning passions of the flesh, and let us cry to Christ the Saviour: Grant conversion to us all and deliver us from Gehenna.
Glory be to the Father…
The season of repentance is at hand: O my soul, show fruits of abstinence. Consider those who repented in the past, and cry aloud to Christ: I have sinned, O save me, loving Master, as Thou hast saved the Publican who sighed with sorrow from his heart, for Thou alone art rich in mercy.
Both now…
Theotokion
Fervent advocate of Christians, ever entreat thy Son, O Theotokos, to deliver us from all the malice and cunning of the enemy, and to grant us in His tender mercy the forgiveness of our sins, at thine intercessions, O Mother and Virgin.
After the third reading from the Psalter, the following sessional hymns:
TONE FIVE
As we begin the second day of saving abstinence, we cry to Thee, O Lord: Pierce the hearts of us Thy servants with compunction and accept the prayers we offer Thee in fear. Grant us without stumbling to complete the course of the Fast, and bestow upon us cleansing and great mercy.
Glory be to the Father…
Repeat.
Both now…
Theotokion
O Root that has put forth the divine Flower, Tabernacle and Candlestick and golden vessel of Manna, holy Table bearing the Bread of life: with John the Forerunner do thou intercede before Him, since He is thy Son and God, that He may grant mercy and salvation unto all of us, who acknowledge thee as Theotokos.
The Canon
We use the Canon to the saint of the day from the Menaion, and the two three-canticled Canons from the Triodion; we read the second Biblical Canticle (Deuteronomy 32:1–43).
Canticle Two
First Canon
TONE TWO
Irmos: See now, see, that I am God, who saved the people of Israel in the waves, and satisfied their hunger in the wilderness; I made the waters flow from the rock for mortal men; I clothed Myself in him who fell into corruption of old, that through ineffable mercy I might draw him to Myself.
Be sober, be vigilant, groan and weep, my soul. Through fasting cast aside the whole burden of sin. By fervent repentance escape from the fire; through thy mourning, tear in pieces the mourning-garment of the passions and put on the robe of God.
Through fasting let us all ascend the mountain of virtuous action, forsaking the sensual temptations that creep upon the ground. Let us enter into the darkness of holy visions; by the divine and mystical ascent let us become godlike, and let us look only upon Christ our beloved in His beauty.
Alas! What will become of me? What shall I do? I feel no pang of conscience when I sin, nor do I fear the Master. Because of this, even before the judgement comes, I stand condemned. O just and loving Judge, turn me back and save me, though I have provoked Thee more than any other man.
Theotokion
O untilled Earth, thou hast put forth Him that gives food to all, who opens His hand and in His own good pleasure fills every living thing with divine power. Strengthen with the Bread of life our hearts that are grown weak through the surfeit of our hateful sins.
Another Canon
TONE FIVE
Irmos: See now, see that I am God…
Come, let us enter the inner chamber of our soul, offering prayers to the Lord and crying aloud: Our Father, who art in heaven, remit and forgive our debts, for Thou alone art compassionate.
Showing joyfulness of soul in the Fast, let us not be of a sad countenance; for the change in our way of life during these blessed days will help us to gain holiness.
Glory be to the Father…
Unity in three Persons, without beginning, uncreated, Lord and King of the ages, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: the hosts of angels and all mortal men give Thee glory.
Both now…
Theotokion
We sing thy praises, O all-perfect glory of mankind, for through thee, O Virgin, we have been made godlike. Thou hast for our sake given birth to Christ, our God and Saviour, who has loosed us from the curse.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
What quenched the fire? What stopped the mouths of the wild beasts? It was fasting that delivered the Children from the furnace and Daniel the Prophet from the jaws of the lions. Brethren, let us also fast like them.
Irmos: See now, see that I am God. By Mine own will was I clothed in flesh, to save from error Adam who had fallen through the deceit of the serpent.
Canticle Eight
Irmos: The Lord of old foreshadowed…
Rouse thyself, my soul, from the sleep of grievous slothfulness, and with zeal and vigilance observe the divine commandments. The Bridegroom draws near: take thy lamp and hasten to meet Him.
I am gravely wounded by the sword of pleasure: heal me, O Word, with the ointment of Thy merciful compassion, and I will glorify Thee with thanksgiving for ever.
My soul, abstain from harmful passions, from envy and hatred and all malice; and feed upon the spiritual food that brings thee heavenly joy.
Theotokion
O pure Mother of God, heal the wounds of my oul, the passions of my heart and the delusions of my mind; for thou art the only help of sinners, our wall against the enemies that despoil us.
Second Canon
Irmos: Sing, O ye peoples…
Giving wings to our soul through abstinence, let us all offer acceptable prayers to the Lord in heaven.
In a spirit of compunction, let us weep for the deliverance of our souls and sing the praises of Christ for ever.
We bless the Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Consubstantial Trinity, uncreated Unity, the God of all, we exalt Thee above all for ever.
Both now…
Theotokion
Intercede for those who sing thy praises, O All-Undefiled, that they may be delivered from every danger and temptation.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
Rejecting the pleasures of the rich man, come and let us fast with Lazarus, that we too may be comforted in the bosom of Abraham.
We praise, bless and worship the Lord…
Irmos: Sing, O ye peoples, sing in praise of the Maker of creation, before whom angels tremble, and exalt Him above all for ever.
Canticle Nine
Irmos: Who among those born on earth has ever seen…
Who among those born on earth has ever slipped and provoked God to anger as I have done? Who has ever followed evil impulses and become a dwelling-place of sin as much as I in my wretchedness? But, O God, whose will it is to have mercy, take pity on me.
O godlike and angelic powers, entreat Him, for He is always ready to forgive, that He may save a soul lost in the sea of worldly pleasures, driven to and fro by the tempest of the passions, and in peril from the assaults of hostile spirits.
Come, my soul, and by fasting ascend to heaven on the wings of the virtues, rising above the sin that creeps upon the ground: take thy delight in visions of glory that lead thee to holiness, and through faith grow godlike.
Theotokion
Who shall make thy praises to be heard in all the world, O pure Lady? For in ways past understanding thou hast given birth to the Master and Lord, whom the leaders of the angelic hosts praise and exalt above all. Entreat Him for thy people that has sinned, O Virgin inviolate.
Second Canon
Irmos: Rejoice, Isaiah…
Now is the accepted time, the day of salvation: let us offer to God gifts of virtue; as Paul commands, let us cast off the works of darkness, O brethren, and put on the armour of light.
As the Lord overcame the enemy by fasting, so by fasting let us also break in pieces his arrows and his snares; and when he seeks to tempt us, let each say: Get thee behind me, Satan.
Glory be to the Father…
O honoured Trinity, consubstantial, without beginning, source of life, O undivided Unity, I sing Thy praises: Father unbegotten, Word and Son begotten, and Holy Spirit, save us all who glorify Thee.
Both now…
Theotokion
Beyond our understanding is thy childbearing, O Mother of God. For without man thou hast conceived, and in virginity hast thou given birth; and the Child that thou hast borne is God. Him we magnify, O Virgin, and we call thee blessed.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
Through fasting let us draw near to the mountain of prayer; and with pure hearts like Moses let us also look on God, receiving inwardly the tablets of the commandments and shining with glory in the presence of God’s love.
Irmos: Rejoice, Isaiah: the Virgin has conceived and borne a Son Emmanuel, who is both God and man; and Orient is His Name. Him we magnify, O Virgin, and we call thee blessed.
Aposticha:
TONE THREE
Let us begin, O ye peoples, the pure Fast that is our soul’s salvation. Let us serve the Lord with fear: let us anoint our heads with the oil of almsgiving, and let us wash our faces in the waters of purity; let us not use vain repetitions in our prayers, but as we have been taught, so let us cry: Our Father, who art in heaven, forgive us our trespasses in Thy love for mankind (twice).
To the Martyrs
The soldiers of Christ cast aside the fear of kings and tyrants; boldly and with courage they confessed Him as the Lord of all, their King and God; and now they intercede for our souls.
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
Theotokion
Theotokos, the protection of all who ask thy prayers, in thee we trust, in thee we boast, in thee is all our hope: pray to thy Son for thine unprofitable servants.
SIXTH HOUR
Troparion of the Prophecy:
TONE ONE
We are strangers upon earth, as all our fathers were; brief is the span of our life. But, O our Saviour, keep us free from sin and have mercy upon us in Thy love for mankind.
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
Repeat.
Prokimenon (Psalm 5):
TONE FOUR
Hearken to the voice of my prayer, my King and my God.
℣. Give ear to my words, O Lord, attend to my cry.
Lesson: Isaiah 1:19–2:3.
Prokimenon (Psalm 6):
TONE FOUR
O Lord, rebuke me not in Thine anger.
℣. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak.
VESPERS
To Lord, I have cried, six stichera are sung, the first three being from the Triodion:
TONE TWO
Cast out of old from Paradise through eating bitter food, let us make haste to enter there once more, abstaining from the passions and crying to our God: Thou hast stretched out Thy hands upon the Cross, drunk vinegar and tasted gall, and patiently Thou hast endured the pain of the nails: uproot all bitter pleasures from our souls, and in Thy tender mercy save Thy servants.
Once we were cast out of Paradise through eating from the Tree, but through Thy Cross we are restored again to Paradise. We offer this Thy Cross to Thee in supplication, O Lord of many mercies, and we pray to Thee with faith: Send down upon us in this time of abstinence fountains of tears to cleanse all the filth of our passions and offences, that we may all cry fervently to Thee: Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
As once Thou gavest Paradise to Adam, grant to me now, O Word, the joy of abstinence, that I may taste from all Thy commandments, O God, yet never eat from the forbidden fruit of sin; and so with gladness I shall come to Thy life-giving Passion on the Cross.
Then three stichera to the saint of the day from the Menaion.
Glory be to the Father… Both now…; and the Stavrotheotokion from the Menaion.
Prokimenon (Psalm 7):
TONE FIVE
O Lord my God, in Thee have I put my trust.
℣. Save me from all them that persecute me, and do Thou deliver me.
Lesson: Genesis 1:14–23.
Prokimenon (Psalm 8):
TONE FIVE
O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is Thy Name in all the earth!
℣. For Thy majesty is lifted high above the heavens.
Lesson: Proverbs 1:20–33.
Aposticha:
TONE EIGHT
Let us keep the Fast not only by refraining from food, but bv becoming strangers to all the bodily passions; that we who are enslaved to the tyranny of the flesh may become worthy to partake of the Lamb, the Son of God, slain of His own will for the sake of the world, and spiritually may celebrate the feast of the Saviour’s Resurrection from the dead. So shall we be raised on high in the glory of the virtues, and through our righteous actions we shall give joy to the Lord who loves mankind (twice).
To the Martyrs
Thy martyrs, O Lord, forgetting the things of the present life, and despising torture in their longing for the life to come, were granted this eternal life as their inheritance, and now they rejoice with the angels. At their supplications bestow upon Thy people Thy great mercy.
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
Stavrotheotokion
‘O marvellous wonder! O strange mystery! O fearful enterprise!’ said the Virgin as she looked on Thee, and saw Thee hanging between two evil-doers on the Cross, the Child whom she had borne without travail, yet in fear and trembling. Weeping she said: ‘Woe is me, beloved Child: how has this wicked and ungrateful people nailed Thee to the Cross?’
GREAT COMPLINE
We start as on Monday. After Psalm 69 we begin the second section of the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete:
TONE SIX
Canticle One
Irmos: He is for me unto salvation Helper and Protector. He is my God and I glorify Him, God of my fathers is He and I exalt Him, for He is greatly glorified.
By my own free choice have I incurred the guilt of Cain’s murder. I have killed my conscience, bringing the flesh to life and making war upon the soul by my wicked actions.
O Jesus, I have not been like Abel in his righteousness. Never have I offered Thee acceptable gifts or godly actions, a pure sacrifice or an unblemished life.
Like Cain, O miserable soul, we too have offered, to the Creator of all, defiled actions and a polluted sacrifice and a worthless life: and so we also are condemned.
As the potter moulds the clay, Thou hast fashioned me, giving me flesh and bones, breath and life. But accept me in repentance, O my Maker and Deliverer and Judge.
I confess to Thee, O Saviour, the sins I have committed, the wounds of my soul and body, which murderous thoughts, like thieves, have inflicted inwardly upon me.
Though I have sinned, O Saviour, yet I know that Thou art full of loving-kindness. Thou dost chastise with mercy and art fervent in compassion. Thou dost see me weeping and dost run to meet me, like the Father calling back the Prodigal Son.
Glory be to the Father…
Trinity beyond all being, worshipped in Unity, take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Thy compassion grant me tears of compunction.
Both now…
Theotokion
O Theotokos, the hope and protection of those who sing thy praises, take from me the heavy yoke of sin and, pure Lady, accept me in repentance.
Canticle Two
Irmos: Attend, O heaven, and I shall speak and sing in praise of Christ, who took flesh from a Virgin and came to dwell among us.
Sin has stripped me of the robe that God once wove for me, and it has sewed for me garments of skin.
I am clothed with the raiment of shame as with fig leaves, in condemnation of my self-willed passions.
I am clad in a garment that is defiled and shamefully bloodstained by a life of passion and self-indulgence.
I have fallen beneath the painful burden of the passions and the corruption of material things; and I am hard pressed by the enemy.
Instead of freedom from possessions, O Saviour, I have pursued a life in love with material things, and now I wear a heavy yoke.
I have adorned the idol of my flesh with a many-coloured coat of shameful thoughts, and I am condemned.
I have cared only for the outward adornment, and neglected that which is within—the tabernacle fashioned by God.
I have discoloured with the passions the first beauty of the image, O Saviour. But seek me, as once Thou hast sought the lost coin, and find me.
Like the Harlot I cry to Thee: I have sinned, I alone have sinned against Thee. Accept my tears also as sweet ointment, O Saviour.
Like the Publican I cry to Thee: Be merciful, O Saviour, be merciful to me. For no child of Adam has ever sinned against Thee as I have sinned.
Glory be to the Father…
I sing Thy praises, One in Three Persons, God of all, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Both now…
Theotokion
O Theotokos undefiled, Virgin alone worthy of all praise, intercede fervently for our salvation.
Canticle Three
Irmos: O Lord, upon the rock of Thy commandments make firm my wavering heart, for Thou alone art Holy and Lord.
For me Thou art the Fountain of life and the Destroyer of death; and from my heart I cry to Thee before the end: I have sinned, be merciful to me and save me.
I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned against Thee; be merciful to me. For there is no sinner whom I have not surpassed in my offences.
I have followed the example, O Saviour, of those who lived in wantonness in the days of Noah; and like them I am condemned to drown in the Flood.
O my soul, thou hast followed Ham, who mocked his father. Thou hast not covered thy neighbour’s shame, walking backwards with averted face.
Flee, my soul, like Lot from the burning of sin; flee from Sodom and Gomorrah; flee from the flame of every brutish desire.
Have mercy, O Lord, have mercy on me, I cry to Thee, when Thou comest with Thine angels to give to every man due return for his deeds.
Glory be to the Father…
O simple Unity praised in Trinity of Persons, uncreated Nature without beginning, save us who in faith worship Thy power.
Both now…
Theotokion
O Mother of God, without knowing man thou hast given birth within time to the Son, who was begotten outside time from the Father; and, strange wonder! thou givest suck while still remaining Virgin.
Canticle Four
Irmos: The prophet heard of Thy coming, O Lord, and he was afraid: how Thou wast to be born of a Virgin and revealed to men, and he said: ‘I have heard the report of Thee and I was afraid.’ Glory to Thy power, O Lord.
Be watchful, O my soul, be full of courage like Jacob the great Patriarch, that thou mayest acquire action with knowledge, and be named Israel, ‘the mind that sees God’; so shalt thou reach by contemplation the innermost darkness and gain great merchandise.
The great Patriarch had the twelve Patriarchs as children, and so he mystically established for thee, my soul, a ladder of ascent through action, in his wisdom setting his children as steps, by which thou canst mount upwards.
Thou hast rivalled Esau the hated, O my soul, and given the birthright of thy first beauty to the supplanter; thou hast lost thy father’s blessing and in thy wretchedness been twice supplanted, in action and in knowledge. Therefore repent now.
Esau was called Edom because of his raging love for women; burning always with unrestrained desires and stained with sensual pleasure, he was named ‘Edom’, which means the red heat of a soul that loves sin.
Thou hast heard, O my soul, of Job justified on a dung-hill, but thou hast not imitated his fortitude. In all thine experiences and trials and temptations, thou hast not kept firmly to thy purpose but hast proved inconstant.
Once he sat upon a throne, but now he sits upon a dung-hill, naked and covered with sores. Once he was blessed with many children and admired by all, but suddenly he is childless and homeless. Yet he counted the dung-hill as a palace and his sores as pearls.
Glory be to the Father…
Undivided in Essence, unconfused in Persons, I confess Thee as God: Triune Deity, one in kingship and throne; and to Thee I raise the great thrice-holy hymn that is sung on high.
Both now…
Theotokion
Thou givest birth and art a virgin, and in both thou remainest by nature inviolate. He who is born makes new the laws of nature, and the womb brings forth without travail. When God so wills, the natural order is overcome; for He does whatever He wishes.
Canticle Five
Irmos: From the night I seek Thee early, O lover of mankind: give me light, I pray Thee, and guide me in Thy commandments, and teach me, O Saviour, to do Thy will.
Thou hast heard, my soul, of the basket of Moses: how he was borne on the waves of the river as if in a shrine; and so he avoided the bitter execution of Pharaoh’s decree.
Thou hast heard, wretched soul, of the midwives who once killed in its infancy the manly action of self-control: like great Moses, then, be suckled on wisdom.
O miserable soul, thou hast not struck and killed the Egyptian mind, as did Moses the great. Tell me, then, how wilt thou go to dwell through repentance in the wilderness empty of passions?
Moses the great went to dwell in the desert. Come, seek to follow his way of life, my soul, that in contemplation thou mayest attain the vision of God in the bush.
Picture to thyself, my soul, the rod of Moses striking the sea and making hard the deep by the sign of the Holy Cross. Through the Cross thou also canst do great things.
Aaron offered to God fire that was blameless and undefiled, but Hophni and Phinehas brought to Him, as thou hast done, my soul, strange fire and a polluted life.
Glory be to the Father…
We glorify Thee, O Trinity, the one God. Holy, holy, holy, art Thou: Father, Son and Spirit, simple Essence and Unity, worshipped for ever.
Both now…
Theotokion
O Virgin inviolate and Mother who hast not known man, from thee has God, the Creator of the ages, taken human flesh, uniting to Himself the nature of men.
Canticle Six
Irmos: With my whole heart I cried to the all-compassionate God: and He heard me from the lowest depths of hell, and brought my life out of corruption.
The waves of my sins, O Saviour, have returned and suddenly engulfed me, as the waters of the Red Sea engulfed the Egyptians of old and their charioteers.
Like Israel before thee, thou hast made a foolish choice, my soul; instead of the divine manna thou hast senselessly preferred the pleasure-loving gluttony of the passions.
O my soul, thou hast valued the wells of Canaanite thoughts more than the veined Rock, Jesus, the Fountain of Wisdom from which flow the rivers of divine knowledge.
The swine’s meat, the flesh-pots and the food of Egypt thou hast preferred, my soul, to the food of heaven, as the ungrateful people did of old in the wilderness.
When Thy servant Moses struck the rock with his rod, he prefigured Thy life-giving side, O Saviour, from which we all draw the water of life.
Like Joshua, the son of Nun, search and spy out, my soul, the land of thine inheritance and take up thy dwelling within it, through obedience to the Law.
Glory be to the Father…
‘I am the Trinity, simple and undivided, yet divided in Persons, and I am the Unity, by Nature one’, says the Father and the Son and the divine Spirit.
Both now…
Theotokion
Thy womb bore God for us, fashioned in our shape. O Theotokos, pray to Him as the Creator of all, that we may be justified through thine intercessions.
Kontakion
TONE SIX
My soul, O my soul, rise up! Why art thou sleeping? The end draws near, and soon thou shalt be troubled. Watch, then, that Christ thy God may spare thee, for He is everywhere present and fills all things.
Canticle Seven
Irmos: We have sinned, we have transgressed, we have done evil in Thy sight; we have not kept or followed Thy commandments. But reject us not utterly, O God of our fathers.
When the Ark was being carried in a cart and the ox stumbled, Uzzah did no more than touch it, but the wrath of God smote him. O my soul, flee from his presumption and respect with reverence the things of God.
Thou hast heard of Absalom, and how he rebelled against nature; thou knowest of the unholy deeds by which he defiled his father David’s bed. Yet thou hast followed him in his passionate and sensual desires.
Thy free dignity, O my soul, thou hast subjected to thy body; for thou hast found in the enemy another Ahitophel, and hast agreed to all his counsels. But Christ Himself has brought them to nothing and saved thee from them all.
Solomon the wonderful, who was full of the grace of wisdom, once did evil in the sight of heaven and turned away from God. Thou hast become like him, my soul, by thine accursed life.
Carried away by sensual passions, he defiled himself. Alas! The lover of wisdom became a lover of harlots and a stranger to God. And thou, my soul, in mind hast imitated him through thy shameful desires.
O my soul, thou hast rivalled Rehoboam, who paid no attention to his father’s counsellors, and Jeroboam, that evil servant and renegade of old. But flee from their example and cry to God: I have sinned, take pity on me. Glory be to the Father…
O simple and undivided Trinity, O holy and consubstantial Unity: Thou art praised as Light and Lights, one Holy and three Holies. Sing, O my soul, and glorify Life and Lives, the God of all. Both now…
Theotokion
We praise thee, we bless thee, we venerate thee, O Mother of God: for thou hast given birth to One of the undivided Trinity, thy Son and God, and thou hast opened the heavenly places to us on earth.
Canticle Eight
Irmos: The hosts of heaven give Him glory; before Him tremble cherubim and seraphim; let everything that has breath and all creation praise Him, bless Him, and exalt Him above all for ever.
Thou hast followed Uzziah, my soul, and hast his leprosy in double form: for thy thoughts are wicked, and thine acts unlawful. Leave what thou hast, and hasten to repentance.
O my soul, thou hast heard how the men of Nineveh repented before God in sackcloth and ashes. Yet thou hast not followed them, but art more wicked than all who sinned before the Law and after.
Thou hast heard, my soul, how Jeremiah in the muddy pit cried out with lamentations for the city of Zion and asked to be given tears. Follow his life of lamentation and be saved.
Jonah fled to Tarshish, foreseeing the conversion of the men of Nineveh; for as a prophet he knew the loving-kindness of God, but he was jealous that his prophecy should not be proved false. My soul, thou hast heard how Daniel stopped the mouths of the wild beasts in the lions’ den; and thou knowest how the Children with Azarias quenched through their faith the flames of the fiery furnace.
All the names of the Old Testament have I set before thee, my soul, as an example. Imitate the holy acts of the righteous and flee from the sins of the wicked.
We bless the Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Father without beginning, coeternal Son, and loving Comforter, the Spirit of righteousness; Begetter of the Word of God, Word of the eternal Father, Spirit living and creative: O Trinity in Unity, have mercy on me.
Both now…
Theotokion
As from purple silk, O undefiled Virgin, the spiritual robe of Emmanuel, His flesh, was woven in thy womb. Therefore we honour thee as Theotokos in very truth.
Canticle Nine
Irmos: Conception without seed; nativity past understanding, from a Mother who never knew a man; childbearing undefiled. For the birth of God makes both natures new. Therefore, as Bride and Mother of God, with true worship all generations magnify thee.
Christ was being tempted; the devil tempted Him, showing Him the stones that they might be made bread. He led Him up into a mountain, to see in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. O my soul, look with fear on what happened; watch and pray every hour to God.
The Dove who loved the wilderness, the Lamp of Christ, the voice of one crying aloud, was heard preaching repentance; but Herod sinned with Herodias. O my soul, see that thou art not trapped in the snares of the lawless, but embrace repentance.
The Forerunner of Grace went to dwell in the wilderness, and Judaea and all Samaria ran to hear him; they confessed their sins and were baptized eagerly. But thou, my soul, hast not imitated them.
Marriage is honourable, and the marriage-bed undefiled. For on both Christ has given His blessing, eating in the flesh at the wedding in Cana, turning the water into wine and revealing His first miracle, to bring thee, my soul, to a change of life.
Christ gave strength to the paralysed man, and he took up his bed; He raised from the dead the young man, the son of the widow, and the centurion’s servant; He appeared to the woman of Samaria and spoke to thee, my soul, of worship in spirit.
By the touch of the hem of His garment, the Lord healed the woman with an issue of blood; He cleansed lepers and gave sight to the blind and made the lame walk upright; He cured by His word the deaf and the dumb and the woman bowed to the ground, to bring thee, wretched soul, to salvation.
Glory be to the Father…
Let us glorify the Father, let us exalt the Son, and with faith let us worship the Spirit of God, undivided Trinity and Unity in essence. Let us adore Light and Lights, Life and Lives, giving light and life to the ends of the earth.
Both now…
Theotokion
Watch over thy City, all-pure Mother of God. For by thee she reigns in faith, by thee she is made strong; by thee she is victorious, putting to flight every temptation, despoiling the enemy and ruling her subjects.
Holy Father Andrew, pray to God for us.
Venerable Andrew, father thrice-blessed, shepherd of Crete, cease not to offer prayer for us who sing thy praises; that we may be delivered from all danger and distress, from corruption and sin, who honour thy memory with faith.
And then again the irmos, Conception without seed…
And the rest of Great Compline.