Thursday in the Third Week
MATTINS
After the first reading from the Psalter, the sessional hymns of the Apostles in the Tone of the week.
After the second reading from the Psalter, the following sessional hymns:
TONE SIX
by Joseph
O disciples of the Saviour, fixed and unmoving stars that shine upon the world, give light to my soul that is blinded by sin; grant that I may share in the Day of the Lord, keeping the commandments of salvation, and deliver me from the darkness of hell where no light shines, that I may give you glory.
Glory be to the Father… Repeat. Both now…
Theotokion
Hallowed Lady, Mother of Christ our God, thou hast borne ineffably the Maker of all. In union with the holy apostles pray to Him at all times, that in His love He may release us from the passions and grant us the remission of our sins.
After the third reading from the Psalter, the following sessional hymns:
TONE SIX
by Theodore
O divine apostles, stars that shine on all the world, give light to us who sing your praises as we keep the Fast. We pray that we may all be counted worthy to look upon the wood of the lifegiving Cross with pure eyes, and to embrace it with pure lips, crying aloud with joy: O Lord, glory to Thee.
Glory be to the Father… Repeat. Both now…
Theotokion
O Theotokos Virgin, thou art the good hope of the world: I ask for thy dread protection, and for thine alone. Have compassion on thy people that are left without defence: pray to the merciful God that our souls may be delivered from every threat, for thou alone art blessed.
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 sing the fourth Biblical Canticle.
Canticle Four
First Canon
TONE SIX
by Joseph
Irmos: Christ is my strength…
O ye faithful, let us give ourselves to fasting, tears and prayer, to works of compassion and to a contrite way of life, to upright thoughts and purity, that we may share in glory.
O apostles, ye shine with radiance as stars in the firmament of the Holy Church: give light to our hearts through the Spirit of God.
As divine coals kindled by immaterial fire, O wise apostles of our God, burn up the material passions in our hearts.
Theotokion
O all-blameless Lady, lamp that never shall be quenched, bridal chamber full of light, higher than the seraphim, the chariot of the cherubim, set me free from grievous sins and dangers.
Another Canon
SAME TONE
by Joseph
Irmos: The prophet heard of Thy coming, O Lord…
O apostles of the Saviour, shining torches of God’s revelation, ye have dispersed the night of ignorance: ye fill the Church with brightness and give light to the inhabited earth with the fiery tongues of your divine teaching.
O apostles, ye journeyed through the world, each to a different country, gathering all men into the one faith; and sharing now in the rewards of heaven, ye rejoice and pray without ceasing to Christ, that we may all be saved.
Glory be to the Father…
I glorify the Son and the Spirit who come from the Father as light and ray from the sun: the One begotten as Offspring, the Other proceeding and sent forth; divine and coeternal Trinity, adored by all creation.
Both now…
Theotokion
O honoured Virgin, who hast given birth yet kept thy purity, thou hast borne both God and man, a single Person with a twofold Nature. This thy miracle, O Virgin Mother, fills every ear and mind with wonder.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
At your holy intercessions, apostles of the Lord, may we be counted worthy with pure lips and eyes to reverence the lifegiving Cross, that is exalted in the sight of the whole world for all to venerate.
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.
Canticle Eight
Irmos: Thou hast made dew fall from the flames…
Through fasting Moses was granted the vision of God and Elijah was taken up in a chariot of fire. O my soul, make haste; abstain from harmful thoughts, that thou mayest be delivered from the beguilement that draws thee to the earth.
I fall into ever greater sins and inflict fresh wounds upon myself. At the prayers of Thine apostles, O merciful Christ, heal the stony hardness of my heart.
O stars that shine in all the world, bright with the splendour of God, scatter the clouds of our passions and grant us to worship at the radiant feast of the Resurrection, praising the Sun of glory.
Theotokion
O Blessed of God, from all generations we call thee blessed, as thou thyself hast prophesied. For thou alone hast borne unto mortal men the blessed Word, who ineffably took flesh from thee.
Second Canon
Irmos: Thy holy Children in the furnace…
O apostles of the Lord, we are swimming in the deep waters of delusion: catch us with the rod of faith, and we shall bless, praise and exalt the Lord above all for ever.
Great is the power which Thou hast shown, O Christ, in Thine apostles. For their shadows and the clothing which they wore brought healing to the sick; and they bless, praise and exalt the Lord above all for ever.
We bless the Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Without beginning are the birth of the Son and the procession of the Spirit. I worship the Father who begets, I glorify the Son who is begotten, and I sing the praises of the Holy Spirit who shines forth with the Father and the Son.
Both now…
Theotokion
Cease not to pray, O Virgin, unto Him whom thou hast borne in ways past all interpretation, for He loves mankind: that He may save from danger all those who flee to thee for refuge.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
O holy company of the twelve apostles, grant me uncondemned to venerate the precious Cross, as I bless, praise and exalt the Lord above all for ever.
We praise, bless and worship the Lord…
Irmos: Thy holy Children in the furnace sang like the cherubim the thrice-holy hymn, and they cried aloud: Bless, praise and exalt ye the Lord above all for ever.
Canticle Nine
Irmos: No man is able to see God…
O God and Lord of many mercies, cleanse the wounds of my heart and heal them with the medicine of repentance. I have sinned, I have sinned against Thee: take pity on me and save me at the prayers of Thine apostles, for Thou art full of mercy.
Foolishly, like the Prodigal, I have followed my unruly impulses and have departed far from my true self: I eat the rough husks of pleasure and am deprived of the food of salvation. O Christ, take pity on me and save me.
O my soul, thou hast not cleansed thyself from evil nor avoided the lusts that corrupt thee. Why art thou filled, then, with unjustified rejoicing, because thou hast observed the Fast? For such is not the fast the Lord has chosen, who desires our true amendment.
Theotokion
O Virgin Theotokos, who hast borne the Light, guide me with divine light and drive away the darkness from my soul, that I may bless thee: for all generations of men, as thou hast prophesied, shall call thee blessed.
Second Canon
Irmos: Conception without seed…
Simple in speech but wise in knowledge, ye have destroyed the webs of words spun by philosophers, the cunning tapestries of the orators, and the divinations of the stargazers: therefore, O apostles of Christ, ye have been revealed as the only teachers of the whole inhabited earth.
Peter speaks, and Plato falls silent; Paul teaches, and Pythagoras is heard no more. The company of the apostles, preaching the mysteries of God, has buried the dead voice of the pagan Greeks and called the world to the worship of Christ.
Glory be to the Father…
O Father, single only-Begetter of the only-Begotten Son; O only Light and Brightness from the one and only Light; and Thou, one and only Holy Spirit from the one God, true Lord from the Lord: O holy Three in One, save me as I tell of Thy divinity.
Both now…
Theotokion
The marvel of thy childbearing fills me with wonder, O all-blameless Lady. How hast thou conceived without seed Him whom none can comprehend? How hast thou remained a Virgin and yet become a Mother? ‘Accept the miracle with faith, and worship the Child that is born, for all that He wills, He has the power to do.’
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
At your prayers, O holy apostles of Christ, may we all be counted worthy to see and venerate with pure lips and souls the precious Cross, the all-holy Tree that has borne as flower the salvation of the world.
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.
Aposticha:
TONE SIX
Like the Prodigal I have fallen from sonship, and as a slave I have eaten with the swine, yet was not satisfied by their food; but now I return to Thee, O compassionate Father. Wrongly I forsook Thee, but rightly have I turned back in repentance, and I cry: I have sinned against heaven and before Thee, O Father; grant to me, returning homeward, Thy great mercy (twice).
To the Martyrs
Great wonders has our God done for His saints and His elect. Rejoice and be glad, all ye His servants: He has prepared for you crowns of glory and His Kingdom. We entreat you not to forget us.
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
Theotokion
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.
SIXTH HOUR
Troparion of the Prophecy:
TONE SEVEN
O Thou who lovest man, if Thou shouldest mark iniquities, what hope is there for our salvation? But, Lord, in Thy mercy send down upon Thy people Thy help from on high.
Glory be to the Father… Both now… Repeat.
Prokimenon (Psalm 53):
TONE FOUR
Save me, O God, for Thy Name’s sake, and judge me in Thy strength.
℣. Hear my prayer, O God, and hearken unto the words of my mouth.
Lesson: Isaiah 11:10–12:2.
Prokimenon (Psalm 54):
TONE FOUR
Give ear to my prayer, O God: and despise not my supplication.
℣. Attend unto me and hear me.
VESPERS
To Lord, I have cried, six stichera are sung, the first three being from the Triodion:
TONE FIVE
by Joseph
O Saviour, who art the true sweetness, of old Thou hast made sweet the bitter waters of Marah with the wood that was a figure of the divine Cross. Crucified upon it, Thou wast pleased to taste gall; Thy side was pierced, and from it flowed the water of forgiveness, refashioning our mortal nature. Therefore we glorify Thine ineffable power and we pray: in this season of the Fast fill our hearts with fear of Thee, O Lord; pardon our offences, and grant us Thy great mercy.
O Word, who wast stretched out upon the Cross, gathering together those that had gone far from Thee, raise up my thoughts from the dunghill of the passions, and make me rich in all the virtues; grant to my heart the pure fear of Thee, and to my soul Thy perfect love, that severs me from carnal love. Through abstinence, prayer and supplication, may I find favour with Thee in this present season, and with joy may I behold the day of Thy Rising, receiving Thy great mercy.
TONE ONE
by Theodore
Count us worthy, Christ the Word, after passing through the third week of the Fast, to look upon the wood of Thy lifegiving Cross and to venerate it with holy reverence. Grant us rightly to sing and magnify Thy power, to praise Thy Passion, and to come with pure hearts to Thy glorious and holy Resurrection, the mystical Passover whereby Adam is restored again to Paradise.
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 55):
TONE EIGHT
Be merciful unto me, O God; for mine enemies persecute me.
℣. They oppress me all the day long.
Lesson: Genesis 7:11–8:3.
Prokimenon (Psalm 56):
TONE SEVEN
Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul has trusted in Thee.
℣. In the shadow of Thy wings shall I hope, until this wickedness has passed me by.
Lesson: Proverbs 10:1–22.
Aposticha:
TONE SIX
O Christ our God, the life of all, Thou wast hung upon the wood of the Cross: restore to life my soul, slain by my sins, and suffer not Thy sheep to perish utterly, O Good Shepherd. I have rebelled against Thy commandments, and through my willful love of sin I have wasted the wealth of sinlessness that Thou hast given me. Living as the Prodigal, I have grown corrupt and loathsome: but bring me to repentance and renew me, for Thou alone art full of mercy (twice).
To the Martyrs
Thy martyrs, O Lord, denied Thee not and forsook not Thy commandments: at their intercessions have mercy upon us.
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
Stavrotheotokion
Beholding Thee crucified, O Christ, Thy Mother cried aloud: ‘O my Son, what is this strange mystery that I behold? Nailed in the flesh, O Giver of Life, how dost Thou die upon the Tree?’
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 sing the fifth Biblical Canticle.
Canticle Five
First Canon
TONE FIVE
by Joseph
Irmos: O Thou who clothest Thyself with light…
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; by Thy wounds cleanse the wounds of my soul, O Christ who hast accepted suffering in the flesh.
When the sun beheld Thee, O Christ, hanging in the flesh upon the Wood, its light was changed to darkness; and the earth quaked and the rocks were rent.
O Lord who in Thy surpassing love hast been crowned with thorns, cleanse my soul, for it is full of thorns and overgrown with the weeds of all the passions.
Theotokion
O all-pure Virgin, thou hast brought forth my Creator as a newborn babe. Entreat Him, then, I pray thee, to fashion me anew, who am grown old in evil.
Another Canon
TONE ONE
by Theodore
Irmos: Seeking Thee early in the morning…
At the place of the Skull, O Christ, the Jews who crucified Thee wagged their heads in laughter and mockery; and all this Thou hast endured for our salvation.
Pilate wrote the inscription on Thy Cross in three languages, O Christ, showing in this way that Thou art one of the Trinity, who suffered of Thine own will for the salvation of all.
Glory be to the Father…
O ye faithful, let us praise the threefold Sun of the Trinity supreme in radiance, honouring the Father as Light, glorifying the Son as Light, and proclaiming the Spirit as Light.
Both now…
Theotokion
O pure and honoured Virgin, He who was born of thee has made thee higher than the angels. For they are afraid to gaze on Him as God, but thou hast carried Him in thine arms as thy Son.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
O precious Cross, guardian and salvation of the world, watch over me as I fast and count me worthy to take part in thy holy veneration.
Irmos: Seeking Thee early in the morning, we sing Thy praises, Christ our God, who hast for our sakes become poor and in Thy flesh endured the Cross and death.
Canticle Eight
Irmos: For Thee, the Creator of all…
O Christ, Thou hast stretched out Thine hands upon the Cross, and so Thou hast destroyed the sin of our forefather who stretched out his hands in greed. By the Tree hast Thou healed the curse of the tree: therefore we sing Thy praises for ever.
I fall down before Thee, O Word, who desirest my salvation. Cause the evil desires to vanish swiftly from my heart, O Thou who hast willingly endured the Cross and Passion.
I have loved the guilty life of the Prodigal and my soul has grown dark. O Word who at Thy Passion hast darkened the light of the sun, shine upon me with Thy brightness, that I may turn back to Thee.
Theotokion
Cause every ill to vanish from my greatly suffering heart, O Mother of Christ my God. Shatter the arrows and bows of the demons that make war against my humiliated soul.
Second Canon
Irmos: Christ our God preserved the Children who sang His praises…
In our wretchedness what shall we offer Thee, O Master of all, who hast suffered for us? Thou hast endured the Cross for our sake, O Christ, and we sing the praises of Thy grace and boundless mercy.
The lawless Jews who from envy killed Thee on the accursed tree, harmed not the power of Thy glory. For Thou remainest Master of all, and Thou hast suffered by Thine own free choice.
We bless the Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
I honour the three Persons of the Godhead that transcends all being, and I glorify for ever the Father without beginning, the Son and the Holy Spirit, undivided in essence and nature.
Both now…
Theotokion
We praise her who is higher that the heavens and exalted above the cherubim, the first among the saints, the undefiled Maiden who bore the God of all, and we exalt her above all for ever.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
O thrice-blessed Cross of Christ, while hidden in the earth thou hast given us a victory written in the sky; grant that, cleansed by fasting, we may all be counted worthy to venerate thee.
We praise, bless and worship the Lord…
Irmos: Christ our God preserved the Children who sang His praises in the furnace, and He changed the roaring flames to dew; let us praise and exalt Him above all for ever.
Canticle Nine
Irmos: Rejoice, Isaiah…
O compassionate Saviour, take away the stony hardness of my soul, and grant me in Thy love a fountain of divine compunction: for Thou hast poured out life upon me from Thy side and lifted up mankind to Thee, O Lord.
Forsaking the heights of virtue I have thrown myself into the depths of sin. But draw me up and save me, for Thou hast ascended on the Cross and lifted up mankind to Thee, O Lord.
O Lord Christ who art sweetness and delight, Thou the Creator hast tasted gall and raised up Adam’s children from their fall that came about through sensual pleasure. Saved by Thy Passion, we sing Thy praises.
Theotokion
All-holy Lady, my hope and refuge, heal the wounds of my soul and give peace to my mind, that even I may praise thy greatness, Ever-Virgin Theotokos.
Second Canon
Irmos: Moses saw thee as a bush…
The transgressors in mockery clothed Thee with purple, O Christ, and crowned Thee as King, striking Thy head with a reed; and from envy they crucified Thee and gave Thee gall to drink. In our hymns with all the faithful we magnify Thee.
When the sun beheld Thy sufferings upon the Cross, it hid its light; and seeing the outrages which Thou hast undergone, O Master, the whole creation quaked and the rocks were rent. In our hymns, Christ our Saviour, we magnify Thee.
Glory be to the Father…
O Unity of the threefold Sun, Light and Life and Maker of all, God and Lord, shining with a single light, three Persons in one Godhead: with all the faithful we magnify Thee.
Both now…
Theotokion
In prophecy David the Psalmist called thee Zion: for He whom the heavens cannot contain made thee His dwelling-place, and from thy flesh He formed the mercy-seat of the world. In our hymns, pure Mother, we magnify thee.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
O Lord, through abstinence enable us to run swiftly to Thy saving Cross, the Light of the faithful, and to behold and venerate it for our sanctification; that so through the Cross we may magnify Thee.
Irmos: Moses saw thee as a bush unconsumed by fire, and Jacob beheld thee as the living ladder and the gate of heaven, through which Christ our God has passed. In our hymns, pure Mother, we magnify thee.
Aposticha:
TONE SIX
I have scattered the riches which the Father gave me and wasted my life as the Prodigal, carried away by the evil thoughts of sin. Taking pleasure in the sweetness of passion, I have transgressed Thy saving commandments and become like the unthinking beasts. O Christ my God, who for my sake wast pleased to hang upon the Cross, deprive me not of sonship, but accept me as I now turn back to Thee like the Prodigal Son, and save me (twice).
To the Martyrs
At the commemoration of Thy martyrs, O Lord, the whole creation keeps festival; heaven with the angels greatly rejoices, and the earth with all mankind makes glad. At their intercessions have mercy on us.
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
Stavrotheotokion
When the all-pure Virgin saw Thee hanging on the Cross, with a mother’s grief she cried aloud: ‘O my Son and my God! O my beloved Child! How dost Thou endure this shameful suffering?’