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Triodion

Saturday of Cheese Week - Memory of the Holy Ascetics - On Friday Evening

__________

VESPERS

PRIEST

Blessed is our God always, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR

Amen.

While the Introductory Psalm is being read, the Priest stands in front of the holy Table and reads the so-called Lamp-lighting Prayers.

READER

Come, let us worship and bow down before God our King.

Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ God our King.

Come, let us worship and bow down before Him, Christ our King and God.

Stand for the reading of the Introductory Psalm.

Psalm 103 (104).

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, You are magnified exceedingly; You clothe Yourself with thanksgiving and majesty, who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, who stretch out the heavens like a curtain; You are He who covers His upper chambers with water, who makes the clouds His means of approach, who walks on the wings of the winds, who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire. He established the earth on its stable foundation; it shall not be moved unto ages of ages. The deep like a garment is His covering; the waters shall stand upon the mountains; at Your rebuke they shall flee; at the sound of Your thunder, they shall be afraid. The mountains rise up, and the plains sink down to the place You founded for them. You set a boundary they shall not pass over; neither shall they return to cover the earth. You are He who sends springs into the valley; the waters shall pass between the mountains; they shall give drink to all the wild animals of the field; the wild asses shall quench their thirst; the birds of heaven shall dwell beside them; they shall sing from the midst of the rocks. You are He who waters the mountains from His higher places; the earth shall be satisfied with the fruit of Your works. You are He who causes grass to grow for the cattle, and the green plant for the service of man, to bring forth bread from the earth; and wine gladdens the heart of man, to brighten his face with oil; and bread strengthens man’s heart. The trees of the plain shall be full of fruit, the cedars of Lebanon, which You planted; there the sparrows shall make their nests; the house of the heron takes the lead among them. The high mountains are for the deer; the cliff is a refuge for the rabbits. He made the moon for seasons; the sun knows its setting. You established darkness, and it was night, wherein all the wild animals of the forest will prowl about; the young lions roar and snatch their prey, and seek their food from God. The sun arises, and they are gathered together; and they shall be put to bed in their dens. Man shall go out to his work and to his labor until evening. O Lord, Your works shall be magnified greatly; You made all things in wisdom; the earth was filled with Your creation. There is this great and spacious sea: the creeping things are there without number; the living things are there, both small and great; there the ships pass through; there is this dragon You formed to play therein. All things wait upon You, that You may give them food in due season. When You give it to them, they shall gather it; when You open Your hand, all things shall be filled with Your goodness. But when You turn Your face away, they shall be troubled; when You take away their breath, they shall die and return again to their dust. You shall send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Let the glory of the Lord be forever; the Lord shall be glad in His works; He looks upon the earth and makes it tremble; He touches the mountains, and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing to my God as long as I exist; may my words be pleasing to Him, and I shall be glad in the Lord. May sinners cease from the earth, and the lawless, so as to be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

The sun knows its setting. You established darkness, and it was night.

O Lord, Your works shall be magnified greatly; You made all things in wisdom. [SAAS]

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. Glory to You, O God. (3)

Our hope, O Lord, glory to You.

THE PEACE LITANY

DEACON

In peace let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR (after each petition)

Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.

For the peace of the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.

For this holy house and for those who enter it with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.

For pious and Orthodox Christians, let us pray to the Lord.

For our Archbishop (name), for the honorable presbyterate, for the diaconate in Christ, and for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.

For our country, the president, all those in public service, and for our armed forces everywhere, let us pray to the Lord.

For the Holy and Great Church of Christ, for our Sacred Archdiocese, [for this Sacred Metropolis,] for this city and parish, for every city and land, and for the faithful who live in them, let us pray to the Lord.

For favorable weather, for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.

For those who travel by land, sea, and air, for the sick, the suffering, the captives and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and distress, let us pray to the Lord.

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

Remembering our all-holy, immaculate, most blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR

To You, O Lord.

PRIEST

For to You belong all glory, honor, and worship, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR

Amen.

CHOIR

Mode pl. 4.

Lord, I have cried to You; hear me. Hear me, O Lord. Lord, I have cried to You; hear me. Give heed to the voice of my supplication when I cry to You. Hear me, O Lord. [SAAS]

Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Hear me, O Lord. [SAAS]

Show Stichologia

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, a door of enclosure about my lips.

Incline not my heart to evil words, to make excuses in sins.

With men who work lawlessness; and I will not join with their choice ones.

The righteous man shall correct me with mercy, and he shall reprove me; but let not the oil of the sinner anoint my head.

For my prayer shall be intense in the presence of their pleasures. Their judges are swallowed up by the rock.

They shall hear my words, for they are pleasant. As a clod of ground is dashed to pieces on the earth, so their bones were scattered beside the grave.

For my eyes, O Lord, O Lord, are toward You; in You I hope; take not my soul away.

Keep me from the snares they set for me, and from the stumbling blocks of those who work lawlessness.

Sinners shall fall into their own net; I am alone, until I escape.

I cried to the Lord with my voice, with my voice I prayed to the Lord.

I shall pour out my supplication before Him; I shall declare my affliction in His presence.

When my spirit fainted within me, then You knew my paths.

For on the way I was going, they hid a trap for me.

I looked on my right, and saw there was no one who knew me.

Refuge failed me, and there was no one who cared for my soul.

I cried to You, O Lord; I said, “You are my hope, my portion in the land of the living.”

Attend to my supplication, for I was humbled exceedingly.

Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I.

Bring my soul out of prison to give thanks to Your name, O Lord.

The righteous shall wait for me, until You reward me.

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice.

Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.

Hide Stichologia

Stichera from the Triodion.

From Triodion - - -

Mode pl. 4. Automelon (not metered).

If You, O Lord, should mark transgression, O Lord, who would stand? For there is forgiveness with You. [SAAS]

Come, all faithful! ⁄ Let us praise the assemblies of holy fathers: ⁄ Anthony the Great, Euthymius the Great, and all of their company, ⁄ passing through their lives as through a paradise of sweetness! ⁄ Let us cry out with joy: ⁄ These are truly the trees which our God has planted! ⁄ These are the ripened fruits of eternal life, ⁄ offered to Christ, nourishing our souls. ⁄⁄ Blessed, God-bearing fathers, pray that we may be saved! [OCA]

Because of Your law, O Lord, I waited for You; my soul waited for Your word. My soul hopes in the Lord. [SAAS]

From the morning watch until night; from the morning watch until night, let Israel hope in the Lord. [SAAS]

Rejoice, Egypt, land of faith! ⁄ Rejoice, holy Libya, and the Thebaid chosen by God! ⁄ Rejoice, every place and country ⁄ which has brought forth citizens of the kingdom of heaven, ⁄ raising them in abstinence and labor, ⁄ offering them to God as men perfect in love. ⁄ They are stars guiding our souls, ⁄ and by the brightness of their wonders and the miracles they wrought, ⁄ they have shed their spiritual light over all the earth. ⁄⁄ All-blessed fathers, pray for our souls! [OCA]

For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption; and He shall redeem Israel from all his transgressions. [SAAS]

Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; praise Him, all you peoples. [SAAS]

Who among men can speak of the perfection of your lives, holy fathers? ⁄ What tongue can utter the sanctity of your efforts? ⁄ The sufferings in virtue, the control of the flesh? ⁄ The struggles with passions, in vigils, in prayers and in tears! ⁄ Truly you were angels while in the world. ⁄ You laid low the highest powers of evil. ⁄ You performed miraculous and wonderful signs. ⁄ Therefore pray with us, most blessed fathers, ⁄⁄ to gain for our souls eternal joy! [OCA]

For His mercy rules over us; and the truth of the Lord endures forever. [SAAS]

Glory.

From Triodion - - -

Mode pl. 2.

You preserved the dignity of God’s image in you, and through asceticism you set your mind to rule over the destructive passions; and thus you ascended to the likeness of God as far as possible. For you had manfully exerted force on your nature, and hastened to subordinate the inferior to the superior, and to make the flesh subservient to the spirit. Therefore you became the ultimate monastics, the founders of the desert, teachers of those who live with integrity, the most exact rules of virtue. Now in heaven, O all-devout Fathers, you gaze no longer at reflections in a mirror, but clearly at the Holy Trinity, interceding directly for those who with faith and love honor you. [SD]

Both now. Grave Mode.

From Octoechos - - -

The First Theotokion of the Mode.

O Theotokos, you became a mother in a manner passing nature. You remained a virgin in a manner passing speech and thought, and no language is capable of explaining the marvel of your childbirth. O Virgin pure, as conception was a paradox, incomprehensible is the manner of birth; for where God wills, the order of nature yields. And now, all we who know you, the Mother of God, earnestly implore you: Intercede with Him for the salvation of our souls. [GOASD]

(No Entrance)

Stand for the hymn.

READER

Gladsome light of holy glory of the holy, blessed, heavenly, immortal Father, O Jesus Christ: arriving at the hour of sunset and having seen the evening light, we praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God. It is worthy for You to be praised at all times with happy voices, O Son of God and Giver of life; * and therefore the world glorifies You. [SD]

DEACON

The evening Prokeimenon!

CHOIR

Prokeimenon. Grave Mode.

You are my protector, O God. Your mercy shall go before me. (2) [SAAS]

Verse: Rescue me from my enemies, O God, and redeem me from those who rise up against me.

You are my protector, O God. Your mercy shall go before me.

The Readings

From Triodion - - -

THE PROPHECY

READER

The reading is from the Prophecy of Zechariah.

PRIEST

Wisdom. Let us be attentive.

READER

Zec 8:19-23

“Thus says the Lord Almighty: ‘The fourth-month fast, and the fifth-month fast, and the seventh-month fast, and the tenth-month fast shall be for joy and gladness and in good feasts to the house of Judah. And you will rejoice, and you will love truth and peace.’ Thus says the Lord Almighty: ‘Yet many people will have come and those inhabiting many cities; and the inhabitants of five cities will come together to one city, saying, “Let us go to beseech the Lord and to seek out the face of the Lord Almighty; and I will go also.” And many peoples and many nations will come to seek out the presence of the Lord Almighty in Jerusalem and to obtain the favor of the presence of the Lord.’ Thus says the Lord Almighty, ‘In those days, if ten men from all the tongues of the nations stop you, even if they grab hold of the hem of a Jewish man, they will be saying, “We will go with you, for we heard God is with you.”” [SAAS]

Prokeimenon. Mode pl. 2.

Let Israel hope in the Lord from this present time and unto the ages.

O Lord, my heart is not exalted. [SAAS]

PRIEST

Peace be with you.

Stand for the reading of prayer.

READER

O Lord, keep us this evening without sin. Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is your name to the ages. Amen. O Lord, let your mercy be upon us for we have set our hope in you. Blessed are you, O Lord, teach me your commandments. Blessed are you, Master, grant me understanding of your commandments. Blessed are you, Holy One, enlighten me with your commandments. Lord, your mercy is forever. Do not despise the works of your hands. To you is due praise, to you is due song, to you is due glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. [HC]

( Amen. )

LITANY OF COMPLETION

DEACON

Let us complete our evening prayer to the Lord.

CHOIR

Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

CHOIR

Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

That the whole evening may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR (after each petition)

Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

For an angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask the Lord.

For pardon and remission of our sins and transgressions, let us ask the Lord.

For that which is good and beneficial for our souls, and for peace for the world, let us ask the Lord.

That we may complete the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance, let us ask the Lord.

And let us ask for a Christian end to our life, peaceful, without shame and suffering, and for a good defense before the awesome judgment seat of Christ.

CHOIR

To You, O Lord.

PRIEST

For You are good and benevolent God, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR

Amen.

PRIEST

Peace be with all.

CHOIR

And with your spirit.

DEACON

Let us bow our heads to the Lord.

CHOIR

To You, O Lord.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Lord our God, who inclined the heavens and came down for the salvation of humankind, look upon Your servants and Your inheritance; for they have bowed their heads and bent their necks to You, the fearsome yet compassionate Judge, not expecting human help, but awaiting Your mercy and anticipating Your salvation. Guard them at all times, this evening and the coming night, from every enemy, from all demonic activity against them, from unprofitable reflections, and from wicked thoughts.

PRIEST (aloud)

Blessed and glorified be the majesty of Your kingdom, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR

Amen.

CHOIR

Aposticha. From the Triodion.

From Triodion - - -

Idiomelon. Mode 2.

Brethren, let us purify ourselves ⁄ from all stain of flesh and spirit. ⁄ Let us illumine the lights of our souls through love of poverty! ⁄ Let us not slander one another with curses! ⁄ For the time has come ⁄ when the Bridegroom renders to each according to his works. ⁄ Let us greet Christ with the Wise Virgins, ⁄ crying to him with the voice of the Thief: ⁄⁄ Remember us, Lord, when you come in your kingdom! [OCA]

Verse: I lift my eyes to You, who dwell in heaven. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hands of their masters, as the eyes of the maidservant look to the hands of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God until He shall have compassion on us. [SAAS]

For the Martyrs.

Mode 2.

Verse: Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for we are greatly filled with contempt; our soul is greatly filled with it. We are a disgrace to those who prosper, and a contempt to the arrogant. [SAAS]

Since the holy Martyrs are interceding on our behalf and are sending up their praises to Christ, all delusion has ceased and by faith the human race is preserved. [SD]

Glory.

From Triodion - - -

Mode pl. 4. Idiomelon.

We the multitudes of monastics honor you, O devout Fathers, as our teachers and guides. For through you we have learned to walk the truly straight and narrow path. Blessed are you, who served Christ and triumphed over the power of the enemy. As you consort now with the Angels and dwell with the Saints and the Righteous, pray with them to the Lord, that He have mercy on our souls. [SD]

Both now. Theotokion.

Mode pl. 4. N/M (What a paradoxal.)

Ὢ τοῦ παραδόξου.

Rejoice, treasure of purity! ⁄ Rejoice, pure abode of the immaterial light! ⁄ Rejoice, praise of the martyrs! ⁄ Rejoice, preview of our salvation! ⁄ Rejoice, preaching of the Apostles! ⁄ Rejoice, fulfillment of the Prophets! ⁄ Rejoice, beauty of monks and ascetics! ⁄⁄ Blameless Virgin, the salvation of the faithful! [OCA]

Stand for the reading of prayers

PRIEST

Song of Simeon.

Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples. A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel. [NKJV]

PEOPLE

Trisagion Prayers.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, forgive our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Your name’s sake.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

PRIEST

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to ages of ages.

CHOIR

Amen.

Apolytikion.

From Triodion - - -

Mode 4.

O God of our Fathers, since You always deal with us in accordance with Your gentleness, do not withdraw Your mercy from us, but at their fervent entreaties, pilot our life in peace. [SD]

Glory. Both now. Theotokion.

From Octoechos - - -

Mode 4.

O Theotokos, revealed through you to us on earth was the mystery, that was hidden for ages and unknown by the angels. God became incarnate, uniting natures without confusion, and for us He voluntarily accepted crucifixion, through which He resurrected the first-formed man, and He saved our souls from death. [GOASD]

DEACON

Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy, we pray You, hear us and have mercy.

( Lord, have mercy. (3) )

Again we pray for pious and Orthodox Christians.

( Lord, have mercy. (3) )

Again we pray for our Archbishop (name).

( Lord, have mercy. (3) )

Again we pray for our brethren: the priests, the hieromonks, the hierodeacons, the monastics, and all our brotherhood in Christ.

( Lord, have mercy. (3) )

Again we pray for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, protection, forgiveness, and remission of the sins of the servants of God, all pious Orthodox Christians residing and visiting in this city: the parishioners, the members of the parish council, the stewards, and benefactors of this holy church.

( Lord, have mercy. (3) )

Again we pray for the blessed and ever-memorable founders of this holy church, and for all our fathers and brethren who have fallen asleep before us, who here have been piously laid to their rest, as well as the Orthodox everywhere.

( Lord, have mercy. (3) )

Again we pray for those who bear fruit and do good works in this holy and all-venerable church, for those who labor and those who sing, and for the people here present who await Your great and rich mercy.

( Lord, have mercy. (3) )

PRIEST

For You are merciful and benevolent God, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

( Amen. )

DEACON

Wisdom.

( Father, bless! )

PRIEST

Blessed is Christ our God, the One who is, always, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR

Amen.

HIERARCH or READER

The Lord God make firm the holy and pure faith of the pious Orthodox Christians, together with the Holy and Great Church of Christ, our Sacred Archdiocese, [this Sacred Metropolis,] and this city, to the ages of ages.

( Amen. )

Greater in honor than the Cherubim, and in glory greater beyond compare than the Seraphim; you without corruption gave birth to God the Word, and are truly Theotokos. You do we magnify.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. (3) Father, bless!

PRIEST

Glory to You, O Christ our God. Glory to You.

May Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-pure and all-immaculate holy Mother, the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, the protection of the honorable, bodiless powers of heaven, the supplications of the honorable, glorious prophet and forerunner John the Baptist, of the holy, glorious, and praiseworthy apostles, of the holy, glorious, and triumphant martyrs, of our righteous and God-bearing fathers, (local patron saint); of the holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, and all our devout and God-bearing fathers, who were illustrious in asceticism, whose memory we celebrate, and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, as He is good, benevolent, and merciful God.

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.

CHOIR

Amen.