Ode 9. Irmos

Let us complete our morning prayer to the Lord. ****

Then the Exapostilarion sung slowly and solemnly:

At Lauds we insert 4 Idiomel Stichera, doubling them.

‘Greater in honour than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God the Word; truly the Mother of God, we magnify you.’

After the Litany and the Prayer at the Bowing down of heads:

Wisdom. Stand upright. Let us listen to the holy Gospel. Peace to all. ****

Tone 3

A destructive band of wicked men, hateful to God; an assembly of slayers of God came upon you, O Christ, and dragged away as a malefactor you, the Creator of all things, whom we magnify.

The litany by the Priest:

Let us attend.

Psalm 148

The impious, ignorant both of the Law and the voices of the Prophets, meditating vain things, unjustly dragged away to slaughter as a sheep you, the Master of all things, whom we magnify.

Glory. **Tone 6**

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the highest. To you praise is due, O God.

The priests with the scribes, wounded by envious malice, handed over to the nations, to be done away with, the One who by nature is Life, and the Giver of life, whom we magnify.

Wisdom. Stand upright. Let us listen to the holy Gospel. Peace to all. ****

Praise him, all his angels: Praise him, all his Powers. To you praise is due, O God.

They surrounded you like many dogs, Sovereign Lord; they struck your cheek with a blow; they questioned you, they bore false witness against you, and you, enduring all things, saved us all.

Let us attend.

Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you stars and light.

Greater in honour than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God the Word; truly the Mother of God, we magnify you.

Then the Superior says:

Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord.

Again and again in peace, let us pray to the Lord. ****

Priest: For you are a God of mercies and of pity, and to you we give glory, to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages.

For he spoke and they came into being; he commanded and they were created.

Lord, have mercy. ****

Wisdom. Stand upright. Let us listen to the holy Gospel. Peace to all. ****

He established them for ever and ever; he made an ordinance, and it shall not pass away.

Help us, save us, have mercy on us and keep us, O God, by your grace. ****

Let us attend.

Praise the Lord from the earth; praise him, you sea-monsters and all deeps;

Lord, have mercy. ****

Then the 2nd Choir begins the Aposticha:

Fire and hail, snow and ice and storm-wind; things that do his word.

Calling to remembrance our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us entrust ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God. ****

Wisdom. Stand upright. Let us listen to the holy Gospel. Peace to all. ****

Mountains and all hills, fruiting trees and all cedars;

To you, O Lord. ****

Let us attend.

Beasts of the wild, and all cattle, creeping things and winged birds;

For all the Powers of heaven praise you, and to you we give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and for ever and to the ages of ages. ****

Then the Superior says:

Kings of the earth and all peoples, rulers and all judges of the earth;

Tone 3. Model Melody.

Then the Dismissal.

Young men and maidens: old men and youths together, let them praise the name of the Lord; for his name alone has been exalted.

O Lord, who on that very day made the Thief worthy of Paradise, so by the tree of the Cross enlighten and save me (

Wisdom. ****

His praise is above earth and heaven, and he will exalt the horn of his people.

NINTH GOSPEL

A hymn for all his holy ones; for the children of Israel, a people that draws near him. ****

**And at once the Priest says:** And that he would count us worthy to listen to the holy Gospel, let us pray to the Lord God.

Psalm 149

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

Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the Church of the holy ones.

And to your Spirit. ****

Let Israel rejoice in him that made him, let the children of Sion be joyful in their king.

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to John. ****

Let them praise his name in the dance; let them sing his praise with timbrel and with harp.

Glory to you, Lord, glory to you! ****

For the Lord is well-pleased with his people; he will exalt the meek with salvation.

At that time, there stood by the Cross of Jesus his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalen. And Jesus, seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside him, says to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son.’ Then he says to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. After this Jesus, knowing that all things had been accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled says, ‘I thirst.’ Now there was a vessel there full of vinegar; so having filled a sponge with vinegar and put in on a branch of hyssop they held it to his mouth. So when Jesus had taken the vinegar he said, ‘It is accomplished’, and bowing his head he gave up the spirit. The Jews then, so that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, since it was Friday, the day of Preparation (for that Sabbath was a solemn day), asked Pilate that they might break their legs and that they might be removed. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and second who were crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus as they saw that he was already dead they did not break his legs, but one of the soldiers with a lance pierced his side, and at once there came out blood and water. And he saw it has borne witness, and his witness is true. And he knows that he speaks the truth, so that you too may believe. For these things happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled, ‘*Not a bone of him* *will be broken*’*.* And again another Scripture says, ‘*They will look* o*n the one they have pierced*’*.*

His holy ones will exult in glory, and rejoice upon their beds.

Glory to your long-suffering, Lord, glory to you! ****

The high praises of God in their mouths, and two-edged swords in their hands,

To exact vengeance among the nations, punishments among the peoples.

To bind their kings in fetters; and their nobles in shackles of iron.

To execute upon them the judgement that is decreed; such glory will be for all his holy ones. ****

Psalm 150

Praise God in his saints; praise him in the firmament of his power.

Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to the greatness of his majesty. ****

By Vyzantios. Tone 3

‘Israel my firstborn son has done two wicked things: he has abandoned me, source of the water of life, and dug for himself a broken well. He has crucified me on a tree, but asked for Barabbas and released him. Heaven was amazed at this and the sun hid its rays; while you, Israel, felt no shame, but handed me over to death. Forgive them, holy Father, for they do not know what they have done’.

Praise him in the blast of the trumpet: praise him upon the lute and harp.

Israel my firstborn son has done two wicked things: he has abandoned me, source of the water of life, and dug for himself a broken well. He has crucified me on a tree, but asked for Barabbas and released him. Heaven was amazed at this and the sun hid its rays; while you, Israel, felt no shame, but handed me over to death. Forgive them, holy Father, for they do not know what they have done’.

Praise him with the timbrel and dances: praise him upon the strings and pipe. ****

Studite. Same Tone

Each member of your holy flesh endured dishonour for our sake: your head the thorns; your face the spittings; your cheeks the blows; your mouth the taste of gall mixed with vinegar; your ears the impious blasphemies; your back the scourge and your hand the reed; your whole body the stretching on the Cross; your joints the nails and your side the lance. You suffered for our sake, and freed us from passions, you stooped down to us in your love for humankind, and raised us up. All powerful Saviour, have mercy on us.

Praise him on fine-sounding cymbals: praise him on cymbals of gladness. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. ****

By Vyzantios. Same Tone

When it saw you crucified, O Christ, all creation trembled; the foundations of the earth quaked with fear of your might. For when you were lifted up today, the Hebrew race perished; the veil of the Temple was rent apart; the graves were opened, and the dead arose from the tombs. The Centurion, seeing the marvel, was afraid; while your Mother, standing by, cried out, lamenting as a mother, ‘How should I not lament, and beat my breast, as I see you naked as one condemned, hanging on a tree?’ Crucified, buried and risen from the dead, Lord, glory to you!

They stripped me of my garments, and clothed me in a scarlet cloak; they placed a crown of thorns upon my head and put a reed into my right hand, that I might smash them like a potter’s vessels.

Both now. **Same Tone**

I gave my back to scourgings, while I did not turn away my face from spittings. I stood at Pilate’s judgement seat and endured the Cross for the salvation of the world.

TENTH GOSPEL

**And at once the Priest says:** And that he would count us worthy to listen to the holy Gospel, let us pray to the Lord God.

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

And to your Spirit. ****

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Mark. ****

Glory to you, Lord, glory to you! ****

At that time Joseph of Arimathea, a noble councillor, who was also waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate wondered if he were already dead, and after summoning the centurion he asked him if he had died already. And when he had learned it from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. And when he had bought a winding sheet and taken him down, he wrapped him in the winding sheet and laid him in a grave that had been hewn out of the rock, and he rolled a stone against the door of the grave. Mary Magdalen and Mary mother of Jose were watching where he was being laid.

Glory to your long-suffering, Lord, glory to you! ****

To you glory is due, O Lord, our God, and to you we give glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and to ages of ages. Amen.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men. We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you, we thank you for your great glory. O Lord, heavenly King, God the almighty Father. O Lord, only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Lord God, lamb of God, Son of the Father, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us, who takes away the sins of the world. Receive our prayer, you who sit on the right hand of the Father and have mercy upon us. For you alone are holy, you alone are Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Every day I will bless you, and praise your name for ever and ever. I said, Lord, have mercy upon me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against you. Lord, I have run to you for refuge; teach me to do your will for you are my God. For with you is the source of life, and in your light we shall see light. O continue your merciful kindness toward those who know you.

Grant, Lord, this day to keep us without sin. Blessed are you, Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is your name for to the ages. Amen. May your mercy, Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped in you. Blessed are you, Lord, teach me your statutes. Blessed are you, Master, make me understand your statutes. Blessed are you, Holy One, enlighten me with your statutes. Lord, your mercy is for ever; do not scorn the work of your hands. To you praise is due, to you song is due, to you glory is due, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, have mercy.

Help us, save, have mercy on us and keep us, O God, by your grace.

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

Grant this, O Lord. ****

An Angel of peace, a faithful guide and guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask of the Lord.

Pardon and forgiveness of our sins and offences, let us ask of the Lord.

Things good, and profitable for our souls, and peace for the world, let us ask of the Lord.

That we may live out the rest of our days in peace and repentance, let us ask of the Lord.

A Christian end to our life, painless, unashamed and peaceful, and a good defence before the dread judgement seat of Christ, let us ask.

Commemorating our all-holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us entrust ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

To you, O Lord.

Peace to all. ****

And to your spirit. ****

Let us bow our heads to the Lord. ****

To you, O Lord. ****

For yours it is to show mercy and to save us, O our God, and to you we give glory, to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. ****

ELEVENTH GOSPEL

**And at once the Priest says:** And that he would count us worthy to listen to the holy

Gospel, let us pray to the Lord God.

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

And to your Spirit. ****

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to John. ****

Glory to you, Lord, glory to you! ****

At that time Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but in secret for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate allowed him. So he came and took the body away. Now Nikodemos, who had come to Jesus by night at first, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with sweet spices, as is the custom of the Jews in burying. There was in the place where he had been crucified a garden, and in it a new grave, in which no one had yet been laid. There, since it was Friday, the day of Preparation for the Jews, because the grave was nearby, they laid Jesus.

Glory to your long-suffering, Lord, glory to you! ****

Tone 1

All creation was changed by fear when it saw you hanging on the Cross, O Christ; the sun was darkened and the foundations of the earth were shaken; all things were suffering with you, the Creator of them all. You endured willingly for us. Lord, glory to you!

Tone 2

They parted my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

Impious and lawless people, why do you meditate vain things? Why have you condemned the life of all to death? O great marvel! That the Creator of the world, who loves humankind, is betrayed into the hand of transgressors and lifted up on a tree, that he may free the prisoners in Hell. Long-suffering Lord, glory to you!

They gave me gall for food; and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

Today the blameless Virgin, when she saw you hanging on the Cross, with a mother’s love lamented, bitterly wounded in her heart, groaning in lamentation from the depth of her soul, she struck her cheeks and tore her hair; and so beating her breast she cried out with grief, ‘Woe is me, my divine child! Woe is me, light of the world! Why have you left my sight, Lamb of God?’ Therefore the armies of the Bodiless Powers were seized with terror as they said, ‘Lord, beyond understanding, glory to you!

God is our king, he has wrought salvation in the midst of the earth.

When she saw you, O Christ, the Creator and God of all, hanging on the Cross, she who bore you without seed, cried bitterly: My Son, where has the beauty of your form departed? I cannot bear to see you unjustly crucified; hasten then, arise, that I too may see your resurrection from the dead on the third day.

Lord, when you ascended the Cross, fear and trembling fell on creation; and you prevented the earth from swallowing those who crucified you, while you ordered Hell to send back its prisoners for the rebirth of mortals. Judge of the living and the dead, you came to grant life and not death. Lover of humankind, glory to you.

**Same Tone**

Already the pen of sentence is being dipped in ink by unjust judges, and Jesus is being convicted and condemned to the Cross; and creation, seeing its Lord on the Cross, is suffering. But loving Lord, who for me suffer in your bodily nature, glory to you!

TWELFTH GOSPEL

**And at once the Priest says:** And that he would count us worthy to listen to the holy Gospel, let us pray to the Lord God.

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

And to your Spirit. ****

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Matthew. ****

Glory to you, Lord, glory to you! ****

On the next day, which is after the Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together to Pilate and said, ‘Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will arise.’ Give orders then for the tomb to be made secure until the third day, otherwise his disciples may come at night and steal him and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. And the last deception will be worse than the first.’ Pilate said, ‘You have a watch. God, make it as secure as you can.’ So they went with the watch and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

Glory to your long-suffering, Lord, glory to you! ****

How good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High. To declare your love in the morning, and your truth every night.

Holy God, Holy Strong, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (**three times**).

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

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. 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 to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen

Our Father, in heaven, may your name be hallowed, your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

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

Our Father**, we say the following Apolytikion:

Apolytikion. Tone 4**

By your precious blood you have redeemed us from the curse of the law; nailed to the Cross and pierced by the lance, you have become a source of immortality for all. Our Saviour, glory to you.

Have mercy on us, O God, according to your great mercy, we pray you, hear and have mercy. ****

Lord, have mercy. **Three times. And so after the remaining petitions.**

Also we pray for our Archbishop **N**.

Also we pray for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, visitation, pardon and forgiveness of sins for the servants of God, all devout and Orthodox Christians, those who dwell in or visit this city and parish, the wardens and members of this church and their families;

Also we pray for the blessed and ever-remembered founders of this holy church, and for all our brothers and sisters who have gone to their rest before us, and who lie asleep here in the true faith; and for the Orthodox everywhere .

Also we pray for those who bring offerings, those who care for the beauty of this holy and venerable house, for those who labour in its service, for those who sing, and for the people here present, who await your great and rich mercy.

Lord, have mercy. ****

For you, O God, are merciful and love mankind, and to you we give glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. ****

Blessed be He Who Is, Christ our true God, always, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. ****

May the Lord God strengthen the holy and pure faith of devout and orthodox Christians, with his holy Church and this sacred Monastery, to ages of ages. ****

Most holy Mother of God, save us. ****

Greater in honour than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God the Word; truly the Mother of God, we magnify you. ****

And Dismissal.

Glory to you, Christ God, our hope, glory to you. ****

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Father, give the blessing. ****

May he who endured spittings, scourges, blows, the Cross and death for the salvation of the world, Christ our true God, through the prayers of his all-pure and holy Mother, by the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, through the intercessions of the holy, glorious and all-praised Apostles, and of all the Saints, have mercy on us and save us, for he is good and loves mankind.

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

We do not add the 1st Hour now, but say it at about the 2nd hour of the day.