AT VESPERS

We recite the 1st Section of

O joyful light, **Prokeimenon of the Day and the Readings.**

The Reading is from Leviticus.

Blessed is the man. **At** Lord, I have cried **we insert 10 Stichera, and we sing 3 Prosomia of the Indiction, 3 of the Saint and a further 4, Idiomels, of the Saint.**

Of the Indiction. Tone 1. Joy of the heavenly hosts.

Having learned to pray in his own words from Christ’s divine teaching, let us cry out each day to the Creator: Our Father, who dwell in heaven, give us our daily bread, overlooking our faults.

As the limbs of the Hebrews who truly disobeyed you, the Master of all, were once fittingly strewn across the desert, so now too, O Christ, as the Psalm says, scatter the bones of the impious and unbelieving Hagarenes at the mouth of Hell.

Christ God, who once on Mount Sinai wrote the tables of the law, now too, according to the flesh, in the city of Nazareth yourself took the book of the prophet to read; and having closed it began to teach the peoples that the Scripture had been fulfilled in you.

Stichera of the Saint.

Tone 5. Model Melody. Venerable Father.

Venerable Father, you found a fair ladder, by which you went up on high, the ladder which Elias found as a chariot of fire. He though did not leave his mount to others, but you keep your pillar even after death. Man of heaven, angel of earth, unsleeping beacon of the inhabited world, Venerable Symeon, intercede that our souls may be saved.

Venerable Father, if the pillar could speak it would not cease crying out your toils, your hardships, your laments. Though it supported, it was itself supported, nourished like a tree with your tears. Angels were amazed, mortals marvelled, demons cowered at your endurance. Venerable Symeon, intercede that our souls may be saved.

Venerable Father, by the power of the divine Spirit, imitating your Master, you went up onto a pillar as onto a cross. He though wiped out the record of all, while you abolished the uprising of the passions; he like a sheep, you like a victim; he on a cross, you on the pillar. Venerable Symeon, intercede that our souls may be saved

Others, Idiomels, of the Saint. Tone 2.

A good fruit sprouted from a good root, Symeon, holy from infancy, nurtured on grace rather than milk, and, having raised his body on a rock and his mind yet higher towards God, with virtues he built a habitation in the air, and walking on high with the divine Powers he became a dwelling place of Christ, who is God and the Saviour of our souls.

The same tone.

Your memorial, Venerable Father Symeon, and the meekness of your heart, blessed servant, endure for ever; for though you have passed over from us, good shepherd, you have not passed from us in spirit as you stand near God in love and dance with the Angels in heaven. With them intercede that our souls may be saved.

The same. By Kyprianos.

The casket of your relics, all-praised Father, is a source of healings; and your holy soul, united with the Angels, fittingly rejoices. Therefore, as you have boldness towards the Lord, Venerable Saint, and dance with the Bodiless ones in heaven, implore him that our souls may be saved.

The same. By Germanos.

You loved the highest philosophy, O God-bearer, and you dwelt outside the world, living above visible things; and you were revealed as a godly, untarnished mirror of God; and being ever one with Light, you gained more light and clearly met a blessed end. Intercede for our souls, wise Symeon.

**Tone 6. By Germanos.**

Divine grace hovered over the casket of your relics, hallowed Symeon; therefore we too run to the sweet fragrance of your wonders, drawing out healing of diseases. But Venerable Father, intercede with Christ God on behalf of our souls.

**The same. By Byzantios.**

One with the Holy Spirit, O Word and Son without beginning, co-maker of all and co-creator of all things visible and invisible, bless the crown of the year, guarding in peace the multitudes of the Orthodox, at the prayers of the Mother of God and of all the Saints.

The reading is from the prophecy of Isaias.

he Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me. He has sent me to preach good tidings to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim forgiveness to prisoners and sight to the blind; to declare an acceptable year of the Lord, and a day of recompense for our God; to comfort all who mourn, that there may be given to those who mourn Sion, glory instead of ashes; an anointing of joy for those who mourn, clothing of glory instead of a spirit of despondency; and they will be called a generation of righteousness, a plant of the Lord for glory. And they will rebuild everlasting deserts, those formerly quite deserted; they will raise up and renew deserted cities, deserted from generation to generation. And strangers will come shepherding your flocks, and foreigners will be your ploughmen and your vinedressers. But you will be called Priests of the Lord, ministers of our God. You will be told, ‘Devour the strength of nations’, and in their wealth you will be marvelled at; instead of your double shame and instead of humiliation their portion will rejoice. Therefore they will inherit their land a second time, and everlasting joy shall be upon their head. For I am the Lord, who love righteousness and hate robberies from injustice; and I shall give their calf to the righteous, and I shall make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed will be known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the peoples. And the one who sees them will recognise them, because they are a seed blessed to the ages by God, and with joy they will rejoice in the Lord.

he Lord spoke to the children of Israel saying: If you walk in my ordinances and keep my commandments and do them, I will give you rain in its season and the earth will give its produce and the trees of the plains their fruit. And your threshing time will overtake the vintage, and the vintage will overtake the sowing. And you will eat your bread to the full and dwell in safety on your land. And no one shall make you afraid; and I will destroy the evil wild beasts from your lands, and war shall not pass through your land. And enemies will fall before you. And five of you will pursue a hundred and a hundred of you will pursue tens of thousands. And I will look upon you and bless you and make you increase and multiply and I will establish my covenant with you. And you will eat what is old and very old, and bring out the old to make way for the new. And I will set my tabernacle among you and my soul shall not abhor you; and I will walk among you; and I will be your God and you shall be my people. But if you will not listen to me, nor observe these ordinances of mine, but disobey them, and if your soul loathes my judgements, so that you do not keep all my commandments, I in turn will do thus to you: I will bring distress upon you, and you will sow your seed in vain and your enemies will devour your labours. And I will set my face against you and you will fall before your foes and they will pursue you and you will flee though no one pursues you; and I will smash the arrogance of your pride. And I will make the heaven like iron for you and your earth like solid bronze. And your strength will be in vain and your land will not give its fruit, and the trees of the field will not give their fruit. And I will send the wild beasts of the earth against you, and they will consume your cattle, and the sword will come against you and make you few in number. And your land will be desert and your farms will be desert; because you have walked against me crookedly, and I will walk against you with crooked rage, says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel.

The reading is from the Wisdom of Solomon.

just man, even if he die early, will be at rest; for an honoured old age is not so because of length of time, nor is it measured by the number of years. Understanding is men’s true grey hairs, and a ripe old age is a spotless life. Being pleasing to God, he was loved; and while living among sinners, he was taken away. He was snatched away lest wickedness alter his understanding, or trickery deceive his soul. For the witchery of evil dims the good, and the waywardness of desire undermines an innocent mind. Made perfect in a short time, he fulfilled long years; for his soul was pleasing to the Lord; therefore he hurried him from the midst of evil. But the peoples have seen and not understood, nor laid such a thing to heart: that grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his presence with his chosen ones. ****