Aposticha of Compunction.

Verse 1. I have lifted my eyes, to you who dwell in heaven. Behold as the eyes of servants look to their lords’ hands; as the eyes of a maid to her mistress’s hands, so do our eyes to the Lord our God, until you take pity on us.

Because I have sunk in the deep ocean of my transgressions, Saviour, and have been dreadfully overwhelmed by my offences, give me your hand, O God, as to Peter, and save me [6] .

Verse 2. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, for we have had our fill of contempt, our soul has been filled to overflowing. Let reproach be for the prosperous, and contempt for the proud.

Because I have been condemned, O Saviour,  by my evil thoughts and deeds, grant me the idea of turning back, O God, that I may cry, ‘Save me, good Benefactor, and have mercy on me’.

Of the Martyrs.

At the intercession, Lord, of all the Saints and of the Mother of God, give us your peace and have mercy on us, as you alone are full of pity.

Glory. Both now. Theotokion. Model melody.

Joy of the heavenly hosts, mighty defence of humans upon earth, immaculate Virgin, save us who have recourse to you, for, after God, we have placed all our hope in you.

Of the Martyrs.

ON MONDAY EVENING

Glory. Both now. Theotokion.

Because the sea of my faults is great, O Saviour, and I have been drowned deep by my offences, give me your hand as once you did to Peter, save me, O God, and have mercy on me.

Of the Martyrs.

Because I have been condemned by evil ideas and deeds, O Saviour, grant me the thought of returning, O God, that I may cry, ‘Good Benefactor, save me, and have mercy on me’.

Glory. Both now. Cross-Theotokion.

Your confession in the stadium, O Saints, routed the power of the demons and freed humankind from error. And so, as your heads were cut off, you cried, ‘May the sacrifice of our lives be acceptable to you, O Lord, because longing for you we despised this temporary life, O Lover of humankind’.

Joy of the heavenly hosts.

Accepting the supplications of sinners and not despising the groaning of the afflicted, intercede with the One who came from your pure womb, All-holy Virgin, that we may be saved.

Of the Martyrs. Model Melody.

ON TUESDAY EVENING

Glory. Both now. Theotokion. Same melody.

A Cross was fixed on Calvary and flowered with immortality for us from an inexhaustible spring, the Saviour’s side.

Of the Martyrs.

The Saviour’s precious Cross is for us an unbreachable wall; for by trusting in it we are all saved.

Glory. Both now . Cross-Theotokion. All-praised Martyrs.

O the excellence of your deeds, O Saints! For you shed your blood, and inherited heaven; you were tried for a time, and rejoice eternally. Truly excellent your exchange, for you abandoned things corruptible and received things incorruptible, and dancing with the Angels you ceaselessly hymn the consubstantial Trinity.

Verse: God is wonderful in his saints, the God of Israel.

‘A sword has passed through my heart’ said the Virgin, as she saw Christ hanging on the tree, ‘and it rends me, as Symeon foretold to me of old [13] . But arise, O Immortal, and glorify your Mother and handmaid with yourself, I pray’.

Verse: For his Saints who in the land the Lord has worked wonders.

ON WEDNESDAY EVENING

Verse: Blessed are those whom you have chosen and taken, O Lord.

The harmonious lyre of the Apostles, struck by the Holy Spirit has abolished the rites of the loathsome demons, and by proclaiming the one Lord has freed the nations from the error of idols and taught them to worship the consubstantial Trinity.

For the Dead.

Let us together sing the praises of Peter and Paul, Luke, Matthew, Mark, John, Andrew, Thomas, Bartholomew, Simon the Canaanite, James, Philip; and let us fittingly praise the whole assembly of the Disciples.

By Monk John, the Damascene. Tone 1.

All-praised Martyrs, earth did not hide you, but heaven received you; For you the gates of Paradise [19] stood open, and now within you enjoy the Tree of life [20] . Intercede with Christ that there be granted to our souls his peace and his great mercy.

Glory. Both now. Theotokion.

Virgin all-praised, Moses with prophetic eyes saw the mystery that is in you, the bush that though in flames was unburned [21] . For the fire of the Godhead did not burn up your womb, pure Maiden. And so we ask you, as Mother of our God, to grant peace to the world.

ON THURSDAY EVENING

The Cross was planted on Calvary, and blossomed for us with immortality from the ever-flowing spring of the Saviour’s side.

The Saviour’s precious Cross is an unbreachable wall; for as we have trusted in it we are all saved.

At the prayers of your Saints, O Lord, and of the Mother of God, give us your peace, and have mercy on us, for you alone are compassionate.

‘Lifted up on the Cross as the just judge, my sweetest Child, by tasting vinegar and gall [27] you have made sweet the bitterness that Adam tasted of old; therefore, Master, bring sweetness to me, who taste the bitter potion of your suffering, by rising again as All-powerful’, cried the Virgin as she wept.

ON FRIDAY EVENING

Your brave confession in the stadium, O Saints, cowed the power of the demons and freed mankind from error; and therefore, as your heads were being struck off, you cried, ‘May the sacrifice of our lives, Lord, be well-pleasing before you; for longing for you, we despised this temporary life, O Lover of mankind’.

How fair your enterprise, O Saints! For you gave your blood and received heaven as your inheritance. You were tested for a time and now rejoice eternally. Truly your trading was fair! For you abandoned things corruptible and received things incorruptible, and now, as you dance with the Angels, you sing without ceasing the praise of the consubstantial Trinity.

All-praised Martyrs, earth did not hide you, but heaven received you. For you the gates of Paradise stood open, and now within you enjoy the Tree of life. Intercede with Christ that there be granted to our souls his peace and great mercy.

W hat pleasure in life remains without its share of sorrow? What glory stands on earth unchanged? All things are feebler than a shadow; all things are more deceptive than dreams; one instant, and death supplants them all. But give rest in the light of your countenance to those whom you have chosen, O Christ, and in the sweetness of your beauty, as you love humankind.

Holy Virgin Mother of God we greet you with our ‘Hail!’ [33] , honoured treasure of the whole inhabited world, unquenchable lamp, place [34] that contained the Uncontainable, temple that cannot be destroyed [35] . Hail to you, from whom was born the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world [36] .

[1] Cf. Gen 1,1-3.

[2] Cf. Gen. 2,7.

[3] Matt. 25:10.

[4] This list derives from passages like Romans 8,38 and Colossians 1,16, but its precise form of Nine Choirs comes from Denys the Areopagite, *On the Heavenly Hierarchy*, 6,2 .

[5] Cf. Ezekiel 1.

[6] Matt. 14:28-30.

[7] John 1:29.

[8] Matt. 11:28-30.

[9] Matt. 3:2.

[10] Cf. Nicene Creed.

[11] Gen. 3.

[12] Deut. 21:23, Gal.3:13.

[13] Luke 2:34-35.

[14] Psalm 50:1.

[15] Exod 1:26.

[16] Eze 44:1-3.

[17] Exod. 25:23-30.

[18] Exod 25:31-35.

[19] Gen 3:24.

[20] Gen 2:29; 3.24.

[21] Exod 3:2.

[22] Gen 1-7.

[23] Psalm 150:6. The only occurrence of the phrase in the Bible.

[24] Cf. Tobit 13:13, following the text of the Codex Sinaiticus, which is followed by some modern translations.

[25] Psalm 73:12.

[26] 1 Tim. 6:10.

[27] Psalm 68:22; Matt. 27:34.

[28] Matt. 26:41.

[29] Psalm 17:6.

[30] Gen. 28:17.

[31] Eph. 2:14.

[32] Baruch 4:5.

[33] Luke 1:28.

[34] Cf. Eze 3:12, where the words, ‘ Blessed be the glory of the Lord, from his place’ occur, when the divine Chariot, also used as a type of the Mother of God, at the end of his initial vision and call.

[35] Cf. John 2:19.

[36] John 1:29