After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the first antiphon.
A Reading from Proverbs
On “Lord, I have cried…”, these stichera, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “As one valiant among the martyrs…”—
Glory…, Now & ever…: Theotokion—
Troparion of the holy hierarch, in Tone VIII—
A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon
The company of athletes of great renown steadfastly endured multifarious tortures, and rejoicing, they passed over to our one God, and rejoice with the myriad of the sacred incorporeal hosts; for they vanquished the many myriad of the serpent by their steadfast opposition and the grace of the Spirit.
Troparion from the Pentecostarion, once.
A Reading from the Prophecy of Isaiah
Let the all-glorious Maximus and the great Terence, the all-wise Pompey, the godly Africanus and Macarius, be honored with hymns, and with them the rest of the company of martyrs who with their own blood purchased the kingdom on high and are full of everlasting glory.
Neither starvation, nor tribulations, neither life nor death, O glorious ones, was able to separate you from the love of the Creator; wherefore, ye have inherited the kingdom of heaven, inexhaustible delight and gladness without end. Yet ask ye for us also the cleansing of grace and mercy.
O thou who within thy womb contained the infinite God, Who became man in His love for mankind, and received from thee our substance, manifestly deifying it: disdain me not, who am now sorrowful, O most pure one, but quickly take pity and free me from divers enmities and the harm of the evil one.
Stavrotheotokion—
When the ewe-lamb who gave Thee birth saw Thee, the Lamb and Shepherd, upon the Tree, she lamented maternally and cried out to Thee: “O my Son most desired, how is it that Thy hands and feet have been pierced with nails by the iniquitous, O Word? How hast Thou shed Thy blood, O Master?”
On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera: 3 from the Pentecostarion; and 5 for the hieromartyr, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “Joy of the ranks of heaven…”—
The prince of iniquity prepared a gibbet of reproach for thee, O wise Gregory, but the pious autocrat, beloved of God, and his retinue buried thee in Odessa with great glory as is meet. Twice
Though thou wast given over to the Jews, O hieromartyr of Christ, and wast dragged across the ground for thy love of thy people, thou dwellest joyously in the highest amid the cherubim, sending up a hymn of triumph to God the Creator. Twice
Ye multitudes of the faithful now assembled, let us celebrate the holy day on which the godly Patriarch Gregory of New Rome became a sacrifice for us, and with a voice of splendor let us give thanks unto the Master of all, as is meet.
Glory…, in Tone I—
Drawn to Odessa from all places in oneness of spirit, the Christ-bearing Orthodox ardently greet thy venerable and renowned body on bended knee, and the powers of heaven on high, going on before with their Master, cry aloud to the multitudes that follow: “Why doth your tongue keep silent, O ye of godly mind? Why doth it not cry out boldly with great voice, exclaiming: ‘Behold, the champion of Greece doth come!’? Lift up your hands and all give thanks to the supreme sacrifice of your father, for through him hath the desired salvation of the Greeks been accomplished. We have not the strength to acclaim him fittingly, nor is it easy to bestow upon him worthy hymnody, for his way of life surpasseth all praise!” Wherefore, O all-pure hierarch, with the Virgin Mother of the God-man intercede in the highest before the Master for all, that thy faithful people may be preserved unharmed by tyrants; for, ceaselessly and splendidly magnifying thee, we all set thee before us as our protector.
Now & ever…: doxasticon from the Pentecostarion.
Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. Three readings:
The memory of the just is praised, and the blessing of the Lord is upon his head. Blessed is the man who hath found wisdom, and the mortal who knoweth prudence. For it is better to traffic for her, than for treasures of gold and silver. And she is more valuable than precious stones: no precious thing is equal to her in value. For length of existence and years of life are in her right hand; and in her left hand are wealth and glory: out of her mouth righteousness proceedeth, and she carrieth law and mercy upon her tongue. Hearken to me, O children, for I will speak solemn truths. Blessed is the man who shall keep my ways; for my outgoings are the outgoings of life, and in them is prepared favor from the Lord. Ye, O men, do I exhort; and utter my voice to the sons of men. I, wisdom, have built up; upon counsel, knowledge and understanding have I called. Counsel and safety are mine; prudence is mine, and strength is mine. I love those that love me; they that seek me shall find grace. O ye simple, understand subtlety, and ye that are untaught, imbibe knowledge. Hearken unto me again; for I will speak solemn truths. For my throat shall meditate truth; and false lips are an abomination before me. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing in them wrong or perverse. They are all evident to those that understand, and right to those that find knowledge. For I will instruct you in truth, that your hope may be in the Lord, and ye may be filled with the Spirit.
When the righteous is praised, the people will rejoice; for his memory is immortality, because it is known with God, and with men; for his soul pleased the Lord. Love wisdom, therefore, O men, and live; desire her, and ye shall be instructed. For the beginning of her is love and the observation of the law. Honor wisdom, that ye may reign for evermore. I will tell you, and will not hide from you the mysteries of God, for he it is who is the instructor of wisdom, the director of the wise, the master of all understanding and activity. And wisdom teacheth all understanding; for in her is a spirit understanding and holy, the brightness of the everlasting light, and the image of the goodness of God. She maketh friends of God, and prophets; she is more beautiful than the sun, and above all the constellations of the stars; compared with the light, she is found pre-eminent. She hath delivered from pain those who please her, and guided them in right paths, given them knowledge of holy things, defended them from their enemies, and given them a mighty struggle, that they might all know that godliness is stronger than all; vice shall never prevail against wisdom, neither shall judgment pass away without convicting the evil. For they said to themselves, reasoning unrighteously: Let us oppress the righteous man, let us not spare his holiness, neither need we be ashamed of the ancient gray hairs of the aged, for our strength shall be a law unto us; let us lie in wait for the righteous, for he is displeasing to us, opposeth our doings, upbraideth us with our offending the law, and denounceth to our infamy the transgressions of our training. He professeth to have the knowledge of God, and calleth himself the child of the Lord. He is become a reproof to our thoughts, and is grievous even for us to behold; for his life is not like other men’s, his ways are of another fashion. We are accounted by him as a mockery, and he avoideth our ways as filth, and pronounceth the end of the just to be blessed. Let us see if his words be true; let us test what things happen to him. Let us examine him with mockery and torture, that we may know his meekness and prove his forbearance. Let us condemn him with a shameful death, for by his own words shall he be visited. Such things did they imagine, and were deceived; for their own wickedness blinded them. As for the mysteries of God, they knew them not; neither bethought they that Thou alone art God, who hast the power of life and death, savest in time of tribulation, and deliverest from all evil; who art compassionate and merciful, givest grace to Thy saints and opposest the prideful with Thine own arm.
Thus saith the Lord: All the nations are gathered together, and princes shall be gathered out of them. Who will declare these things, or who will declare to you things from the beginning? Let them bring forth their witnesses, and be justified; and let them hear, and declare the truth. Be ye My witnesses, and I too am a witness, saith the Lord God, and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know, and believe, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no other God, and after Me there will be none. I am God; and beside Me there is no savior. I have declared and have saved; I have reproached, and there was no strange god among you. Ye are My witnesses, and I am the Lord God, even from the beginning; and there is none that can deliver out of My hands. I will work, and who shall turn it back? Thus saith the Lord God Who redeemeth you, the Holy One of Israel.
At Litia, these stichera, idiomela—
In Tone II: Today Patriarch Gregory doth stand for the nation of the Hellenes before the iniquitous ruler. O ye pious, be not troubled, for his death will deliver the faithful from their yoke, that they may regain their ancient renown.
In Tone III: Today creation beholdeth an awesome and unheard of thing: he who is revered as the common shepherd of the Church of Christ hath been hanged by Ishmael upon a gibbet. But look down from above, O Lord, and, refusing to endure the infamy, render unto him twofold retribution.
In Tone IV: The most vile race, the plague on the New Rome, looked on while dragging the body of the venerable one. Yet that which they did to it incurred no shame, just as the sun which shineth everywhere taketh no stain; rather, they show among the nations what ungodly offspring they spawn.
Glory…, in Tone V—
Come, ye faithful, and with awe let us look upon the majesty of the hand of the Almighty. He whom the iniquitous cast into the waters of the sea safely reached Odessa. The Author of creation strangely dispatched him, and the pious Russians received and buried him fittingly, rending glory to the Creator Who counted them worthy of such a treasure.
Now & ever…: doxasticon from the Pentecostarion.
At the aposticha, these stichera, in Tone V: Spec. Mel.: “Joy of the ascetics…”—
Rejoice, O hierarch of Christ, most faithful shepherd of all shepherds, who joyously and willingly laid down thy life for thy sheep, as said the God-man. Rejoice, thou boast of the Greeks, ornament of the piety of the Church, radiant and all-wondrous one who hast been poured forth upon the whole world, much-suffering martyr, incorporeal mortal! Rejoice, thou who didst live in the world, yet didst show forth a life equal to that of the angels, O inextinguishable lamp, who hast delivered Greece from bondage!
Stichos: My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
Exult this day, O splendidly clothed divine city of Constantine, for thou wast truly found worthy after many years to receive Gregory, the champion of piety, on thy widowed throne. Through him hath Greece cast aside its chains, and the ungodly race of Hagar hath been put to shame. He who mocketh all is now cast down to the earth, lamenting unceasingly in utter despair, from which, O my God, do Thou deliver us who with faith worship Thy divine might.
Stichos: Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness, and Thy righteous shall rejoice.
Lift up thy voice, O homeland of Gregory, and with boasting proclaim to all the world the ineffable virtues of thy most golden offspring, wherein he lived a superhuman life upon the earth, illumining the coarseness of the flesh and revealing the entire unseen inner man, like a beacon outshining many of the venerable, like a sun among sparks, ever delighting in ineffable divine glory.
Glory…, in Tone IV—
When thou didst stand before the iniquitous ruler and wast condemned by him to the gibbet, the powers of heaven fashioned crowns for thee; and when thou wast dragged across the ground by the impious Jews, the angels invisibly placed their wreaths upon thy head, crying out one to another: “Glory to God, Who hath given thee strength, O hierarch!”
Now & ever…: doxasticon from the Pentecostarion.
Blessed art Thou, O Christ our God, Who hast given strength to the godly patriarch, sending down upon him Thy grace from on high, and through him hast restored the race of the Hellenes to their ancestral glory. Twice .
Translated by Isaac Lambertsen. Edition menaion.en.lambertsen.