At Great Vespers

We chant “Blessed is the man...”, the first antiphon.

On “Lord, I have cried...”, 8 stichera, in Tone V: Spec. Mel: “O venerable father...”—

Glory..., in Tone VI—

O divinely wise Sabbas, who standest together with the angels, and abidest as one with the venerable, converser with the prophets, fellow heir to the kingdom with the martyrs and apostles, who dwellest now in never-waning Light, shining with His divine rays and with ultimate desire, thou dost stand before Him with boldness, enlightened unceasingly, delighting in His beauties. Entreating Christ, O venerable father, beseech Him to grant to the Church oneness of mind, peace and great mercy. Thrice

Now and ever..., the Dogmaticon, in the same tone:—

O divinely wise Sabbas, inextinguishable lamp of abstinence, most radiant beacon for monastics, illumined with rays of love, immovable pillar of patience, confirmation and strength of those who honor thee with faith, treasury of healings: thou art a desert-dweller in truth, having shown it to be a divine garden of paradise which beareth the divine fruit of the saved. O venerable one, entreating Christ, beseech Him to grant to the Church oneness of mind, peace and great mercy. Thrice

Glory..., in the same tone—

O divinely wise Sabbas, fiery pillar of the virtues, beacon guiding men from the sea of life to the harbor divine, who hast set at naught spiritual deceptions, pure abode of the Holy Spirit, instructor of monastics, sure measure of abstinence, radiant summit of humility, wellspring pouring forth an abyss of healings, O venerable one: entreating Christ, beseech Him to grant to the Church oneness of mind, peace and great mercy. Twice

Now and ever..., Theotokion—

Having preserved that which was fashioned according to the image of God and made thy mind master of the pernicious passions through fasting, thou didst ascend, as one mighty, unto that which is according to the likeness of God. For, manfully compelling thy nature, thou didst strive to subject that which was worse to the better, and to enslave the flesh to the spirit. Wherefore, thou hast been shown to be the lofty summit of monastics, a desert-dweller, an admonisher of those who run well the course of life, and a rule of virtue most sure. And now, when the shadows have been set aside, O Sabbas, our father, in a pure manner thou dost behold the Holy Trinity in the heavens, praying directly in behalf of those who honor thee with faith and love.

Who doth not call thee blessed, O all-holy Virgin? Who will not hymn thine all-pure birthgiving? For the only-begotten Son Who shone forth timelessly from the Father, came forth, ineffably incarnate, from thee, the pure one; and being God by nature, He became man for our sake, not divided into two Persons, but known in two natures without confusion. Him do thou beseech, O pure and most blessed one, that our souls find mercy!

Entrance. Prokimenon of the Day. Three Lessons:

A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon (3:1-9).

The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God, and there shall no torment touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure is taken for misery, and their going from us to be utter destruction: but they are in peace. For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality. And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded: for God proved them, and found them worthy for Himself. As gold in the furnace hath He tried them, and received them as a burnt offering. And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble. They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people, and their Lord shall reign for ever. They that put their trust in Him shall understand the truth: and such as be faithful in love shall abide with Him: for grace and mercy is to His saints, and He hath care for his elect.

A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon (5:15-6:3).

The righteous live for evermore; their reward also is with the Lord, and the care of them is with the Most High. Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown from the Lord’s hand: for with His right hand shall He cover them, and with His arm shall He protect them. He shall take to Him His jealousy for complete armor, and make the creature His weapon for the revenge of His enemies. He shall put on righteousness as a breastplate, and true judgment instead of an helmet. He shall take holiness for an invincible shield. His severe wrath shall He sharpen for a sword, and the world shall fight with Him against the unwise. Then shall the right aiming thunderbolts go abroad; and from the clouds, as from a well-drawn bow, shall they fly to the mark. And hailstones full of wrath shall be cast as out of a stone-bow, and the water of the sea shall rage against them, and the floods shall cruelly drown them. Yea, a mighty wind shall stand up against them, and like a storm shall blow them away: thus iniquity shall lay waste the whole earth, and ill-dealing shall overthrow the thrones of the mighty. Hear therefore, O ye kings, and understand; learn, ye that be judges of the ends of the earth. Give ear, ye that rule the people, and glory in the multitude of nations. For power is given you of the Lord, and sovereignty from the Highest, Who shall try your works, and search out your counsels.

A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon (4:7-15).

Though the righteous be prevented with death, yet shall he be in rest. For honorable age is not that which standeth in length of time, nor that is measured by number of years. But wisdom is the gray hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age. He pleased God, and was loved of Him: so that living among sinners he was translated. Yea, speedily was he taken away, lest that wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul. For the bewitching of naughtiness doth obscure things that are honest; and the wandering of concupiscence doth undermine the simple mind. He, being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a long time: for his soul pleased the Lord: therefore hasted He to take him away from among the wicked. This the people saw, and understood it not, neither laid they up this in their minds, That His grace and mercy is with His saints, and that He hath respect unto His chosen.

At the Litia, the sticheron of the temple, and these stichera to the saint, in Tone II—

O venerable Sabbas, having trained upon earth in the school of fasting, thou didst repel all the assaults of the passions with the torrent of thy tears. O divine and honored ladder leading to heaven, thy God-pleasing life hath become known unto all; for, having shown forth the fruits of piety therein, thou dost heal thereby the weakness of the passions of those who cry out to thee with faith: Rejoice, O our pastor, thou most golden star of the East, radiant beacon for monastics! Rejoice, O ever-lauded one, thou exceeding good nourishment of the desert and unshaken confirmation of the Church! Rejoice, O great guide for those who stray! Rejoice, O our boast, thou radiant joy of the whole world!

Let us honor Sabbas, an angel on earth, a man of God in the heavens, the goodly adornment of the world, the delight of the good, the boast of the virtues of fasting; for, planted in the house of God, he flourished in righteousness like a cedar in the wilderness, and he increased the flock of the ­reason-endowed sheep of Christ, in holiness and righteousness.

God, Who alone resteth in His saints, acquiring thy sanctified soul as a pure dwelling-place, made His abode therein and filled it with graces divine, whereby thou dost lead to the Light those who hymn thee, O blessed and sanctified Sabbas.

Receiving a desire for good things which pass understanding, thou didst disdain all the beautiful things in the world, O thou who art pleasing unto God; for, thus thou wast not entrapped by the fruit as was Adam. And having repulsed the serpent by abstinence, thou didst live an angelic life and now dwellest in the heavens, nurtured by the Tree of Life, entreating God in behalf of us who with faith celebrate thy memory, O sanctified Sabbas.

O new wonder, greater than all the wonders of the past! For who hath ever known a mother to give birth without having known a man, and to bear on her arm Him Who sustaineth all creation? Yet it was the will of God to be born. O all-pure one, who bore Him in thine arms as an infant and hast maternal boldness before Him: cease not to pray in behalf of those who honor thee, that He have compassion and save our souls.