At Great Vespers

After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the first antiphon.

A Reading from the Prophecy of Isaiah

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera: 4 in Tone V: Spec. Mel.: “Rejoice…” —

Now & ever…: Theotokion, in the same tone—

After the Blessing of the Loaves, the troparion of the new-martyrs, in Tone V —

After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the first antiphon.

A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon

Behold, now bless the Lord, O ye faithful! Lo! rejoice now, O Orthodox Church, wondrously hymning the joy of the martyrs; for heaven is adorned with new luminaries; and the angels join chorus, giving them crowns; men rejoice, offering up praises; the land of China, adorned, is triumphant; and we celebrate the radiant glorification of the holy martyrs. Twice

Now & ever…: Theotokion, in the same tone —

After the blessing of the loaves, the troparion of the icon, in Tone IV —

After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the first antiphon.

Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon

Rejoice now, O father John, luminary of Tobol’sk, who sent the first preachers of Orthodoxy into China! And do thou rejoice also, O all-­wondrous Innocent, lamp of Irkutsk, protector and fellow-laborer of the Orthodox evangelizers in China! Behold, your children are glorified as the valiant protomartyrs of their land! Lo! that which was barren giveth birth; a waterless desert poureth forth rivers of life! O wondrous miracle! O great joy! Entreat Christ in our behalf, O martyrs!

Now & ever…: Theotokion, in the same tone —

A Reading from Genesis

Rejoice, O holy hierarch John, bright beacon of Shanghai and the land of China, lighted by God as a guide for those who amid pagan darkness are caught in the raging sea of polytheism! With the new martyrs of China send forth the light of the true Faith of Christ, for which they laid down their lives, that those who are sinking may take heart and steer for the calm harbor of Jesus our Helmsman, Who safely bringeth all to salvation.

A Reading from the Prophecy of Ezekiel

And 4 stichera idiomela, in Tone VIII —

A Reading from Proverbs

“O Lord, it was Thy good pleasure that light be revealed to Thy land and its pagan people, and Thou didst extend the wings of the preaching of the Truth over our land!” Thus did the martyrs cry out when they were slaughtered for Thy sake, O Jesus most sweet; and thus do we also glorify Thee. O Lord, our light and resurrection, glory be to Thee! Twice

Wisdom hath built a house for herself and set up seven pillars. She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine in a bowl and prepared her table. She hath sent forth her servants, calling with a loud proclamation to the feast, saying: “Whoso is foolish, let him turn aside to me.” And to those who want understanding, she saith: “Come, eat of my bread, and drink wine which I have mingled for you. Leave folly, that ye may reign forever; and seek wisdom, and improve understanding by knowledge.” He that reproveth evil men shall get dishonor to himself; and he that rebuketh an ungodly man shall disgrace himself. Rebuke not evil men, lest they should hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Give an opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser: instruct a just man, and he will receive more instruction. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the counsel of the law is the character of a sound mind. For in this way thou shalt live long, and years of thy life shall be added to thee.

“O the wondrous mystery of the Faith! O the depths of Thy wisdom, O Christ! Thy salvation is among all the nations, for Thou wast pleased freely to bestow repentance upon our fallen race. What, therefore, shall we render unto Thee?” Thus saith the assembly of the holy new-martyrs, through whom we now pray with tears: From all misfortunes free us who honor you with love.

Like lambs to the slaughter were ye led by the heathen, who, in their great malice and hatred for the true Faith of Christ, slew you without pity, employing all manner of cruel tortures. Yet like the Chief Shepherd, our Lord and Savior, ye uttered not a word, but meekly accepted bodily death, that your souls might be fed by Him in the meadows of paradise, by the waters of everlasting life.

Glory…, in Tone V—

Come, ye who love the feasts of the Church, and clapping our hands in gladness, let us chant hymns to the new martyrs of China, for like the spiritual athletes of ancient times they entered the arena of martyrdom and engaged the wicked foe in combat, shedding their blood for the sake of Christ; and having trampled the enemy underfoot and triumphed gloriously, they received the wreath of victory from the right hand of the Judge of the contest.

Who can worthily hymn the abyss of thy loving-kindness, O all-immaculate Bride of God? Even the wise fall silent and the eloquent are at a loss. But as thy children we cry out to thee: Rejoice, joy of the sorrowful, wealth of the poor, mother of orphans and glory of the downtrodden!

Entrance. O gladsome Light… Prokimenon of the day. 3 Readings:

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 shall 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.

The souls of the righteous are in the hand 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 forever. Those who 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.

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.

At Litia, these stichera idiomela —

In Tone I: O most lauded martyrs, divinely crowned assembly of China, forget not your race, but as ones called from on high fervently entreat God Most High, that He be not utterly angered by our sins, that He consume the blasphemies of the heretics with the word of wisdom, that He increase the True Faith in your land, melt our hardened hearts, and illumine with salvation and divine light those who honor you.

In Tone II: With what hymns of praise shall we glorify your radiant end, O unblemished lambs of Christ who now glorify the Trinity with sacred mouths, O champions of piety, lovers of heavenly glory, inexhaustible wellsprings of gracious healings, ardent allies of the faithful, who entreat Christ to grant us great mercy?

In Tone III: O council of holy new-martyrs, divine regiment of the land of China, confirmation of the faithful, joy of all the saints! O wondrous ones! Ye endured all — the pangs of cruel maimings, the shedding of torrents of blood, beheading, dismemberment, the laceration of your flesh. And established firmly upon the rock of the True Faith, ye sent up hymnody to God amid your torments; and having been made as lustrous as gold in a crucible, ye strengthen amid sorrows those who magnify you.

In Tone IV: Once the divinely eloquent David chanted: The nations shalt Thou guide upon the earth, unto Thy path. Wherefore, the time also came, in accordance with the prophecy of the Psalmist, for the land of China to bear sweet and goodly fruit for the Husbandman: the all-radiant multitude of the new-martyrs, who entreat Christ for the salvation of our souls.

Glory…, in Tone VI —

Celebrating the splendid solemnity of your memorial, we are filled with gladness. As ye are bold intercessors for us, pour forth for us fervent entreaty: heal the infirm; grant health to the sick and consolation to those who suffer and are afflicted, humility to those who rejoice, chastity to those smitten by the storm of the passions, enlightenment to unbelievers, and the forgiveness of all sins to the faithful.

Now hath the counsel of the devil been set at nought; now hath the might of Satan been crushed! For by thine Offspring, O Virgin Mother, have the new-martyrs been delivered like birds from a snare, and have been illumined with the light of the Truth. And lo! standing with thee before the throne of God, they pray for the salvation of all who honor thee as the true Theotokos.

At the Aposticha, these stichera, in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “O all-glorious wonder…” —

Your radiant memorial hath dawned today, O divinely wise council, heirs to the kingdom of Christ, strugglers to the death for obedience and love divine. The whole Church hymneth you with love; the sun and the stars join chorus together. Grant peace, joy and hope of salvation unto those who assemble in your church.

Stichos: From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is to be praised.

O all-glorious wonder! O Christ our God, Thou hast shown the passion-bearers of the land of China to be destruction for the demons and helpers of men; for, arrayed in the armor of light, they endured cruel tortures. And soaring aloft like eagles, they ­confounded the aerial spirits, and have made their abode in the bridal-chamber of heaven.

Stichos: From the lands hath He gathered them, from the east, from the west, from the north, and from the sea.

Rejoice, O council of martyrs called by God! Rejoice, divinely planted garden of radiant fruit, godly company two hundred strong! The land of China hath produced its own fruit for the Fashioner of all! The streams of your blood are rivers of healing for the faithful, the mortification of your flesh gladdeneth the angels, and your supplications are salvation for men.

Glory…, in Tone V —

Rejoice, divine assembly of passion-bearers, who broke the fangs of the invisible beasts, O emulators of the angels, fervent intercessors for men, weepers over the land of China, protectors of the Russians who sojourn there, O ye who fervently pray for our souls!

Thou art the temple and portal, the palace and throne of the King, O most honored Virgin, through whom Christ the Lord, my Deliverer, Who is the Sun of righteousness, hath revealed Himself unto those who sleep in darkness, desiring to enlighten that which He fashioned by His own hand in His image. Wherefore, O most hymned one, as thou hast acquired maternal boldness before Him, entreat Him without ceasing, that our souls be saved.

In a pagan land ye were enlightened by the Orthodox Faith, and having lived in the Faith but a little time, ye have inherited the eternal kingdom. By the purity of your Christian ways ye put to shame false Confucian piety and trampled demon-inspired Buddhism underfoot as refuse, sanctifying the Chinese land with your blood. Wherefore, we pray: Entreat the Master of all, that He enlighten your land with Orthodoxy in these latter times, and strengthen us therein. Twice

And “Virgin Theotokos, rejoice!…”, once.

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “O wondrous miracle…” —

O wondrous miracle! God Who became incarnate of thee hath now been well-pleased that thy hymn now be amplified, O pure one. Wherefore, He sent His archangel in fitting guise to the monk, to teach him thy hymn; for Gabriel before cried out to thee: “Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace! The Lord is with thee, through thee granting the world great mercy!” Twice

O thy miracles, O pure one! Thou hast been shown to be the Mother of the Most High, O Mistress! And now, by thy forethought, O most immaculate one, the Archangel Gabriel hath been sent from heaven in the guise of a stranger, to teach thy hymnody in a most perfect manner; for he before cried out to thee: “Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace! The Lord is with thee, through thee granting the world great mercy!” Twice

We glorify thy forethought, O Virgin Mother of God, for by the strange arrival of the divine Gabriel, O most immaculate one, thou hast now taught us the truly wondrous beginning to thy hymn. Wherefore, falling down with faith, we call out to thee, crying aloud with him: “Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace! The Lord is with thee, through thee granting the world great mercy!” Twice

O wondrous miracle! The radiant Gabriel, in the guise of a monk, appeared to the monk who remained behind in his cell and miraculously received the amplification of thy hymnody, O most immaculate one. And straightway with his finger he engraved what he had chanted upon a tablet of stone, and then vanished, leaving the astonished monk to glorify thee, O most hymned one. Twice

Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone IV —

Fitting was it that on Mount Athos, which hath thee as its intercessor, O Mother of God, this, the hymn of the archangel to thee, was first chanted unto thee, O most hymned Virgin, and that from hence it passed to all the ends of the world, to crown the hymns of the Mother of God. Wherefore, we cry out to thee: O all-glorious Theotokos, beseech thy Son, that our souls be saved!

Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. Three readings:

Jacob went forth from the well of the oath, and departed unto Harran, and came to a certain place and slept there, for the sun had gone down; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it at his head, and lay down to sleep in that place, and dreamed, and beheld a ladder fixed on the earth, whose top reached to heaven, and the angels of God ascended and descended on it. And the Lord stood upon it, and said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac. Fear not; the land on which thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the sand of the earth; and it shall spread abroad to the sea, and to the south, and to the north, and to the east; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed. And behold, I am with thee to preserve thee continually in all the way wherein thou shalt go; and I will not desert thee, until I have done all that I have said to thee.” And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and said, “The Lord is in this place, and I knew it not!” And he was afraid, and said, “How fearful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”

Thus saith the Lord: “It shall come to pass from the eighth day and onward, that the priests shall offer your wholeburnt offerings on the altar, and your peace-offerings; and I will accept you,” saith the Lord. Then He brought me back by way of the outer gate of the sanctuary that looketh eastward; and it was shut. And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no one shall pass through it; for the Lord God of Israel shall enter by it, and it shall be shut. For the Prince, He shall sit in it, to eat bread before the Lord; He shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go forth by the way of the same.” And He brought me in by the way of the gate that looketh northward, in front of the house; and I looked, and, behold! the house was full of the glory of the Lord.

At Litia, these stichera —

In Tone I: Today is the triumph of the Virgin! Let Athos leap up, and let the Church join chorus! For the holy Theotokos hath summoned us to the annual feast of her strange hymnody, which the Archangel Gabriel hath taught us, the strange beginning of her divine hymn. For having thus appeared to the monk in like raiment, he magnified the Theotokos as the one who in the flesh bore Him Who is seated upon the cherubim. Through her supplications, O Christ God, save Thou our souls.

In Tone II: She who is more exalted than the heavens, who is more glorious than the cherubim and more honorable than all creation, who because of her great purity became the receptacle of the eternal Essence, is today magnified in her kellion by the angel with hymns. Thus are all things filled with joy, and great mercy is bestowed upon us.

The most immaculate Bride and Mother of the good pleasure of the Father, foreordained by God as a dwelling-place for Him, whom the incorporeal hosts unceasingly glorify, and whom we bless as the Theotokos, the truly ever-blessed and most immaculate Mother of our God, today, through the archangel, giveth us hymnody strange to the ear.

Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone V —

Ye people, hymn, O hymn the Mother of our God! For today the archangel sang to the solitary monk the new hymn of the all-immaculate Virgin, who is our helper, and whom we all must needs honor unceasingly.

At the aposticha, these stichera, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “Joy of the ranks of heaven…” —

Of old, God sent to thee the divine Gabriel, the prince of the ranks of heaven, O Virgin Maiden, to bear thee tidings of thine ineffable conception; and now he is first to teach us thy new hymnody.

Stichos: I shall commemorate thy name in every generation and generation.

O Virgin Maiden, who can worthily recount this strange miracle, which took place to thy glory? For the angel now appeared in the guise of a monk, providing a new beginning for thy hymn with wondrous praises unto thee, and telling all to chant thus.

Stichos: The rich among the people shall entreat thy countenance.

Meet it is, O Virgin, as the divine Gabriel truly chanted, to bless thee, the pure Theotokos, blessed and all-immaculate, who art in truth the Mother of God, and whom we magnify in hymns.

Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone IV —

The monk now heard a hymn which he had never known; for the archangel taught him the beginning of thy hymn, O Virgin. Wherefore, marvelling, the monk asked him to set it down in writing. He therefore engraved it with his finger upon a tablet of stone, and then vanished, having ensured that in joy thou wouldst ever be hymned as the Theotokos.

O ye faithful, with boldness let us hasten to the Theotokos, our merciful Queen, and with compunction let us cry out to her: Send down upon us thy rich mercies; preserve our Church; maintain the people in prosperity; deliver our land from every evil circumstance; and grant peace to the world and salvation to our souls. Twice

And “Virgin Theotokos, rejoice!…”, once.

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera: 5 for the Apostle Bartholemew, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “As one valiant among the martyrs…” —

With the net of thy words, O divinely eloquent apostle, thou didst draw the ends of the world forth from the abyss of vainglory and wicked ungodliness, and didst bring them with faith unto Christ God Who had given thee such grace, in that thou art His divine disciple and the recounter of His mysteries, O apostle Bartholemew. Twice

Jesus our God, the Sun of righteousness, caused thee to shine upon the fullness of the world like a ray of light, O all-glorious one, mightily dispelling the gloom of ungodliness and illumining all who sit in the darkness of ignorance, whom thou hast made heirs of the Light, O divinely wise Bartholemew. Twice

Submitting to the will of Him Whose will all things obey, and emulating Him as a teacher of righteousness, rejoicing, thou didst drain the cup of death because of His suffering on the Cross, and thou standest before thine ultimate Desire, joining chorus with the angels and the apostles, O glorious ­Bartholemew.

And 3 stichera of the Apostle Barnabas, in the same tone: Spec. Mel.: “Thou hast given a sign…” —

Thou hast received invincible authority and power over the demons, O apostle, in the name of Christ, to drive away the princes of darkness; and thou didst travel over the earth, shedding light like the sun, and, being the first to arrive in glorious Rome, thou didst preach the salvific advent of Christ, O glorious one.

Emulating the primal goodness and the essential and all-divine life, thou becamest a man good in essence, O Barnabas, and, receiving a name ­signifying son of consolation, by the goodness of thy character and the purity of thy mind thou didst show thyself to be a true disciple of Christ.

Being an instrument well tuned by the action of the Spirit, O Barnabas, thou didst commit thyself to summon the nations, guiding them to the knowledge of Christ by thy words and deeds, and thou hast enlightened all to confess the true divinity of Jesus, the Savior of our souls.

Glory…, the composition of Byzantius, in Tone VI —

O all-praised Barnabas, thou radiant vessel of the Holy Spirit and son of consolation, even before Paul thou wast the foremost of the seventy disciples, and with Paul thou didst preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Wherefore, fulfilling thy discourse of grace with thy deeds, thou didst offer thyself up as a pure wholeburnt offering to Christ thy Teacher. Beg thou ever, O glorious apostle, that our souls be saved in peace, we pray.

Now & ever…: Doxasticon from the Pentecostarion, or the dogmaticon in the same tone —

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 readings:

A Reading from the General Epistle of Peter [I Pet. 1: 3-9]

Brethren: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in Whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

A Reading from the General Epistle of Peter [I Pet. 1: 13-19]

Beloved: Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as He who hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, Who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

A Reading from the General Epistle of Peter [I Pet. 2: 11-24]

Beloved: I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation honest among the gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of those who do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: as free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him Who judgeth righteously: Who His own self bore our sins in His own body on the Tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness.