At Great Vespers

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

In prayer and steadfastness of mind didst thou unceasingly cry unto God, O venerable one, and He truly hearkened unto thee; wherefore, thou dwelt on earth, like one of the incorporeal beings thou didst mortify the passions by abstinence, and with thy profound humility of mind didst wound the prideful devil, crying aloud unto Christ in victory: O our blessed Savior Who didst come down and save us, glory be to Thee!

A Reading from the Prophecy of Isaiah

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera: 3 from the Pentecostarion, and 5 of the venerable one, in Tone VI: Spec. Mel.: “Having set all aside…”—

At the blessing of the loaves, the troparion of the venerable one, twice, in Tone I—

A Reading from Proverbs

Having set aside passionate attachment to the world, O venerable one, and taken thy cross upon thy shoulder, with pure and tranquil mind thou didst follow after Christ; and living in the wilderness as in paradise, thou didst please Him, dwelling on earth like one of the incorporeal ones, didst slay the passions by fasting, prayer and standing full nights in prayer, and didst unite thyself unto God by silence and divine contemplation. Him do thou entreat in behalf of our souls. Twice

And the troparion from the Pentecostarion, once.

A Reading from Proverbs

Having lived a calm and tranquil life, secluding thyself in a place of stillness, thou didst converse with God in unceasing prayer; and by the study of divine writings thou didst abundantly water the field of thy heart as with the rain of grace, O divinely wise one: wherefore, thou wast shown to be the dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit, and didst bring forth fruit an hundredfold. O venerable and ever-memorable father Nilus, pray thou continually to the Lord in behalf of our souls.

Troparion, in Tone VIII—

Treading the path of the commandments of Christ without straying, thou wast a careful observer of the divinely wise traditions of the fathers, O venerable and ever-memorable Nilus our father, and with them thou wast shown to be an establisher of monastic rule and the founder of the monastic life of sketes in the Russian land; and thou didst leave thy divinely wise words and traditions like tablets of the covenant unto those who desire to follow thy life, O father. Wherefore, we beseech thee, O venerable one: Pray thou earnestly unto Christ in behalf of our souls.

Wounded with love for Christ, O venerable one, thou didst continually bear in thy mind His salvific sufferings, and didst show thyself to be an excellent emulator thereof, through ascetic feats crucifying thy flesh with its passions and lusts; and with a coarse hair-shirt and a harsh way of life thou didst make the intransigent flesh subject to thy rational soul. Wherefore, we beseech thee, O ever-memorable Nilus our father, beloved of God: Earnestly entreat Christ in behalf of our souls.

Glory…, in Tone VIII—

We honor thee, the instructor of the monastic life of sketes, O Nilus our father, for by thy path we have truly learned how to walk aright in the stillness of the wilderness; for, showing us this way of life by words and deeds, thou didst set thyself before us as an animate model. Truly blessed art thou, for thou didst teach by example, and, in the words of the Lord, art called great in the kingdom of heaven: for, having labored industriously and rent asunder all the power, wiles and snares of the enemy, as though they were a spider’s web, thou wast shown to be a victor in all things, and hast hastened, crowned, unto Christ, rejoicing. Him do thou entreat, O venerable one, in behalf of all who with faith celebrate thy most sacred memory, that we be granted forgiveness of sins and great mercy.

Now & ever…, from the Pentecostarion.

Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. Three Readings:

Be glad, thou thirsty desert; let the wilderness exult, and flower like the lily. And the desert of Jordan shall blossom and rejoice: the glory of Lebanon hath been given unto it, and the honor of Carmel. And my people shall see the glory of the Lord and the majesty of God. Be ye strengthened, O paralytic hands and enfeebled knees. Comfort one another, ye fainthearted; be strong, fear not; behold, our God doth render judgment, and He will render it; He shall come and save us. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear. Then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the stammerers shall speak plainly: for water hath burst forth in the desert, and a channel of water in a thirsty land. And the dry land shall become pools, and a fountain of water shall be poured into the thirsty land; there shall there be a joy of birds, ready habitations of reeds and meadows. There shall be there a pure way, and it shall be called a holy way; and there shall not pass by there any unclean person, neither shall there be there an unclean way; but the dispersed shall walk on it, and they shall not go astray. And there shall be no lion there, neither shall any evil beast go up upon it, nor at all be found there; but the delivered shall walk in it, and those gathered on the Lord’s behalf shall return and come to Zion with joy, and everlasting joy shall be over their head; for on their head shall be praise and gladness, and joy shall take possession of them: sorrow and pain, and groaning have fled away.

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.

The mouth of the righteous droppeth wisdom: but the tongue of the unjust shall perish. The lips of just men drop grace: but the mouth of the ungodly is perverse. False balances are an abomination before the Lord: but a just weight is acceptable unto Him. Wherever pride entereth, there will also disgrace: but the mouth of the humble doth meditate wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the overthrow of the rebellious shall spoil them. Possessions shall not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness will deliver from death. When a just man dieth, he leaveth regret: but the destruction of the ungodly is speedy and causeth joy. Righteousness traceth out blameless paths: but ungodliness encountereth unjust dealing. The righteousness of upright men delivereth them: but transgressors are caught in their own destruction. At the death of a just man his hope doth not perish: but the boast of the ungodly perisheth. A righteous man escapeth from a snare, and the ungodly man is delivered up in his place. In the mouth of ungodly men is a snare for citizens: but the understanding of righteous men is prosperous. In the prosperity of righteous men a city prospereth, but at the destruction of the wicked there is exultation. At the blessing of the upright a city shall be exalted, but by the mouths of ungodly men it is overthrown. A man void of understanding sneereth at his fellow citizens: but a sensible man is quiet.

At Litia, the sticheron of the temple, and these stichera idiomela of the venerable one—

In Tone I: On the right eminent day of our festival let us sound the spiritual trumpet, rejoicing in spirit and celebrating with splendor the most holy and most honorable memory of our father; and let us cry out to him with love, saying: Rejoice, O our pastor and teacher, our ever-memorable father Nilus, most radiant beacon of monastics! Earnestly entreat Christ Whom thou didst diligently serve, O father, in behalf of us who honor thee with faith and love.

In Tone IV: Today with sacred hymns we crown the most sacred memory of our father as with blossoms, weaving wreaths of praise, lovingly glorifying his most sacred struggles, and crying out to him in gladness: Rejoice, most comely flower of monastics who sprang forth in the vales of the wilderness and adorned the region of the White Lake with the assemblies of thy good disciples! Rejoice, O right fruitful tree planted, as saith the psalm, by streams of water, and feeding the multitudes of monastics with the fruits of thy corrections and thy divinely wise writings! Rejoice, priceless phial of the ointment of asceticism which perfumeth the Church of Christ! O Nilus our all-blessed and ever-memorable father, cease thou never to pray to the Lord in our behalf, that He deliver us from all harm and save our souls.

Come, ye assemblies of those who love the feasts of the Church! Come, rejoice with us, and, forming a choir, let us celebrate! For, lo! today hath dawned the most festive and luminous memorial of the God-bearing father, the radiant beacon of the world, our most desired pastor and teacher and guide to salvation, the fervent intercessor for us all: for he prayeth continually to the Lord, that all be granted great mercy.

Glory…, in Tone VI—

Thou didst preserve intact that which is according to the image of Christ, making thy mind master over the pernicious passions through asceticism, and as far as thou wast able thou didst ascend to the summit of the virtues, following the example of the Savior; for, manfully doing violence to thy nature, thou didst strive to make that which is worse subject to that which is higher, and to enslave the flesh to the spirit. Wherefore, thou didst show thyself to be a guide for monastics, a dweller in the wilderness, a trainer of those who truly run the good race, and a most excellent rule of the virtues; and now, since the reflections have been abolished in the heavens, O Nilus our ever-memorable father, thou dost gaze in purity upon the Holy Trinity, ever praying for all who honor thee with faith and love.

Now & ever…, from the Pentecostarion.

At the aposticha, these stichera, in Tone VI: Spec. Mel.: “O ye angelic hosts…”—

The angelic hosts of heaven marvelled at thy way of life, O venerable one, for, while yet in the flesh, thou didst vanquish the incorporeal foe, and, given wings by fasting and prayer, soaring beyond the flesh and the world in divine contemplation, thou didst attain thine utmost goal, crying aloud in joy unto Christ: Glory to Thee, O our Savior!

Stichos: Lo, I have fled afar off and have dwelt in the wilderness.

Fleeing the world, thou didst withdraw into the wilderness, as it is written in the psalms, and having there made thine abode, thou didst find God Who saveth thee, O venerable one; and having found Him, thou didst hold Him within thee: for Christ, coming unto thee with the Father and the Holy Spirit, didst dwell within thee. Wherefore, we also, celebrating thy memory, joyously cry out: Blessed art Thou Who art glorified in the saints! Glory to Thee, O our Savior!

Stichos: Unto God have I cried, and the Lord hearkened unto me.

Glory…, idiomelon, in Tone VI—

Joyfully assembling today, O brethren, and forming a spiritual choir, let us hold splendid festival, and with divine hymns let us honor the annual memorial of the God-bearing father, our pastor and teacher: let us crown his sacred head with praises, as with flowers, and, surrounding his most precious shrine, let us cry aloud, saying: Rejoice, O right eloquent Nilus, who with the outpouring of thy discourse dost gladden the councils of monastics! Rejoice, O radiant beacon of monks! Rejoice, O adornment and confirmation of fasters! Come thou now among us invisibly, and bless thy children, vouchsafing the immaterial gifts which thou hast received from Christ in abundance unto us who honor thee with faith and love and all-joyously celebrate thy most honored and luminous feast. Deliver us from the tyranny of the passions and from all tribulations and evil circumstances, preserve thy community unharmed, and by thy supplications to the Lord grant us all things which are profitable.

Now & ever…, from the Pentecostarion.

Having spurned the worldly life, O our venerable and God-bearing father Nilus, fleeing the tumult of life thou wast quick to gather the flowers of paradise from the writings of the fathers, and, having made thine abode in the wilderness, thou didst flourish like a lily of the field; wherefore, thou hast passed over to the mansions of heaven. Teach us also who honor thee to tread thy royal path, and pray thou for our souls.

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 6 stichera, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Called from on high…”—

Today the godly multitude of the faithful rejoiceth, for the heavenly Cross appeareth to the ends of the world, illumining the firmament with unapproachable light, maketh the air brilliant and adorneth the face of the earth. The Church of Christ hymneth it with divine songs, worshiping it with veneration, and the divine and all-wondrous Cross preserveth it from on high. By its power are we strengthened; wherefore, let us approach the Master, saying: Grant peace to the world and enlighten our souls!

The all-precious and glorious Cross hath been seen today as a most honorable ladder leading up from earth to the heavens those who venerate it with steadfast faith. All nations rejoice, hastening fervently to baptism, and the Church adorneth itself in godly manner like unto a bride; for that which the Jews sought to hide shineth forth from on high in the air and saveth those who approach it with faith.

From on high there hath appeared the rod of divine power, the Cross sent to us in Zion, wholly illumined by grace and boundless light. The heavenly Cross of our crucified God hath shone forth above glorious Golgotha, proclaiming to all that salvation hath come to the world through His sufferings. And bowing down before it we chant unceasingly and ask with faith that He grant peace to the world and save our souls.

Glory…, in Tone VI—

The heavens have proclaimed Thy glory, O Lord, the awesome sight of Thy Cross, and all the earth hath bowed down with fear. And we, sending up glorification, cry out to Thee with thanksgiving: In that Thou as God art dispassionate, Thou hast deigned to suffer for us in the flesh of Thine own will. Save the people whom Thou hast acquired by Thine own blood.

Now & ever…, from the Pentecostarion.

The image of Thy Cross hath now shone forth more brightly than the sun, and Thou hast extended it from the holy mountain to the place of the skull, and therein hast revealed Thy might, O Savior. Strengthening all faithful Orthodox Christians thereby, O Christ God, save them ever in peace, and by the supplications of the Theotokos do Thou also save us.