At Vespers

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

After Ode VI, kontakion and ikos of the resurrection. At Ode IX we do chant the Magnificat. Exapostilarion of the resurrection; Glory…, that of the saints; Now & ever…: that of the feast. On the Praises, 8 stichera: 4 of the resurrection, and 4 of the feast, including the doxasticon, with the festal stichoi; Glory…, the evangelical sticheron; Now & ever…: Theotokion: “All-blessed art thou…” Great Doxology. Troparion of the resurrection, alone. Litanies; dismissal; First Hour. On the hours: Troparion of the resurrection; Glory…, that of the feast; Now & ever…: Theotokia of the hours. After “Our Father…”, the kontakia of the feast and the resurrection, alternating.

A Reading from Proverbs

Sessional hymn of the saint; Glory…, Now & ever…: that of the feast.

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 6 stichera: 3 of the feast, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “O wondrous miracle…”—

Troparion of the hieromartyrs, in Tone IV—

A Reading from Proverbs

Let us join chorus today, O ye faithful, chanting to the Lord in psalms and hymns, and honoring His sacred tabernacle, the animate ark, who contained the uncontainable Word; for she is brought to the Lord, having become a babe in manner transcending nature. And Zachariah, the great high priest, receiveth her with gladness as the dwelling-place of God.

Glory…, Now & ever…: Troparion of the feast, in the same tone—

Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon

Today the animate temple of the holy glory of Christ our God, the pure one who alone among women is blessed, is led into the temple of the law, to dwell in the Holy of holies; with her Joachim and Anna rejoice in spirit, and choirs of virgins sing to the Lord, chanting in psalms and honoring His Mother.

At Great Vespers: After “Blessed is the man…”, on “Lord, I have cried…”, 10 stichera: 3 of the resurrection, 1 of Anatolius, 3 stichera prosomia of the feast, and 3 of St. Clement; Glory…, the doxasticon of the feast; Now & ever…, the dogmaticon in the tone of the week. Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. At Litia, the stichera of the feast; Glory…, Now & ever…, of the feast. At the aposticha, the stichera of the resurrection; Glory…, Now & ever…, of the feast. At the blessing of the loaves, “Virgin Theotokos, rejoice…”, thrice. But if vigil is not celebrated, we chant the troparion of the resurrection; Glory…:

Thou art the proclamation of the prophets, the glory of the apostles, the boast of the martyrs, the restoration of all mortals, O Virgin Mother of God; for through thee have we been reconciled with God. Wherefore, we honor thine entrance into the temple of the Lord, and with the angel all of us who find salvation through thy supplications cry out to thee in hymns: Rejoice, O all-pure one!

Troparion of Hieromartyr Clement, in Tone IV—

And 3 stichera of St. Clement, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “When from the Tree…”—

All-gloriously amazing all the ends of the world with divine miracles, O sacred athlete, in manner transcending nature thou didst cause the substance of the waters of the sea to withdraw on the day of thine honored memorial, for those who ever earnestly had recourse to the church erected for thee by God to shelter thy precious relics; and after the people had returned, thou didst miraculously cause the sea to return to the shore. O all-wondrous Clement, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.

As a branch of the vine of life, O most wise father and hierarch, through the Spirit thou didst put forth the beautiful grapes of dogmas, which ever exude the saving wine of divine knowledge and gladden the hearts of all the pious who truly honor thee, O most blessed God-bearer Clement.

Now & ever…: Troparion of the feast.

As a disciple of the preëminent Peter, O most lauded father, thou didst establish thyself like a precious stone upon his Stone, didst demolish the fabric of polytheism with the strength of thy words and didst raise up divine temples for the worship of the Trinity, for Whom thou didst struggle, O blessed one, and receive the crown of martyrdom.

At Matins, at “God is the Lord…”, the troparion of the resurrection, twice; Glory…, that of Clement; Now & ever…, that of the feast. After the kathismata, the resurrectional sedalia with their theotokia. Polyeleos, and the troparia: “The assembly of the angels…”. Hypacoï and hymns of ascent of the tone. Prokimenon and resurrectional Gospel. “Having beheld the resurrection of Christ…” Psalm 50, and Gospel sticheron. Canon of the resurrection, with 4 troparia, including the irmos; that of the Theotokos, with 2 troparia; the first canon of the feast, with 4 troparia; and that of Clement, with 4 troparia. Katavasia: “Christ is born…” After Ode III, the kontakion and ikos of the feast, and the kontakion of Clement, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “The steadfast…”—

Like the light-giving sun thou didst shine forth from the lands of the West, O father, splendidly illumining the earth with the radiance of thy dogmas and thy wounds; and thou didst reach the lands of the East, O thrice-blessed one, and, slain, didst set; but thou hast richly shone forth unto Christ with heavenly beams, O Clement, enlightened unceasingly through divine communion.

Thou hast been shown to all as a branch of the divine vine arrayed in sanctity, exuding the sweetness of wisdom with thy supplications, O most honored and holy Clement, that we may offer thee the noetic hymn, like a woven robe of purple: Save thou thy servants!

Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone VIII—

At Liturgy: 10 troparia on the Beatitudes: 6 of the resurrection, and 4 from Ode IX of the canon of the feast. After the entrance: Troparia of the resurrection, the feast and the saint; then, kontakion of the resurrection; Glory…, that of the saint; Now & ever…, that of the feast. Prokimena, Epistles, Alleluias and Gospels of the tone and of the feast. Communion Verses: Praise the Lord from the heavens…, and that of the feast.

After thy nativity, O Mistress Bride of God, thou didst come to the temple of the Lord to be raised in the Holy of holies as one consecrated; and then Gabriel was sent to thee, the most immaculate one, bearing sustenance unto thee. All the hosts of heaven marvelled, beholding the Holy Spirit make His abode within thee. Wherefore, O all-pure and undefiled Mother of God, who art glorified in heaven and on earth, save our generation!

At the blessing of the loaves, the troparion of the holy hierarch, in Tone IV—

At the Aposticha, these stichera of the feast, in Tone V: Spec. Mel.: “Rejoice…”—

And then the troparion of the feast, in the same tone—

Rejoice, O heaven and earth, beholding the only immaculate Virgin, the noetic heaven, coming forth to be raised in honor in the house of God! To her did Zachariah cry out, marvelling: “O portal of the Lord, I open unto thee the gates of the temple! Rejoice therein, joining chorus! For I have come to know and believe that the deliverance of Israel is manifestly coming, and that God the Word will be born of thee, granting the world great mercy!”

Stichos: The virgins that follow after her shall be brought unto the King, those near her shall be brought unto Thee.

O grace divinely manifest! With gladness Anna leadeth to the temple of God the pure Ever-virgin given her by grace, and she calleth maidens to go before her, bearing lamps and saying: “Go forth, my child! Be thou an offering and incense of sweet savor unto Him Who gave thee to us! Enter into the impassable precincts and learn the mysteries! And prepare thyself to be the gladsome and beauteous dwelling-place of Jesus, Who bestoweth upon the world great mercy!”

Stichos: They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing, they shall be brought into the temple of the King.

The most holy Virgin, the temple in which God dwelleth, is borne into the temple of God, and maidens bearing lamps now precede her. Joachim and Anna, the excellent couple, her parents, leap for joy, dancing, for they gave birth to her who gave birth to the Creator, who, dancing in the divine tabernacles and fed by the hand of an angel, hath been shown to be the most immaculate Mother of Christ, Who bestoweth great mercy upon the world.

Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone VI—

Assembling today, O ye councils of the faithful, let us celebrate spiritually the divine Maiden, the Virgin Theotokos, who is led into the temple of the Lord, and let us piously praise her who was chosen beforehand from all generations as the habitation of Christ, the King and God of all. O ye virgins, bearing lamps, go ye on before, honoring the precious procession of the Ever-virgin! Ye mothers, setting aside all grief, joyfully follow her who will become the Mother of God, the mediatress of joy for the world! And with the angel let us all joyously cry out “Rejoice!” to the joyous one who ever prayeth for our souls!

O God of our fathers, Who ever dealest with us according to Thy gentleness, take not Thy mercy away from us, but by their entreaties govern our life in peace.

Today is the prelude of God’s good will and the proclamation of the salvation of man. The Virgin hath manifestly appeared in the Temple of God and proclaimeth Christ unto all. To her let us cry aloud: Rejoice, O thou fulfillment of the Creator’s dispensation!

Be it known that if the apodosis of the feast of the Entry of the all-holy Theotokos fall on a Sunday, the service of Hieromartyr Peter is omitted and chanted whenever the ecclesiarch desireth.

On Saturday, at Little Vespers, the stichera of the resurrection and of the Theotokos, as usual; troparia of the resurrection and of the feast.

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 6 stichera, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “With what crowns of praise…”—

With what wreaths of praise today shall we crown Clement, who duly made the foolishness of the flesh subject to the Word of God, who despised the unseemly passions and fulfilled the commandments of the Gospel, who by his discourse guided all to divine instruction, who enriched the Church with hymnody and adorned it with icons, and who led the people to most perfect salvation, by the power of Christ our God Who hath great mercy? Twice

With what divinely inspired hymns today shall we praise Clement: the branch of the Vine of life, who budded forth a life of virtue and was cultivated by God the Husbandman, who abounded greatly in fruit and produced the gifts of the Spirit — divinely inspired discourses — like fragrant flowers of paradise, and incorruptible struggles like the wine of grapes which maketh glad the hearts of men, through the grace of Christ our God Who hath great mercy. Twice

With what words of goodly utterance shall we today honor Clement: the heavenly man who dwelt on earth in the flesh, who amassed the thrice-rich treasure of the virtues and now abideth in spirit with the angels, who first perceived the wisdom of God in indistinct images, as in a mirror, but now in blessedness gazeth directly, face to face, upon the divine Light: Christ our God, Who hath great mercy. Twice

Glory…, in Tone VI—

Nourished by the milk of the virtues, thou didst attain the summit of perfection; for having set thyself ablaze with the fire of love, and utterly reduced the fœtid passions to ashes, thou becamest a model of abstinence and meekness, a wellspring of mercy and abyss of compassion. O most holy father Clement, thou most speedy aid and ready help, stand thou now in spirit before those who call upon thee with faith, and deliver us from tyrannical sin, for thou hast great boldness before the Lord.

Now & ever…, of the feast, in Tone VIII—

After thy nativity, O Mistress, Bride of God, thou didst go to the Temple of the Lord to be raised in the Holy of Holies as a consecrated maiden. Then was Gabriel sent to thee, the all-immaculate one, bringing food unto thee. All of the heavenly powers marvelled, beholding the Holy Spirit abiding within thee. Wherefore, O all-pure and undefiled Mother of God, who art glorified in heaven and on earth, save thou thy race.

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.

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.

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 preëminent. 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.

At Litia, the sticheron of the temple, and these stichera of the holy hierarch—

In Tone I: The wondrous hierarch Clement, the great clarion of the Truth, doth today summon all to gladness, O ye who love the feasts of the Church. Wherefore, let us all go forth to greet the splendid festival of the good pastor, O ye faithful, glorifying his sacred works with hymns, that through his supplications we may receive from Christ great mercy.

In Tone II: When the myrrh of grace was poured forth upon thee and made thee the sweet fragrance of Christ, thou wast anointed to act as priest of the Gospel of the kingdom of heaven, and to fill all the land of the Bulgars with the sweet savor of its wisdom. Wherefore, fervently accepting the prayerful cries of thy servants, O ever-memorable Clement, ask thou that great mercy be granted unto us.

In Tone VI: Having received the grace of miracles from on high and enlightened the Slavic peoples with the word of the Gospel, thou art become the glory and boast of holy hierarchs, the great preacher and apostle of all Bulgaria, O most blessed father Clement. Wherefore, as thou hast boldness before the Lord, entreat Him, that our souls be saved.

Glory…, in Tone V—

Arrayed in the vestments of the priesthood, O champion of the Spirit most great, thou didst stand before the throne of the tyrant and wast imprisoned in a dungeon, being punished for preaching the Gospel of Christ, and showing forth martyric opposition. And when thou didst receive thy freedom through God’s intervention, thou didst hasten to the newly converted Bulgars, and by thy word didst boldly sow the seed of the Sower, Who hath great and rich mercy.

Now & ever…, of the feast, in the same tone—

The day of joy and the most honored feast hath shone forth! For today she who remained Virgin after giving birth, as she was before birthgiving, is led into the temple of the Lord, and the elder Zachariah, the father of the forerunner, rejoiceth and crieth out in gladness: “The intercessor for the sorrowful draweth nigh unto the holy temple, in that she is holy, to be hallowed in the habitation of the King of all! Let Joachim, her forebear, be glad, and let Anna rejoice! For they have offered unto God the unblemished Mistress like a heifer three years of age. Rejoice, ye mothers! Leap up, O virgins! Ye barren women, join chorus! For the Queen of all, who hath been foretold, hath opened unto us the kingdom of heaven! Rejoice, ye people, and be glad!”

At the aposticha, these stichera, in Tone VI: Spec, Mel.: “Having set all aside…”—

Having cleaved wholly to the Master from thy youth, O divinely wise Clement, thou didst transcend the flesh and every worldly relationship, drying up the flow of the passions with the sponge of the virtues; and thou didst draw thy liberated mind away from earthly attachments unto the noetic habitations, where now, drawing nigh unto the throne of Christ our God, pray thou with boldness in behalf of our souls.

Stichos: Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness, and Thy righteous shall rejoice.

Taking up voluntary poverty and the labor of ascetic struggle, O divinely wise Clement, thou didst show forth on earth an angelic and immaterial life. Wherefore, as a shepherd of the reason-endowed flock for these labors thou hast received as reward the gifts of the Spirit, an unfathomable sea of miracles. O perfection of the priesthood, paragon of monastics, true prophet of things to come and apostle of the Slavs: earnestly entreat Christ our God in behalf of our souls.

Stichos: Moses and Aaron are among His priests, and Samuel among those who call upon His name.

Following Cyril, the enlightener of the Slavs, O divinely wise Clement, and treading in the steps of the holy hierarch Methodius, thou didst set their manner of life as thy model, like a tablet graven with virtue. And having Nahum, the vessel of the Spirit, as thy fellow struggler in thine apostolic labors, and a whole choir of honored disciples, thou didst establish the Bulgars in the pure Faith of Christ our God, Whom do thou entreat with boldness in behalf of our souls.

Glory…, in Tone VI—

As thy life was divine, O blessed and holy hierarch Clement, so was thine end sacred. And when all the inhabitants of Okhrid, having assembled in a multitude, beheld thee bereft of breath, they cried aloud with voices of lamentation, saying: “Speak thou one last word to thy servants, O eloquent preacher of the Word! Whither goest thou, that thou leavest behind thy children, upon whom thou didst have pity, as a compassionate father? Yet even though thou hast been laid in the tomb, we who honor thee with love have acquired thee on high as an intercessor and advocate before God!”

Now & ever…, of the feast, in the same tone—

Assembling today, ye councils of the faithful, let us keep spiritual festival, and let us piously praise the divine Maiden, the Virgin Theotokos, who is led into the temple of the Lord, who was chosen before out of all generations to be the habitation of Christ God, the King of all. Bearing candles, O virgins, go ye on before, doing homage to the honored entry of the Ever-virgin! Ye mothers, setting aside all grief, follow joyously her who is to become the Mother of God, the mediatress of joy for the world! And with the angel let us all joyfully cry out to the joyous one “Rejoice!”, for she ever prayeth for our souls.

With thy discourses thou didst guide the nations to the Faith of Christ, and by thy works thou didst lift thyself up to divine life, O holy hierarch Clement, equal of the apostles, shining forth miracles upon those who approach thee with faith, and all-gloriously illumining the Church with signs. Wherefore, we glorify thine honored memory. Twice

Today is the prelude of God’s good will and the proclamation of the salvation of men. The Virgin hath manifestly appeared in the temple of God and proclaimeth Christ unto all. To her let us cry aloud: Rejoice, O thou fulfillment of the Creator’s dispensation!