After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the first antiphon.
N.B.: Should the commemoration fall on the Sunday after the Exaltation of the Precious Cross, see notes at the end of the service for special directions.
Then, the ektenia: “Let us all say....”
And 3 Readings:
On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera: 3 of the Cross, in Tone V: Spec. Mel.: “Rejoice, O Life-bearing Cross…”—
Troparion of the Cross, in Tone I—
A Reading from Genesis
Rejoice, O life-bearing Cross, invincible victory of piety, gate of paradise, confirmation of the faithful, rampart of the Church, whereby corruption hath been destroyed and abolished, and the power of death hath been trampled down, and we have been raised up from earth to the heavens, O invincible weapon, opponent of the demons, glory of the martyrs, true adornment of the venerable, haven of salvation, grant the world great mercy.
Glory…, Now & ever…: troparion of the Theotokos, in Tone IV—
A Reading from the Prophecy of Ezekiel
Rejoice, O Cross of the Lord, whereby mankind hath been released from the curse, thou ensign of joy, who in thine exaltation drivest away the enemy, O most honored one, our helper, dominion of kings, might of the righteous, splendor of priests, who, when traced, dost deliver from evils, staff of power, whereby we are shepherded, weapon of peace around whom the angels stand in fear, divine glory of Christ, Who granteth the world great mercy!
Troparion, in Tone IV—
A Reading from Proverbs
Rejoice, O guide of the blind, physician of the ailing, resurrection of all the dead, who hast lifted us up who have fallen into corruption, O precious Cross, whereby the curse hath been annulled and incorruption hath blossomed forth, and we mortals have been deified, and the devil hath been utterly cast down! Beholding thee today uplifted in the arms of the hierarch, we exalt Him Who was lifted up upon thee, and we bow down before thee, richly drawing forth great mercy.
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.
And 5 stichera of the Icon, idiomela, in Tone I—
Glory..., to the saint, in Tone VI: the composition of Theophanes—
O the sacred and mystic day whereon divine things are revealed to the world, fountains of grace flow forth, and holy things are discovered! This is the day whereon the Life-creating tree of the Cross was uncovered of old! This is the day whereon the icon of the Mother of God hath now wondrously appeared! To both do the people offer homage with fear and love, crying out with thanksgiving: O Christ God Who wast crucified and hast risen from the dead, through the Theotokos have mercy upon us.
Now and ever..., of the feast, in the same tone—
We worship now before the Life-creating Tree, whereby salvation hath been wrought for the world, and we honor also the life-giving fountain of grace, thine icon, O Mistress, from whence thou pourest forth inexhaustible mercy upon the people and makest countless miracles manifest. Wherefore, falling down before thee with love, Christians cry out to thy Son and God: O Christ God Who wast crucified and hast risen from the dead, through the Theotokos have mercy upon us.
Glory..., of the saint, in Tone VIII—
Standing before the Cross of thy Son, O Theotokos, and being crucified with Him in thy heart, thou didst receive from His all-pure mouth the adoption of the human race; for which cause, we Christians dare to call thee Mother. Wherefore, stop the torrents of cruel tribulations which pour forth upon thine ungrateful and wicked children, that, giving fervent thanks to thy Son and God from the depths of our souls, we may cry out: O Christ God Who wast crucified and hast risen from the dead, through the Theotokos have mercy upon us.
Now and ever..., for the feast, in the same tone—
In Tone III: Again shepherds marvel; again they bow down before the Virgin Mary and the divine Infant, not in the cave of Bethlehem, but in the grove of Bukovich; again they are illumined with a heavenly light and declare the miracle to the people who, believing on that which was announced to them, run with haste to behold the all-blessed one. With them let us cry out to her: Rejoice, O Mistress, thou never-waning light of our souls!
Glory..., Now and ever..., the Troparion to the Cross: “O Lord, save Thy people....”
Having discovered thy wondrous image, O all-pure one, the people cried out, gazing upon thee with fear and trembling: “Come unto us sinners, O golden tabernacle of sanctity! And in manifesting thyself, hide not again thine all-pure face from us! Abide with us, for it inclineth toward evening, and the daylight of the world hath waned. Enter into our church, bringing grace with thee, whereby thou mayest ever heal our souls, making them habitations of the Spirit Comforter!”
Glory…, in Tone VI—
The voices of the prophets foretold the holy Tree whereby Adam was loosed from the ancient curse of death, and creation raiseth a cry to that which today is exalted, begging great mercy of God. O Master, Who alone art boundless in loving-kindness: be Thou our cleansing and save our souls!
Now & ever, in Tone V—
The Cross of Christ is the standard of salvation and weapon of victory! The icon of the Mother of God is the sign of mercy and treasury of hope! Let us honor both today and kiss them with love and fear, crying out and exclaiming unceasingly: O Christ God Who wast nailed to the Cross, save us through the entreaties of Thine all-pure Mother!
Entrance. Great Prokimenon, in Tone VII—
Our God is in Heaven and on earth; all things soever He hath willed, He hath done.
Stichos: When Israel went out of Egypt, and the house of Jacob from among a barbarous people, Judæa became His sanctuary.
Stichos: The sea beheld and fled, Jordan turned back.
Stichos: What aileth thee, O sea, that thou fleddest? And thou, O Jordan, that thou didst turn back?
Jacob went forth from the well of the oath, and departed into Haran. And he 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 behold 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 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 like the sand of the earth; and it shall spread abroad to the sea, and the south, and the north, and the east; and in thee and in thy seed shall all 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 bring thee back to this land; for 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 sad: “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 the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary that faceth 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 faceth 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 of the icon—
In Tone IV: Heed ye the shepherds of Bukovich, who declare: “Come ye and behold the divine Infant in the arms of the Virgin: not in the city of Bethlehem, but nearby, in our own country; not at the entrance to the cave, but in a forest grove; not in the past, but now, alive at this hour: for Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever! Wherefore, let us hasten to offer worship to Him and His all-pure Mother!”
He Who accepted the worship of the shepherds of Bethlehem now calleth shepherds to be first to offer homage to the icon of the Theotokos. He mercifully accepteth worship from them and sendeth them to proclaim that a new and inexhaustible wellspring of grace was revealed in the grove of Bukovich, a divine vessel of holiness: and the faithful, hastening thereto, freely receive countless divine gifts, draw forth healings and are strengthened in their infirmity, magnifying the Ever-virgin Theotokos Mary.
In Tone III: What shall we render unto thee, O Theotokos? What gifts shall we offer thee? Goodly praises, like sweet-smelling flowers? Tears of compunction, like lustrous pearls? Supplications, like incense of sweet savor? Songs and hymns, like costly myrrh? A humble spirit and a contrite heart? Spurn them not, O Mistress, but grant us incorrupt joy instead of sorrow, for thou art the treasury of all joys!
Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone VI—
Having set sorrow aside, let us array ourselves in vesture of gladness; for the splendid festival of the Mother of God hath dawned, calling the faithful to the banquet of faith. Wherefore, let us taste of the spiritual feast laid out before us, and let us slake our thirst at the wellspring of grace, that we may not depart from this banquet hungry and downcast, having obtained no benefit therefrom.
At the aposticha, these stichera, in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “O all-glorious wonder…”—
O splendid festival! O all-glorious sight! The stones have cried out, as Christ said, declaring the glory of the Mother of God: for a stone revealeth the image of her all-pure countenance and mystically formeth a treasury of divine grace within itself. Wherefore, bowing down with trembling before the prototype thereof, we chant with the choirs of those who invisibly serve with us: O all-blessed and all-pure one, abide thou with us forever!
Stichos: Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear.
Come, ye prophets who proclaimed the mystery of the Virgin! Come, ye apostles who preached the Mother of the Word to the whole world! Come, ye hierarchs who with loud voices confessed her to be the Theotokos and put the false doctrine of Nestorius to shame! Come, ye choirs of all the righteous, and, praying with us and for us, fall down before Mary, the Queen of all, forming a divinely beauteous chorus of sacred majesty, and with us chant: O all-blessed and all-pure one, abide thou with us forever!
Stichos: The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David, and He will not annul it.
O ye virgins struggling in the life of ascetic endeavor, haste ye to the church of the Theotokos, and, bearing your virtues like lamps, offer them as a gift to the divine Maiden! O ye emulators of the daughter of Phanuel, come ye into the temple and bless the Mother of Emmanuel, that all of us, forming a single choir, may chant with love: O all-blessed and all-pure one, abide thou with us forever!
Glory…, in the same tone—
O God, the words of Moses Thy prophet have been fulfilled, who said: “Ye shall see your life hanging before your eyes!” Today the Cross is exalted, and the world is freed from deception. Today the resurrection of Christ is renewed, and the ends of the earth rejoice, offering music to Thee on cymbals, like David, and saying: “Thou hast wrought salvation in the midst of the earth, O God: the Cross and resurrection! For their sake Thou hast saved us, O Good One Who lovest mankind! O Almighty Lord, glory be to Thee!”
Now & ever…, in the same tone—
Come, take ye up the psaltery of ten strings and sweet harmonies, and let us chant a hymn to the Virgin Mother of God, beginning our hymnody like the Psalmist King: The radiant Queen hath ever stood at Thy right hand, O Christ God, adorned with the golden vesture of the Spirit, embroidered with ineffable beauty, outshining the sun in her loving-kindness. Wherefore, be Thou well pleased mercifully to hearken unto her, O Lord and Master, when she prayeth to Thee for us, O Thou Who lovest mankind.
O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance. Grant victory to Orthodox Christians over their adversaries. And by Thy Cross do Thou preserve Thy commonwealth.
To thee, the Theotokos, we, the sinful and lowly, now earnestly have recourse; and we fall down in repentance, crying out from the depths of our heart: O Mistress, take pity and have mercy upon us! Haste thou, for we are perishing in the multitude of our transgressions! Turn not thy servants empty away, for thee do we have as our only hope!
At “Lord, I have cried...”, six stichera: three for the feast, and three for the saint. The stichera to the Cross, in Tone V: Spec. Mel.: “Rejoice, O Life-bearing Cross....”—
Rejoice, O life-bearing Cross, invincible victory of piety, gate of paradise, confirmation of the faithful, rampart of the Church, whereby corruption hath been destroyed and abolished, and the power of death hath been trampled down, and we have been raised up from earth to the heavens, O invincible weapon, opponent of the demons, glory of the martyrs, true adornment of the venerable, haven of salvation, grant the world great mercy.
Rejoice, O Cross of the Lord, whereby mankind hath been released from the curse, thou ensign of joy, who in thine exaltation drivest away the enemy, O most honored one, our helper, dominion of kings, might of the righteous, splendor of priests, who, when traced, dost deliver from evils, staff of power, whereby we are shepherded, weapon of peace around whom the angels stand in fear, divine glory of Christ, Who granteth the world great mercy!
Rejoice, O guide of the blind, physician of the ailing, resurrection of all the dead, who hast lifted us up who have fallen into corruption, O precious Cross, whereby the curse hath been annulled and incorruption hath blossomed forth, and we mortals have been deified, and the devil hath been utterly cast down! Beholding thee today uplifted in the arms of the hierarch, we exalt Him Who was lifted up upon thee, and we bow down before thee, richly drawing forth great mercy.
These stichera to the saint, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “Joy of the ranks of Heaven....”—
Arrayed in the armor of piety, thou wast shown to be a champion of Christ, the King of all, O passion-bearer Nicetas, as was almighty Gideon of old, setting at nought legions of aliens by thy noble boldness.
That which is alien didst thou enslave by thine all-powerful faith in Christ, O divinely wise martyr who didst endure suffering. Wherefore, thou didst turn the barbarians to the Creator and Master of all, O wise one, and they glorify Him piously.
Thou, the firstfruits of the barbarians, O martyr, dying for the Trinity, didst bring glory to Christ, and wast shown to be a divinely eloquent sufferer. Wherefore, thou hast manifestly received a crown, and dost shine with splendor in the world like a beacon, O right glorious one.
We know thee as a lamp unto the martyrs, O Nicetas, sufferer for Christ, for, having forsaken the glory of earthly rank and despised the godlessness of thy father, thou didst shatter his gods, didst triumphantly put the barbarians to shame, didst undergo martyrdom for confessing Christ, and wast a warrior of the God of Heaven. Entreat thou the Benefactor of all in our behalf, that He take pity and save our souls.
The voices of the prophets foretold the holy Tree whereby Adam was loosed from the ancient curse of death, and creation raiseth a cry to that which today is exalted, begging great mercy of God. O Master, Who alone art boundless in loving-kindness: be Thou our cleansing and save our souls!
Entrance; the Great Prokimenon, in Tone VII—
Our God is in Heaven and on earth; all things soever He hath willed, He hath done.
Stichos: When Israel went out of Egypt, and the house of Jacob from among a barbarous people, Judæa became His sanctuary.
Stichos: The sea beheld and fled, Jordan turned back.
Stichos: What aileth thee, O sea, that thou fleddest? And thou, O Jordan, that thou didst turn back?
But if it fall on Sunday, we chant the Prokimenon of the day: “The Lord is King...”, and the Great Prokimenon we chant on the eve of the feast.
At the Aposticha, these stichera, in Tone VI: Spec. Mel.: “Having set all aside....”—
Raised on high, the Cross exhorteth all creation to hymn the all-pure Passion of Him Who was lifted up thereon. For thereon having slain him who slew us, in that He is merciful, He gave life unto the dead, and in the exceeding greatness of His goodness He hath made them beautiful and vouchsafed them to live in the heavens. Wherefore, rejoicing, we exalt His name, and magnify His extreme condescension.
Stichos: Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship the footstool of His feet; for He is holy.
Moses prefigured Thee, stretching forth his arms on high, and vanquished the tyrant Amalek, O precious Cross, boast of the faithful, confirmation of sufferers, savior of all the venerable. Wherefore, creation, beholding thee lifted up, is gladdened, and keepeth festival, glorifying Christ, Who through thee hath gathered the dispersed in His extreme goodness.
Stichos: God is our King before the ages, He hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth.
O most precious Cross, who art today exalted, and about whom the ranks of angels stand in gladness, by divine command thou dost uplift all who for the stealing of the fruit were driven out and were sunk in death. Wherefore, we, the faithful, venerating thee with hearts and lips, derive from thee sanctification, crying out: Exalt ye Christ, the all-good God, and worship His divine footstool.
Thou didst show thyself to be the namesake of victory, O most honored martyr Nicetas; proclaiming Christ our God amid thy struggle, thou didst confess Him before kings and tormentors. Wherefore, cease thou never in thy prayers to Him Who alone loveth mankind, in behalf of the world, for Christ-loving kings, and for all who faithfully keep thy memory, that He deliver them from all wrath.
O God, the words of Moses Thy prophet have been fulfilled, who said: “Ye shall see your life hanging before your eyes!” Today the Cross is exalted, and the world is freed from deception. Today the resurrection of Christ is renewed, and the ends of the earth rejoice, offering music to Thee on cymbals, like David, and saying: “Thou hast wrought salvation in the midst of the earth, O God: the Cross and resurrection! For their sake Thou hast saved us, O Good One Who lovest mankind! O Almighty Lord, glory be to Thee!”
Taking up the Cross of Christ ardently, as it were a sword, thou didst make haste to do battle with the enemy, and, having later suffered by fire for Christ, thou didst commit thy sacred soul to the Lord, and hence thou hast been vouchsafed to receive from Him gifts of healing, O greatmartyr Nicetas. Entreat Christ God that our souls be saved.
Translated by Isaac Lambertsen. Edition menaion.en.lambertsen.