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HOLY AND GREAT MONDAY The Midnight Office is read in the Church [and not, as usually on weekdays, in the Narthex, or Liti] as during Great Lent. AT MATINS After the Dismissal of the Midnight
Office the Priest, having made the customary metania to the Superior, or to his stall,
enters the sanctuary and makes three bows before the holy Table. He puts on the
Epitrachelion and, standing in front of the holy Table, intones: Reader: Amen. The Priest blesses the incense and begins to cense the sanctuary and the whole church as usual. The Reader begins: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for your name’s sake. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen Our Father, in heaven, may your name be hallowed; your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Priest: For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Reader: Amen. Lord, have mercy (x12). Glory. Both now. Come, let us worship and fall down before the King,
our God. With three metanias. Then the following two Psalms. Psalm 19 Psalm 20 Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Holy God, Holy Strong, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times) Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for your name’s sake. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen Our Father, in heaven, may your name be hallowed; your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Priest: For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. The priest must take care that he is standing beneath the Polyeleos to say this conclusion. He then enters the sanctuary, puts away the censer and takes his stand in front of the Holy Table. Reader: Amen. And the following Troparia: Lord, save your people, and bless your inheritance, granting your faithful people victory over their enemies, and guarding your commonwealth by your Cross. Glory. Lifted up on the Cross of your own will, grant you mercies, Christ God, to the new commonwealth called by your name. Make your faithful people glad by your power, giving them victory over their enemies. May they have your help in battle, a weapon of peace, an invincible trophy. Both now. Theotokion. Dread Champion that cannot be put to shame, do not despise our petitions, O Good One. All-praised Mother of God establish the commonwealth of the Orthodox, save your people and give them victory from heaven, for you gave birth to God, O only blessed one. Priest: Have mercy on us, O God, according to your great mercy. We pray you, hear and have mercy. Reader: Lord have mercy (x3). Priest: For you, O God, are merciful, and love humankind, and to you we give glory, to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and to the ages of ages. Reader: Amen. In the name of the Lord, give the blessing, Father. Priest: Glory to the holy, consubstantial, life-giving and undivided Trinity, always, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Reader: Amen. THE SIX PSALMS And we begin the Six Psalms, listening with complete silence and compunction. The Superior, or the designated reader, with devotion and fear of God says: Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth,
goodwill among men (x3). Psalm 3 And again: I lay down and slept; I awoke because the Lord will assist me. Psalm 37 And again. Do not forsake me, Lord; my God do
not go far from me. Psalm 62 And again. Every dawn I meditated upon you, for you became my
helper, and in the shelter of your wings I shall rejoice. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the holy Spirit. Both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Glory to you, O God (x3, without Metanias). Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the holy Spirit. Both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Psalm 87 And again. Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried by day; and
by night also before you. The priest comes from the Altar and reads the morning prayers quietly. Psalm 102 And again. In every place of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul! Psalm 142 And again. In your justice hear me, O Lord, and do not enter into judgement with your servant. (x2) Your good Spirit will guide me in an upright land. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the holy Spirit. Both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Glory to you, O God (x3). Metanias (x3) Then the Litany by the Priest, outside the Sanctuary. In peace, let us pray to the Lord. People: Lord, have mercy. And so after each petition. For the peace from on high and for the salvation of
our souls, let us pray to the Lord. People: To you, O Lord. Priest: For to you belong all glory, honour and worship, to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. People: Amen. We sing Alleluia 3 times in the 8th Tone, saying first one of the following verses. Verse 1. From nightfall my spirit is awake for you, O God, for your commands are light upon the earth. Verse 2. Learn justice, inhabitants of the earth. Verse 3. Jealousy will seize an untaught people, and now fire devours their adversaries. Verse 4. Bring evils upon them, O Lord, bring evils upon them, the glorious ones of the earth. Then the following Troparion is sung
solemnly 3 times. Behold, the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night, and blessed is that servant whom he finds watching; but unworthy is the one whom he finds slothful. Take care then, my soul, not to be overcome with sleep, lest you be given up to death, and be shut out of the kingdom; but rouse yourself and cry: Holy, holy, holy are you, O God; through the protection of Bodiless Powers, have mercy on us. Glory. Behold, the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night, and blessed is that servant whom he finds watching; but unworthy is the one whom he finds slothful. Take care then, my soul, not to be overcome with sleep, lest you be given up to death, and be shut out of the kingdom; but rouse yourself and cry: Holy, holy, holy are you, O God; through the prayers of the [here we mention the category of the Patron of the Church, Apostle, Hierarch, Martyr etc], have mercy on us. Both now. Behold, the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night, and blessed is that servant whom he finds watching; but unworthy is the one whom he finds slothful. Take care then, my soul, not to be overcome with sleep, lest you be given up to death, and be shut out of the kingdom; but rouse yourself and cry: Holy, holy, holy are you, O God; through the Mother of God, have mercy on us. [According to the Russian Typikon the ending is the same each time: through the Mother of God have mercy on us. The modern Greek books place a small Litany here, with the ekphonesis, For yours is the might…] Then we recite Kathisma 4 [Psalms 24-31] of the Psalter. After the Psalter the following Kathisma: Tone 1. The soldiers watching The present day makes the holy sufferings dawn for the world like saving lights; for Christ in his goodness is hastening to suffer; he who holds the universe in the hollow of his hand accepts to be hung upon a Tree to save humankind. Glory. Both now. The present day makes the holy sufferings dawn for the world like saving lights; for Christ in his goodness is hastening to suffer; he who holds the universe in the hollow of his hand accepts to be hung upon a Tree to save humankind. Then Kathisma 5 [Psalms 32-36] of the Psalter is read, and after it the following Kathisma to the same melody. Tone 1. The soldiers watching Invisible Judge, how have you been made visible in flesh and are coming to be slain by lawless men, so condemning our condemnation by your passion. Therefore with one accord, O Word, we offer praise, majesty and glory to your authority. Glory. Both now. Invisible Judge, how have you been made visible in flesh and are coming to be slain by lawless men, so condemning our condemnation by your passion. Therefore with one accord, O Word, we offer praise, majesty and glory to your authority. Then Kathisma 6 [Psalms 37-45] of the Psalter is read, and after it the following Kathisma: Tone 8. The Wisdom and Word. The present day is resplendent with the first fruits of the Lord’s sufferings. Come then, lovers of feasts, let us meet it with songs; for the Creator is coming to accept Cross, afflictions and scourges, as he is judged by Pilate; therefore too, struck on the face by a slave, he endures all that he may save humankind. And so let us cry aloud to him: Lover of humankind, Christ our God, grant forgiveness of offences to those who with faith worship your most pure sufferings. Glory. Both now. The present day is resplendent with the first fruits of the Lord’s sufferings. Come then, lovers of feasts, let us meet it with songs; for the Creator is coming to accept Cross, afflictions and scourges, as he is judged by Pilate; therefore too, struck on the face by a slave, he endures all that he may save humankind. And so let us cry aloud to him: Lover of humankind, Christ God, grant forgiveness of offences to those who with faith worship your most pure sufferings. [The Russian Typikon prescribes three readings, one after each Kathisma, from St John Chrysostom’s commentary on St Matthew’s Gospel, without specifying the references precisely.] And at once the Priest says: Reader: Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy. Priest: Wisdom. Stand upright. Let us listen to the holy Gospel. Peace to all. Reader: And to your Spirit. Priest: The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Matthew. Reader: Glory to you, Lord, glory to you! Priest: Let us attend. [21:18-43] At that time, as Jesus was going back to the city, he was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it, and found nothing on it, but only leaves. And he said to it, ‘May fruit no longer come from you for ever.’ And at once the fig tree was withered. When they saw it, the disciples marvelled and said, ‘How was the fig tree withered at once?’ But Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Amen, I say to you, if you have faith and do not hesitate, not only will you do this to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and cast into the sea’, it will be done. And everything you ask for in prayer with faith you will receive.’ And when he came to the temple precinct the chief priests and elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘I shall also ask you one question, and if you answer me, I shall also tell you by what authority I do these things. John’s baptism, where was it from, from heaven or from humans?’ They discussed this among themselves and said, ‘If we say ‘from heaven’, he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’. But if we same ‘from humans’, we are afraid of the crowd, for all hold John to be a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus and said, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Nor shall I tell you by what authority I do these things. What is your opinion? A man had two sons, and he approached the first and said to him, ‘My son, go and work in my vineyard today’. He answered, ‘I do not wish to’. But later he changed his mind and went. And he approached the second and said the same to him. But he answered, ‘Yes, sir’. And he did not go. Which of the two did the will father’s will?’ They said to him, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Amen, I say to you. The publicans and harlots are going ahead of you into the kingdom of God. For John came to you in the way of justice, and you did not believe him. But the publicans and harlots believed him. But even when you saw, you did not later change your minds and believe him. Hear this parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a hedge round it and dug a wine press in it and built a tower. Then he let it out to tenant farmers and went abroad. When the time of the vintage drew near, his sent his slaves to the farmers to collect his produce. But the farmers seized his slaves and one they flogged, one they killed and one they stoned. Once again he sent other slaves, more than at first, and they treated them the same way. Afterwards he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son’. But when the farmers saw the son they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and obtain his inheritance’. And they took him and cast him outside the vineyard and killed him. So when the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?’ They said to him, ‘He will bring those evil men to an evil end. And he will hire out the vineyard to other farmers, who will return his produce to him at the proper times.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Did you never read in the scriptures, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce its fruits’. Reader: Glory to you, Lord, glory to you! And at once: We begin the
Canon by St Kosmas, of which the Acrostic is: In each Ode the Irmos is sung twice, and the troparia are repeated to make 12. The Irmos is repeated as Katavasia. Ode 1. Tone 2. Irmos. ‘Let us sing to the Lord, who by his divine command dried up the pathless, raging sea, and through it guided the people of Israel to march on foot, for he has been greatly glorified.’ Troparia Ineffable the condescension of God’s Word, for Christ himself, being both God and man, and not considering his being God as something to be grasped, showed this to his disciples by being formed as a slave; for he has been greatly glorified. Myself rich in godhead, I have come to serve Adam who has become poor, whose form I, the Creator, have willingly put on, and to lay down my life as a ransom for his, I who am impassible in my godhead. Katavasia Let us sing to the Lord, who by his divine command dried up the pathless, raging sea, and through it guided the people of Israel to march on foot, for he has been greatly glorified. Priest: Again and again in peace, let us pray to the Lord. Reader: Lord, have mercy. Priest: Help us, save us, have mercy on us and keep us, O God, by your grace. Reader: Lord, have mercy. Priest: Calling to remembrance our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us entrust ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God. Reader: To you, O Lord. Priest: For you are the King of peace and the Saviour of our souls, and to you we give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and for ever and to the ages of ages. Reader: Amen. After the small litany the Kontakion Jacob lamented the loss of Joseph, yet the noble one was seated in a chariot, honoured like a king; for as he had not been slave to the pleasures of the Egyptian woman, he was glorified in return by the one who sees the hearts of men, and bestows an incorruptible crown. The Ikos Let us now add a lament to his lament and let us shed tears, with Jacob weeping for the revered and temperate Joseph, who though enslaved in body, guarded his soul unenslaved, and became lord of all Egypt; for God grants to his servants an incorruptible crown. The Menologion of the day and then the following notice: On holy and great Monday we commemorate the blessed and most virtuous Joseph, and the fig tree which was cursed by the Lord and withered. Verses on the
most virtuous Joseph. Others on the
withered fig-tree. At the prayers of the all-virtuous Joseph, Christ God, have mercy on us. Amen. Ode 8. The Irmos. ‘The unwearied fire, fed with unlimited fuel, shuddered at the bodies of the shining youths, like their souls undefiled; while as the ever-living flame withered away, an everlasting hymn was sung: All you his works, praise the Lord and highly exalt him to all the ages.’ Troparia ‘Then all will know that you are my disciples, if you keep my commandments’, says the Saviour to his friends, as he goes to his passion. ‘Be at peace with one another and with all; think humble thoughts and so be exalted; and, acknowledging me as Lord, praise and highly exalt me to all the ages’. ‘Let might over your fellows be for you the opposite of the order of the nations; their self-chosen will is not my lot, but tyranny. The one among you then who wishes to be leader of the rest, let him be the last of all; and acknowledging me as Lord, praise and highly exalt me to all the ages’. Katavasia The unwearied fire, fed with unlimited fuel, shuddered at the bodies of the shining youths, like their souls undefiled; while as the ever-living flame withered away, an everlasting hymn was sung: All you his works, praise the Lord and highly exalt him to all the ages. The Magnificat is not sung, but instead the 9th Ode. Ode 9. The Irmos. ‘Christ, our Fashioner, you magnified the Mother of God who gave you birth, from whom you put on a body with passions like ours, the atonement of our faults of ignorance; as we call her blessed, all we generations magnify you.’ Troparia Wisdom of all, you said to your Apostles, ‘Casting off every stain of passion, take up a prudent intent, worthy of the divine kingdom. By this you will be glorified, shining more brilliantly than the sun’. You said, Lord, to your own disciples, ‘Looking to me alone, do not have lofty thoughts, but live with humble. Drink the very cup which I drink, and you shall be glorified in my Father’s kingdom’. Katavasia Christ, our Fashioner, you magnified the Mother of God who gave you birth, from whom you put on a body with passions like ours, the atonement of our faults of ignorance; as we call her blessed, all we generations magnify you. Priest: Again and again in peace, let us pray to the Lord. Reader: Lord, have mercy. Priest: Help us, save us, have mercy on us and keep us, O God, by your grace. Reader: Lord, have mercy. Priest: Calling to remembrance our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us entrust ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God. Reader: To you, O Lord. Priest: For all the Powers of heaven praise you, and to you we give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and for ever and to the ages of ages. Reader: Amen. After the small litany, the
Exapostilarion sung slowly and solemnly: Your bridal chamber, O my Saviour, I see all adorned, but I have no garment so that I may enter it. Make bright the mantle of my soul, O Giver of light, and save me! (x3) At Lauds we insert 4 Idiomel
Stichera, doubling them. Psalm 148 [B] Praise him, all his angels: Praise him, all his Powers. To you praise is due, O God. [A] Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you stars and light. [B] Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord. [A] For he spoke and they came into being; he commanded and they were created. [B] He established them for ever and ever; he made an ordinance, and it shall not pass away. [A] Praise the Lord from the earth; praise him, you sea-monsters and all deeps; [B] Fire and hail, snow and ice and storm-wind; things that do his word. [A] Mountains and all hills, fruiting trees and all cedars; [B] Beasts of the wild, and all cattle, creeping things and winged birds; [A] Kings of the earth and all peoples, rulers and all judges of the earth; [B] Young men and maidens: old men and youths together, let them praise the name of the Lord; for his name alone has been exalted. [A] His praise is above earth and heaven, and he will exalt the horn of his people. [B] A hymn for all his holy ones; for the children of Israel, a people that draws near him. Psalm 149 [B] Let Israel rejoice in him that made him, let the children of Sion be joyful in their king. [A] Let them praise his name in the dance; let them sing his praise with timbrel and with harp. [B] For the Lord is well-pleased with his people; he will exalt the meek with salvation. [A] His holy ones will exult in glory, and rejoice upon their beds. [B] The high praises of God in their mouths, and two-edged swords in their hands, [A] To exact vengeance among the nations, punishments among the peoples. [B] To bind their kings in fetters; and their nobles in shackles of iron. [A] To execute upon them the judgement that is decreed; such glory will be for all his holy ones. Psalm 150 [A] Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to the greatness of his majesty. By Monk Kosmas. Tone 1 As the Lord was coming to his voluntary passion, he said to his Apostles on the road, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be betrayed, as it is written of him’. Come then, let us too, with minds made pure, journey with him, and let us be crucified with him, and for his sake become dead to the pleasures of life, that we may live with him and hear him as he cries, ‘I am no longer going up the earthly Jerusalem to suffer, but to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God. And I shall raise you up with me to the Jerusalem above, in the kingdom of heaven’. [B] Praise him in the blast of the trumpet: praise him upon the lute and harp. As the Lord was coming to his voluntary passion, he said to his Apostles on the road, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be betrayed, as it is written of him’. Come then, let us too, with minds made pure, journey with him, and let us be crucified with him, and for his sake become dead to the pleasures of life, that we may live with him and hear him as he cries, ‘I am no longer going up the earthly Jerusalem to suffer, but to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God. And I shall raise you up with me to the Jerusalem above, in the kingdom of heaven’. [A] Praise him with the timbrel and dances: praise him upon the strings and pipe. By the same. Tone 5 Believers, having reached the saving passion of Christ our God, let us glorify his ineffable forbearance; so that in his compassion he may, with himself, also raise us up, who have been slain by sin, as he is good and loves humankind. [B] Praise him on fine-sounding cymbals: praise him on cymbals of gladness. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Believers, having reached the saving passion of Christ our God, let us glorify his ineffable forbearance; so that in his compassion he may, with himself, also raise us up, who have been slain by sin, as he is good and loves humankind. [A] Glory. Both now. By the same. Tone 5 Lord, as you were coming to your passion, you strengthened your disciples, taking them aside and saying, ‘How have you not remembered my words, which I spoke to you of old, ‘Is it not written no prophet may be killed but in Jerusalem’? Now the moment has come of which I spoke to you. For see, I am being handed over to be mocked by the hands of sinners, who, when they have nailed me to a cross and handed me over for burial, will reckon me a loathsome corpse. Nevertheless, take courage, for on the third day I arise, for the joy of believers and eternal life’. Then the Superior says: To you glory is due, O Lord, our God, and to you we give glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and to ages of ages. Amen. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men. We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you, we thank you for your great glory. O Lord, heavenly King, God the almighty Father. O Lord, only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Lord God, lamb of God, Son of the Father, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us, who takes away the sins of the world. Receive our prayer, you who sit on the right hand of the Father and have mercy upon us. For you alone are holy, you alone are Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen. Every day I will bless you, and praise your name for ever and ever. I said, Lord, have mercy upon me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against you. Lord, I have run to you for refuge; teach me to do your will for you are my God. For with you is the source of life, and in your light we shall see light. O continue your merciful kindness toward those who know you. Grant, Lord, this day to keep us without sin. Blessed are you, Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is your name for to the ages. Amen. May your mercy, Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped in you. Blessed are you, Lord, teach me your statutes. Blessed are you, Master, make me understand your statutes. Blessed are you, Holy One, enlighten me with your statutes. Lord, your mercy is for ever; do not scorn the work of your hands. To you praise is due, to you song is due, to you glory is due, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Priest: Let us complete our morning prayer to the Lord. Reader: Lord, have mercy. Help us, save, have mercy on us and keep us, O God,
by your grace. Reader: Grant this, O Lord. Priest: An Angel of
peace, a faithful guide and guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask of the Lord. Reader: To you, O Lord. Priest: For you are a God of mercies and of pity, and to you we give glory, to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Reader: Amen. Priest: Peace to all. Reader: And to your spirit. Priest: Let us bow our heads to the Lord. Reader: To you, O Lord. Priest: For yours it is to show mercy and to save us, O our God, and to you we give glory, to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Reader: Amen. After the Litany and the Prayer at
the Bowing down of heads, the Aposticha: O Lord, the mother of the sons of Zebedee, not understanding the ineffable mystery of your dispensation, asked you to grant her own children the honour of a temporary kingdom; but instead of this you promised your friends that they would drink cup of death; a cup which you said you would drink before them, a cleansing from sins. And so we cry to you: O Salvation of our souls, glory to you! Verse 1. We were filled in the morning with your mercy, O Lord, and we rejoiced and were glad. In all our days, let us be glad, for all the days you have afflicted us, for the years we have suffered adversity. Look upon your servants and your works, and guide their children. By the Same. O Lord, instructing your own disciples to think thoughts of perfection, you said, ‘Do not to be like the nations, so as to rule over the least strong. It shall not be so with you, my disciples, because my wish is to be poor. The first among you, then, let him be the servant of all; the ruler as the ruled, the leader as the last. For I have come to serve Adam who became poor, and to give my life as a ransom for many, those who cry to me: Glory to you!’ Verse 2. And may the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us. Direct the work of our hands, O direct the work of our hands. Fearing the punishment of the withered fig tree, because of its lack of fruit, brethren, let us offer fruits worthy of repentance to Christ, who grants us his great mercy. Glory. Both now. By the same. Tone 8. The serpent, having found in the Egyptian woman a second Eve, hastened by flatteries to trip up Joseph; but he, abandoning his tunic, fled from sin, and though naked was not ashamed, like the first formed before his disobedience. At his entreaties, O Christ, have mercy on us. Then the Superior says: How good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High. To declare your love in the morning, and your truth every night. Reader: Holy God, Holy Strong, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times). Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for your name’s sake. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen Our Father, in heaven, may your name be hallowed, your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Priest: For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Reader: Amen. After the Our Father, we say the following Apolytikion: Standing in the temple of your glory, we think we stand in heaven, O Mother of God. O gate of heaven, open to us the door of your mercy. [The modern Greek books replace this with the Kontakion of the day: Jacob lamented the loss of Joseph, and the noble one was seated in a chariot, honoured like a king; for as he had not been slave to the pleasures of the Egyptian woman, he was glorified in return by the one who sees the hearts of men, and bestows an incorruptible crown.] Then Lord have mercy (x40). Greater in honour than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God the Word, truly the Mother of God we magnify you. In the name of the Lord, bless, Father. Priest: Blessed be he who is. The Superior: Heavenly King, establish our rulers: strengthen the faith: calm the nations: make the world peaceful: guard well this holy church [monastery]: assign our fathers and brothers who have gone before us to the tents of the just, and accept us in repentance and confession, as you are good and love humankind. Then the prayer of St Ephrem with 4 full and 12 small metanias Lord and Master of my life, do not give me a spirit of sloth, idle curiosity, love of power and useless chatter. (Prostration) Rather accord to me, your servant, a spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love. (Prostration) Yes, Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults, and not to condemn my brother; for you are blessed to the ages of ages. Amen. (Prostration) We then make 12 small metanias, then one further great metania as we repeat the last line of the prayer. Then at once Come let us worship, and the First Hour, during which we do not add a Kathisma of the Psalter, nor at the Ninth Hour. |
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