Variable Portions
of the Vesperal Liturgy for Annunciation
2021
At
Lord I have Cried…10 Verses are sung:
Bring my soul out of prison * that I
may confess Thy name.
Tone
4:
The
Fast that brings us blessings has now reached it midmost point; /
it has
helped us to receive God’s grace in the days that are past, /
and
will bring us further benefit in the days still to come. /
For
by continuing in what is right we attain yet greater gifts. /
We
therefore cry to Christ, the giver of all good: /
O
Thou who for our sakes hast fasted and endured the Cross, /
make
us worthy to share uncondemned in Thy divine Passover. /
May
we spend our lives in peace //
and
rightly glorify Thee with the Father and the Spirit.
The righteous shall wait patiently for
me * until Thou shalt reward me.
Tone
5: If we
look for a spiritual recompense, /
let
us perform our good deeds in secret; /
let
us not proclaim them in the streets /
but
keep them hidden in our hearts. /
Then
He Who sees the secrets of all men will reward us for our abstinence. /
Let
us complete the Fast, not with a sad countenance, /
but
praying in the inner chamber of our souls; /
and
without ceasing, let us cry: /
Our
Father Who art in heaven, /
lead
us not into temptation, we pray, //
but
deliver us from the evil one.
Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O
Lord; * O Lord, hear my voice.
Tone
1: Let us wash our souls clean in the waters of
the Fast, /
and,
approaching the precious and honored Cross of the Lord, /
let
us venerate it in faith; /
let
us draw from it divine enlightenment, //
gathering
the fruit of eternal salvation, peace and great mercy.
Let Thine ears be attentive * to the voice
of my supplication.
O
Cross, glory of the apostles, /
attended
by principalities and powers and archangels, /
keep
safe from all harm those that venerate thee. /
Grant
us to follow rightly to the end the divine path of abstinence, //
and
to reach the day of salvation when we too shall be saved.
If Thou shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, O
Lord, who shall stand? * For with Thee
there is forgiveness.
Tone
7: As we
venerate today the Cross of the Lord, let us cry: /
Rejoice,
Tree of Life, victor over hell; /
rejoice,
joy of the world and slayer of corruption, /
for
by thy power thou scatterest the demons! /
Strong
support of the faithful, weapon that cannot be broken, //
we
pray thee, guard and sanctify those who show thee honor.
For Thy name’s sake have I patiently waited
for Thee, O Lord; my soul hath patiently waited for Thy word, * my soul hath
hoped in the Lord.
Tone
4: During the sixth month /
the
archangel was sent to the pure Virgin, /
and
having pronounced a salutation to her, /
he
announced that the Deliverer would come forth from her. /
Wherefore,
having accepted the salutation, /
she
conceived Thee, the preeternal God, /
Who
wast well pleased to become ineffably incarnate //
for
the salvation of our souls.
From the morning watch until night, from the
morning watch * let Israel hope in the Lord.
The
Theotokos heard a tongue which she knew not, /
for
the archangel spake to her words of annunciation. /
And
accepting his salutation with faith, /
she
conceived Thee, the preeternal God. /
Wherefore,
rejoicing, we cry out to Thee: /
O
God Who wast immutably incarnate of her, //
grant
peace to the world and great mercy to our souls!
For with the Lord there is mercy, and
with Him is plenteous redemption; * and He shall redeem Israel out of all his
iniquities.
Behold,
our restoration hath now been revealed to us! /
God
uniteth Himself to men in manner past recounting! /
Falsehood
is dispelled by the voice of the archangel! /
For
the Virgin receiveth joy, /
an
earthly woman hath become heaven! /
The
world is released from the primal curse! /
Let
creation rejoice and chant aloud: //
O
Lord, our Creator and Deliverer, glory be to Thee!
O praise the Lord, all ye nations; *
praise Him, all ye peoples.
Tone
1 [Special Melody: “O most lauded
martyrs…”]:
The great Gabriel, the most godly, radiant and
salvific intelligence, /
who with the ranks on high beholdeth the light of
the threefold Sun /
and chanteth divine and awesome hymnody, /
prayeth that He grant unto our souls //
peace and great mercy.
For
He hath made His mercy to prevail over us, * and the truth of the Lord abideth
forever.
The great mystery unknown before to the angels /
and kept secret from before time began /
was entrusted to thee alone, O Gabriel; /
and thou didst declare it to her who alone is pure,
/
having arrived in
With her do thou pray, /
that God grant unto our souls //
peace and great mercy.
Who maketh his angels spirits, * and his
ministers a flame of fire.
Ever full of light, doing the will of the Almighty /
and carrying out His commands, /
O chief among the angels, most excellent Gabriel, /
save those who honor thee with love, /
ever asking, that God grant unto our souls //
peace and great mercy.
Glory… Tone 8:
Today
He Who is in essence unapproachable, /
becomes
approachable for me and suffers His Passion, /
delivering
me from passions. /
He
who grants light unto the blind is spat upon /
by
the mouths of the transgressors, /
and
He gives His back to scourging /
for
the sake of those that are held captive. /
When
the pure Virgin His Mother saw Him on the Cross, /
she
cried aloud in pain: /
“Woe
is me, my Child! /
What
is this that Thou hast done? /
Thou
who wast in beauty fairer than all mortal men, /
dost
now appear without life and form, /
having
neither shape nor comeliness. /
Woe
is me, O my Light! /
I
cannot bear to look upon Thee sleeping, /
and
I am wounded inwardly, /
a
harsh sword has pierced my heart. /
I
sing the praises of Thy Passion, /
I
venerate Thy merciful kindness: //
O
longsuffering Lord, glory to Thee!”
Both now… Tone 6:
The
Archangel Gabriel was sent from heaven /
to
announce the conception to the Virgin. /
And,
arriving in
he
pondered within himself, marveling at the wonder: /
How
is it that He Who in the highest is unapproachable /
is
born of the Virgin; /
that
He Who hath heaven for His throne and the earth for His footstool /
is
contained within the Virgin’s womb; /
that
He upon Whom the six-winged and many eyed beings cannot gaze /
hath
been well pleased to become incarnate of her by His word alone? /
This
is God’s word. /
Why,
therefore, do I stand and not say to the Virgin: /
The
Lord is with thee! /
Rejoice,
O pure Virgin! /
Rejoice,
O unwedded Bride! /
Rejoice,
O Mother of Life! //
Blessed
is the Fruit of thy womb!'?"
Entry
with the Gospel.
O
Gladsome Light…
Prokimena
and Old Testament
Tone
4: Blessed
is the Lord, the God of Israel, * Who alone doeth wonders.
Stichos: O God, give Thy judgment to
the king, and Thy righteousness to the son of the king.
Now
the sons of Noah which came out of the ark, were Shem, Ham, Japheth. And Ham
was father of Canaan. These three are the sons of Noah, of these were men
scattered over all the earth. And Noah began to be a husbandman, and he
planted a vineyard. And he drank of the wine, and was drunk, and was naked
in his house. And Ham the father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his
father, and he went out and told his two brothers without. And Shem and
Japheth having taken a garment, put it on both their backs and went backwards,
and covered the nakedness of their father; and their face was backward, and
they saw not the nakedness of their father. And Noah recovered from the
wine, and knew all that his younger son had done to him. And he said,
Cursed be the servant Canaan, a slave shall he be to his brethren. And he
said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, and Canaan shall be his
bond-servant. May God make room for Japheth, and let him dwell in the
habitations of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant. And Noah lived after
the flood three hundred and fifty years. And all the days of Noah were
nine hundred and fifty years, and he died. Now these are the generations
of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth; and sons were born to them after the
flood.
Prokimenon,
Tone 4: But
it is good for me * to cleave unto God.
Stichos: How good is God to
An understanding man is a throne of wisdom; but the heart of
fools shall meet with curses. The hand of chosen men shall easily obtain
rule; but the deceitful shall be for a prey. A terrible word troubles the
heart of a righteous man; but a good message rejoices him. A just
arbitrator shall be his own friend; but mischief shall pursue sinners; and the
way of ungodly men shall lead them astray. A deceitful man shall catch no
game; but a blameless man is a precious possession. In the ways of
righteousness is life; but the ways of those that remember injuries lead to
death. A wise son is obedient to his father: but a disobedient son will be
destroyed. A good man shall eat of the fruits of righteousness: but the
lives of transgressors shall perish before their time. He that keeps his
own mouth keeps his own life: but he that is hasty with his lips shall bring
terror upon himself. Every slothful man desires, but the hands of the
active are diligent. A righteous man hates an unjust word: but an ungodly
man is ashamed, and will have no confidence. There are some who, having
nothing, enrich themselves: and there are some who bring themselves down in the
midst of much wealth. A man's own wealth is the ransom of his life: but
the poor endures not threatening. The righteous always have light: but the
light of the ungodly is quenched. Crafty souls go astray in sins: but just men
pity, and are merciful.
And the 2 Readings for
the Feast
Exodus (3:1-8)
Moses
was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he
brought the sheep nigh to the wilderness, and came to the mount of Horeb. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him in
flaming fire out of the bush, and he saw that the bush was burning with fire,
but the bush was not consumed. And Moses
said, I will go near and see this great sight, why the bush is not
consumed. And when the Lord saw that he
drew nigh to see, the Lord called him out of the bush, saying, Moses, Moses;
and he said, What is it? And he said,
Draw not nigh hither: loose thy sandals from off thy feet, for the place
whereon thou standest is holy ground.
And he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, and the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and Moses turned away his face, for he was
afraid to gaze at God. And the Lord said
to Moses, I have surely seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and
I have heard their cry caused by their task-masters; for I know their
affliction. And I have come down to
deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them out of that
land, and to bring them into a good and wide land, into a land flowing with
milk and honey.
Proverbs (8:22-30).
The
Lord made me the beginning of his ways for His works. He established me before time was in the
beginning, before He made the earth: even before He made the depths; before the
fountains of water came forth: before
the mountains were settled, and before all hills, He begetteth me. The Lord
made countries and deserts, and the highest inhabited parts under the heavens.
When He prepared the heaven, I was present with Him; and when He prepared his
throne upon the winds: and when he strengthened the clouds above; and when he
secured the fountains of the earth: and
when He strengthened the foundations of the earth: I was by Him, arranging all
things. I was that in which He took
delight; and daily I rejoiced in His presence continually.
Reader:
The Prokimenon in the 4th Tone: Proclaim
from day to day the good tidings of the salvation of our God.
Choir: Proclaim from day to day the good tidings of the
salvation of our God.
Reader: O sing unto the Lord a
new song, sing unto the Lord all the earth.
Choir: Proclaim from day to day the good tidings of
the salvation of our God.
Reader: Proclaim from day to day
Choir: the good tidings of the
salvation of our God.
Reader: The
Reader: Alleluia in the 1st Tone.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!
Reader: He shall come down like rain upon a fleece,
and like raindrops that fall upon the earth.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!
Reader: His name shall be blessed unto the ages,
before the sun doth his name continue.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!
Gospel [Luke 1:24-38]
Instead of “It is truly meet…” we chant the Irmos of
the 9th Ode of the Canon of the feast, Fourth Tone:
Refrain: Proclaim, O earth, good tidings of great joy; ye
heavens, praise the glory of God.
Irmos: Let
no profane hand touch the living Ark of God, / but let the lips of the
faithful, / chanting unceasingly the words of the angel to the Theotokos, /
with joy cry out: // Rejoice, thou who art full of grace, the Lord is with
thee.
But according to
other texts (such as the Festal Menaion),
after the above refrain, we chant instead (also in the fourth tone):
Let
every mortal born on earth, / radiant with light, in spirit leap for joy; / and
let the host of the angelic powers / celebrate and honor the holy feast of the
Mother of God, / and let them cry: // Rejoice!
Pure and blessed Ever-Virgin, who gavest birth to God.
Communion
Verse: The
Lord hath elected Zion, He hath chosen her to be a habitation for Himself. Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!