ON FRIDAY EVENING
At, Lord, I have cried, Prosomia.
Stichera for the Master.
Grave Mode.
O holy Martyr Saints, who competed well and received the crowns of laurel, intercede with the Lord for us, that His mercy come upon our souls. [SD]
Automelon.
When you had wisely despised everything on earth, * O holy martyr Saints, * and had courageously acknowledged Christ in the stadium, * in return for the tortures you received your rewards from Him. * Now that you have acquired access to God the omnipotent, * we beseech you most fervently * to entreat Him in earnest * to save the souls of us sinners who flee to you. [SD]
O world-famous Martyrs, the spiritual livestock, rational whole burnt offerings, and sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God: the earth did not conceal you, but heaven received you, and thus you share the fellowship of the Angels. We beseech you, pray with them unto our Savior and God, that He bring peace into the world, and that He save our souls. [SD]
Additional Stichera for the Master No longer are we barred.
When You return, O Savior, to judge the whole world, * though I have committed most shameful actions, * put me not to shame, I pray. [SD]
For the Dead.
Glory. Both now. Theotokion.
O Theotokos, you became a mother in a manner passing nature. You remained a virgin in a manner passing speech and thought, and no language is capable of explaining the marvel of your childbirth. O Virgin pure, as conception was a paradox, incomprehensible is the manner of birth; for where God wills, the order of nature yields. And now, all we who know you, the Mother of God, earnestly implore you: Intercede with Him for the salvation of our souls. [GOASD]
Prokeimenon. Grave Mode.
You are my protector, O God. Your mercy shall go before me.
Verse: Rescue me from my enemies, O God, and redeem me from those who rise up against me. [SAAS]
At the Aposticha.
Aposticha. Grave Mode.
For the Martyrs.
Glory be to You, Christ our God, the Apostles’ pride and joy, exultation of the Martyr Saints, whose proclamation was the consubstantial Trinity. [SD]
For the Dead.
Verse: Blessed are they whom You have chosen and received, O Lord. [SAAS]
In the beginning, when You fashioned man in Your image and likeness, You put him in Paradise to have dominion over Your creation. But by the envy of the devil, man was deceived; and he ate the fruit and thus became a transgressor of Your commandments. Therefore, O Lord, You sentenced him to return to the earth, from which he had been taken, and to pray for repose. [SD]
Verse: Their souls shall dwell among good things. [SAAS]
No longer are we barred.
O Savior and Life-giver, to those You transferred * from this fleeting life, grant rest, as they cry out, * “Glory to You, O Lord.” [SD]
Glory. Both now. Theotokion.
Daniel saw you as a divine holy mountain, and the wise Isaiah proclaimed you as God’s gracious Mother containing God incarnate, Who had fashioned Adam, and Whom seeing in the flesh the Cherubim were startled and sang praise and glory with the never-silent voice of the thrice-holy hymn. So entreat Him, O Lady, beseeching Him to save our souls. [SD]
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ON SATURDAY MORNING
MATINS
After the first Psalter reading. Kathismata for the Martyrs.
Grave Mode.
O Lord, Your holy Martyrs competed here on earth, and they trampled the enemy and negated the deception of idolatry. Therefore they received awards from You, O benevolent Master and merciful God, who to the world grant the great mercy. [GOASD]
Be glad, O you righteous; let the heavens sing for joy. For when the Martyrs competed, they trampled the enemy, and they brought down the deception of the idols. Let the Church leap for joy, as she celebrates the Judge of the contest, Christ our God, who alone confers victory, and who grants the world the great mercy. [SD]
O Lord, Your Martyrs, fully armed with the power of the Cross, put the enemy to flight and negated the deception of idolatry. And now they join the Angels extolling You, and glorifying You, O Christ, and together they sing the triumphal hymn. At their entreaties grant to us the great mercy. [GOASD]
Glory. Both now. Theotokion.
All-lauded Lady, our resurrection’s treasure house, we put our trust in you and pray you bring us up out of the pit and deep sea of our offences. For you saved us who were liable for sin when you gave birth to our salvation, as a virgin before childbirth, and a virgin during childbirth, and after childbirth a virgin still. [GOASD]
After the second Psalter reading. Kathisma for the Martyrs.
O Saints, we pray you to intercede for us, that we be granted forgiveness for our offenses, and that we be delivered form impending evils and from bitter death. [SD]
For the Dead.
O Lord, Your death gave rise to life for the dead for you plundered Hades and uncovered those who were sleeping in darkness. Therefore we entreat You, O God the Giver of Life: Grant rest with the Righteous to those whom You have taken to yourself, so that in judgment they may find great mercy. [SD]
Glory. Both now. Theotokion.
Rejoice, O Maiden who contained within your womb the One whom heaven cannot contain. Rejoice, O Virgin, the Prophets’ proclamation; through you Emmanuel has shone forth. Rejoice, O Mother of Christ our God. [SD]
Canon for all Saints.
Grave Mode. Ode i. Heirmos.
Troparia.
For the Dead.
Theotokion.
Canon for the Deceased.
Lord, at Your divine signal.
Theotokion.
Ode iii. Heirmos.
O Logos, we who rise early, to glorify and praise You, unceasingly extol the sign of Your Cross, which you have given us as a shield to help us. [SD]
Troparia.
For the Dead.
Theotokion.
Canon for the Deceased. First You established.
Theotokion.
Ode iv. Heirmos.
Confirming Your incarnate advent, O Christ, the Prophet Habbakuk cried out: “Glory to Your strength!” [SD]
Troparia.
Theotokion.
Canon for the Deceased. O Christ our God, You did not depart.
Theotokion.
Ode v. Heirmos.
Troparia.
For the Dead.
Theotokion.
Canon for the Deceased. I have arisen early.
Theotokion.
Ode vi. Heirmos.
Jonah cried out from the belly of Hades: “Raise up my life from corruption.” And we now pray to You: “O almighty Savior, have mercy on us.” [SD]
Troparia.
For the Dead.
Theotokion.
Canon for the Deceased. I was feeling nauseous.
Theotokion.
Ode vii. Heirmos.
Troparia.
For the Dead.
Theotokion.
Canon for the Deceased. Those godly Servants.
Theotokion.
Ode viii. Heirmos.
Troparia.
For the Dead.
Theotokion.
Canon for the Deceased. The ranks of bodiless hosts.
Theotokion.
Ode ix. Heirmos.
With mystical songs, we believers magnify that supernatural Mother and natural Virgin, the only one who is blessed among women. [SD]
Troparia.
For the Dead.
Theotokion.
Canon for the Deceased. You as the Mother of God.
Theotokion.
Aposticha of Lauds.
For the Martyrs. Grave Mode.
No longer are we barred.
While standing in the center of the arena * of the lawless pagans, the Martyrs rejoiced and cried out, “Glory to You, O Lord.” [SD]
Same Melody.
Extolled in every land are the holy Martyrs. * They became the stars of the world, as to Christ they shouted, * “Glory to You, O Lord.” [SD]
The medaled Martyrs strove and aimed for one and the same goal, and they found the same way, namely death for the sake of Christ. They grasped at the torments, as if they were treasures, and they competed to see who would be first to die. They said to one another, “If we don’t die now, we will die in any case, as everyone who is born must do. So let us make a virtue of necessity. Let each of us make his own what is common to all, and let us purchase life with death.” O God, at their intercessions, have mercy on us. [GOASD]
No longer are we barred.
We celebrate the memory of Your holy * medal-winning Martyrs, and thereby we extol You. * Glory to You, O Lord. [SD]
Glory. For the Dead. Same Melody.
O Lord, in Your benevolence place the faithful, * who have passed to You from the temporal, * in the land of the righteous, O merciful God. [SD]
Both now. Theotokion. Same Melody.
O Virgin, join the Martyrs and the Apostles * earnestly entreating, that those who have passed on * find great mercy on Judgment Day. [SD]
When Alleluia is sung at Matins, we sing the foregoing hymns for the Martyrs as Lauds, and the following Aposticha.
Grave Mode. N/M (When you had wisely.)
You, the only immortal one, were seen to be dead on a Cross, and as a mortal You were laid in a tomb; and You rescued mankind from mortality, corruption, and death. We pray You, who are a deep ocean of compassion and as a wellspring of goodness, to grant rest to the souls of Your servants who have passed away from us. [SD]
Verse: Blessed are they whom You have chosen and received, O Lord. [SAAS]
O Good One, we pray You to grant to those who have passed away to You, that they be shined upon by Your unadulterated beauty and the sweetness of Your handsomeness, and the rays of Your divine light, in the immaterial radiance of Your appearance as light, and that they may join the Angels in chorus around You, the Master and King of glory and Lord. [SD]
Verse: Their souls shall dwell among good things. [SAAS]
We pray You, O compassionate God, whose majesty of gifts is inexhaustible, as a full treasury of rich goodness, grant that those who have passed away to You may dwell in the land of Your elect, in a place of repose, in the house of Your glory, in the delight of Paradise, and in the bridal chamber of the virgins. [SD]
Glory. Both now. Theotokion.
O Virgin, you gave birth to the Law’s fulfillment, the Redeemer who became flesh. No one in the period of the Law before this was vindicated; it is Christ, who was crucified, who has now vindicated us. We pray you, since you have access to your compassionate Son: Entreat Him to grant rest to the souls of those who with correct belief has passed away. [SD]
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LITURGY
The Beatitudes. Grave Mode.
The fruit that killed me of old was good for food and beautiful to contemplate. But Christ is the very tree of life, from which I eat and die not. And echoing the Robber’s words, I cry out, “Remember me in Your kingdom, O Lord.” [SD]
O holy Athletes, when you had finished * fighting the good fight and kept the faith, * from God you were awarded the crowns * of incorruption and granted * to be glorified with Him, * O all-lauded Martyr Saints, dwelling with the Angels on high. [SD]
Let us now honor the sacred roster * of the saintly bishops, priests, and monks, * and prophets, holy women, and the rest * who reside in the dwellings * of the first-born now with joy, * socializing with the hosts * of the Incorporeals. [SD]
For the Martyrs.
Assign a place wherein dwell the Righteous * to those whom You translated from us, * and overlook the spiritual sins * that they may have committed * in ignorance or knowingly * while on earth, O Word of God, * in Your love and great mercy. [SD]
Glory.
Those who have died supplicate You, praying * to You, the all-holy Trinity, * imploring that You save them from that flame * that is fearful and eternal, * and on Judgment Day that they * obtain the eternal goods * and Your holy glory, O God. [SD]
Both now. Theotokion.
All-holy Lady, the Father’s brightness * made His dwelling in your virgin womb, * for us who were subjected to the foe * and fell into corruption, * for we took the bad advice. * But, O all-immaculate, * your Son made us new again. [SD]
END OF GRAVE MODE