Books - Sources
Horologion - Midnight Office
Menaion - August 15
Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos
__________
MIDNIGHT OFFICE
PRIEST
Blessed is our God always, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
( Amen. )
Glory to You, O God, glory to You.
Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, present in all places and filling all things, treasury of good things and giver of life: come; take Your abode in us; cleanse us of every stain, and save our souls, O Good one. [GOA]
READER
Trisagion Prayers.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, forgive our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. 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 the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [GOA]
PRIEST
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to ages of ages.
READER
Amen. Lord, have mercy. (12)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down before God our King.
Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ God our King.
Come, let us worship and bow down before Him, Christ our King and God.
Psalm 50 (51).
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy; and according to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from my lawlessness and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my lawlessness, and my sin is always before me. Against You only have I sinned and done evil in Your sight; that You may be justified in Your words, and overcome when You are judged. For behold, I was conceived in transgressions, and in sins my mother bore me. Behold, You love truth; You showed me the unknown and secret things of Your wisdom. You shall sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed; You shall wash me, and I will be made whiter than snow. You shall make me hear joy and gladness; my bones that were humbled shall greatly rejoice. Turn Your face from my sins, and blot out all my transgressions. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your guiding Spirit. I will teach transgressors Your ways, and the ungodly shall turn back to You. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall greatly rejoice in Your righteousness. O Lord, You shall open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. For if You desired sacrifice, I would give it; You will not be pleased with whole burnt offerings. A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a broken and humbled heart God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, in Your good pleasure to Zion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be built; then You will be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with offerings and whole burnt offerings; then shall they offer young bulls on Your altar. [SAAS]
If the Lity was not sung at Vespers, sing the following:
CHOIR
Idiomela of the Lity.
From Menaion - - -
Mode 1.
It was fitting that the eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word should oversee the Dormition of His Mother according to the flesh, this being the final mystery concerning her; so that they might behold not only the Savior’s ascent from earth, but also be witnesses of His Mother’s translation. Therefore, transported by divine power, from every part of the world, they arrived in Zion. And they ushered her, who is higher than the Cherubim, as she hastened toward heaven. Together with them, we also honor her; and she intercedes on behalf of our souls. [SD]
Mode 2.
She who is higher than the heavens, and more glorious than the Cherubim, and is held in greater honor than all creation; she who for surpassing purity became the vessel of the eternal Essence, today commits her all-holy soul into the hands of her Son. Along with her, the universe is filled with joy, and to us is given the great mercy. [SD]
Mode 2.
The all-blameless Bride and Mother of the good pleasure of the Father, she who was preordained by God as the dwelling of His unconfused union, today commits her immaculate soul into the hands of her Maker and God. The bodiless hosts meet her with a divine reception. And she is transported to life, as the very Mother of Life, the lamp of the unapproachable light, the salvation of the faithful, and the hope of our souls. [SD]
Mode 3.
Come from all the ends of the earth, and let us commemorate the august Assumption of the Mother of God. For she has committed her blameless soul into the hands of her Son. By her holy Dormition, the world was restored to life, and hence it brightly celebrates with the bodiless powers and the Apostles, in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. [SD]
Glory.
From Menaion - - -
Mode pl. 1.
Come, O congregations fond of celebrating feasts; come and let us form a choir. Come, let us deck the Church with songs, as the Ark of God goes to her place of rest. For today the heavens expand their vaults, receiving her who gave birth to Him who is not contained by anything. And the earth, yielding up the fount of life, is adorned with the blessing and the majesty. Angels stand in concert with Apostles, gazing with great awe, as the Mother of the Author of life is transported from life to life. Let us all bow down to her in reverence, and entreat, “O Lady, do not forget your kindred ties to us, who loyally celebrate the feast of your all-holy Dormition.” [SD]
Both now.
From Menaion - - -
Mode pl. 1.
Sing, people everywhere, sing to the Mother of our God! Today she commits her soul, full of light, into the immaculate hands of Him who became incarnate of her without seed. And now she intercedes with Him without cease, that He grant to the universe peace and great mercy. [SD]
READER
Trisagion Prayers.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, forgive our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. 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 the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [GOA]
PRIEST
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to ages of ages.
READER
Amen.
Apolytikion.
From Menaion - - -
Mode 1.
You gave birth yet preserved your virginity. You fell asleep in death yet did not desert the world, O Theotokos. You were transported to life, as you are Mother of Life and, by virtue of your intercessions, deliver our souls from death. [SD]
Lord, have mercy. (40)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Greater in honor than the Cherubim, and in glory greater beyond compare than the Seraphim; you without corruption gave birth to God the Word, and are truly Theotokos. You do we magnify.
In the name of the Lord, Father, bless!
PRIEST
May God have compassion on us and bless us; may his face shine upon us and have mercy on us.
READER
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Holy father, give the blessing!
PRIEST
May Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-pure and all-immaculate holy Mother, (local patron saint); of the holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, as He is good, benevolent, and merciful God.
Let us pray for the peace of the world.
CHOIR (intoned after each petition)
Lord, have mercy.
PRIEST
For the pious and Orthodox Christians.
For our our Archbishop (name).
For our nation.
For the armed forces.
For our absent fathers, brothers and sisters.
For those who help us and those who serve us.
For those who hate us and those who love us.
For those who have asked us, the unworthy, to pray for them.
For the release of the captives.
For those sailing the seas.
For those laid up with illnesses.
Let us also pray for the abundance of the fruits of the earth.
And for all our fathers and brethren departed this life, those who lie here in peace, and the Orthodox everywhere.
Let us say for ourselves, also: Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.
CHOIR
Amen.