V. O thou who didst divide primeval chaos from the light, that thy works might sing thee in the light, O Christ their Creator: Guide thou our paths in thy light. VI. I cried unto the Lord in my trouble, and the God of my salvation heard me. VII. The Children of Abraham in Babylon of old trampled upon the flame of the furnace, and raised the song of praise: Blessed be thou, O God of our fathers! VIII. The Children in Babylon, flaming with zeal divine, valiantly trampled under foot the threat of their tormentor, and the flame; and when they were cast into the midst of the fire, being watered with dew, they cried: O all ye works of the Lord bless ye the Lord! In place of: My soul doth magnify the Lord: The Refrain: Magnify, O my soul, the Lord who was transfigured on Tabor. IX. Thy birth-giving was shown to be without defilement; God came forth from thy loins, manifested himself as a bearer of the flesh upon earth, and dwelt among men: Wherefore we all do magnify thee, O Birth-giver of God. The Benediction. May he who on Mount Tabor was transfigured in glory in the presence of his holy disciples and apostles, Christ, our true God, through the prayers of his most holy Mother: and the rest, as usual. (See page 122.) At the Liturgy. Antiphon I., Tone II. Verse 1: O be joyful in the Lord all ye lands: sing praises unto the honour of his Name; make his praise to be glorious. Refrain. Through the prayers of the Birth-giver of God, O Saviour, save us. Verse 2: The voice of thy thunder was heard round about, thy lightnings illumined the universe; the earth was moved and shook withal. R Verse 3: Thou art clothed with majesty and confession: thou deckest thyself with light as it were a garment. R Antiphon II., Tone II. Verse 1: On the north side of Mount Zion lieth the city of the great King. Refrain. O Son of God who wast transfigured upon the Mount, save us who sing unto thee, Alleluia. Verse 2: And he brought them unto the mount of his sanctuary, even the mountain which he had purchased with his right hand. R Verse 3: The hill of Zion which he loved, and built there like the unicorn his sanctuary. R Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. O Only-begotten Son and Word of God! . . . (See page 170.) Antiphon III., Tone VII. Verse 1: They that put their trust in the Lord shall be even as the Mount Zion, which may not be removed forever. Refrain: The Hymn (Tropár), in Tone II. Thou wast transfigured upon the Mount, O Christ-God, revealing unto thy disciples thy glory in so far as they were able to bear it. Let thy light everlasting illumine us sinners also; through the prayers of the Birth-giver of God. O Light-giver, glory to thee! Verse 2: The hills stand about it, and the Lord about his people, forevermore. R Verse 3: Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle, or who shall rest upon thy holy hill? R Verse 4: Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, or who shall rise up in his holy place? R The Introit. O Lord, send forth thy light and thy truth, and they shall instruct me and shall lead me unto thy holy hill. The Gradual (Prokimen), in the Fourth Tone. O Lord, how marvellous are thy works: in wisdom hast thou made them all. Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul: O Lord my God, thou art greatly exalted. The Epistle. 2 Peter i. 10-19. Alleluia. (Tone VIII.) The heavens are thine, and the earth is thine. Verse: Blessed are the people who understand the shout of joy. In place of: Meet is it: The Ninth Theme-Song of the Canon. Thy birth-giving was shown to be without defilement; . . (See page 261.) The Communion Hymn (Pritchásten). O Lord, in the light of thy countenance will we walk, and in thy Name will we rejoice forever more. After the Liturgy on this day it is customary to bless the fruits. The Prayer at the Partaking of Grapes, on August 6th. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy. Bless, O Lord, this new fruit of the vine, which thou hast graciously been pleased to permit to come to maturity, through salubrious seasons, and drops of rain, and peaceful times: and let it be unto joy for those of us who shall partake of this offspring of the vine; and may we offer it as a gift to thee unto the purification of our sins, through the sacred and holy Body of thy Christ: with whom thou art blessed, together with thine all-holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. This Prayer is said over grapes which are brought into the Temple to be blessed on the sixth day of August, at places where there are vineyards. But in Great Russia, where there are no vineyards, apples are brought into the Temple on that day, and the Prayer for those who bring the first-fruits of vegetables is said. Each vegetable is brought to the Temple in its season, and the Prayer is said over it also. The Prayer for those who bring the first-fruits of vegetables. O Lord our God, who hast commanded that we should bring unto thee an offering of each of thine own things, and who requitest the same with the gift of thine eternal good things; who didst graciously accept the offering of the widow, according to her ability: Accept thou now also these things which are offered unto thee by thy servant, N., and vouchsafe to place the same among thine eternal treasures; granting unto him (her) an abundant harvest of thy worldly benefits, together with all things profitable unto him (her). For blessed is thy Name, and glorified is thy kingdom, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. THE FALLING-ASLEEP (ASSUMPTION) OF THE MOST HOLY BIRTH-GIVER OF GOD (AUGUST 15) (This Feast is preceded by a Fast of two weeks' duration.) The Stanza (Stikhira) for: Lord, I have cried: In Tone I. O marvel wonderful! The Source of life is laid in the grave, and the tomb becometh the ladder unto heaven. Rejoice, O Gethsemane, thou holy abode of the Birth-giver of God! In that we have Gabriel for our chieftain, let us cry aloud, ye faithful: Hail, thou that art full of grace! The Lord is with thee, through thee granting unto the world great mercy. (Twice.) Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. At the sovereign command of God were the God-bearing apostles caught up on high in the clouds from every place; and when they were come to thine all-holy and life-originating body, they kissed the same with love. The heavenly powers most high also, when they were come with their Master, were seized with dread as they escorted the all-pure body which had received God; with stately mien, also, they went before, and invisibly cried aloud unto the Powers most high: Lo, the Queen over all, and the Maiden of God cometh. Be ye lifted up, O gates, and lift ye up, in more than earthly wise, Her who is the Mother of the Everlasting Light. For through her was salvation universal brought to pass for men: and we cannot gaze upon her, and it is not possible to render unto her the honour that is meet: for her surpassing merit exceedeth all understanding. Wherefore, O Birth-giver of God most pure, who abidest ever with the life-bearing King, who also is thy Son, entreat thou him that he will ever preserve thy new people, and save them from every hostile assault; for we have acquired thine intercession, blessing thee both in light and darkness forever. The Gradual (Prokimen) for the Day. The Parables (Paremil), the same as for the NATIVITY OF THE BIrth-giver of GOD. The Stanza at the Litiyá, in Tone V. Sing, O ye people, sing the Mother of our God; for to-day she doth yield up her all-radiant soul into the palms most pure of Him who, without seed, was incarnate of her: Whom, also, she doth unceasingly entreat that he will give unto the world peace and great mercy. The Hymn for the Day (Tropár), in Tone I. In Birth-giving thou didst preserve thy virginity; in thy Falling-asleep thou hast not forsaken the world, Ó Birth-giver of God. Thou hast passed over into life, thou who art the Mother of Life, and through thine intercessions dost deliver our souls from death. The Exaltation (Velitchánie). We magnify thee, O Mother all-undefiled of Christ our God, and we glorify thine all-glorious Fallingasleep. The Gradual (Prokímen), in the Fourth Tone. I will call to mind thy name from generation to generation. ear. Verse (Stikh): Hearken, O daughter, and behold, and incline thine The Gospel. Luke i. 39-49, 56. THE CANON. The First Canon. Tone I. (St. Cosmas of Maium.) Theme-Songs (Irmosí). I. Adorned with glory divine thy holy and illustrious memory, O Virgin, hath gathered together all the faithful unto joy; that under the leadership of Miriam, with choirs and cymbals, they may sing thine Only-born: For gloriously hath he been glorified. III. O Christ, the Wisdom and the Power of God, who createth and maintaineth all things, establish thou the Church steadfast and immovable. For thou only art holy who restest in the Saints. IV. The predictions and dark sayings of the Prophets proclaimed beforehand thine incarnation of a Virgin, O Christ: The splendour of thy flashing forth shall come for the enlightenment of the nations; and the deep with joy shall cry unto thee: Glory to thy might, O thou who lovest mankind. V. The beauty divine and ineffable of thy perfection will I declare, O Christ; for thou who didst shine forth from the Glory eternal, as an effulgence coeternal and one in Essence, when thou didst become incarnate of a Virgin's womb, didst shine as the sun upon those who sat in darkness and the shadow. VI. The fire within the whale of the sea, the denizen of the deep, in which the Prophet Jonah was found, was the prototype of thy three days' burial; for remaining unscathed, as before the swallowing, he cried aloud: With the voice of praise will I sacrifice unto thee, O Lord. VII. Love divine, resisting the wrath audacious and the fire, did sprinkle the fire with dew, but laughed to scorn the wrath, resounding above the instruments of music upon the God-inspired, supersensual and triple-stringed lyre of the Righteous Ones amid the flame: Blessed be thou, O God of our fathers, and our God, exceeding glorious! VIII. As dew-dropping for the Godly Ones, but as consuming to the impious, did the all-powerful Angel of God manifest forth the flame to the Children. And the Birth-giver of God did he make a life-originating Fountain, pouring forth destruction to Death and life to those who |