THE OFFICE OF VESPERS

VESPERS ON THE SUNDAY OF PASCHA

AND ON THE OTHER DAYS OF BRIGHT WEEK

    After Ninth Hour, at the time of the lighting of the lamps, the celebrant vests himself in all his priestly vestments, and standing before the holy table, holding in his left hand the precious Cross and the three-branch candlestick, he traces the sign of the cross with the censer, and exclaims, saying:

    BLESSED is our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
    And we answer: Amen. And then he begins:

    Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life. thrice And we answer the same thrice.

    And the celebrant says the verses, Psalm 67:1-3:

    First: Let God arise and let Him scatter His enemies, and let them that hate Him flee from before His face.

    And we sing at each verse:

    Christ is risen . . . once

    Second: As smoke vanisheth, let them vanish, as wax melteth in the face of fire.

    Third: So let sinners perish before the face of God, but let the righteous be glad.

    Fourth: (Psalm 1 1 7:24): This is the day which the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad on it.

    Glory: And then we: Christ is risen . . .

    Both now: And we: Christ is risen . . .

    And again the celebrant: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death

    And we finish: and on those in the tomb bestowing life.

    And immediately the litany, In peace let us pray to the Lord, which the deacon says before the holy doors, or the priest before the holy table.

    It is to be noted that, at the beginning, the priest censes the holy table as usual, and the whole sanctuary. At Lord, I have called, he comes out with the cross and three-branch candlestick and censes the whole temple, the choirs, and the brethren according to the usual order. The entrance is made with the Gospel Book.

    After O Joyful Light . . ., the great prokeimenon, tone 7:

    Who is so great a God as our God? Thou art God, who doest wonders.
    Verse: Thou hast made known thy power among the people.
    Verse: And I said, now have I begun, this is the change of the right hand of the Most High.
    Verse: I remembered the works of the Lord; for from the beginning will I remember thy wonders.

    After the great prokeimenon, the deacon says, And that He may vouchsafe unto us to hear the holy Gospel, let us pray to the Lord God. Choir: Lord, have mercy. thrice. Deacon: Wisdom. Attend. Let us hear the holy Gospel. Priest: Peace be to all. Choir: And to thy spirit. Priest: The reading from the holy Gospel according to John. Choir: Glory to thee, O Lord, glory to thee. Deacon: Let us attend.

    Then the celebrant, standing in the holy doors, facing the west, reads the Gospel from John, Selection 65: Now when it was late the same day of . . . ending, I will not believe . . . Choir: Glory to thee, O Lord, glory to thee.

    The litany, Let us all say. . . and then Vouchsafe O Lord . . . is not read, but sung during the whole week. Then the litany, Let us complete our evening. . .

    Then the first sticheron from the Aposticha in tone 2, and then the Paschal Stichera with their refrains, Glory. . . Both now. . . This is the day of Resurrection . . . , and Christ is risen. . . thrice.

    Then the deacon says, Wisdom, and we, Bless. The celebrant, He Who is, is blessed, even Christ our God . . . . and we, Establish, O God . . ., and then the celebrant, instead of Glory to thee, O Christ God . . . , sings, Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and we, and on those in the tombs bestowing life.

    And immediately he gives the dismissal, holding the cross and the three-branch candlestick, saying:

    May He who is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life, Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His immaculate Mother, and of all the Saints, have mercy on us and save us, for He is good and loveth man.

    Then raising the cross, he says, Christ is risen, thrice, and we answer, Truly He is risen, each time. And finally we sing the whole troparion, Christ is risen . . . thrice. After that we finish with And having been granted eternal life, we worship His resurrection on the third day.

    And we kiss the precious cross held in the hands of the celebrant.

    On the other days of Bright Week, everything is as at Paschal Vespers, except that the priest wears the rason with the epitrachelion and phelonion as usual. The entrance is made with the censer. O Joyful Light . . . is sung, and the great prokeimenon is said, but there is no Gospel reading.


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