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Books - Sources

Horologion - Midnight Office

For Sunday

Octoechos - Mode 1.

On Sunday Morning

Menaion - December 18-24

Sunday Before Christmas

__________

MIDNIGHT OFFICE

PRIEST

Blessed is our God always, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

READER: Amen.

PRIEST

Glory to You, our 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]

From Octoechos - - -

CHOIR

Canon for the Trinity.

Ode i.

Mode 1. N/M (Glorified in strength.)

Σοῦ ἡ τροπαιοῦχος.

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

The Seraphim unceasingly glorify the One source in three hypostases, unoriginate, everlasting, creator of all, incomprehensible; and every tongue faithfully sings hymns to honor the Trinity. [SD]

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

You fashioned man of old and made it according to Your image, and You gave it mind and reason and spirit, so that You might show people Your single Godhead with triple splendor, in Your benevolence. [SD]

Glory.

O Father, You said to Your co-equal Son and Spirit, “Come, let us go down and confuse their tongues.” Thus from the beginning You manifested the single dominion in three divine hypostases, [SD]

Both now. Theotokion.

Wise men of old prophesied in images that the unbegotten Father is Nous, the consubstantial Son is Logos, and the Holy Spirit is the One who in the Virgin wrought the incarnation of the Logos. [SD]

Ode iii.

Mode 1. N/M (As You are the only One.)

Ὁ μόνος εἰδώς.

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

You revealed in figure the unadulterated theology, when You appeared clearly to Abraham of old: Godhead, one nature, three hypostases. O God the sole ruler and triple Sun, we faithfully extol You. [SD]

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O Father, the Son was divinely begotten of You, without change; He shone forth from You, light from light, in no way different. And the divine Spirit proceeded from You as light. We faithfully worship and glorify the glory of one God in three hypostases. [SD]

Glory.

The spiritual beings glorify the Trinity, supernatural Unity, ineffably incomprehensible; and they shout their never silent praise in thrice holy songs. We join them in praising the Lord in three hypostases. [SD]

Both now. Theotokion.

O Mother of God, He who is beyond time came forth from you in history. He who is without visible form became like us. He taught us about the one nature and lordship of the Father, the Son and the Spirit. Therefore we glorify you. [SD]

Kathisma.

Mode 1. The soldiers keeping watch.

Τὸν τάφον σου Σωτήρ.

All people born on earth, being fearful and faithful, * let us today adore the supremely divine might, * the Father and Son and right Holy Spirit, the Trinity, * uncreated and equal in honor and glory, * glorified on high by ranks of bodiless Angels, * And come let us praise the Lord. [SD]

Glory. Both now. Theotokion.

Mode 1. The soldiers keeping watch.

Direct us in the way of repentance, O Lady. * We frequently depart from the path into evils, * provoking your Son and Lord, the transcendently good and kind. * Blessed Mother and all-holy pure Virgin Mary, * dwelling place of God, you are the hope and the refuge * for those who are desperate. [SD]

Ode iv.

Mode 1. N/M (Habakkuk the Prophet.)

Ὄρος σε τῇ χάριτι.

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O tri-solar Godhead, shine in me the splendor of Your divine radiance, so that the eyes of my heart may imagine the beauty of Your incomprehensible and illuminating divine splendor, and of sweet union with You. [SD]

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

Lord, in the beginning You established the heavens and all their power, by Your almighty Logos and the consubstantial Spirit of Your mouth. Together You rule the universe in tri-splendent monarchy of Divinity. [SD]

Glory.

O divine, almighty Trinity, unconfused Unity, You fashioned me according to Your image and Your likeness. Grant me understanding and enlighten me to do Your holy will, which is gracious in strength and perfect. [SD]

Both now. Theotokion.

O all-immaculate Virgin, you gave birth to one of the Trinity. He is the Son, wholly divine, incarnate from you for us, and He shines on those born on earth with the never-setting light and splendors of the tri-solar Godhead. [SD]

Ode v.

Mode 1. N/M (By the brightness of Your coming.)

Ὁ φωτίσας τῇ ἐλλάμψει.

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

Trinity that rules as one, You shine with unapproachable beams of Your beauty directly on the first order of Angels. We Orthodox Christians who sing Your praise pray You illumine us with rays of Your light. [SD]

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O tri-solar Godhead, in Your goodness You brought human nature into being. Now we extol You, and we pray to be delivered from our offenses and temptations, from peril and affliction. [SD]

Glory.

Faithfully we glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one nature and Godhead, separate yet inseparable, the one God of invisible and visible creation. [SD]

Both now. Theotokion.

The words of the Prophets all prefigured your ineffable and inexplicable childbirth, O immaculate Virgin. We know your Son to be the one who initiates us into the mystery of the one tri-solar Godhead. [SD]

Ode vi.

Mode 1. N/M (The lowest depth encircles us.)

Ἐκύκλωσεν ἡμᾶς.

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

Super-essential Trinity, equal in power, You are Unity with identical will, single and undivided. We pray You guard us by Your might. [SD]

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

Super-essential Trinity, equal in power, You are Unity with identical will, single and undivided. We pray You guard us by Your might. [SD]

Glory.

O incomprehensible Trinity, in Your goodness, by Your will You brought all the ages into being from nonexistence, and then You fashioned humanity. I pray You now, deliver me from any calamity. [SD]

Both now. Theotokion.

O immaculate Virgin, Bride of God, you became the house of the never-setting Sun. As almighty, He created and ordered the great luminaries. Now I entreat you to free me from the darkness of the passions. [SD]

Kathisma.

Mode 1. The soldiers keeping watch.

Τὸν τάφον σου Σωτήρ.

Our God is truly one and inseparate nature * in three hypostases indivisibly divided, * remaining inseparate in essence of Divinity. * Let us, born on earth, with fear now worship as Master * the Holy Trinity and glorify our Creator * supremely benevolent. [SD]

Glory. Both now. Theotokion.

Mode 1. The soldiers keeping watch.

Take pity on my soul, which is wretched, and steer it, * O Pure one, for I slipped beneath my many offenses * and into the deep abyss of perdition, O blameless one. * I implore you, save me from divine retribution * in that frightful hour of my death, as the demons * are hotly accusing me. [SD]

Ode vii.

Mode 1. N/M (We who believe know you.)

Σὲ νοητήν.

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O Logos of God, connatural radiance of almighty God, as You are compassionate, come with Your Father and the Spirit and dwell in me, as You promised; and make me fierce against demons and passions. [SD]

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

Glory.

Master, You sent Your Son to our lowliness and restored it to its original splendor; and thus You revealed to us the ocean of Your compassion. I entreat You, grant me wisdom by Your Holy Spirit. [SD]

Both now. Theotokion.

The King of all, who rides on Cherubim as on a throne, dwelt in your womb, O all-immaculate Virgin. He rescued us from corruption, as our benevolent Lord. I entreat you, protect me by your intercessions. [SD]

Ode viii.

Mode 1. N/M (Babylon’s bedewing furnace.)

Θαύματος ὑπερφυοῦς.

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O almighty Lord of all in three hypostases, with Your divine command You stretched out the heavens like a curtain; then with Your all-powerful hand, You separated the seas from the earth. We pray You, benevolent God, to fortify us Your servants with Your love and with faith, so that we may glorify You with longing unto the ages. [SD]

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

Glory.

O divine Light, illumine us who extol the Light, tri-solar in three persons, and also single in essence, so that we may ever gaze at Your light-giving rays. Through them I will be filled with Your glory, sweet, light-giving and all-blessed; and I will faithfully exalt You beyond measure, unto the ages. [SD]

Both now. Theotokion.

All pure Theotokos, your Son immutably assumed human nature, delivered it from its age-old corruption, and exalted it to heaven, in his surpassing goodness. We sing to Him with gratitude: “Let all creation bless the Lord, and exalt Him beyond measure, unto all the ages.” [SD]

Ode ix.

Mode 1. N/M (Burning, yet.)

Τύπον τῆς ἁγνῆς.

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O all-holy, consubstantial Trinity, the Savior of both the physical and spiritual creation, save Your servants from attacks and oppression of hostile foes, and keep Your flock for ever free of harm. [SD]

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

Glory.

O tri-solar God and almighty Monarch, You have made promises to Your servants, in order to demonstrate that Your innate goodness in infinitely profound. We pray You grant us to see them fulfilled. [SD]

Both now. Theotokion.

Only true God, whom we believe to be one in three divine hypostases, incline to our supplications, and grant Your servants’ requests, at the intercession of the immaculate and all-lauded Mother of God. [SD]

If the Lity was not sung at Vespers, sing the following:

Idiomela. For the Feast.

Glory.

From Menaion - - -

Mode 1.

The famous Prophets are forever called blessed, for they shined brilliantly with flashes of God-inspired utterances. They garnered messages from the Spirit, and they proclaimed to all the inexplicable birth of Christ our God. They lived a most marvelous life, and they had a righteous demise. [GOASD]

Both now.

Mode 1.

Listen, heaven, and give ear, O earth: ⁄ Behold the Son and Word of the Father ⁄ coming forth to be born of a maiden who has not known man ⁄ at the good pleasure of the Father Who begot Him before all ages. ⁄ He is conceived by the co-operation of the Holy Spirit; ⁄ Bethlehem, make ready; Eden, open your gates, ⁄ for He Who is comes to be that which He was not, ⁄ and He Who formed all creation takes the form of a man, ⁄⁄ granting the world great mercy. [OCA]

Megalynaria to the Trinity

From Horologion - - -

Mode 2.

It is truly proper to extol the Trinity divine and holy: Unoriginate Father, Maker of all, co-eternal Logos, begotten before all time without change from the Father, and the all-holy Spirit, the Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father timelessly. [GOASD]

It is truly proper to extol and to glorify You, God the Logos. The Cherubim shudder and tremble at You, and the hosts of heaven offer hymns of glory to You; for You rose from the grave within three days. With fear we glorify You, Christ the Giver of Life. [GOASD]

Come and let us all sing inspired songs, * solemnly extolling as is proper to the divine * Father, Son, and all-holy Spirit, one dominion, * one kingdom, one in essence, three in hypostases. [GOASD]

Immaculate Virgin, when creation saw your Son risen, as befits God, it was filled with great joy and ineffable gladness, and it glorified the Savior, and it honored you. [GOASD]

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.

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. For the Forefeast.

From Menaion - - -

Mode 4.

O Bethlehem, prepare, Eden is opened unto all. * And be ready, Ephrata, for the Tree of life * has in the grotto blossomed forth from the Virgin. * Indeed her womb is shown to be spiritually * a Paradise, in which is found the God-planted Tree. * And if we eat from it we shall live, and shall not die, as did Adam of old. * Christ is born, so that He might raise up * the formerly fallen image. [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 He who rose from the dead, Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-pure and all-immaculate holy Mother, the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, the protection of the honorable, bodiless powers of heaven, the supplications of the honorable, glorious prophet and forerunner John the Baptist, of the holy, glorious, and praiseworthy apostles, of the holy, glorious, and triumphant martyrs, of our righteous and God-bearing fathers, (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.

READER (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.

READER: Amen.