First week of Lent Friday Matins
(after the 2nd reading of the Psalter):
Sessional hymn (by Joseph)
Tone 2
By your divine cross you have put to death the passions of my flesh;
By your passion you have given all men freedom from passions!
Count me worthy also, Lord, to see your holy resurrection,
That I may receive your great and abundant mercy!
Glory...
By your divine cross you have put to death...
Now and ever...
Guarded by the precious cross of your Son,
Pure lady and Theotokos,
We easily turn away all the assaults of the enemy!
Therefore we rightly call you blessed,
For you are the mother of light and the only hope of our souls!
(after the 3rd reading of the Psalter)
:
Sessional hymn (by Theodore)
Tone 2
You are the source and fountain of purity,
Merciful Lord;
Preserve us in the fast.
Behold us as we fall before you:
Look upon the lifting up of our hands,
For you stretched out your hands upon the tree
And were crucified for the sake of all the earth-born
Only Lord of the angelic powers!
Glory...
You are the source and fountain...
Now and ever...
Beholding you, Christ, stretched dead upon the tree,
Your Virgin mother cried out with bitter tears:
My son, what is this fearful mystery?
How do you suffer willingly a shameful death upon the cross
When you give eternal life to all?
The Canon
Canticle five:
First Canon
Tone 2
Irmos:
Christ my Savior, the enlightenment...
Seeing the sinfulness that is in me,
The deceitful enemy urges me on to sin and works with me:
For he truly rejoices over my perdition.
But I entreat you, Savior,
Grant me amendment of life that I may destroy him!
By your cross you have triumphed over the powers of darkness.
Deliver me from their wickedness,
For I am fallen into a depth of sin and a pit of iniquity;
But by your mercy, I hope to be saved.
You hung dead upon the cross:
Restore life to my soul, deadened through sin, O Christ,
Count me worthy to attain your holy resurrection in peace,
Obediently fulfilling your commandments.
Pure maiden, you are a light to me in my infirmity
And the salvation of my darkened soul;
Save me, O save me, for I perish!
Clothe me, corrupted by my grievous sins,
In a garment of incorruption!
Second Canon
Tone 2
Irmos:
The night is far spent...
You only are immortal,
Yet accepted to be crucified in the flesh
At the place of the skull, O Lord,
Giving men immortality and fashioning them anew.
When the creation saw the outrage of your passion, Lord,
It was wholly changed, lamenting the murder by your own people.
But you patiently endured these things to save the whole world!
Glory...
All-holy trinity, we worship you:
You are our refuge and our strength.
We sing your praises in unity of nature:
Send down on us the forgiveness of our sins.
Now and ever...
Theotokion
Rejoice, Theotokos, maiden of many names:
Tabernacle, vessel of manna and table,
Candlestick that bears the light;
The burning bush, and the mountain overshadowed by God!
Glory to you, our God, Glory to you!
Saying farewell to the world and all that is in it,
Let us now be crucified with Christ;
Let us endure outrage, mockery and other sufferings,
That we may be glorified in him.
Katavasia: The night is far spent, the day is at hand:
Your light has shone upon the world!
Therefore the ranks of angels sing your praises,
And they glorify you, O Lord!
Canticle eight:
First Canon
Irmos:
God came down into the fiery furnace...
In your compassion you humbled yourself, and were lifted on the cross,
Raising up with yourself
The one who had fallen of old through eating from the tree.
Therefore you are glorified, Lord, alone greatest in love,
And we sing your praises for ever!
I have fallen into the heavy sleep of sin through heedlessness,
But, my Christ, who for my sake fell asleep on the cross,
Awaken me, that the night of death not come on me.
Blinded by sensual pleasures,
I bear within me a darkened soul,
And the crafty enemy laughs when he sees me.
But give me light, O Christ, and deliver me forever from his malice.
I have wasted my life in carelessness,
And my soul is heavy with the drowsiness of sin.
I fly to your unsleeping intercession, all-pure Virgin:
Do not let me slumber in the sleep of death!
Second Canon
Irmos:
The Lord of old foreshadowed...
Crowned with thorns, O Christ, and clothed in a scarlet robe,
You shone with glory,
Surpassing in beauty all the Sons of men.
You drank gall and vinegar,
And from your divine side
Poured a double stream of life and incorruption
To those who praise and glorify you in faith forever.
Let us bless the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit: the Lord!
O Godhead, one in Trinity,
Undivided in nature yet divided in persons,
Power that shall never be destroyed,
Father, Son and Spirit,
We sing your praises forever!
Now and ever...
Theotokion
Pure Mother of God,
Gate of heaven and door of salvation,
Accept the prayer of all Christians
Who call you blessed forever.
Glory to you, our God, Glory to you!
Cross, the sceptre of Christ and strength of the church,
The victory of kings and guardian of Christians!
You are my light, and my boast forever.
We praise, bless and worship the Lord,
Winging and exalting him throughout all ages!
Katavasia: The Lord of all foreshadowed the miracle of the Virgin
To Moses in the bush upon Mount Sinai:
Let us praise, bless and exalt him above all forever!
Canticle nine:
First Canon
Irmos:
From your Virgin womb, the light that was before the sun...
Hateful thoughts have covered my soul with leprosy:
Cleanse it, Word of God, with the sprinkling of your blood.
Christ, for my sake you have suffered shameful crucifixion:
Make me a partaker in your glory.
I am bowed down to the earth, O Christ,
By the burden of my sinful deeds,
And in dark discouragement I cry to you, lover of mankind:
By your precious blood heal the incurable wounds of my soul
That I may sing the Praises of your divinity.
I have made iniquity my food and heedlessness my drink,
And I continue without any change.
I take pleasure in abstaining from food to no purpose,
For such is not the fast the Lord has chosen.
You have destroyed the sentence of condemnation
Passed upon mankind of old;
You are the restoration of our first mother Eve,
The cause of our reconciliation to God, our bridge to the Creator!
We magnify you, Theotokos!
Second Canon
Irmos:
Pure and undefiled Virgin mother...
The creation quaked when you were crucified upon the tree!
As God, in your tender mercy
You have suffered in the flesh for our salvation.
Great is the might of your cross, Lord,
For signing ourselves with it
We drive away at once the power of the demons.
Glory...
Unity of three co-equal persons,
Undivided Trinity, sovereign nature,
Father, Son and divine Spirit, save us all.
Now and ever...
Theotokion
Rejoice, Theotokos, the mercy-seat of the world!
We sinners, ever fleeing to you for refuge
Gain reconciliation with God.
Glory to you, our God, Glory to you!
By the divine power of your cross, Lord,
Give me the strength to offer to you
This time of pure and blameless fasting.
Katavasia: Pure and undefiled Virgin mother,
In faith and true devotion,
We magnify you as Theotokos in our songs!
It is truly right to bless you, Theotokos,
Ever blessed and most pure and the mother of our God!
More honorable than the cherubim,
And more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim!
Without corruption you gave birth to God the word:
True Theotokos, we magnify you!
Apostikha
Tone 8
Let us receive the proclamation of Lent with joy!
For if our forefather Adam had kept the fast,
We would not have been deprived of paradise.
The fruit which killed us was beautiful to see and good to eat,
So let us not be fooled by our eyes,
For after food is eaten, it is worthless.
Let us flee from intemperance,
So that we may not be conquered by passions after having our fill.
Let us sign ourselves with the blood of the one
Who, for our sake, was voluntarily led to death,
So that the destroyer might not touch us.
So we will partake of the sacred Pascha of Christ
For the salvation of our souls.
Let us receive...
What shall we call you, saints?
Cherubim, for Christ rested in you?
Or seraphim, since you glorify him ceaselessly?
Angels, for you renounced the flesh?
Or powers, since you perform miracles?
Many are your names, and great are your gifts!
Pray that our souls may be saved.
Glory to the Father... Now and ever...
Theotokion
Creation was changed, Savior,
When it saw you crucified on Golgotha.
It shook and trembled, not able to endure the sight.
The pure Virgin, your mother, wailed and cried:
Woe is me, my child, my sweetest Savior!
What is this new and strange and glorious sight?
Troparion of the prophecy
Tone 5
Counter with your bounties, Lord
Our sinful life and unrepentant morals.
For we know no other God but you!
You have dominion over life and death:
Save us, as the lover of mankind!
Prokeimenon of the prophecy
Tone 5
I will love you, Lord my strength; * the Lord is my confirmation!
Verse: my God is my helper, and I hope in him!
Prophecy of Isaiah 3: 1-14b
Prokeimenon
Tone 6
Lord, my helper * and my redeemer
Verse: the heavens are telling the glory of God!
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