Holy and Great Monday
MATTINS
After the Six Psalms and the Great Litany we sing Alleluia in TONE EIGHT, slowly and solemnly, with the appointed verses, and then the troparion:
TONE EIGHT
Behold the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night; and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching, but unworthy is he whom He shall find in slothfulness. Beware, then, O my soul, and be not overcome by sleep, lest thou be given over to death and shut out from the Kingdom. But return to soberness and cry aloud: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, O God: through the Theotokos have mercy upon us (three times).
After the first reading from the Psalter, the sessional hymn:
TONE ONE
Today the Holy Passion shines forth upon the world with the light of salvation; for Christ in His love hastens to His sufferings. He who holds all things in the hollow of His hand consents to be hung upon the Tree, that He may save mankind.
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
Repeat.
After the second reading from the Psalter, the sessional hymn:
TONE ONE
O Judge invisible, how art Thou made visible in the flesh? How dost Thou now draw near to be slain by lawless men, condemning by Thy Passion our own condemnation? Therefore with one accord, O Word, we ascribe praise, majesty and glory to Thy power.
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
Repeat.
After the third reading from the Psalter, the sessional hymn:
TONE EIGHT
The first-fruits of the Lord’s Passion fill this present day with light. Come then, all who love to keep the feast, and let us welcome it with songs. For the Creator draws near to undergo the Cross; He is questioned, beaten, and brought to Pilate for judgement; a servant strikes Him on the face, and all this He endures that He may save mankind. Therefore let us cry aloud to Him: O Christ our God who lovest man, grant remission of sins to those who venerate in faith Thy Holy Passion.
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
Repeat.
Gospel: Matthew 21:18–43.
Psalm 50.
The priest: O Lord, save Thy people…
We use the three-canticled Canon by St. Kosmas. In each canticle the irmos is sung twice, and then the troparia are repeated four or six times so as to make up the number twelve. The irmos is sung at the end of each canticle as katavasia. Before the troparia we say Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
TONE TWO
Canticle One
Irmos: Let us sing to the Lord who by His divine command dried up the billowing sea where none might walk, and through it led the people of Israel on foot: for He has been greatly glorified.
Ineffable is the condescension of the Word of God. Christ is Himself both God and man; yet He counted not His Godhead a thing to be seized and held fast, and this He showed to His disciples by taking the form of a servant: for He has been greatly glorified.
I who am rich in Godhead have come to minister to Adam who is grown poor. I who fashioned him have of Mine own will put on his form. I who am impassable in My divinity have come to lay down My life as a ransom for him.
The Small Litany.
Kontakion
TONE EIGHT
Jacob lamented the loss of Joseph, but his righteous son was seated in a chariot and honoured as a king. For he was not enslaved to the pleasures of Egypt, but he was glorified by God who sees the hearts of men and bestows on them a crown incorruptible.
Ikos
Let us now add our lamentation to the lamentation of Jacob, and let us weep with him for Joseph, his wise and glorious son who was enslaved in body but kept his soul free from bondage, and became lord over all Egypt. For God grants unto his servants a crown incorruptible.
Canticle Eight
Irmos: The unwearied fire, fed with endless fuel, drew back in fear before the pure bodies and pure souls of the holy Children; and as the undying flame decreased in strength, they sang an everlasting song: O all ye works, praise ye the Lord and exalt Him above all for ever.
‘Then shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye keep My commandments’, said the Saviour to His friends, as He went to His Passion. ‘Be at peace with one another and with all men; think humbly of yourselves and ye shall be exalted; acknowledge Me as Lord, and praise and exalt Me above all for ever.’
‘Let your power over your fellow-men be altogether different from the dominion of the Gentiles: their self-willed pride is not the order that I have appointed, but a tyranny. He therefore who would be the first among you, let him be the last of all. Acknowledge Me as Lord, and praise and exalt Me above all for ever.’
We praise, bless and worship the Lord…
Canticle Nine
We do not sing the Magnificat and Greater in honour than the cherubim…
Irmos: Thou hast magnified, O Christ, the Theotokos who bore Thee: from her, O our Creator, hast Thou taken a body of like passions to our own, and so hast set us free from all our ignorance. Therefore with all generations we call her blessed and we magnify Thee.
‘Cast away all the impurity of the passions and obtain a wise understanding, worthy of God’s Kingdom’, Thou hast said, O Wisdom of all, to Thine apostles; ‘and ye shall be glorified, and shine forth brighter than the sun.’
‘Taking Me as your example,’ Thou hast said, O Lord, to Thy disciples, ‘think not proud thoughts but be content with what is humble. Ye shall drink of the cup that I drink of, and so ye shall be glorified with Me in the Kingdom of the Father.’
Exapostilarion, sung slowly and solemnly:
TONE THREE
I see Thy bridal chamber adorned, O my Saviour, and I have no wedding garment that I may enter there. Make the robe of my soul to shine, O Giver of Light, and save me (three times).
Lauds. We sing four stichera:
TONE ONE
As the Lord went to His voluntary Passion, He said to His apostles on the way: ‘Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be betrayed, as it is written of Him.’ Come, then, and let us also journey with Him, purified in mind; let us be crucified with Him and die for His sake to the pleasures of this life, that we may also live with Him and hear Him say: ‘No longer do I ascend to the earthly Jerusalem to suffer, but I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God; and I shall raise you up to the Jerusalem on high in the Kingdom of heaven’ (twice).
TONE FIVE
We have come, O faithful, to the saving Passion of Christ our God: let us glorify His ineffable forbearance, that in His tender mercy He may also raise us up who have been slain by sin, for He is good and loves mankind (twice).
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
SAME TONE
O Lord, as Thou camest to Thy Passion, Thou hast strengthened the faith of Thy disciples, taking them aside and saying to them: ‘How have ye forgotten what I told you before? According to the Scriptures, it cannot be that a prophet should be killed save in Jerusalem. Now is the time at hand, of which I spake to you: for see, I am betrayed into the hands of sinners; they shall mock Me and nail Me to the Cross and deliver Me up for burial, with loathing looking on Me as a corpse. Yet be of good courage: for on the third day I shall rise, bringing joy and life eternal to the faithful.’
Aposticha:
TONE FIVE
O Lord, the mother of the sons of Zebedee, not understanding the hidden mystery of Thy dispensation, asked Thee to give the honours of a temporal kingdom to her sons. But instead of this Thou hast promised to Thy friends that they should drink the cup of death; and Thou hast said that Thou wouldest drink this cup before them, to cleanse men from their sins. Therefore we cry aloud to Thee: O salvation of our souls, glory to Thee.
℣. We were filled in the morning with Thy mercy…
O Lord, teaching Thy disciples to think perfect thoughts, Thou hast said to them: ‘Be not like the Gentiles, who exercise dominion over those who are less strong. But it shall not be so among you, My disciples, for I of mine own will am poor. Let him, then, who is first among you be the minister of all. Let the ruler be as the ruled, and let the first be as the last. For I Myself have come to minister to Adam in his poverty, and to give my life as a ransom for the many who cry aloud to Me: Glory to Thee.’
℣. And let the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us…
TONE EIGHT
O brethren, let us fear the punishment of the fig tree, withered because it was unfruitful; and let us bring worthy fruits of repentance unto Christ, who grants us His great mercy.
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
SAME TONE
The serpent found a second Eve in the Egyptian woman, and with words of flattery he sought to make Joseph fall. But, leaving his garment behind him, Joseph fled from sin; and like the first man before his disobedience, though naked he was not ashamed. At his prayers, O Christ, have mercy upon us.
And the rest of Mattins according to the Lenten order, with the usual prostrations.
THE HOURS
On the first three days of Holy Week, the Psalter is read at the Third and Sixth Hours, but not at the First and the Ninth.
On these three days we read the four Gospels, as follows. At the Third Hour, after the usual psalms and the appointed reading from the Psalter we sing the troparion, O Lord, who at the third hour…, with three prostrations as usual. Then we say, O Theotokos, thou art the true vine… Meanwhile the priest, wearing his phelonion, opens the Royal Doors and brings the Book of the Gospels to the centre of the church, placing it on an analogion; and one or more processional candlesticks with lighted candles are set beside it. The priest then censes the Book of the Gospels, and the whole church and people; and the Gospel reading follows.
At the end of the Gospel reading, we continue with the Third Hour, saying Blessed be the Lord God…, and the rest, with the usual bows and prostrations. We say the kontakion of the day, Jacob lamented…
SIXTH HOUR
After the Third Hour, we at once begin the Sixth Hour, saying O come, let us worship…, and the usual psalms, followed by the appointed reading from the Psalter and the troparion, O Thou who on the sixth day and hour…, with three prostrations; and we say the Theotokion, As there is no boldness…
Then the troparion of the Prophecy:
TONE SIX
With a contrite soul we fall before Thee, and we pray to Thee, O Saviour of the world: for Thou art the God of the repentant.
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
Repeat.
Prokimenon (Psalm 125):
TONE FOUR
When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion.
℣. Then was our mouth filled with joy.
Lesson: Ezekiel 1:1–20.
Prokimenon (Psalm 126):
TONE SIX
Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.
℣. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman wakes but in vain.
During the reading of the Prophecy, the priest censes the Book of the Gospels, but not the church and people. Then, following the second Prokimenon, there comes the reading of the Gospel, after which we say, Let Thy tender mercies, O Lord, speedily go before us…, and the rest of the Sixth Hour with the usual bows and prostrations, and the kontakion of the day.
At the Ninth Hour there is no appointed reading from the Psalter, but after the usual three Psalms we say, O Thou who at the ninth hour…, with three prostrations, followed by O loving Lord, for our sakes… Before the Gospel reading, the priest censes the Book of the Gospels, the church and the people, as at the Third Hour. After the Gospel Reading we say, Deliver us not up unto the end…, and the rest of the Hour with the usual bows and prostrations, and the kontakion of the day.
Then we read the Typika, followed by Vespers and the Liturgy of the Presanctified.
The four Gospels are read in various ways, but the following is the most common practice: St. Matthew in two portions, on Monday at the Third and Sixth Hours; St. Mark in two portions, on Monday at the Ninth and on Tuesday at the Third Hour; St. Luke in three portions, on Tuesday at the Sixth and Ninth Hours and on Wednesday at the Third Hour; St. John (up to 13:32) in two portions, on Wednesday at the Sixth and Ninth Hours.
VESPERS
After the Psalm of Introduction (Psalm 103) and the Great Litany, the eighteenth kathisma is read as usual.
To Lord, I have cried, ten stichera are sung, from Lauds and the Aposticha at Mattins (see pp. 481 ff:
As the Lord went to His voluntary Passion… (twice).
We have come, O faithful, to the saving Passion of Christ… (twice).
O Lord, as Thou camest to Thy Passion… (twice).
O Lord, the mother of the sons of Zebedee… (twice).
O Lord, teaching Thy disciples to think perfect thoughts…
O brethren, let us fear the punishment…
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
The serpent found a second Eve in the Egyptian woman…
Entrance with the Gospel, O joyful Light…
Prokimenon (Psalm 127):
TONE SIX
The Lord bless thee out of Zion: and mayest thou see the good things of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.
℣. Blessed are all they that fear the Lord; that walk in His ways.
Lesson: Exodus 1:1–20.
Prokimenon (Psalm 128):
TONE EIGHT
We have blessed you in the Name of the Lord.
℣. Many a time have they made war against me from my youth, let Israel now say.
Lesson: Job 1:1–12.
Then Let my prayer be set forth in Thy sight…
Gospel: Matthew 24:3–35.
And the rest of the Liturgy of the Presanctified.
On the first three days of Holy Week no oil is used in the refectory.
GREAT COMPLINE
After the Small Doxology we use the following three-canticled Canon by St. Andrew of Crete. The irmoi are sung twice. Before each of the troparia we say Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
TONE EIGHT
Canticle Two
Irmos: Attend, O heaven, and I shall speak, and sing in praise of Christ, who took flesh from a Virgin and came to dwell among us.
In spirit let us go with Christ to the Mount of Olives, and joining the apostles let us lodge with Him for the night.
Understand, O my humble heart, the parable of the millstone of which Christ spoke in prophecy, and be watchful.
Prepare thyself for thy departure, O my soul. Near at hand is the coming of the Judge who favours no man’s person.
Theotokion
O Theotokos undefiled, Virgin alone worthy of all praise, pray to thy Son for us thy servants.
SAME TONE
Another Irmos: See now, see that I am God: before the world was made, before earth and heaven were established, I knew all things, for I dwell wholly in the Father and bear the whole Father in Myself.
With My word I have established heaven and earth, for I was with the Father; and with My word I uphold all creation, for I am Word and Wisdom and Power, the Father’s Image, His fellow-worker and His equal in might.
Who has appointed the times of the year? Who watches over the ages? Who ordains all things and makes them move, except Him who is ever with the Father from all eternity, as the ray is in the light?
O Jesus, beyond measure is Thy love for mankind! For Thou hast made known to us the appointed time when the end of the world shall come to pass, though Thou hast hidden the hour from us; yet Thou hast plainly revealed the signs which shall precede its coming.
All things Thou understandest, all things Thou knowest, Jesus, for as God Thou hast within Thee all the glory of the Father, and by nature Thou bearest in Thyself the whole Spirit, coeternal with the Father.
O Master and Lord, Maker of the ages, grant that at the Last Day we also may hear Thy holy voice, calling the chosen of the Father into the Kingdom of heaven.
Glory be to the Father…
O Trinity uncreated and without beginning, O undivided Unity, Three and One, Father, Son and Spirit, a single God, accept this our hymn from tongues of clay as if from mouths of flame.
Both now…
Theotokion
Thou art revealed, O Virgin, as the holy Tabernacle of God: for in thee the King of heaven took up His dwelling bodily, and from thee He came forth in beauty, having refashioned man within Himself by His divine power.
Sessional Hymn
TONE TWO
Moved by Thy tender mercy, O Christ our Benefactor, Thou dost of Thine own will go forth to meet Thy Passion, wishing to deliver us from the passions and from condemnation in hell. Therefore we all sing the praises of Thy holy sufferings and we glorify Thy deep self-abasement, O Saviour.
Canticle Eight
Irmos: O ye angels and ye powers of heaven, sing to Him who sits upon the throne of majesty, and is glorified unceasingly as God: bless, praise and exalt Him above all for ever. Thou hast heard, my soul, how Christ spoke in prophecy to His holy disciples, foretelling the consummation of all things. Make ready, then, since thou knowest that the end will come; the hour of departure is at hand.
Thou knowest, O unfruitful soul, the example of the wicked servant. Fear, then, and neglect not the gift of grace which has been given unto thee, not to be hidden in the earth but to be used.
May thy lamp shine brightly, O my soul; and, like the lamps of the five virgins, may it overflow with the oil of compassion; and so thou shalt find open before thee the door of Christ’s bridal chamber.
When the Teacher spoke of flight on the Sabbath and in the winter, He foretold darkly, as in a riddle, the storm of the present age, which is the seventh day of the week, when the end shall come as the winter.
Thou hast heard, my soul, how on that day the fearful coming of thy Master shall be as swift as the lightning that shines across the heaven. Make haste, then, and be ready.
When the Judge shall come with thousands and ten thousands of the angelic hosts and powers, then—woe is me!—what fear and trembling shall be thine, my soul, when all shall stand naked before Him.
We bless the Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Trinity is one God: the Father is not begotten like the Son, nor does the Son proceed like the Spirit, but each keeps His distinctive properties; and I glorify the Three as light and God for ever. Both now…
Theotokion
At the intercessions of the Theotokos receive our prayer, O God; send down Thy mercy in abundance upon all, and grant Thy peace to Thy people.
We praise, bless and worship the Lord…
Repeat the irmos, O ye angels and ye powers of heaven…
Canticle Nine
Irmos: The burning bush upon the mountain revealed in prophecy to the Giver of the Law Christ’s birth from the Ever-Virgin for our salvation: and with never-silent songs of praise we magnify Him.
My soul, thou hast heard the Judge foretelling and teaching thee about the time of the end. By thine acts prepare for thy departure, lest thou be rejected by God as unworthy.
From the fig tree, O my soul, learn to recognize the coming of the end. When its leaves are tender and it puts forth branches, then the time of summer is at hand; and when thou shalt see these things, know that the end is near, even at the doors.
Who save Thee knows Thy Father? Who save Thee knows the hour or the day? For in Thee are all the treasures of wisdom, Christ our God.
The books shall be opened and the thrones shall be set up; all men shall stand naked and their deeds shall be examined. Neither witness nor accuser will be there, for everything is manifest in God’s sight.
The Judge of all is led to judgement. He who sits upon the throne of the cherubim stands before Pilate as one accused, and suffers all things that Adam may be saved.
Our mighty and divine Passover approaches: it shall come after two days, so Christ teaches, foretelling the day of the Passion on which He shall be offered as a sacrifice to the Father.
Thy Mother stood beside Thy Cross, O Saviour, and seeing Thine unjust death she cried aloud: ‘Woe is me, my Child, O Light that never sets! O Sun of glory, shine with Thy brightness upon all.’
Glory be to the Father…
O Holy Unity, Trinity in single Godhead, God one in three, one Nature in three Persons, equal in honour and undivided in glory, save our souls from danger.
Both now…
Theotokion
O Christ, receive the intercessions of Thy Mother: at her prayers give peace to the world, strengthen the power of our rulers, and unite Thy Churches in one.
Repeat the irmos, The burning bush upon the mountain…