Presanctified Liturgy: Thursday in the 5th Week
Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra
Tone 8:
Of mine own free will, /
through my first transgression /
I put off the beauty of the virtues; /
but through Thy loving self-abasement, O Word of God, /
I am clothed with beauty once again. /
For though I was defiled by grievous passions /
and thieves had left me wounded on the road, /
yet hast Thou not despised me; /
but Thou hast kept me safe by Thine almighty power, //
granting me Thine aid, O Lord most merciful. Twice
O martyrs of the Lord, /
ye hallow every place and heal every ill: /
and now we entreat you //
to pray that our souls may be delivered from the snares of the enemy.
Tone 1:
Nailed, O Lord, upon the Cross, /
with the divine spear Thou hast torn up the record of Adam's sin. /
Tear, then, to pieces my bonds, O Word, /
that I may offer Thee with joy and faith a sacrifice of praise: /
for I have come now to the acceptable season of the Fast, //
which Thou hast appointed for the salvation of al1.
Shining with the radiance of fasting, /
Moses once beheld the glory of God. /
Follow his example, O my humble soul, /
and with acts of abstinence and prayer serve Him /
who for thy sake stretched out His hands in love upon the Cross, //
granting thee a share in the divine gladness.
Tone 6:
We venerate Thy life-giving Cross, O Christ, /
on which Thou hast suffered in Thine ineffable and measureless love towards us. /
Our souls illumined by it, we praise Thee without ceasing, /
asking that we may complete the course of the Fast with good courage and in joy; /
and so may we attain, O Lord, and glorify Thy Passion, //
through which Thou hast saved us.
Tone 4 (Special Melody: “Called from on high…”):
Adorned with the vesture of the priesthood, /
thou didst serve God like an angel, /
offering sacrifice unto Him Who appeared in material flesh for our sake, /
O Basil of great renown, /
wherefore, thou wast slaughtered like a perfect lamb,/
wast a pure sacrifice, /
and hast now been offered up /
upon the altar of heaven./
For which cause, with joyful voices /
we ever call thee blessed, crying out to thee: /
Pray thou unceasingly, //
that our souls be saved! Twice
When thy skin was flayed off /
by the unjust judge, /
thou didst endure pangs, /
looking forward to an end without pain, O glorious one, /
and to the honors prepared for those who suffer; /
and, tempered in fire like steel, /
thou becamest a well-forged sword of heaven, O most blessed one, /
cutting down all the hosts of the enemy. /
Wherefore, rejoicing, every nation of the pious /
doth honor thee today, /
O valiant minded athlete, //
right glorious Basil.
Adorned with divine wounds, /
bound, thou didst hasten from city to city, /
thereby binding the tyrant /
and setting aright the steps of thy feet; /
and when thou didst enter the city of Caesarea, /
wherein thou didst receive thy blessed end, /
thou didst straightway ascend, crowned, /
to the city of heaven. /
And now thou standest /
before God the King. /
Him do thou entreat, //
that He save and enlighten our souls.
Glory . . . Both now . . . Theotokion, in the same tone and melody:
“Weep not for me, O Mother, /
beholding thy Son and God hanging upon the Tree, /
Who hath suspended the earth without support upon the waters /
and hath fashioned all creation; /
for I shall arise and be glorified, /
and I shall crush the kingdom of hades with might and destroy its power; /
and I shall deliver the prisoners from its malice, /
for I am compassionate, and shall lead them to my Father, //
in that I love mankind.”
Prokimena and Old Testament Readings:
Tone 7: Exalt ye the Lord our God * and worship the footstool of His feet, for He is holy.
Stichos: The Lord is King, let the peoples rage.
Reading from Genesis 18:20-33
The Lord said, “The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has been increased towards me, and their sins are very great. I will therefore go down and see, if they completely †correspond with the cry which comes to me, and if not, that I may know.” And the men having departed thence, came to Sodom; and Abraham was still standing before the Lord. And Abraam drew nigh and said, “Wouldest thou destroy the righteous with the wicked, and shall the righteous be as the wicked? Should there be fifty righteous in the city, wilt thou destroy them? wilt thou not spare the whole place for the sake of the fifty righteous, if they be in it? By no means shalt thou do as this thing is so as to destroy the righteous with the wicked, so the righteous shall be as the wicked: by no means. Thou that judgest the whole earth, shalt thou not do right?” And the Lord said, “If there should be in Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole city, and the whole place for their sakes.” And Abraham answered and said, “Now I have begun to speak to my Lord, and I am earth and ashes. But if the fifty righteous should be diminished to forty-five, wilt thou destroy the whole city because of the five wanting?” And he said, “I will not destroy it, if I should find there forty-five.” And he continued to speak to him still, and said, “But if there should be found there forty?” And he said, “I will not destroy it for the forty's sake.” And he said, “Will there be anything against me, Lord, if I shall speak? but if there be found there thirty?” And he said, “I will not destroy it for the thirty's sake.” And he said, “Since I am able to speak to the Lord, what if there should be found there twenty?” And he said, “I will not destroy it, if I should find there twenty.” And he said, “Will there be anything against me, Lord, if I speak yet once? but if there should be found there ten?” And he said, “I will not destroy it for the ten's sake.” And the Lord departed, when he left off speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
Tone 6: Shout with jubilation * unto God all the earth.
Stichos: Serve the Lord with gladness.
Reading from Proverbs 16:17-17:17:
The paths of life turn aside from evil; and the ways of righteousness are length of life. He that receives instruction shall be in prosperity; and he that regards reproofs shall be made wise. He that keeps his ways, preserves his own soul; and he that loves his life will spare his mouth. Pride goes before destruction, and folly before a fall. Better is a meek-spirited man with lowliness, than one who divides spoils with the proud. He who is skillful in business finds good: but he that trusts in God is most blessed. Men call the wise and understanding evil: but they that are pleasing in speech shall hear more. 22 Understanding is a fountain of life to its possessors; but the instruction of fools is evil. The heart of the wise will discern the things which proceed from his own mouth; and on his lips he will wear knowledge. Good words are honeycombs, and the sweetness thereof is a healing of the soul. There are ways that seem to be right to a man, but the end of them looks to the depth of hell. A man who labours, labours for himself, and drives from him his own ruin. But the perverse bears destruction upon his own mouth: a foolish man digs up evil for himself, and treasures fire on his own lips. A perverse man spreads mischief, and will kindle a torch of deceit with mischiefs; and he separates friends. A transgressor tries to ensnare friends, and leads them in ways that are not good. And the man that fixes his eyes devises perverse things, and marks out with his lips all evils: he is a furnace of wickedness. Old age is a crown of honour, but it is found in the ways of righteousness. A man slow to anger is better than a strong man; and he that governs his temper better than he that takes a city. All evils come upon the ungodly into their bosoms; but all righteous things come of the Lord. Better is a morsel with pleasure in peace, than a house full of many good things and unjust sacrifices, with strife. A wise servant shall have rule over foolish masters, and shall divide portions among brethren. As silver and gold are tried in a furnace, so are choice hearts with the Lord. A bad man hearkens to the tongue of transgressors: but a righteous man attends not to false lips. He that laughs at the poor provokes him that made him; and he that rejoices at the destruction of another shall not be held guiltless: but he that has compassion shall find mercy. Children's children are the crown of old men; and their fathers are the glory of children. The faithful has the whole world full of wealth; but the faithless not even a farthing. Faithful lips will not suit a fool; nor lying lips a just man. Instruction is to them that use it a gracious reward: and whithersoever it may turn, it shall prosper. He that conceals injuries seeks love; but he that hates to hide them separates friends and kindred. A threat breaks down the heart of a wise man; but a fool, though scourged, understands not. Every bad man stirs up strifes: but the Lord will send out against him an unmerciful messenger. Care may befall a man of understanding; but fools will meditate evils. Whoso rewards evil for good, evil shall not be removed from his house. Rightful rule gives power to words; but sedition and strife precede poverty. He that pronounces the unjust just, and the just unjust, is unclean and abominable with God. Why has the fool wealth? for a senseless man will not be able to purchase wisdom. He that exalts his own house seeks ruin; and he that turns aside from instruction shall fall into mischiefs. Have thou a friend for every time, and let brethren be useful in distress; for on this account are they born.