Presanctified Liturgy:
Wednesday in the 4th Week
Annunciation
Tone
4:
The
Fast that brings us blessings has now reached it midmost point; /
it has
helped us to receive God’s grace in the days that are past, /
and
will bring us further benefit in the days still to come. /
For
by continuing in what is right we attain yet greater gifts. /
We
therefore cry to Christ, the giver of all good: /
O
Thou who for our sakes hast fasted and endured the Cross, /
make
us worthy to share uncondemned in Thy divine Passover. /
May
we spend our lives in peace //
and
rightly glorify Thee with the Father and the Spirit.
Tone
5: If we
look for a spiritual recompense, /
let
us perform our good deeds in secret; /
let
us not proclaim them in the streets /
but
keep them hidden in our hearts. /
Then
He Who sees the secrets of all men will reward us for our abstinence. /
Let
us complete the Fast, not with a sad countenance, /
but
praying in the inner chamber of our souls; /
and
without ceasing, let us cry: /
Our
Father Who art in heaven, /
lead
us not into temptation, we pray, //
but
deliver us from the evil one.
Tone
1: Let us wash our souls clean in the waters of
the Fast, /
and,
approaching the precious and honored Cross of the Lord, /
let
us venerate it in faith; /
let
us draw from it divine enlightenment, //
gathering
the fruit of eternal salvation, peace and great mercy.
O
Cross, glory of the apostles, /
attended
by principalities and powers and archangels, /
keep
safe from all harm those that venerate thee. /
Grant
us to follow rightly to the end the divine path of abstinence, //
and
to reach the day of salvation when we too shall be saved.
Tone
7: As we
venerate today the Cross of the Lord, let us cry: /
Rejoice,
Tree of Life, victor over hell; /
rejoice,
joy of the world and slayer of corruption, /
for
by thy power thou scatterest the demons! /
Strong
support of the faithful, weapon that cannot be broken, //
we
pray thee, guard and sanctify those who show thee honor.
Tone 6, (Special
melody “Having set all aside...”):
Gabriel stood before thee, O
Maiden, /
revealing the pre-eternal
counsel, /
saluting thee and exclaiming:
/
"Rejoice, O earth
unsown! /
Rejoice, O bush unburnt! /
Rejoice, O depth hard to
fathom! /
Rejoice, O bridge leading to
the heavens /
and lofty ladder, which Jacob
beheld! /
Rejoice, O divine jar of
Manna! /
Rejoice, annulment of the
curse! /
Rejoice, restoration of Adam:
//
the Lord is with thee! Twice
“Thou
appearest to me as a man," /
the
incorrupt Maiden saith to the supreme commander; /
"yet
how is it that thou announcest words /
which
are beyond man? /
For
thou hast said that God is with me, /
and
that He will dwell in my womb. /
Tell
me, how shall I become so spacious a dwelling /
and
a place of sanctity which surpasseth the cherubim? /
Deceive
me no more with falsehood, /
for
I have not known pleasure, /
I
have not partaken of marriage. //
How
then shall I give birth to a Child?"
Twice
"When
God desireth, the order of nature is overcome /
said
the incorporeal one; /
"and
things beyond man are wrought. /
Believe
thou my true words, /
O
most holy and all immaculate one!" /
And
she cried aloud: /
"Be
it now with me according to thy words: /
I
shall give birth to the Incorporeal One, /
Who
will borrow flesh from me, /
that
through this mingling /
He
might lead man up to his primal dignity, //
in
that He alone is mighty!"
Glory...
Tone 8:
Today
He Who is in essence unapproachable, /
becomes
approachable for me and suffers His Passion, /
delivering
me from passions. /
He
who grants light unto the blind is spat upon /
by
the mouths of the transgressors, /
and
He gives His back to scourging /
for
the sake of those that are held captive. /
When
the pure Virgin His Mother saw Him on the Cross, /
she
cried aloud in pain: /
“Woe
is me, my Child! /
What
is this that Thou hast done? /
Thou
who wast in beauty fairer than all mortal men, /
dost
now appear without life and form, /
having
neither shape nor comeliness. /
Woe
is me, O my Light! /
I
cannot bear to look upon Thee sleeping, /
and
I am wounded inwardly, /
a
harsh sword has pierced my heart. /
I
sing the praises of Thy Passion, /
I
venerate Thy merciful kindness: //
O longsuffering
Lord, glory to Thee!”
Both now… Tone 6:
The
Archangel Gabriel was sent from heaven /
to
announce the conception to the Virgin. /
And,
arriving in Nazareth, /
he
pondered within himself, marveling at the wonder: /
How
is it that He Who in the highest is unapproachable /
is
born of the Virgin; / that He Who hath heaven for His throne and the earth for
His footstool /
is
contained within the Virgin’s womb; /
that
He upon Whom the six-winged and many eyed beings cannot gaze /
hath
been well pleased to become incarnate of her by His word alone? /
This
is God’s word. /
Why,
therefore, do I stand and not say to the Virgin: /
'Rejoice,
O thou who art full of grace! /
The
Lord is with thee! /
Rejoice,
O pure Virgin! /
Rejoice,
O unwedded Bride! /
Rejoice,
O Mother of Life! //
Blessed
is the Fruit of thy womb!'?"
Prokimena
and Old Testament
Tone
4:
Blessed
is the Lord, the God of Israel, * Who alone doeth wonders.
Stichos: O God, give Thy judgment to
the king, and Thy righteousness to the son of the king.
Tone
4:
But
it is good for me * to cleave unto God.
Stichos: How good is God to
And then the 3 Readings for the Feast:
The Reading from Genesis (28:10-17)
Jacob went forth from the well of the oath, and departed into Haran. And he came to a certain place, and slept there, for the sun had gone down; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it at his head, and lay down to sleep in that place, and dreamed: and behold a ladder fixed on the earth, whose top reached to heaven, and the angels of God ascended and descended on it. And the Lord stood upon it, and said: “I am the God of thy father Abraham, and the God of Isaac. Fear not; the land on which thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be like the sand of the earth; and it shall spread abroad to the sea, and the south, and the north, and the east; and in thee and in thy seed shall all tribes of the earth be blessed. And behold I am with thee to preserve thee continually in all the way wherein thou shalt go; and I will bring thee back to this land; for I will not desert thee, until I have done all that I have said to thee.” And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and said: “The Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.” And he was afraid, and said: “How fearful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
The Reading from Ezekiel (43:27-44:4a)
Thus saith the Lord: “It shall come to pass from the eighth day and onward, that the priests shall offer your wholeburnt-offerings on the altar, and your peace-offerings; and I will accept you,” saith the Lord. Then He brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary that faceth eastward; and it was shut. And the Lord said to me: “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall pass through it; for the Lord God of Israel shall enter by it, and it shall be shut. For the Prince, He shall sit in it, to eat bread before the Lord; He shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go forth by the way of the same.” And He brought me in by the way of the gate that faceth northward, in front of the house: and I looked, and, behold! the house was full of the glory of the Lord.
The Reading from Proverbs (9:1-11)
Wisdom hath built a house for herself and set up seven pillars. She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine in a bowl and prepared her table. She hath sent forth her servants, calling with a loud proclamation to the feast, saying: “Whoso is foolish, let him turn aside to me.” And to those who want understanding, she saith: “Come, eat of my bread, and drink wine which I have mingled for you. Leave folly, that ye may reign forever; and seek wisdom, and improve understanding by knowledge.” He that reproveth evil men shall get dishonor to himself; and he that rebuketh an ungodly man shall disgrace himself. Rebuke not evil men, lest they should hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Give an opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser: instruct a just man, and he will receive more instruction. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the counsel of the law is the character of a sound mind. For in this way thou shalt live long, and years of thy life shall be added to thee.