Forgiveness Vespers
Tone 4 / February
14th
At Lord I have cried: Penitential Stichera in the tone of the week: 4; Triodion: 3; Menaion 3.
Penitential
Stichera:
Tone
4:
I want to wash away with tears the record of my sins, O Lord, /
and through the rest of my life to please Thee by repentance; /
but the enemy deceives me and fights against my soul. //
Before I perish utterly, save me, O Lord.
If
a man takes refuge from the tempest in this harbor, /
will
he not be saved? /
If
in his agony he kneels before this house of healing, /
will
he not be cured? /
O
Maker of all and Physician of the sick, //
before
I perish utterly, save me, O Lord.
Wash
me with my tears, O Savior, /
for
I am defiled by many sins, /
Therefore
I fall down before Thee: //
I
have sinned, have mercy upon me, O God.
I am a sheep of Thy spiritual flock, /
and to Thee I flee for refuge, O Good Shepherd. /
I have gone astray, O God: //
seek me and have mercy upon me.
Triodion:
Tone 2: Let us all make haste to
humble the flesh by abstinence, /
as
we set out upon the God-given course of the holy Fast; /
and
with prayers and tears let us seek our Lord and Savior. /
Laying
aside all memories of evil, let us cry aloud: /
We
have sinned against Thee, Christ our King; /
save
us as the men of
and
in Thy compassion make us sharers in Thy heavenly Kingdom.
When
I think of my works, deserving every punishment, /
I
despair of myself, O Lord. /
For
see, I have despised Thy precious commandments, /
and
wasted my life as the Prodigal. /
Therefore
I entreat Thee: /
cleanse
me in the waters of repentance, /
and
through prayer and fasting make me shine with light, /
for
Thou alone art merciful; abhor me not, //
O
Benefactor of all, supreme in love.
Let
us set out with joy upon the season of the Fast, /
and
prepare ourselves for spiritual combat.
/
Let
us purify our soul and cleanse our flesh; /
and
as we fast from food, let us abstain also from every passion. /
Rejoicing
in the virtues of the Spirit may we persevere with love, /
and
so be counted worthy to see the solemn passion of Christ our God, /
and
with great spiritual gladness //
to behold
His holy Pascha.
Stichera
for the St. Auxentius,
Tone
4 (to the special melody “Thou hast given a sign…”):
Showing
forth an increase of asceticism, thou didst receive from God /
an
outpouring of spiritual gifts to heal infirmities and dispel demons, /
O
most blessed Auxentius, who art faithful to the calling of Christ, /
and
full of divine grace and the power of the Spirit; /
wherefore,
manifestly guided thereby, //
thou
hast attained unto the harbor of faithful.
Having
cleansed thyself in mind, /
thou
wast enriched with the grace of healings and miracles; /
for
thou didst shake off the weakness of the passions /
and
the darkness and threefold waves of the flesh, /
and
didst fashion splendid armor. /
Wherefore,
thou hast shone forth among the ranks of monastics, /
entreating
Him Who loveth mankind //
in
behalf of those who praise thee.
Thou
didst increase the talent entrusted to thee, O all-wise one; /
and
having richly worked the soil of thy soul /
and
sown it with tears, thou dost now reap in joy, /
O
father, truly harvesting manifold joy and consolation. /
Wherefore,
as one who hath boldness before the Master, /
entreat
Him in behalf of those who hymn thee, //
O
God-bearing Auxentius.
Glory…
Tone 8:
The
pure wisdom of the Holy Spirit which dwelt within thy pure heart /
showed
thee to be a dread tormentor of the spirits of wickedness, /
O
most blessed and venerable father Auxentius, /
and
one who is not only awesome, /
but
also a healer of hidden ailments. /
Wherefore,
having acquired boldness before God Who loveth mankind, /
by
thine unceasing supplication //
free
us from the passions of soul and body.
Both
now… Same Tone:
Taking
up the cry of the Archangel Gabriel, /
let
us say: Rejoice, O Mother of God, /
who
gavest birth unto Christ //
who
bestoweth life upon the world!
Entrance
with the censer:
O gladsome Light…
Great Prokimenon, Tone 8:
Deacon/Priest: Turn not away Thy face from Thy servant,
for I am afflicted; hear me speedily: hearken unto my soul, and deliver it.
Choir: Turn not away Thy face from Thy servant, for I am afflicted; hear me speedily: hearken unto my soul, and deliver it.
Deacon/Priest: Let Thy salvation, O God, help me.
Choir: Turn not away Thy face…
Deacon/Priest: Let the poor see it and be glad.
Choir: Turn
not away Thy face…
Deacon/Priest: Seek God, and your soul shall live.
Choir: Turn
not away Thy face…
Deacon/Priest: Turn not away Thy face from Thy servant,
for I am afflicted.
Choir: Hear me speedily: hearken unto my soul, and deliver it.
Reader: Vouchsafe, O Lord…
Then the Litany,
Let
us complete our evening prayer unto the Lord, with the choir singing the
responses according to the penitential Lenten melody.
Aposticha,
Tone 4:
Thy
grace has shone forth, O Lord, /
it
has shone forth and given light to our souls. /
Behold,
now is the accepted time: /
behold,
now is the season of repentance. /
Let
us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, /
that
having sailed across the great sea of the Fast, /
we
may reach the third-day Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, //
the Savior of our souls.
Stichos 1: Unto Thee have I lifted up mine
eyes, unto Thee that dwellest in heaven.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hands of their masters, as
the eyes of the handmaid look unto the hands of her mistress, so do our eyes
look unto the Lord our God, * until He take pity on us.
Repeat the sticheron “Thy
grace has shone forth, O Lord…”
Stichos 2: Have mercy on us, O Lord, have
mercy on us, for greatly are we filled with abasement. Greatly hath our soul been filled therewith;
let reproach come upon them that prosper, * and abasement on the proud.
To the Martyrs, Same Tone:
Thou
art glorified in the memorials of Thy saints, O Christ our God: /
at
their intercessions //
send
down upon us Thy great mercy.
Glory…Both
now…in the Same Tone:
The
ranks of the angels glorify thee, O Mother of God, /
for
thou hast given birth to Him that is God, /
who
dwells ever with the Father and the Spirit, /
who
created the angelic hosts out of nothing by an act of His will. /
of
those who with true worship sing thy praises.
Everything else is found in the
Horologion, an outline is provided to keep the choir on track:
Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, O Master…
Holy God…
O Theotokos and Virgin…
Glory… O Baptizer of Christ…
Both now… Plead in our behalf…
Beneath thy compassion…
Lord, have mercy. 40 times
Glory… Both now… More Honorable…
In the name of the Lord, father bless.
Priest: He that is is blessed…
O Heavenly King, strengthen Orthodox Christians.
Then the priest says the prayer of St. Ephrem with 3 prostrations, then the dismissal and the mutual forgiveness.