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Menaion - January 6

The Holy Epiphany of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ.

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MATINS

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CHOIR

Mode 1.

God is the Lord, and He revealed Himself to us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. [SAAS]

Verse 1: Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His holy name.

Verse 2: All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I defended myself against them.

Verse 3: And this came about from the Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes.

Apolytikion of the Feast.

From Menaion - - -

Mode 1.

As You were baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, then the worship of the Trinity became manifest, for the voice of the Father bore witness to You, naming You the Beloved Son; and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the certainty of the word. O Christ God, who appeared and illumined the world, glory to You. (3) [SD]

PRIEST

Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Commemorating our all-holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us entrust ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To you, O Lord.

PRIEST

For yours is the dominion, and yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

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Kathisma I.

From Menaion - - -

Mode 3. You were so beautiful.

Τὴν ὡραιότητα.

At Your epiphany at River Jordan, O Christ, * when by the Forerunner, O Savior, You were baptized, * the voice from heaven testified that You are the beloved Son. * Therefore You were shown to be * with the Father beginningless, * and the Holy Spirit came down * as a dove and alighted on You. * In Him we are illumined and cry out, * Glory to God in Trinity. [SD]

Glory. Both now. Repeat.

At Your epiphany at River Jordan, O Christ, * when by the Forerunner, O Savior, You were baptized, * the voice from heaven testified that You are the beloved Son. * Therefore You were shown to be * with the Father beginningless, * and the Holy Spirit came down * as a dove and alighted on You. * In Him we are illumined and cry out, * Glory to God in Trinity. [SD]

Kathisma II.

From Menaion - - -

Mode 4. Joseph marveled.

Κατεπλάγη Ἰωσήφ.

Jordan River, tell us do: * What did you see and were amazed? * I saw naked Him whom none * can see, and shuddered in fear. * And how was I not to shudder at Him and be frightened? * The Angels, when they saw Him also shuddered in awe. * And heaven was astonished, and astounded was earth. * The sea recoiled along with all things * both visible and invisible. * For Christ appeared in the River Jordan, * to sanctify the waters. [SD]

Glory. Both now. Repeat.

Jordan River, tell us do: * What did you see and were amazed? * I saw naked Him whom none * can see, and shuddered in fear. * And how was I not to shudder at Him and be frightened? * The Angels, when they saw Him also shuddered in awe. * And heaven was astonished, and astounded was earth. * The sea recoiled along with all things * both visible and invisible. * For Christ appeared in the River Jordan, * to sanctify the waters. [SD]

Kathisma III.

From Menaion - - -

Mode 4. Come quickly.

Ταχὺ προκατάλαβε.

You hallowed the waters of the Jordan River, O Lord; * and by Your own might You shattered sin’s dominion, O Christ our God. * You bowed yourself, O Savior, beneath the hand of the Baptist, * and saved the human race from deception and error. * Therefore we intently entreat You to save Your world. [SD]

Glory. Both now. Repeat.

You hallowed the waters of the Jordan River, O Lord; * and by Your own might You shattered sin’s dominion, O Christ our God. * You bowed yourself, O Savior, beneath the hand of the Baptist, * and saved the human race from deception and error. * Therefore we intently entreat You to save Your world. [SD]

PRIEST

Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Commemorating our all-holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us entrust ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To you, O Lord.

PRIEST

For blessed and glorified is your all-honoured and majestic name, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit now and for ever, and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

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CHOIR

Antiphon 1.

Mode 4.

From my youth up many passions make war on me; but you, O Saviour, help me and save me. (2) [Lash]

You who hate Sion, may you be put to shame by the Lord; for you will be dried up as grass by fire. (2) [Lash]

Glory.

By the Holy Spirit every soul is given life, and by cleansing it is exalted; it is made bright by the threefold Unity in a sacred mystery. [Lash]

Both now.

By the Holy Spirit the streams of grace well up; watering all creation to engender life. [Lash]

Prokeimenon. Psalm 113.

The sea saw them and fled, the Jordan turned back. (2)

Verse: What is it to you, O Sea, that you fled, and to you, O Jordan, that you turned back?

The sea saw them and fled, the Jordan turned back. [SAAS]

Stand for the Gospel reading.

DEACON: Let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

For You are holy, our God, who rest among the Saints, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Mode 2.

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. (2) Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. [SAAS]

DEACON

Let us pray to the Lord our God that we may be made worthy to hear the holy Gospel.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy. (3)

DEACON

Wisdom. Stand upright. Let us listen to the Holy Gospel.

PRIEST: Peace to all.

CHOIR: And to your spirit.

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PRIEST

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Mark.

DEACON: Let us attend.

CHOIR

Glory to you, O Lord, glory to you.

PRIEST (from the gate)

Mk. 1:9 – 11

At that time, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” [RSV]

CHOIR

Glory to you, O Lord, glory to you.

READER

Psalm 50 (51).

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy; and according to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from my lawlessness and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my lawlessness, and my sin is always before me. Against You only have I sinned and done evil in Your sight; that You may be justified in Your words, and overcome when You are judged. For behold, I was conceived in transgressions, and in sins my mother bore me. Behold, You love truth; You showed me the unknown and secret things of Your wisdom. You shall sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed; You shall wash me, and I will be made whiter than snow. You shall make me hear joy and gladness; my bones that were humbled shall greatly rejoice. Turn Your face from my sins, and blot out all my transgressions. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your guiding Spirit. I will teach transgressors Your ways, and the ungodly shall turn back to You. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall greatly rejoice in Your righteousness. O Lord, You shall open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. For if You desired sacrifice, I would give it; You will not be pleased with whole burnt offerings. A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a broken and humbled heart God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, in Your good pleasure to Zion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be built; then You will be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with offerings and whole burnt offerings; then shall they offer young bulls on Your altar. [SAAS]

From Menaion - - -

CHOIR

Glory. Mode 2.

Leap for joy today, O universe; for Christ has appeared in the Jordan [SD]

Both now.

Leap for joy today, O universe; for Christ has appeared in the Jordan [SD]

Idiomelon. Mode pl. 2.

Verse: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy; and according to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgression. [SAAS]

God the Logos has appeared in the flesh to the human race. As He stood in the Jordan waiting to be baptized, the Forerunner said to Him, “How can I reach out with my hand and touch the head that controls the universe? Though as an infant You came from Mary, yet I know You to be the pre-eternal God. You walk on earth, You who are extolled by the Seraphim. And I do not know how a servant ought to baptize his Master. Incomprehensible Lord, glory to You.” [SD]

PRIEST

O God, save your people and bless your inheritance. Look upon your world with mercy and compassion. Raise the Orthodox Christians in glory, and send down upon us your rich mercies,

through the prayers of our all-pure Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary; by the power of the precious and life-giving Cross; through the protection of the honoured Bodiless Powers of heaven; through the intercessions of the honoured, glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John; of the holy, glorious and all-praised Apostles; our Fathers among the Saints, the great hierarchs and ecumenical teachers, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, Athanasios, Cyril, and John the Merciful, patriarchs of Alexandria; Nicholas, bishop of Myra, Spyridon, bishop of Trimythous, Nektarios of Pentapolis, the wonder-workers; the holy, glorious great Martyrs George the Victorious, Demetrios the Myrobletes, Theodore the Teron, and Theodore the General, Menas the Wonderworker, the Hieromartyrs Haralambos and Eleftherios; the holy, glorious, and victorious martyrs; the glorious great Martyr and all-laudable Euphemia; the holy and glorious Martyrs Thecla, Barbara, Anastasia, Katherine, Kyriake, Fotene, Marina, Paraskeve and Irene; of our holy God-bearing Fathers; (local patron saint); of the holy and righteous Forebears of God, Joachim and Anna, and of all your Saints:

We beseech you, only merciful Lord, hear us sinners who pray to you and have mercy on us.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy. (12)

PRIEST

By the mercy and compassion and love for humankind of your only-begotten Son, with whom you are blessed, together with your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Ode 1: Menaion: Canon-1

From Menaion - - -

CHOIR

Ode i.

Canon 1 of the Feast.

Heirmos. Mode 2.

Βυθοῦ ἀνεκάλυψε.

The Lord who is powerful in battle * once exposed the bottom of deep sea * and He drew His people through it as on dry land, * while there again He engulfed the enemies, * for He is glorified. [SD]

Troparia.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

As Savior and Lord who reigns forever, in the River Jordan Christ remolded fallen Adam who was damaged, and He shattered and crushed the heads of the dragons hiding there; for He is glorified. [SD]

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Putting on a material body, the Lord was incarnate of the Virgin, in the fire immaterial of His Godhead; and He is clothed in the Jordan’s water now, for He is glorified. [SD]

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

The Lord who from their filth washes people, for whom He is washed now in the Jordan, and like whom He willed to be, staying what He was, and who were in the darkness, illumines them; for He is glorified. [SD]

Ode 1: Menaion: Canon-2

Iambic Canon.

From Menaion - - -

Heirmos. Mode 2.

Στίβει θαλάσσης.

Israel treaded on the sea's swelling billow, * which had been rendered once again into dry land. * Then the dark waters concealed all the Egyptian * riders together, as a tomb laid in water, * by the mighty strength of the right of the Master. [SD]

Troparia.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

The Forerunner came from the wilderness to the Jordan. * He appeared to the people, as if he were the glowing * Early dawn. Then You, King of the Sun, bowed Your head, * Aiming to snatch our ancestor from the abysmal * Land of darkness and to cleanse all creation from pollution. [SD]

Glory.

The Forerunner came from the wilderness to the Jordan. * He appeared to the people, as if he were the glowing * Early dawn. Then You, King of the Sun, bowed Your head, * Aiming to snatch our ancestor from the abysmal * Land of darkness and to cleanse all creation from pollution. [GOASD]

Both now.

Man, who was deceived and died, was buried * In the water with You, O Christ; and You renewed him. * God the Father ineffably testified to You, * His Logos without beginning, in a thunderous voice, * “This is My beloved Son, equal to Me in nature.” [GOASD]

Ode 1: Katavasia

Katavasias

Canon 1. Mode 2.

The Lord who is powerful in battle * once exposed the bottom of deep sea * and He drew His people through it as on dry land, * while there again He engulfed the enemies, * for He is glorified. [SD]

Iambic. Mode 2.

Israel treaded on the sea's swelling billow, * which had been rendered once again into dry land. * Then the dark waters concealed all the Egyptian * riders together, as a tomb laid in water, * by the mighty strength of the right of the Master. [SD]

Ode 3: Menaion: Canon-1

Ode iii.

Canon 1 of the Feast.

From Menaion - - -

Heirmos. Mode 2.

Ἰσχὺν ὁ διδούς.

The Lord who bestows upon our rulers His might and exalts * the horn of His own anointed ones * was born of a pure virgin Maid, and now He goes to baptism. O faithful, let us cry aloud * and say that there is no one holy like our God, * and no one is righteous except for You, O Lord. [SD]

Troparia.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Sing joyfully now, O Church of Christ, for although you were once lamentably desolate and barren. Through water and the Spirit now are many offspring born to you, and faithfully they cry aloud and say that there is no one holy like our God, and no one is righteous except for You, O Lord. [SD]

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Sing joyfully now, O Church of Christ, for although you were once lamentably desolate and barren. Through water and the Spirit now are many offspring born to you, and faithfully they cry aloud and say that there is no one holy like our God, and no one is righteous except for You, O Lord. [SD]

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

“Make straight His paths.” So said that great voice, the Forerunner John, who cried in the wilderness and preached to all those who went out to him. “Prepare the ways of Christ our God, and faithfully cry out to Him and say that there is no one holy like our God, and no one is righteous except for You, O Lord.” [SD]

Ode 3: Menaion: Canon-2

Iambic Canon.

From Menaion - - -

Heirmos. Mode 2.

Ὅσοι παλαιῶν.

From the ancient snares of the gluttonous lions, * whose teeth are broken, we all have been delivered. * Let us exult, then, and our mouth let us widen, * weaving melody from words unto the Logos, * whose delight it is to bestow gifts upon us. [SD]

Troparia.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Deceptively assuming the form of a crafty * Serpent, he who planted death into creation * Of old, is deceived by the Lord’s bodily appearance * Now as but dawn, and he assailed Him with enmity. * But he bruised and crushed his own brutal head. [SD]

Glory.

Deceptively assuming the form of a crafty * Serpent, he who planted death into creation * Of old, is deceived by the Lord’s bodily appearance * Now as but dawn, and he assailed Him with enmity. * But he bruised and crushed his own brutal head. [GOASD]

Both now.

Yearning to rescue our nature that was made in * The image of God, the Lord performed a great deed. * He assumed it, and through rebirth refashioned humanity, * Extracting it from Hades, for it was buried and held * Prisoner in the regions of the belly of the tyrant. [GOASD]

Ode 3: Katavasia

Katavasias

Canon 1. Mode 2.

The Lord who bestows upon our rulers His might and exalts * the horn of His own anointed ones * was born of a pure virgin Maid, and now He goes to baptism. O faithful, let us cry aloud * and say that there is no one holy like our God, * and no one is righteous except for You, O Lord. [SD]

Iambic. Mode 2.

From the ancient snares of the gluttonous lions, * whose teeth are broken, we all have been delivered. * Let us exult, then, and our mouth let us widen, * weaving melody from words unto the Logos, * whose delight it is to bestow gifts upon us. [SD]

Ode 3: Short Litany

PRIEST

Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Commemorating our all-holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us entrust ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To you, O Lord.

PRIEST

For you are our God and to you we give glory, to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Mid-Ode Kathisma or Hypakoe

From Menaion - - -

READER

Hypakoe. Mode pl. 1.

When, by Your Epiphany, You illumined the universe, then bitter unbelief fled like the Red Sea of old. The Jordan River turned back again, and instead of flowing down it has raised us up to heaven. Now we pray You, Christ God, preserve us in the height of Your commandments, by the intercessions of the Theotokos, and have mercy on us. [LashSD]

Ode 4: Menaion: Canon-1

From Menaion - - -

CHOIR

Ode iv.

Canon 1 of the Feast.

Mode 2. Heirmos.

Ἀκήκοε Κύριε φωνῇς σου.

When You thundered on the many waters, * O Lord, unto Your Son thus bearing witness, * then he whom You once designated as the voice of the one who cries out in the desert * heard Your voice; and filled with the Spirit there present, he cried aloud and said, * You are the Christ, the wisdom and the power of God. [SD]

Troparia.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Aloud cried the preacher, “Who has ever seen the washing of the sun, by nature brilliant, that I could wash You, the radiance of the glory of the eternal Father and His express image, and, being grass, touch the fire of Your divinity, for You are Christ, the wisdom and the power of God!” [SD]

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

“Surprised was the prophet Moses, hearing You call to him out of the bush, O Master; and out of fear he turned his face away and hid it, demonstrating thus his awe of God. So how am I look You in the face, or lay my hand upon Your head? For You are Christ, the wisdom and the power of God!” [SD]

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

“Honored to have a thinking soul and reason, I fear lest I be shamed by inanimate creation. For if I baptize You, I have as my accusers: Mount Sinai that wrapped itself in smoke; the Red Sea that fled and divided; and this Jordan River that turned back. For You are Christ, the wisdom and the power of God!” [SD]

Ode 4: Menaion: Canon-2

Iambic Canon.

From Menaion - - -

Heirmos. Mode 2.

Πυρσῷ καθαρθείς.

Once purged by the fire of mystical vision, * the Prophet, hymning the renewal of mortals, * cried in a loud voice energized by the Spirit, * telling the ineffable Word's incarnation. * He it is who crushed the power of the princes. [SD]

Troparia.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Irradiant Logos, sent from the Father, * Readily You came to eradicate human * Iniquities and the night of sinister darkness. * Through Your baptism in the Jordan You draw to yourself * Sons of light and of the day, blessed Master. [SD]

Glory.

Beholding the glorious Logos approach him, * Openly the Baptist cried out to the people. * “Look! He who was before me and came after me according * To the flesh, has become like us by the power * Of divinity, to eliminate inimical sin from us.” [GOASD]

Both now.

For us God the Logos hunted, and He assailed * Dragons’ lairs, destroying them and their perimeters, * Imprisoning him who bruised the heel of mankind * Vexatiously. And now the Master leads us * Into life-giving pastures, and He saves all creation. [GOASD]

Ode 4: Katavasia

Katavasias

Canon 1. Mode 2.

When You thundered on the many waters, * O Lord, unto Your Son thus bearing witness, * then he whom You once designated as the voice of the one who cries out in the desert * heard Your voice; and filled with the Spirit there present, he cried aloud and said, * You are the Christ, the wisdom and the power of God. [SD]

Iambic. Mode 2.

Once purged by the fire of mystical vision, * the Prophet, hymning the renewal of mortals, * cried in a loud voice energized by the Spirit, * telling the ineffable Word's incarnation. * He it is who crushed the power of the princes. [SD]

Ode 5: Menaion: Canon-1

Ode v.

Canon 1 of the Feast.

From Menaion - - -

Heirmos. Mode 2.

Ἰησοῦς ὁ ζωῆς ἀρχηγός.

He is Jesus, the Author of life. * He has come to loose the condemnation of first-created Adam. * Being God, and thus not needing to be purified, * in the Jordan He purifies the one who had fallen. * He put to death the enmity, and therefore He grants the peace that passes all understanding. [SD]

Troparia.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Now when many multitudes had come to be baptized in the river Jordan by John, he stood among them, and cried out and said to them, “You disobedient brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? You ought to produce the fruits that are worthy of Christ, for He is here and is granting peace.” [SD]

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Now when many multitudes had come to be baptized in the river Jordan by John, he stood among them, and cried out and said to them, “You disobedient brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? You ought to produce the fruits that are worthy of Christ, for He is here and is granting peace.” [SD]

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

God the Judge and Creator of all, standing now as one of you among you, examines hearts and knows all. He holds judgment in His hand like a winnowing fork; with infinite wisdom He clears the threshing floor of the world. He burns what is unfruitful, but to those who bring forth good fruit He grants everlasting life. [SD]

Ode 5: Menaion: Canon-2

Iambic Canon.

From Menaion - - -

Heirmos. Mode 2.

Ἐχθροῦ ζοφώδους.

The Spirit's cleansing has washed away from us now * the dark and dirty enemy's poison venom. * Therefore we have landed on a new unerring * path, which leads to happiness that has no access, * save to them whom God to himself reconciled. [SD]

Troparia.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Having seen Adam, whom He fashioned with His fingers, * Tethered inescapably in the darkness of dismal * Sin, the Creator lifts him out and lays him * Tenderly on His shoulders and in the pools of the Jordan * Rinses him of his shameful chronic condition. [SD]

Glory.

Having seen Adam, whom He fashioned with His fingers, * Tethered inescapably in the darkness of dismal * Sin, the Creator lifts him out and lays him * Tenderly on His shoulders and in the pools of the Jordan * Rinses him of his shameful chronic condition. [GOASD]

Both now.

In reverence let go to the wells of salvation, * Keen to draw the immaculate waters, * Even as we see how the Immortal One’s Logos * Soothingly remedies the thirst for God, * By providing the bucket to the world for its illness. [GOASD]

Ode 5: Katavasia

Katavasias

Canon 1. Mode 2.

He is Jesus, the Author of life. * He has come to loose the condemnation of first-created Adam. * Being God, and thus not needing to be purified, * in the Jordan He purifies the one who had fallen. * He put to death the enmity, and therefore He grants the peace that passes all understanding. [SD]

Iambic. Mode 2.

The Spirit's cleansing has washed away from us now * the dark and dirty enemy's poison venom. * Therefore we have landed on a new unerring * path, which leads to happiness that has no access, * save to them whom God to himself reconciled. [SD]

Ode 6: Menaion: Canon-1

Ode vi.

Canon 1 of the Feast.

From Menaion - - -

Heirmos. Mode 2.

Ἡ φωνὴ τοῦ λόγου.

The voice of the Logos, the lantern of the Light, the morning star that precedes the Sun, the Forerunner is in the desert, * crying to all the peoples, Repent and beforehand purify yourselves. * Behold, among us is the Christ, who out of corruption redeems the world. [SD]

Troparia.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

“Without change begotten of God the Father, Christ became incarnate from the Virgin, without any filth. No one is able to untie His sandal, and to grasp how the Logos is joined to us.” So teaches the Forerunner, freeing us on earth from all fallacy. [SD]

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

“Without change begotten of God the Father, Christ became incarnate from the Virgin, without any filth. No one is able to untie His sandal, and to grasp how the Logos is joined to us.” So teaches the Forerunner, freeing us on earth from all fallacy. [SD]

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

All the disobedient, who refuse to believe that Christ is God, He will baptize in the final fire. But in the Holy Spirit, through grace and water, He renews all those who believe and acknowledge His divinity, freeing them from sin and their trespasses. [SD]

Ode 6: Menaion: Canon-2

Iambic Canon.

From Menaion - - -

Heirmos. Mode 2.

Ἱμερτὸν ἐξέφηνε.

With the blessed utterance proclaimed the Father * Him He produced from the womb His beloved Son. * Yes, He said, this is My own connatural offspring, * splendor of My light, now also borne of mankind, * both My living Word, and by providence mortal. [SD]

Troparia.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Uncannily singed for three nights, the Prophet * Returned again from the sea-monster’s innards. * In this he prefigured to all the regeneration, * Eventually accomplished when the Master saved us, * Slaying the dragon, that slayer of mankind. [SD]

Glory.

Uncannily singed for three nights, the Prophet * Returned again from the sea-monster’s innards. * In this he prefigured to all the regeneration, * Eventually accomplished when the Master saved us, * Slaying the dragon, that slayer of mankind. [GOASD]

Both now.

Shining vaults of heaven opened, and the blessed * Initiate saw the Spirit from the Father * Now remaining on the all-immaculate Logos, * Ineffably appearing in the form of a dove, * Notifying the people that this happened to the Master. [GOASD]

Ode 6: Katavasia

Katavasias

Canon 1. Mode 2.

The voice of the Logos, the lantern of the Light, the morning star that precedes the Sun, the Forerunner is in the desert, * crying to all the peoples, Repent and beforehand purify yourselves. * Behold, among us is the Christ, who out of corruption redeems the world. [SD]

Iambic. Mode 2.

With the blessed utterance proclaimed the Father * Him He produced from the womb His beloved Son. * Yes, He said, this is My own connatural offspring, * splendor of My light, now also borne of mankind, * both My living Word, and by providence mortal. [SD]

Ode 6: Short Litany

PRIEST

Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Commemorating our all-holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us entrust ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To you, O Lord.

PRIEST

For you are the King of peace and the Saviour of our souls, and to you we give glory, to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Principal Kontakion and Synaxarion

From Menaion - - -

READER

Kontakion.

Mode 4. Automelon.

Ἐπεφάνης σήμερον.

You appeared today to us * on earth, O Master, * and Your light was signed on us * who cry aloud to You and say * with understanding, O Christ our God: You came and shone forth, O Light unapproachable. [SD]

Oikos.

On Galilee of the Gentiles, on the region of Zebulon and the land of Nephthalim, as the Prophet declared, a great light has shone, which is the Christ. Dark-dwellers have seen a radiant dawn shining out of Bethlehem, rather out of Mary, as the Lord -- the Sun of Justice -- breaks His rays o’er the whole of civilization. Come then, all unclothed offspring of Adam: let us put on Christ and thus keep warm. For, as a mantle for the denuded and a beacon to the be-darkened, You came and shone forth, O Light unapproachable. [GKD]

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Stand for the reading of the Synaxarion.

Synaxarion

From the Menaion.

On January 6 is the holy Epiphany of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

To Him be the glory and dominion to the ages of ages. Amen.

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Ode 7: Menaion: Canon-1

CHOIR

From Menaion - - -

Ode vii.

Canon 1 of the Feast.

Heirmos. Mode 2.

Νέους εὐσεβεῖς.

When the pious youths were thrown in the furnace all aflame with fire, * the Angel of the Lord went down with them and drove out the fiery flame * and moist whistling wind preserved them free of harm. * Being thus refreshed in the flames, they gave glory, singing in gratitude. * O supremely praised and most exalted Lord and God of the fathers, You are blessed. [SD]

Troparia.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Standing as they do in heaven with trembling and astonishment, * now at the River Jordan the angelic powers behold with awe * the great condescension of their Lord and God. * He who has control over the waters which are above the firmament * with a body now is standing in the water, even as the God of our fathers. [SD]

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

In Exodus we see a prefigurement of the miracle of divine and holy Baptism, when the people of Israel were baptized by Moses in the cloud and the sea. The sea represented the water and the cloud the Holy Spirit. By which purified and perfected, and we cry aloud, “O God of our fathers, You are blessed.” [SD]

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Now believers all, let us join angelic hosts and glorify Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, theologizing unceasingly. God is three consubstantial hypostases. The Trinity is one God, in whom we received perfection in baptism, and to whom we sing, “O most exalted Lord and God of our fathers, You are blessed.” [SD]

Ode 7: Menaion: Canon-2

Iambic Canon.

From Menaion - - -

Heirmos. Mode 2.

Ἔφλεξε ῥείθρῳ.

He who retarded once the towering fire * within the furnace that held the pious young men * burned the dragons' heads in the streams of the river, * and the stubborn stain of sin He has completely * washed away therein, with the dew of the Spirit. [SD]

Troparia.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Very hot was the Assyrian flame, which You * Encumbered, O Christ, transforming it to become * Refreshing dew. It thus prefigured You, in the water * Girded now and burning the insidious foe who * Induced all to take the slippery path. [SD]

Glory.

Very long ago, the Jordan was blocked; * Israel’s people crossed over the river bed. * Now this prefigured You, O King and almighty * God, who transfers us immediately through the water, * Guiding us on the path that is firm and better. [GOASD]

Both now.

Revealer of monumental wonders, O Christ, * All know that You caused the lamentable first * Cataclysmic flood of mass destruction, * Even as You now inundate sin, * To cause holy joy and humanity’s salvation. [GOASD]

Ode 7: Katavasia

Katavasias

Canon 1. Mode 2.

When the pious youths were thrown in the furnace all aflame with fire, * the Angel of the Lord went down with them and drove out the fiery flame * and moist whistling wind preserved them free of harm. * Being thus refreshed in the flames, they gave glory, singing in gratitude. * O supremely praised and most exalted Lord and God of the fathers, You are blessed. [SD]

Iambic. Mode 2.

He who retarded once the towering fire * within the furnace that held the pious young men * burned the dragons' heads in the streams of the river, * and the stubborn stain of sin He has completely * washed away therein, with the dew of the Spirit. [SD]

Ode 8: Menaion: Canon-1

Ode viii.

Canon 1 of the Feast.

From Menaion - - -

Heirmos. Mode 2.

Μυστήριον παράδοξον.

The furnace once in Babylon displayed a paradoxical mystery by pouring out moisture: * that the Jordan was to receive in its streams the immaterial fire, * and hold the Creator when He was being baptized. * Him do the peoples all bless and exalt supremely unto all the ages. [SD]

Troparia.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

“Fear not at all, O Baptist John,” the Redeemer called out to the Forerunner. “For now, just obey me. Approach me, for I am good by nature, kind and merciful. Heed my command and baptize me. It is for this that I condescended. All peoples bless me as Lord, and exalt me beyond measure, unto all the ages.” [SD]

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

His hand atremble, John obeyed the Master’s summons, and he extended it as he was instructed. When he laid his hand upon the head of his own Creator to baptize Him, he said to Him, “You, sanctify me, for You are my God. All peoples bless You as Lord, and exalt You beyond measure, unto all the ages.” [SD]

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Uncovered at the Jordan was the presence of the Trinity, the transcendently divine nature. For the Father’s voice declared, “He who is being baptized is my Son. He is my beloved.” There, too, was the consubstantial Spirit. All peoples bless Him as Lord, and exalt Him beyond measure, unto all the ages. [SD]

Ode 8: Menaion: Canon-2

Iambic Canon.

From Menaion - - -

Heirmos. Mode 2.

Ἐλευθέρα μὲν ἡ κτίσις.

The created world exults in its liberty, * and sons of the light are they who once were darkened. * Only the champion of darkness is groaning. * Now let the formerly wretched inheritance * of the Nations bless eagerly Him who caused this. [SD]

Troparia.

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Singing triadically, the God-fearing three * Lads, bedewed in the fire, worshiped * And portrayed the luminous supereminent nature * That, united with humanity’s, burns up in the water * Every destructive delusion, as prayed for. [SD]

Glory.

Singing triadically, the God-fearing three * Lads, bedewed in the fire, worshiped * And portrayed the luminous supereminent nature * That, united with humanity’s, burns up in the water * Every destructive delusion, as prayed for. [GOASD]

Both now.

All human nature of earth, put on white,* Now lifted up from its fall from the heavens, * Due to being washed and freed of its previous * Sins and offenses and bathed and made luminous * In the Jordan by the Logos who preserves the universe. [GOASD]

Ode 8: Katavasia

Katavasias

The furnace once in Babylon displayed a paradoxical mystery by pouring out moisture: * that the Jordan was to receive in its streams the immaterial fire, * and hold the Creator when He was being baptized. * Him do the peoples all bless and exalt supremely unto all the ages. [SD]

Canon 1. Mode 2.

Iambic. Mode 2.

We praise and we bless and we worship the Lord.

The created world exults in its liberty, * and sons of the light are they who once were darkened. * Only the champion of darkness is groaning. * Now let the formerly wretched inheritance * of the Nations bless eagerly Him who caused this. [SD]

Kontakia and Synaxarion

From Menaion - - -

READER

Kontakion.

Mode 4. Automelon.

Ἐπεφάνης σήμερον.

You appeared today to us * on earth, O Master, * and Your light was signed on us * who cry aloud to You and say * with understanding, O Christ our God: You came and shone forth, O Light unapproachable. [SD]

Oikos.

On Galilee of the Gentiles, on the region of Zebulon and the land of Nephthalim, as the Prophet declared, a great light has shone, which is the Christ. Dark-dwellers have seen a radiant dawn shining out of Bethlehem, rather out of Mary, as the Lord -- the Sun of Justice -- breaks His rays o’er the whole of civilization. Come then, all unclothed offspring of Adam: let us put on Christ and thus keep warm. For, as a mantle for the denuded and a beacon to the be-darkened, You came and shone forth, O Light unapproachable. [GKD]

bookmark

Stand for the reading of the Synaxarion.

Synaxarion

From the Menaion.

On January 6 is the holy Epiphany of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

To Him be the glory and dominion to the ages of ages. Amen.

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Katavasias Odes 1-8

CHOIR

Katavasias of Epiphany I and II

Ode i. Mode 2.

The Lord who is powerful in battle * once exposed the bottom of deep sea * and He drew His people through it as on dry land, * while there again He engulfed the enemies, * for He is glorified. [SD]

Iambic. Mode 2.

Israel treaded on the sea's swelling billow, * which had been rendered once again into dry land. * Then the dark waters concealed all the Egyptian * riders together, as a tomb laid in water, * by the mighty strength of the right of the Master. [SD]

Ode iii.

The Lord who bestows upon our rulers His might and exalts * the horn of His own anointed ones * was born of a pure virgin Maid, and now He goes to baptism. O faithful, let us cry aloud * and say that there is no one holy like our God, * and no one is righteous except for You, O Lord. [SD]

Iambic.

From the ancient snares of the gluttonous lions, * whose teeth are broken, we all have been delivered. * Let us exult, then, and our mouth let us widen, * weaving melody from words unto the Logos, * whose delight it is to bestow gifts upon us. [SD]

Ode iv.

When You thundered on the many waters, * O Lord, unto Your Son thus bearing witness, * then he whom You once designated as the voice of the one who cries out in the desert * heard Your voice; and filled with the Spirit there present, he cried aloud and said, * You are the Christ, the wisdom and the power of God. [SD]

Iambic.

Once purged by the fire of mystical vision, * the Prophet, hymning the renewal of mortals, * cried in a loud voice energized by the Spirit, * telling the ineffable Word's incarnation. * He it is who crushed the power of the princes. [SD]

Ode v.

He is Jesus, the Author of life. * He has come to loose the condemnation of first-created Adam. * Being God, and thus not needing to be purified, * in the Jordan He purifies the one who had fallen. * He put to death the enmity, and therefore He grants the peace that passes all understanding. [SD]

Iambic.

The Spirit's cleansing has washed away from us now * the dark and dirty enemy's poison venom. * Therefore we have landed on a new unerring * path, which leads to happiness that has no access, * save to them whom God to himself reconciled. [SD]

Ode vi.

The voice of the Logos, the lantern of the Light, the morning star that precedes the Sun, the Forerunner is in the desert, * crying to all the peoples, Repent and beforehand purify yourselves. * Behold, among us is the Christ, who out of corruption redeems the world. [SD]

Iambic.

With the blessed utterance proclaimed the Father * Him He produced from the womb His beloved Son. * Yes, He said, this is My own connatural offspring, * splendor of My light, now also borne of mankind, * both My living Word, and by providence mortal. [SD]

Ode vii.

When the pious youths were thrown in the furnace all aflame with fire, * the Angel of the Lord went down with them and drove out the fiery flame * and moist whistling wind preserved them free of harm. * Being thus refreshed in the flames, they gave glory, singing in gratitude. * O supremely praised and most exalted Lord and God of the fathers, You are blessed. [SD]

Iambic.

He who retarded once the towering fire * within the furnace that held the pious young men * burned the dragons' heads in the streams of the river, * and the stubborn stain of sin He has completely * washed away therein, with the dew of the Spirit. [SD]

Ode viii.

We praise and we bless and we worship the Lord.

The furnace once in Babylon displayed a paradoxical mystery by pouring out moisture: * that the Jordan was to receive in its streams the immaterial fire, * and hold the Creator when He was being baptized. * Him do the peoples all bless and exalt supremely unto all the ages. [SD]

Iambic.

The created world exults in its liberty, * and sons of the light are they who once were darkened. * Only the champion of darkness is groaning. * Now let the formerly wretched inheritance * of the Nations bless eagerly Him who caused this. [SD]

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Stand for the singing of Ode ix.

DEACON

Let us honor and magnify in song the Theotokos and the Mother of the light.

CHOIR

Ode 9: Menaion: Canon-1

From Menaion - - -

Ode ix.

Canon 1.

Mode 2. Heirmos.

Ἀπορεῖ πᾶσα γλῶσσα.

Magnify, O my soul, her who is greater in honour and more glorious than the hosts on high.

Every tongue is dumbfounded to extol as is worthy; * a super-mundane mind is dizzied praising you with hymns, O Theotokos. * Nonetheless accept our faith, since you are full of goodness, * for you have seen our longing indeed inspired by God. * Lady, as the protectress of Christians, you do we magnify. [SD]

Troparia.

O my soul, magnify the Lord who has come to the Jordan to be baptized.

In the Spirit, O David, come be present and sing out * to those being illumined, Now approach to God in faith and be illumined. * Adam who was fallen cried aloud, being the poor man, * and truly the Lord heard him; and therefore He has come, * and in the streams of the Jordan He renewed him, the corrupted one. [SD]

O my soul, magnify the Lord who is requesting the Forerunner to baptize Him.

Wash yourselves and be clean, says the Prophet Isaiah, * and put away your evildoing from before the Lord's eyes. * All you who are thirsty go now to the living water. * For Christ will sprinkle those who believing run to Him * with water that renews; and He baptizes them * with the Spirit unto undecaying life. [SD]

O my soul, magnify the One to whom the voice of the Father bore witness.

By the grace and the seal let us believers preserve ourselves. * For as the Hebrews once escaped destruction when the lintel had been bloodied, * likewise this baptismal laver of regeneration * will be a passing over and exodus for us, * where we shall see the Trinity's never-setting light. [SD]

Ode 9: Menaion: Canon-2

Iambic Canon.

From Menaion - - -

Iambic Canon.

Mode 2. Heirmos.

Ὢ τῶν ὑπὲρ νοῦν.

Today the Lord and Master bows His head beneath the hand of John the Baptist.

O all spotless Bride, surpassing comprehension * are the wonders of your childbirth, blessed Mother! * Through you obtaining comprehensive salvation, * we bring you a gift in striking up this worthy * hymn of gratitude to you our Benefactress. [SD]

Today John the Baptist baptizes the Master in the streams of the Jordan.

O all spotless Bride, surpassing comprehension * are the wonders of your childbirth, blessed Mother! * Through you obtaining comprehensive salvation, * we bring you a gift in striking up this worthy * hymn of gratitude to you our Benefactress. [SD]

Troparia.

Glory.

Magnify, O my soul, the might of the three-personned and undivided Godhead.

We have come to know the wonders shown to Moses * in the Bush by some strange laws are here accomplished: * preserved uninjured was the fire-bearing Virgin * when she brought forth the light-bringing Benefactor, * as were Jordan's streams when they received the Master. [SD]

Both now.

Magnify, O my soul, her who rescued us from the curse.

In unsullied streams You purged our mortal nature * from the darkness, eternal King; You perfect it * when You anoint it with the Spirit's communion. * And triumphing over the elated power, * to unending life transfer us now, we pray You. [SD]

Ode 9: Katavasia

Katavasias

Canon 1. Mode 2.

Magnify, O my soul, her who is greater in honour and more glorious than the hosts on high.

Every tongue is dumbfounded to extol as is worthy; * a super-mundane mind is dizzied praising you with hymns, O Theotokos. * Nonetheless accept our faith, since you are full of goodness, * for you have seen our longing indeed inspired by God. * Lady, as the protectress of Christians, you do we magnify. [SD]

Iambic.

Magnify, O my soul, her who rescued us from the curse.

O all spotless Bride, surpassing comprehension * are the wonders of your childbirth, blessed Mother! * Through you obtaining comprehensive salvation, * we bring you a gift in striking up this worthy * hymn of gratitude to you our Benefactress. [SD]

PRIEST

Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Commemorating our all-holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us entrust ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To you, O Lord.

PRIEST

For all the Powers of heaven praise you and to you we give glory, to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

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Exaposteilarion.

From Menaion - - -

Mode 3. Automelon.

Ἐπεφάνη ὁ Σωτήρ.

Our Savior, grace and truth, * appeared in His Epiphany * in the streams of the Jordan; * and those who lay once in the dark * and shadow He illumined now. * He has come and appeared, * the Light unapproachable. (3) [SD]

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Lauds. Mode 1.

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest. It is fitting to sing a hymn to You, O God. [SAAS]

Praise Him, all you His angels; praise Him, all you His hosts. It is fitting to sing a hymn to You, O God. [SAAS]

Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you stars and light.

Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the Lord’s name.

For He spoke, and they were made; He commanded, and they were created.

He established them forever and unto ages of ages; He set forth His ordinance, and it shall not pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth, you dragons and all the deeps.

Fire and hail, snow and ice, stormy wind, which perform His word.

Mountains and all the hills, fruitful trees and all cedars.

Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds.

Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth.

Young men and maidens, elders with younger, let them praise the Lord’s name, for His name alone is exalted.

His thanksgiving is in earth and heaven. And He shall exalt the horn of His people.

A hymn for all His saints, for the children of Israel, a people who draw near to Him.

Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise in the assembly of His holy ones.

Let Israel be glad in Him who made him, and let the children of Zion greatly rejoice in their King.

Let them praise His name with dance; with tambourine and harp let them sing to Him.

For the Lord is pleased with His people, and He shall exalt the gentle with salvation.

The holy ones shall boast in glory, and they shall greatly rejoice on their beds.

The high praise of God shall be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand.

To deal retribution to the nations, reproving among the peoples.

To shackle their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron.

Stichera for the Feast.

From Menaion - - -

Idiomelon. Mode 1.

To fulfill among them the written judgment: this glory have all His holy ones. [SAAS]

Light from Light, Christ our God, has shone upon the world. He is God and He appeared to us. O peoples, let us worship Him. [SD]

Idiomelon. Mode 1.

Praise God in His saints; praise Him in the firmament of His power. [SAAS]

Light from Light, Christ our God, has shone upon the world. He is God and He appeared to us. O peoples, let us worship Him. [SD]

Idiomelon. Mode 1.

Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness. [SAAS]

How shall we servants worthily honor You the Master, O Christ, for renewing us all in the waters? [SD]

Idiomelon. Mode 1.

Praise Him with the sound of trumpet; praise Him with the harp and lyre. [SAAS]

When You our Savior were baptized in the River Jordan, You sanctified the waters, You were touched by the hand of Your servant, and You cured the world’s passions. Great is the mystery of Your economy! O benevolent Lord, glory to You! [SD]

Idiomelon. Mode 1.

Praise Him with timbrel and dance; praise Him with strings and flute. [SAAS]

The true Light has appeared and bestows illumination on all. Christ is baptized with us, even though He is above all purity; and thus He infuses sanctification into the water, which then becomes the purifying agent of our souls. What is seen belongs to earth; but what is understood transcends the heavens. By means of a bath comes salvation; by means of water comes the Spirit; by means of immersion does our ascent to God come to pass. How wonderful are Your works, O Lord! Glory to You! [SD]

Idiomelon. Mode 1.

Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with triumphant cymbals; let everything that breathes praise the Lord. [SAAS]

He who wraps heaven in clouds wraps himself today in the streams of the Jordan. He who takes away the sin of the world washes himself in a wash that is meant for me. The cognate Spirit from above testifies of Him, that He is the Most High Father’s Only-begotten Son. To Him let us cry aloud, “O Christ our God who appeared to us and saved us, glory to You!” [SD]

Glory.

From Menaion - - -

Mode pl. 2.

You wrapped yourself in the waters of the Jordan, O Savior who puts on light as a garment; and You bowed Your head before the Forerunner, O Lord who measured heaven with the span of Your hand, so as to turn the world back from error and to save our souls. [SD]

The [second] choir sings the following Idiomelon, up to the asterisk; then the first choir begins the Great Doxology, starting with the last verse of the Idiomelon: “Glory be to God…”

Both now.

From Menaion - - -

Mode 2.

Today Christ came to be baptized in the Jordan. Today John touches the head of the Master. The hosts of heaven were astounded seeing the paradoxal mystery. The sea beheld it and fled; when the Jordan saw, it retreated. And we who are now illumined cry aloud, * “Glory be to God who appeared, and who was seen on earth, and who illumined the world.” [SD]

Stand for the Great Doxology.

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Great Doxology

We praise you, * we bless you, * we worship you, * we glorify you, * we give you thanks * for your great glory.

Lord, King, * God of heaven, * Father, Almighty, * Lord, only-begotten Son, * Jesus Christ * and holy Spirit.

Lord God, * Lamb of God, * Son of the Father, * who takes away the sin of the world, * have mercy on us; * you take away the sins of the world.

Receive our prayer, * you who sit at the right hand of the Father, * and have mercy on us.

For you alone are holy, * you alone are Lord, * Jesus Christ, * to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Every day I will bless You, and Your name will I praise to eternity, and to the ages of ages.

Grant, Lord, * this day * to keep us without sin.

Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Your name to the ages. Amen.

Let Your mercy be on us, O Lord, as we have set our hope on You.

Blessed are You, O Lord. Teach me Your statutes.

Blessed are You, O Lord. Teach me Your statutes.

Blessed are You, O Lord. Teach me Your statutes.

Lord, You have been our refuge from generation to generation. I said: Lord, have mercy on me. Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.

Lord, I have fled to You. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we shall see light.

Continue Your mercy to those who know You.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

In most churches, today’s Great Blessing of Water is performed at the end of the Divine Liturgy.

Apolytikion.

From Menaion - - -

Mode 1.

As You were baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, then the worship of the Trinity became manifest, for the voice of the Father bore witness to You, naming You the Beloved Son; and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the certainty of the word. O Christ God, who appeared and illumined the world, glory to You. [SD]

THE CEREMONY

OF THE GREAT BLESSING OF WATER

OF EPIPHANY

We process to the place where the vessel of water is prepared, the Deacon in front of the Priest, the latter holding a cross and aspergillum in his right hand and the Gospel book in his left. They stand before the vessel of water facing east, as the choirs sing the following hymns:

CHOIR

Mode pl. 4.

The voice of the Lord upon the waters cries out, saying, 'Come all of you, receive the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding, the Spirit of the fear of God, of Christ who has appeared'. (3) [Lash]

Today the nature of the waters is made holy, and Jordan is parted and holds back the flow of its waters as it sees the Master washing himself. (2) [Lash]

As man, Christ King, you came to the river, and in your goodness you hasten to accept the baptism of a servant at the hands of the Forerunner, on account of our sins, O Lover of mankind. (2) [Lash]

Glory. Both now. Mode pl. 4.

At the voice of the one crying in the desert, 'Prepare the way of the Lord', you came, Lord, having taken the form of a servant, asking for Baptism, though you did not know sin. The waters saw you and were afraid. The Forerunner trembled and cried out, saying, 'How will the lamp enlighten the Light? The servant place his hand on the Master? Saviour, who take away the sin of the world, make me and the waters holy'. [Lash]

The Readings

READER

The reading is from the Prophecy of Isaiah.

DEACON

Wisdom. Let us attend.

READER

Is 35:1 – 10

Thus says the Lord: Be glad, you thirsty desert, and rejoice exceedingly, and let the desert blossom as a lily. The desert places of the Jordan shall blossom abundantly and rejoice exceedingly. The glory of Lebanon and the honor of Carmel shall be given to it, and My people shall see the glory of the Lord and the majesty of our God. Be strong, you relaxed hands and feeble knees. Be comforted, you fainthearted. Be strong, do not fear. Behold, our God renders judgment and will render it. He will come and save us. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb will speak clearly. For water shall burst forth in the desert, and a valley in the thirsty land. The waterless desert shall become meadows, and the thirsty land springs of water. There will be the gladness of birds, a habitation of reeds and marshes. A pure way shall be there, and it shall be called a holy way. No unclean man shall pass through there, neither shall there be an unclean way there. But those dispersed shall walk in it, and they shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous animals go up on it, nor at all be found there. But the redeemed shall walk in it, and those gathered by the Lord shall return and come to Zion with gladness, and with everlasting gladness over their head. For praise and exceeding joy will be on their head, and gladness shall possess them. Pain, sorrow, and sighing fled away. [SAAS]

READER

The reading is from the Prophecy of Isaiah.

DEACON

Wisdom. Let us attend.

READER

Is 55:1 – 13

Thus says the Lord: “You who are thirsty, go to the water, and all who have no money, go and buy wine and fat, and eat and drink without money and price. Why do you value at the price of money, and give your toil for what does not satisfy? Listen to Me and eat good things, and your soul will delight in good things. Incline your ears and follow my ways. Listen to Me, and your soul shall live in good things; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the holy and faithful things of David. Behold, I made him a witness among the Gentiles, a ruler and commander to the Gentiles. The Gentiles, which did not know you, shall call upon you, and the peoples who did not understand you shall take refuge in you, because of your God, the Holy One of Israel; for He glorified you.” Seek God, and when you find Him, call upon Him when He draws near to you. Let the ungodly man abandon his ways, and the lawless man his counsels; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; for He shall forgive your sins abundantly. “For My counsels are not as your counsels, neither are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “But as heaven is distant from earth, so is My way distant from your ways, and your thoughts from My mind. For as rain comes down, or snow from heaven, and does not return until it saturates the earth, and it brings forth and produces, and gives seed to the sower and bread for food, so shall My word be, whatever proceeds from My mouth. It shall not return until it accomplishes whatever I willed, and I shall prosper your ways and My commandments. For you shall go forth with gladness and shall be taught with joy, for the mountains and hills shall exult to receive you with joy; and all the trees of the field shall applaud with their branches. Instead of the broom-tree shall come up the cypress, and instead of the nettle shall come up the myrtle; and the Lord shall be for a name and for an everlasting sign, and He shall not fail.” [SAAS]

READER

The reading is from the Prophecy of Isaiah.

DEACON

Wisdom. Let us attend.

READER

Is 12:3 – 6

Thus says the Lord: You will draw water with gladness from the wells of salvation. In that day, you will say, “Praise the Lord; call upon His name. Declare His glorious things among the Gentiles and make mention that His name is exalted. Sing to the name of the Lord, for He has done great things. Declare this in all the earth. Exult and be glad, O inhabitants of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel is exalted in her midst.” [SAAS]

The Epistle

DEACON

Let us attend.

READER

Prokeimenon. Mode 4. Psalm 26.

The Lord is my light and my savior.

Verse: The Lord is the defender of my life. [SAAS]

DEACON

Wisdom.

READER

The reading is from" // Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians.

DEACON

Let us attend.

READER

1 Cor. 10:1 – 4

Brethren, I want you to know that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ. [RSV]

PRIEST

Peace to you.

CHOIR

Alleluia. Grave Mode. Psalm 28.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Verse 1: The voice of the Lord is upon the waters. [SAAS]

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Verse 2: The God of glory thundered upon the waters.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

DEACON

Wisdom. Stand upright. Let us listen to the Holy Gospel.

PRIEST: Peace to all.

CHOIR: And to your spirit.

DEACON

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Mark.

PRIEST

Let us attend.

CHOIR

Glory to you, O Lord, glory to you.

DEACON

Mk. 1:9 – 11

At that time, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” [RSV]

PRIEST

Peace be to you who proclaim the Gospel.

CHOIR

Glory to you, O Lord, glory to you.

DEACON

In peace let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR (after each petition)

Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For the peace from on high and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.

For the peace of the whole world, for the welfare of the holy Churches of God, and for the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.

For this holy house, and for those who enter it with faith, reverence and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.

For pious and Orthodox Christians, let us pray to the Lord.

For our Archbishop (name), for the honoured order of presbyters, for the diaconate in Christ, for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.

For our country, the president, and all those in public service, let us pray to the Lord.

For this city, for every city, town and village, and for the faithful who dwell in them, let us pray to the Lord.

For favourable weather, an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and temperate seasons, let us pray to the Lord.

For those who travel by land, air or water, for the sick, the suffering, for those in captivity, and for their safety and salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

That this water might be hallowed by the might, and operation, and descent of the Holy Spirit, let us pray to the Lord.

That there may descend upon these waters the cleansing operation of the super substantial Trinity; let us pray to the Lord.

That there may be sent down upon it the Grace of Redemption, the blessing of the Jordan; let us pray to the Lord.

That we may be illumined with the Light of Knowledge and Piety through the descent of the Holy Spirit; let us pray to the Lord.

That this water may become the gift of sanctification, redemption from sins, for the healing of soul and body, and

That it may become water welling up to eternal life; let us pray to the Lord.

That this water may prove effectual for the averting of every plot of visible and invisible enemies; let us pray to the Lord.

For those who are sprinkled with it and take it for the blessing of homes; let us pray to the Lord.

That it may be for the purification of soul and body to all who with faith take and drink of it; let us pray to the Lord.

That we may be granted to be filled with sanctification through drinking this water, by the invisible manifestation of the Holy Spirit; let us pray to the Lord.

That the Lord God may listen to the voice of the prayer of us sinners and have mercy on us; let us pray to the Lord.

For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger and constraint, let us pray to the Lord.

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by your grace.

Commemorating our all-holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us entrust ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To you, O Lord.

The Priest reads the following prayer in a low voice.

When there is no Deacon, by necessity the Priest reads this prayer while the Prophecies are being read.

PRIEST (inaudibly)

Lord Jesus Christ, only-begotten Son, who are in the bosom of the Father, true God, source of life and immortality, Light from Light, who came into the world to enlighten it, flood our mind with light by your Holy Spirit and accept us as we bring you praise and thanksgiving for your wondrous mighty works from every age, and for your saving dispensation in these last times. By it you clothe yourself in our weak and beggared matter and coming down to the measure of our servitude, King of all, you accepted also to be baptised in the Jordan by the hand of a servant, so that, having sanctified the nature of the waters, you, the sinless one, might make a way for our rebirth through water and Spirit and re-establish us in our original freedom. As we celebrate the memory of this divine Mystery, we entreat you, Master, lover of mankind: Sprinkle on us, your unworthy servants, cleansing water, in accordance with your divine promise, the gift of your compassion, that the request of us sinners over this water may become acceptable by your goodness and that through it your blessing to be granted to us and to all your faithful people, to the glory of your holy, venerated Name.