Having come to the end of the forty days, we beseech You, O Lord and Lover of Humankind: May we also behold the holy week of your Passion, and glorify in it your lofty deed and your ineffable work of salvation, as we sing with one voice: O Lord, glory to You.

Desiring to see the tomb of Lazarus, O Lord, even though you were going to dwell willingly in the tomb, You asked: Where have you placed him? And, when You learned that which You already knew, You called to the one whom You loved: Lazarus, come forth from the tomb! And Death obeyed the Giver of Life, the Savior of our souls.
 

He who has heaven as his throne and earth as his footstool, the Son and coeternal Word of the Father, humbles himself to mount a senseless beast, as He comes to Bethany. Carrying branches, the Hebrew children welcome Him saying: Hosanna in the highest; blessed is He who is coming, the King of Israel!

You rode on the foal of a donkey to symbolize for the Gentiles the triumph of the Savior. Therefore, Israel, your beloved, offers You praise, O Christ, through the mouths of infants and babes, the witnesses of your entrance into the Holy City, six days before the Passover.
 

When You were going to your Passion, O Lord, You confirmed the faith of your disciples by taking them aside and saying: How can you forget the words I have spoken to you? The Scriptures say that all the prophets die only in Jerusalem!

Now the time of which I have spoken to you has arrived; behold, I shall be delivered into the hands of sinners; they shall mock Me and nail Me to the Cross; and after burying Me, they shall number Me among the dead. Take courage, however, for I shall rise on the third day, to bring joy and eternal life to all the faithful.

 

You have heard of the condemnation of the one who hid the talent; O my soul, do not hide the word of God. Proclaim his wonders and increase his gifts, that you may enter into the joy of your Lord.

When You shall come in glory with the powers of heaven, to be seated on the throne of judgment, O Jesus, do not cast me far away from You, O Good Shepherd. On your right are the paths that lead to You, and on your left are those who turn away from You. Do not make me perish with the goats, even though I have been disfigured by sin. But place me on your right with your sheep, and in your love for humankind, save me.
 

Commemoration of the betrayal of our Lord by Judas,
and the anointing of our Lord by Mary at Bethany

While the sinful woman was offering You her ointment, your disciple conspired against You. She rejoiced to pour out the most precious perfume , while he hastened to sell the One who is beyond price. As she came to recognize her Lord, the disciple separated himself; she was set free, while Judas became enslaved to the Enemy. She was ennobled through repentance, while he was disgraced by his vile actions. O Savior, who suffered for us, grant us your forgiveness and save us.

 

The establishment of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper,
and the washing of the feet of the disciples by Jesus

Peter hesitated to have his feet washed by the most pure hands that once created Adam, but, at the word of Christ who said: If I do not wash you, Simon, you shall have no part with me, he was seized with fear and cried out: Not only my feet, Lord, but also my hands and my head! O, the tremendous gifts of the Savior! He lets his disciples participate in his grace, and He promises that they shall share in his ineffable glory; He said in giving them the mystical cup that He would drink it again with them in the kingdom of heaven. Grant we, too, may drink from it, in your mercy and your love for humanity.

The all-pure Virgin seeing You, O Word, lifted upon the Cross today, lamented as a mother. Her heart bursting with sorrow and moaning from the depths of her soul, her countenance deeply scarred with grief, she cried out so mournfully: O divine Child, how great is my sorrow.

O Light of the world, O Lamb of God, why have You passed from my sight? Beholding all this, the heavenly hosts were struck with fear, and they cried out: O incomprehensible Lord, glory to You.
 

Today the Abyss sighed and cried out: My power has been destroyed. For I received a dead Man as one of their dead, but I could not hold Him. Then I also lost with Him all those who were under my power. From the beginning I held the dead, but now this One raises them. Glory to your Cross and Resurrection, O Lord.

Today the Abyss sighed and cried out: My power has been swallowed up! For the Shepherd, crucified, has resurrected Adam; and those whom I held, I lost. Those whom I swallowed, I have given up. For the One they crucified has emptied the graves, and the power of Death has vanished. Glory to your Cross and Resurrection, O Lord .

All text are from Vesper Stichera of Holy Week, The Lenten Triodion, Sisters of Saint Basil, Uniontown, PA.