Isaiah 66.10-24 (6th Hour)

10Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and all you⌃ that love her hold in her a general assembly: rejoice greatly with her, all that now mourn over her: 11that you⌃ may suck, and be satisfied with the breast of her consolation; that you⌃ may milk out, and delight yourselves with the influx of her glory. 12For thus says the Lord, Behold, I turn toward them as a river of peace, and as a torrent bringing upon them in a flood the glory of the Gentiles: their children shall be borne upon the shoulders, and comforted on the knees. 13As if his mother should comfort one, so will I also comfort you; and you⌃ shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14And you⌃ shall see, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall thrive like grass: and the hand of the Lord shall be known to them that fear him, and he shall threaten the disobedient. 15For, behold, the Lord will come as fire, and his chariots as a storm, to render his vengeance with wrath, and his rebuke with a flame of fire. 16For with the fire of the Lord all the earth shall be judged, and all flesh with his sword: many shall be slain by the Lord. 17They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves in the gardens, and eat swine's flesh in the porches, and the abominations, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, says the Lord. 18And I know their works and their imagination. I am going to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory. 19And I will leave a sign upon them, and I will send forth them that have escaped of them to the nations, to Tharsis, and Phud, and Lud, and Mosoch, and to Thobel, and to Greece, and to the isles afar off, to those who have not heard my name, nor seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. 20And they shall bring your brethren out of all nations for a gift to the Lord with horses, and chariots, in litters drawn by mules with awnings, to the holy city Jerusalem, said the Lord, as though the children of Israel should bring their sacrifices to me with psalms into the house of the Lord. 21And I will take of them priests and Levites, says the Lord. 22For as the new heaven and the new earth, which I make, remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your seed and your name continue. 23And it shall come to pass from month to month, and from sabbath to sabbath, that all flesh shall come to worship before me in Jerusalem, says the Lord. 24And they shall go forth, and see the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and they shall be a spectacle to all flesh.

Genesis 49.33-50.26 (Vespers)

33And Jacob ceased giving charges to his sons; and having lifted up his feet on the bed, he died, and was gathered to his people.

1And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept on him, and kissed him. 2And Joseph commanded his servants the embalmers to embalm his father; and the embalmers embalmed Israel. 3And they fulfilled forty days for him, for so are the days of embalming numbered; and Egypt mourned for him seventy days. 4And when the days of mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the princes of Pharao, saying, If I have found favor in your sight, speak concerning me in the ears of Pharao, saying, 5My father adjured me, saying, In the sepulchre which I dug for myself in the land of Chanaan, there you shall bury me; now then I will go up and bury my father, and return again. 6And Pharao said to Joseph, Go up, bury your father, as he constrained you to swear. 7So Joseph went up to bury his father; and all the servants of Pharao went up with him, and the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt. 8And all the household of Joseph, and his brethren, and all the house of his father, and his kindred; and they left behind the sheep and the oxen in the land of Gesem. 9And there went up with him also chariots and horsemen; and there was a very great company. 10And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan; and they bewailed him with a great and very sore lamentation; and he made a mourning for his father seven days. 11And the inhabitants of the land of Chanaan saw the mourning at the floor of Atad, and said, This is a great mourning to the Egyptians; therefore he called its name, The mourning of Egypt, which is beyond Jordan. 12And thus his sons did to him. 13So his sons carried him up into the land of Chanaan, and buried him in the double cave, which cave Abraam bought for possession of a burying place, of Ephrom the Chettite, before Mambre. 14And Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brethren, and those that had gone up with him to bury his father. 15And when the brethren of Joseph saw that their father was dead, they said, Let us take heed, lest at any time Joseph remember evil against us, and recompense to us all the evils which we have done against him. 16And they came to Joseph, and said, Your father adjured us before his death, saying, 17Thus say you⌃ to Joseph, Forgive them their injustice and their sin, forasmuch as they have done you evil; and now pardon the injustice of the servants of the God of your father. And Joseph wept while they spoke to him. 18And they came to him and said, We, these persons, are your servants. 19And Joseph said to them, Fear not, for I am God's. 20You⌃ took counsel against me for evil, but God took counsel for me for good, that the matter might be as it is today, and much people might be fed. 21And he said to them, Fear not, I will maintain you, and your families: and he comforted them, and spoke kindly to them. 22And Joseph lived in Egypt, he and his brethren, and all the family of his father; and Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. 23And Joseph saw the children of Ephraim to the third generation; and the sons of Machir the son of Manasse were borne on the sides of Joseph. 24And Joseph spoke to his brethren, saying, I die, and God will surely visit you, and will bring you out of this land to the land concerning which God swore to our fathers, Abraam, Isaac, and Jacob. 25And Joseph adjured the sons of Israel, saying, At the visitation with which God shall visit you, then you⌃ shall carry up my bones hence with you. 26And Joseph died, aged one hundred and ten years; and they prepared his corpse, and put him in a coffin in Egypt.

Proverbs 31.8-31 (Vespers)

8Open your mouth with the word of God, and judge all fairly. 9Open your mouth and judge justly, and plead the cause of the poor and weak. 10Who shall find a virtuous woman? for such a one is more valuable than precious stones. 11The heart of her husband trusts in her: such a one shall stand in no need of fine spoils. 12For she employs all her living for her husband's good. 13Gathering wool and flax, she makes it serviceable with her hands. 14She is like a ship trading from a distance: so she procures her livelihood. 15And she rises by night, and gives food to her household, and appointed tasks to her maidens. 16She views a farm, and buys it: and with the fruit of her hands she plants a possession. 17She strongly girds her loins, and strengthens her arms for work. 18And she finds by experience that working is good; and her candle goes not out all night. 19She reaches forth her arms to needful works, and applies her hands to the spindle. 20And she opens her hands to the needy, and reaches out fruit to the poor. 21Her husband is not anxious about those at home when he tarries anywhere abroad: for all her household are clothed. 22She makes for her husband clothes of double texture, and garments for herself of fine linen and scarlet. 23And her husband becomes a distinguished person in the gates, when he sits in council with the old inhabitants of the land. 24She makes fine linens, and sells girdles to the Chananites: she opens her mouth heedfully and with propriety, and controls her tongue. 25She puts on strength and honor; and rejoices in the last days. 26But she opens her mouth wisely, and according to law. 27The ways of her household are careful, and she eats not the bread of idleness. 28And her kindness to them sets up her children for them, and they grow rich, and her husband praises her. 29Many daughters have obtained wealth, many have wrought valiantly; but you have exceeded, you have surpassed all. 30Charms are false, and woman's beauty is vain: for it is a wise woman that is blessed, and let her praise the fear the Lord. 31Give her of the fruit of her lips; and let her husband be praised in the gates.

Hebrews 2.11-18 (Epistle, Theotokos)

11For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12saying, “I will declare your name to my brothers. Among the congregation I will sing your praise.”

13Again, “I will put my trust in him.” Again, “Behold, here I am with the children whom God has given me.” 14Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he also himself in the same way partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and might deliver all of them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16For most certainly, he doesn’t give help to angels, but he gives help to the offspring of Abraham. 17Therefore he was obligated in all things to be made like his brothers, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. 18For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

Luke 1.24-38 (Gospel, Theotokos)

24After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and she hid herself five months, saying, 25“Thus has the Lord done to me in the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach among men.”

26Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!”

29But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be. 30The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘Jesus.’ 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.”

34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?”

35The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God. 36Behold, Elizabeth your relative also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37For nothing spoken by God is impossible.”

38Mary said, “Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Leavetaking of Annunciation

Each of the Great Feasts of the Church is followed by a commemoration of some holy one who figures in the events of the Feast. So, today we commemorate the Holy Archangel Gabriel, who brought the glad news of the conception of Christ to Mary, the Theotokos. The Prologue gives the following teaching:

“The herald of the incarnation of the Son of God, he is one of the seven great angels who stand before the throne of God. He revealed to Zacharias the birth of the Forerunner, and said of himself: ‘I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God’ (Lk. 1:19). His name, Gabriel, signifies ‘man of God’. Speaking about the Annunciation, the holy Fathers comment that an angel with such a name was sent to signify who He was, and of what nature He was, who would be born of the most pure Virgin. He would be the Man of God, the Man-God, the strong and mighty God. Others have found that it was this same Gabriel who announced the conception of the Virgin Mary to Joachim and Anna, and that it was he who taught Moses in the wilderness to write the Book of Genesis. The holy Fathers consider that Gabriel belongs to the foremost and highest order of the heavenly powers, the seraphim, since the seraphim stand closest to God. And so he is one of the seven seraphim closest to God. The names of these seven are: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selathiel, Jegudiel and Barachiel. Some would add Jeremiel to this number. Each has his own particular service, but all are equal in honour. Why did God not send Michael? For the reason that Michael’s service is the suppression of the enemies of God’s truth, while Gabriel’s is the annunciation of the salvation of the human race.”

Synaxis of Archangel Gabriel

On this day all the many visitations and miracles of the holy Archangel, recorded in Holy Scripture and ever since, are commemorated. This feast duplicates the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel that is celebrated on March 26, the day after Annunciation; it is thought that it was added to the calendar here some time in the ninth century, so that it could be celebrated more festively outside of Great Lent.