MATINS
CHOIR
Mode pl. 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.
From Octoechos - - -
Resurrectional Apolytikion.
Mode pl. 1. Automelon.
Τὸν συνάναρχον Λόγον.
As the Father and Spirit are unoriginate, * so the Word, who was born from the Virgin for us. * Let us praise Him, O believers, and let us worship Him. * For our salvation He was pleased * to be crucified in the flesh, * and to undergo death, * and to resurrect the dead, by His glorious resurrection.[GOASD]
From Triodion - - -
Glory. For the Devout Woman.
Mode pl. 4.
In you, O Mother, is preserved undistorted what was made in the image of God; for taking up the cross, you followed Christ and by example taught, that we should overlook the flesh, since it passes away, and instead look after the soul, since it is immortal. And therefore, O devout Mary, your spirit rejoices with the angels.[SD]
Both now. Theotokion.
You were born of a Virgin, and You endured crucifixion for us, O good Lord. By Your death You divested death of spoils, and You displayed resurrection, as God. Please do not despise us, the work of Your hand. Demonstrate Your loving kindness, O merciful Master. Defer to Your Mother, the Theotokos, when she intercedes on our behalf, and save us, Your people in despair, O Savior.[GOASD]
PRIEST
Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.
Remembering our all-holy, immaculate, most blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.
To You, O Lord.
For Yours is the dominion, and Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
Amen.
Kathisma I.
Mode pl. 1. As the Father and Spirit.
Let us honor the Cross of the Lord with solemn praise. * Let us sing hymns extolling His holy burial. * Let us highly glorify His resurrection from the dead. * For, being God, He raised the dead from the graves with himself. * He shined light on those in Hades, annihilating the power of death and the devil’s might.[GOASD]
Glory.
Lord, You who deadened death were described as being dead. You who emptied tombs had been buried in a tomb. Above, soldiers guarded the sepulcher; below, You resurrected the dead of all ages. Lord almighty and incomprehensible, glory to You![GOASD]
Hail, gate of the Lord, through which no man has passed! * Wall and shelter of all who rely on you, rejoice! * Port and haven undisturbed by any tempest, rejoice! * You gave birth to your Creator and God in the flesh, * ever remaining a virgin. * Never cease interceding for us who worship and extol your Son.[GOASD]
Kathisma II.
After You had risen on the third day, O Lord, and the Apostles had worshiped You, Peter said to You, “The women were courageous, but I was afraid. The robber stated Your divinity, but I denied knowing You. Will You ever call me Your disciple again, or will you send me back to be a fisher of the sea? I pray You to receive me in repentance, O God, and save me.”[GOASD]
The villains had You crucified between the convicts. And they pierced Your side with a spear, O merciful Master. You accepted burial. You destroyed the gates of Hades, and You rose on the third day. The Women ran to see You, and they announced Your resurrection to the Apostles. Supremely exalted Savior, whom the Angels extol, O blessed Lord, glory to You![GOASD]
Bride unwedded and Mother of God, you are the one * who turned Eve’s pain and sorrow into exultant joy. * We the faithful sing your praises and we honor you; * for you have lifted us up from the ancient curse. * All-lauded, all-holy Virgin, * never cease interceding with your Son and God to save our souls.[GOASD]
Resurrectional Evlogetaria.
Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your statutes.
When the hosts of the Angels saw how You were accounted among the dead, they all marveled. You, O Savior, are the One who destroyed the might of death; and when You arose You raised Adam with yourself and from Hades liberated everyone.[SD]
“Why do you mingle the ointments with your tears full of pity, O women disciples?” Thus the Angel who was shining in the tomb cried to the myrrh-bearing women. “See for yourselves the empty tomb and understand, that the Savior has risen from the sepulcher.”
Very early in the morning, the myrrh-bearing women were hastening to Your tomb lamenting. But the Angel appeared to them and uttered, “The time for lamentation has ended; weep no more. Go announce the Resurrection to the Apostles.”
When the myrrh-bearing women had come with their spices to Your sepulcher, O Savior, they heard the voice of an Angel clearly speaking to them, “Why do you account among the dead the One who lives? For as God, He has risen from the sepulcher.”
We bow down in worship to the Father and His Son and the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, one in essence; and we cry aloud with the Seraphim: Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O Lord.
Both now.
Giving birth to the Giver of life, O Virgin, you delivered Adam from sin, and to Eve you have rendered joy in place of sorrow. He who from you became incarnate, God and man, has directed to life him who fell from it.
Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. Glory to You, O God. (3)
For blessed is Your name, and glorified is Your kingdom, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
READER
Hypakoe. Mode pl. 1.
Mentally amazed by the angelic apparition, inwardly illumined by the divine resurrection, the Myrrh-bearing Women brought good tidings to the Apostles. “Proclaim the resurrection of the Lord among the Gentiles, as He works with you by signs and miracles, and He grants to us the great mercy.”[GOASD]
Anavathmoi.
Antiphon 1. Mode pl. 1.
In my affliction, like David, I sing to You, my Savior. Deliver my soul from a deceitful tongue.[GOASD]
Blessed is the life of those who dwell in the desert, as they mount up with wings of the intense love of God.[GOASD]
Glory. Both now.
By the Holy Spirit are all things maintained, both seen and unseen; for He is inseparably one of the Trinity with full authority.[GOASD]
Antiphon 2.
Omy soul, let us be lifted to the mountains. Come to the One, from whom help comes.[GOASD]
OChrist, let Your soaring right hand keep me from every kind of mischief.[GOASD]
To the Holy Spirit we say, theologizing, “You are God, life and intense love, light and mind. You are goodness, and You reign forever.”[GOASD]
Antiphon 3.
When they say to me, “Let us go into the courts of the Lord,” I am filled with great joy, and I send up my prayers.[GOASD]
Over the house of David fearful things will be accomplished; a fire will be there, burning every shameful thought.[GOASD]
In the Holy Spirit, as in the Father and the Logos, is the principle of life; and by Him every living being is animated.[GOASD]
Prokeimenon.
Arise, O Lord my God, for You reign unto the ages. (2)
Verse: I will give thanks to You, O Lord, with my whole heart.
Arise, O Lord my God, for You reign unto the ages.[SAAS]
The Canon
Canon for the Resurrection.
Ode i. Mode pl. 1. Heirmos.
Ἵππον καὶ ἀναβάτην.
He who brings wars to nothing with arm exalted is Christ. * Horse and rider of Egypt He shook off; and He threw them in the midst of the Red Sea * and delivered Israel, * who were singing a song of victory.[SD]
Troparia.
Glory to Your holy Resurrection, O Lord.
Thorn-bearing, the assembly of the leaders of the Jews, * did not show You, O Benefactor, tender maternal love. * O Christ, they berated You, * as You wore a crown of thorns * and released Adam from the curse of thorns.[SD]
Giver of life, not liable to fall, You came to the pit, * and You raised me who fell; and You endured my putrid decay, * without being touched by it; * and You made me fragrant, * with Your divine essence’s perfume, O Christ.[SD]
Most-holy Theotokos, save us.
Theotokion.
Loosed is the curse. The sentence of pain and sorrow at birth * is suspended; for Mary, who is blessed and is full of grace, * has caused joy to rise for all. * She gave birth to Christ our God, * and blossomed blessing for the whole wide world.[SD]
Canon from the Triodion.
Mode pl. 4. N/M (Of old when the Israelite.)
Ὑγρὰν διοδεύσας.
Glory to You, our God, glory to You.
The excess of my lusts has made me like the rich man ⁄ who lived each day in luxury. ⁄ Therefore I pray to You, Savior: ⁄ Deliver me from the fire as You delivered Lazarus.[OCA]
Iam clothed in sensual pleasures, Savior, ⁄ Like the rich man who was clothed in fine linen, gold and purple. ⁄ But do not send me, like him, into the fire![OCA]
The rich man once rejoiced in the wealth and luxury of this corruptible life, ⁄ And so he was condemned to torment; ⁄ But Lazarus the poor man gained rest and refreshment![OCA]
The hosts of angels and mortal men praise you, Virgin Mother, ⁄ For you carried their Creator as a child in your arms![OCA]
Ode iii. Mode pl. 1. Heirmos.
Ὁ πήξας ἐπʼ οὐδενός.
OLord, You established earth on nothing by Your command, * and You made it free floating, heavy though it be. * Do likewise now establish Your Church on Your divine commandments, * as on a rock that is immovable. * You alone are good and humane, O Christ.[SD]
Ungrateful towards You were the children of Israel, * for all the good You did them in the wilderness. * You performed a wonder, and a rock gave honey, which they suckled. * Now in return they give You gall, O Christ; * for the manna, they give You vinegar.[SD]
Descendants of those who were shielded by the shining cloud * laid inside a tomb Christ the Lord and life himself. * Since in His own power He rose, from on high He sent the Spirit’s * illumination that now mystically * overshadows all who believe in Him.[SD]
You virginally and without labor gave birth to Him * who shone forth eternally from the undefiled * Father and became Mother of God. Therefore we orthodoxly * proclaim that you are Theotokos, for you * carried in your womb the incarnate Word.[SD]
Mode pl. 4. N/M (Lord, You are the firm.)
Σὺ εἶ τὸ στερέωμα.
Christ, as You saved Lazarus from the flame, ⁄ deliver me, Your unworthy servant, from the fire of hell.[OCA]
Lord, I am as wealthy as the rich man in passions and lusts, ⁄ yet in my lack of virtues I am as poor as Lazarus! But save me![OCA]
Through his sins the rich man was clothed in scarlet and fine linen, ⁄ and so he burns in the flames.[OCA]
All-pure Lady, you drive off the assaults of harsh calamity. ⁄ Give us help through your intercessions![OCA]
For You are our God, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
Resurrectional Kontakion.
O my Savior, You descended into the netherworld, and You shattered its gates, for You are almighty God. O Creator, with yourself You raised the dead of all time, and You utterly destroyed the sting of death, O Christ. O benevolent Master, You freed Adam from the ancient curse. Therefore we all cry to You: Save us, O Lord.[GOASD]
Oikos.
When the women heard the Angel’s words, they put away their grief; and they rejoiced with trembling as they saw the resurrection. And behold, Christ came to them and said, “Rejoice! Take courage! I have overcome the world and have rescued the prisoners. Go quickly now to the Disciples and tell them that I am going before them to proclaim it in the region of Galilee.” Therefore we all cry to You: Save us, O Lord.[GOASD]
Kontakion.
Mode 3. On this day.
You were once completely full of fornication of all kinds. But today you show yourself a Bride of Christ through repentance. Longingly you imitated the Angels’ lifestyle. With the Cross, being your weapon, you trampled demons. Therefore, glorious Saint Mary, you have appeared as a bride of heaven’s realm.[SD]
Ewe of Christ and daughter, now in song we praise you, O Mary most renowned. Accounted the Egyptians’ nursling, but yet fleeing all their error, you were altogether offered as a seedling precious to the Church. With self-control and supplication, you practiced asceticism beyond the measure of human nature. Therefore you were exalted in Christ, through way of life and practice. Glorious Saint Mary, you have appeared as a bride of heaven’s realm.[SD]
Stand for the reading of the Synaxarion.
Synaxarion
From the Menaion.
On April 21 we commemorate the holy Hieromartyr and bishop Januarius; the deacons Proculus, Sosius, and Faustus; the reader Desiderius; and Eutychius and Acutius.
On this day we also commemorate the holy Martyr Alexandra the Queen.
On this day we also commemorate the holy Martyrs Apollo, Isaakios, and Quadratus, who died by hunger and the sword.
On this day we also commemorate our father among the saints Maximian, Patriarch of Constantinople.
On this day we also commemorate our devout father Anastasios of Sinai.
From the Triodion.
On this day, the fifth Sunday of Lent, we have been enjoined to observe the memory of our devout Mother Mary of Egypt.
Verses
Her spirt is gone, the flesh long discarded.
O earth, now hide the dead bones of Mary.
By her intercessions, O God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.
Katavasias of Theotokos
Ode i. Mode 4.
Iopen my mouth and pray the Spirit fill it, like David said, * to pour out a good word to the Queen and Mother of God. * I will celebrate * her feast with joy and gladness * and sing to her merrily, lauding her miracles.[GOASD]
Ode iii.
Establish your servants who extol you, * O Mother of God, for they have formed * a spiritual choir for you * the living and abundant fount; * and graciously in your divine glory give glorious crowns to them.[GOASD]
Ode iv.
When the Prophet Habakkuk heard the divine * and incomprehensible counsel of Your Incarnation * from the Virgin, O Most High, * considering, he cried aloud: * Glory to Your strength, O Lord my God.[GOASD]
Ode v.
Amazed was the universe by your divine magnificence. * You who were perpetually virgin * carried the heavenly God of all in your womb * and gave birth to the eternal Son, * who awards salvation to all who sing hymns of praise to you.[GOASD]
Ode vi.
Ogodly-minded believers, come * and celebrate this sacred and venerable feast and thus extol * the Theotokos, and clap our hands, * and glorify our God who was truly born of her.[GOASD]
Ode vii.
Godly-minded three * did not adore created things in the Creator’s stead; * rather, disdaining the threat * of fire, they trampled it, and joyfully they sang: * “O supremely praised * and most exalted Lord and God * of the fathers, You are blessed.”[GOASD]
Ode viii.
We praise and we bless and we worship the Lord.
Guiltless were those Servants in the furnace. * The Son of the Theotokos went and rescued them. * He who was prefigured then, * having been incarnate now, * is gathering the whole wide world into His Church to sing: * “O all you works of the Lord, to all ages * sing praises to the Lord and exalt Him beyond measure.”[GOASD]
Stand for the Gospel reading.
DEACON
Let us pray to the Lord.
For You, our God, are holy, and You rest among the holy ones, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
Mode 2.
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. (2) Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.[SAAS]
Let us pray to the Lord our God that we may be made worthy to hear the holy Gospel.
Lord, have mercy. (3)
Wisdom. Arise. Let us hear the holy Gospel.
Peace be with all.
And with your spirit.
The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Mark.
Let us be attentive.
Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You.
PRIEST (from the altar table)
Eothinon 2
Mark. 16:1-8
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back – it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, He is not here; see the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him, as He told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.[RSV]
Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless one. Your Cross, O Christ, we venerate, and Your holy Resurrection we praise and glorify. For You are our God; apart from You we know no other; we call upon Your name. Come, all faithful, let us venerate the holy Resurrection of Christ; for behold, through the Cross, joy has come to the whole world. Ever blessing the Lord, let us praise His Resurrection; for having endured the Cross for us, He destroyed death by death.[GOA]
Psalm 50 (51).
Mode 2. (or the Mode of the week)
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. And have mercy on me, O God.[SAAS]
Idiomela from the Triodion.
Glory. Mode pl. 4.
Open to me the gates of repentance, O Giver of Life, for early in the morning my spirit hastens to Your holy temple, bringing the temple of my body all defiled. But as one compassionate, cleanse me, I pray, by Your loving-kindness and mercy.[SD]
Both now. Same Mode.
Guide me in the paths of salvation, O Theotokos, for I have befouled my soul with shameful sins and I heedlessly squandered all of my life’s resources. By your intercession deliver me from every uncleanness.[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.
When I ponder in my wretchedness on the many terrible things that I have done, I tremble for that fearful day, the Day of Judgment. But trusting in the mercy of Your compassion, like David I cry to You, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy.”[SD]
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 intercessions of our all-immaculate Lady Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, by the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, the protection of the honorable, heavenly, bodiless powers, the supplications of the honorable, glorious prophet and forerunner John the Baptist, the holy, glorious, and praiseworthy 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 wonderworkers; the holy, glorious, great martyrs George the triumphant, Demetrios the myrrh-streamer, Theodore the soldier, and Theodore the general; Menas the wonderworker; Charalambos and Eleutherios, the hieromartyrs; 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; our venerable and God-bearing fathers; (local patron saint); holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna; our devout Mother Mary of Egypt, whose memory we celebrate, and all Your saints:
We beseech you, only merciful Lord, hear us sinners who pray to you and have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy. (12)
Through the mercy, compassion, and love for humankind of Your only-begotten Son, with whom You are blessed, and Your all-holy, good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
Stand for the singing of Ode ix.
Let us honor and magnify in song the Theotokos and the Mother of the light.
Ode ix.
The Magnificat. Mode 4.
Verse: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.[NKJV]
Greater in honor than the Cherubim, and in glory greater beyond compare than the Seraphim; you without corruption gave birth to God the Word, and are truly Theotokos. You do we magnify.[GOASD]
Verse: For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.[NKJV]
Verse: For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.[NKJV]
Verse: He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.[NKJV]
Verse: He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.[NKJV]
Verse: He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.[NKJV]
Ode ix. Katavasia. Mode 4.
All you born on earth, * with festival lamps in hand, in spirit leap for joy; * and all you the heavenly angelic orders, join in and celebrate; * and honoring the sacred wonders of the Mother of God, * sing the joyful salutation, “O rejoice, * Theotokos, all-blest, ever-virgin pure!”[GOASD]
For all the powers of heaven praise You, and to You they offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
Holy is the Lord our God. (2)[SAAS]
Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at the footstool of His feet.
For He is holy.
Exaposteilarion.
Eothinon 2.
Mode 2. Let us in faith.
Τοῖς Μαθηταῖς συνέλθωμεν.
The Myrrh-bearers were filled with joy, * seeing the very large stone * had been rolled back. And entering * the tomb, they saw a young man * who was sitting on the right side. * And he addressed them, saying, * “Christ has risen from the dead! * Go, tell Peter and the disciples, and say, * ‘You will meet in Galilee on the mountain, * and there He will appear to you, * His friends, as He had told you.’”[GOASD]
For the Devout Woman.
Exaposteilarion. From the Triodion.
Mode 3. Having embellished heaven.
Ὁ οὐρανὸν τοῖς ἄστροις.
We have you as an example * of true repentance, O devout Mary. * To Christ pray intently * that in this season of the Fast * we be granted to praise you * in songs with faith and longing.[SD]
Osweetness of the Angels, * O joy of those in affliction, * and the protectress of Christians, * O Virgin Mother of the Lord, * come to my aid and redeem me * from the eternal torments.[SD]
Lauds. Mode pl. 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.
Resurrectional Stichera.
To fulfill among them the written judgment: this glory have all His holy ones.[SAAS]
The sepulcher was firmly sealed by villains, O Lord. But You came forth from the tomb, much like You were born from the Theotokos. Your bodiless Angels did not know how You became incarnate, and the soldiers who were guarding You did not notice when You rose. Both of these miracles were confirmed to the prophets who inquired and revealed to them, who by faith revered the mystery. Which we now extol; and we pray You restore to us the joy and the great mercy.[GOASD]
Praise God in His saints; praise Him in the firmament of His power.[SAAS]
When You had crushed the age-old bars and broken the chains to pieces, You rose from the tomb, O Lord. And You left the grave clothes behind, as evidence that You were truly buried for three days. And You proceeded to Galilee, You who had been held in custody in a rock-hewn tomb. Great is Your mercy, incomprehensible Savior! Have mercy on us.[GOASD]
Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness.[SAAS]
The women ran to the tomb, O Lord, to see You, the Christ, who had suffered for us. When they came, they found an Angel sitting on the stone, which he had fearsomely rolled back. And he said to the women, “The Lord has risen! Go tell His disciples, ‘The Savior of our souls has risen from the dead!’”[GOASD]
Praise Him with the sound of trumpet; praise Him with the harp and lyre.[SAAS]
OLord, just like You exited the sepulcher, although it was sealed, so You entered where Your disciples were, the doors being shut. You showed them the injuries You suffered on Your body, which You accepted and bore with long-suffering, O Savior. As the progeny of David, You endured the wounds; as the Son of God, You freed the world. Great is Your mercy, incomprehensible Savior! Have mercy on us.[GOASD]
Stichera. For the Devout Woman.
Mode pl. 2. When the saints deposited.
Ὅλην ἀποθέμενοι.
Praise Him with timbrel and dance; praise Him with strings and flute.[SAAS]
Your prolonged polluted state * with all your prior defilements * like a wall prevented you * from beholding the august holy sites of Christ. * Then your mind went to God, * when a prick of conscience * and awareness of what you had done * had their effect on you, * to a higher lifestyle converting you. * For gazing at the icon of * ever-blessed Mary the Maid of God, * you condemned your every * transgression in the past, all-lauded one, * and then with confidence you adored * the all-precious Cross of Christ.[SD]
Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with triumphant cymbals; let everything that breathes praise the Lord.[SAAS]
Verse: I waited patiently for the Lord, and He heeded me; and He heard my supplication.[SAAS]
After you had worshiped in * the Holy Lands with rejoicing, * therein also you received * the salvific means for your * road to excellence. * And you ran earnestly * the fine way of virtue. * Having crossed the Jordan River’s stream, * unhesitatingly * you began your residence in the place * where John the Baptist lived before. * And by your ascetical way of life * you subdued the passions’ * ferociousness with confidence, O Saint, * and carnal throbbings you minimized, * Mother ever-memorable.[SD]
Verse: And He established my feet on a rock and kept straight my steps.[SAAS]
Dwelling in the wilderness, * you blotted out every image * of the passions from your soul, * having in their place instead * printed on your soul * the sublime Godlike form * of the holy virtues. * And you shone forth to such an extent * that you were able to * fly across the waters, O blessed one, * and levitate above the ground * when you raised your hands up to God in prayer. * Now, O blessed Mother * all-glorious Saint Mary, as you stand * before the Master with confidence, * importunely pray for us.[SD]
Glory. From the Triodion.
Mode 1.
The Kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and ascetic practice and holiness; therefore rich men will never enter it, but only those who place their treasures into the hands of the needy. This is what David the Prophet teaches when he says, “Righteous is the man, who is merciful day in and out, who delights in the Lord. He walks in the light; he will not stumble.” All of this was written for our edification, that, while fasting, we do acts of kindness; and the Lord will give us, instead of earthly gifts, the things of heaven.[SD]
You are supremely blessed, O Virgin Theotokos. For through Him who from you became incarnate, Hades has been captured, and Adam has been called back; the curse has been killed, and Eve has been freed; death has been put to death, and we have been brought back to life. Therefore we extol Him and cry out, “O Christ our God, You are blessed, for so was Your good pleasure. Glory to You!”[GOASD]
Stand for the Great Doxology.
Great Doxology
Glory be to You who showed the light. Glory in the highest to God. His peace is on earth, His good pleasure in mankind.[SD]
We praise You, we bless You, we worship You, we glorify You, we give thanks to You for Your great glory.
Lord King, heavenly God, Father, Ruler over all; Lord, only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ; and You, O Holy Spirit.
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us, You who take away the sins of the world.
Accept our supplication, 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.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, this day, that we be kept 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.
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.
After the Doxology, sing the following Resurrectional Troparion.
Mode 4. (or the Mode of the week)
Today has salvation come to pass in the world. Let us sing to Him who resurrected from the tomb and is the Author of our life. For, destroying death by death, He gave us the victory and the great mercy.[SD]
Or, according to the older practice:
Mode pl. 4. (or the Mode of the week)
When You rose from the sepulcher and broke the bonds of Hades, You repealed the sentence of death, O Lord, and delivered all from the snares of the enemy. And when You showed yourself to Your Apostles, You sent them out to preach, and through them You granted peace to the whole world, O only very merciful One.
LITURGY OF ST. BASIL
ENARXIS, PEACE LITANY, AND ANTIPHONS
Master, give the blessing.
Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
In peace let us pray to the Lord.
CHOIR (after each petition)
For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
For the peace of the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity 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 honorable presbyterate, for the diaconate in Christ, and for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.
For our country, the president, all those in public service, and for our armed forces everywhere, let us pray to the Lord.
For the Holy and Great Church of Christ, for our Sacred Archdiocese, [for this Sacred Metropolis,] for this city and parish, for every city and land, and for the faithful who live in them, let us pray to the Lord.
For favorable weather, for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
For those who travel by land, sea, and air, for the sick, the suffering, the captives and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and distress, let us pray to the Lord.
PRIEST (in a low voice)
PRAYER OF FIRST ANTIPHON
Lord, our God, whose dominion is incomparable and glory incomprehensible; whose mercy is immeasurable, and love for humankind ineffable: Look upon us and upon this holy house in Your loving-kindness, and grant to us and to those who pray with us Your abundant mercy and compassion.
PRIEST (aloud)
For to You belong all glory, honor, and worship, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
Antiphon 1. Mode 2.
Verse 1: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and everything within me, bless His holy name.[SAAS]
Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.
Verse 2: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His rewards.
Verse 3: The Lord prepared His throne in heaven, and His Kingdom rules over all.
Small Litany
PRAYER OF SECOND ANTIPHON
Lord, our God, save Your people and bless Your inheritance. Protect the all the members of Your Church. Sanctify those who love the beauty of Your house. Glorify them in return by Your divine power, and forsake us not who have set our hope in You.
Antiphon 2. Mode 2.
Verse 1: Praise the Lord, O my soul! I shall praise the Lord while I live; I shall sing to my God as long as I exist.[SAAS]
Save us, O Son of God, risen from the dead. We sing to You, Alleluia.
Verse 2: Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob; his hope is in the Lord his God.
Verse 3: The Lord shall reign forever; your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Only-begotten Son and Logos of God, being immortal, You condescended for our salvation to take flesh from the holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary and, without change, became man. Christ, our God, You were crucified and conquered death by death. Being one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit: Save us.
PRAYER OF THIRD ANTIPHON
Lord, You have granted us to offer these common prayers in unison and have promised that when two or three agree in Your name, You will grant their requests. Fulfill now, O Lord, the petitions of Your servants as may be of benefit to them, granting us in the present age the knowledge of Your truth, and in the age to come eternal life.
For You are good and benevolent God, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
Verse 1: This is the day the Lord made; let us greatly rejoice and be glad therein.[SAAS]
Verse 2: Let heaven and earth praise Him.
THE ENTRANCE
As the Third Antiphon is being sung (with its verses), the Priest and Deacon bow three times before the holy Table. Then the Priest gives the holy Gospel to the Deacon, who kisses the Priest’s hand as he receives it, and then circles the holy Table with the Priest following him. Preceded by altar servers holding candles and fans, they exit through the north door for the so-called Small Entrance. When there is no Deacon, the Priest takes the holy Gospel and holds it up in front of his face. When they reach the center of the church, they stop and bow their heads, and the Deacon says in a low voice:
DEACON (in a low voice)
Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
ENTRANCE PRAYER
Master, Lord our God, who has established the orders and hosts of angels and archangels in heaven to minister to Your glory, grant that holy angels may enter with us, that together we may celebrate and glorify Your goodness. For to You belong all glory, honor, and worship, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Master, bless the holy entrance.
Blessed be the entrance of Your holy ones always, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
DEACON (aloud)
Wisdom. Arise.
Entrance Hymn. Mode 2.
Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ. Save us, O Son of God, risen from the dead.
We sing to You, Alleluia.
Hymns after the Entrance.
The Apolytikion of the parish church is sung. Then:
Kontakion. Mode 2.
OProtection of Christians that never falls, intercession with the Creator that never fails, we sinners beg you, do not ignore the voices of our prayers. O good Lady, we implore you, quickly come unto our aid, when we cry out to you with faith. Hurry to intercession, and hasten to supplication, O Theotokos who protect now and ever those who honor you.[SD]
THE TRISAGIOS HYMN
PRAYER OF THE TRISAGIOS HYMN
O Holy God, who is resting among the holy ones, praised by the Seraphim with the thrice-holy voice, glorified by the Cherubim, and worshiped by every celestial power, You have brought all things into being out of nothing. You have created man according to Your image and likeness and adorned him with all the gifts of Your grace. You give wisdom and understanding to the one who asks, and You overlook not the sinner, but have set repentance as the way of salvation. You have granted us, Your humble and unworthy servants, to stand even at this hour before the glory of Your holy Altar of sacrifice and to offer to You due worship and praise. Master, accept the Trisagion Hymn also from the lips of us sinners, and visit us in Your goodness. Forgive all our voluntary and involuntary transgressions, sanctify our souls and bodies, and grant that we may worship You in holiness all the days of our lives, through the intercessions of the holy Theotokos and of all the saints who have pleased You throughout the ages.
For You, our God, are holy, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever…
and to the ages of ages.
Trisagios Hymn
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Dynamis.
With your blessing, Master.
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Master, bless the throne on high.
Blessed are You upon the throne of the glory of Your kingdom, enthroned upon the Cherubim always, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
THE READINGS
The Epistle
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Prokeimenon. Mode pl. 1. Psalm 11.
You shall guard us, O Lord; You shall preserve us.[SAAS]
Verse: Save me, O Lord, for the holy man has ceased.[SAAS]
Wisdom.
The reading is from Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews.
Heb. 9:11-14
Brethren, when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.[RSV]
Peace be with you the reader.
Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
(Alleluia is sung thrice. Verses may be found in the Liturgy - Variable Parts of the day.)
PRAYER OF THE GOSPEL
Shine in our hearts, O benevolent Lord, the pure light of Your divine knowledge, and open the eyes of our mind that we may comprehend the proclamations of Your Gospels. Instill in us the fear that Your blessed commandments inspire, so that, crushing carnal desires, we may seek the spiritual citizenship, thinking and doing all those things that are pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are the illumination of our souls and bodies, and to You we offer up glory, and to Your Father, who is without beginning, and Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
The Gospel
Mk. 10:32–45
At that time, Jesus took his twelve disciples, and he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles; and they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise.” And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him, and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant of James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”[RSV]
Peace be with you who read the Gospel.
(The litanies of Supplication and for the Catechumens and the First Prayer of the Faithful have been omitted.)
SECOND PRAYER FOR THE FAITHFUL
O God, with mercy and tender love You visited our lowliness and let us Your humble servants stand before Your holy glory to liturgize at Your holy Altar of sacrifice, sinful and unworthy that we be. We pray You enable us to perform this ministry by the power of Your Holy Spirit, and give us the words to speak when we open our mouths to invoke Your Holy Spirit’s grace on the gifts about to be offered.
That, ever guarded by Your might, we may ascribe glory to You, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
ENTRANCE OF THE HOLY GIFTS
The Cherubic Hymn.
Let us, who mystically represent the Cherubim and who sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-creating Trinity, now lay aside every worldly care. So that we may receive the King of all.
PRAYER OF THE CHERUBIC HYMN
No one bound by carnal desires and pleasures is worthy to approach, draw near, or minister to You, the King of Glory. For to serve You is great and awesome even for the heavenly powers. Yet, because of Your ineffable and immeasurable love for humankind, You impassibly and immutably became man. You, as the Master of all, became our high priest and delivered unto us the sacred service of this liturgical and bloodless sacrifice. Indeed, Lord our God, You alone reign over the celestial and the terrestrial; borne aloft on the cherubic throne, Lord of the Seraphim and King of Israel, the only holy and resting among the holy ones. I now beseech You, who alone are good and inclined to hear: Look down upon me, Your sinful and unprofitable servant, and cleanse my soul and heart of a wicked conscience. Vested as I am with the grace of priesthood by the power of Your Holy Spirit, make me sufficient to stand before Your holy Table and perform the sacrament of Your holy and pure Body and Your precious Blood. I come before You, with my head bowed, and I implore You: Turn not Your face away from me, nor reject me from among Your children, but make me, Your sinful and unworthy servant, worthy to offer these gifts to You. For You are the One who both offers and is offered, the One who is received and is distributed, O Christ our God, and to You we offer up glory, and to Your Father, who is without beginning, and Your all-holy and good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Let us, who mystically represent the Cherubim and who sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-creating Trinity, now lay aside every worldly care. * So that we may receive the King of all. Who is invisibly escorted by the angelic hosts. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. (3)
May the Lord God remember all of you in His kingdom always, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
Who is invisibly escorted by the angelic hosts. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
LITANY OF COMPLETION
Let us complete our prayer to the Lord.
For the precious Gifts here presented, let us pray to the Lord.
That the whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us ask the Lord.
Grant this, O Lord.
For an angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask the Lord.
For pardon and remission of our sins and transgressions, let us ask the Lord.
For that which is good and beneficial for our souls, and for peace for the world, let us ask the Lord.
That we may complete the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance, let us ask the Lord.
And let us ask for a Christian end to our life, peaceful, without shame and suffering, and for a good defense before the awesome judgment seat of Christ.
OFFERTORY PRAYER
Lord our God, You created us and brought us into this life, showed us ways that lead to salvation, and granted us revelation of heavenly mysteries. You are the One who by the power of Your Holy Spirit ordained us to this ministry. Be indeed well pleased, Lord, that we became ministers of Your new covenant and celebrants of Your holy sacraments; and as we approach Your holy Altar of sacrifice, accept us, in the abundance of Your mercy, and make us worthy to offer You this rational and bloodless sacrifice for our own misdeeds and those committed in ignorance by the people. Accept it on Your holy and celestial and spiritual Altar of sacrifice as a sweet and pleasing aroma, and in return send down to us the grace of Your Holy Spirit.
Look upon us, O God, and have regard for this our worship, and accept it as You accepted Abel’s offering, Noah’s sacrifice, Abraham’s whole burnt offering, the ministrations of Moses and Aaron, and Samuel’s peace offerings. And as You accepted this true worship from Your holy Apostles, so also accept these gifts from the hands of us sinners, in Your goodness, O Lord. May we be granted to serve at Your holy Altar of sacrifice without blame and obtain the reward for being faithful and wise stewards on that fearful day of Your just recompense.
Through the mercies of Your only-begotten Son, with whom You are blessed, and Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
Let us love one another, that with oneness of mind we may confess:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Trinity, one in essence and undivided.
Or, for concelebrations:
I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my foundation, my refuge, my deliverer.[SAAS]
The doors! The doors! In wisdom, let us be attentive!
PEOPLE
The Creed
I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father, through Whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; And He rose on the third day, according to the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; And He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Creator of life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who together with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, Who spoke through the prophets. In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come.
HOLY ANAPHORA
Let us stand aright! Let us stand in awe! Let us be attentive, that we may present the Holy Offering in peace.
A mercy of peace, a sacrifice of praise.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord.
It is proper and right.
The One Who Is, Master, Lord God, Father, Ruler over all: You are to be worshiped. Indeed it is proper and right and fitting the magnificence of Your holiness to praise You, extol You, bless You, adore You, thank You, and glorify You, the only God who truly exists, and to offer You this our rational worship with a broken heart and humble spirit; for You are the One who granted us the knowledge of Your truth. And who is sufficient to tell Your mighty deeds and make all Your praises heard and describe all Your wonders in every season?
Master of all, Lord of heaven and earth and all creation visible and invisible, who sit upon the throne of glory and behold the depths, unoriginate, unseen, incomprehensible, uncircumscribed, unalterable: You are the Father of our Lord and great God and Savior Jesus Christ, our hope. He is the image of Your goodness, an exact seal, showing You the Father in himself; the living Logos, true God, eternal wisdom, life, sanctification, power, the true light. Through Him was the Holy Spirit manifested, the Spirit of truth, the gift of adoption, the pledge of future inheritance, the firstfruits of the eternal blessings, the life-giving power, the source of holiness. Through the Spirit are all rational and spiritual creatures enabled to worship You, and they offer up perpetual glorification to You, for all things are Your servants.
And they all praise You, angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, principalities, authorities, powers, and the many-eyed cherubim. Around You stand seraphim; each one has six wings. With two they cover their faces, with two they cover their feet, and with two they fly. And one cries to another with unceasing voices and resounding glorification.
Singing the triumphal hymn, exclaiming, proclaiming, and saying…
Holy, holy, holy, Lord Sabaoth, heaven and earth are filled with Your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
We sinners join these blessed hosts and shout to You and say, O benevolent Master: Holy are You; indeed, all-holy, and there is no limit to the magnificence of Your holiness. And You are upright in all Your works; all that You have done to us, You have done in righteousness and true judgment. When You fashioned man from the earth and honored him with Your image, O God, You placed him in the Garden of Eden and promised him immortal life and the enjoyment of eternal blessings if he kept Your commandments. But he disobeyed You, the true God who had created him, and he succumbed to the serpent’s deceit, and he died because of his own offenses; and You, O God, in Your righteous judgment, expelled him from Paradise to this world. You returned him to the earth from which he was taken, and You provided for his salvation by regeneration, which is in Your Christ.
For You did not forever reject Your creature that You made, O Good One; You did not forget the work of Your hands, but rather in Your tender mercy You visited us in many ways: You sent Prophets; You did signs through Your saints who pleased You in every generation; You spoke to us by the mouths of the Your servants the Prophets and announced to us salvation that was to come; You gave the Law to help us; You appointed Angels to guard us.
And when the time had fully come, You spoke to us through Your Son, through whom You also created the world. Since He reflects Your glory and bears the very stamp of Your nature, and He upholds the universe by His word of power, He did not count equality with You, God the Father, a thing to be grasped; but rather being eternal God, He was seen upon the earth and lived among men. He became incarnate from a holy Virgin and emptied himself; He took the form of a servant and became like our lowly body, in order to make us be like His glorious image.
Because sin came into the world through a man and death through sin, O God and Father, Your only-begotten Son, who is in Your bosom, was well pleased to be born of a woman, the holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, to be born under the law, and to condemn sin in His flesh, so that as in Adam all die, so also in Him, Your Christ, all be made alive. Living in this world and leaving saving commandments, He delivered us from the error of idolatry and led us to the knowledge of You, the true God and Father; and He acquired us as His own special people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. He cleansed us by water and sanctified us with the Holy Spirit, and He gave himself as an exchange to death, by which we were held captive, sold under sin. Through the cross He descended into the netherworld, so that He might fill all things with himself, and He loosed the pangs of death. He rose on the third day and for all flesh opened the way to resurrection from the dead, as it was not possible for Him, the Author of life, to be held by corruption. And thus He became the first fruits of those who have died, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. He ascended into heaven and sat at the right hand of Your majesty on high; and He will come to render to each, according to their works.
He left us with these memorials of His saving Passion, which we have set before You according to His commands. When He was about to go to His voluntary, celebrated, and life-giving death, on the night when He gave himself up for the life of the world, He took bread in His holy and immaculate hands, showed it to You, God and Father, and when He had given thanks, blessed it, hallowed it, and broken it,
He gave it to His holy disciples and apostles, and said, “Take, eat. This is my body which is broken for you for the forgiveness of sins.”
In the same way He also took the cup of the fruit of the vine and mingled it, when He had given thanks, blessed it, and hallowed it,
He gave it to His holy disciples and apostles and said, “Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins.
“Do this in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim My death, and you confess My resurrection.” Therefore, O Master, as we also now remember His saving Passion, His life-giving crucifixion, His three-day burial, His resurrection from the dead, His ascent into heaven, His seating on the right hand of You, God the Father, and His glorious and awesome Second Coming,
Your own of Your own we offer to You, in all and for all.
We praise You. We bless You. We give thanks to You, O Lord; and we pray to You, our God.
All-holy Master, we approach Your holy Altar of sacrifice with confidence, even we Your sinful and unworthy servants, who are allowed to liturgize at Your holy Altar of sacrifice, not because of any virtue of ours, since we have done nothing good on earth, but because of Your mercies and tender love that You richly poured on us. And we present the elements that will become the holy Body and Blood of Your Christ, and we pray You and implore You, O Holy of holies, that by Your benevolent good pleasure Your Holy Spirit come upon us and these gifts here presented, and that He bless them and hallow them,
Bless, Master, the Holy Bread.
and make this bread be the precious Body of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bless, Master, the holy Cup.
and this cup be the precious Blood of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bless, Master, both the Holy Gifts.
which was shed for the life and salvation of the world.
Amen. Amen. Amen.
We also pray You will unite us all who partake of the one bread and cup to one another, in the communion of the one Holy Spirit. And please let none of us partake of the holy Body and Blood of Your Christ unto judgment or condemnation; but rather may we obtain mercy and grace with all the saints who throughout the ages have pleased You, the ancestors, forefathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, teachers, and every righteous spirit departed in faith.
Especially our most holy, pure, blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary.
Hymn to the Theotokos.
In you, O Lady full of grace, all creation rejoices, the hosts of Angels and the human race. O consecrated temple and allegorical Paradise, virgins boast of you. For God became incarnate from you, yes, our eternally existing God became a child from you. He made a throne of your womb, and He made your body wider than the heavens. In you, O Lady full of grace, all creation rejoices. Glory to you!
And also with the holy prophet, forerunner, and baptist John, the holy, glorious, and all-lauded Apostles; [the saint whose memory we celebrate] and all Your saints, at whose entreaties visit us, O God.
Also remember all who have fallen asleep in the hope of resurrection to eternal life [here the priest commemorates the names of the deceased], and grant them rest where the light of Your face is beaming.
Furthermore, we pray You, Lord, remember the holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, which is throughout the world, and which You obtained with the precious blood of Your Christ, and give her peace. And also reinforce this holy church building until the end of time.
Remember, O Lord, those who brought You these gifts, and those for whom and through whom they offered them, and their requests. Remember, O Lord, those who bear fruit and do good works in Your holy churches and who remember the poor. Please reward them with Your rich and heavenly gifts. In return for transient and perishable things on earth, grant them eternal and imperishable things in heaven. Remember, O Lord, those who dwell in deserts and on mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. Remember, O Lord, those who lead a celibate life in chastity, godliness, and asceticism.
Remember, O Lord, our elected officials, whom you have allowed to govern on earth. Arm our government with truth, and cover it with favor as with a shield. Overshadow our country in the day of war. Strengthen our armed forces, and exalt their right hand. Establish our country, and subdue all foreign enemies that seek war. Speak good things in their hearts regarding Your Church and all Your people, so that they may conduct their duties in tranquility and we may live a quiet and peaceful life in all piety and propriety. And grant our country profound and lasting peace. Remember, O Lord, everyone who is in government, and all our brethren who are civil servants and who serve in the military. Keep the good in Your goodness; and in Your kindness, make the bad be good.
Remember, O Lord, the people here present and those who are absent with good cause. Have mercy on them and on us, according to the abundance of Your mercy. Fill their shelves with goods; preserve their marriages in peace and harmony; nurture the infants; instruct the youth; support the elderly; encourage the fainthearted; reunite the dispersed; return those who succumbed to error and unite them to Your holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Free those who are troubled by unclean spirits. Travel with those who travel. Defend the widows; protect the orphans; free the captives; heal the sick. Remember, O Lord, those who are on trial, in labor camps, in exile, in bitter servitude, and any affliction, necessity, or distress, and everyone in need of Your great compassion; and those who love us and those who hate us; those who have asked us to pray for them, unworthy though we may be. Remember, O Lord our God, all Your people, and pour out Your rich mercy on all of them, and grant everyone their requests that contribute to their salvation. Remember, O God, everyone whom we have failed to commemorate, either through ignorance or omission or because of the many names, since You know the name and age of each, even from their mother’s womb.
For You, O Lord, are the help of the helpless, the hope of the hopeless, the savior of those in trouble, the port for travelers, and the physician of the sick. Be all things to all people, for You know everyone, what they seek, where they live, and what they need. Lord, deliver this city and every city and town from famine, pandemic, earthquake, flood, fire, criminal violence, foreign invasion, and civil war.
Among the first remember, Lord, our Archbishop (name). grant him to Your holy churches in peace, safety, honor, and health, unto length of days, rightly teaching the word of Your truth.
And remember those whom each one of us has in mind, and all the people.
Remember, O Lord, all Orthodox bishops who rightly teach the word of Your truth. And in the abundance of Your tender mercies, O Lord, remember me, who am unworthy. Forgive my every transgression, voluntary and involuntary. And please do not withhold the grace of Your Holy Spirit from these gifts on account of my sins. Remember, O Lord, the priests, the deacons in Christ, and all the clergy. Let none of us surrounding Your holy Altar of sacrifice be disgraced.
Visit us in Your goodness, O Lord; reveal Yourself to us in Your rich and tender mercies. Grant our weather to be temperate and beneficial; send gentle rains to the earth so that it may be fruitful; bless the crown of the year with Your goodness. End the schisms of churches; extinguish the insolence of nations; bring outbreaks of heresy to a quick end, by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Make us children of the light and of the day, and receive us all into Your kingdom. Grant us Your peace and Your love, O Lord our God. Indeed You have given us everything.
And grant that with one voice and one heart we may glorify and praise Your most honorable and majestic name, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
And the mercies of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, be with you all.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Having commemorated all the saints, again and again, in peace, let us pray to the Lord.
For the precious Gifts here presented and consecrated, let us pray to the Lord.
That our benevolent God, having accepted them at His holy and celestial and mystical altar as an offering of spiritual fragrance, may in return send down upon us the divine grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit, let us pray.
Show Petitions
Having asked for the unity of the faith and for the communion of the Holy Spirit, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.
O our God, the God who saves, teach us how to worthily thank You for the good things You have done and still do for us. O our God, who have accepted these gifts, cleanse us from every defilement of body and spirit, and teach us how to make holiness perfect in the fear of You, so that receiving the portion of Your holy sacrament with a clear conscience, we may be united to the holy Body and Blood of Your Christ; and having received them worthily, we may have Christ dwelling in our hearts and become a temple of Your Holy Spirit.
And we implore You, our God, please do not count any of us guilty of profaning Your awesome and heavenly sacrament, nor make anyone weak in soul and body for partaking of them unworthily. But rather allow us to receive a portion of Your holy sacrament worthily, to our last breath, as provision for eternal life and an acceptable defense at the awesome judgment seat of Your Christ, so that along with all the saints who throughout the ages have pleased You, we too may become partakers of Your eternal blessings, that You have prepared for those who love You, O Lord.
And grant us, Master, with boldness and without condemnation, to dare call You, the heavenly God, Father, and to say:
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to ages of ages.
BOWING OF HEADS
Let us bow our heads to the Lord.
Lord and Master, Father of mercies and God of all comfort, bless and sanctify those who have bowed their heads to You; guard, fortify, and strengthen them. Keep them away from every wicked deed, and attach them to every good deed. And allow them to partake of Your immaculate and life-giving sacrament, without condemnation, for the forgiveness of sins and communion of the Holy Spirit.
Through the grace, compassion, and love for humankind of Your only-begotten Son, with whom You are blessed, and Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
ELEVATION – FRACTION – UNION – COMMUNION
Hearken, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, from Your holy dwelling place and from the throne of glory of Your kingdom, and come to sanctify us, You who are enthroned with the Father on high and are present among us invisibly here. And with Your mighty hand, grant Communion of Your most pure Body and precious Blood to us, and through us to all the people.
The Holy Gifts for the holy people of God.
One is Holy, one is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Show Pre-Communion Prayers
Communion Hymn. Psalm 148.
Praise the Lord from the heavens. Alleluia.[SAAS]
With the fear of God, faith, and love, draw near.
The people come up to receive Holy Communion. The Priest receives the holy chalice from the hands of the Deacon and begins communing the people, saying to each one:
The Body and Blood of Christ, for the remission of sins and life eternal.
Hymns During Holy Communion
Save, O God, Your people, and bless Your inheritance.
Hymn after Holy Communion.
We have seen the true light; we have received the heavenly Spirit; we have found the true faith, worshiping the undivided Trinity, for the Trinity has saved us.
Exalt, Master.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let Your glory be over all the earth. (3)
Blessed is our God.
Always, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
THANKSGIVING
Arise! Having partaken of the divine, holy, pure, immortal, heavenly, life-creating, and awesome Mysteries of Christ, let us worthily give thanks to the Lord.
Having prayed for a perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless day, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.
PRAYER AFTER EVERYONE COMMUNES
We thank You, O Lord our God, for the communion of Your holy, immaculate, immortal, and heavenly sacrament, which You have granted us for the benefit, sanctification, and healing of our souls and bodies. O Master of all, grant that the communion of the holy Body and Blood of Your Christ may be to us for faith unashamed, love unfeigned, fulness of wisdom, healing of soul and body, deterrence from everything contrary, observance of Your commandments, and for an acceptable defense at the dread judgment seat of Your Christ.
For You are our sanctification, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
DISMISSAL
Let us go forth in peace.
AMBO PRAYER
O Christ our God, You accept this rational and bloodless sacrifice as a sacrifice of praise and pleasing worship. You are the lamb and Son of God who take away the sin of the world, the blameless young bull that does not accept the yoke of sin, and who were offered for us of Your own will. You are broken but not divided, eaten but never depleted; and You sanctify those who eat. Indeed, You made us partakers of Your holy Body and precious Blood, this ineffable, heavenly, and awesome sacrament, in remembrance of Your voluntary Passion and life-giving resurrection on the third day. Preserve us in Your holiness, us Your servants, those who minister, who govern faithfully, who serve in the armed forces, and the people here in attendance.
And grant us to meditate on Your righteousness at all times and in every season, so that being guided to Your will and doing what is pleasing to You, we may become worthy to stand at Your right hand when You come to judge the living and the dead. Rescue our brethren who are captives, visit those who are ill, pilot travelers who are in danger, and give rest to the souls of all who have fallen asleep in the hope of the eternal life, where the light of Your face shines; and hear the prayers of all who need Your help.
For You are the giver of good things, and we offer up glory to You and Your Father, who is without beginning, and Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth and to the ages. (3)[GOA]
PRAYER AS THE GIFTS ARE COLLECTED
O Christ our God, the sacrament of Your dispensation is completed and finished as far as it is in our power. We had the memorial of Your death; we saw the image of Your resurrection; we were filled with Your everlasting life; we experienced Your inexhaustible delight. Please allow us all to enjoy it in the age to come, by the grace of Your Father who is without beginning and Your holy and good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
May the blessing and the mercy of the Lord come upon you by His divine grace and love for humankind, always, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
Glory to You, O Christ our God. Glory to You.
May He who rose from the dead, Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-pure and all-immaculate holy Mother, the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, the protection of the honorable, bodiless powers of heaven, the supplications of the honorable, glorious prophet and forerunner John the Baptist, of the holy, glorious, and praiseworthy apostles, of the holy, glorious, and triumphant martyrs, of our righteous and God-bearing fathers, (local patron saint); of the holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, our devout Mother Mary of Egypt, whose memory we celebrate, and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, as He is good, benevolent, and merciful God.
Lord, protect for many years the one who blesses and sanctifies us.
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.
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