8/15/2021 - Divine Liturgy

Special Hymns for Today

Troparion - Tone 7 (Resurrection) 

By Your Cross You destroyed death. / To the thief You opened Paradise. / For the Myrrhbearers You changed  weeping into joy. / And You commanded Your disciples, O Christ God, / to proclaim that You are risen,//granting the  world great mercy. 

Troparion - Tone 1 (Feast)  

In giving birth you preserved your virginity. / In falling asleep you did not forsake the world, O Theotokos. / You were  translated to life O Mother of Life,//and by your prayers you deliver our souls from death. 

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

Kontakion – Tone 7 (Resurrection) 

The dominion of death can no longer hold men captive, / for Christ descended, shattering and destroying its powers.  / Hell is bound, while the Prophets rejoice and cry: / “The Savior has come to those in faith;//enter, you faithful, into the Resurrection!” 

 . . . both now and ever and unto ages of ages, Amen.  

Kontakion - Tone 2 (Feast) 

Neither the tomb, nor death, could hold the Theotokos, / who is constant in prayer and our firm hope in her  intercessions. / For being the Mother of Life,//she was translated to life by the One Who dwelt in her virginal womb.   

The Prokeimenon in the 7th Tone (Resurrection):

The Lord shall give strength to His people. The Lord shall  bless His people with peace. (Ps. 28:11) 

Congregation: The Lord shall give strength to His people. The Lord shall bless His people with peace.

Reader: v: Offer to the Lord, O you sons of God! Offer young rams to the Lord! (Ps. 28:1a)

Congregation: The Lord shall give strength to His people. The Lord shall bless His people with peace.

Reader: The Lord shall give strength to His people. . . .  

Congregation: . . . The Lord shall bless His people with peace. 

The Reading is from the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians (1:10-18)  

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak  the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and  in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that  there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am  of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of  Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in  my own name. Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should  be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being  saved it is the power of God. 

Reader: The Prokeimenon in the 3rd Tone (Song of the Theotokos): My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit  rejoices in God my Savior. (Lk. 1:46-47) 

Congregation: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. 

Reader: The Reading is from the First Epistle of St. Paul to the CorinthPhilippians (2:5-11) 

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God,  did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant,  and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became  obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him  the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those  on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of  God the Father. 

Priest: Peace be to thee [that reads]  

Reader: And to thy spirit. The Alleluia in the 7th Tone: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!  

Congregation: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!  

Reader: It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High. (Ps. 91:1) Congregation: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!  

Reader: To declare Your mercy in the morning, and Your truth by night. (Ps. 91:2a) 

Congregation: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!  

Reader: Arise, O Lord, into Your rest, You and the Ark of Your sanctification! (Ps. 131:8) 

Congregation: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! 

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew (14:14-22) 

And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the  multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need  to go away. You give them something to eat.” And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” He  said, “Bring them here to Me.” Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five  loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that  remained. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Immediately Jesus  made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke (10:38-42; 11:27-28) (Song of the Theotokos)

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into  her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted  with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled  about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from  her.” And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him,  “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “More than that, blessed are those  who hear the word of God and keep it!” 

(Instead of “It is truly meet…,” we sing:)  

The Angels, as they looked upon the Dormition of the Virgin, 

were struck with wonder, 

seeing how the Virgin went up from earth to heaven. 

The limits of nature are overcome in you, O Pure Virgin: 

for birthgiving remains virginal, and life is united to death; 

a virgin after childbearing and alive after death, 

you ever save your inheritance, O Theotokos. 

 Sunday Communion Hymn  

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest! (Ps. 148:1) 

I will receive the cup of salvation and call on the Name of the Lord. (Ps. 115:4) 

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! 

Saint Nikolai