7/11/2021 - Divine Liturgy
Special Hymns for Today
Troparion - Tone 2 (Resurrection)
When You descended to death, O Life Immortal, / You slew hell with the splendor of Your Godhead. / And when from the depths You raised the dead, / all the powers of heaven cried out://“O Giver of life, Christ our God, glory to You!”
Troparion for St. Nikolai — Tone 8
O golden-tongued preacher proclaiming the risen Christ, / everlasting guide of the cross-bearing Serbian people, / resounding harp of the Holy Spirit, and dear to monastics who rejoice in you, / pride and boast of the priesthood, teacher of repentance, master for all nations, / guide of those in the army of Christ as they pray to God, / Holy Nikolai teacher in America and pride of the Serbian people, / with all the saints, implore the only Lover of mankind//to grant us peace and joy in his heavenly kingdom!
Troparion - Tone 3 (St. Euphemia)
You brought joy to the Orthodox / and shame to the defenders of heresy, / for you confirmed what the Fathers of the Fourth Council had correctly taught. / O glorious martyr Euphemia, fair virgin of Christ,//entreat Christ God to grant us His great mercy!
Troparion - Tone 1 (St. Olga)
Giving your mind the wings of divine understanding, / you soared above visible creation seeking god the Creator of all. / When you had found Him, you received re-birth through baptism. / As one who enjoys the Tree of Life, you remain eternally incorrupt,//O ever-glorious Olga.
Kontakion – Tone 2 (Resurrection)
Hell became afraid, O almighty Savior, / seeing the miracle of Your Resurrection from the tomb! / The dead arose! Creation, with Adam, beheld this and rejoiced with You,//and the world, my Savior, praises You forever.
Kontakion for St. Nikolai — Tone 3
Born at Lelich in Serbia, / you served as archpastor at the church of Saint Nahum in Ochrid./ You presided on the throne of Saint Sava at Zhicha,/ teaching the people of God and enlightening them with the Gospel, / bringing them to repentance and love for Christ. / And for His sake you endured suffering at Dachau. / Therefore, Nikolai, we glorify you as one newly well pleasing to God.
Kontakion - Tone 6 (St. Euphemia)
For the sake of Christ your Bridegroom / you underwent struggles in both martyrdom and faith. / Now intercede with the Mother of God / that heresies and the insoslent enemies of the Orthodox be placed underfoot. / You received and guarded that which was defined by the six hundred and thirty God-bearing Fathers,//O all-praised Euphemia.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit . . .
Kontakion - Tone 4 (St. Olga)
Today let us praise God the Benefactor of all, / Who glorified divinely-wise Olga,//that through her prayers, He may grant our souls remission of sins.
. . . both now and ever and unto ages of ages, Amen.
Steadfast Protectress of Christians . . .
Priest: Wisdom
Reader: The Prokeimenon in the 2nd Tone: The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.
Congregation: The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.
Reader: v: The Lord has chastened me sorely, but He has not given me over to death. (Ps. 117:18) Congregation: The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.
Reader: The Lord is my strength and my song . . .
Congregation: . . . He has become my salvation.
The Reading is from the Holy Epistle of Paul to the Romans (5:1-10)
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Priest: Peace be to thee [that reads]
Reader: And to thy spirit. The Alleluia in the 2nd Tone: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Congregation: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: May the Lord hear you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! (Ps. 19:1)
Congregation: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: Save the King, O Lord, and hear us on the day we call! (Ps. 19:9)
Congregation: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew (3:22-33)
The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Sunday Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest! (Ps. 148:1)
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!