4/18/2021 - Divine Liturgy
Special Hymns for Today
Troparion of the Resurrection – Tone 4
When the women disciples of the Lord / learned from the angel the joyous message of Your Resurrection, / they cast away the ancestral curse / and elatedly told the apostles: / “Death is overthrown! / Christ God is risen,//granting the world great mercy!”
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 for St. Mary of Egypt — Tone 8
The image of God was truly preserved in you, O Mother, / for you took up the Cross and followed Christ. / By so doing, you taught us to disregard the flesh for it passes away; / but to care instead for the soul, for it is immortal.//Therefore your spirit, O holy Mother Mary, rejoices with the angels.
Kontakion of the Resurrection— Tone 4
My Savior and Redeemer / as God rose from the tomb and delivered the earth-born from their chains. / He has shattered the gates of hell, / and as Master,//He has risen on the third day!
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.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit . . .
Kontakion for St. Mary of Egypt — Tone 4
Having been a sinful woman, / you became through repentance a bride of Christ. / Having attained angelic life, / you defeated demons with the weapon of the Cross.//Therefore, O most glorious Mary, you are a bride of the Kingdom.
. . . both now and ever and unto ages of ages, Amen.
“Steadfast Protectress of Christians”
The Prokeimenon in the 4th Tone:
O Lord, how manifold are Your works; in wisdom have You made them all.
Congregation: O Lord, how manifold are Your works; in wisdom have You made them all.
Reader: v: Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord, my God, You are very great!
Congregation: O Lord, how manifold are Your works; in wisdom have You made them all. Reader: O Lord, how manifold are Your works . . .
Congregation: . . . in wisdom have You made them all.
Reader: God is wonderful in His saints, the God of Israel. (St. Mary of Egypt)
Congregation: God is wonderful in His saints, the God of Israel.
The Reading is from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Hebrews (9:11-14)
But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
The Reading is from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Galatians (3:23-29) (St. Mary of Egypt)
But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Priest: Peace be to thee [that reads]
Reader: And to thy spirit. The Alleluia in the 4th Tone: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Congregation: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: Go forth, prosper and reign, for the sake of meekness, righteousness and truth!
Congregation: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: For You love righteousness, and hate iniquity.
Congregation: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: I waited patiently for the Lord; He attended to me and heard my supplication.
Congregation: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark (10:32-45)
Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.” Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.” And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.” And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke (7:36-50) (St. Mary of Egypt)
Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.” “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
(Instead of “It is truly meet…,” we sing the following)
Hymn to the Theotokos
All of creation rejoices in you, O Full of Grace:
the assembly of angels and the race of men.
O sanctified temple and spiritual paradise,
the glory of virgins,
from whom God was incarnate and became a Child –
our God before the ages.
He made your body into a throne,
and your womb He made more spacious than the heavens.
All of creation rejoices in you, O Full of Grace.
Glory to you!
Sunday Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest!
The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance! He shall not fear evil tidings!
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!