5/16/2021 - Divine Liturgy
Special hymns and readings
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 - Tone 2 (Pentecostarion)
The noble Joseph, / when he had taken down Your most pure Body from the Tree, / wrapped it in fine linen and anointed it with spices, / and placed it in a new tomb. / But You rose on the third day, O Lord,//granting the world great mercy.
Troparion - Tone 2 (Pentecostarion)
The Angel came to the myrrhbearing women at the tomb and said: / “Myrrh is fitting for the dead; / but Christ has shown Himself a stranger to corruption! / So proclaim: ‘The Lord is risen,//granting the world great mercy.’”
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit . . .
Kontakion - Tone 2 (Pentecostarion)
You commanded the Myrrhbearers to rejoice, O Christ God. / By Your Resurrection, You stopped the lamentation of Eve, the first mother. / You commanded them to preach to Your Apostles://“The Savior is risen from the tomb!”
. . . both now and ever and unto ages of ages, Amen.
Kontakion - Tone 8 (Pascha)
You descended into the tomb, O Immortal, / You destroyed the power of death. / In victory You arose, O Christ God, / proclaiming: “Rejoice!” to the Myrrhbearing Women,//granting peace to Your Apostles, and bestowing Resurrection on the fallen.
The Prokeimenon in the 6th Tone: (Pentecostarion)
O Lord, save Your people, and bless Your inheritance!
O Lord, save Your people, and bless Your inheritance!
To You, O Lord, will I call. O my God, be not silent to me!
O Lord, save Your people, and bless Your inheritance!
O Lord, save Your people . . .
. . . and bless Your inheritance!
The Reading is from the Book of Acts (6:1-7)
Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
O Lord, You have been gracious to Your land; You have turned back the captivity of Jacob.
Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark (15:43-16:8)
Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus observed where He was laid. Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away – for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is 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 into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
(Instead of “It is truly meet…,” we sing the following)
The Angel cried to the Lady, full of grace:
“Rejoice, O pure Virgin! Again, I say: Rejoice,
your Son is risen from His three days in the tomb!
With Himself He has raised all the dead.”
Rejoice, O ye people!
Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem!
The glory of the Lord has shone on you.
Exult now, and be glad, O Zion!
Be radiant, O pure Theotokos,
in the Resurrection of your Son!
Sunday Communion Hymn
Receive the Body of Christ; taste the fountain of immortality!
Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest!
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!