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Hieratikon

Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Pentecostarion

Wednesday of the Third Week

Menaion - May 7

Commemoration of the Appearance of the Holy Cross in the Sky

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LITURGY OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

Antiphon 1. Mode 2. Psalm 65.

Verse 1: Shout to God, all the earth. [SAAS]

Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.

Verse 2: Sing now to His name; give glory to His praise.

Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.

Verse 3: Say to God, “How fearful are Your works.

Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.

Verse 4: Let all the earth worship You and sing to You.

Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.

Glory. Both now.

Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.

Antiphon 2. Mode 2. Psalm 66.

Verse 1: May God be gracious to us, and bless us. [SAAS]

Save us, O Son of God, risen from the dead. We sing to You, Alleluia.

Verse 2: May He cause His face to shine upon us, and have mercy on us.

Save us, O Son of God, risen from the dead. We sing to You, Alleluia.

Verse 3: That we may know His way on the earth, Your salvation among all the Gentiles.

Save us, O Son of God, risen from the dead. We sing to You, Alleluia.

Verse 4: Let the peoples give thanks to You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.

Save us, O Son of God, risen from the dead. We sing to You, Alleluia.

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

Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

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.

Antiphon 3. Mode pl. 1. Psalm 67.

Verse 1: Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Him flee from before His face. [SAAS]

Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life. [GOA]

Verse 2: As smoke vanishes, so let them vanish, as wax melts before the fire.

Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life. [GOA]

Verse 3: So shall the sinners perish from the face of God. And let the righteous be glad.

Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life. [GOA]

Verse 4: This is the day the Lord made; let us greatly rejoice and be glad therein.

Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life. [GOA]

Entrance Hymn. Mode 2.

Bless God in the churches, the Lord from the fountains of Israel. Save us, O Son of God, risen from the dead. We sing to You, Alleluia. [SAAS]

Hymns after the Entrance.

Apolytikion.

From Pentecostarion - - -

Mode 2.

When You descended unto Death, O Lord, You who are immortal Life put Hades to death, by the lightning of Your divinity. And when You raised the dead from the netherworld, all the hosts of heaven sang aloud to You, “O Christ God, Giver of life, glory to You!” [GOASD]

Mode 2.

When he took down Your immaculate Body from the Cross, the honorable Joseph wrapped it in a clean linen shroud with spices and laid it for burial in a new tomb. But on the third day You rose, O Lord, and granted to the world the great mercy. [GOASD]

From Pentecostarion - - -

Mode 2.

The Angel who had come to the sepulcher said to the Myrrh-bearing women, “Ointments are appropriate for mortal men; but Christ is indeed a stranger to decay. Now go proclaim that the Lord has risen and granted to the world the great mercy.” [GOASD]

For the Cross.

From Menaion - - -

Mode 1.

The sign of Your Cross shined more brightly than the sun. You made it stretch from Calvary to the holy Mount of Olives, and You demonstrated Your power that it possesses, O Savior. By it You strengthen our leaders who believe in You. We pray You continually preserve them in peace, at the intercessions of the Theotokos, O Christ our God, and save us. [SD]

The Apolytikion of the parish church is sung. Then:

Kontakion. For the Myrrhbearers.

From Pentecostarion - - -

Mode 2.

In saying Rejoice to the myrrh-bearers, You allayed the lament of the first mother Eve, at Your Resurrection, O Christ our God. And You ordered Your Apostles to proclaim, * “The Savior has risen from the sepulcher.” [SD]

Trisagios Hymn

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.

THE READINGS

Prokeimenon. Mode 1. Psalm 27.

O Lord, save Your people, and bless Your inheritance. [SAAS]

Verse: To You, O Lord, I cry; O my God. [SAAS]

The Epistle

For the Cross.

The reading is from the Acts of the Apostles.

Acts 26:1, 12 – 20

In those days, King Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense: “I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.’ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and bear witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles — to whom I send you to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ After that, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance.” [RSV]

Alleluia. Mode pl. 4. Psalm 131.

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Verse 1: Arise, O Lord, into Your rest, You and the ark of Your holiness. [SAAS]

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Verse 2: The Lord swore to David this truth, and He shall not reject it, “I shall set upon your throne one from the fruit of your loins.”

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

The Gospel

Wednesday of the 3rd Week

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to John.

Jn. 6:35 – 39

The Lord said to the Jews who believed in him, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day.” [RSV]

Hymn to the Theotokos.

It is truly right to bless you, Theotokos, ever blessed, most pure, and Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God the Logos. We magnify you, the true Theotokos.

Communion Hymn. Psalm 115.

I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. Alleluia. [SAAS]

Hymn after Holy Communion.

Instead of “We have seen.”

Mode pl. 1.

Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life. [GOA]

DISMISSAL

Glory to You, 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, and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, as He is good, benevolent, and merciful God.

Fasting Rule

Wine: Wine and oil are allowed. Refrain from meat, fish, dairy, and eggs.