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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

An optional alternative to the Antiphons are the Typika (Psalms 102 and 145), and the Beatitudes with the appointed troparia, which are provided here.

Psalm 102.

Psalm 145.

The Beatitudes.

Mode 2.

In Your kingdom. Remember us, O Lord, when You come in Your kingdom. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [RSV]

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. [RSV]

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. [RSV]

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. [RSV]

Canon for the Myrrhbearers.

Ode iii. Mode 2. Barren has my mind.

Στειρωθέντα μου τὸν νοῦν.

From Pentecostarion - - -

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. [RSV]

You, O Jesus, with Your hands * that were nailed upon the Cross, gathered all nations * out of error and deceit, * and You called them to the knowledge of Your truth, O Lord. [GOASD]

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. [RSV]

Noble Joseph, who held God, * come and stand with us and shout that the Redeemer * has arisen, Jesus Christ * who raised Adam out of Hades in His tender love. [GOASD]

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. [RSV]

Come and celebrate with us, * holy twelve Apostles and Myrrh-bearing Women, * noble Joseph and the rest * of the holy men and women, you Disciples of Christ. [GOASD]

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [RSV]

Theotokion.

Holy Virgin, you are blessed, * being born of Jesse’s root. From you has blossomed * rod and flower in the flesh, * namely Christ, who was incarnate to redeem us all. [GOASD]

Canon for the Myrrhbearers.

Ode vi. Mode 2. The gulf of my transgressions.

Βυθῷ ἁμαρτημάτων.

From Pentecostarion - - -

Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely [for my sake]. [RSV]

Respected Joseph wrapped You in linen cloths, O Christ, * and with spices bound the temple of Your body, * which according to Your word had been destroyed, * laid it in the sepulcher, and rolled a stone against the door. [GOASD]

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. [RSV]

O Myrrh-bearing Women, why are you in a rush? * Why bring burial ointments to the living One? * Christ has truly risen just as He foretold. * No longer should you lament and weep. Let your grief turn into joy. [GOASD]

Glory.

O faithful, praise the Trinity, God in nature one, * and glorify the Father and His only Son * and the Spirit consubstantial with the Son * and in the Father, coeternal and everlasting God. [GOASD]

Both now. Theotokion.

O Virgin, without husbandry in your womb, like a vine, * you conceived the fruit of immortality, * from which came forth the imperishable streams * as wine that spring up for us to everlasting life. [GOASD]

Entrance Hymn. Mode 2.

Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ. Save us, O Son of God, risen from the dead. We sing to You, Alleluia.

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.