The Procession of the Holy Cross, Holy Maccabean
Martyrs
Beatitude Verses: Octoechos: 4; Procession of the Cross: 4 from Ode 3; Maccabean Martyrs: 4 from Ode 6.
1. Of old, a
sword was set to guard the blessed tree of life after the disobedience of
Adam the first created; but the Cross hath opened a
path thereto.
2. With eyes,
mouth and soul, with our faces and hearts, let us all bow down before the
all-holy Cross of Christ, the Bestower of
life, whereby the whole world is sanctified.
3. Becoming
temples of God today, as the prophets said, bowing down before the wood
of the all-holy Cross, all of us
who are heirs thereto kiss it with fear.
4. We chant
hymns to thee, O Christ, and with faith entreat thy power: Rescue us from
the snares of the enemy, and direct
all of us who hymn thee to the haven of salvation.
5. Having
arrayed yourselves in the vesture of martyrdom, O saints, ye embroidered it
with the feats of your suffering.
6. Desiring
to be with Christ, O most glorious martyrs, ye have run the course of
suffering with unwavering resolve.
7. Preserving
the law which Moses handed down, O holy ones, ye suffered lawfully,
putting the tyrant Antiochus to shame.
8. O thou who
alone gavest birth to the Word in the flesh at His word, deliver our souls
from the snares of the enemy, we
pray.
At the Entrance: O come let us worship and fall down before Christ. O Son of
God who
art wondrous in the
saints, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Troparia & Kontakia
Tone 1: O Lord, save Thy people /
and bless Thine inheritance. /
Grant Thou victory unto Orthodox Christians /
over their enemies, /
and by the power of Thy Cross //
do Thou
preserve Thy commonwealth.
Tone
1: By
the pangs of the saints, /
which they suffered
for Thee, O Lord, /
be Thou entreated,
and heal Thou all our infirmities, //
we pray Thee, O
Thou Who lovest mankind.
Glory…
Tone 2:
O Seven pillars of the wisdom of God /
And
seven-branched candlestick of the Divine Light /
Ye were
great martyrs before the martyrs, O supremely-wise Maccabees. /
With them
pray to the God of all //
That they who venerate you may be saved.
Both
now… Tone 4: O Thou Who wast lifted up willingly on the Cross, /
bestow Thy mercies
upon the new community named after Thee, O Christ God; /
gladden with Thy
power the Orthodox Christians, /
granting them
victory over enemies; //
may they have as
Thy help the weapon of peace, the invincible trophy.
The Epistle
Reader: The
Prokimenon in the 6th Tone: Save,
O Lord, Thy people and bless Thine
inheritance.
Choir:
Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thine inheritance.
Reader: Unto
Thee, O Lord, Will I cry; O my God, be not silent unto
me.
Choir:
Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thine inheritance.
Reader: In the 4th
Tone: In the saints that are in His earth hath the Lord been
wondrous; He hath wrought
all His desires in them.
Choir:
In the saints that are in His earth
hath the Lord been wondrous; He hath wrought
all His desires in
them.
Reader:
The
Corinthians: [1st
Corinthians 18-24 (§125); Hebrews 11:33-12:2 (§330)]
Reader: Alleluia in the 4th Tone: Remember
Thy congregation which Thou has
purchased from the
beginning.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: God is our King before the ages, He hath
wrought salvation in the midst of the
earth.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: The righteous cried, and the Lord heard
them, and He delivered them out of all
their
tribulations
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [John 19:6-11,25-28,30-35 (§60); Matthew 10:32-33,37-38; 19:27-30 (§38)]
Communion Verse: The Light of Thy countenance, O Lord, hath been signed upon us.
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; praise is meet for the upright.
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!