The Circumcision of the Lord / St
Basil the Great
Beatitude
Verses: Ode 3 of the Feast: 4; Ode 6 of the Saint: 4
1&2. The transcendent Word Who
became incarnate hath been circumcised, that the law
might cease; and He hath given us the beginning of
divine grace and life incorruptible.
3&4. As
the fulfiller of the law, and not as One opposed to
God, Christ showed Himself
to be incarnate, and hath deigned of His own
will to be circumcised on the eighth day.
5. Thou didst abundantly feed the souls of the
poor tormented by starvation, O Basil, and
didst fill the hearts of the hungry with all
divine gladness.
6. Thou didst richly feed the hungry with
heavenly food; for thy discourse is angelic
bread, O Basil, and thou becamest an excellent
issuer of the grain thereof.
7. Like a bee thou didst industriously gather
honey from the flowers of all the virtues, O
Basil, and as a wise
man thou art blessed therein.
8. Save thy servants from misfortunes, O
Theotokos, for after God it is to thee that we
flee as to an impregnable rampart and
intercession.
At the entrance: “O come let us worship and fall down before Christ, Who art wondrous
in the saints, O Son of God, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.”
Troparia & Kontakia
Tone
1: Thou Who sittest
with the Eternal Father /
on
a fiery throne in the heights, /
wast pleased through the Divine Spirit to be born on earth /
of
a Virgin Maiden, Thy Mother, O Jesus. /
Wherefore,
Thou wast circumcised as a man on the eighth day. /
Glory
to Thine all-gracious will. /
Glory to Thy providence. //
Glory to Thy condescension, O only Lover of mankind.
Tone
1: Thy fame hath gone forth into all the earth,
/
which hath received thy word. /
Thereby
thou hast divinely taught the Faith; /
thou hast made manifest the nature of created things; /
thou hast made the moral life of men a royal priesthood. //
O
Basil, our righteous father, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.
Glory…
Tone 4: Thou didst prove to be an unshakable foundation
of the church, /
giving to all mortals an inviolate lordship, /
and
sealing it with thy doctrines, /
O
righteous Basil, //
revealer of heavenly things.
Both now... Tone 3: The Lord of all undergoeth circumcision, /
and in His goodness hath circumcised the sins of mortals. /
On this day, He giveth the world salvation. /
And Basil, the hierarch, the Creator’s light-bearer /
and Christ’s divine mystic, //
rejoiceth in the highest.
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 1st Tone: My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the
meditation of my heart
shall be of
understanding.
Choir: My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the
meditation of my heart shall be of
understanding.
Reader: The Reading is from the Second Epistle of the Holy Apostle
Paul to Timothy:
[II Tim 4:5-8 (§ 298); Col. 2:8-12 (§254);
Heb. 7:26-8:2 (§318)]
Reader: Alleluia in the 8th Tone: God be
gracious unto us and bless us.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: Cause His face to shine upon us and have mercy on us..
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: O Shepherd of
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [Mk 1:1-8 (§ 1);
Luke 2:20-21, 40-52 (§6); Luke 6:17-23 (§24)].
Instead of “It
is truly meet…”[Tone 8 in the Octoechos, but usually
sung to one of
many special
melodies]:
All creation – the assembly of angels and the race
of man – rejoiceth in thee, O thou who
art full of grace, O sacred
temple and noetical paradise, boast of virgins, from whom
God, Who existeth from before
time, was incarnate and became a child; for He made thy
body a throne, and thy womb
He made more spacious than the heavens.
All creation
rejoiceth in thee, O thou
who art full of grace. Glory to thee!
Communion Verse:
Praise the Lord in the heavens, praise Him in the highest! In everlasting remembrance
shall the righteous be; he shall
not be afraid of evil tidings.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!